2 comments/ 19152 views/ 4 favorites Vengeful Storm Ch. 01 By: warrior_wolf Hi All As I'm having serious writers block with some of my current stories, I have decided to edit my stories already on Lit and re-submit them. A big thank you to amerks29hockey for editing this chapter. All characters taking part in sexual activity are eighteen or over. *Storm* They first appeared in Germany, but the government had known of their existence long before that. We called them the Ubel, the German word for evil. They had descended on our planet like a pack of ravenous wolves before we knew what had hit us and turned our world into a living hell. Through humankind's careless ways of living, we had almost completely destroyed our race. But I expect you are wondering what I am talking about. Maybe you don't live on this world. Maybe the world you live on is still as ours was. A place where people live free. I hope so. I hope you will never go though what we went through, what we still go through today. But if they come, if darkness tries to lay claim over your lives, I hope what I tell you will give you the strength to defeat it. In the year 2095, humans had to find a new way to live; we were so many. As the human population grew and we discovered more and more medical breakthroughs, death was a rare occurrence before the age of 105. We had conquered AIDS, world hunger, cancer and diseases. Nothing could defeat us. When humans conquered space flight in the year 2030, we found a way to overcome population issues. The governments of our world had decided that humanity was doomed to extinction at the current rate of resource consumption and population expansion. Now that space flight was available, the government underwent a project that would take over a hundred years to see fulfilled. Several large vessels were manufactured that were designed to take mankind on explorative missions around our solar system. As each planet was fully discovered for the first time, it was decided that the planets would be suitable for human life if the atmosphere was changed to mimic Earth's. Each new planet was terraformed, a process taking decades, and as each planet was able to support new life, mankind swarmed to the planet like a plague. Humans lived within our solar system happily for a millennium, until it was decided that the human population had once again reached exponential levels. It seemed that as a race, we were unable to learn from our previous mistakes. We found a new solar system, with dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. It was named Cryon after the captain of the ship who discovered it. Along with the planets and moons in our own solar system, human kind was about to embark on the conquering of the universe. As we took over planet after planet, we were invincible. Or so we thought. As it turned out, we were not the only intelligent race in the galaxy. The discovery of a third solar system proved to be our undoing. For it was the domain of the Ubel. A large, ugly race that felt no fear, no pain and no mercy. It is difficult to describe an Ubel. I myself have never seen one without full body armour on. They are considered to be humanoid, similar in anatomy to us yet there are differences. They are almost animalistic in behaviour. All have the power of intelligent thought, speech and the ability to fight, as well as animalistic senses of sight, smell, taste and hearing. And we led these creatures right to us. In the year 3178 the Trinion galaxy was discovered during a mission to explore the outer edges of Cryon. It was in the Trinion Galaxy where we first discovered other life forms. The Trinion Galaxy had been remarkably like our own once, with different races, some humanoid, some not, but all living together in relative harmony. No one knows where the Ubel came from. A far off place that neither we nor any of the races from the Trinion System had yet discovered. They were like a plague. The Ubel move from planet to planet, using up resources until the planet is barren and of no further use. Our turning up in Trinian alerted them to our presence and to our planets, just ripe for the taking. We don't know how they keep on coming back. It seems like no matter how many we kill, their numbers are always replaced. Many humans were killed when the Ubel first came to Earth. People were slaughtered where they stood. The Ubel did not care who they were or what they did. They wanted us to realise that it was no use fighting back, that all resistance was futile. The world leaders soon surrendered, hoping that we could come to some sort of agreement. They were deluding themselves. Those who weren't killed instantly were forced into slavery, working eighteen hour days and fed barely enough to keep the human body working. The Ubel treated us worse than cattle. As far as they were concerned, there were plenty of humans to work for them. Whether we lived or died was of no consequence to them. We were simply labour. But believe it or not, slaves like these were considered lucky. For there was a different type of slavery, one that many would consider worse than an eternity in hell. Those the Ubel considered attractive were taken and used in the sex trade. Many were used in brothels in the inner city areas. Most were lucky if they survived past a year. When the slaves were first taken, they were kept in small rooms but they were free to move around. The captives killed themselves as soon as they could. Soon though, the slaves found themselves in chains and held up against the wall, only let down for the use of a client. The slaves went through excruciating pain every time they were used. What you must understand is that the Ubel are a lot larger than us, in all areas. The human body simply wasn't designed to take so large an intrusion, plus the clients had no consideration for the slave. They were simply taken, ripped open and left to bleed to death. Those that didn't bleed simply gave up the will to live. For other girls, the girls considered having ultimate grace and beauty were sold as personal sex slaves to the highest bidder, usually high ranking officials of the Ubel. There are resistance fighters out there, ex-army officers or sector police like my father, as well as men and women who were trying to make a difference. At one time I considered joining them. After all, I could definitely hold my own. That was until it happened. You see, one of the women taken for the sex trade was my baby sister Raine. I have been searching for her for three months now, since the Ubel found my family's hide-away. They killed my mother and father when we tried to run. I managed to escape, although I was badly injured, but they got Raine. By the time I had healed enough to go after her, I found out she had been sold to Craag, second in command to Tarlok, the leader of the Ubel. I have been following him ever since, always waiting, always praying for a chance to go in and save my sister. * * * * I stood staring at the mansion from the dark shadows across the road. It was silent, the wind barely a whisper, the night dark as sin. A storm was brewing; I could smell the dampness in the air. We needed a good rainstorm. It flushed away the stench of death, for a time anyway. I couldn't have planned it more perfectly; the light and noise from the storm would help me in my quest. I had found out through my sources that the Ubel were holding a meeting at Craag's residence. How did I get that information? Well, I have my ways. I'm known as Raven. Maybe you have heard of me, maybe you haven't. If you haven't, well, I know it doesn't sound like a name that would spark fear into a man, but it's the reputation behind the name, rather than the name itself. I'm an assassin for hire. It's amazing isn't it? The world is on the brink of destruction, mankind's existence on this planet is hanging by a thread, and yet we still have the desire to kill one another. Hey, I'm not proud of my work, but I do what's necessary to survive and get closer to my sister. To do that I need information, and information around here costs money. Why do I do this Job? I know you are thinking that there must be something else I could do. I do it for one very simple reason. It's what I'm good at. My father was the head of security in quadrant sector five, one of the largest and roughest sectors on the planet earth. Although we got on famously as a family, my sister took after my mother, quiet, kind and gentle, while I took after my father, rough and tough, a fighter. Because of this, I basically grew up at security headquarters. From the age of five when my father noticed my excitement watching his men train, he started to privately train me a few times a week. When he realised how much I loved learning martial arts, the training grew to everyday until I was old enough to join the Sector Security Squad and train with the new cadets. My mother of course was not happy about this. She didn't consider it a suitable job for a woman, but she had always encouraged my sister and I to follow our dreams so although it was difficult for her, she encouraged me to be the best I could be. From there I increased my skills in unarmed combat. I used to feel sorry for my comrades as I was years ahead of them in that skill, but I also learned about weapons like guns and knives, how to drive a car well, how to handle myself in unexpected and volatile situations. I was eventually moved to a specialised department. A department that liked to get rid of problems.... discreetly. I didn't use guns. I was trained to use them of course, but my main weapons of choice are Sais. I know what you're thinking. In a world as advanced as ours, why would I choose such an ancient weapon? Well, my department was trained after the greatest of assassins. The Shinobi. The Sai is like an extension of my body. I can kill quickly and silently from both long and short range, allowing me to hide my presence. Of course to be able to kill so efficiently I had to learn to behave like a hunter. Silence and stealth were necessary to do my job. Eventually I was transferred to a division classified beyond top secret that had no name, and by the time I had finished my training, my job and connections to the oraganisation wouldn't exist. In all, I was trained as an assassin. And I excelled. In little over a year after my training, I was called in to handle the most difficult and delicate of cases. Have you ever seen that really old movie Electra? I know, I mean it is really old, but when I was younger, I used to idolise her. She was so tough, so independent. I wanted to grow up to be just like her. And I have. I think that is one of the reasons I chose Sais as my weapons. Of course, what I didn't understand at that age is the loneliness of that job. You always keep yourself away from normal life, from normal people. In the end I stopped having friends and rarely saw my family. I think my biggest fear of all was making a friend and then having to assassinate them. After a few years I realised that I was being stupid, that the people I could become friends with would never be targeted, but by then I had gotten into such a pattern, such a way of life that I couldn't go back. So I immersed myself in my work, often leaving the planet for long periods of time. I was a killer, no matter how you looked at it and I didn't want to taint my family anymore than I had to. But even with the loneliness, I was happy with my work. Yes, I killed, and often, but I was in such demand; I could basically choose my jobs. You may not think it makes me any better of a person, but I only killed those who I thought deserved to be killed. War lords, terrorists, drug traffickers. You may think that in my own little way, I was trying to play God, choosing who lived or died. That's not it at all. All the men I refused to do would have gotten killed anyway. I simply took out the ones who were causing harm to mankind. Now I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing. I kill whom I must for my sister. I was taking a risk, trying to get her tonight. Security would be tight with all the high-ranking Ubels in the one place. But if I could get in, if I could get past the guards then I would be almost guaranteed in finding Raine. The guards would be congregated around the meeting, with few guards looking after the slaves. Those who were would be called to the battle soon enough. I had found out from another of my sources that the resistance fighters were planing a strike tonight. The higher members of the Ubel rarely came together like this. It was a good opportunity to try and take out some of the leaders and break down their regime. All I had to do was wait. I was good at that. After all, one of the keys to being a good assassin is patience. Hours passed slowly and still I stood there watching as the Ubel arrived. The rain had started to fall in hard torrential sheets. I stayed where I was, watching; waiting for the strike, rain water flowing over by head and down my body, trickling into my eyes and ears. I hoped the strike would happen. I was going to get Raine out tonight regardless of what happened. I wasn't prepared to wait three more months to find Craag again. I would get her out or die trying. A movement caught my attention over on the roof. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen. Was it the resistance, or was it a lone wolf like me, waiting for an opportunity to get in unseen. I could see him there, perched like a statue. He had skills. Silent and swift he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, searching out possible entry points and counting the number of guards. How do I know this? Well, it's exactly what I would have done. I was taking a terrible risk, going in blind, but I couldn't allow the rebels to know of my existence here or my plans. If they caught a whiff of what I was going to do they would call a halt to the raid. By going in for my sister, I was endangering all their lives and there were few enough of them as it was. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything these days except Raine. I stood in the shadows as more men silently moved in; some perched on the roof tops, some standing in shadow on the ground. A normal person could walk past them and not notice a thing. They were like ghosts, always on the edge of your vision, but when you turned to look at them they were gone. I could see them, but barely. These men were very good. The Rebellion was better trained than I had originally thought. At a silent command, the soldiers started to move in. I tensed my body, getting my muscles ready to move. Standing in the same position for so long with freezing rain drilling into your flesh tended to cramp even my muscles. I wanted to go now, wanted to get Raine out. I hated the thought of her having to stay in that hell a moment longer. But I stayed put. I couldn't be her sister now. As her sister, I was emotional, and emotions made you weak, they clouded your judgement and made you take risks you normally wouldn't think about. Being her sister had made me take the risk of coming to get her tonight. Right now, I had to be the assassin. Unfeeling, able to kill at will, the assassin would get the job done as quickly and as safely as possible. The assassin would be able to forget about the good men she was putting at risk tonight. I started to run across the cold ground, doing my best to stay in the shadows. I could hear the grass crunching beneath my feet as I moved. I didn't know which room my sister was being held, but my sources had told me that the slaves were kept together in a bedroom on the top floor in the west wing. I have no idea where they got this information from but my sources and I have come to an understanding. I don't ask how or where they got their info and to be honest I didn't really care. But they all knew that if they lied to me then I would hunt them down and kill them. It pays to have a reputation in this world as a cold-blooded killer. I would have to search each bedroom. My sources couldn't pinpoint where the slaves were being held, but the guards would probably tell me which room to look in. As I made my way to the back of the house I kept listening for sounds of battle. The meeting was being held in the boardroom at the front of the house, the bedrooms where my sister should have been were at the back, but anyone who's been in battle knows how quickly it can expand and spill out into other areas. I climbed up one of the tall oak trees next to the corner of the house, pulling up the satchel of clothes I had brought with me for Rain. Believe it or not, not everything had been destroyed out in the country areas. It was mainly the city areas that had been targeted. The country areas were still green and lush, for the time being anyway. I crouched in the higher branches, having to hold on to prevent slipping. The wind had picked up; blowing at almost gale force and the rain had made the bark slippery. But I was thankful for the rain. Although it would make the ground hard going by turning it to mud, the rain would cover our tracks and get rid of our scent, making it harder for the Ubel to track us. I lifted my head and strained to hear above the roar of the wind. Was that a gunshot? Yes, there it was again. I could see the light from the laser shots coming through the first floor windows. It was now or never. Standing up in the tree, I started to run across the branch. I was taking a risk coming in this way. I wouldn't meet any soldiers on the ground, obviously, but there was a three-meter gap between the tree and the upper balcony. If I couldn't make it I'd probably end up breaking my neck. I got to the end of the branch and jumped for all I was worth. It was okay, I was going to make it. Oh shit. I smacked against the balcony hard, just managing to grab hold of the deck before I completely fell off. Jesus that hurt. Inch by inch, I pulled my body up until I could get a good grip onto the balustrade and haul myself up, all the time waiting for a voice to sound the alarm and open fire. But the voice didn't come and the guns weren't fired. I stood on the balcony for a minute getting my breath back. I had bruised my ribs from the crash and was finding it difficult to breath. Looking down at my left hand I saw that one of my fingers was bent in the opposite direction to what was normal. Shit. This was all I needed. Wrapping my hand around it, I held my breath and pulled. I stood there screaming in my head as I put my finger back in place. Regardless of what you may think, assassins are not indestructible and we do feel pain. I stood there for a few seconds more, making sure every other part of my body was okay. I was in pain, but I could still move. I walked over to the door, about to jimmy it open when I realised someone had beaten me to it. It looked like I wasn't the only one who decided to come in the back way. I opened the door slowly, listening for any possibility of another person in the room. I heard nothing but the howling of the wind and the screams of both man and Ubel as they fought at the front of the house. I dropped the bag on the floor and pulled my Sais out of the sheaths strapped to my back. I wasn't taking any chances. Opening the door slowly, I looked down the length of the halls. The hall way directly in front of me was empty, but as I looked to my right I stilled. I had found the room Raine was in. Unfortunately, I could tell it was the right room by the two guards standing out the front. Obviously, not everyone had joined in the fight like I thought they would. I would have to try and draw one away in order to fight them. I could take on two Ubel, but not without the element of surprise. Closing the door slowly, I searched the room for something small and heavy. Sitting on one of the desks was a small paperweight made of stone. Perfect. Opening the door again, I threw the paperweight down the hall. Quickly closing the door behind me, I heard the paperweight thud loudly to the floor. I waited in silence, my muscles tense in case the Ubel figured out what the noise really was. But as I held my breath, I heard the loud, heavy footsteps of the Ubel pass me by and walk down the hall. I put the Sais back in their sheaths and took the knife out of my boot. Opening the door again slightly, I looked to see what the Ubel outside the bedroom was doing. When his head was turned away I ran across the space to the other hallway after the other Ubel. Vengeful Storm Ch. 01 Hearing the noise of me coming, he turned around to face me. Before he could yell to his mate or shoulder his weapon I had thrown my knife. The blade imbedded deeply into the Ubel's throat and he crumpled to the ground, dead. I pulled out my Sais and flattened myself against the wall, knowing the other one would come to investigate the noise. I held my breath, not wanting the other Ubel to know I was there. I could hear his footsteps coming closer and closer, but still he didn't appear. He was fishing, wanting me to get anxious, to look for where he was and reveal my position. It was an old tactic, one I had used many times in the past. I wasn't falling for it. And so I waited, knowing that he would instead become anxious, knowing he would eventually come to me. I heard the footsteps start up again. He was trying to muffle them, trying to be quiet, but something of that size is impossible to keep quiet. It's like trying to get an elephant to tip toe. As he rounded the corner, I attacked. I slashed at his hands, cutting through the tendons, rendering them useless. A high kick to the chest had him doubling over enough for me to reach his throat. One slash and his lifeblood was spilling to the floor in a great flood of red. Crouching down, I wiped the blood off my weapons on the Ubel's clothing and went to retrieve my dagger. It was time to get my sister. I checked once more to make sure the coast was clear and walked towards the door. I knew there wouldn't be any guards inside the room. Craag would want the girls to himself and wouldn't risk them being used by any of the other soldiers. The door was locked but I was able pick it open with my knife. What I saw when I opened that door stopped me in my tracks. Lined up against the walls in chains were a dozen girls, all barely dressed, all sporting large black bruises over their bodies. And lying in the centre of the huge bed was Raine. I ran over to the bed and slowly ran my hand over Raine's face. She had once been so beautiful. I could still remember her smile. Now she was almost unrecognisable. Her face was black and blue; her lip split badly and dry blood caked along her face from her nose. "Raine, wake up sweetie. Come on Raine, I need you to wake up." "Storm, is that you?" "It's me Raine. It's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of here." Raine lay there smiling at me "I knew you would come for me." "How are you feeling? Is anything broken?" "No, I'm fine, really. It's worse than it looks. Don't worry about me. I can still walk." "Raine, I need you to think. Is there a key anywhere in the room?" "In the top draw of the table, by the bed." I rummaged around in the draw. Finding the key, I went to work unlocking the cuffs around Raine's wrists. "I've bought some clothes with me. I'll go and get them, you stay here, alright." "What about the other girls Storm? I can't just leave them here." "Raine, can't you hear the fighting downstairs. I can't get everyone out." "At least let them go so they can have a chance." I looked at all the girls, at the hope and pleading in their faces. "Fine, you unlock them while I get your clothes. But we can't take them with us Raine. After you unlock them, they're on their own." Raine nodded her understanding and jumped off the bed, hugging me before starting on the cuffs. I watched her for a few seconds, making sure she was all right physically, and then went to get the bag I had left in the other room. When I came back, the girls were huddled in a group, looking up at me like lost little puppies. I couldn't just leave them here to die. "Get dressed Raine. All right, listen up everyone. As you've no doubt heard, there is fighting downstairs. I can't guarantee your safety. But I can promise that I will find the safest way out of the house and I will do the best I can to get you out. But after that, you're on your own." One of the girls stepped forward. "Thank you. We know you're risking everything to help us. Just try to get us out of this house. That's all we ask." "Right. Are you ready Raine?" "Ready." "Okay everyone, let's go. Stay behind Raine and I. If there's fighting then stay back." I led them to the door and looked out, making sure the coast was still clear. It was. The fighting hadn't made its way up here yet. Walking down the corridor, I felt strange having a large group behind me, but I shook it off. I had to keep my head in the game. Coming to the bodies of the Ubel, I took their guns and handed one to Raine. "You still remember how to use one of these?" "You think I could forget with Dad drilling it into me." I smiled at her, remembering the weapons training our father made us both do. Although Raine didn't fight like me, Dad made sure we both knew how to use a gun, just in case. Coming to the end of the hallway I stopped walking and swore. There was only one set of stairs that led down to the lower level. And they led right into the swarm of fighters. "I'm sorry guys. This is the only way down. Keep low and run like hell to the nearest exit. Try and run to the back of the house. There's no one fighting out the back. Okay. Raine and I will go down and try and clear a bit of a path for you." I turned to Raine, stopping her from going down the stairs. "I want you to go with the girls. Don't shoot unless you have to, otherwise you'll draw attention to yourself." "I'm not going to leave you Storm now that I've found you. You can just forget it." "Raine, I'll be fine. I'm trained for this, remember? I can't do what I need to do properly if I have to worry about you as well. Now stay behind me then run like hell. Eyes open, head down. Okay?" Raine nodded. I could see the tears in her eyes as she shouldered her weapon. "Storm, you know I love you, right?" "I know Raine. I love you too." I shouldered my weapon and ran down the stairs into the battle shooting at every Ubel I saw. "Go, now," I yelled. The girls ran down the stairs keeping low like I told them. I tried to keep an eye on them, but there were so many Ubels. It seemed that every Ubel leader had bought an army with them. I kept shooting, slowly moving backwards towards the door Raine had run through. When I knew all the girls were out of the room, I turned to run. The pain was like nothing I had felt before. A white-hot feeling ran through my shoulder and through the rest of my body. I fell to the floor as others fought around me. The last thing I thought of was Raine before I blacked out. Vengeful Storm Ch. 02 Hi All As I'm having serious writers block with some of my current stories, I have decided to edit my stories already on Lit and re-submit them. A big thank you to amerks29hockey for editing this chapter. All characters taking part in sexual activity are eighteen or over. * *Storm* I was struggling against the darkness, trying to get to the light. But something kept on pulling me down into the dark depths. It was like I was in an endless ocean of nothingness, with no way to get out. But I had to get out. I had to get to Raine. I couldn't remember anything that had happened. I could only remember Raine. I had found her. I had to have found her. It couldn't have been a dream. But now I had lost her. And so I fought the blackness of my sub-conscious, ignoring the increasing pain as I crept closer and closer to the light. I opened my eyes slowly, finding it difficult to focus properly. I could hear the slow, steady beat of the machines that were monitoring my heart and other vitals. I was on my stomach, but as I took stock of myself I could tell that I wasn't restrained in any way. That in itself was odd. The Ubel would have treated me to ensure I was alive enough for interrogation, but I would still be in shackles. I tried to push myself up but fell back down as my shoulder screamed in pain. The night started to come back to me. I could remember the battle, finding Raine, fighting the Ubel. Then the intense pain in my back and falling into nothingness. But what had happened to Raine? Did she escape? Was she caught? Or did something worse happen? No. I couldn't think like that. Raine was okay. I would feel it if something bad had happened. But I had to find her. Had to get out of this bed, out of this room. I slowly rolled onto my good side, ignoring the pain and continuing until I had managed to roll myself into some semblance of sitting. I turned off the ECG machine, preventing it from flat lining and potentially alerting people that something was wrong before taking the sensors off my chest. Looking around the room, I searched for a weapon, any weapon. My Sais weren't there. I may not have been a prisoner as such, but they still weren't going to put my weapons within easy reach. There was nothing. No needles, no scalpels. Nothing. Everything in the room was bolted to the floor. It was obvious this room was also used for some pretty nasty characters and who ever ran this place wasn't taking any chances. I knew I wasn't in any condition to fight anyone. I would be lucky to get out of this bed, but I was adamant I would get out and find my sister. She was all I had left in this world. She was all I had to live for. I ripped the IV out of my hand and put pressure over my vein to stop the flow of blood. I definitely didn't need to lose any more blood. Grasping onto the rails at the head of the bed, I slowly and carefully started to stand. The pain was awful, but if I moved slowly I could bare it. Holding on to the edge of the wall for support, I carefully made my way along until I reached the door. It didn't once enter my mind that going through that door may have been a bad idea, which was stupid really. After all, I had no idea who had me captive, whether it was friend or foe, and I had no idea what would greet me outside that door. But by now all reasonable thought had fled my mind. The assassin had gone and the sister had returned. Reaching for the handle, I pushed it down. The door opened with a loud click that I was sure could be heard throughout the entire complex, however big it may be. I waited, positive someone would come running at the sound. But there was no one. I opened the door wider, struggling to pull open the heavy door and stay up right. Through sheer will, I somehow found myself standing in what appeared to be a hallway. I looked around; searching for something I could use to fight. It was odd. It was quite obvious that I wasn't in a house, yet it was unlike any military base I had ever seen. It was almost like I was in a sewer. A clean sewer, like someone came through regularly and cleaned away the waste. There was a faint smell of sewage but not really detectable unless you stopped and sniffed. Who on earth would be hiding out in a sewer? The Ubel had taken over all military bases. They wouldn't be here. Was it the resistance? Were they the ones who were holding me captive? Or had they rescued me? My head was whirling with thoughts, none that seemed to make sense. My searching proved fruitful though. A pile of broken furniture was stacked along part of the wall that I guessed was used for firewood. I slowly staggered along the empty corridor, supporting myself against the wall until I came to the wood. A chair leg proved a useful club and walking stick. I had no idea where I was going, no idea what I was going to find. By now I was on autopilot, not really knowing where I was going or what I was doing. I was dimly aware that I still held the chair leg in my hand, dragging along the floor, no longer having the strength to lift it. I walked for what felt like hours, but in reality, I had only gone about three meters. It never occurred to me that it was strange there were no people anywhere. The corridor seemed endless, like an eternal maze that I would never get out of. I was getting weaker. I think my wound had re-opened, although I wasn't sure. I was past feeling anything now. My wound was like a dull ache, spreading throughout my entire body. On the edge of my consciousness, I could sense something, but I couldn't tell what it was. I had to focus more, I had to come back. I leant against the wall, letting the chair leg drop. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't make sense of what my brain was telling me. Until they walked around the corner. They stopped dead in their tracks, as surprised to see me as I was of them. Three people, I couldn't distinguish what sex, my vision was starting to blur, but I knew they weren't Ubel. They were too small. It would be okay. I was with the good guys. But what if they weren't the good guys? What if they were somehow connected to someone I had assassinated? Adrenalin was taking over now, forcing me to pick up my only weapon. My brain was screaming at me. Fight. Defend. Kill. * * * * *Sam* I was on my way to see the girl. Storm. What a fitting name. After all, the first time I saw her she was like a whirlwind, blowing in from nowhere and throwing bolts of lightning at the enemy. I was surprised when I first saw her. I know all of our soldiers, both in my platoon and our neighbouring allies. I knew immediately that she wasn't one of them. So why was she here? Then I saw the reason. A group of scantily clad women who could only be kept for one purpose came running down the stairs. But why had the girl rescued them? Why had she risked her life for a group of harem girls? Although we would have gone to rescue them after the battle, they unfortunately were not our main concern. She certainly didn't look like a harem girl herself. She was beautiful, but not the type of beauty the Ubel went for. It was possible she had escaped from this harem and had come back to rescue her friends, but I didn't think so. She was too skilled, too sure of herself on the battlefield. So why was she at the house? I had decided that I would go after her when the battle was finished. We had the advantage, having caught the Ubel off guard. Their main defence had already fallen; it didn't take us long to finish them. We showed no mercy, for they showed us none. And then it happened. She was leaving, turning to run after the women when a laser beam tore deeply through her shoulder. A wound like that would have normally killed a man, but not her. She was in bad shape, but still breathing when we were finally able to collect our wounded and dead. Now I was facing her, a woman who shouldn't have lived, standing in front of me with a weapon in her hand. It would have been laughable if she weren't in danger herself. Her body hadn't healed nearly enough for her to be out of bed. The wound had opened, I could see blood dripping onto the floor from her back, and she was swaying from weakness. We would have to be careful. In this state she was erratic. Being wounded, Storm was in fight or flight mode. She was too weak to flee. If she tried to run we could easily catch up to her and she knew that. So her only option was to fight. If we came across too strong she would attack us. Yes she was weak, but she was still a trained soldier if my information was correct and still able to do a lot of damage. I told my men to stay back, knowing that I would look less threatening if I approached her alone. I almost had to treat her like an animal. I think by this stage she was past rational thought. "Storm, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to put down your weapon." I could see her shaking her head, refusing to put the weapon down. "It's okay Storm, I promise. I just want to help you. But I can't do that until you put the weapon down." "Fuck you asshole. Where's my sister?" I was surprised by her answer. It seemed that she was able to think about something, was able to act rationally, in a way. Maybe I could use her sister to get through to her. "Your sister is fine Storm. We have her here, safe with us. I can take you to her." "No. You bring her to me. I may be weak but I'm not stupid. I'm not putting this down until I know she's okay." "Raine is okay Storm, you have my word. But you've lost a lot of blood already and your wound has re-opened. If we don't stop the bleeding now then you'll die." I could see the wary look in her eye as I slowly edged closer to her. Her breathing was coming out fast but shallow. I could see how much of a strain it was for her to stay up right. I had a lot of respect for Storm. She was a fighter, more than most. But I could see her starting to loose the fight. If I could keep her talking then maybe I could keep her calm until she lost consciousness. She had to go down soon. The amount of blood loss was now becoming serious. "Storm, please. Your sister is fine. Now we have to make you better so you can see her again." "I...I..." Storm dropped the chair leg and crumpled to the ground. I walked forward slowly. I needed to get her medical help as soon as possible but I had to make sure she was out first. Bending over her, I pushed the hair off of her face. She was out cold. Picking her up, I started to walk to the infirmary. "Jack, get Doc, tell him Storm's popped her stitches and is bleeding again, then go tell Raine. This time I'll make sure Raine's with her when she wakes up." I walked towards the infirmary, hoping that it wasn't too late. Not many people could survive loosing that much blood twice. Then again, Storm wasn't exactly anybody. I had seen enough to know that. Even so, she was going to have a fight on her hands staying alive. * * * * I was in my room wiping the blood from my hands and arms when I heard my door crash open. "What the hell did you do to her? I trusted you to look after Storm. You told me she was going to be fine, that she was out of danger. Now Jack comes and tells me that she could die. I'm beginning to think we would have had a better chance up with the bloody Ubel!" Why I ever thought Raine was the meeker sister I'll never know. "Raine, could you please calm down. I've had enough ranting females for today." "Too bad. What the hell happened?" I sighed loudly in exasperation as I sat heavily in my chair. I wasn't up to this right now. I hadn't even changed out of my blood soaked shirt yet. "Storm woke up from the anaesthetic much quicker than anticipated. The drug we gave her should have knocked her out for at least a couple of days. It was to ensure she'd get enough rest for her body to start healing. I got the feeling that Storm wasn't a person who would be happy sitting in bed quietly while she healed so I made sure Doc gave her enough drugs to..." "To what? Keep her quiet so you wouldn't have to worry about her?" "That's not fair. I did what I had to do to help her get better faster. As it turns out there wasn't really much point. Your sister somehow managed to come out of the anaesthetic in a little over twelve hours. Jack, Sal and I found her wandering around the North corridor with a lump of wood in her hand. She was looking for you." I saw some of the tension drain out of Raine's face as she sat in the chair opposite me. "She was?" Seeing Raine's face, so full of hope helped me to calm down. "Yeah. I think it was the thought of you that got her out of the drug's hold. I've been under that drug once or twice and believe me; it isn't easy to surface from the black. She must love you very much Raine." I saw a faint smile on her lips before she spoke. "We're all each other's got. The Ubel killed our parents the night they took me. Storm tried to get me to safety but she was badly wounded and I was captured. With her injuries the only thing she could do for me was to escape. We were both better off with her on the outside." "How long were you there?" "I was captured three months ago and sold to Craag after a month of training. We expensive whores have to be taught how to properly pleasure our masters." "You did what you needed to do to survive Raine." "I know. I made sure I stayed alive. I knew Storm would come looking for me when she got better. I figured I owed it to her to be alive when she found me." I chuckled to myself. "She probably would have been pissed if you weren't." "Yeah. Knowing Storm she would have found my grave and kicked my ass." We were sitting there chuckling when my door crashed open for the second time that afternoon. "Sam, have you seen..." Jack stopped short when he saw Raine sitting by my desk. "Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick." "I've been here with Sam, and what God damn business is it of yours anyway." Jack's face started to go red as he stomped up to her. "Because I'm meant to be looking after you." "Do I look like I need looking after?" "Of course you need looking after. You're only a girl for Christ sake." I groaned as Jack said that. I really needed to teach my younger brother some tact. "And what's Sal? A duck?" "No, I mean. Sal's a soldier. She's been trained to look after herself. But you, well you're, I mean, well look at you. You're built like a ballerina, not a fighter. You need a man to protect you." I tried signalling Jack from behind Raine's back. If he dug himself anymore of a hole he'd be visiting China. But the stupid idiot wouldn't even look at me. All his attention was on Raine. I saw Raine sigh as if in defeat. "You're right Jack. I should make sure I stay with you at all times. After all, I am only small. I mean, what would I do if some big horrible Ubel came up to me and tried to take me away?" I noticed Jack looked a little flustered. I think he realised how much he had put his foot in it. "Um, well I, that is..." Raine plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face. She looked the epitome of angelic behaviour. Until she punched Jack square in the nose. Evidently Jack was not expecting that as he landed on his arse. I sat in my chair with tears streaming down my face with laughter as Raine stood over Jack. "Newsflash asshole, but I've been there, done that, and survived. When you've survived three months as an Ubel's whore then you come back to me and tell me I need protecting. Would you excuse me Sam? I'm going to go and sit with my sister." "Sure thing. I don't think I could stop you if I tried." After Raine left I sat in my chair looking at Jack. "Well little brother, I think we both know that you deserved that." "Shut up." "Wow. She really got you good. Look, it's even bleeding. Is it broken?" "Oh fuck you." "Don't take it too badly Jack. You were only taken out by a girl. It's not too big a deal." "If you don't shut up it'll be you next. And don't you dare tell Sal. She'll never let me live it down." "My lips are sealed. But honestly, could you have been any more stupid?" "I know alright. It's just. I like her. Really like her and I don't want to see her get hurt again." "Jack, could you please follow your head for once instead of your dick. You've known her for less than twenty-four hours. She's a great girl, and she's been through hell. I won't argue with you over that." "Well that's a first." "Smart ass. But seriously, if you do anything to hurt her then her sister is going to be on your ass like a nuclear missile. And trust me you don't want that." "Ah. Come on. I could take her." "You were just taken out by a girl that weighed 130 pounds. And Storm is a hell of a lot taller and more muscular than Raine." Jack pouted. "I wasn't ready then." "Besides, I think there's a lot more to Storm than you may think." Jack got up and flopped down in the chair recently occupied by Raine and grabbed a handful of tissues off of my desk for his nose. "What do you mean?" "Something about her doesn't add up. Apparently she's a trained soldier. I know she's trained, I could see that for myself at the battle. But she's not like a normal soldier. When I saw her in that fight, and earlier on today, there's no fear in her. No emotion. Until I mentioned her sister. Then she got angry and emotional. It's almost like she slips on a mask when she fights. Like any emotion in her is pushed down until it temporarily doesn't exist." "What does that mean?" "It means she's killed before and killed often. But not like us. I don't think she's a soldier. I think she's something else. I think she could be like me. We need to watch her. I want her put in one of the cells." "Are you kidding? Raine will tear you to shreds." I sat there thinking. There was just something about Storm that made me uneasy. I didn't know if she was going to prove to be an asset to our cause or an enemy that would take us down, but I wasn't taking chances. We had all come so far to survive this war that I wasn't going to put my soldiers' lives or the lives of the civilians at risk. "I know. All right then. Where has she been put now?" "Placed her in one of the rooms in the main South corridor. Told Trav and Boxer to keep an eye on her. They're standing outside her room now. She won't be going anywhere soon. That little excursion wore her out." "I'm not going to take that chance again. I want you to chain her to the bed." "What? You know Raine will be just as pissed at that." "Then tell her it's for Storm's own good. Tell her that the drugs we have to give her will cause hallucinations and delusions or something and that it's to stop her from wandering around and getting hurt. I don't know. Make something up. Bullshitting's what you're good at." "Gee, thanks bro. Can always count on you to be truthful. Fine, I'll tell her. But I don't like it and neither will Raine." "I know that. But I'm the commanding officer here. She'll just have to get used to it. If she kicks up a stink then tell her we'll deny her access altogether." Jack looked at me. I could see the shock and uncertainty in his eyes. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?" "I will not risk my men or the civilians who depend on us Jack. Until I know more about Storm then this is the way it's going to be." *Storm* "What the hell is going on here Jack? Why exactly has my sister been placed in shackles?" "Raine please be reasonable. It's for her own good." I woke up slowly to loud voices fighting outside the door. It was easier this time, to fight against the blackness. There were two voices arguing, but one of those voices was pulling me out of the depths, like a hand reaching beneath the surface of the water to rescue someone from drowning. I knew that voice, knew it as well as my own. It was Raine. Vengeful Storm Ch. 02 Opening my eyes, I saw her standing outside the door. My body tensed, ready to protect her if the guy got nasty. Well, that is until a wave of pain washed over me so severely that I had to fight the urge to vomit. "Raine?" Raine's head snapped towards me at the sound of my voice. I saw a smile spread across her face before she faced the guy again. "This isn't over Jack, and tell Sam that he'd better invest in some ass kicking proof armour because if you don't get those things off of Storm soon then I'm coming after him." "Fine. I'll tell him, but he won't be happy." "Yeah well that makes two of us," Raine yelled to him as he retreated. Turning to me, Raine walked into the room and sat down on the edge of my bed. "Hey big sister. How you feeling?" "Like I was shot. Other than that I feel just peachy. What about you?" "Well I see your sense of humour hasn't been affected. I'm fine." "Are you sure? The people here haven't hurt you?" "I've been fine." Rain leaned forward to hug me. "I was so worried about you. I thought you were going to die. Especially after you decided to go exploring." I wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. I was so glad to finally have her back. "Hey, you know I'm made of stronger stuff than that. Takes more than a laser burn to do me any real harm." "Storm, you almost died. Twice. Just take it easy for the next few days okay. Keep a lid on your temper too. I expect Sam will want to talk to you soon if you feel up to it." "Who's Sam?" "He's the commander of this base. Jack's his younger brother." "Jack? Was that the guy you were arguing with?" "We were not arguing. We were having a heated discussion." "Right. And will this Sam guy be able to get these shackles off of me?" "So you noticed." "Yeah, it's a bit hard not to." "I don't know why they've done it. Jack told me it's to stop you from walking around, that the drugs they've put you on will make you hallucinate things. I think they're bull shitting to be honest but I don't know why else they would have done it." I smiled at Raine, surprised that with everything that was happening on our world and with everything that she had gone through over the last few months that she was still so naive. Maybe it was just because I was her sister. "They don't trust me. That's why I'm shackled. I expect word got back to Sam about my little escape attempt. I don't remember much to be honest but I can remember waving a piece of wood around like a banshee." "I don't think we need to worry about word getting round to Sam. He's the one who found you. And you being a threat is ridiculous. Of course they can trust you. You saved me and the rest of the girls for starters. When I find Sam he's going to wish he'd never been born by the time I'm through with him." "No Raine. He has the right to do this. We're both strangers here and he has to protect his men. He can't risk a threat among his people. Just leave it. Sooner or later he'll realise I'm not a threat." To them at least, I thought to myself. "Well if that was the case why aren't I in chains?" "Because you're the closest thing on earth to an angel. No one could possibly think that you were a threat." "Tell that to Jack." "What?" "Nothing." I had a feeling that there was something going on between those two that I wasn't going to be hearing about soon. As I lay on the bed, I tried my best to smother a yawn. All this talking had made me feel as weak as a kitten. I hated feeling like this, but at least now I knew Raine would be looked after. Unfortunately Raine saw the yawn. "You must be tired. I'll go now and let you get some sleep." I didn't want her to go yet. It was so good having her next to me after so long. Raine looked at my face and smiled. She had always been able to tell what I was thinking, even when my face was blank. She knew I didn't want her to leave. "Don't worry, I'll be close. If I'm not here I'll have someone come and get me when you wake up. I'm not going to leave you again. Just go to sleep. The more you rest the sooner you'll heal." I didn't want to go to sleep, didn't want to let Raine out of my sight. But I was so tired and my eyes felt so heavy. Maybe just a quick nap. Before I knew it, I was out like a light. Vengeful Storm Ch. 03 Hi All As I'm having serious writers block with some of my current stories, I have decided to edit my stories already on Lit and re-submit them. A big thank you to amerks29hockey for editing this chapter. All characters taking part in sexual activity are eighteen or over. For those waiting for another installment of Cowboy's Honour, i am having serious trouble with it. I will probably take the series off of Lit and re-edit it and then re-submit it. Hopefully going through it will inspire me. * *Sam* I was sitting in my office going over the last couple of days in my head. I could hear a steady drip, drip, drip coming from outside somewhere. I would have to get one of the guys on to it. Living in a sewer wasn't the most ideal of places but it was all that was left. Still, we had to be vigilant with leaks. We had blocked up all the manholes but when we got a big storm through sometimes water still somehow managed to sneak in. I could hear footsteps walking down the hall, quickly coming closer to the door. I knew who it was. Jack had already told me about how pissed Raine was. But much to my surprise it wasn't Raine who poked her head around the door. "Hey big brother." "Hey yourself. How you doing Sal?" Sal walked over and plonked herself on the edge of my desk, a big grin on her face. "Just fine. What about you? Heard you were having women problems." "Ha ha. I don't know what to do Sal. So much has happened in the last couple of days, I just can't seem to get my head around it. What am I going to do about Storm?" "Have you talked to her yet?" "No, I thought I'd wait for a while until she's on less meds and able to answer my questions without falling asleep. Although Jack says she's pretty bloody lucid for the amount of drugs we put her on. Still, I think I should wait until she's got some strength back." "Maybe. Personally I'd talk to her soon anyway. Not about anything in particular, just anything really. Get to know her. You've always been good at judging people and working out their character. You'll know whether or not she's trustworthy." "It's not just that Sal. There's something else about her. Something I can't quite put my finger on." "Jack told me earlier. You think Storm is like you?" Out of everyone in that base, Jack and Sal were the only ones who knew about my past. Simply because I knew that they wouldn't judge me for what I was and in a way still am. They would still look at me and see their big brother. Other people aren't so forgiving, even if everything you've done was for their safety. "I don't know. But I don't want to take the risk that she could pose a threat. At least I don't have her sister breathing down my neck any more." "Sam, I want a word with you." I had to say it didn't I? The door was pushed open, banging loudly against the concrete. "I'm not at all happy about this Sam. There is absolutely no reason to have Storm restrained like she is. How you doing Sal?" "Hi Raine. I'll just leave you two alone shall I?" The look she gave me over Raine's shoulder said one thing. Suffer. She was so going to pay later. I sighed to myself warily. I was tired and I wasn't in the mood to hear Raine go on about her sister. "I thought Jack told you why it was necessary to have her restrained." "Yeah, and I don't buy it. And I know why you sent Jack to tell me instead of telling me yourself. I've been speaking to Sal. I know how good Jack is at bull shitting. Please don't degrade my intelligence by telling me it's because of the drugs she's on. I spent over half an hour with her and she's perfectly lucid." I was going to kill Sal when I got my hands on her. "Raine, please could we not do this now. My head's splitting and I have rounds to do." "Your head's not going to be the only thing that's splitting if you don't take the cuffs off of her. Storm knows why you've done it and she respects you for thinking of your men, god knows why. I think she's hit her head harder than we first thought, but she knows I'm safe here. She's not going to try any more escape attempts." "Look, I'll talk to Storm tomorrow morning. If I feel that she's going to be okay then I'll take the cuffs off of her. I don't want to hear anything else about it." "God you're a hard bastard. You're worse than my father." "Good, you should be used to being told what to do then." "Aaahhh, you're impossible. Fine! Tomorrow morning. But if you don't come and realise how utterly ridiculous you're being then I'll get her out myself and damn the consequences." I stared thoughtfully at Raine. I knew how dedicated Storm was to Raine, I had seen it first hand when Storm came to free her. But I don't think I had fully realised until just now how dedicated the sisters were to each other. "You really would do anything for each other, wouldn't you?" Raine's face softened a little and I heard her sigh softly. "Well it's like I said. We're all each other have." "Can I ask you something?" "You can ask. Whether or not I'll answer is another thing entirely." "Alright then. What did Storm do, before the war broke out?" "What do you mean, what did she do?" "What did she do for work?" "Oh, I've never been sure really. She worked for the government, same as my father but in another division. Storm never really talked about her work much. I think she worked as an interpreter for high ranking government officials, you know, when they had meetings with men from other countries, other worlds. That sort of thing. She speaks something like twelve languages. Like I said, Storm never really talked about her work. In fact to be honest, we never really saw her over the past six years. She was off world a lot." Raine slowly sat down on one of the chairs, a far away look in her eyes as she remembered her past. "We were never close as kids. We loved each other dearly and would still do anything for each other. We were just into different things. I took after our mother. I know it's hard to imagine now, but I was a very shy child. I got teased a lot and stayed at home most of the time. Storm though, god, she was a hellion. "My father was the security chief of quadrant sector five here on Earth. Storm took after him. My father always wanted us to be able to protect ourselves and taught us a little self-defence and how to properly use a gun. Storm excelled. Dad started to train her every afternoon in martial arts. I think she even did some training with the new cadets before she got her job as an interpreter." Raine shook her head as if to pull herself out of the memories. I was glad. I had gotten more out of Rain than I thought I would. "I'm sorry, why do you want to know this?" "I'm just interested. I wanted to get a look at Storm's character." "Really? And what did you discover?" "That she's a remarkable young woman that will do anything and risk everything for her family." "If that is what you believe then why is my sister still in chains?" "For that very reason. Look, I can see why you're upset, but I have to think of the people in this base. I'm responsible for them and I'm not going to put them in any unnecessary danger. I'll talk to your sister tomorrow and assess the situation then. That's my final offer." I could see Raine going through what I had just said. "You're an asshole, you know that don't you?" "So I've been told. I'll see your sister tomorrow. You have my word." "Fine. But I don't have to like it. And tell your brother to stay away from me. He's starting to piss me off." "He's only concerned about your welfare you know." "Welfare my ass. He's just trying to be annoying." I chuckled to myself. "Raine, I know he's a pain in the ass. I grew up with the dweeb. But at the same time he just wouldn't be Jack if he wasn't the way that he is." "I'll take your word for it. So, I have your word that you'll talk to Storm as soon as she's awake tomorrow?" "Yes Raine. I promise. However, on the condition that I get to talk to her alone." "Fine. But if you upset her then I'll bear down on you like a ton of bricks. Agreed?" "Agreed. Now go to bed. It's late and I have things to do." "Good looking and polite. My dream man." "Bed." Raine stuck her tongue out as she walked through door. I now knew why I never got married. Women were more trouble than they were worth. Like my Pa used to say. Can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em. I got my papers together and put them away before going to the civilian sector. I made it my habit to go there every night to make sure everyone was okay and see if there were any things that were desperately needed. Tonight it was more important than most. I needed the normality of routine. I had a lot to think about before I talked to Storm in the morning. *Storm* I could see my family standing under the old oak tree in our backyard, waiting for me. A picnic had been lain out under the shade of the tree I used to climb so often when I was younger. Everywhere was green; the sky was bright and blue. It was like the war had never happened. I could hear children running through the woods behind our house, playing hide and seek. Laughter, happiness, innocence. Not a care in the world. I wanted to warn them, my family, and my friends. Everyone. They were coming. Those that spread darkness. That stole the light from the sky and from our hearts. They were so close. I was running towards my family, trying to get to them but they were forever out of reach. Why weren't they listening to me? Why were they leaving me? I was losing them. The faster I ran the further away they got. And then the world was plunged into darkness. I sat bolt upright in bed sweat dripping down my body. After everything I have seen in this world, not many things frighten me, but this dream had me shaking. It had been so long since I had last experienced the nightmare. Since I felt like my soul had been ripped out from me. I had pushed all emotion aside in the pursuit for Raine. But now I had her safe, now I knew she was with me again, I had let the emotion back in. I was so badly shaken that I didn't ever hear the door to my room open, or the man who had opened it enter. "Storm? Are you alright?" My head whipped around towards the voice. I tried to shake myself of the nightmare. Even here it could prove fatal to lose myself to thoughts and feelings of the past. "You must be Sam." I saw a grin spread across his face. I started to get worried. Either this wasn't the commander or my sister and I were being protected by an idiot. "Guilty I'm afraid. I'm sure your sister hasn't painted me in the best of lights." "We haven't really talked about you to be honest. I've been a little bit, well, drugged. I assume you're here to see if I'm safe enough to be released around mankind." "Well I can see you and Raine are sisters." "Because of our charming personalities?" "Yep, definitely sisters." "Why? Has Raine been giving you a hard time?" "You could say that. I'm here to give you a chance to prove to me that you won't be a threat to my men or the civilians of this base." "How kind of you. Look. It's like I told my sister. As long as I know she's safe then there won't be a problem. I can understand why you have me locked up and I would probably do the same in this situation. But my sister is safe. That's all that matters to me and as long as you treat her right we won't have a problem." *Sam* I looked into Storm's eyes. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and I've always found that to be true. The question was did I trust her? The answer? No. But did I trust that the bond between Storm and her sister would keep her in line? I thought it might. So I was willing to give her a chance. Walking up to the side of the bed, I took Storm's arm in my hand and started to unlock the steel and leather binds around her wrists. The skin was slightly red and chaffed from where the cuffs had rubbed against her. I would have to get Doc to look at that. "I'm going to trust you here and let you out. Don't prove me wrong about you Storm. We may be the good guys in this war, but I have over two hundred men, women and children down here. I won't hesitate to do what's necessary to keep them safe. Do we have an understanding here?" "Yeah. We have an understanding. Now if I were you, I'd go and tell Raine that you've released me. Otherwise she'll be tearing into whoever you've got watching her." "You think so?" "I'd be doing the same if our positions were switched." "Maybe I'll wait for a few more minutes then." "Why?" I looked at Storm with a grin. "Because it's my baby brother who's watching her."