Story Market Day

ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Veronica’s, a Couple Days Later.


Veronica came in the house from work to the smell of fish. Heading to the kitchen, she found Violet at the fryer, pulling slabs of fish out of the hot oil. Gretchen was at the cutting board with some sort of slaw mixture and Derek was grating cheese. Violet looked up as Veronica walked in, a smile on her face.

“Perfect timing! Baja style Fish tacos and fries!”

“I take it you guys were successful fishing.” Veronica said as she looked over the bounty on the table.

“Yup, the extras are in your freezer!” Gretchen said as she finished making the slaw.

Veronica was glad. The food looked great and Violet seemed happy today. Not that she didn’t usually seem content, bordering on happy most of the time, but it looked like she had fun today.

After their blow up or breakdown or whatever in the garage, they both made a promise to do better. They started making some sort of plans and schedules to put some stability back into both of their lives. Clubbing was set to the side for now. Neither were in the romantic market so the normal bars and clubs were out, and they had too many other things to do for the dance and drink crowd at the Moon where she used to go dancing with the friend from work.

One of the things Violet was doing to stay busy was getting back to nature. Hunting and fishing were things she used to be good at but she was out of practice. These were physical, outdoors things though and were the type of thing she excelled at, physically.

Veronica knew Violet’s only drawback in hunting was most of the time she was just as happy whether they bagged anything or not. Not that killing and eating were an issue to her. Veronica figured it was all that philosophy stuff Violet studied.

Since Veronica had to work still, Violet ended up with Gretchen and Derek as outdoors partners quite a bit since the schools shifted to remote and home schooling to conserve resources. Gas, electricity and other resources were starting to thin out and get more expensive.

As they sat and ate the wonderful tacos, the conversation twisted and turned all over the place.

“Gretchen was saying her and her friends were taking classes at the local Dojo for their PE credits but the instructor stopped showing up a couple weeks ago and no one has been able to contact him.” Violet said around the cobbler she was eating.

“I never liked him anyway. He was always talking down to them and ran off two of the junior instructors who were nice.” Derek said as he cleaned his bowl.

“I didn’t like him either. I wish we could get the other two back. Maybe now the jackass has left we can.” Gretchen said.

Veronica looked over at Violet. She knew where this was headed. She was just wondering what her part would be in Violet’s plan.

“What style was he teaching?” Veronica asked, knowing it would give Violet the opening regardless of which one she said.

“He said it was a mixed martial arts style since he was a black belt in three and would pick the parts we should learn since focusing on any one discipline would be too hard at this stage.”

Veronica glanced over at Violet. Violet was normally a very mellow and disarming person unless bullies are involved. Correction, bullies or asshat martial arts instructors. Veronica saw the look on Violets face. It looked like she was trying to shit a sea urchin she was so mad.

‘That’s so much pompous, holier than thou, poser….” Violet was so mad she could barely speak.

Gretchen was laughing at Violet’s sputtering tirade when she spoke again.

“I’m glad he’s gone. He kind of gave me the creeps sometimes. He ran off the two instructors who wanted to teach us and were good teachers.”

“What do you think, Violet? You maybe pinch hit for them for a while and we get the other two guys to come back now that jackass is gone?”

“I don’t know. You think I’m qualified to teach a bunch of high school kids some martial arts stuff?” Violet was chuckling a little now after getting her temper back under control.

“I can help with introductions and tracking down the instructors, both good and bad. We should be able to get this back underway before we run out to the parents for this Guy Fawkes party Andrea is throwing.”
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heading West on the Freeway

“That marine tank works better than the gas cans did.” Veronica said from behind the wheel of the BMW as they headed west to their parents’ places.

“We need to figure a better transfer pump. The hand crank is a pain in the ass,” Violet said, rubbing her arm.

The trip coming home last time showed the need for more fuel than the onboard tank could hold. The four gas cans they used worked but let a gas smell into the cabin and would move around if they weren’t strapped together.

When Veronica was bitching to Bron and Felicia about them, Felicia brought up using a marine tank like the big one Tim added to the boat. A quick trip to a couple boat shops found several candidates, each would more stable than a bunch of cans. The problem with a tank instead of the jugs? Getting the fuel from the tank into the car. The hand pump was a pain. They needed a better solution.

“I saw you did some redecorating. That picture you hung though would probably be more expected in the gear room instead of a bedroom.” Veronica commented.

The picture was startling the first time Veronica saw it. It was a high resolution close up shot of a female lion’s head, her fierce face covered with blood. Not what most people would hang in their bedroom.

“Well, it has sentimental value…” Violet said, her reaction a bit sharper than she intends. She was just happy she had the high-resolution file in her laptop. She actually had both of them, but only had the one printed, matted and framed right now. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to do the second one. It had harder memories. Less positive memories.

Early on in the war, the military realized they needed women to interact with the local women for a variety of reasons. The program to do this was called the Lioness program. Violet was a part of it. They went outside the wire, worked at checkpoints, went on patrols, all the places they probably shouldn’t be according to some. The picture on the wall was signed by all the members of the Lioness program during her rotation.

The second time she deployed, Violet was, once again, part of the Lioness Program. By this time, the primary focus was training the Iraqi Military women for their own version. The U.S. Marine women were still operating in in their old Lioness rolls, but also like OJT trainers. Violet didn’t go out as much this second time. She was busy teaching the women how to defend themselves.

Violet remembered her students, the faces, the features most of the world don’t get to see, her friends went out on missions. When class rolled around next week, some wouldn’t be back. Some of them were killed on missions by weapons fire, or blown up by an IED at a checkpoint, or just disappeared. Each missing person from the formation, each missing face from the chow hall, it hurt. It was like losing a part of her. her unit, a comrade, someone she was out there fighting with but she was not out there with them. That was the problem. It always left her questioning was it something she did or did not do that got them killed. Did she not train them well enough? What could she do different?

The second picture was another bloody lioness, the signatures on the front were in two colors; black and red. All the black signatures were still alive when they signed it. All the red ones were put there for those who died from the program while they were there. That one she wouldn’t get printed. All the red ‘signatures’. She still saw their faces, when she slept, looked into the stars at night or stared into the depth of the water so there was no need to print the image. She always had it with her. Damn it!

One of these days she may tell Veronica about her lionesses. Not today.

Her dad knew. She sure as hell didn’t tell him but she always figured it was a Marine thing. You can’t keep things like that from him. After all he is a high ranking one with connections. It is unspoken thing. He knows, she knows he knows but it is not talked about.

If she was around the house enough, maybe she would talk to mom. It would have to be the right time. Bless her heart it was hard to get just mom. It had to be the right time and place. Talking to mom about it was always one word; Maybe.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At the Party

The evening of the party arrived. Everyone was mostly upbeat. Everyone was milling about around the fire pit and the food tables. There were large pots of homemade beef/mutton/venison stew, sourdough bread bowls, and warm spiced wine. There were a few newcomers but it was a tight small group.

Veronica and Violet got there fairly early and lent a hand with the last of the set up. Silas introduced his wife Amber when they arrived, as did Ivar when he and his wife, Sofia arrived.

Amber and Sofia fit right in, just like Violet and Veronica knew they would. They were serious cut ups most of the time when they were together and not at official functions.

Moments after getting there, everyone saw Sofia walk right up to Paige, grab her shirt sleeve and drag her over in front of Amber. Ivar and Silas could tell Paige didn’t know what was going on but knew Sofia was up to something. When the two of them got over to Amber, Sofia addressed her in a polite and formal tone.

“Excuse me miss, I believe this belongs to you.” and thrust Paige out to her!

At this, Amber picked up right where Sofia left off.

“Why thank you, Sofia.” She wrapped an arm across Paige’s shoulders, all the while Paige is confused and everyone else is looking on, amused. Amber continued, “Now Violet, you know you’re supposed to come right home after school and not wander off with that troublemaker Veronica!”

At this point the real ‘troublemakers’ off to the side both chimed in.

“Hey! We resemble that remark!” to which everyone laughed.

Later that evening, Amber had Paige and Violet stand side by side. In the firelight, they looked closer than they did when well lit, and this is without the makeup magic Andrea performed. Amber then took the opportunity to tell Violet all about how the strawberry blond looked good on her.

Ivar, Silas and Henrik were discussing the overall layout of the house and grounds. Ivar and Silas were commiserating about how they should have never rented in the subdivision they were in. They knew they would catch hell from their wives later for not having someplace like this.

Paige was discussing with Veronica and Violet what the best self-defense classes she could take to augment her Marine Corp training or help to take care of herself better in the future. More importantly, how she could tell a good instructor and where to find one. She told them she wished these two were around more to help her with things like this. She could not tell the others. Sometimes she was still a little scared.

The Vs told her it was normal and she could call anytime. They were not too busy. They could come down or if she needed to get away, she could come visit. Knowing this made her feel better. Her friends were great but sometimes it would be good to get away.

Everyone raved about the food. Andrea was the bread wizard and Sabine made the stew. Andrea told them the next get together, she would make Jambalaya from her family recipe, if she can get enough live crayfish.

Veronica knew some possible spots to get them and made note to talk to Derek when they got back to the house.

At one point Henrik, Veronica and Paige were in the barn checking out Henrik’s bow purchases. Veronica was impressed he had gotten so much of what she recommended during their last trip and the other stuff from the recommendations of the store clerk. They went over the next steps and Veronica had some tweaks for their compound bow set ups as well. Now all they had to do was go out and bag a moose.

Ivar, Andrea and Silas looked at the radio set up Andrea did in the barn. Ivar told her she should add a few things to reach farther and hit more frequencies. She looked shocked until he told her he was a radio operator in his enlisted days. “You think I was born with a butter bar on my shoulders? I was one of you at one point of my career. Worked my way up through the ranks until someone thought I was officer material. I always wonder if he was right”

This party was the first time Paige’s group interacted with Ivar in a non-work setting. Away from work, he was a lot like Silas, very laid back and matter of fact. Even after all their years in the military, they still forgot the boss was human. With the base closing nobody would seem to care about the fraternizing thing so they would have to invite him over again.

Andrea told everyone she would like to do a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner get together. She was inspired by a couple she knew when she was at her first base. They would invite people from the dorms who did not go home for the holidays to their house for a big pot of Jambalaya, a slab of secret recipe cheese bread and movies. They wanted the junior troops to have someplace where people where not trying to make it Thanksgiving for them or feel sorry for them. It sounded like it really helped then and Andrea said she figured it would help now.

It was a happy crew sitting around the fire pit that evening. Ivar and Sofia with Veronica; Silas, Amber and Violet; Henrik, Paige and Andrea. Sabine was playing her little six string guitar by the fire. Soon, she ducked inside to retrieve dessert.

She came back out with a tray holding the most amazing apples baked in filo dough. They were like the ultimate combination of Baklava wrapped around a crisp tart green apple. To make it even better, there was homemade ice cream to top it off.

The rich tones of the 12-string filled the area. Sabine had slipped inside and returned with her 12-string. She started with simple tunes. Soon it devolved into a sing-along of many old favorites. Song after song they went. Too soon, however, the evening had to come to an end. The fire was dying, the effigy now embers.

Sabine paused her playing for a moment. The sound of the guitar was fading on the wind. When all was silent, Sabine began again.

The first notes were clear and rang through the meadow. Her fingers moved faster and faster, the notes coming more and more furiously. Amber and Silas’ hands found one another. It was Malagueña, one of their favorites and had a special place in their heart. Everyone watching seemed to hold their breath as they watched Sabine’s performance. One or two noticed there was a tear running down Sabine’s cheek.

When Sabine played the last note, no one moved. No one. After a few moments, Andrea carefully walked up to Sabine and sat beside her. Sabine didn’t even seem to notice. She reached out and held her, whispering in her ear.

“Don’t cry! It was perfect!”

As Andrea held Sabine, a few people cautiously approached Sabine complimenting her on the performance. Amber hugged her thanking her for such a beautiful rendition. She winked, telling her Violet was conceived to that song. This was just what Sabine needed to bring her out of the trance playing this piece of music caused her. Silas from a distance told her it was supposed to be their little secret and IT WAS NOT JUST THAT SONG. Amber countered with at least I didn’t say anything about the flamingo dance or where we were at when it happened. This caused everyone to laugh but Violet who had put her fingers in ears followed by loud lalalalalalalas.

Most figured there was no way they would top that performance and the hour was getting late so people started ending conversations in preparation to leave.

The overall group was a happy and cohesive one. They all determined the next get together would be Thanksgiving for Andrea’s Jambalaya. Andrea said she would be in touch with people with details.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
On the Road Home

“So, at least when we come back, Paige might have a fuel pump rigged up so we can transfer fuel from the spare to the main at the flip of a switch instead of me doing calisthenics to hand pump.” Violet commented after the latest transfer stop.

They didn’t want the fuel level in the tank to get too low. Veronica wanted at least half a tank ready at all times for ‘emergencies’ as she put it.

“Well, hopefully it will be something not too hard for you and me to put in. With the weather getting worse and the fuel stops getting less and less reliable, I think we bring the Ent next time. It’s got enough range to make the whole trip in one go, and plenty of clearance and four-wheel drive.” Veronica commented as she drove.

Violet noticed Veronica was paying a lot of attention to the rearview mirror. It was twilight so they still had some visibility.

“What do you have?”

“Car in the distance, closing in.” This was the first they have seen this far out from the city this time. “Doesn’t feel right.”

“OK, V, you’re the cop, what do we do?”

Veronica was looking at the mirror and the road ahead, trying to piece a plan together on the fly. Finally, she had something.

“I’m going to bail at the next offramp and push over to the onramp to see if they follow us. If they do, I’ll open this little thing up and we run until we get enough of a lead to hop off and lose them. If they catch us, we fight.”

“Yay! I recommend step one is don’t get caught. Better to drive fast and get away. Besides, I didn’t happen to pack my MRAP.” Violet said, her voice full of sarcasm.

“Well, if it comes to a shootout…” Veronica paused as she looked at the mirror again. “Pop the glove box. There is a pistol and a couple boxes of ammo for it.”

Violet didn’t remember Veronica putting a pistol in the car. She opened the glovebox. There, she found the pistol Veronica was talking about. She pulled it out and held it up.

“What the hell, Veronica! Do you have a big loop carbine so we can go all Stagecoach? A cowboy six shooter?”

“Actually, five shot. It’s one of my hunting pistols.”

“Five shots? What good is that going to do? And Ivory grips? A bit fancy for a hunt.”

“Ivory is the best for pistol grips in most situations. Wet, even with blood, they don’t slip, smooth enough to reposition easily. It’s an old gunfighter thing.” Veronica countered. “And five shots should be enough. Each round delivers two-thousand-foot pounds of energy.”

“Two thousand? What the hell is it?” Violet held the heavy single action revolver, turning it in her hands, looking closer.

“Freedom Arms in 454 Casull. You’ve got the wrist strength for it. It’s a bit much for me, but it’s a one-shot problem solver for most things in the back country so I figured it would make a good back up tool for our trip.”

Violet kept turning and twisting it in her hands. She pulled five rounds out of the box. Each round weighed heavy in her hand.

“If you cock the hammer back to half cock, and open the loading gate, you can spin the cylinder to load it. The recoil rolls the pistol back in your hand, but it’s not too sharp.” Veronica said to answer the unasked question as she stared in the rear-view mirror.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Further Down the Road


“Alright, a little change in plan. Veronica Said as she saw the sign ahead.

“And that is?”

"There’s a picnic pull out up here. No buildings, just some picnic tables with awnings, all in one straight parallel line. We pull off and stop at the picnic table closest to the off ramp. If he is following us and gets off, he will have to pass us to not appear blatant about it. That will give us a chance to eyeball them, see who they are and what they are driving.”

“And if they decide to be blatant and stop beside or in front of us?” Violet queried.

“Well, that’s the other half of the plan. We will be ready to stop them, either by breaking their car or…” Veronica trailed off in what she was saying.

“So what’s my part?”

“I’ll park a little tweaked, to shield your side of the car. You hide behind the rear wheel. I’ll get out and stretch next to my door. If they stop, I’ll talk until we know what is up. If it all goes to shit, your first round takes out the back tire. If they are really hostile, second round goes into their engine, followed by people.”

“While I’m whacking the car, what will you be doing?”

“If we are whacking more than the back tire, the people are my first target. I’m hoping they don’t even turn off, or if they do, they go right on by, or we can stay at the ‘do you have a spare’ pop the rear tire and drive off plan. If it escalates, it’s no holds barred, drop them and we boogie.” Veronica said as they hit the off ramp for the picnic area.

Violet checked the pistol again as the car slowed. In the distance she saw headlights behind them.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At the Picnic Pullout

Veronica pulled into her planned parking spot. She had the nose pointing out just enough to let Violet hide behind it. Both jumped out. Veronica leaned against the side of the BMW and stretched, looking for all the world like a stove-up driver needing a break.

Her leather R.A.F. Bomber jacket covered anything on her belt, like her pistol and ammo. She wasn’t just faking stretching. She wanted to be ready depending on what the next few minutes held in store. After she stretched, she drew her pistol and hid it under har crossed arms. As her old boss used to say, ‘a gun in the hand is faster than drawing one.’

Violet wasn’t sure what she would end up doing. What she did know was she had to be ready to hep Veronica regardless of what happened. Her dark patterned hoodie would help her blend in to the darkness and give her an advantage.

The pistol and ammo went into pockets, along with an impulse item. Now all they needed was the car to show up. They didn’t have to wait too long.

The primer-spattered Charger arced into the picnic turn out, slowing quickly when the headlights lit up Veronica standing next to the little BMW, leaning casually as if waiting on their arrival. Three doors popped open as soon as they stopped.

Three people stop out, two guys and one woman. The woman stepped out of the back seat behind the driver. One guy stepped out of the front passenger side. All three seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.

“Zak, I want the jacket, too.” The woman said to the driver.

“Just be quiet, Sharell. We will get to that.” The driver said as he started walking around the front of his car towards Veronica.

“Hey, babe. That’s a cute little toy you’re driving there. We just had to come get a peek.” The driver said as he advanced on Veronica.

“Yeah, she’s cute, but she doesn’t like to show off on the first date, not without dinner first.” Veronica said as she stood up.

Veronica was trying to keep acting casual but she heard Sharell’s comment. They intended to rob her. This was officially going in the negative encounter column. Now she had to keep them distracted enough for Violet to get set.

“So, how fast is she?” The man said as he walked closer.

Veronica could see enough to make her even more suspicious now. The clothes didn’t match any of the three’s jewelry. Their clothes weren’t taken care of, nor anything else of their appearance, except the flashy gold Rolex on his wrist.

His pal from the passenger’s seat seemed nervous, glancing around a lot, especially back up the highway. The driver was obviously the leader.

Veronica started calculating, hoping it wouldn’t come down to a fight. She was OK with a pistol but three to one until Violet gets involved was a tall order, she wasn’t sure she wanted to try.

Then there was Violet. She knew Violet could fight. God, how she could fight! She knew it growing up but gods above, after Frickel, she knew it for sure. But that was with her hands! She had no idea how she will handle in a gun fight. Hell, from what she told her, she didn’t do anything on her deployments. Hopefully Violet remembers what she told her.

“How fast? The specs say with the supercharger, 178, but I might have eeked a touch more out of her a time or two.”

Veronica was lying her ass off now. The little coupe was good for about 150 on a good day, but if she got a chance for them to run, she wanted them to think they were a lot faster and give up the idea of a chase. Her concentration, and the driver’s as well were disrupted by a woman’s scream from the far side of their car.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Violet heard the woman’s comment when she got out of the car. It was enough for Violet to decide they weren’t friendly. Were they unfriendly enough to shoot? She wasn’t quite there yet. She had the gun. She could do it, but it would be a big step. A a step she wasn’t quite ready to leap with the info she had right now. It was a balancing act.

It reminded her of downrange. She had to make choices like this one. Was it time to fight, or time to bluff, or time to posture? In two seconds, it might be. Maybe she could move things sideways and change the paradigm.

Violet left the pistol in her pocket. Instead, she grabbed the other thing she brought from the car. All the focus was on Veronica. She could do this.

Violet darted away from the car, deeper into the night, then around the end of the car and across to come up behind the other car. Both men were on the passenger side, but the woman was on this side. Perfect.

Violet closed the distance. When she was within arm’s reach, she made her move. She slammed the back of her left hand into the woman’s back, right between the shoulder blades, her fist clenching the cord tight as she whipped her right hand in a circle, bringing the loop over and around her neck. At the same time, she slammed her right foot into the back of the woman’s knee, sliding her foot down onto the calf muscle, driving her to her knees.

This left Violet standing on the back of the woman’s right calf, just behind the knee while she pulled down and back with her hands, crossing them. Once the cord was tight, she pulled back and to the left. A butterfly knife appeared as if by magic and settled right behind the woman’s ear.

The initial kick and drag caused the woman to scream, a scream cut short by the violent motion Violet put the woman through. Violet looked up at the others before she spoke.

“Unless you want to have to get a new girlfriend, I think we can drop the pretenses. By the time you could do anything to me, she will already be long dead, and you will be too before her body hits the ground. Right, Nika?”

“Right, Indigo.” Veronica said, her pistol in her hand at full extension, pointed directly at the driver’s head.
 
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Sportsman

Sportsman

Veteran Member
Yep, he did it to us again..... Edited to add: Thank you. At least we have a better idea of how this is going to end.
Thanks.

Her dark patterned hoody and some people want that to be hoodie.
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
‘a gun in the hand is faster than drawing one.’

Such good advice; every cop I know will approach certain situations with his/her sidearm in a jacket pocket, particularly in winter
 
T

txs

Contributing Member
#5780, last par, last sen, "had" should be hand. Or could be"had her pistol at full extension". I would favor extermination of this sort of vermin, but it aint my story. thanks again, Sir.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“Here’s what we are going to do. You were looking to rob us at the very least. Not happening. If you were going to do more to make sure you were going to get away, that’s a very bad idea. Now, gentleman, you need to reach straight up, like you are trying to reach the clouds.” Veronica’s voice never wavered, neither did her pistol.

Zak and his friend followed her instructions. With their arms up, pistols were visible tucked into their belts. Veronica shifted her pistol and lowered it to a close in position at her waist so she could cover them both without exposing it to an easy disarm. A quick step and she collected the two pistols and stepped back.

During all of this, there were some whimpering and other high pitched noises coming from the far side of the car.

“Now we can be a bit more friendly.” Veronica said as she took her position about fifteen feet away.

“What do you have in mind, Bitch!” Zac said

“I have a lot of things in mind. What you should have in mind is following my instructions. That is the only thing you can do to come out of this alive. In all honesty, it would be a lot easier for us to just kill you and not worry about you anymore. We are giving you the option to live.”

“You’re bluffing! You don’t have the balls to kill us!” The other man said.

There was a shriek from behind the car followed by a panicked woman’s voice.

“Just shut up and do what they say, Jake! They mean it! Zac just do what she says!”

The woman’s voice was hoarse and hysteric. Veronica didn’t want to think about what Violet was doing to get that level of terror!

Behind the car, Violet still had the woman suspended backward and her right lower leg pinned. The tip of the razor sharp blade still rested just behind her ear, nestled in the soft spot behind the corner of the jaw. When Jake said they were bluffing, Violet leaned up and whispered in the woman’s ear in her best horror movie serial killer voice.

“I’m going to let up just a touch. You better convince them. They are gambling with your life. You will be the first to die.”

Violet loosened the garrote half a twist. Just enough for the woman to scream at the men. Once Violet felt enough of the message was given, she tightened it again and brought the point of the knife back into place.

Veronica saw the look on the men when the woman screamed. She must be Zac’s girlfriend, not Jake’s. Zac seemed to care a lot more than Jake.

“Zac, Jake, you’re going to walk carefully to behind your car. If you run, I shoot. If you make a move I don’t tell you to, I shoot. If you, well you get the message. If I shoot, your girlfriend dies before my shell casing hits the ground.”

Zac and Jake walked to the back of the Charger and turned around.

“Now what?” Zac said. He was peering forward, trying to see what was happening to his girlfriend. He had to know if she was all right.

Veronica kept her distance as she spoke.

“Now both of you take off your clothes.”

“What!” both guys started objecting. Then Sharell shrieked again.

“Strip down, set your clothes in front of you. Now!” Veronica said again, more forcefully.

The guys started stripping. When they got to their underwear, they paused.

“All of it. I’ve seen them before.” Veronica replied in a bored tone.

Once they finished, Veronica relaxed a bit. Not a lot, just a bit. At least she knew they didn’t have hidden weapons right now.

“Now you will walk over to the sign by the entrance.” Veronica indicated with a gesture from her pistol.

Jake started to say something but Zac slapped him, hard!

“Shut up and do it! I’m cold and Sharell is the one suffering. Let’s just walk our asses over there and get it done with.”

Zac shoved Jake ahead of him as they walked the thirty or forty feet to the sign.

When Veronica saw they were at the sign, she walked over to where she could finally see Violet. What she saw was startling, especially at her first glance. She was standing on Sharell’s knee, stretching her backward by her neck with some sort of cord. In her hand was Violet’s knife, poised at Sharell’s throat. No wonder she sounded convincing!

“Indigo. Go ahead and search her. I have the others controlled.” Veronica said in a low voice.

At this, Violet shifted her pressure, rapidly releasing the backward pull. Sharell, who had been straining against the pull, quickly fell forward out of control. Violet added a push to force her the rest of the way. Now, Sharell was flat on the ground. Violet still had the garrote around her neck and now a knee in her back. Violet’s hand was everywhere, searching her efficiently, pulling things from pockets, from inside her bra, from inside her waistline. She left nowhere unsearched. Soon she had a pile of stuff next to her.

“Next?” Violet asked Veronica.

“Stand her up, get her naked.” Veronica said in her low, forceful tone.

Violet hauled Sharell to her feet, guiding and controlling her with the garrote. She leaned into from behind, whispering in her ear.

“You have two choices: Get naked and go join your friends or I get you naked and you go join your friends. Correction, three choices. Your friends bury your body here in the desert.”

Sharell was crying and stripping now. Once she had all her clothes off, Violet turned her around and pointed her towards her friends. With a shove Sharell started stumbling towards her friends.

Violet stepped up next to Veronica.

“What now, Nika?”

“Now, you search their vehicle while I keep watch.”

“What all am I looking for?”

“Weapons and ill-gotten gains. Pull the weapons and any blatant bags of swag, like a bag full of watches or jewelry. Leave everything else.”

“Gotcha.”

Violet went through the car quickly and efficiently. She found a shotgun and two other pistols. She transferred all four pistols, the ammo and the shotgun to the back of the BMW. All the while, the three were standing down by the sign, huddled together for warmth.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we appreciate your cooperation. We are going to drop your car keys on the onramp as we leave the picnic area. Keep in mind, we could have done worse. Oh, you do have a spare tire, right?” Veronica asked.

Violet leaned down and plunged her knife into the side of the near side front tire and cut a three or four inch gash, instantly deflating it.

Violet got in the car while veronica still held the pistol on them. Once Violet was set, Veronica backed up to the open car door. She dropped into place and gunned the car down the road. As they got to the on ramp, they held true to their word and dropped the car key out the window. They never looked back as they launched up onto the freeway, the needle climbing over a hundred quickly.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“So, you just wander around with a garrote in your pocket?” Veronica asked as they got underway.

“Kinda” Violet held up the lightning cord. “I bought the unbreakable charging cord. It wasn’t for this purpose, but it worked.”

“So which wonder dunder super special martial arts did the ninja garrote move come from?”

“Standard Marine Corps Black Belt training program. Didn’t have to get fancy. Biggest issue was keeping the pressure just right so she didn’t pass out but didn’t struggle too much where I would have to hurt her bad.”

“Well, Nika, let’s make some distance so we have a great time and distance buffer for our next refuel.”

“Sounds good. By the way, you can still do the ninja thing I see.” Veronica said.

“Well, all that time in junior high reading and studying had to be good for something. It was great for stealth and observation, but the actual combat moves weren’t that impressive.” Violet said as she thought back.

Violet was always studying and seeking new martial arts to study growing up. They moved frequently so a new base meant a new martial art to explore. For a period of time in junior high school, in addition to studying and training in one art, she was enamored with Ninjutsu. She would read every book she got her hands on. She started delving in below the surface, comparing and contrasting with the others she knew.

She rapidly realized the art was more about the stealth and intelligence gathering than actual combat. The main philosophy understanding she developed was if the Ninja was fighting, they screwed everything up leading up to that moment. This was one of the mindsets she tried to carry forward. She really liked it.

She was always the new kid and could reinvent herself with every move, if she chose. With her passion at the time, she was dressing in dark greys, dark blues and blacks. Veronica, who’s family moved there the next year, started calling her ‘indigo’, both for the dark color and as a butchered version of the swordsman from Princess Bride in addition to the play on her name. Violet figured her sneaking around and capturing the woman reminded Veronica of all her sneaking around and such, hence the ‘Indigo’.

Violet dug for the answer to their tactical problem when they pulled over. She knew she could just blast the tire, then the car, then whoever was left, but these guys were….well, they didn’t seem to be that far gone. She didn’t feel it was needed to kill them. She had seen enough people killed for far less, but she wasn’t supposed to be one of them. Could she have killed the woman with the knife? It would have only taken a flick of her wrist or a quick jab to slide the blade home, and the woman would have been gone.

She really didn’t want to though. She was a bit more harsh when she was working their hostage, but this was to make sure there was no openings leading to all three getting killed.

“Hey, V, if the truck stop still has fuel, lets grab a bite while we are there.” Violet suggested. She always got hungry after any sort of combat, sparring or real.
 
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Cohickman

Veteran Member
While I agree with Texican, I kinda get the mindset of "there is still some hope for...them, society, everything getting back to normal". We are living that right now. Ready to eliminate the threat, hoping we don't have to.
As always Loving the story, anticipating the next installment!!!
 
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Chapulin

Veteran Member
The mindset of those left at the rest area is interesting. They wanted to harvest the unsuspecting. They got more than they bargained for. Have they learned their lesson or will vindictive pay back be on their mind? How many minutes can our pair realistically stop with their lead assuming the tail is catching up? A second damaged tire would have provided a bigger obstacle than a single tire.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Chapulin said:
The mindset of those left at the rest area is interesting. They wanted to harvest the unsuspecting. They got more than they bargained for. Have they learned their lesson or will vindictive pay back be on their mind? How many minutes can our pair realistically stop with their lead assuming the tail is catching up? A second damaged tire would have provided a bigger obstacle than a single tire.
Click to expand...

both cars list at 155 top speed, but if doofus beleaves her, he thinks the BMW has a 25 mph advantage . They are also unarmed. Vengeance is one thing, but I don’t think Sharell wants to ever see Indigo again
 
Sportsman

Sportsman

Veteran Member
My opinion is that they solved the immediate problem. But, the trio will continue their ways. I would expect them to simply learn some new tactics from this episode. I've never seen bad guys change without a much more serious "come to Jesus moment". But, I sure like the ladies' style!
Thank you.
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Sportsman said:
My opinion is that they solved the immediate problem. But, the trio will continue their ways. I would expect them to simply learn some new tactics from this episode. I've never seen bad guys change without a much more serious "come to Jesus moment". But, I sure like the ladies' style!
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Lots of LEOs in my family, including me; recidivism outpaces rehabilitation by miles and most time in custody is really a Masters or PHD in advanced criminality.
Leaving these 3 alive right now is within societal parameters as the story has circled back to a point in time where society is still attempting to function. Fast Fwd a few weeks to where the wheels are well and truly off and leaving them as carrion would have been both appropriate and situationaly wise.
 
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