Chapter 27: Enter the wasteland
Built to house an army, warehouse 1137/A was filled to the brim with vehicles of every size and purpose. Everything from the humble Narcis to the mighty Saphrax was there, most in mid states of repair. Many of the vehicles had seen war, leaving precious few in pristine condition. The dark red and brown checkered paint of the Voxsturm Armored Combine was once proudly painted over each of them, it was now faded from sand blasted winds.
As Theo entered the warehouse, he was welcomed by the reek of engine oil, lubricants, sweat, and rubber. Combined, the mechanical stink was overwhelming, catching him off guard and disorienting him for a moment. It was hard, gathering ones thoughts in such an environment. The sounds and smells gave him a near permanent sense of unease.
As he made his way further inside, Theo saw that one of the armored personal carriers had returned from a recent expedition. Nine university students were exiting the Narcis, along with two adults, and one military liaison. They all seemed tired, their armor was filthy, covered in grime and soot, but they all had smiles on their faces. They seemed happy to return home, and not just in one piece, but with several crates of old computers, and a beat up four foot tall terminal with a shattered glass screen, in tow.
The vehicle itself seemed to be in one piece, with only its paint tarnished. That renewed his confidence a bit; Believing their expedition would safely return if given a similar vehicle.
His eyes lingered on one girl among the group in particular, one who looked almost exactly like one of the dancers at the darling blossom. Another woman behind her was definitely the bartender who served him a cocktail mixed with her own breast milk only weeks before.
There was no way the older woman was a student, but perhaps a mother? Or associate? He supposed it only made sense, after all, several in his own expedition weren't students either. The other adult was clearly a professor, Theo recognized him easily enough.
Careful not to garner their attention, Theo skirted around the periphery of their view. He was excited, walking through the warehouse in search of his group. Their staging area was supposed to be situated toward the rear of the warehouse, Victor had texted him the details that morning.
It didn't take him long to find it.
An older Narcis sat underneath an array of brimming orange lanterns, its bulk large enough to field an entire platoon with room to spare. The vehicle was designed for moving men and material through the wasteland, and could be converted for added combat roles if necessary. This particular model was devoid of any weapon systems, its top turret had its gun removed to be replaced with armored glass. The paint job was newly finished, and Theo saw that the livery was that of a dull red with black caution stripes along the sides.
Monica was leaning against the vehicle, her armored bodice and cavlar corset left her arms bare, and some of her cleavage exposed. She was fiddling with a tiny cigarette, seemingly undecided if she wanted to smoke it now or later.
Next to her, Victor was busy going through a checklist, and waved at him. His gear was almost the same as his own, thick padded material complimented by sturdy ceramic plates. While cumbersome, it should protect him from the elements, at least to an extent.
Theo was surprised to find both Laura and Lucy there as well, each of them in a dark purple—almost black—skin tight suits, with ceramic plated armor over their chests. Lucy eyed him warily, while Laura shot him a playful smirk.
Cassie sat on the roof of the Narcis, her back pressed against the observation turret. She was stroking a slender long barreled rifle, inspecting it obsessively. She wore no ceramic armor plating, or tactical suit of any kind, instead going with a nylon bodysuit that was currently unzipped down the middle.
Michael and Marci had yet to arrive, although Theo wasn't surprised. He figured they would be late, Mike almost always was to just about anything.
Theo walked toward Victor, but when he saw Lorelei he froze dead in his tracks.
Lorelei looked stunning! A dark crimson tacsuit fitted her womanly frame perfectly. A solid black armored bodice covered her giving breasts, the cleavage he could see was sheathed underneath fine layers of latex looking material. Her shoulder pauldrons were layered ceramic plates, yet the armor panels down her arms and legs were thin and smooth, almost indiscernible against the tight fitting under-sleeve. Even her tail was somehow fitted in a thin spandex-looking material, and curled in midair behind her.
She looked over to him, her cheeks blushing, and slowly walked towards him.
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Despite her military background Lorelei hadn't ever seen a human armored personnel carrier before, and was blatantly surprised to find a large hunk of metal on treads waiting for them. Standing about four meters tall, and ten meters wide, the main chassis was built to take an immeasurable amount of punishment. The outer hull was covered in scars, dents, and scratches that were badly painted over with red and black checkered camouflage paint.
On the roof was a single mounted canopy, designed to fit an anti-personal cannon, but the weapon had been removed and replaced with a solid armored glass cover. She supposed it would offer one of the vehicles occupants an observational view of their surroundings during transit.
Laying on the forward prow of the tank, the driver was waiting for them. He wore a flak armored vest loosely over a dull storm grey uniform, and a gas mask over his face. An older spiked helmet was leisurely hanging on the side from his belt, and a myriad of patches were stitched on the right sleeve of his uniform.
"Why doesn't it hover?" Lorelei asked the driver in confusion.
"What? You mean anti-grav panels? Sorry Succubus girl, nothing fancy like that here." His voice was charming beneath the mask.
"This looks like a garbage truck," Monica cut in, not impressed by the state of things.
"She may look ugly, but old Jessie here has never let me down, and I trust nothing else to take a ride outside."
Lorelei sighed to herself, feeling the weight of her chest pressing firmly against the armored bodice of her war-gear. The tacsuit clung tightly to her skin, filling into every groove and crevice, leaving little to the imagination without her armor. The pauldrons made her shoulders seem broader, and there were no ceramic plates covering her buttocks, which she couldn't tell if that was a deliberate oversight, or not. She supposed it would be easier not having to sit down with two curved plates on her bottom cheeks, but still, it made her feel weird…insecure.
Next to her, Monica looked unprotected by comparison. Her own gear was nothing like the standard, or even upgraded, protective suits the standard army used. It was very clear by the way the non-students prepared themselves that they all had very liberal-minded ideas on what counted for adequate protection.
Then again, having better maneuverability, or less weight to carry, had its benefits as well. Lorelei knew that from experience.
Lorelei found herself lost in thought, not impressed by the crew, or the vehicle about to carry them beyond the wall. Just about everyone was there, except for a couple key characters.
Konrad was late, so too was Marci, and her boy-toy.
It did surprise her that Theo was late as well, him being the most excited for this trip made her think he would be the first to arrive.
Just as her mind started to wander about him, Lorelei caught sight of Theo at the edge of her periphery. Theo had chosen a wide arch around the warehouse to find their staging area, and he seemed to pick up the pace upon noticing them.
He looked good in armor and uniform.
Carrying a small duffel back over his shoulder, he was distracted by the APC.
Without even realizing it, Lorelei had taken several steps toward him. Both of them froze, looking at each other in the middle of the warehouse.
"Sup, Lori?" Theo smiled, setting his duffel bag down next to him.
Lorelei felt a little awkward, but not completely overwhelmed. She definitely felt just in control enough not to run away.
"Hey!" She grabbed her tail, noticing how it was lashing to the side. "Its good to see you. You excited to…get out there…" She suddenly realized she didn't know what to say. "You—you good to get goin?"
If Theo noticed her awkward stammer, he pretended not to notice. "Oh you bet, but are you ok with going back out there again?"
Lorelei wasn't, but she shoved that thought deep down. "Don't worry, you can count on me! I'll make sure to keep you safe…"
"Oh really?" Theo chuckled.
What did I just say? Lorelei's face was frozen in a quivering smile, as Theo picked up his duffel bag and strode to her side. "So where's the big guy?" He asked, clearly referring to Konrad.
Lorelei twirled around, and walked beside him to the Narcis. "Not sure, Mike and Marci aren't here yet either."
"I've noticed," the sound of someone tripping over something far behind them, followed by a loud bout of swearing made them both chuckle. "Never mind, they must've just gotten here. There probably hungover from last night."
"Those two," Lorelei rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, those two."
Without even realizing it, Lorelei noticed her hand felt abnormally warmer than before. At some point during their brief conversation, while walking toward the vehicle, her hand had found his.
What!!!
"I didn't realize you were always so friendly," Theo teased her. "But you can let go of my hand now."
Lorelei shot her hand back to scratch at the back of her neck. "Sorry—sorry."
What the hell is wrong with me!
Everything else that happened over the next several minutes; Konrad's arrival, Mike and Marci's arguments, even Theo's questions about the trip, hardly registered. Lorelei's mind had dissolved into a whirlpool of embarrassment, and she could hardly think about anything other than the feeling of Theo's hand holding hers.
Before she even knew it Lorelei had taken a seat aboard the Narcis, and even as the main gates for the exterior wall loomed, her mind was someplace else entirely.