Chapter 4 - "This is not good for my health!" (Augh!)
The Congregational Corporation had always stressed utility over form, so it was no surprise that their airships and aerial attack mechs were large, flat, and somewhat boxy. However, it did not mean they had to compromise sleekness, for they needed great speed to reach from one of their investments to another.
On the other hand, Nataraja Agriculture's airships and attack mechs were both beautifully adorned with gold lining against colors of green, red, or both, and they were built so that one would behold such beauty until they revealed their true colors and destructive hidden weapons.
The small country of Pacific Mariner hated the presence of these corporations who combined owned nearly half the planet and their resources. The country was never in good terms with the two corporate entities, and now was the true test of the non-interference treaty they had signed since the Bay-Haven and 7th Vermont Special District incident.
The country could not hold back the two entities any longer, and so at the request Helena Charity of the Congregational Corporation and Susheela Nataraja, a meeting was held at the oval meeting room at the Red House meant for the President.
Two blonde and blue-eyed women entered and were flanked by numerous black-suited and sunglasses-wearing secret service agents as well as two tall Amazons. Helena and Susheela rose up to greet the first blonde woman.
"I'm not the president," said Sapphire Heisen. "My wife is."
"My apologies," twitched the middle-aged and brown-haired Helena.
President Lapis Heisen sat down at a round table put together by the staff to which the other two heads of the guest parties sat as well. Sapphire stood by serving tea and cracker biscuits, and remained standing close to Lapis as if she was important.
"Does she have to be here?" asked Susheela.
"She does if she wants to," said Lapis. "She's my wife."
"Anyway, you do know why we have come here, and you put us through so much unnecessary trouble at the border."
"Coming in with a armed aerial phalanx is very disconcerting to me and my people."
"And yet your search for Susheela's granddaughter and my nephew have turned up nothing," said Helena.
"We have exhausted our efforts, but please be aware there are a lot of hoops we have to jump through in order to eavesdrop on our own citizens."
"Something tells me you're hiding them," said Susheela. "And more than likely, you're trying to delay us in finding them."
"We truly do not know where Jeremiah Charity Nataraja and his entourage are at. As for your granddaughter Misses Nataraja who was rumored to be here, we have a tough time finding her amidst all the illegals."
"President," said Helena. "I know you mean well for your people and your country, and I respect the treaty to the letter. However, there is a stipulation of you promising to return foreign fugitives to their respective homelands."
"Oh? And what crimes have those fugitives committed? Running away from their families?"
"That is a major treason in our eyes," said Susheela.
"I for one see this is as a personal manner, which I do not want to get involved with."
"How dare you mock the name of marriage?"
"Mock? Two people can come together in marriage the name of love. Other couples do so in the need to reproduce and start a family. You two, however, see it as a solidifying cozy business and political relationships. I mocking marriage? Perhaps I am, but you two spit in the name."
"You very well are mocking the name of marriage," grinned Helena. "You and your entire lot of liberal sodomizers."
"And your wife," said Susheela. "Her presence in such matters is very disrespectful. She should go back to the home like all good wives."
"Or perhaps she's really the President, and you're just her whore."
"How dare you insult Lapis!" cried Sapphire. She pulled out her compact pistol and shot at both Susheela and Helena. The bullets passed through as if they were ghosts or tricks of light.
"Sapphy!" cried Lapis as she snatched the pistol from her wife. "Those are just holograms! In fact, they're just A.I. imitating them!"
"I know but..."
"So that is how you show your respect for the women who saved the world?" said Helena.
"You're just trying to rile us up for armed conflict," said Lapis. "And I'll admit it worked on a longshot."
"Regardless, we will find our children and bring them back," said Susheela. "Even if we have to turn this small country of yours inside out."
"May God have mercy on you," Helena bowed.
The women, or rather just computer simulations, dissolved into particles of light.
"I'm sorry," said Sapphire.
"Don't be," said Lapis. "They were planning on blasting their way through anyway. Miss Yuki Chrysant!"
"Yes?" answered the bespectacled woman of the Interior Intelligence Deparartment.
"What are the current whereabouts of Jerri and her wife?"
"They have made their rendezvous with the woman from Mister Nataraja's group and are now making their way of the city through the south gate. But Madam President, why do you have to through great lengths to protect one woman?"
"I guess you can fault me for playing favorites. But from the informant we had heard from, the Congregational Corporation and Nataraja Agriculture are vicious entities who look down on people like us. What they wouldn't give to destroy our beloved country along with Bay-Haven."
"You think we could hold them off?" asked Sapphire.
"I was hoping to get the two groups to bicker and fight each other, but I was asking too much."
"So we have to fight then."
"We can hold them off. In fact, I guarantee that none of our own citizens or our soldiers will die in the upcoming fight."
"It's events like this that reminds me how much I love you. Make love to me."
"Later. Right now, we have to evacuate everyone to the subterranean city-shelters. Prep up the General Viola and General Kruger's forces and have them remain on standby upon my command."
The bridge of Susheela's flagship, the Viraat, looked more like a posh and cozy den than a traditional bridge. The floors were carpeted, the furniture were made of mahogany wood or in the case of the computer terminals encased in wood. All of the female intel officers and the driver were required to be dressed in the finest uniforms acceptable in the eyes of Susheela, who had often occupied her lavish "balcony" that doubled as a steering platform for the driver.
She sat at the head of a small table having tea along with Helena charity and her husband, Cary Charity, who was veiled top to bottom and covered with a hollow white mask. His mask had a "jaw" to which allowed him access to his mouth, because in every few hours he had to take his pills. He looked healthy on the outside, but something inside of him made him think otherwise. At least he wasn't bed-ridden like many other males of Helena's harem sporadically planted in various places all over the Congregational Confederation.
It was uneasy to have him in the bridge. Susheela was adamant in forbidding men to be present in such sensitive command areas, but she gave in to Helena's nagging insistence, possibly to showcase Cary as a trophy. The officers were occasionally distracted, but remained so even in their deep focus of their duty. Susheela was very suspicious of this, but she still had to keep her face before her potential business and political partner, or her potential rival if things did not go to well between the two mega-corporations.
"Ending transmission of A.I. copies," reported the Intel Lieutenant.
"They have taken the bait," smiled Helena.
"Brilliant plan," said Susheela. "While they prepare to fight us, we'll go intercept my granddaughter and her lover's escape to the south."
"But we'll have to put up a fight, so they won't suspect anything."
"And what of your nephew and the group he took away from me?"
"Just like the President, we don't know where they are. Did you have any updates on your end?"
"None at all."
"You could do this more peacefully," said Cary. "Like put up wanted posters, and march in to do our own investigation. They would probably lets us in because of the sheer size of our aerial force."
Helena looked at her current husband of interest. Her face was irked, but she forced herself to smile and pretend to pinch his cheek.
"I was kidding," said Cary. "We should wipe out those damn dykes."
"In due time," smiled Helena. "They'll soon die out as God have planned for them."
"And now we wait for Pacific Mariner to launch their forces," said Susheela. "Then we launch our own robotic forces and maybe fire a few rounds to the city from our cannons."
"What is that sound?" Eva asked.
"It's the sirens," said Rin. "We're being invaded."
"Grandmother... How could you?"
"Hurry up and get in!" cried Leticia.
Eva, who was carrying her infant daughter Evie fitted themselves in the rear seat while Jerri took the front driver seat of the stealth buggy the Amazon machinist Sally and her girls had been building up. The garage was open, and Mona Runner was still tapping her foot at the outside front of the shop waiting to accompany Jerri and her family out of the city.
Close to the entrance inside the shop were the bound Amazon Jan, the normal June, and the now-calm Doctor Emerald Rogers. They were kept an eye on by Mina and Patricia, while leaving the bandaged Marie Anderson in a wheelchair. She tried to get up, but Patricia put her hand on her shoulder and brought her safely back down.
"I'm all right," said Marie. "I thank you for the on-the-spot surgery, but I can heal the rest. After all, I am a created human."
"You still look pretty banged up to me," said Mina. "Hey Jerri! What do we do with the mad doctor and her goons?"
Jerri, who was in the middle of the final review the controls of the stealth buggy, looked over to Mina and the group. Emerald, Jan, and June looked really defeated and Jerri felt a lot of pity of them, despite their recent assault on her and her family.
"Let them go," said Jerri. "And don't send them to the police if you please."
"Are you serious?" asked Eva. "They attacked us?"
"I know, but just look at them."
"They won't look that way once they untie them. Besides, they might still pursue us."
"At the risk of revealing their secret to the Congregation and Nataraja?"
Jerri lowered her head thinking about the revelation Emerald gave to her about engineered woman who were able to impregnate other women.
"And doctor."
"Yes?" answered Emerald.
"Thanks a lot. Now untie them, guys. They can't give us a proper send off if they can't move their hands."
"Serious?" asked Mina.
"I'm serious."
Mina and Patricia did as they told, and during which Marie got back on her feet after a bit of a struggled. She looked on to Jerri with longing eyes.
"Please take care," said Marie. "And you take care Misses Adams."
"Thanks," said Eva.
The engine of the buggy finally roared to life, and Jerri pulled it out of the machine shop. Mona Runner had her engine running on her mono-bike since she arrived her and then pulled up close to the buggy.
"The government already knows about this," said Mona.
"They do?" asked Jerri.
"I told them myself. But you must understand that they support you all the way, and they want you and your family to escape the clutches of Congregational Corporation and Nataraja Agriculture."
"Nobody seems to like those groups."
"With good reason. Anyway, follow me. I will rendezvous you to Jeremiah's group."
"I'll finally get to see Eva's husband. I wonder what he's like."
"We'll leave it at that," said Eva. "Now let's go."
They drove off with Sally, Emerald, Marie, and the rest of the girls waving goodbye. Even June and Jan were weeping as they waved.
The streets were almost totally deserted as they drove through the city, but Jerri and Eva had caught a glimpse of officer Aureal, the waitress Camille, Jean the media producer, and many of their friends. Jerri, Eva, and even Evie waved back, although for the two adult women they were smiling quite sadly.
They drove close to the city's limits where the border patrol nodded and allowed them to pass through. From then on, the journey took them through long stretches of mud wilderness occasionally populated by crooked trees and out-of-control vines. They drove fast as possible without upsetting Evie.
Then suddenly they heard a high-pitched buzzing sound as they drove through a expansive savanna.
"Oh God no," gasped Eva. She quickly drew out her pistol and cocked it.
"Can you see it Mona?" asked Eva.
"I don't see it," replied Mona as she drew out her pistol. "They must have known that we'd be coming here. The assault on the city was just a bluff!"
"What is it?" Jerri asked.
Something struck the side of the buggy, nearly veering off course into a valley. Jerri recovered and she immediately felt as if she hit something. She looked to her right and saw accelerating at the same speed as the buggy a tiger-like creature that was mostly organic, but looked as if it was also mechanical. To her surprise, another one manifested on her left, the front, and behind. Then appearing at eye level were numerous bat-like creatures of the same design. The tiger creatures kept on ramming onto the buggy with their heads and shoulders, and the bat creatures were trying to confuse Jerri by screeching and getting into her eyes.
Before Jerri knew it, Mona was thrown off course onto the side of the road by the tigers.
"What are those things?" she asked. She swatted a bat away and rammed a tiger into some large rocks, which upon impact disintegrated like dust. To her dismay, another one manifested in its place.
"Those are just nanomachine manifestations created from local matter," said Eva as she fired at the bats and the tigers. "The control unit is close by, but the thing is it's very small like a bee."
"So we're screwed?"
"If I could shoot the control unit. Jerri, keep driving. I'm strapping Evie to the back seat."
"Whatever it is that you're doing, be careful."
Evie was strapped on, and surprisingly she remained quiet and smiling as if this was a game. Eva, however, precariously climbed through the windowless window balanced herself on the roof in a crouching position with one hand on the tube rail of the roof that served as her only link to the buggy. The bats were crowding her eyes and no matter how many times she destroyed them they quickly manifested again before her, and sometimes they multiplied twofold.
She was looking for something past the bats and the tigers. Was it below? Was it behind her? Was it really far?
Aha! She spotted the small winged golden orb device zipping back and forth almost like a hummingbird, but without the rapid flapping of wings. She took position, however limited it may be on the roof of the buggy and in a snap she fired. The small golden orb shattered to pieces, and immediately the manifested tigers and bats disintegrated.
"You did it!" Jerri cried.
"Jerri watch out!"
"Huh?"
Jerri floored the brake pedal as she came to abrupt stop before she fell in one of the many sinkholes that appeared before her. Eva was thrown off and landed in one of them. Jerri leapt out of the buggy and ran to her beloved, who was now resting in a shallow yet soft pit of sand.
"Eva!" Jerri cried.
Suddenly, Eva pulled Jerri out of hole and ran towards the buggy as something burst from the holes nearby. Eva held out her pistol at two hulking human-like machines, which were actually armored power suits called Archons used by the Congregational Confederation's forces, and they were there because in a sense they too served the Congregational Corporation.
"Throw down your weapon and surrender!" cried a woman's voice from first power suit.
"Don't make us hurt your lesbian lover and that child in the back seat," said the other.
Evie was crying. Soon enough, a relatively small corvette type airship of the Congregational Corporation descended and deployed more piloted Archons, each of which were armed with a heavy titanium sword blade on the left arm and a motorized Gatling gun on the right, and rode on legs that deployed wheels if needed. Jerri and her family were surrounded, and soon the airship landed before them opening up the main hatch. Female soldiers, both normal-sized and Amazon, hustled out with their assault rifles aimed and ready. Soon, their captain whose nametag read D. Scots walked out puffing out her cigarette, and then put it out when her eyes met Eva's.
"It's nice to see you again Misses Eva Nataraja," said captain D. Scots.
"You know her?" asked Jerri.
"Not on good terms," replied Eva. "Dana, please. Just let us go."
"Nice try," said Dana. "You have to go home and beg your grandmother and your family for forgiveness before you are on your way to become reincarnated as a lower primate."
"I won't go. I am going to be with Jerri and our daughter."
"How touchy. You have your own secret family when my brother won't suffice? I wish you were dead Eva, but I can't kill you since I'm under orders. I will however kill your lesbian wife and your daughter."
Eva fired a bullet that blew off Dana's hat.
"I'll die protecting them if I have to," said Eva.
"That's my job," said Jerri.
Dana frowned. "You're really asking for it bitch. Move in! Make sure the Nataraja girl is taken alive and make sure her dyke wife and child are brutally tortured to death."
With a gesture of her Dana's arm, the soldiers and Archon suits moved in, and Jerri and Eva huddled closer.
"I'm not going back," said Eva.
"I won't let them," said Jerri as she flexed her fists.
"It's an uphill battle."
"Yeah, but I been into crazy situations like this."
"Really?"
"No."
"A lot of help you are."
"Yeah."
They looked around. The environment was altered enough by Dana's troops so that Jerri and her family could not escape. Yet there were small and lonely mountain crags off to the sides that might hold some caves.
"Mona didn't exactly say where they're hiding at," Jerri noted.
Suddenly, one of the advancing soldiers collapsed. Then another one collapsed. More collapsed until Dana realized what was going on.
"Snipers!" she yelled.
Then one of the Archon was sliced cleanly in half, and another was disabled by destroying its optics head and piercing the center torso. Jerri blinked and she narrowed her eyes on two human figures so close to invisible was fighting off Dana's soldiers and machines. Just then, a black winged robotic creature landed on all fours and crushed the cockpit of the airship, and then bored through it like a drill. The airship exploded, throwing all the other soldiers and Dana off their feet. At least half were killed in the blast.
Dana rose and saw a woman with punching out the soldiers and the Archons
with a mechanical apparatus on her right arm, and she soon realized that she was the only one left alive and standing. She dropped her guns and made a run for it, but she soon stopped at the face of an Indian woman who looked somewhat similar to Eva.
"Dana," said Anila Nataraja.
"Oh, hello there," said Dana. "I was just..."
In one move Anila shot and killed Dana in the head with her Beretta 8000 pistol. Anila caught Dana's body, and allowed it to fall softly onto the ground.
"Anila!" Eva cried out. "And Mona, you're all right too!"
"Had a little trouble on the road," said Mona as she transformed her arm-enhancement apparatus back to a mono-bike.
Then to her surprise, the Amazon Kelly Richardson and mercenary Farrah Drake manifested before Jerri for they turned off their cloaking suits. Kelly had spiked onto the ground a massive buster sword whereas Farrah wielded a halberd-rifle.
"Cloak suits," said Farrah.
"Never seen them in person before," said Jerri.
"I'm not surprised you haven't. There's only like a few hundred thousand working ones left in this world, and the militaries hoard it all."
Anila's group buried the bodies and blew up all the machines. Riding in SUVs that picked them up, Jerri, Eva, and Evie were taken to the small crags and were then led into a cave. There were more armed guards; at least half were snipers who had just finished firing their weapons. They walked further in where a makeshift medical hospital was set up to keep up what appears to be a covered and adorned human laying in a bed while coughing.
Anila only allowed Jerri, Eva, and Evie to come forth, while the others watched from behind. She dismissed the two assistant nurses, and then knelt to her knees.
"Please forgive me," said Anila, "but Dana Scots is dead."
Jeremiah sighed. "I see."
"But I have fulfilled my duty and brought your wife."
Anila looked up and to her horror Jerri was bent over and close to Jeremiah. She then moved her hand close to his crotch, so it seemed, and Anila sprang up and pulled her away.
"I was just curious," said Jerri.
"Have you no respect?" snarled Anila. "This is Lord Jeremiah Charity Nataraja! If you were any other woman you would have been dead! You hear me?"
"I can't take a peek?"
"Out of the question!"
Jeremiah coughed, and Anila ran to his side.
"I am so sorry!" she said.
But behind his mask he laughed between the coughs. "That's a first. I almost wished that she did feel me up for a big surprise."
"That's... unlike you."
"Anyway, Eva, can you come closer?"
"Yes my husband," said Eva.
Evie was handed over to Jerri, and Eva bent over and tried to look into the eyeholes. It was dark and she couldn't see anything.
"Take off my mask," said Jeremiah.
Eva nodded. After receiving the keys from Anila, Eva unlocked the mask and slowly pulled it off her husband. The women in the back all turned their faces away, except for Anila, Jerri, and Evie who was now fast asleep.
With the mask off, Jerri saw the face of a live man, but her expectations fell short. His hair, though brown, was thoroughly grayed. His face was terribly sunken, and his right eye had no blue iris to match the one on the left. There was blood coming out of his mouth, to which Anila quickly wiped off. He wasn't ugly, let alone repulsive. He was rather pitifully handsome.
Eva stooped over and held his left gloved hand.
"You're so beautiful as always," he said.
"Thank you," said Eva. "You are too."
Jeremiah smiled, but he quickly coughed up again.
"My lord," said Anila. "You have to put your mask back on! The air here is bad!"
Jeremiah gestured Anila to calm down. "I appreciate all the care and love you have given me, but it is about time."
"No! You can't die! You can't!"
"Eva, I'm sorry I wasn't the husband you wanted me to be."
"No," said Eva. "You were more than enough. It was me that wasn't a proper wife, but I had to run away because the child I was pregnant with isn't yours."
"It isn't?"
Eva didn't want to yell it out loud, so she motioned her head towards Jerri.
"I see," said Jeremiah. Then he laughed. "Doesn't that beat all?"
"My husband, I love you, but my heart is with Jerri and my child. Please understand."
"I understand completely, and I am proud of your decision. I guess this is all part of God's plan, which I wholeheartedly accept. Miss Jerri."
"What is it?" asked Jerri.
"Please protect my wife and her child as long as possible, and always remain faithful to her."
"I will."
"Good. Ah, I think it's time for me to finally rest. I am so tired..."
Jeremiah closed his eyes, thus exciting distress in Anila.
"My lord!" she cried. "Speak to me!"
The equipment he was connected to flat-lined. In a panic, Anila tried to electro-shock him while Eva ran and held onto Jerri's arm. The two assistant nurses assisted her into bringing Jeremiah back to life, but they just could not do so. The man remained still, still smiling, and now deceased. Anila broke down in tears, and soon Eva and the rest of women had followed suit. Eventually, Evie woke up and started crying, and the only one who did not know how to react, and hence was not crying, was Jerri.
After the great outpour of tears, Anila covered up Jeremiah's face with the mask and locked it. Then she fixed up his robe and veil and folded his arms across his chest in regal manner.
Immediately, Anila, Eva and the group helped began assembling wood pyre to lay Jeremiah in while Jerria and Evie watched curiously. His body was then laid in, and was soon torched by a pocket lighter. The women gathered around and made their best effort to dress in white. They then recited many old Indian scriptures until at last they sang Jeremiah's favorite song that Jerri recognized as "Oh! Susanna."
Then they watched the burning, which was a bit of a risk as it would give away their location, but Anila would not allow Jeremiah's body to be tainted even after death. To her, it was purification. Many women decided to pack up and head out before the fires were to be discovered, but Eva remained watching. She even began stepping closer to the pyre as if she was attracted by its destructive beauty. Jerri suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Don't go in," she said.
Eva looked back at her and smiled. "I'm not that stupid and desperate."
"That's good."
"If things turned out otherwise, I would have remained with him till the end. Yet you are my first and hopefully my last love."
"Eva..."
Then Eva kissed Jerri so as to not to disturb the sleeping Evie in Jerri's other arm.
They were the last to board the van that Kelly drove and had Farrah, Devi, and Anila inside. Jeremiah's bed and his equipment were moved back inside. Anila would not allow anyone to touch them, especially the bed, and yet she was the one who was rubbing her upper body on the sheets in a vain attempt to soak up whatever remained of Jeremiah.
"You loved him," said Eva.
Anila looked at Eva with tearful eyes, and then nodded.
Then the van started and went with the caravan of robotic horses, SUVs, and mono-bike riders with the Garuda Interceptor hovering over the van itself. Anila fell asleep on top of Jeremiah's bed while Eva leaned on Jerri's shoulder at the rear-facing passenger seats. The information specialist was sitting with them and was snoring quietly despite the bumpy journey over the vast savanna of the western North America.
"What do we do now?" Jerri asked.
"Sleep," said Eva. "For the time being."
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