11 comments/ 49451 views/ 18 favorites The Creepers Ch. 01 By: Evil Alpaca The following story is a work of fiction. Science fiction, to be precise. Any resemblance between characters in the story and any real persons, living, dead or waiting to be born, is purely coincidental. In my little world of the future, there are no unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases unless having them would be a convenient plot device for yours truly. The author encourages (strongly) the practice of safe sex. The following story contains lesbian sexual activity and has a lot of plot. If either of these things fails to float your boat, you might want to stop reading now. ------------- ----------------- The landscape was eerily quiet and pristine, like one of those old photographs by Ansel Adams. Snow dusted the top of the evergreens and blanketed the forest floor below. It was the kind of things they used to put on postcards, back when there was such a thing as a mail system. No one looking at that particular hillside would have any idea the danger it hid. Because staring back from that hill was a group of ten heavily armed and very dangerous soldiers, or legionnaires, as they liked to refer to themselves. Their commander was a woman named Diamondback. She was a stern, lean, muscular woman who had seen a lot of action in her twenty-eight years of life. Action that was a result of a broken world trying to piece itself back together again. Over seven hundred years earlier, the human world had the smug look of superiority knocked off its collective face. For millennia, they had placed themselves above the natural order of things, which made them feel invincible. They weren't. Not by a long shot. They had developed technologies which amazed and delighted themselves, but all their mechanical magics and marvels couldn't save them from themselves. An enormous amount of data was lost, but those who survived the Cleansing gleaned what they could from assorted documents belonging to the old governments. A pharmaceutical company had been trying to develop better treatments for, of all things, the common cold. Apparently, they came up with a medicine that worked faster and better than anything that had come before. Unfortunately, they didn't stop there. In order to prove how wonderful the drug was, they developed new strains of cold viruses to test it against. Of course, they thought they had everything under control. No one was sure how it got out, but it did. They had developed a particularly hardy strain that interacted with other viruses. Eventually, this strain began moving like an avalanche, devouring other diseases and adding them to its mayhem. It had absorbed the genetic structure of diseases ranging from chickenpox to the pneumonic plague. It literally overloaded the immune systems of its victims, killing them in as little as twenty-four hours. It was ugly. It was air-borne. And by the time it was done, ninety-nine percent of the "civilized world" lay dead. Countries with highly centralized populations, such as China and India, were the hardest hit. But even the "wide open spaces" of the former United States were no defense against this disease, which was subsequently called the Reaper Strain. It took almost a century before even the most rudimentary of civilizations began to emerge, and even then the world more closely resembled feudal Europe than anything like the twenty-first century. Hardy survivors banded together in tribes. Sometimes these tribes banded together into towns or, if large enough, kingdoms. The rulers of these kingdoms were sometimes benevolent and sometimes not. Many large bands became raiders, preying on, and living off, the pain and misery of others. Then, there was the Legion. The Legion had started as a couple of kingdoms in the northeastern area of what had been America, and the southeastern area of Canada. The leaders of these groups were wise, kind men who simply wanted to restore some order to all the madness and to live without fear of the raiders. They had established the island of Manhattan as their base of operations, turning the once teeming city into an island fortress. Due to the harsh world it had been born into, the Legion quickly revitalized the weapons and medicinal industries, and both had flourished. While the Legion wasn't the largest fighting unit on the continent, they were the best equipped. The Legion's fighting forces were divided up into squads, usually consisting of one hundred men and women. New squads were added as the Legion expanded, and each squad assumed its own identity of sorts. There was a squad named Thunder which specialized in the use of heavy weapons and artillery, while another squad called Gateway was in charge of driving and maintaining the Legions small fleet of solar-powered vehicles. In order to be a part of the Legion, a community had to agree to abide by the Code of the Legion. The rules were simple, but not without opponents. When the human race was recovering from the Reaper Strain, they discovered a highly increased rate of sterility. Only twenty percent of people born since the Cleansing had the capacity to create life. These people were called Breeders, and they were treated as demi-gods in most communities. Most groups, including the Legion, would defend those "futures of the race" with their lives. Any group that joined the Legion had to agree to register all Breeders. These people, men and women, couldn't serve in a military or other dangerous capacity until they had produced/sired at least three offspring. A large number of them continued to participate in the program because of the benefits and gifts bestowed upon them. Others, who were either unhappy with the idea or were simply restless, could join a squad. Many people considered the Breeder program to be inhumane or monstrous. Many of its proponents agreed. But the survival of the human race took precedence. But Breeders picked their own partners, and the crime of rape was punishable by death, which provided some consolation to those unhappy with the program. And it was certainly better than what the raiders did. Raiders treated Breeders like animals. They were kept under lock and key, usually in cages, and were bred like dogs until they expired. Afterward, men were incorporated into the raider fighting units. The women were kept in cages and used for pleasure. Several months earlier, the Legion heard rumors of a large group of raiders moving east from the northwestern area of the former United States. If the rumors were true, it could be the beginning of continental conquest by a group that could threaten the areas protected by the Legion. So the Creepers had been sent to investigate this potential new threat. The Creepers were a different type of squad. There were about eighty squads in the Legion. Half of them were out patrolling the Legion's territory, one fourth were stationed in and around Manhattan, and the remaining fourth were stationed in bases along the perimeter of Legion controlled land. And each town was allowed to maintain its own militia of people not quite skilled enough to get into a squad. Out of the eighty squads, four of them had been around in one form or another since the beginning of the Legion. The Creepers was one of them. They were also the only squad that had a membership of ten instead of a hundred. And they were so good at what they did that they were legendary even amongst the other squads. They consisted of the best black-ops, hit-and-run guerilla fighters the Legion had to offer. In order to be considered for a slot in the Creepers (when one was available), you had to be an expert in marksmanship, stealth, camouflage, hand to hand combat, small-arms fire, tracking, and they had to have a least rudimentary knowledge of first-aid. Three of their members were full-fledged surgeons. They could wander into the wilderness and exist self-sufficiently if need be. This is why they were the best choice for the mission, which was going to require them to hike all the way across the country. When around other Legionnaires or townsfolk, the Creepers barely talked. They enjoyed the mystique it created. As soon as they were on the trail, they were laughing, joking, and cursing like nobody's business. Their group was as tight as family. Each of them had taken the name of some crawly, quiet assassin of the animal world. There was Emperor Scorpion (or Scorpion for short), Viper, Black Widow (or Widow for short), Rat, Cobra, Tick, Centipede, Copperhead, Red Back and, last but not least, Diamondback. Diamondback had taken over the squad three years earlier when she pulled the crew out of a nasty firefight. The previous captain had forgotten about the basic nature of the squad and had gotten them involved in a frontal assault. He was the only one killed. She was five feet, ten inches of bundled muscled and boot leather. Like all the Creepers, she was totally hairless. Legion scientists had created an ointment that permanently killed hair follicles anywhere it was applied. The concept of a smooth-skinned squad was odd to some, but none of them spent near as much time out in the wilderness as the Creepers did. Out in the wild, personal hygiene was essential but difficult to maintain, so going "shaved" was mandatory for squad members. But baldness and muscles aside, Diamondback was still considered to be a handsome woman. Her features were perfectly symmetrical, her lips full and luscious, and her curves were unmistakable. Her life of physical labor and strength training had left her with small (but definitely noticeable) pert breasts, a rock-hard abdomen, narrow thighs and incredibly powerful legs. She had a scar running from her forehead to the middle of one cheek from a knife-fight that had thankfully not taken her eye. Her eyes, despite all her beautiful features, were her most striking endowment. They were a blue that was so light it was almost gray, and her stare could scare a man out of his wits or a woman out of her clothes, depending on Diamondback's mood. As that statement might suggest, she found men were useful as targets for her fists, and women as targets for her hands and lips. Unfortunately, finding company was harder for her than the rest. Every town they went two had people who were awed by them or the reputation of the Legion, and finding townsfolk who were so awestruck that they were willing to go for a roll in the hay with anyone in uniform wasn't difficult for most. And most Legionnaires didn't mind taking advantage of that. Diamondback was not most Legionnaires. Most of the girls that had caught her eye were mesmerized by the idea of her, but weren't really attracted to women. She didn't want company that stayed with her out of hero-worship. Not that she didn't mind a meaningless tumble from time to time, but the woman had to be truly into women. She had some Courtesan friends (Courtesans were highly respected businessmen and women in those days) who she had taken to bed, but she tended not to partake in "pillaging the village" as some of her cohorts called it. But a more literal pillaging is what had brought them to their current predicament. They had made a habit of helping out with local problems on their trip. For many places, the Creepers were the first encounter they had with the Legion, so they had long been in the habit of making good impressions. They had come across a village which had been attacked by Raiders on horseback who had swooped in and made off with food and a number of their women. When the Creepers arrived, the attack was less than a few hours old. The townsfolk looked at the Creepers like one might look at an avenging angel that had arrived to strike down their enemies. Which is fact what the Creepers had agreed to be. They had a lot of ground to make up, but they had a feeling these bandits hadn't made it too far. Riding a horse over broken ground in the snow wasn't something to be done quickly or carelessly. And they had left a trail so easy to follow that a child could have found them blind-folded. The raiders had made a critical error. They had thought the only problem they had would be the villagers. The Creepers were going to prove them wrong. After verifying that the clearing was secure, the squad moved on toward the next hill. They had reversible uniforms, with woodland camouflage on one side and winter camo on the other (and this latter was serving them well at the time). They moved through the snow and trees without disturbing so much as a twig. Over the next rise, they located the raiders' camp. They didn't even need to speak. They circled the area, braced themselves against rocks and trees, and aimed high-powered sniper rifles equipped with silencers into the group. Diamondback made out fifty or so men in the camp. Most of them were eating and drinking and (undoubtedly) bragging about their escapades. Some were stationed near the villagers, all of who were tied up and lying on the cold, snowy ground. Something caught her eye. There was another captive who was separated from the main group. Whoever it was had been tied to a tree away from the main group. Even though they were armed and the person was tied, the guards seemed to want to keep a safe distance. Diamondback saw the reason why as one guard who ventured too close received a lightning fast kick to the groin. She couldn't help but smile. At least that one had some spunk. "Who are you, friend, and what makes you so different than the others?" she asked herself quietly. She saw a motion from Red Back indicating that everyone was in position. She grinned. Red Back was a good friend, and it was scary how a man who was six feet, ten inches tall and as broad as a buffalo could be so sneaky. He was so good at hiding that it was often hard for his own people to spot him and register his signals. She braced her rifle on the crook of a tree limb. The first volley was fired. Ten raiders hit the ground. They had taken out the men guarding the prisoners and those closest to the edge of the forest. They didn't want anyone getting away. The second volley was fired, and ten more raiders stained the snow with their blood. And so far, the Creepers hadn't made a sound that could be heard more than a few feet away. The remaining raiders looking confused. The third volley was fired. Ten more dead raiders. The Creepers almost never missed, and this was like shooting dead fish in a very small barrel. Some raiders were clueing in and were trying to ready their weapons. A fourth volley, and there were ten more corpses. The remaining raiders started firing blindly into the trees. They were scared rabbits, running to and fro and completely unable to escape the wolves that were hunting them. A fifth volley. Ten more dead, and a sixth volley finished off the stragglers. Silence hung in the air like smoke. The captives were looking around, wondering if they had been saved by something worse than those who had initially captured them. They looked into the woods, trying to make out the gunmen. They saw nothing but snow and trees. The Creepers were waiting to make sure there were no raiders left that might have been hiding in the woods when the battle, which had lasted less than a minute, started. Diamondback signaled to the squaddies on either side of her that the coast was clear. When she turned back to the clearing and looked down, the loan captive seemed to be peering around the tree he/she was tied to. And whoever it was seemed to be looking right at her. "Impossible," she whispered. "There's no way . . ." She shook it off and headed down into the clearing. As per standard procedure, she and her second in command, Red Back, would make first contact while the others waited nearby. Sometimes, a crowd like this hid its own serpents, people planted by the raiders to weed out possible revolutionaries. She doubted that would be the case here, but it never hurt to be cautious. It turned out that what they had on their hands here was simply a bunch of very relieved people. Red Back started cutting them loose, while Diamondback laid down the law. "All right," she said with her most authoritarian voice, "here is the deal. We are the Creepers, a scouting party for the Legion. We wandered into your village shortly after your capture, and agreed to help rescue you, but now we need your help. If we are to get you back to your homes safely, you will have to do exactly what I tell you. Understood?" The throng nodded quietly. She could be quite intimidating when she chose to be. "Good. First, look around you. If there is anyone who ISN'T from your village, let me know. I want to know who I'm dealing with here." Some of them looked at the captive who had been kept separate, but that was it. "Now, gather up as much of the food and supplies as you CAN COMFORTABLY CARRY. Before we leave, I want everyone to have something to eat. We are going to have to keep up a good pace if we're gonna get back before the next snowstorm hits us, and I want everyone to be in as good a condition as possible given the circumstances. You will follow the trail the raiders left behind. It's easy enough. We will have people out in front and behind the main group. If you here gunfire, run like hell to the nearest cover and keep your heads down. If you do as I have asked, I think we'll all get back to your town unharmed. Understood?" Again, silent nods. The rest of the team descended like ghosts from the forest, eliciting "oohs" and "aahs" from the awestruck prisoners. Red Back wandered over to her. "Looks like clear sailing back to the village. Just need to get that one more prisoner and . . ." "I'll do it. I've got a hunch," she said. Red Back just shrugged. A man of few words. She walked over to where the person was bound, but stopped outside of kicking range. She looked the person over quite carefully. Sure enough, it was a girl. At least she was pretty sure it was a girl. She was covered in mud and muck from her head to her toes. It was probably the only reason she hadn't been raped. Diamondback was willing to bet they had caught her either on the way to or from the town. But what the hell was a girl doing out by herself in hostile territory in such lousy weather? Diamondback pulled out a knife, eliciting a fear response from the girl. But the fear was replaced by mild trepidation as the squad captain turned the knife around and offered it to the girl, who cautiously took it. When she realized it wasn't some kind of trick, she cut herself loose and handed the knife back. "Okay. I'm guessing you're not from the village. But I'm going to suggest you come with us for now. The weather looks like it is going to turn bad in a hurry, and we can't be sure we got all these scumbags." She emphasized that last by kicking the raider who had been nailed in the balls by the prisoner earlier. Diamondback could have sworn the girl smiled. "Are you going to behave yourself?" The girl nodded. "Yes ma'am." 'Impressive,' thought Diamondback. She did have some spunk. Most people were usually still awestruck at that point. She was still interested in what the girl had been doing out there in the first place, but the explanation would have to wait. The former prisoners were almost done eating, and soon it would be time to go. She offered the girl before her some beef jerky, which almost vanished from her hand. Poor dear must have been starving. The motley band gathered up the horses the raiders had used, allowing the injured and the weakest among the villagers to ride, then they all headed out. The stopped to rest and change riders, but they still made decent time, arriving back at the village late the next day. Cold and exhausted, the returned townsfolk were greeted by cheers and hugs by their friends and family. And the Creepers were given a hero's welcome. They were fed and given some very fine drink, and local minstrels sang of their exploits, which were only a few hours old. They were to be provided with warm places to sleep and from the looks in the eyes of some of the young men and women, the Creepers would have their pick of company for the evening. The Creepers Ch. 01 Diamondback sighed. She simply wanted to get cleaned up and get to bed. She inquired of a village official where she might take care of the cleaning problem. "Go up to the big red building at the end of the street. That's the bathhouse. It's fed by an underground hot spring." Diamondback felt a shiver. Warm water! It was just what she needed. "Just ask for some clean towels, or anything else you would like. Happy to help the Legion in any way we can. And if you'd like . . . ahem . . .well, company, I know some fine young men . . ." "That's quite all right," she returned almost sharply. She tried softening her tone a bit. "I'm just tired. The food and bath is all the hospitality I can handle this evening." She paused for a moment. "There was a girl we brought in who wasn't from around her. I was hoping to make sure she was okay. Do you know who I'm talking about?" "Oh yes, she headed up to the baths almost as soon as you got here. Borrowed some razors, soap, and a pair of scissors." He got a frightened look on his face. "You don't think she'll hurt herself or someone else, do you?" "I doubt it. But I'll keep an eye out. And thank you. You've been most kind." The man beamed with pride at the compliment as she headed up to the baths. The entire town was at the celebration, so the street was deserted. She stopped and took off her boots before she got up to the shower. Snow or not, she had to feel the earth beneath her sore feet, if just for a moment. It was quite cathartic for her. There was a single person sitting next to the door handing out towels. The young man looked very nervous in her presence. "Listen, I'd kind of like to be alone right now. Why don't you go join the party?" "But I was told . . ." "I'll be alright on my own. Go have fun. Now." The last was a command even this young oaf could understand. He went to run a quick errand as she went inside. It was a nice building with lots of open space and tiled floors. Torches were mounted on the walls, and the smoke escaped through holes in the upper walls. Diamondback heard some noise at the other end of the room. The room was divided into a number of smaller pools, and the noise came from the one farthest from the door. She wondered if it was their mysterious guest. She walked quietly towards that end of the building. The girl, as it turned out to be, apparently had good hearing and only the top of her head as well as her eyes were visible above the surface of the water. "It's alright," Diamondback said, trying to sound calming. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just here to get wipe this gunk off me, but I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that alright with you?" The girl looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but then nodded her ascent. "I guess so," the girl uttered, barely making a sound. "Good." Diamondback looked around for the razors and scissors. Things were calm at the moment, but she wanted to know where the pointy bits were nonetheless. She spotted them next to the girls muddy clothes. They appeared to have been used. "So what were you doing out there? Not a great place to be in that kind of weather." A pause. "I was hunting. I had goner farther than usual, so when the first storm hit, I knew . . . I knew I was stuck. So I looked for shelter. But the raiders were already there." She started sounding angry. "So stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Diamondback paid rapt attention to both what was being said and how it was being said. The "how" led her to think the girl wasn't used to talking to people. She had a manner of speech that was common for people who lived alone. And the "what" . . . "You said you had gone farther than usual. Do you live in the woods east of here?" The girl was silent for a moment, realizing she had given something away. "Yes," she said, probably realizing that trying to hide things from the other woman wouldn't work. "A couple of days walk." "And do you live alone?" Another pause. "Yes." "No family?" The girl didn't answer at all. Diamondback figured she had just stumbled onto something. "What's your name?" "Rain." "Rain, what happened to your family?" She heard the girl sob. It was quiet, but it was what she was listening for. "Rain, what happened to your family." "They're dead." Silence filled the room. "Raiders took them." "When was that," she asked gently. "Four winters ago." Diamondback was both saddened and impressed. "You've been living alone for four years? That's . . . That's quite a feat. Why did you and your family live so far from the village?" "My family . . . Apparently, the villagers around here have always wanted to join the Legion. So my family has . . . had been living alone since before I was born." "So you don't like the Legion?" "No. Well . . . yes. I mean . . . We wouldn't mind, but the breeding program . . . My parents didn't want that for us. I wanted to join up, you know." Rain sounded wistful at that moment. "I wanted to help look after people. But . . . I just can't imagine being forced to have babies in order to do it." Diamondback had the sinking feeling that this young woman was capable of bearing children. Meaning that if she wanted to fight in the brotherhood, she had to agree to the rules. So the Legion lost a possible soldier because she didn't want to be a mother. Sometimes, even the most loyal of soldiers, such as Diamondback, thought the system sucked. As with many people after long periods of isolation, once Rain started talking, she couldn't stop. And to think, Diamondback thought she might have to interrogate the poor girl. Now, she felt she'd need a cork and some glue to shut Rain up. Rain's father and grandfather had apparently been very competent outdoorsman. They had taught her and her brother and cousins to hunt, trap, fish and shoot a bow and arrow. She had been able to catch, skin and butcher her own food since she was thirteen. She had been out hunting deer when raiders descended on her homestead. She had returned to find what was left of them. She had been seventeen when she buried her own family. Diamondback fought back a grimace. She was tough and she was hardened, but she was also human. She had heard stories like this before. Too many times, in fact. Then she realized how long they had been there. "It is quite late," she said with a forced calm. "Are you going to be all right this evening? Do you have a place to stay?" The girl was quiet all of a sudden. Diamondback hope she hadn't taken that question to mean . . . Her line of thought was cut short as Rain climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel. The soldier was caught absolutely speechless. Rain had gone from being a clod of dirt to being the most beautiful girl Diamondback had seen in her life. The girl's matted hair had been cleaned out and brushed, and was a deep chestnut brown filled with delicate curls. Her eyes were large and clear and seemed to be as brown as her hair. Where Diamondback's face was stern, Rain's was soft and almost devilishly inviting. She had a small, cute noise, and full lips. Her neck was long, her shoulders lightly muscled and her breasts . . . They were perfect. She must have had them wrapped earlier, otherwise Diamondback WOULD have noticed. They stood out proudly, each larger than she could wrap her hands around. It was a concept that started playing over and over in the soldier's mind. She had a lean, narrow waist and narrow hips that led to strong thighs and muscular calves. And between those legs . . . "Are you okay?" asked Rain timidly. Diamondback had been caught dead-cold staring at this girl's crotch. She, a woman who could walk into an ambush, pick someone's pocket and walk out again unnoticed, had been caught with her literal and proverbial pants down. Rain took a step toward her and Diamondback quickly stepped out of the pool and grabbed a towel. She suddenly and inexplicably felt very homely. "I'm sorry," said Diamondback. "If you'd like, we'll escort you home, but you might want to consider staying near the settlement for a while. I'm sure they'd be willing . . ." Diamondback felt a presence very near her. She spun around and Rain was standing no more than two feet away, still nude and dripping wet. "I . . . I saw you looking at me." She glanced down at her body. "Do I . . . Do I please you?" Rain had a look of confusion on her face. Moments earlier, Diamondback had been a bit of an emotional mess. Suddenly, she was under control again. This young girl probably thought that the legionnaire expected certain liberties because she had saved the girl. This was just a placating offering. That's all it was. "That's all right. You don't need to do this," said Diamondback, some of the sternness returning to her voice. "Just think about what I said." Rain looked confused and upset. "Don't worry," the older woman said, trying to sooth this young woman, "it's not you. I just don't accept that type of gratitude." With that, she turned and walked away. The young man who had been manning the front had left some clean robes for them and a note stating that if they left their clothes in one of the baskets, they would be cleaned in the morning. She slipped on the robe, which felt wonderful in her skin, and strode quickly towards where she would be bunking that evening. And she tried very hard not to look back. The town elders had offered her any room that she wanted. Most of her squad had probably taken their evening conquest off to bed already. But she had refused their hospitality. She told them she didn't want to put any of them out of their own homes. She made a request that seemed strange to them. She was given the top portion of a barn to sleep in. There was a loose bail of hay on the upper deck, and a window that opened to the night sky. She was given a large, down pillow and a generous allotment of blankets. Let others have their fancy bedrooms and mattresses and other amenities. She had lived for so long under the stars that she could rarely sleep when she couldn't see them. She thought back to her life as a child before she began training as a legionnaire. She had lived in a small farming community. She and her friends had often slept in barns just like this when their supervisors allowed it and the weather was warm. Those were times deserving of fond memories. She located her barn ascended to the loft with little difficulty. Everything she had asked for was laid out at the top of the ladder. She dumped her pack next to the pile of hay, making sure her rifle and at least one punch-dagger was within easy reach. She got undressed, relishing the sensation of the chill night air on her worn and weary body. She placed her hands on her smooth head and stretched her back. She realized how long they had been on the trail when she became aware of just how tired she really was. She placed a lighted candle on a table nearby, making sure it wasn't in a position to light her bed on fire. She lay between the blankets for a minute, looking out at the stars, trying to make sense of the constellations she had read about as a child. The people who had named them were either brilliant artists or raging alcoholics. Either way, those small, flickering points of light provided comfort to her. Then she heard a noise on the ladder leading up to the loft. Probably just one of her squaddies checking in before going to bed, but she grabbed her rifle just in case. Shortly thereafter, Rain poked her head above the level of the floor. Diamondback sighed. "Listen," she said as Rain climbed up into the loft, "I told you that you didn't have to do this." She put the gun back down. She turned away from the young girl and stared out the loft window, trying to ignore the sudden increase in the beating of her heart. "I don't expect anyone to give themselves up out of gratitude or some weird version of hero-worship." She heard light footsteps approaching her. "And I'm sure you have a place to sleep so . . ." and then she heard the sound of clothes hitting the floor. She took a deep breath and then swallowed. She turned her head to further discourage the girl, but her objection got caught in her throat. Rain hadn't gotten any less beautiful in the last fifteen or so minutes, and the gentle light from the candle didn't help matters at all. "I don't understand," whispered Rain, who sounded like her voice was breaking. "You looked at me. I thought you liked the way I looked." Diamondback couldn't express how right the girl was with that point. Rain continued, "Do you find me attractive?" The young girl was stumbling over her words, unsure of what to say. "God yes," the soldier said without even thinking about it. Her voice was raspy and tinged with desire. " So why won't you have me?" "Because I don't know why you want to be here. I don't need charity, and the only other reason is you've been alone so long that you're just looking to be with someone, and anyone will do." "There were others who . . . who offered to be with me . . . when I went to the towns for trade. But they . . . those boys . . . I just looked at them and felt empty. I look at you, and . . . " she said, picking up one edge of the top blanket and lying down next to Diamondback. The soldier's skin was covered in goosebumps, and it wasn't because of the cold. "I looked at you in the meadow and at the baths and my skin feels hot and my heart beats hard and I don't know why." She took Diamondback's hand and put it on her chest, and the older girl could confirm both of Rain's claims. "And maybe I have been alone for a long time. But I don't want to be alone tonight." Diamondback was a very calm and collected person most of the time. She wouldn't have been as an effective leader otherwise. But she was only human, and there probably wasn't a human being alive who would've held out as long as she had. Diamondback had given the girl every chance to back out. Rain's face conveyed her nervousness, even in the dim, flickering light. Since her hand was still on the young girl's chest, she took Rain's hand and put it on her thigh. "Can I safely guess you're new at this?" she said, breaking the tension a bit. Rain blushed. "If you really want to enjoy someone, get to know their body. You don't have to rush into anything." Rain's hands started to roam. The young girl seemed bound and determined to touch every squared inch of Diamondback's body. And those fingers seemed to light the soldier's skin on fire wherever they went. They traced her abdominal muscles, the curve of her breasts and the outlines of the muscles in her arms. Diamondback let her hands caress the muscles of that beautiful long neck and the swell of her breasts. It appeared that while Rain's hand seemed to cause fire, Diamondback's were causing earthquakes. Every touch and caress, however light, sent shivers through the young girl's body. Rain was looking at the older girl, licking her lips. Squad Captain Diamondback hadn't gotten where she was by overlooking obvious signs. Rain wanted to kiss her, but wasn't sure how. She leaned in slowly and moved her body closer to Rain's. "This," she whispered huskily, "is how you do it." And she kissed the young girl. Rain's entire body shivered with that kiss, which was met with youthful exuberance. The heat being given off by her young lover's body was intense. Diamondback held the girl close and relished the warmth. And the kissing . . . Rain's lips were so soft and inviting. And she was a quick learner, it would seem, as they had started using their tongues to explore one another's mouths. It was close to heaven for the grizzled veteran. She had never thought she might find a woman so beautiful, fresh and willing in a place like this. She looped her arm over the girl and traced her spine from the neck to the small of the back. Rain's body shivered again, but this time it didn't stop. Dawn's eyes flew open and she stopped kissing Diamondback. The young girl had a new look on her face. It was the familiar confusion combined with an unfamiliar look of pleasure. You've got be kidding, thought Diamondback. This was light foreplay for her. And the look on Rain's face . . . It was like she had never had a . . . Good God! That was impossible. Even if she had masturbated, surely she had . . . But the look on Rain's face said it all. The young girl, who had to have been twenty or twenty-one years old based on the story she had told, appeared to be experiencing the first orgasm in her life. The young girl was gasping while making a high pitched squeaking sound. She was looking straight into Diamondback's eyes, unsure of what this feeling was but knowing she liked it. She looked to the other woman for comfort; to know that this was supposed to happen. "Just let it happen," the older girl said. "This is what it's all about." Rain still had a look of surprise on her face as the waves of pleasure ebbed, but she was smiling wholeheartedly as well. She looked down between their bodies towards the epicenter of her pleasure. "Is it always like that?" she gasped at last. "I wish. Have you never, well, felt like that before?" "No. I've . . . I've played with myself but I never felt anything like that. My parents were kind of close-lipped when it came to talking about sex. I was never around anyone who made me feel interested before, so I just . . ." "Well, I'm glad to have helped introduce you to the lovely world of sex. You must have been wound tight girl, because it usually takes much longer than that to get someone off." "Off?" "Yeah, bring them to orgasm. That's what you just had." "Can I have more?" The question had been asked with such childlike wonder that Diamondback almost laughed. "I suspect so. That was just heavy petting. There is still heavy foreplay to go, plus the actual sex." "There's more? Is it better than kissing?" Oh, she was adorable! "Yes, there's more. And when it's done right, it'll turn your world upside down! But kissing is always good." Rain seemed to accept that as she locked onto Diamondback's face again, who was delighted by feel of the girl's lips against her own. "What happens next?" asked the girl. "Next . . . Well, it's easier if I just show you. You see," she said sending a trail of kisses down from Rain's mouth over her neck and to the slope of her breasts, "kisses aren't just for lips." She planted a kiss on the soft skin of one nipple then the other. She cupped the underside of those glorious mounds, holding them steady for her marauding tongue. Rain was arching her back, thrusting those globes against Diamondback's face. Her own hands were tracing patterns on the older woman's smooth skull. Then the kisses continued southwards. Diamondback spent a lot of time teasing the poor girl's abdomen, especially the navel. It turned out that her delightful bellybutton was particularly sensitive. Rain was giggling and cooing like a dove at the same time. The soldier enjoyed making the young girl jump out her skin, and watching her generous chest jiggle whenever it happened. But enough of the teasing, thought Diamondback. It was time to consume that which she desperately hungered for. By that point, she was completely encased in blankets and was finding it hard to move. She threw back the covers, exposing both girls. While the air was chilled, neither of them seemed to care. It didn't matter to Rain because of the pleasure she was experiencing. And it didn't matter to Diamondback because she once again got to look at that perfect body. She sat back and lifted Rain's hips upward and helped the young lady to hang one leg over each of Diamondback's shoulders. It wasn't the most traditional position, but it allowed her to look down at her young lover. And she wanted to see Rain's face when she started. If a simple caress had that kind of effect, then she could only imagine what this was going to do. She started by blowing lightly on the labia, causing Rain to shiver. The young girl was looking at her with total wonderment. She had no idea what was about to happen. Then Diamondback ever so gently traced the outer edges of Rain's lightly fuzzed and very moist sex. She didn't dive in despite her own urges. Not yet. And Rain was responding well already. Her face had returned to that amazed/happy look from earlier. The Creepers Ch. 01 "That's incredible!" "This, my young friend, is called cunnilingus. Sometimes referred to as 'eating out,' as well as a number of more crude phrases. Now I'll show you what a tongue can do to the human body." Initially, she teased the girl mercilessly and was enjoying finding the sweet spots. She lightly pinched the swollen area on both sides of clitoral hood and licked along the inner lips, occasionally sucking lightly on them. Then she opened her mouth wide and ensnared the entire mound before inserting her tongue deep into the crevice and licking from stem to stern. Rain squirmed harder, pushing against the invader as hard as she could. But with only her shoulders dug into the blanket, she had no leverage, and her captor knew it. Under normal circumstances, Diamondback would have been miffed if sex had gone on this long without her receiving any of the attention, but she was taking great delight in pleasuring Rain. The girl was on the verge of pulling her own hair out in throes of passion. Diamondback flattened her tongue, drawing it upward in a scooping motion and managing to titillate most of the exposed vaginal walls at once. She considered teasing the area between the bottom of the outer lips and the anus, but that was for more advanced practitioners than this young woman. Instead, she circled the clitoral hood with her tongue, then drug her tongue over it on a downward bath. She teased the hood open and flicked the clit directly. And that was all she wrote as Rain came for the second time. She apparently wasn't a big ejaculator, but the moisture level did increase significantly and her pussy clamped down tight. Her lover was happy she hadn't had her tongue inside when this happened out of fear of never getting it back again. Rain twisted her body, arched her back, gasping all the while. Finally, she collapsed in a beautiful sweaty heap. About that time, the wind outside began to pick up, causing Diamondback to have to go and secure and bar the large window. She was shivering a bit, but her skin warmed again when she turned around. Rain was lying there with the light from the candle reflecting off the many beads of perspiration that adorned her perfect skin. Her long curly locks were mussed and her eyes carried a distinct look of passion. "Why are you hairless?" she asked looking over the soldier's body. "Even down there?" "Well partially because it's easier to maintain when you're away from civilization for a long time. We have a cream that does it. But it also makes it more fun to have done what I just did to you." She smiled. Rain was still flushed with excitement. "Could I . . . Would you like me to try it on you? I'd like to!" "I think that could be arranged." She tried to sound calm, but the thought of sitting on that angelic face had been screaming to be realized since the girl had arrived. "Scoot down. That's it. Now don't worry about going too fast. Just try and do what I did. And if I jump a bit, that usually means you've found a good spot." With Rain lying on a more level space, Diamondback lowered herself until her knees were on the ground and her crotch was inches from the girl's face. "Remember the good spots and . . ." She was cut off as Rain began to work. The young girl was inexperienced, but she had obviously been paying attention. She widened her tongue and made larger passes over the outer labia, circling Diamondback's hole like water going down a drain. She also had grabbed the firm cheeks of the soldier's ass, holding in her in place. Diamondback smiled at the thought. Like she would want to go anywhere. Rain did her best (which was getting better) to please the older of the two. She sucked on the inner lips just as her mentor had done, and Diamondback felt herself getting a bit lightheaded. The young girl was pushing her mouth as far into the woman's box as it could go. Then she extended her tongue and started lapping like a dog at a water dish. While not the most pleasant analogy, it was certainly effective as jolts of pleasure shot through Diamondback's muscular body. She leaned back at a hard angle and braced herself with one hand. With the other hand, she started fingering Rain's slot. Her fondling temporarily disrupted Rain's oral attempts, but the young woman was not to be denied. While the younger girl attempted to give a tongue bath to the innermost recesses of Diamondback's pussy, the older girl's fingers had gone exploring. It took her a while to find what she was looking for, due to the awkward position and the increasing pleasure in her groin. This girl had her so worked up that she didn't think she would last much longer. But she wanted to give Rain one more thrill before it was all over. And finally, she found a spot on the front of Rain's vaginal wall that made her jump. Once she had located that spot, she eased up until she felt she was getting closer herself. It didn't take long. Rain's tongue had gone into her so deep she was surprised that it didn't pop out her mouth. Then the girl seemed to remember what had worked so well on herself, and started teasing Diamondback's clit. That was the older girl's cue to started probing the spot she had found. As she got closer to release, the other girl's hips were bucking against that finger, trying to drive it against that pleasure spot. Diamondback had timed it perfectly, and the two of them came together. She found her finger was trapped inside the young girl's box, but Rain's body was too tired from her previous orgasms to do much else besides tighten up. Diamondback's body, on the other hand, had a mind of its own. Her muscles became tight, her hips were shaking, and she was afraid her arms were going to give out. And when she came, she almost drowned the young girl in her juices. But much to her credit, Rain kept her tongue moving through the entire ordeal. When it was all said and done, Rain had a look of pride and contentment on her face, as well as a great deal of girl-cum. "You did great," whispered Diamondback with utmost sincerity. She un-mounted Rain's face before using one of their robes to wipe that face clean. "But I got to have three orgasms," said Rain in a tired pout, "and you only got to have one. Shouldn't I . . ." "Dear girl, I wish everyone was a selfless as you in that regard. But one is enough for me right now, and was one more than I was expecting on this trip. Besides, we should get some sleep." She had a feeling that if Rain hadn't been so utterly exhausted, she might have put up more of a struggle. Instead, she snuggled up against Diamondback and lay her head on one of those muscular shoulders. Suddenly the older girl was out of her element. For her, it was usually sex then goodbye. She wasn't usually in a position where her lover was going to stay the night. And Rain had already drifted off to sleep, pinning her arm. She looked at the beautiful girl with more than a bit of wonder. How did this happen, she asked herself. But she didn't mind too much. At least until Rain started to snore. Damn, the girl sounded like a sick chainsaw. How could anything that gorgeous make that kind of noise? "Oh well," she said to herself. Everyone in the Creepers had the ability to sleep through a firefight if need be, and she eventually fell asleep. -------- ---------------------- The next morning . . . -------- ---------------------- She awoke early the next morning, and her young friend was still out like a light. She saw that her clothes had been cleaned and placed at the top of the ladder. She blushed a bit, knowing someone had probably seen the two girls in bed together. She would just have to deal with it. She managed to free herself from the young girl's arms, get dressed and descend the ladder. Red Back was sitting on the bottom floor, trying very hard not to smile. "It's about time. Everyone else is waiting for our meeting. I hoped you slept well." "Not another word," she said while blushing furiously. "Wouldn't dream of it." He had told her that everyone was waiting. He hadn't mentioned that they were waiting just outside the barn. A storm had dumped several more feet of snow on the ground, and the sun was much higher in the sky than when she usually woke up. "What the hell time is it?" "About ten o'clock," said Widow with an evil grin. "We would have woken you up . . ." ". . . but we figured we best not disturb you since . . ." continued Viper. ". . . you were probably up really late . . ." interjected Scorpion. ". . . planning the next stage of the mission," finished Cobra. 'Great,' she thought. 'I'm never going to hear the end of this.' "Okay," she said. "You've had you're fun." "Actually, we were just getting warmed up," said Centipede. "I don't make fun of you when you . . . well, you know." "Actually, yes you do. You teased poor Red Back there about that bar-maid with the really large boobs for two weeks when we were done clearing out Charleston." "That's true," said the accused party. "What did I tell you?" asked the captain. "Not another word?" "Precisely." Finally, the meeting started. They had decided to keep enough of the raider horses for everyone to be able to ride. They weren't normally a cavalry unit, but this storm was going to slow up a foot march. And they all agreed it was best to stay on several more days until the worst of the storm front had passed by, and so that they could help build the town's defenses up. Diamondback felt strangely relieved when it became settled that they wouldn't be leaving right away. As the meeting wound down, she heard the barn door open a bit and Rain peeked out. She had only her robe on. It had fallen past her shoulders and she was keeping it closed with one hand clasped just above her chest. None of the Creepers except Diamondback had seen her since she got cleaned up. All of them were just staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed. "Hi," she said timidly. "Uhm, they didn't bring me my clothes back. Could you see if anyone knows where they are? Thanks." Then she ducked back into the barn. "That," asked Cobra, "was the dirt-clod we rescued? She's . . . she's . . ." "Wow! I didn't . . . Wow!" That was from Tick. "I get to rescue the next isolated prisoner we find," was Rat's response. Eventually, everyone had a comment on the sudden incursion of an angel into their midst. "Yeah," interjected Diamondback at long last. "I was surprised to." "Apparently," said Red Back. "You might say you were caught with your pants down." Seconds later, he was nailed directly in the face with a fast-moving snowball. ------------ ------------------ Later that day . . . ------------ ------------------ They spent the rest of the day helping the townsfolk get a decent fence started around the town. It was long, dirty work, but it was necessary. And strangely, Rain actually pitched in. Apparently her clothes had been held together entirely by dirt, but some nice people had provided her with new threads. And she took time to help set up some pit-traps as well. She may not have had much experience dealing with people, but the girl was as good a trapper as anyone Diamondback had seen. Red Back caught his captain leaning against a fence-post staring at the young woman as she worked. "She's quite a find, isn't she?" She normally wasn't big on talking about personal issues, but Red Back was a good friend and meant well. "Yeah, she is. Can you believe what was underneath all that dirt?" "I've seen the way she looks at you. I've seen it all day. She's infatuated with you." "I know." "And you're infatuated with her. And don't even try and deny it. You've been on this one fence post for ten minutes. Just be careful. We're leaving at the end of the week." "I know. And she'll be off home again. Wherever that is." She looked a bit forlorn. "Am I a bad person? I mean, she'd never been with anyone before, and hasn't really been around people for years." "From what you told me earlier, she seemed to know what she wanted. Just be careful about getting too attached. You've got a big heart, whether you want to admit it or not." With that, he left her to get back to work. The evening rolled around and another feast was prepared. The Creepers were given a table and were served more good food. Each of the "Legion groupies" was in attendance at the arm of his/her respective date for the evening. And Rain sat right next to Diamondback. Soon, as was prone to happen with legionnaires, the stories of battles and great deeds began sailing through the air like moths, and the eager new listeners were the flames. Rain seemed to encourage everyone to tell stories about the company captain, which they were more than happy to regale her with. Diamondback was a little uncomfortable being the center of attention, so midway between a highly exaggerated story about her, Red Back and Rat accidentally torching an entire town after a drunken bar-fight, she slipped out and headed up to the baths. Apparently they were always empty during the dinner hour, so she thought she would be able to get clean and relax in peace. She had been soaking for only a few minutes when Rain appeared next to the pool. The young lady quickly discarded her clothes and slipped in next to Diamondback, who felt even warmer than the water around her. "You vanished. You should have told me you were leaving." "Yeah, well I needed a brake from the blatant lies my cohorts were telling." She moved to the other side of the tub, which left Rain with a confused look. "Listen, about last night . . ." "I knew it," Rain said, sounding panicky. "You didn't like it. I did something wrong . . ." "No! No that's not it at all." And she meant it. "I haven't felt that good in years!" "Then what . . ." "I don't want you to think it can last. It's not that I don't wish it could. But we're leaving at the end of the week, and we're going somewhere dangerous. I don't know when we'll be back through this way again, if ever." Rain look dejected but not entirely surprised. "I know. My folks used to talk about the Legion and the squads and how they didn't really care about anyone." Diamondback suddenly felt very defensive. "That's not true! Lots of legionnaires fall in love and even get married. Some of the squads even take their loved ones with them." She realized that wasn't the smartest thing to say. "Well why can't I go with you? I have no family to go back to and I don't belong here." "Okay, re-emphasis on going somewhere dangerous. And besides, you hardly even know me. We met two days ago. And eventually we'll wind up back in Legion territory, and I know you don't want to go there." Rain looked dejected. "The breeding programs." Diamondback sighed. "And I know how you feel about that. I really, REALLY liked being with you last night, but . . ." "Can we be together again? At least for tonight?" Rain made her way over and snuggled up with Diamondback again. The feel of the girl's breath on her neck melted what little resistance she might have mustered. "I guess so. As long as we understand the ground rules for . . . for . . ." She was cut off as Rain grabbed her hand and moved it downward. Much to the older girl's delight, the younger girl was now clean-shaven down there. "It looked so pretty on you that I wanted to try it. Do you like it? Oh!" Diamondback had slipped a finger inside the young woman. "The question is, do you like it?" Then she felt a finger at her own opening. "Don't you think we should go back to the barn first?" "I don't want to wait," Rain responded, increasing the tempo of her finger and initiating a very long, very heated kiss. Diamondback responded in kind, and the two women began pushing against each other, trying to get the other's digits as far into their pussies as possible. Luckily for the more experienced girl, she had located her lover's g-spot the day before, meaning she had the upper hand (so to speak). But Rain was making good used of her lesson from the previous evening, probing with one and then two fingers while palming the whole mound. The girls looked at each other with an almost frightening intensity as they raced to make their partner reach climax first. It wasn't fair really. While enthusiastic, Rain had only the experience granted to her by her lover, whereas Diamondback had been "around" for a while. It only took a few minutes for the elder girl to get the young Rain shaking like the ground underneath a stampede. "Ooh! Not fair! You're cheating somehow. Don't stop!" Watching her cum was a lot of fun for Diamondback. She had a hair-trigger. As she quaked in ecstasy, her bountiful breasts swayed across the surface of the water. As she was coming down, the Creeper's captain leaned in and started suckling on those perfect nipples again. Rain put a hand on the back of Diamondback's neck and held the woman tenderly against her chest. The soldier took each nipple in her teeth, sending shivers through Rain's body. "I have an idea," said Diamondback, tearing herself away from Rain's chest. She spread Rain's legs and then maneuvered herself between them until their pussies touched. Then she started to grind against the young woman. Being in the water and the fact that both of them were shaved helped out in this position. They rubbed and humped each other for ten minutes or so. Rain started rubbing Diamondback's clit, and Diamondback felt obligated to reciprocate. Shortly thereafter, they had their second simultaneous orgasm in as many days. Afterwards, they had to bathe a while longer to get cleaned up from their last bath. The two dressed in robes and returned hand in hand to the bard and the comfort of the loft. They continued making love well into the evening, but they talked a lot as well. And much to the veteran soldier's surprise, they had a lot in common. Both were tomboys growing up, both preferred being outdoors if they could manage it, and both loved to hunt. And both loved to lie around, looking at the stars. The captain of the Creepers told some of the more realistic stories of her adventures with the Legion. Rain discussed life after the death of her family. Her stories brought tears to Diamondback's eyes. She thought Rain to be one of the bravest souls she had met in her long travels. As a legionnaire, she had chosen this life. This young, beautiful woman that was sharing her bed wasn't given a choice, and yet she had survived. After bringing each other to orgasm one more time each, they fell asleep in each other's arms. --------------- -------------- Weeks later . . . --------------- -------------- The Creepers wound up staying in that small town for longer than expected. They could have left earlier, but there was a lot of work to do to get the town ready for its own defense or to act as a potential outpost for the Legion somewhere down the road. Everyday, they had a meeting in the morning and in the evening, and Rain became a common sight at these. Besides trapping, she was particularly good at mapping out possible escape routes, and her suggestions were taken quite seriously. She became like a little sister for the crew, and all of them were quite fond of her. But she never strayed far from Diamondback's side. And each evening, the two of them slipped away early from dinner and headed up to the baths. Between the bathhouse and the barn, the older girl continued the younger girl's education in the joys of intimacy. The night before they were finally ready to leave, Diamondback was pacing around the barn with great unease. Rain finally came looking for her, and knew something was wrong. And apparently, she wasn't going to make things any easier. "Hey Rain." "Hey. So, you're ready to leave?" "Yep." "I'm going with you." Diamondback stopped in her tracks. "No, you're not. We went over this earlier. I don't want to leave you. I didn't realize how bad until now. But that doesn't change anything!" The Creepers Ch. 01 "Everything has changed!" Rain was obviously trying to hold back tears. "I told you, I have nothing else to live for. And I can't go back to being alone. And the thought of not waking up next to you makes my stomach tie up in knots! I can help you guys! I can help find food, I know the territory better than any of you. And I can stay out of the way when there's a fight and . . ." "And what?" Despite knowing that her own heart was breaking, Diamondback had to end this. That cold, logical part of her knew that to be true. "I'm not going to quit the Legion, and you won't live by its rules." "I'll live outside the territory. You said yourself that the Creepers don't spend much time in lands already under Legion control. As soon as you leave the area, I can hook up with you again." "Don't be foolish," said the captain coldly. "You're just a scared little girl who doesn't want to be alone anymore. Well find yourself some small, non-Legion town and go live there, because I don't have time to baby sit. I've got enough problems already." Her words might as well have been fists. Rain actually staggered backward and, unable to hold back the tears, turned and walked out of the barn and into the cold night air. Diamondback knew she'd be okay. She was a survivor. But that didn't stop her from hating herself. It didn't stop her from feeling sick to her stomach. And it didn't stop the hollow feeling in her chest from growing. She climbed up to the loft, which suddenly seemed so much colder than it had before. She slept fitfully, actually missing Rain's snoring. She awoke when the sun was still slumbering beneath the horizon. She got up, packed up her rig, and got all the horses ready for the trip. She wanted to be ready to go as soon as the others were awake. The first to join her was Red Back. He looked at her and saw her eyes were red and slightly swollen. He couldn't help but sigh. And then she surprised him. When she saw that no one else was around, she buried her head in his massive chest and cried again. He was baffled but not callous. He had never seen her like this in the years he had known her. "You let her go?" "I drove her away. I couldn't think of anything else," she said. "She would have followed me to the ends of the earth, and I was so tempted to lead her there." She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "You guys signed on for this life and you understand the risks. But she doesn't." "I think she understands more than you think. Now don't get mad. I told you not to get to close, and I agree that she would never be happy in the Legion because she doesn't believe in the breeder program. And I don't think that life outside the Legion would be good for you or for the world. But you love that girl. I know you do. We all see it every time you look at each other. Maybe you should ask General Anderson if an exception could be made. We could use her. She's a better tracker than any of us, including Rat. And . . ." "There can't be exceptions and you know it." She began regaining her composure. "If we break the rules for some people, then the rules mean nothing, and everything we work for starts falling apart!" "I know. Call me a romantic, but I don't think one of the only true examples of love I've ever seen should end because of bureaucratic crap. The Creepers have always marched to a different drummer. If you wanted to make a stand, we'd all stand behind you." He sighed. "But the decision is yours. And for what it's worth, I don't think I have the strength to have done what you did, whether it's the right thing or not." They stood in silence, the giant of a man trying to comfort the still-shaking frame of his captain. Finally, the rest of the squad arrived. They got packed, mounted up, and headed for the edge of town. Most of the townsfolk were awake and cheering them on. Despite her attempts to avoid doing so, Diamondback glanced around. Rain was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, she thought. It is probably for the best. Going on horseback turned out to be one of the best decisions they had ever made. They found an old road that used to be known as an "interstate highway." They saw a faded sign, but were able to make out the numbers "80" on it. It was supposed to lead into what had been Nebraska and southern Wyoming. They were only going to follow it as far as South Dakota before following the Missouri River up to a town in North Dakota that was still known as Bismarck. They figured they should get there before the slow-moving raider group. Diamondback rode way out in front, insisting on riding point. She showed no interest in the company or the casual banter of her comrades. She just stared down the empty road, looking for something she would be justified in shooting, and thinking of a beautiful girl with curly, chestnut-colored hair and a barn loft with a bed of hay. Finally, Red Back rode up, being the only one brave enough to approach her. It was time to stop for the night. They made their way off the road and set up a small camp. The forests were giving way to plains, and finding shelter was going to be increasingly difficult. Luckily the weather seemed to be cooperating. She sat alone during dinner, which was strangely subdued. She took a walk around the camp, unable to finish her food. She thought she saw the flicker of light a ways back in the direction they had come from. She strode back into camp and grabbed her rifle. "What's up?" asked Viper. "I think I saw another fire a ways behind us. Someone could have waited for us to pass by so they could sneak up behind us. I figured I'd go check it out . . ." "It's Rain," said Red Back calmly. The silence following that statement was so thick it could have stopped a bullet. "What? How do you . . ." "She's been tailing us since we left. I noticed her about seven hours ago." "Why didn't you . . ." "Because you've been so busy moping and being moody that no one wanted to talk to you." The entire squad looked a little sheepish at that comment. Did they all feel that way? "And besides, what would you have done? You have no authority over her, she's not a threat, and I know you wouldn't shoot her." "You are my second in command. You're obligated to tell me things like this!" "Diamondback, everyone here would walk through the gates of Hell if you asked and slap the Devil himself in the face. But we can't go on like this. You either need to find some kind of compromise with her or get over it, because right now your head isn't where it needs to be." Damn he was right. She was not in a position to be an effective leader. "And before the idea crosses your damned-fool mind, we decided as a group that you stepping down as Captain is NOT an option." Her shoulders drooped visibly. She didn't understand how it had happened. How could a woman, who had been shot and stabbed and who had played dice with Death, be reduced to this by a pretty girl? She simply nodded, but wasn't sure why. She saddled up her horse and slowly made her way back to where she thought she had seen the fire. She approached cautiously, as she didn't want to stumble into any traps the young woman might have set. She moved quietly at first, not wanting to spook the camp's inhabitant. Then she saw Rain, sitting on a log and roasting a rabbit over her tiny fire. She leaned against a tree and watched for a minute. The light flickered and danced across that beautiful face, causing her luxurious hair to shimmer. It was not unlike how she looked that first night almost a week ago. And it still made the soldier's heart race like a horse and thunder like its hooves. "It wasn't supposed to be like this you know," she said at last, making her presence known. Rain jumped a bit, but wasn't too surprised. But an expression of pain consumed her face. "This was all just supposed to be a brief intermission on the trip. Help the local villagers, get their town back on their feet, and move on." She wandered out of the trees and sat on a rock on the opposite side of the fire from Rain, staring into the dancing flames. "I expected a fight. I expected hard work. What I didn't expect was you." She looked up, able for the first time to meet Rain's gaze. Rain was more composed than Diamondback had expected, but she was still wounded. "You think I expected this? I've barely had any contact with people for four years! And all the ones I encountered only wanted one thing from me. But none of them made me feel anything. I didn't plan on getting captured and threatened with a life of abuse and slavery. The only reason they didn't force themselves on me was because I was covered in mud and crap. I didn't expect to be rescued by a princess in shining armor. At the baths . . . I had heard that sometimes Legionnaires took locals to bed, particularly after they had helped them somehow. Yes, that's what I initially thought you wanted. But when you told me you spurned me that first time . . . It seemed kind of noble to me. And that's when I realized how attracted I was to you and how much I wanted to be with you. And I didn't even know what that meant." She was on a serious roll by that point. "And I didn't have anyone to talk to or to help me understand what I was feeling! You have Red Back and the rest of the squad. I've got no one! And until I had you, I didn't realize how bad that felt. And then you threw me away! And now I'm following you to who knows where, and I still don't know why!" Rain was almost trembling from both fury and emotional pain. Her fists were clenched and her normally inviting lips wore an unflattering snarl. Diamondback thought she knew the answer. "Because you're braver than I am." Rain looked suddenly confused, and the soldier realized she needed to explain. "Part of growing up as a soldier in the Legion is that you have to be focused. I can plan military campaigns, black-ops missions, defense scenarios, supply routes . . . And I always have a back-up plan or two, or sometimes three or four. I've had some adventures, true, but I've always managed to live by the rules. But then there was you. I pushed you away because I had no plan for how to deal with you. I had no back-up plan. I was faced between choosing what I thought was best and what I really wanted, so I chose the former because that's what I'm used to doing." She took a deep breath. "You don't seem to need plans or rules. You follow your heart. I don't know how to follow mine, and that scares the hell out of me." She paused again. "I don't know how to be in love with you." There, she'd said it. And it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to say. Rain's countenance changed dramatically, as longing and hope replaced pain and anger. Diamondback stood up, and with trembling hands she removed her arsenal of weapons. Then she started removing her clothes. Rain had offered herself to the soldier a week before, so Diamondback was going to return the favor. But once again, the young woman surprised her. Rather than a drawn out conversation followed by a romantic embrace, Rain had closed the gap between them in seconds, flinging her clothes to the ground along the way. She basically did an open-field tackle on the soldier, who had her pants around her knees and was unable to even attempt to dodge. If Red Back ever heard about that . . . Rain was covering Diamondback's face with kisses. She was still slightly teary-eyed, but there was more joy there than sadness. But the elder of the two had one more word of warning. "I can't promise that this is all going to work out. I can only promise that I won't give up trying. Is that going to be enough for you?" Rain was smiling now. It made the Diamondback's heart so much lighter to see it. "It's a start," she whispered. Rain's kissing was becoming more intense. She was lying directly on top of the other girl who had almost unconsciously encircled the young girl's hips with her legs. Rain slid down and grabbed Diamondback's breast, holding them softly while manipulating the nipples with her thumb and forefinger (and more than occasionally her tongue). The soldier's breasts were smaller than hers, and had been somewhat neglected in earlier lovemaking. Apparently Rain intended to correct that oversight. And she had discovered something that even her lover had forgotten; Diamondback's breasts were very sensitive. The soldier was digging her shoulders into the ground and pressing her pert mounds and pink nipples against Rain's mouth and hands. Once the girl realized the power that sensitivity gave her, she was merciless. She cupped one breast with her hand and sucked on the other nipple with tremendous vigor. Her now free hand slid down below, and she inserted two fingers deep into Diamondback's waiting sex. "Wait," gasped the captain. "I'm the one apologizing. Shouldn't I be doing all the work?" "Every time we've been together, you got me off first. Dammit, this time I'm going to do it to you." Then she whispered, "And I want you to beg for it." It was said naughtily, not maliciously, so Diamondback felt she still in good standing. Rain returned to sucking on Diamondback's nipples. Diamondback was moaning loudly. It had been a long time since anyone had done this to her, and she drinking up the sensations like cheap wine. The branches and rocks digging into her back meant nothing to her. All she could feel was that tongue against the soft skin of her breasts, and it was driving her insane. And Rain was making use of the two fingers in her box, thrusting them in and out rapidly. She put her thumb against the clitoral hood and rubbed gently, sending sparks through Diamondback's body. The veteran soldier knew what was happening, and it was time to give Rain what she wanted. "Please," she moaned. "I'm almost there. Let me cum." It didn't take much to encourage her young lover, who doubled her efforts on every front. With fingers in her pussy and a talented set of lips devouring one breast, Diamondback and an earth-shattering orgasm. She shook so much she thought she might break something. She bit lightly on her bottom and waited for the pleasure to subside. "There," said Rain. "I win." "If that's losing, then losing is more fun than I thought." "Well it's my turn to lose." Diamondback maneuvered the young woman until she was on all fours. She spread the cheeks of Rain's ass apart, exposing a multitude of pleasure centers. She started with her favorite one. She put her nose at the bottom of Rain's swollen and ready pussy and began generously licking the entire length. She tasted sweeter than before, as if the thought of losing her had increased her appeal. She buried her face in her work, letting her tongue dance where it might. She enjoyed the feeling of ass-flesh in her hands, and spent a great deal of time massaging those cheeks. After several minutes of this, she decided to try something new. She tested the waters with a single touch of her tongue, right between the bottom of the slot and her tight, pink backdoor. It elicited a high gasp. That was a good sign, so she did it again. Another gasp. "What is that?" she asked. "That felt . . . (gasp)!" Diamondback smiled as she thought to herself, I'll teach this little girl to play with my nipples. I've got tools she can't even imagine. With that, the assault was on. The captain hit every pleasure zone she could with her tongue, ravishing her wet box and tantalizing her asshole. Then she took two fingers and inserted them into that beautiful pussy, and slowly sank her thumb into the girl's well-teased rosebud. Both openings tightened up as much as they good as Rain started making a noise that could best be described as "squeaking." Diamondback squatted behind her, pressing the back of her hand against her own cunt. She used her free hand to brace herself on the young girl's back, then slowly started to fuck Rain with her makeshift dick. She plunged forward and Rain slammed back. Her lover was making more of those noises, so she was confident that this new position was well received. She tried wiggling her thumb as well, teasing the myriad of nerve-endings that the anus had to offer. The noise of their coupling resounded through the trees, making her very hopeful they had been right in thinking the area was clear. Rain had held out longer than she ever had before, but that run of luck was over. "Oh! I'm . . . I'm . . ." Diamond stopped the humping motion and just started drilling the girl with her fingers. Soon, she felt the warm sensation of Rain's juices running over her hand. It took a minute before her posterior was willing to let Diamondback's thumb go, but the older girl didn't really mind. They lay together for a minute before either had the energy to speak again. "So," asked the Captain, "do you forgive me then?" Rain snuggled against her shoulder. "It would be awfully silly to follow you this far hoping for an apology that I wouldn't accept. Just don't do it again." The two of them got dressed and took down Rain's camp (such as it was), making sure the fire was completely out. They took their time getting back to the Creepers, walking their horses (one of which had been given to Rain for her help) and discussing the rules. They were going to have to be courteous of the others, as none of them had live-in lovers along for the ride. Rain was to stay down during firefights and not to interfere in the squad's business unless they all agreed to her participation. She could help with the hunting and the scouting if she liked, as long as the latter was done in the presence of another squad member. And in order to earn her right to stay, she would have to help in the cooking. This was mostly because it was one thing none of the Creepers were all that good at. Rain agreed to these conditions with a smile. After that, they would just play things by ear. The girl wanted to learn to fight for her own protection, which Diamondback reluctantly agreed to, but she wasn't going to be able to learn to shoot because the Creepers had to be a little miserly with their ammunition due to the length of the trip. And Rain's knowledge of the area offered a compromise. She knew of a small town (using the term "town" generously" on the edge of the plains. It was about eight hours off the main road, but it hadn't been ransacked the last time she had gone through. It had a small lake nearby and what she thought was a store with guns in. It was locked and barred, probably since the Cleansing, that might have some useful stuff in it. You couldn't see it from the main road due to some small hills and the curvature of the earth, so it would be a great place to rest for a while. It was about two weeks walk, but they could probably get there by horseback in less than half the time. Diamondback smiled, promised her that she would bring it up with the squad, took her hand and kissed her. She couldn't see the girl's face in the darkness, but she was willing to bet her lover was blushing. When they walked back into camp, still holding hands, the entire squad was still awake. They all had smiles on their faces, but not the kind they wore before ribbing someone. They were happy for the captain they respected and the girl they had all become very fond of. And they all rushed the couple, grasping both in bear hug after bear hug. Diamondback was incredibly embarrassed, but happy. She did begin to wonder if she might try actually restoring some etiquette to this group at some point. Nah! Finally, everyone except Diamondback, Rain, and Red Back went off to bed. The captain made sure her second in command understood the rules as pertaining to Rain. He indicated that he did. They discussed the little town that the girl had mentioned, and he agreed it was worth investigating. Rain was completely exhausted, so the captain pointed her at the right tent and gave her a playful slap on the ass to send her off to bed. The Creepers Ch. 01 When she and Red Back were alone again, she turned to her trusted friend. "So what do you think?" "I'm glad for you. You look happy again. Are you okay with this?" "I don't know. But I'm okay with not knowing right now. I'm worried about her getting hurt though." "Would she be in less danger wandering the wilds on her own?" "I don't know. I don't know where this is going to go, Red. I'm just glad I don't have to go there alone." She stood up and gave her comrade a hug. "And I'm not just talking about Rain." "Get some sleep Captain Diamondback. We've got more than enough people to stand watch tonight." She wandered towards her tent and climbed inside. The weather had seemed mild, so she had left the rain-fly off, letting her gaze out at the stars. Rain's clothes were piled up next to the entrance and she was curled up under the blankets. Diamondback got undressed and slid in next to her. The girl was already out of it, but she instinctively snaked her arm over her lover's body. Diamondback slid an arm over the other girl as well, and drifted contentedly off to sleep. --------------- ------------------ The next morning . . . --------------- ------------------ They both got up bright and early. And they managed to be quite business like. Rat was on watch for the morning hours, and gave them both a pleasant smile when they emerged. Rain borrowed Rat's crossbow and went looking for small game. When everyone was awake, their Captain informed them of the plan to investigate the town, which sounded reasonable to all of them. After a breakfast of some small pheasant-type birds, they were off. They made good time for the next several days. Rain spent some time every day discussing horsemanship with Tick (who was an expert equestrian), knife fighting and self-defense from Cobra, and she spent some time with Red Back discussing Diamondback. He regaled her with the story of how they met, which involved a small bet and a lot of property destruction. He told her many of the brave things their Captain had done in her time. Diamondback herself was unaware of what these conversations were about, but Rain was always smiling afterward, so she didn't press the matter. The little town wasn't much of a problem to get to. The store Rain had been talking about was almost completely overgrown with weeds. The squad managed to bust the front door in with a bit of help from one of the horses. Most of the stuff inside had been rendered useless by centuries of neglect. Almost all the guns had been exposed to the air and residual moisture, causing them to rust out. There were two shotguns in a sealed glass case that could be salvaged with a bit of work, but there was some doubt as to whether any of the shells would have survived. But much to Rain's delight, there was a fiberglass compound bow and a number of fiberglass arrows also in the case which were good to go. There were a variety of standard arrows that would be good for hunting, and some broad-heads in case she needed to hit something bigger, so she grabbed them all and a plastic quiver. The rest of the squad salvaged some synthetic rope, two spare tents (one for supplies and one big enough to meet in if the weather got ugly), and a couple of camouflaged tarps. Most of the hunting-style clothing had been devoured by silverfish and the like long ago, but they found some stuff in a back room that had been sealed in an airtight bag and stored. Rain went into the back and tried them on. She looked a bit sheepish when she emerged. The hunting-camo pants were a bit big for her. Even with the belt , they hung low on her hips, and the long sleeved shirt (also in the hunter-camo pattern) was too big, so she had tied it off above the waist. She thought she looked ridiculous. Diamondback thought she looked especially sexy. Leave it to her lover to make old hunting clothes look THAT good. They trimmed up the length of the pants, and she was as ready as she was going to get. Tick, along with being an expert rider was apparently a skilled fisherman. With just some line, a hook and a branch, he caught them a fish dinner that Rain prepared as well as she could, considering fish wasn't part of her regular diet. They told stories around the fire for hours. Diamondback and Rain exchanged knowing glances, grabbed a blanket, and went off to make love on the shore of the lake. ------------- ------------------ Several weeks later ------------- ------------------ They were approaching Bismarck. The trip up the Missouri River had been uneventful. They had settled into a routine, which now accounted for the presence of the lovely Rain. They began to see the telltale signs of the presence of other people. They left their horses in the care of Rain and proceeded on foot. The beautiful girl touched Diamondback's face and kissed her before she left. This was the hard part for her. Actually, it was the hard part for both of them. Sure enough, the raiders had already arrived. They had a bit of a head start, as the Creepers hadn't left until the rumors had reached Legion territory, but the raiders still must have kept up a good pace. They all had their binoculars out, trying to assess the nature of the threat. It was Viper who actually first noticed the oddity of the situation, and they all got together. "This isn't an invasion force!" he said with a bit of surprise. "I have to agree," said Diamondback, who had also noticed some odd things. Each of them told what they had seen. Viper had seen a group of children playing amongst the gunmen. And these warriors/soldiers seemed awfully non-aggressive, yet still alert. Diamondback has spotted a disproportionate number of elderly people. Tick said that their horses looked too laden down with as many medical supplies as weapons. And Red Back thought that less than a fourth of the mob appeared to be combatants. If this was an invasion force, Diamondback would eat her hat. If she had one. "So how do we proceed? Do we risk making contact?" Diamondback pondered the question. "Yes, we make contact. I'll do it. But go get the horses and be ready to ride out if things get ugly." "Captain . . ." "This is what we're supposed to do. And I might be able to bluff them into thinking we have more fighters than we do. I don't want to die here, but we have to figure out what the hell is going on." She waited around until Tick returned with Rain and the horses. Diamondback's young lover looked worried. Tick had probably explained the plan to her. "I have to do this," Diamondback told her. "I know. Go do what you have to do. But try and make it back in one piece. I don't want to lose you again." They embraced, Diamondback mounted up and headed in. She had a white flag with her, hoping they recognized the sign of peace. She stayed on the main road into town, waiting to be noticed. It didn't take long. Seven armed men emerged from the woods, guns trained on the rider. They looked focused, but not overly hostile. That was a good sign. One of them, who Diamondback guessed was the leader from the way he carried himself and the way the others looked to him to make a move, approached slowly. Then something seemed to click in his head. "You're Legion?" he asked, sounding a bit excited. That was strange, but not nearly as strange as the fact that he started smiling. "Thank God! We didn't think we'd get to your guy's territory for months!" Okay. This was weird. "You won't. We were sent to investigate why your force was advancing across the continent. "Advancing? Miss . . . I'm sorry, but I don't know how to address you." "S'okay. It's Captain Diamondback of the Third Squad of the Legion, also known as the Creepers." The man looked impressed. Apparently their reputation preceded them. "Well Captain, this group isn't advancing. It's running." "Mr. . . .?" "Sorry. I'm Sergeant Malloy of his Majesty's Advanced Recon Team." "Well Sergeant, I think you'd better arrange for a meeting on the outskirts of town for your superiors and my people. I think there is some explaining to do." ------- --------------------- To Be Continued . . . The Creepers Ch. 02 The following story is a work of fiction. Science fiction, to be precise. Any resemblance between characters in the story and any real persons, living, dead or waiting to be born, is purely coincidental. In my little world of the future, there are no unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases unless having them would be a convenient plot device for yours truly. The author encourages (strongly) the practice of safe sex. The following story contains lesbian sexual activity and has a lot of plot. If either of these things fails to float your boat, you might want to stop reading now. --------------- ------------------- It had been an hour since the meeting had ended, and Diamondback was sitting in the Creepers encampment, which had been moved into the city of Bismarck. She was holding her head in her hands and trying to absorb what had happened. She and her Legion squad had traveled halfway across the continent to intercept a potential threat to the Legion's territories. Instead, they had encountered a group of refugees from a kingdom based around the area that was once Seattle. Apparently, the raider bands that had once ruled that area had been driven out by local militias who had subsequently united under a king named Conner. The kingdom had flourished for years, rebuilding some industry and coming up with what sounded to be a sensible collection of laws. Many had debated contacting the Legion due to a general difference in philosophy between the two groups. But fate had given them little alternative. Within the last several years, the Kingdom of Seattle fell under attack from a group worse than any raiders. No one was sure exactly where they had come from but these beings, which were simply referred to as the Savages, had come up from the South, possibly from as far as Mexico. They had no technology and little organization. What they had were numbers and ferocity. The king's spies noticed that these Savages consumed some sort of elixir before going into battle which apparently dulled pain and fear. And they were monstrous in size, as if they had been breeding for size and strength for many generations. Any man they captured was killed brutally and his flesh was devoured. Indeed, they appeared to be cannibals. But a far worse fate awaited any woman who fell into their grasp. The stories of the atrocities committed on women by these things stung even the hardest of hearts. Attacks by Savages had become more frequent, causing the outer line of Seattle's forces to pull in. King Conner realized he didn't have the resources to protect all the civilians under his domain, so he concocted a plan to get them out. His forces launched an offensive against the enemy, and a small number of soldiers under the command of Sergeant Malloy were sent along with all those who couldn't fight. He had hoped to find a generous spirit amongst the Legion despite their differences, and prayed they might protect these people should they make it to the Legion's territory. Overall, Diamondback decided she liked the sound of this monarch. His first priority had been to get non-combatants to safety, which showed compassion as well as brains. But she didn't like the sound of these Savages. Sergeant Malloy said that there were thousands and thousands of them camped outside the kingdom's borders. He only hoped they weren't aware of this departure, as he didn't have enough men to fend off any but the smallest of their scouting parties. Then the weather had turned bad and their march eastward had been noticeably slowed. They had made a semi-permanent encampment in Bismarck because of the strain the voyage had been placing on the travelers. Many people would probably die if they didn't get some rest. And they hadn't seen any of the Savages for a month, so they figured they were in the clear. Malloy realized that they were months away from Legion territory, which is why he was surprised to see the Creepers show up out of nowhere. He had been debating between marching on and just sending scouts to contact the Legion, so they weren't alarmed when a large group of strangers showed up on their doorstep. Probably not a bad move on his part. Malloy and Diamondback had agreed to send an emissary back to Legion headquarters, to be accompanied by Rat. The Sergeant picked his fastest rider to act as diplomat. They would pick up fresh horses along the way, making Diamondback glad that the Legion was in good standing all along the trail home. With the weather improving and the roads cleared, the two riders should make good time back to Manhattan. Rat was not all that excited about leaving the squad, but he was the best rider they had. And when the Seattle rider turned out to be a fairly cute blonde, his objections became less strenuous. They would ride back to headquarters and make the offer of an alliance, and try and get the Legion commanders to send some fire support out this way. If these savages took Seattle or decided to head east, they didn't want to wait until they reached Legion territory to make a stand. This ragtag band of Seattle-ites and legionnaires would move as quick as they could east, trying to put as much distance between them and their adversaries as possible. With the winter still underway, Diamondback was worried about taking the shorter route around the north end of the Great Lakes, so she decided to go around the southern end to Chicago. Chicago was a town that had a bunch of small groups, but nothing that would be a threat. There were plenty of places to hole up that were defensible and it was close to sources of fresh water. They would wait there until the Legion arrived. And somehow, Diamondback had been placed in charge of the whole operation. She was the only one with the authority to speak on behalf of the Legion, and the only one with enough experience to pull this off. After hours of meetings, they had formulated a tentative schedule. They would stay in Bismarck for a few days, restocking their food supply as much as possible. The Seattle-ites had a lot of horses, but not enough to carry the entire mob, so they were going to fashion wagons out of any materials they could find. They might not go faster, but they could go longer with putting too much of a strain on the very young and very old. A number of horses in the mob were draft or plough horses anyway, and they could do the pulling. Patrols would be joint efforts of both groups. Luckily, these new arrivals had plenty of ammunition, so Rain was actually able to start learning how to start learning to shoot. They had managed to clean up one of the shotguns they had found along the way, a handsome side-by-side with two triggers and a full choke. It could certainly get the job done. Unfortunately, all the planning and construction took time. Diamondback was patrolling, planning the route, guard shifts, and overseeing construction. Rain impressed just about everyone with her hunting ability, and she became an essential component in finding food and getting it prepared for travel. When she wasn't hunting, she was learning to shoot, knife-fight and ride. They were lucky if they saw each other for a few hours on a given day. Diamondback was standing on a rooftop, surveying their progress and discussing some last minute preparations for the next day's departure with Red Back and Sergeant Malloy. At one point, she saw Rain milling around with one of the hunting parties. Her attention drifted from the conversation. Her girl was growing up fast. She was branching out, making new friends and learning how to be part of a community, rather than just a small group like the Creepers. Those were two entirely different worlds, and she seemed happy in that other world. Maybe too happy. "Captain?" asked Sergeant Malloy. "Are we set then? Or would you like a pair of binoculars?" The two of them had discovered they got along great, so she didn't mind the rib. "Okay, HIM," she said, pointing at her second in command, "I have to take that sort of thing from. You can be thrown off the roof." "So I should go then?" "Yeah. And yes, I think we're ready to roll. You all get some rest this evening. We have a long day tomorrow." "See you in the morning." Red Back remained conspicuously nearby as the other man left. "So, what's eating you?" "I'm just nervous about defending the rear of the caravan. We don't have enough . . ." "Wrong answer," he interrupted. "You pretty much zoned out of that part of the discussion looking at a certain young woman." "When did you become my confidant?" "When you started confiding in me. I'm glad though. I was beginning to think you were perfect," he said with a smile. "Hardly. She's a big girl now, isn't she?" "Afraid she doesn't need you anymore?" "I'm afraid she's realizing she never needed me. And we're getting ready to head back towards the one place she doesn't want to go." "You knew this was an eventuality you would both have to face." "But we just got everything fixed." "Well don't go assuming it's broke again. It's a long way to Chicago. We may not get recalled back to Legion territory. We've got several months until the decision has to be made. Listen, we'll cover your patrol tonight. Take a while and sort things out. You've done a good job of it recently, so don't go turning yourself into a mess again for no reason." "I can't. I've got to make to do my rounds and make myself seen. I've got to convince these Seattle boys I know what I'm doing." "They know! Most of them are scared of you, for cryin' out loud. You've been going non-stop for days. They believe in you. Now go." He placed one of those giant hands on her shoulder. "Clear your head." He was right. He seemed to be right an annoying amount of the time those days. She descended the stairs an emerged into a broken city filled with failing light. The campfires were getting going, and stories were getting told. Any Creeper not on patrol would get grilled by the children or by the other soldiers to regale them with tales of their adventures. Diamondback wanted none of it. Besides, her comrades could exaggerate her accomplishments much more elegantly than she could. She took a walk through the downtown area. She often found herself in such places, looking at the architecture and admiring the world people had created for themselves so many centuries before. She tried to imagine what it had been like when people lined the streets, going to work or to lunch without a care in the world. Did they ever imagine that a lone soldier would be the only occupant the street held? That a single set of footsteps would echo on streets that once teemed with young people on their ways to a myriad of rendezvous points. "Penny for your thoughts?" asked a sweet, familiar voice. Diamondback smiled. Whenever she least expected it . . . "How long have you been following me?" "Since you left the meeting. You official people have a lot of meetings." Rain sidled up next to her, timidly taking the soldier's hand in her own and kissing her warmly on the cheek. Diamondback turned her head and received a full, lingering kiss on the lips. "I've missed you." "I've missed you too." Rain looked a bit sheepish. "I don't want you thinking I'd forgotten about you. But this is what you were trying to explain to me since the first night in the barn. There's a time for business," she said as she maneuvered herself in front of Diamondback and wrapped her arms around the older girl's neck, "and a time for pleasure." And another slow, soft kiss. Suddenly, a million worries seemed to be lifted from Diamondback's shoulders. "So, you're not tired of me already? You're not wanting to run off with these wild-men and have your own adventures?" Rain looked concerned. "You're not serious, are you?" "Sort of. Listen," Diamondback said, taking a seat on the ground and motioning for her friend to join her, "you know what's coming up don't you?" Rain sighed. "We're heading back towards Legion territory?" "And the Creepers will have been out in the field for a year by the time we get to Chicago. We'd been out in the field when we got called on to come out here. There's a good chance we'll get called back to Manhattan for a while." "I know. But you guys are a scouting unit, right? Why would you get called back to territory you already control?" "Debriefing. Mandatory downtime. Looking at new applicants. If it were up to me, we'd just turn around and go back out. But it might not be up to me." "And if it means you'll be cooped up for months, I'll be waiting one foot outside of Legion controlled land waiting for you." She scooted into Diamondback's lap and wrapped her legs around that muscular abdomen. "You know, sometimes you go looking for problems." "I have to be ready for everything." "You can't be ready for everything." "I certainly wasn't ready for a sexy young woman who seems to have turned my life upside down." It was her turn to initiate the lip-lock. "You know," she whispered conspiratorially, "there's no one around." "In the middle of the street?" "What? Feeling bashful?" That earned her a dirty look. Rain looked around. "How about over there? There's some grass and it'll be more comfortable. (Grumble) Bashful! I'll show you bashful." She was removing clothes every step of the way. Diamondback walked a little behind her, staring at her lover undress. Even the soft curve of her back was sexy. Rain turned around and grabbed the older girl by the waistline of her pants and pulled her close. "You still have clothes on. That isn't acceptable." Diamondback let the girl undress her. Rain embraced her from behind, then pulled her shirt over her head. This was followed by the young girl digging her thumbs into the soldier's pants and pushing them down past her ass. Rain got down on her knees and as she pushed Diamondback's pants the rest of the way, she also planted her face between those muscular butt cheeks. She savored the smell of Diamondback's sex, wasting little time before devouring it with her tongue and lips. The older girl stepped out of her pants before spreading her legs and putting her hands on the ground, giving the young woman more room to maneuver. She felt a thumb penetrate her body, searching for that elusive spot. But she wasn't going to let Rain get ahead on points. They had actually started keeping track of who got the other to cum first. The last few times they had gotten together, Rain had been closing the gap. So she pushed back against the young girl until Rain was lying on her back. The two of them both had a face full of the other's crotch. "So, you wanna make this a 'tongues only' contest?" asked Rain. Her adversary smiled. That girl had tongue like a snake, but how could she refuse. "Ready?" "Set?" "Go!" they said in unison. Rain buried her face in deep, trying to see just how far into Diamondback's body her tongue could go. The older girl concentrated on the juicy inner lips and the tender area below the opening. She also was in a position to blow puffs of her warm breath on the outer lips, making her lover's skin tingle. Rain countered by repeatedly sucking the inner lips into her mouth, stretching them outward gently, and then doing a wide-tongued pass between them. The older girl took a page from the younger girl's book and started long, slow lick the entire length of Rain's pussy. Being only allowed to use their tongues, their hands were free to roam. Each of them had their favorite points. Due to their close proximity, neither could really get to each other's breasts. So Rain concentrated on the lower back of her lover, massaging those muscles and tracing their fine lines. Diamondback ran her hands down the back of Rain's legs, over the sensitive backs of the girl's knees and finally reaching those toned calves. And all the while, they were licking and nibbling for all they were worth. On more than one occasion, both girl's had to come up for air. Their entire bodies glistened with sweat, and their harsh breathing seemed to carry up and down the deserted street. Finally, Rain pulled out all the stops and went for the clit, first by rubbing the hood gently with her tongue, then bypassing the hood altogether. Diamondback tried to reciprocate, but it was too late. Her body started shaking and quivering and freezing up. Rain continued licking even after her lover had cum and her body tried to recuperate. It didn't take long before Rain reached orgasm as well, but she had the victory under her belt. "Best two out of three?" gasped the victor. "Fingers?" "Go!" The second contest was no contest. Diamondback knew that once Rain was primed, she was easy prey. And Diamondback knew how to use her hands. Two fingers looking for the g-spot and a thumb up the butt brought the soldier victory and evened up the score. It also made the younger girl scream like a banshee. By whatever unwritten rules they were playing by, Rain got to polish her lover off. Strangely, this met with little objection. She pumped her fingers in and out; first one at a time, then two and then three. When the third finger joined the fray, Diamondback saw a set of stars that had nothing to do with the night sky, and she almost drowned the poor girl beneath her with her juices. The third contest involved use of both the tongue and fingers, which also was won by the veteran. Neither of them had the energy or desire to put up much of a struggle, so they had just taken their time and enjoyed the presence of each other. The two got dressed and returned to camp, both feeling much better. ------------ ---------------- Weeks later . . . ------------ ---------------- They had set out early the next morning. Diamondback overlooked the departure from a nearby hill, and she felt worried. She hoped they encountered no resistance of any kind on their journey. Nine legionnaires, forty trained (but still green) soldiers, and hundreds of refugees could ill afford any kind of conflict. Unfortunately, it only took about three weeks before things went wrong. She was riding up towards the front of the caravan when she heard shots ringing out towards the rear. As she arrived at the back of the mob, she saw something that sent shivers down her spine. She saw Savages for the first time. There had been three of them, and two were already on the ground by the time she arrived. The third had been shot several times, yet managed to stay on his feet. Normally she would subdue someone in this situation for the purposes of interrogation. But she saw something that she had never seen in an enemy before, and that was the complete absence of humanity. It wore a human skin, for sure, but any part of it that claimed a relationship to the race of men had been swallowed by something primordial. It was a hulk of a creature, almost as tall as Red Back and at least as wide in the shoulders. It was snarling, foaming at the mouth and trying to lunge. Luckily, it had been strung up with lassos by some quick thinking Seattle boys, but even those ropes did nothing to discourage its desire to rampage. It was as if it had no concept whatsoever of what it meant to be captured. It would keep going until it killed or was put down. Diamondback pulled out one of her secondary weapons, a 44-magnum revolver, and put a bullet into its head. She saw Rain standing in the crowd, covering her mouth with her hands. It occurred to Diamondback that while she had buried her family, she hadn't seen them killed. She hadn't seen anybody killed before. Unlike other acts, Diamondback wish she hadn't been Rain's "first time." Not for something like that. "They're all like that," said Malloy. "They don't seem to think or feel or anything. They just keep moving and destroying. Unfortunately, they do have some organization. This looks like a scouting party." The Creepers Ch. 02 "How far ahead do they travel?" "In our experience, about two weeks. It's a long time, but it's almost like the others can follow their scent. I mean, it's fucking uncanny." "Two weeks? For the sake of safety, we'll assume one week." She sighed. This was going from bad to worse. "Alright, I need someone to ride back and check to see how many of them there are, and to see how fast they're gaining. Centipede, Widow and Scorpion, that'll be up to you." The normally jovial crew all wore stern expressions. It was serious, and they knew it. "No heroics, and make sure they don't spot you." She stood up on one of the wagons and managed to get the crowd quieted down. "Okay, you all know what this might mean. So from now on, we have to step it up a notch. We don't stop for the night. We'll take turns getting what sleep we can on the wagons. The Creepers will walk from here so we have horses that are a little fresher to change with the ones already on the carts. Anyone else who can stand it, I advise you give up the horses. Everyone will get a turn on the wagons at some point, so keep that in mind when making your decisions. We will also be eating on the move. Hunters and gatherers, look for fruits and berries and other stuff we don't have to cook. We're going to have to go hungry for a bit. These new rules start right now." She swung off her horse. "Let's move." The attitude of the band could be considered somber at best. They were obviously making better time, but would it be enough? Diamondback had moved into "the zone." She likened it to living in the immediate moment, where you didn't remember how tired you were because you didn't think about how far you'd been or how far you had to go. The only times she broke out of the zone was when Rain wandered into view. Things had been strange since she had put the Savage in the ground. It was as if Rain finally realized just what her lover was capable of, and it frightened her. It left a sinking feeling in the pit of the soldier's stomach, forcing her to slip back into the zone. She couldn't waste energy worrying about it. This was something Rain was going to have to deal with on her own. The captain of the Creepers was beginning to worry about her rear-guard, but they finally returned a week later. The news wasn't good, as they reported as many as a thousand Savages coming up behind them. Apparently they had their full two weeks, as the mob seemed to have become a bit confused when their own scouts didn't return. But when they started again, they moved quickly, rarely stopping to rest. Even with the Creepers attempts to get this group moving, the Savages were gaining ground. Diamondback was flustered. They were pursuing them like prey-items. Their tactics, to an analytical mind such as her, were ludicrous, yet they constituted a genuine threat. And a thousand of them! Sergeant Malloy had two suggestions: either the Kingdom of Seattle had destroyed the mob and this was all that remained (which he doubted) or the siege had gone on so long that this group had broken off to look for easier meals. As they moved along, they picked up additional stragglers who had suddenly been put in danger's path, placing additional strain on their resources. They took to laying traps on bridges they crossed, including rigging one to collapse all together. While this bought them time, it didn't seem to stop the hoard. Rain was instrumental in creating these diversionary traps. It made Diamondback proud. At one point, even the most stalwart amongst them realized the need to rest for a few hours. Otherwise, the horses they so depended on were going to fall over. Certain at that point they held a week and a half of lead, the captain consented. And it gave her a chance to take care of something that had been haunting her mind for days. She borrowed a horse that wasn't too tired, promising she wouldn't wear it out. Then she went looking for Rain, and found her unloading some apples from an orchard she had discovered not far away. As Diamondback rode up, many of the refugees looked up from the meager fare with a look of awe that made her more than a little uncomfortable. Rain looked up and without a word, she swung up on the horse behind the captain. They rode ahead of the main group until they were well out of sight. "So," Diamondback said at last. "So," was the response. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. And it wasn't just that I didn't want to distract you, though that was part of it." "It was shooting the Savage wasn't it? I wish I could say something that would make you not be afraid of me, but I can't think of anything. But I don't regret it, and I may have to do it many more times before this is all over." She felt Rain's head come to rest on her back and the girl's arms ensnaring her waist. "I'm not afraid of you. I was scared, but I saw what you saw. It wouldn't allow itself to be captured. I doubt it even understood what 'capture' was. I finally realized what you could do, and also what you have to do." She sighed. "You're going to fight them, aren't you?" The girl had learned to read her like an open book. "Yes. The bridge over the Wisconsin River looks like a good place. It connects with the Mississippi in one direction and heads way North in the other. They won't be able to get around. Malloy and his men are going lead the refugees into Chicago. He knows the type of place to look for to wait out a siege, but he'll need time to get ready for one. So the Creepers are going to try and hold them." "Wait . . . Just the Creepers? With Rat gone, there are only nine of you! How can you hold against almost a thousand?!?" "We're going to clog the bridge with as much crap as we can. Rusted old cars, fallen trees . . . We're also going to destroy as much of the bridge as we can before they arrive, at the least narrowing the areas they can get across." "But there's only nine of you," she reiterated, then she suddenly grew quiet. "You're not going to be able to win, are you?" "No. This is the worst-case scenario for the Creepers. A prolonged gun-battle is the one thing we aren't even vaguely equipped to do. We're the hit-and-run guys. We make sure the fight is over before the enemy even knows there's a fight going on. But these things are always ready to fight. And there's no one else to do it. Those guys from Seattle wouldn't stand a chance, and someone has to keep things moving." Now came the really hard part. "And I want you to go with them." "Absolutely not, I won't . . ." "You will because you have to." Diamondback was just staring off into space. "This is going to be the worst fight I've ever been in. And if you're there, I'll be constantly worrying about you. You see," she said mustering all the courage she had left, "somewhere between a barn with a view to Bismarck and on towards the Wisconsin River, I figured out how to be in love with you." The grip around her tightened. "And I am desperately in love with you. And I don't want to risk losing you on some fucking bridge in the middle of nowhere." "I love you too," came the bittersweet response. "But for the love of God, I've already buried everyone I've ever cared about. I don't want to have to bury you too! It's not fair. It's not even fair for you to ask." "No, it isn't. But if you love me, you'll let me do what I need to do and what I swore to do. I'm going to make sure those people get to safety." Silence again. Diamondback felt strangely relieved for someone facing certain death. The girl that had started as a dirt-clod and ended up a beautiful swan still loved her, despite everything that had happened. And she was going off to quite probably the last battle of her life knowing that she had said all she wanted to say. Then she felt herself being pushed forward a bit, her crotch rubbing lightly against the saddle horn. She tried to push back, but Rain's legs were locked in place. "Make love to me," came a whisper from behind her. She felt her shirt being pulled out of her pants, and delicate hands began sliding their way up her body. "Right here, right now. I want to give you a ride to remember. I want to give you something to come back to." Now those hands were on her breasts, teasing her sensitive nipples, and she felt hot breath on her neck. In her head, Diamondback knew this was a really bad time for this. But the rest of her body didn't much give a damn. She let the young woman feel her up, and enjoyed the feeling of the saddle leather stimulating her mound. Rain encouraged the horse to trot, making Diamondback moan audibly. And her fingers were relentless. Rain had grabbed both of the older woman's incredibly soft nipples, with the tips caught between the thumb and forefinger. She held them snuggly as the trot of the horse caused them both to bounce up and down. This sort of breast-tease drove the captain absolutely wild. And Rain started nibbling on her earlobe while squeezing Diamondback's breasts in their entirety. She could do little else but pull her own shirt off, as Rain had her pinned in the saddle. And the light rubbing of the saddle horn against her mound was becoming deliciously intolerable. Rain's hands disappeared but quickly returned, and the elder woman felt Rain's warm, full breasts pushed into the middle of her back as the young woman resumed her fondling. And Rain even started humping forward, pushing the wet spot in Diamondback's jean a little harder against the leather. And with another light tug on her nipples, it became too much for the captain, and she felt herself gushing into her pants. She had to hold on to the horse's neck to keep from toppling. As she leaned forward, Rain kissed her along her neck and the muscled on her shoulders and back. It was an intense orgasm for Diamondback, and it drained her energy a bit. She pulled up on the horse, force it to stop. Rain backed up a bit so her lover could adjust herself. Turning around on a horse with someone else also in the saddle was no small feat, but the veteran soldier managed. So they sat for a moment, two women in the prime of their lives sitting topless on a horse with their cheeks pressed against each other and with each woman breathing very hard. One at a time, they each leaned back and stuck their legs almost straight up in the air so the other could finish unclothing them. With all their clothes stuck in saddlebags, they turned their full attention on one another. Strangely, neither of them wanted to say anything about the oddity of this encounter. Possibly because they both realized that any words would sound like 'goodbye,' and neither of them wanted to acknowledge the possibility that this was their last rendezvous. Each girl kept one foot in the stirrup and wrapped the other leg around the other girl's butt. Each girl used one hand for balance while sticking fingers into the other's warm sex. There was no competition that time, no quarrelling about the chronological order orgasms should arrive in. They just enjoyed being with one another. They spent the entire encounter with one girl's lips pressed against the other. Rain had a nice, rhythmic finger-fucking going on, insisting to herself she wouldn't rush this. She inserted another finger and spread Diamondback's opening as much as she could, letting her lover feel the stretch. Diamondback had gone for the g-spot, but was determined not to over-stimulate it, because she wanted the experience to last. To occupy the time, she teased the clit, making her lover grind against her hand. She encouraged the horse back into a trot, and each movement of the beast caused them to drive their fingers in deeper. They rode like this for several minutes, swaying in the saddle as the sweat dripped down. They increased their tempo a bit as a sense of urgency started to rear its head. Rain rubbed the hood clit, and Diamondback intensified her g-spot probing. Rain was first to go, locking down on the captain's fingers, throwing her head back and letting all her apprehension flow onto her lover's fingertips. Diamondback wasn't far behind, and collapsed against the younger girl when her own strength seemed depleted. They held each other for a while, but whether seconds or minutes or an hour, neither girl could tell. Without a word, both dismounted, got dressed, and headed back toward the caravan. Rain kept her body pressed again that of the soldier's. Diamondback swore she could feel the young girl's heart beating, and prayed it wouldn't be for the last time. As they rejoined the caravan, they went their separate ways, and neither could bear to look back. ----------- -------------- A week later . . . ----------- -------------- It was another week before they passed over the river. The bridge had deteriorated in places, which would work to the Creeper's advantage. The squad had chosen not to inform the general group of their intentions as to avoid causing a panic. As the rear guard vanished from view, Sergeant Malloy looked back and saluted them. Then it became time to get to business. The crew had held onto their horses, which were used to drag fallen trees and rusted old cars onto the bridge. There were three points of interest, where weather and decay had narrowed the pass considerably. Those spots were turned into barriers. They filled their makeshift walls with dry grass and other flammable materials. The Seattle-ites had given them all the lamp oil they had, which the Creepers were converting into molotov cocktails and makeshift bombs. They had a log hanging from ropes attached to the bridge's structure that was covered in spiky bits that would take out a wide swathe of people when released. Diamondback really wished they carried some kind of explosives, as the remaining portions of the bridge resisted their feeble attempts to bring it down. Bridges they had taken out earlier were made of less stern stuff or were more badly damaged to begin with. So they would have to make do with their barriers. Her plan was simple. Get up on the first barricade when the Savages came into sight and play the sniper game. That's what they were best at. When the enemy got closer, they would engage in small-arms fire, which they weren't as good at, followed by lighting the barricade on fire and retreating to the next barricade. Then repeat the procedure. The horses would be kept about fifty yards on the other side of the bridge. If or when the third barricade fell, any survivors would make a run for it. Even if they could just hold the enemy for a day . . . It took them an entire day of non-stop work to get their defenses ready. They slept in shifts, trying to regain as much energy as they could. They figured that the enemy would come upon them within a few days. The next day, they planted sharp spikes in the tall grass on either side of the roadway at the enemy's end of the bridge, hoping to pick off a few more. Besides that, all they could do was wait. Later on that day, she heard the sound of marching, but not from in front of them. Rather it came from towards Chicago, and soon the soldiers of his Majesty's Advanced Recon Team came into view. Diamondback was furious. "What the hell?!? I told you to look after your people! That was your responsibility! Keeping these things from getting closer to the lands of the Legion is mine! How . . ." "First of all," said Malloy with a quivering voice, "while we appreciate what you've done, you have no authority over us. Secondly, the mob isn't going to stop in Chicago after all. Your woman pointed out that trying to track them through an area like that will take time, so it makes more sense to keep going than to wait. You know, she's quite an exceptional young lady." "Yes, I know. Now quite changing the damn . . ." "And thirdly, you have done more for us than we had any right to ask for. You've put your asses on the line for people you know nothing about, and we are not going to have the first meeting between our two groups end with a supreme act of cowardice on our part!" His voice wasn't trembling out of anger, due to the way his return had been met with resistance. Rather it was trembling from shame at ever having left in the first place. "We brought this menace to your door. We're going to help you stop it." "You obstinate . . ." She wanted to hit him, and he could tell. He steeled himself against the expected blow. Instead, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Bring your boys up to the first barrier. Red Back will brief you about our plans. And thank you." Fifty-nine against one thousand was better than nine against one thousand. It was early the following morning that the shit hit the proverbial fan. Diamondback was resting against the curb when a shout went out from the Seattle-ite doing lookout. Every one of them rushed to the first barrier. What they saw was a nightmare made real. The Savages came pouring out the trees and tall grass like termites escaping from a crumbling mound. They seemed to be coated in some white powder, giving them a ghostly appearance. They saw the guardians of the bridge and let out a howl that would scare a pack of wolves. And they charged. The Creepers took steady aim in an almost eerie sense of calm. They had a limited ammo supply, so they had to make each shot count. They figured they had about two hundred yards between them and the frontline of the enemy. The first volley rang out, and several Savages fell. These weren't unsuspecting raiders, but rather they were a fast-moving amorphous mass. Kill shots were going to be harder to come by at this range. A second volley was fired, and more Savages went down. But the mob never slowed. It was almost as if the dead were simply absorbed back into the mass. As the enemy grew closer, Malloy's troops popped up and let loose over the barrier with shotguns and light machine-guns. While lacking the calculating killing power of the sniper rifle, these weapons did their damage. Legs and arms were shredded, and they did take their fare share of lives. Soon the mob was too close, and the defenders started to fall back. Before leaving, Diamondback doused a section in the middle of the barricade with oil, then placed the remaining barrel of the stuff in the middle of a pile of debris. As she ran back towards the next line of defense, she yelled "Light it up!" Malloy launched a molotov cocktail at the wall, hitting right next to where she had been standing. The dry grass caught on fire easily and the flames quickly spread. The first of the Savages were standing on top of the pile when the fire started. Then the barrel caught on fire. The resulting explosion was quite spectacular actually. Bits of hot, twisted shrapnel went flying everywhere, killing or maiming at least a dozen of the enemy. But more importantly, the flaming wall slowed the tide. Like most animals, these things were afraid of fire. Realizing their advantage, Diamondback called several soldiers back up. Ten men threw cocktails well over the wall of fire, exploding in the crowd beyond. The Savages, not being completely without intelligence, backed up well out of throwing range. The Creepers leaned over the sides of the bridge and took some more aimed shots at the retreating mob, and a couple more bodies hit the ground. Even with the generous amount of wood they had placed in the barricade, the fire wouldn't last forever, assuming those creatures didn't figure out another way around, over or through. But the small band of bridge guardians had bought themselves some time. They decided to pull back to the second wall, except for a few men holding molotovs. They had a limited supply, so the next two would be thrown just to make the Savages hesitate, and the rest would be saved for the next line of defense. Unfortunately, the fire and smoke also obscured the defenders' visions, so they couldn't tell what their adversaries were up to. Suddenly, the first wall started to shake and buckle, then the center split wide open. The Savages had grabbed a couple of large trees and were using them as battering rams. They had grabbed trees that were still slightly green, so they weren't quick to light. After busting open the wall, they dropped the trees and then quickly scurried along the tops of them, protecting them from the embers below. The Creepers Ch. 02 "Shit!" was all Diamondback could think to say. The snipers opened fire at the Savages on the trees. Cobra was thinking quickly on his feet, grabbing a molotov cocktail from a stunned solider and hurling onto the surface of the Savages' makeshift bridge. While the wood might be slow to burn, that explosion would still make that route impassable for a while. Centipede released the overhead-log-trap. Those Savages that had made it across found a large chunk of wood covered in spikes swinging down at them with a good deal of speed, and they had nowhere to go. The Creepers all developed grim smiles when the Savages were impaled and dragged along the ground until the trap came to rest. "Get more kindling!" the captain shouted. "You in the back, grab anything flammable that you can find. Start filling up the cracks in this wall or throwing it over the front. Fifteen men did as asked, while the rest manned the top of the barricade, side by side with the Creepers. It turned out that the fire was going to be their best weapon, so Diamondback was going to capitalize on it. This wall would burn longer and hotter, and throwing stuff out front would make it hard for the enemy to navigate their battering rams. When the wall was so stuffed it could accommodate no more and the area in front of it was littered with debris, she sent those men to work on the third wall. And she found herself with the odd feeling that they just might pull this off. The oil from Cobra's last grenade dissipated more quickly than she would have liked, and the Savages began pouring through the first wall. Again the Creepers let fly, dropping a dozen or so of the enemy. The smoke, however, affected both sides, choking the Savages but impairing the vision of the Creepers. So Diamondback called the Seattle-ites up and let them have a quick turn. With shotguns, you didn't need to see that well to hit, and those soldiers dealt a lot of damage. Then they retreated again. The Savages had learned something from their first run, and didn't try to scale the wall until a new set of battering rams got brought up. But the Creepers fired up the wall anyway, and most of the remaining cocktails were hurled at the over, lighting the enemy ablaze and turned the entire area into an inferno. Having no real way of getting any shots off, they went ahead and retreated to the last wall. Diamondback listened intently. Over the hissing and the spitting of the flames, she heard the howls of anger and pain. "So you little shits, are you simply fucked-up humans after all?" She knew they were trying to get their rams into position. She did a quick ammo count, and the result weren't good. The entire squad was running low on rifle rounds, with maybe sixteen shots between them. They consolidated into two clips, one for Diamondback and the other for Cobra. The two of them stood high upon the third barricade while the rest of the Creepers pulled out their secondary weapons. "Okay," she shouted down. "We've delayed as much as we can here. We fire, we light, and we run like hell! When the time comes, get to the horses and follow the river! If we can't kill 'em all, we'll make 'em chase us instead of the others! So we want to be ahead of them but no so far ahead that they decide to follow the road instead! Once we've got them after us, we'll try and lose them up north and then make a run for Chicago! We've given our boys and girls another day of breathing time already! If we give them some more time, then this was all worth it! Understand?!?" "Yes Sir!" They were all nodding and grinning. They were beginning to believe. And then things got really ugly. She heard gunshots from the sides of the bridge. She looked over and saw Savages trying to crawl onto the bridge. Where the hell had they come from? Red Back yelled up at her, "Looks like a few of them navigated the undercarriage of the bridge when things started getting hot, but not many. We can handle this." Then the second wall gave way, and the Savages came barreling through. They were too far away to light their bridges on fire like had been done before. So she and Cobra opened fire. And they were cold. It was something to see for the guys on the ground, two silhouettes against the setting sun that were spitting bullets with unerring accuracy. Every shot found its mark, and every shot dropped a Savage in its tracks. Cobra was first to be tapped, and he made his way down the barricade to let some of the soldier from Seattle get up. But for a moment, Diamondback stood alone on the top of the wall. Several of the Savages looked up and snarled. They knew somehow that she was the one in charge, and they glared at her with almost pure hatred. She used her last rifle round to stifle one of those glares forever. She turned to descend the wall when her heart almost stopped. The soldiers and Creepers not on the wall had gone to one side of the bridge to deal with the Savages that had made it across, so no one saw the two monsters that were emerging from the other side of the bridge. She saw that now familiar lack of sanity twinkling behind their eyes. They spotted Red Back and Malloy, almost instinctively realizing that those were important targets and headed towards them. Diamondback shouted, but no one heard her over the ruckus. She charged recklessly down the pile while whipping out both of her revolvers. She had twelve shots between them and was determined to make them count. But the structure she was on was not the most stable of platforms, and the metal beneath her feet crumbled and gave way. She tumbled downward, suffering some serious cuts and bruises and falling directly into the path of the Savages. Somewhere along the way as she tumbled down the slope, she lost her guns. She managed to regain her feet as they closed in. One of the Savages raised his club. If it connected full on, she was done for. Without thinking, she stepped in, decreasing the amount of force that would actually connect. It worked in that it prevented a killing blow, but the haft just above the thing's hand caught her in the temple. The world seemed to move much slower after that. She grabbed a stone knife out of the Savage's own belt and stabbed the thing between the ribs, puncturing the heart. But the blow seemed to take forever to land, almost as if she were fighting in deep water. She was aware of the other Savage moving towards Red Back. She lurched forward as her last victim fell, clutching the gaping wound she had left. She stumbled but managed to bury the dagger into the second monster's back. She heard him howl, though it sounded gurgled somehow. He spun and swung a primitive stone axe at her, catching her somewhere in the abdomen. She wasn't sure where. She flew about six feet through the air and landed unceremoniously on the ground. Her surroundings seemed hazy all of a sudden, as if she had been swallowed by mist in the firelight. She could taste the blood coming out of her mouth clearly enough, but the rest of the world seemed . . . vague. She saw out of the corner of her eye the last of the barricades being lit. 'Good for them,' she thought absently. Then she saw Red Back turn and grab the Savage that had struck her. He took the thing's chin in one hand and the back of its head in the other, and Diamondback was certain she heard the resounding 'crack' of its neck being broken. And then her friend was beside her. "Ruh . . . Ruh . . . Run," she ordered weakly. "Get out of . . . of . . ." His Majesty's Advanced Recon Team was mounting up, but the Creeper's had all rushed to her side. Her gaze moved in a staggered fashion between them. It seemed unusually hard to recognize them all of a sudden. Red Back lifted her in his arms. It was strange, but she really didn't feel anything. And he looked worried. He moved towards the horses with her form dangling in his arms, and the rest of the Creepers clustered around him with weapons at the ready. Didn't they get it? There was nothing to defend her against anymore. Suddenly they stopped. Red Back was looking down the road towards Chicago with an expression of surprise on his face. Had the Savages gotten around somehow? Please let the refugees be all right. Please let Rain be safe. Her eyes closed. Seconds later, or maybe minutes, she heard the strangest sound. The sky had been clear, but she thought she heard thunder roaring . . . ---------- ---------------- Some time later . . . ---------- ---------------- 'What', thought Captain Diamondback of the Third Squad of the Legion, 'is that God-awful noise?' The pain in her head was only slightly overcast by the pain everywhere else in her body. She was afraid to open her eyes, being under the reasonable impression that doing so would simply cause something else to hurt. And to make matters more intolerable, she heard what sounded like a sick chainsaw being used nearby. She heard muttering and mumbling and an occasional shout, but those seemed much further away. After several minutes, she summoned up her courage and opened her eyes one at a time. Looking up, she instantly recognized the roof of a Legion field hospital, which was actually just a tent with a big red "H" on the side. She had stared at the ceilings of more than one of these in her career. She glanced to her left, though the thought of turning her neck seemed quite daunting. The room was filled with the cheap gurneys used by the Butchers, which was an affectionate name given to the Legion's premiere surgeons. And they were almost all occupied, though none by the actual wounded. She saw Red Back asleep to her immediate right, and other members of the Creepers were scattered around the structure. And Rat was there. 'What the hell?', she thought. 'Isn't he supposed to be on his way to Manhattan? Even he couldn't ride that fast.' And she was sure that she saw Captain Gattling of the Fourth Squad of the Legion (also known as Thunder, the Legion's best heavy weapons squad) leaning against the doorway, nodding his head. She glanced in the other direction. She was fairly close to the edge of the tent, so there was only one person on that side of her, but it warranted her turning her head despite the pain. Rain was curled up on a cot, looking more beautiful than ever. Diamondback found herself crying softly. She had never expected to see the girl again, and she badly wanted to stroke the young woman's hair and caress the flawless skin of her cheek. She tried to sit up, and her body quickly pointed out the error of her ways. It was as if lightning was blasting through her abdomen, almost causing her to black out. Her gasp of pain seemed to stir Red Back from his slumber. He opened his eyes, saw she was awake and looking at him, then lunged to her bedside and hugged her as gently as he could without hurting her. The big lug actually looked like he had tears in his eyes as well. "Ouch. Pain . . . bad! My . . . everything . . . hurts," she said. Suddenly, the massive man was almost thrown off of Diamondback by Rain, who had awoken as well. Nothing was going to keep the girl from showering the Captain with a multitude of kisses, regardless of the scene she was making. Soon, everyone in the tent was awake and trying to crowd around her. She was sure they were all trying to say things to her, but it all kind of ran together into a stream of excited babble. But regardless of how many people tried to butt in, Rain kept her small hand around the soldier's and wasn't moving for anyone. All of the Creepers had stupidly excited smiles on their faces and they were all trying to talk at once. Captain Gattling had made his way over, and his expression was one of happy amazement. Then she saw Captain Warhorse of the Seventh Squad of the Legion, also known as the Stampede, shoving some people aside to get closer. 'What on earth . . .?' "Hey," she said weakly, but her voice was drowned out in the din. "Hey . . ." "QUIET!" shouted the much healthier Red Back, and the tent fell into a much quieter, but still excited, lull. And all eyes were on Diamondback. "What, exactly, is going on? Where did you boys come from," she said looking at her fellow captains. "And . . . hold on a moment." She turned her head towards Rain, who face had lit up with one of her famous smiles. "Come here for a second," she whispered. The young girl leaned in and the two exchanged a brief but electric kiss. "Just had to make sure this wasn't a weird hallucination," she said lovingly. Rain just smiled and held her hand a little more tightly. It made her wince a bit, but Diamondback exerted what strength she could to squeeze Rain's hand as well. "Now, someone explain what happened? Are the refugees okay? And . . ." "Yes," said Gattling, "they're fine." "How did you . . ." "Maybe," he interrupted, "Rat here should start." Rat was smiling like a kid in a candy store. His story began when he and Lisa (the cute blonde rider from Seattle) left Bismarck. They made excellent time for the first several weeks, and even picked up some rested horses at towns along the way. But rather than ride all the way to Manhattan, Rat remembered that the Stampede, the Legion's only all-cavalry squad, was stationed in Pittsburgh. He had figured that the refugees could really use more horses instead of a mandate from the officials in Manhattan, so he figured he could ride down there, get Stampede to come up and help, and send Lisa on with another rider to headquarters. That way, he could turn around and head back to help his squad, and it saved many weeks of travel time. It just so happened that Thunder was moving through the Pittsburgh area while on the way to establish their new base in Charleston. When they heard about the plight of the folk from Seattle, they wanted to see if they could help. Of course at the time, none of them knew that the Creepers and their charges were actually being pursued. There hadn't been any raider activity for a while, so the Stampede basically emptied out the Legion stables, bringing a literal herd of horses with them and hauling the boys of Thunder along with them. With all the horsepower they had, the crew had made it to Chicago ahead of the refugees. They got worried, so they decided to ride on down the road and see if something had happened to delay the crew. When they encountered the group from Seattle, Rain had told them exactly what was happening and had personally led them back to bridge. This last got a smile from Diamondback and a blush from Rain. They both knew it had been a foolish thing to do, and the soldier loved the young woman all the more for doing it. They had come charging up just as Diamondback went down. The sound of thunder she thought she had heard turned out to be quite accurate. The Stampede boys dropped the guys from Thunder off at the foot of the bridge, then the riders themselves proceed to beat the holy hell out of the Savages that had made it across. When the third barricade had fallen, the Savages didn't meet a small, poorly armed group of militiamen from Seattle. Instead, they wound up charging into the teeth of one hundred bullet spitting, tri-pod mounted and fully automatic weapons. "It was cool," said Gattling with a goofy grin. "They just kind of evaporated! We totally red-misted the bastards!" "Boys with their toys," muttered Diamondback. "Did you get them all?" "We even shot the pieces that were left!" "What about us?" Red Back fielded that one. "The Creepers all made it. Malloy lost a couple of guys on the last wall, Cobra lost an eye, and there's lots of stuff broken. But it could've been a lot worse." Diamondback looked over at Cobra who had a patch over his right eye. "Don't worry," he said. "I really wasn't interested in seeing anything on that side of my body anyway. And I aim with the other one." "Anyhow, it turned to be even better that these guys showed up than we initially thought. There was another couple hundred of those fuckers bringing up the rear. Our initial count was a bit off. But they were no match for three Legion squads and some really pissed off Seattle-ites." "How long . . ." She had to pause to cough. "Captain, you've been out for four days. You were drifting in and out the whole time." Warhorse piped in with "I'm thinking of adding more medics to my squad after seeing your team in action." The Creepers made sure everyone in the squad had at least basic first-aid knowledge, and Widow, Centipede and Copperhead were all certified surgeons. Apparently when the reinforcements arrived, the entire team set everything else down and started stitching her back up. Copperhead, the most experienced of their medical people, gave her a rundown. "You've got a concussion, severe lacerations from your tumble down the scrap heap, a sprained knee, and extensive bruising. The axe to the torso missed the vitals, but you would have bled out if we hadn't gotten to you right away. You lost a lot of blood as is, which is why you've been barely holding on. But as most of us expected, you're going to be okay. We all know you and plans, and since you probably hadn't planned on dying yet, no horde of mindless zombies was going to be able to kill you." That got a laugh out of the crowd. "And since Thunder had been on their way to establish a new outpost, they happened to have a field hospital. And now, here we are. But you need to rest. I know you're going to object, but you're going to feel wiped out pretty soon. So everybody else," she yelled at the crowd, "get out! You can talk to the Hero of the Bridge tomorrow during regular visiting hours." She started ushering people out until only Diamondback, Red Back and Rain remained. Rain was going nowhere, which everyone kind of accepted. "What the heck was that about," asked Red Back. "You mean 'Hero of the Bridge?' What did you think, that you were going to pull off one of the greatest feats in the military history of the Legion and people were just going to forget about it? People have been talking about the Battle of the Bridge since the moment it was over. It has already spread to the surrounding areas. And they're all talking about you. There are even songs about it, or so I'm told." Diamondback was blushing furiously. "Anyone could have done that." Red Back looked down at her patiently. "No, 'anyone' couldn't have done that. And not everyone would have even tried. All you were ordered to do was investigate the group moving east. Rescuing them was entirely your idea, your plan and you were the one who pulled it off. Hell, if they could get away with it, the runaways from Seattle would elect you God Almighty. They're going to be staying in Chicago while Stampede and Thunder head up to Seattle to help out against any remaining Savages. Apparently, running helter-skelter across the country is now Legion policy, thanks to you." "General Anderson is going to be SO pissed. But we should help. Find me a gun and help me out of here." "We," he said slowly, "aren't going anywhere." He placed one gigantic hand gently on her shoulder to restrain her, though it didn't take much considering her weakened state. She found it astonishing that those hands, which she had seen break someone's neck, could be so delicate. "The Creepers are beat up and exhausted, and you aren't getting out of that bed until Copperhead says it's okay. And she and I've agreed that you aren't to be given a firearm of any variety until you're ready for active duty. The rest of us are going to help look after the refugees, but I'm not sure from what. There isn't a raider band for miles thanks to us. Now get some sleep." Before he left, he took her other hand in his own massive paw, his eyes shimmering with emotion. "And don't think for a second I'm going to forget that you saved my life back there. Malloy isn't going to forget either. So get well soon." Then, it was just the Captain and her lover. Rain pulled another bed up next to where Diamondback was lying and climbed onto it before once again taking the soldier's hand. The Creepers Ch. 02 "So," Diamondback said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, "did I miss anything?" Rain gave a nervous giggle. "Nah. I heard there was some sort of scuffle over at the bridge, but it was no big deal." It was the elder girl's turn to laugh, which ended quickly due to the pain and coughing. Rain looked at her with total concern. "So, do I look as bad as I feel?" "Do you want me to answer that as your lover or as an impartial observer?" "The second one." "You look like you got trampled by a herd of cattle and then got kicked while you were down." "That feels just about right." "Hey . . . Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" "I'll try and avoid it." Rain was looking at her with great concern. She looked around to make sure there was no one else was in earshot. "Listen, they didn't want to talk to about this to you. They probably thought you'd be mad at them for acting like they did . . ." "Who?" "Everyone." She sighed. "When Stampede and Thunder showed up at the bridge, you had just gone down. I saw Red Back's eyes. I've never seen anyone that angry in my life. All the Creepers looked like that. And when Warhorse and Gattling saw you, they went pretty berserk too. Gattling wasn't kidding! They weren't out to win a fight. They were going to wipe those fucking things off the face of the earth! And I wanted to help them." She looked down at their clasped hands. "I've never wanted to hurt anyone. But I wanted to kill them. I wanted to cut their throats for what they did to you!" Rain had to slow down when she realized how angry she was getting. Diamondback was choked up. She had never seen Rain like this, and she could only love the young woman more, though she was scared that Rain was headed down a path she might not be able to return from. "Once the cavalry had arrived, all the Creepers forgot the rest of the world existed. They just stood around and did whatever Copperhead told them to do. And she was crying. Copperhead was crying the entire time she was trying to save your life. I've never . . . I can't imagine what it was like. But she saved you." "She's amazing," muttered Diamondback. "I brought her on because I knew she would save someone's life someday." She stared absently forward. "I never imagined . . ." "I never realized how much you meant to them," said Rain, her eyes glistening. "When they thought you might . . . well, might not make it, they kept shifting between rage and hopelessness." Diamondback tried vainly to fight back her own tears. "They would have . . ." "They wouldn't have been fine," interrupted Rain. "You aren't just a leader to them. I've listened to them tell stories, the Creepers and the other Legionnaires, about all the people you've helped. All the people who are safe because of you. Everyone in the Legion . . . You're not just a hero. You're the one that heroes look up to." Diamondback struggled to turn her head away. She couldn't even express how she was feeling. She found herself scared. She hadn't been scared on the wall. That was a job she knew. But what Rain was saying . . . she didn't know if she could handle that responsibility. But Rain wasn't done. "And Red Back wasn't lying about the people from Seattle. All of them came by at some point or another to check on you. They brought flowers and gifts . . . anything they had to give." "Please stop," whispered Diamondback. "I can't hear this." Rain looked confused. "I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Diamondback was still staring into space. "I don't want that," she muttered. "I just want to be a soldier." Rain gripped her hand a little more tightly and turned Diamondback's face back towards her. "I know. And that just makes you more special. It's why there are hundreds of people within shouting distance who would follow you anywhere. It's why others sing songs about you. And it's just another reason I'll never let you out of my sight again." Diamondback wished she had something witty or particularly romantic to say; something that would emphasize just how much she loved Rain. The only thing she managed to say was, "Oh!" "What?" "Remember what Copperhead said about me feeling wiped out . . ." Whatever painkillers she had received when she woke up kicked in all of a sudden, and she drifted off to sleep. The last thing she felt was the presence of a soft, tiny hand tucked in her own callused hand, and then nothing. -------- --------------- A week later . . . -------- --------------- It was a week before the Captain of the Creepers was able to get out of bed, and even then she required assistance. She wasn't used to having to lean on anyone, but Rain wouldn't take no for an answer. Before leaving, Sergeant Malloy returned the pistols she had lost on the third barricade, earning him her eternal gratitude. But gratitude seemed too small of a concept for how he apparently regarded her. Words escaped him, so he gave her a gentle hug and kissed her hand before departing. Much to Diamondback's chagrin, it turned out her uniform was beyond the help of even the most talented seamstress. There were more holes in it than actual fabric, and there was a fair amount of blood caked on it. She realized that the uniform represented the only clothing she actually had. But Rain corrected that, going out amongst the locals and the refugees and piecing together an outfit for her friend. Initially, the captain was positively aghast at the idea of wearing non-military clothes, much less something as "casual" as Rain had in mind. The girl had found a pair of incredibly billowy slacks made of an extraordinarily soft, black material. When she was standing still, it almost looked like she was wearing an ankle-length dress. The top was green, but was made of the same type of material. Unfortunately, it left Diamondback's midriff exposed which made her very uncomfortable. Her abdomen was still heavily bandaged, making her feel very vulnerable. But bless them, her squad-comrades avoided doing any serious teasing. She was having a difficult enough time as it was. Rain had secured a similar outfit for herself, but all in white. Diamondback couldn't help but notice it looked much better on her curvaceous girlfriend than it did on her own body. Diamondback found herself a little resentful of her body for the first time, wishing she wasn't quite so much lines and angles. A few more weeks passed, and she felt her strength returning. She still needed help moving around due to her knee (which she didn't even remember hurting), but leaning on Rain didn't seem nearly so bad as she thought it would. Most of the bruising had gone away or at least was in the sickly yellow stage that came before vanishing, and the swelling in her knee was decreasing. She was going to have a few more scars on her leg and another one on her face, but that was part of the territory. When Copperhead changed the bandages on her abdomen, the wound was obviously healing well. The doctor insisted on keeping it clean, which Diamondback didn't mind because it meant a sponge bath that Rain inevitably insisted on doing. It was the closest thing to intimacy the two could achieve under those circumstances, but it would have to do. Being around the other Creepers was strange. While the camaraderie was still there, her troops seemed to hold a reverence for her that hadn't been there before. The refugees, just as Red Back had warned, stopped just short of getting on their knees and worshiping as she walked by. They offered her food, clothes, or whatever else by way of their meager belongings they could spare. Of course she refused to accept those things. But since her physical activity was limited, she would sit with those people and talk with them for hours. Rain would sit beside her or behind her with her arms wrapped around the solider, as if afraid Diamondback would go away again. The Captain listened to stories of their homeland and their journey, trying to get a feel for the people her squad had risked so much to save. She found herself wishing she could visit this place, in a non-military capacity of course. She would love to see the Pacific Ocean just once in her life. Every one of the refugees swore they would take her there someday. She would look over at Rain and asked if the young woman would go with her. "Just try and stop me," was the response she got. She was just beginning to be able to walk on her own, much to her girlfriend's disappointment, when Gateway rolled into Chicago. Gateway was a Legion Squad of solar powered vehicles that was used to transport important personnel and/or supplies around the areas controlled by the Legion, so seeing them was a bit of a shock. The blonde rider from Seattle had returned with it, and she immediately went looking for Rat. Besides her, the caravan had brought additional food, blankets, and other supplies to the new inhabitants of Chicago. And it also brought General Anderson and his bodyguards. Anderson was the man in charge of all Legion squads outside of the island of Manhattan, and his presence was no small deal. Diamondback found herself very much wishing she had some kind of uniform. Before long he had called the Creepers to his command tent, which had been set up the moment he arrived. All the Creepers, as well as the Seattle-ite rider Lisa who would speak on behalf of her people as necessary, were there by the time Diamondback hobbled in. Diamondback was very self-conscious of her dressed-down appearance as, being the captain of the squad, she was forced to sit up front. Rain, etiquette be damned, sat just behind her and was flanked by Red Back and Cobra. Anderson was a very well respected man who had gotten where he was by twenty years of service in the First Squad of the Legion, a group of melee specialists called the Slaughterhouse. He put the safety and well being of his troops above all else, which had earned their respect. As he sat at the table that had been set up for him, he took a long glance over the faces of everyone in the room. It was hard to read his intentions; he had spent a long time developing that poker face. Finally, he rested his gaze on the Captain of the Creepers. "So, Captain Diamondback," he started, then paused to rub his eyes in a tired fashion, "let me get this straight. You took a squad of ten soldiers, marched all the way to Bismarck, North Dakota, picked up a group of refugees you weren't equipped to handle and led them, along with a pursuing army, all the way back to Chicago and in the direction of Legion territory? And you did this after engaging in a number of clean-up operations which you yourself initiated?" Diamondback could only nod. "And then you took the Legion's best snipers and fifty caravan guards, no offense intended Ms. Lisa, and engaged an enemy force over twenty times your number in a sustained firefight, despite knowing the odds of survival?" She nodded again. She knew she was in trouble. She had needlessly endangered her troops in a non-Legion matter. She sensed her squad growing restless and fidgety behind her. She managed to get to her feet. It was customary for someone to be standing when a discipline was handed down. "Yes sir. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I stand by my decisions." General Anderson scrunched up his brow a bit. "Captain Diamondback, are you under the impression I'm mad at you or that I'm going to punish you? Even if that were the case, which it very much isn't, I'd never make it out of Chicago alive. About three of your people started palming their weapons as soon as my tirade began." He was smiling then, and he got a laugh at of most everyone in the tent. Then his look took on a serious tone. "Young lady, we are trying to put together a new world under the most difficult of circumstances. Now, we could go to war with everyone and try and bring peace through superior firepower, but the world figured out long before we got here that that particular philosophy doesn't work in the long run. The only way it will work is if the people we are trying to help believe it can happen. You have done wonders for that cause. Even those who are hesitant to believe in the Legion believe in you. And for those of us who believe that there is better world to be had, I say that we all owe you a debt we might never be able to repay." Diamondback's heart was in her throat. This wasn't what she expected at all. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. Since punishing you is out of the question, I guess I might as well promote you." This got a gasp from the crowd, and the Captain of the Creepers fell back onto her chair, wincing slightly. She just sat there with her jaw on her chest. "And please close your mouth," he continued. "It makes you look silly. Anyway, your new title will be Colonel Diamondback. I figure all I'm doing is giving you the authority to do all the stuff you just did, which covers both our asses. And in case of joint operations between Legion squads in the field, it means that if I'm not there, you're in charge." The entire squad was stunned. "Which means that your second in command . . . That would be you Red Back . . . is now a Captain. Captain Red Back, you now have the option of starting a new squad or staying on with the Creepers as the next in line for the leadership." "Not goin' anywhere." "I figured. You people are a strangely loyal bunch. Okay, what all did I have to do?" He seemed to be muttering to himself. "Let's see, thank Diamondback, promote her . . . oh yeah! The Creepers are going to have to grow a bit. I know you like the smaller size, but your promotion means you're important now. Or is it that you are MORE important now? I forget. And also I think it's a good idea, since you have determined that you're going to go pick fights with kids bigger than you. You might want to rethink your backup weapon situation as well, for pretty much the same reason. You'll still have final say on who gets in, but I think that a squad of thirty would be more appropriate for one of your standing. But I'm not going to pull you all the way back to Manhattan. Since Thunder and Stampede have been so influenced by you," he said with a bit of exasperation, "that, without any orders to do so, they have gone charging to the other side of the continent, we'll need someone to get the outpost set up in Charleston. I figured that would be a good place for you until you're healed up and you've got your new members situated. Now then . . ." "Sir," said Diamondback finding her voice. "I'm . . . I'm afraid I can't do that." Stunned silence. "I appreciate your confidence in me, but . . ." "I'm sorry, but are you refusing your promotion or . . ." "I can't live in Legion territory at this time." "Love, you don't have to . . ." That was Rain, who realized she had just spoken out in a meeting she wasn't even supposed to be at and quickly became silent again. Andrews was stroking his beard. "I believe this warrants an explanation." Diamondback couldn't think of a brilliant or particularly witty to say, so she went with the truth and prayed. "As the young woman behind me has just made apparent, she and I are involved. By that, I mean I'm in love with her." The General's eyes narrowed a bit, but Diamondback blundered on. "But she isn't a citizen of the Legion and for reasons of her own, which I don't feel it is my place to discuss, she won't submit to the rules of citizenship." Her heart was going a mile a minute at that point, but she had gone too far to stop. "And I'm not willing to go anywhere without her. Sir." She took a deep breath and waited. General Anderson just sat there massaging his temples while his eyes slowly closed. "Let me get this straight. You're turning down a promotion and your own base and access to our most advanced weaponry because . . . you're in love. Do you have any idea of how much of a headache you're giving me?" "No sir." "That was supposed to be rhetorical. You know there are rules about anyone living for any length of time in Legion territory. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out which 'rules' she probably has problems with." He looked directly at Rain. "Since you're here anyway, can I hazard a guess as to the source of your concern?" Rain just stared blankly, afraid to speak. "Not a big fan of the breeding program?" She shook her head. "Me neither. But, as even Diamondback here will attest to, it has been a necessary evil. And while we have recently begun consideration of changing the rules, we are currently obligated to abide by them." He looked deep in thought for a moment. "There is a way we can get around this, but the choice," he indicated towards Diamondback, "will be up to you." She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but she'd gladly give up any of the benefits he had just offered in order to . . . "You'd have to marry her." You could have heard a pin drop in the tent for almost a full thirty seconds. The General was grinning, probably at his own cleverness. Finally, Diamondback spoke up. "Uhm, marry her? Sir?" "Yes. The rules as they stand also state that the spouse of a legionnaire can, with permission of the Captain of that particular squad, travel with the squad wherever they might go. This might be construed as a conflict of rules, which are ruled upon by the highest-ranking officer present. Which would be you. I see it as more of exploiting a loophole than actually breaking any rules. And if the marriage takes place outside of Legion territory, such as . . . oh, say, right here . . . before you return to Legion territory . . . oh, say, in the next week or so . . . Well, I think that should squash most criticisms. So, any questions or objections?" Diamondback had completely lost the ability to speak, but Rain squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around the stunned soldier. Red Back was still a bit off balance himself due to his own sudden promotion, but managed to raise his hand. "Sir . . ." "Yes Captain Red Back?" Red Back scrunched his eyes, then realized that "Captain" referred to him. "That sounds so weird. Anyway, is that even legal? I'm not familiar with the marriage laws, but . . ." "I'm pretty sure it's legal. At least, there is nothing that specifically prohibits marrying a non-legionnaire, or of two women getting married. Did you know that back before the Cleansing, some halfwit overlord actually tried to make it illegal for people to get married just because they were both women? Never quite understood that. But since there are no Legion rules actually prohibiting it, then I say it's legal. So Colonel, what will it be?" Diamondback slowly turned around. Rain had a look of total joy on her face. Her skin was flushed and her eyes sparkled, and she was trembling in anticipation. "Well . . ." started Diamondback. "Rain, will you marry me?" There were a flurry of words that all sounded like "yes" as the young woman wrapped her arms around her then-fiancée. She kissed the Colonel all over her face and took a long drink at her lips before realizing the entire tent was staring at them. "Oh, what the hell," said General Anderson with a satisfied smirk, "meeting adjourned. As you were." And the tent erupted with the cheers of the Creepers as Diamondback and Rain melted into each other's arms and engaged in a kiss that lasted for a full minute. Both were struggling to hold back tears of joy. General Anderson shouted at one of his aids, "Get me a drink. Hell, get everyone here a drink. I certainly need one after dealing with this bunch." ----------------- ---- Days later . . . ----------------- ---- The next few days all blurred together in Colonel Diamondback's mind. She had no clue as to what went into a wedding, so she let some local women throw everything together. All she had to do was pick a "best man," for which she picked Red Back. Rain asked Copperhead to be her "maid of honor," which the legionnaire gladly agreed to be. The ceremony took place two days after the meeting, and was presided over by General Anderson himself. Rain had insisted that Diamondback wear something "dress-like," which the soldier had reluctantly agreed to. But she refused to wear white. The same people who had provided the comfort clothes she had been wearing since she got out of the infirmary came up with a black, sleeveless dress that hugged the abdomen and had a minimal amount of flare at the bottom. Even Diamondback acknowledged that it wasn't a bad choice. Rain, of course, wore a similar dress that was white in color. The Creepers Ch. 02 Diamondback was fine until the ceremony started, at which time her nerves went haywire. She was about to get married. She had never had a relationship that had lasted more than a few evenings before, now she was about to have a wife. But when she saw Rain standing beside her, all her fears quelled. She looked as beautiful as that time at the baths. The young woman was positively glowing as they stood before the General. The entire refugee camp, all the Creepers and the members of Gateway and the girl Lisa were all in attendance. Diamondback had to be prompted on a number of occasions to recite her part. She was just waiting for . . . "And you may now kiss the bride. Either one of you, or maybe both of you. How the hell does that work when they're both brides?" The General kept muttering to himself, but the happily married couple had little need for words and just locked lips. The crowd went a little crazy by cheering, hooting and hollering. Then came the catcalls and innuendoes about wedding night activities. But much to the disappointment of all involved, particularly the newlyweds, the honeymoon would have to wait. Diamondback's abdominal wound and knee, while in much better shape than they had been, were still causing her a fair amount of pain. But that didn't prevent them from making out at the campfire that evening, taking it slow and absorbing the fact that they were bonded for life. The campfire tales were just as bawdy as they had ever been, and most of the Creepers got more wasted than any of them had ever been. The celebration went on well into the night. Of course most of them felt the pain the next morning. Rat had done well, as he and the girl Lisa both crawled out of his tent looking for their clothes, as had Copperhead and Cobra. That was an unexpected union, though no one was going to try and force an explanation. But considering all the grief they had given her and Rain, Diamondback was forced to point out that Copperhead sometimes WAS a doctor, and other times just PLAYED doctor. Copperhead wanted to respond, but Diamondback pointed out how badly she outranked the physician at that point. The woman wandered off muttering something about sewing her mouth shut as well as her wounds the next time she got herself killed. A tactical squad of the Legion showed up in Chicago to guard the refugees until it was safe to return to Seattle, and by the time Diamondback was physically capable of being amorous, the entire crew was being transported by Gateway down to Charleston. The journey was more comfortable than others had been, with the Creepers actually getting to ride in relatively smooth running vehicles while other legionnaires brought the horses down. Diamondback was given some tentative maps of her new territory and was planning the infrastructure the entire trip, including possible locations for her headquarters, staging areas, supply depots and troop lodging. This last gave her an idea. She made a deal with Rain. When they got to Charleston, while Diamondback was picking out her headquarters, Rain would find their personal quarters. Being a Colonel had its advantages. And that first night in their new home should be something to remember. Rain gleefully agreed and kept looking over her lover's shoulder, as well as occasionally nibbling on it, looking at possible locations on the map. They arrived at Charleston, which hadn't changed much since the Creepers had cleaned out a large bandit group from its depths a couple years earlier. There was a small civilian group that had agreed to Legion membership that still resided there. Diamondback joked with Red Back about seeing if that barmaid was still around. He didn't find it nearly as funny as she did, but she knew that he would probably go check. She actually established a base of operations fairly quickly. She had remembered a small auditorium from their last trip. It could easily seat a thousand people, which was perfect for meetings. It wasn't too obvious that potential attackers would notice it and it was close to the center of town. Brick up the first floor windows so that all entry could only be achieved by the second floor fire escapes and by a ramp down to the basement, and she had her headquarters. A sports stadium would act as the staging area for military maneuvers, and there were some old concrete garages that could be used for supplies. She was working on stabling their horses and figuring out troop lodging when a note arrived from Rain. It was a set of directions. She subsequently put Red Back in charge of finding temporary accommodations for the men and mounts. Her exact words were, "Stick them anywhere. I'm going to go find my wife. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." No one argued with her. The directions led her to an overgrown property near what had once likely been a public park. It was a lovely area, with a creek running through the back portion of the lot. There had been a large, mansion-style house there once, but it had long since deteriorated. But towards the back of the property was an old stone cottage, which had survived the years intact. It was small, probably having been used as a guesthouse. The door was partially opened and Diamondback slipped inside just as the sun began to set. The cottage appeared to be a single large room, which suited the Colonel just fine. There were the slightly disintegrated remains of a kitchen and a really old-fashioned tub against the walls. Diamondback decided she was going to have to get some techno-geeks down from Manhattan to get the running water back in this town. Having her own bathtub was going to be wonderful. Against another wall was a large fireplace, which would be heavenly come the next winter. At the moment, it was filled with candles, which were scattered throughout the rest of the room as well. And smack-dab in the middle of the room was a very large, four-poster iron bed. Rain had somehow secured a down mattress and a large number of pillows and blankets for the two of them. The culprit in question was lying on the bed, with only a thin sheet covering all her naughty bits. There was a nightstand next to the bed with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Rain sat up with the sheet tucked between her arms so it covered her bountiful bosoms quite adeptly. "I managed to finagle this out of your quartermaster. Actually, I managed to get all this stuff from him. I hope you don't mind." "I'd promote him if I could. Hey . . . Wait a minute. I can!" "Yes, well that is business, and we are done with your business for tonight. The only thing I want from you tonight is to get me slightly tipsy and take advantage of me." While struggling to get the wine open, her sheet "accidentally" slipped, leaving her perfect form exposed to the candlelight. "I think I can manage." Diamondback walked over to the bed as Rain poured the wine. She handed a glass to the soldier, and started to undress the woman as she took a sip. Rain took her time, kissing each bit of flesh as it came into view. She was careful around the scar in Diamondback's abdomen. It didn't cause the soldier any real discomfort anymore, but it acted as a reminder as to how close she had come to Death's door. Finally, Diamondback's new uniform was tossed onto the floor, and she stood before her lover completely exposed. The older woman spilled a bit of wine between her breasts and it trickled down her stomach. Rain lapped it up, starting from its lowest point and working her way up. As Rain's head got closer to the top, more wine was spilled, but this time directly on the Colonel's breasts. Rain didn't even need an excuse to suck on those, but she took it anyway. Rain reached around and grabbed Diamondback's ass, pulling her closer while she sucked on those delicate nipples. She traced the areolas in long, slow strokes of the tongue before taking the nipple into her mouth and sucking lightly. Diamondback was already moaning. They both knew that was the older girl's weakness, and the both hoped that weakness could be exploited. Rain took her time, teasing each breast in turn. The older woman took her the sides of her lover's head in her hands while simultaneously pushing her smallish breasts together and making them more conveniently located for Rain's lips. Then it was Rain's turn, leaning back and pouring a small amount of liquid onto her large breasts, which Diamondback lapped up. The soldier fondled those good-sized globes, licking the wide expanse of flesh while taking the nipples between her finger and thumb and rotating them slightly. This elicited a pleasant little gasp from the young woman, who put her finger under Diamondback's chin and raised her face for another passionate kiss. Their tongues pass the sweet taste of the wine into one another's mouth. Neither of them had consumed much of the beverage at all, but both were feeling a bit lightheaded. Rain poured some more fairly low on her abdomen, letting it trickle down between her legs. Diamondback dove after it, licking so fast as to prevent a single drop from reaching the sheets. It had begun separated to flow around the outer lips when her head had arrived, so she had to work hard indeed. She was fairly certain none had made it into the crevice between those lips, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and she lapped away at Rain's pussy. She would have been perfectly happy to go on like that for hours, but Rain had another surprise for her. "Hey, you didn't notice the real reason I picked this place." She pulled on Diamondback's arm until the woman was lying next to her. "You forgot to look up." Diamondback looked up and the view took her breath away. The ceiling was slightly vaulted, and one side of the vaulted area contained an enormous skylight that had somehow survived the ages. They stared up together at a sky suddenly alive with stars. "It's beautiful," she said. "It's perfect." She looked over and saw Rain obviously filled with pride. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" "It's simple," was the response. "You rescued me." "I'm beginning to wonder who rescued who." She turned the young woman sideways and spread her legs a bit. Diamondback then turned the other direction a bit and slid in towards the girl, so that their boxes touched and their leg's formed an "X" shape. She started rubbing her mound against Rain's and the girl, who picked up things quickly, rubbed back. The braced themselves with each having one hand on the bed and the other wrapped around a wineglass. They rubbed together and drank wine and moaned. Diamondback had to put her glass down so she could rub her own clit, doubling her pleasure. But her hand quickly drifted to her lover's clitoris, and Rain felt obligated to reciprocate. The combination of fingers, rubbing and the fact that this was their first sexual encounter in a month pushed them both over the edge, and their orgasms ripped through their bodies simultaneously. Rain actually wrapped her arms around Diamondback's leg and rained kisses on her knee because she couldn't think of anything else to do but wanted to keep going. With legs still somewhat entangled, they leaned in, kissing while figuring out what was next. Rain was first to break the silence. "I've missed this," she said with heavy breath and smoldering eyes. "Tell me about it. If we can just avoid any more emotional breakdowns or life-threatening injuries, we should be able to do this more often." They lay side by side for a moment. "You know, this is how it started." "Hmm?" "Remember, you lying next to me. You were so nervous." "You were trying to play it SO cool," grinned the younger girl. "It didn't take much to get you going. I just kissed you," said Diamondback, who promptly kissed her lover long and deep. Those lips were as soft and warm as ever. "Then I put my hand on your side," continued Rain, tracing the older girl's side with one finger and taking care not to linger on the still-healing scar. "And then I caressed your back," finished Diamondback, who moved her hand around and ran her hand over the small of Rain's back. She also began kissing the young girl's neck and shoulder. The hand that had been massing the girl's back drifted lower, past the roundness of her ass and into the crack. Her other hand drifted towards Rain's glistening mound. In order to do what she planned, Diamondback was forced to scoot down a bit. She inserted a finger from one hand into Rain's rectum, while two fingers from the other hand found their way into the girl's pussy. And with Rain's heaving breasts now directly in front of the Colonel's face, she had no choice but to suck on them. Rain began to squirm quite a bit, with both her lower openings being penetrated and Diamondback's lips attached like leeches to her large nipples. "It may be like the first time, but I like these additions," she moaned. All she could do was grab both sides of her own head while her lover toyed with her. Diamondback inserted another finger into the girl's tight little asshole, while simultaneously cupping the mound and curling the fingers inward with her other hand. This way, she was able to stimulate Rain's ass, clit and her g-spot as well, all at the same time. Rain couldn't figure which way to thrust her hips, as to thrust in one direction would be to alleviate some of the attentions being paid from the other. It was maddening. It was also having the desired effect. Diamondback could tell the young woman was getting close, which was confirmed by Rain grabbing the older girl's wrist and started fucking against the fingers buried in her box like a woman possessed. Diamondback took on of the girl's nipples lightly in her teeth, and then the orgasm hit like a tidal wave. Normally the young Rain didn't give off that much juice, but Diamondback felt her hand growing quite slick and then sticky. It took a few moments before Rain's ass loosened up enough for the Colonel to get her finger's back. "You know," said Diamondback to her still panting lover, "I've got an idea for a real honeymoon. When General Anderson sends the next squad down here or when Thunder gets back, I'll commandeer one of Gateway's vehicles . . . or maybe a horse-drawn carriage? Either way, if things are still calm down here, I can put Red Back in charge and then take your adorable little ass east so you can see the Atlantic. What do you think?" Exhausted or not, Rain took the suggestion like a blast of pure joy. She threw her arms around Diamondback's neck, kissed her again and again, and then just sort of rubbed noses with the soldier. "That would be the sweetest thing I can imagine. Well, maybe not the sweetest thing," she said slyly. "It's my turn now!" She pushed Diamondback onto her back. "You might want to hold onto one of the bars for this," Rain suggested. Diamondback's curiosity was piqued by this request, but was willing to give just about anything a try. She stretched her arms up over her head and grabbed one of the bedposts. Rain knelt next to the soldier's hips and ran a hand down to Diamondback's crotch. Things started innocently enough with Rain fucking the Colonel with two fingers while teasing the clitoral hood ever so lightly. Then Rain inserted a third finger, and Diamondback began to squirm a bit on her own. The younger girl would periodically lean in and suck on the soldier's very sensitive nipples, making the older girl almost whimper in pleasure. Then Rain grouped her four fingers together in a trough shape, and slid all four into Diamondback's box. The soldier's eyes opened wide as her vagina was stretched to what she believed were its limits. "Oh God," she stated, then repeated several times. But Rain wasn't done with her yet. The younger of the two had tucked her thumb into the trough created by her fingers and then pushed again, this time in what might be construed as a "scooping" motion. As Diamondback looked on, she saw the girl's hand disappear almost all the way to the knuckles. She can't be serious, thought the Colonel. I know she has small hands but . . . Her line of thought was cut off as Rain's hand sunk close to the knuckles a second time and her grip on the bedpost tightened. She gasped, and her eyes opened wide in amazement. On the third stroke, she felt the ride of Rain's knuckles almost getting stuck in her opening. Diamondback had to bite her lip to prevent herself from screaming, but whether from pleasure or pain was still a matter of debate in her mind. But she had every intention of letter her lover finish what she started. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. The veteran soldier looked down to see her lover's hand buried up to the knuckled in her pussy. Even Rain seemed to be amazed at the sight. The young girl sent her free hand to play with Diamondback's nipples, which by itself was a pleasurable torment. At last, Diamondback felt the girl's hand slide a little more and suddenly it was completely inside her. Fireworks began going off in the Colonel's head as every nerve ending in her body started working overtime. "Just leave it in," she practically grunted. "Oh, you beautiful, sweet, naughty girl, just leave it in!" Rain looked proud of what she had done. The older girl had pleasured her in so many ways on so many occasions that it was nice to have the upper hand, so to speak. All she had to do was twist her hand a little and it sent her lover into the throes of ecstasy all over again. And whenever Diamondback seemed to have adjusted to the pressure, Rain gave her another small, gentle pump. The older girl seemed to be dripping sweat by the bucket. Her perfect little pink nipples were sticking out as hard and straight as they could get, so Rain continued to molest them with her free hand. And just like that, Diamondback came. And this wasn't an ordinary orgasm. Both girls could tell that. With a hand buried inside her, Diamondback arched her back and spread her legs as wide as they could, her knees bent and her feet on the bed. She released her death grip on the bed frame and grabbed two handfuls of blanket. Her mouth was open in an "O" shape, but no sound emerged. Her pussy clamped down, thought admittedly it didn't have far to go, on Rain's wrist, and her cum began to flow. Soon, the young Rain's arm was coated from wrist to elbow. Just as both of them were wondering if the young woman was every going to be able to get her hand back, Diamondback fell back onto the bed. Her energy was completely spent. Rain slowly extricated her arm and lay down next to her exhausted lover. She draped one leg over Diamondback's sweaty body, and the two of them exchanged a tight embrace and a long, sensuous kiss. "You just about split me in half, little one." "I just wanted to do something special tonight." The two rearranged themselves so the were both staring up at the skylight and the stars beyond, with Diamondback's arm wrapped around the young girl's shoulders and Rain's head wresting on the soldier's chest. Diamondback kissed her lover on the top of the head as they snuggled in silence for a while. "You know," said Rain slyly, "if you don't like this place, I could see about getting a barn built next door." "Actually," returned Diamondback, I think this place is perfect. It's where I got to make love to my wife for the first time. I can hardly wait until next winter though. Fucking her in front of that fireplace is going to be spectacular." "Damn warm weather," Rain grumbled before both girls degenerated into a giggle-fest. While the kissing and petting continued, they were both wiped out from the evening's festivities, and it didn't take long until they were both dozing off. ---------- --------------- The next day . . . ---------- --------------- The next morning, they woke, got cleaned up down at the creek and finally got around to getting dressed. It took them until almost noon until they were ready to leave, as they seemed unable to keep their hands off each other. The agreed that they would have sex by the creek that night, under the stars they both loved so much.