Twen who had read the note herself before deciding to take it straight to Carla rather than routing it via the military authorities minced no words and called it a trap and Carla nodded in agreement. �I�m glad you were willing to bring this straight to me� Carla said, �If the military authorities had read this you know they would have stepped in and ordered me to not go and tried a full military assault instead, and that would at a minimum ensure the hostages would die first before even one of them were captured or killed, and a good deal of the assault force would likely perish as well.�

Folding the letter back up and sliding it in to her pouch, Carla looked at her friend and after several long seconds she asked her, �I can�t order you to do this, as that would tip off the commanders over us and they would interfere, but I want, scratch that, I need your help to save the hostages. A full force would ensure the death of them but if you were to assemble a squad say eight of your best and you leading them, even if you are spotted they may not be so willing to act quickly to eliminate the hostages. The fields are a good hard ride for a day and a half, and I want you if you can swing it to go with me and we can scout the area and see if we can come up with a plan to rescue the hostages even as I am in the fight with Tonya and whoever else may be there with her.�

Twen looked at Carla, she knew the woman well, had graduated from Carla�s course as a full huntress and there had also been the chance recently to even become a hunt mistress if she could meet Carla�s test but she failed there. However, in the end, she had developed a strong friendship with the woman before her. Now she rose and her voice while gentle was also firm. �You need not have asked, I would be glad to help, after seeing what they did at Palm City, anything to get back at them I would do without hesitation, and I think I know just the right women for the task, at least two of them have themselves graduated from your commando school and this will be a good test under real conditions of their abilities. Let�s check this place out and see what can be done to turn the tables on these bastards!�

The following morning under the guise of a long range recon patrol, Twen met Carla on the road not far from where the attack was and with her came the eight women she had picked and pledged to secrecy. Pushing hard, they made the trip inland and found the place where it had been described, and after some careful scouting, and ensuring no one was around, they entered the plant and adjoining buildings and searched them top to bottom seeking anything that they could use and after several hours found a weak spot that they could exploit. The next couple hours would be spent doing dry runs of possible ways to use it and satisfied they did what they could, they left the area, the meeting was still a couple days off, but when it came they would be ready.

That fateful night, Carla rode alone down the road towards the old sugar plant and watched the woods as she rode until she was almost in sight and then turned off and entered the woods, stopping just a few dozen yards in and gave a silent hand signal. From the ground several mounds of leaves and branches rose and revealed Twen and her fighting team and Carla briefed them a final time on the plans. They would while Carla continue down the road, head through the woods to where the single railroad track cut through the woods and from there sneak to a building about a third of the way across the open area and from there they would enter and begin their own plans. They were to wait however for several minutes watching Carla as she met initially with Tonya and then she would enter with her in to the main building if possible unless the fight took place outside instead. In either case once they made their move to the building there would be no turning back for them, even as Carla was already past the point of no return when she engaged Tonya.

The earlier search by Carla and Twen had convinced them that if the hostages were there at all, they would have to be in the main building where they could be contained and guarded, having them outside was too high a risk of them trying a break by scattering to all directions at once, the trick was getting in undetected and then getting out, and that was where the one outlying building had provided them a critical clue and weakness, that they hoped the terrorist Amazon like women had not themselves discovered, and would not until too late.

Final farewells were exchanged between Twen and Carla and then Twen led her group off through the woods to get herself in to position. Giving them roughly a quarter hour to do so, Carla then guided her horse out to the road and turned it towards the sugar plant just ahead.

Siren was the first to spot Carla from her post on the upper floor of the main building, the floor was part office and part work area and circled the outer perimeter of the building, windows had been set along the entire length and with allowing light and air in and from there she could walking back and forth across a catwalk like bridge check both sides of the building with regularity, the bridge thankfully was there because the center part of the second floor didn�t exist, it was all open air looking out and down on the main floor where Tonya and Lash were themselves partially lounging and partially waiting for Carla�s arrival. As Carla cleared the edge of the woods and began her ride through the remnants of the local cane field she was easily seen astride her mount and Siren called her presence out.

Tonya immediately looked up and asked her �What about others, did she bring any with her?� Siren looked and shook her head no, but then brought an infrared scanned to her eyes and also looked. �Only two life signs there, her and her horse� Tonya nodded, that sounded like the woman alright, Carla would arrive alone with her noble intentions that was about to make her after she was done with her, her prisoner. Looking towards Lash, she nodded and rose, leaving the room and checking the hostages they had brought along earlier that day. Within a couple of minutes, she returned, �Frightened, scared and wondering when they�ll die which is just how I like them� she snickered. �The window is welded shut from the outside with the extra metal we found and that door is securely locked and barred from the outside, they aren�t going no where!� Tonya snickered in turn, �Then it�s time for me to go out and greet the �returning hero� and bring her in.� Turning she slipped on her own scorpion pack and making sure it was operational, went to the door and boldly walked outside and in to plain sight.

Sure enough, in the open light of the rising moon Carla had ridden out in the open, past the woods and the scattered sugar cane that grew wildly now here and there and was now stopped in what used to be the parking lot for the place when it had been active centuries ago. Now it was empty, the weeds had overtaken a fair bit of it except where a couple of moldering heaps of rust marked long abandoned cars, apparently Carla was going to try and negotiate from there before she came in any closer and her voice rose clear and carried on the night�s air. �Alright Tonya, I�m here to exchange myself for the hostages, what are your terms!�

There was a smirk in Tonya�s voice and her response was almost what Carla had expected. �I want you bitch, we have some unfinished business and I want the chance to take you apart personally before I take you prisoner and bring you and the hostages back to the base. The commander there has plans for you, and you are going to like them even less than what I plan to do to you here!�

Carla�s own response was a snort of disgust and disdain, the sound carried easily to Tonya�s hearing, �I took you once I can do it again, if it was just you and me, but you must think me a fool to think you came out here with the hostages by yourself, so why don�t you introduce me to your friends and let me see them all first!� That got a scowl from Tonya, she knew Carla was clever she didn�t think she had the brains to figure out she was alone, without taking her eyes off Carla, she called �Lash come out here and meet Carla.� Tonya didn�t mention Siren on the second floor figuring to use her as a nasty surprise should things go sour.

As Lash came out, Carla�s eyed narrowed as she considered the second cloned woman now before her, slightly taller and leaner, her own muscles seemed a bit more impressive than Tonya�s and Carla knew at once this woman may be even more dangerous in a fight than Tonya was, there was certainly an aura about her that she could pick up even from close to a hundred yards away that said this woman was just plain evil, and it also made Carla�s chances to survive this against two powerful women like them even harder if it came down to an all out fight at two to one odds.

Tonya having satisfied Carla�s demand now demanded that she come in the building to �discuss unfinished business between us� but Carla remained where she was on her mount and made no attempt to come closer. �No deal bitch!� Carla snarled, �You said this was between us, and instead you have your friend with you to try and take me two on one!?! You must think me a fool to just walk in there and risk myself with no chance of winning the hostages and surviving the encounter.� That was enough to make Tonya pause, and even as she did, Carla nudged her horse and to her signal. Started to back up away from Tonya instead, it was not ignored by Tonya who had not expected Carla to possibly back out, this didn�t seem like the woman to abandon others in need so she would survive. Lash however was not above putting her mouth in gear and calling Carla a coward, and she did so, her voice a cruel and sarcastic tone as she said �Well, well, looks like the great hero is not all she seems to be. What�s the matter little girl, afraid to face a real and superior woman?!?�

Carla�s own face half froze with a scowl at the taunt, and she raised her voice a bit to ensure it would carry. �I wouldn�t exactly call you a woman, maybe a bitch, but hardly a woman! Besides, my business is with your friend, not a person who�s clearly a lackey to her that you respond to her every command like you just did!� That got a scowl from Lash and her own face in the twilight went a bit red, and Tonya from the side glancing at her half smiled and said �Touch�, I think!� Her attention shifted back then to Carla. �The fact remains you are backing away and seem unwilling to fight, are you going to let us take out your punishment on them instead?� Tonya was clearly trying to goad Carla to come in but her prey was not ready to give herself up.

�What happens to them does matter, but the word �hero� does not mean �dumb� despite what you bitches may think! I�ll not come close enough either to hand you an uncontested victory, you want me, I want the hostages, at least half of them freed up front, I want to see them and be able to speak to them without interference from you or an attempt to recapture them when I tell them to leave, you do that and then I�ll come in and you and I can fight for the fate of the rest of them.� For several seconds, the silence deepened between Carla and the dangerous duo before her, but then Tonya made her decision. �Go inside Lash, bring out ten of the hostages, choose the weakest among them and let her have them, we�ll keep the best ones here and add Carla as well, it�s a fair exchange to get our hands on her when you consider our orders from command.

Lash started to protest, but Tonya suddenly turned on her and her voice was steel cold and she said, �I gave you an order, now move!� Lash looked sullen but she turned and started inside, and from the side of her mouth as she turned back towards Carla, she added for her ears. �Don�t worry, when we reach the extraction point with Carla and the rest, we can always pay a return visit to that village and pick up some more easily enough.�

That got a sly grin from Lash, though Carla didn�t see it as she was already facing away and heading inside. Raiding the village again would be a good thing as far as she was concerned, more prisoners to be used and abused as they wish was always a good thing. Reaching the remote room that used to be some kind of office, Lash pulled a key from her waist straps that held the stinger in place and unlocked the door and with stinger up and ready she moved in and started to pull the ten worst looking ones they had in there, two of them actually needed a little help to move after she and Tonya had decided to have a little fun with them while they waited for Carla earlier that day, but the other eight helped them along as well, and the whole batch were soon out in the one room while Lash locked the rest back up and then ushered from there in to the main area and then outside where Tonya waited.

Tonya barely glanced at them and told them, �You�re free for now... go to the one on the horseback, but remember this, we are here for good and you would be wise to tell your leaders that surrender is their only viable option, one way or another, you will all eventually belong to us whether you want it or not!� A few of them blinked in surprise that they were actually free and then there was a quick movement towards Carla as she waited well out in the parking area. As they got there, Carla looked them over briefly and told them rather bluntly, �I�m exchanging myself for your freedom, follow this road as quickly as your slowest one can move, don�t abandon anyone and make sure you all survive to travel about six miles down the road to a military outpost. Get to it, tell them what is happening and to expect an attack later probably. They�ll see to it you get all the way to freedom one way or another, now go before these bitches change their mind!�

That got a few words of protest from some of them, but Carla waved them to silence and told them to get going, �Don�t worry, I know the one who leads these cursed bitches and she wants me for revenge, but I have a few tricks she doesn�t know yet that may see me coming away from there alive yet, now get going!� That did it and they started moving at a slow jogging pace even as they helped each other to keep moving and Carla waited there until they reached the point where the road left the parking lot and entered the woods and sugar cane fields, before turning her attention back to Tonya and Lash.

Moving towards the two on horseback, Carla paused about two thirds of the way to dismount and tie her horse to the remnants of what used to be a parking lot light and then started forward on foot until about a dozen feet away and crossed her arms even as she warily watched the two with their scorpion stingers pointed at her. It was time to start playing her games with them in an attempt to bluff and trick her way in to freeing the rest of the hostages and walking away intact, and her first move was to try and get rid of those weapons pointed at her. Putting sarcasm in her voice, she said, �So looks like I was right, you�re not the superior woman you think you are after all! Two of you against one of me, and you even need your toys there to deal with me. So, are you going to blast me where I stand and get this over with or do you have the courage to ditch your toys and try to prove to me one on one that you can actually beat me?�

Carla�s words are enough to trigger Lash in to action and before Tonya could stop her or order her to stand down, she triggered her sonic blaster and nailed Carla hard with a blast that knocked her off her feet and blasted her a good twenty or more feet away before she tumbles to a stop and surprisingly was not rendered unconscious though it�s clear she was badly shaken and probably hurt from the blast and then she slowly rises and her eyes are solely on Lash, and she starts forward until she�s close to the original dozen or so feet away. There is a look in her eyes and she crosses her arms in front of her as she stares pointedly at Lash and utters one word as if condemning her. �Coward!� It�s enough for Lash to start forward ready this time to tackle her herself but Tonya moved first and her own scorpion tail sweeps and clubs Lash from behind at the back of her knees and drops her on her back and she�s looking up at the business end of the stinger just a few feet from her face. Tonya�s own voice is hard and deadly cold, �Unless you are figuring to spend a lot of time in the fast recovery chamber, or being replaced completely because I won�t be bringing your body back, you had best not make another move like that unless I tell you too!

At that close a range, Lash freezes, she knows even if she moves she would still be in the close blast and at that close a range her brain would be reduced to nothing and she would definitely be dead. The look on her face says it all, and Tonya reads it as well, and her next command is equally unpleasant to her but she knows she is not going to have a choice. �Release your pack and roll over, I�m relieving you of it for the time being in case you get any other not so bright ideas.� Slowly, Lash releases the clasp that holds it on and then rolls over, and still keeping the stinger on her, Tonya reaches down and picks up the pack and easily carries it over one arm, even as she also watches Carla to make sure she does not try anything funny either.

For her part, Carla had exhaled a brief sigh of relief and kept her face a mask to not show she was satisfied with the results, she had managed to goad one of them and got some friction going between them that she might be able to play on, the fact Tonya had relieved this other woman of her weapon pack was also a good sign, that was one less of those weapons to be pointed at her, now if she can just get Tonya to remove her own, she might have a lot better chance to succeed here, it was still very long odds to succeed but they would at least be better.

�So�, Carla added, �You said you wanted a fight with me, against that stinger of yours, especially after seeing what it did just now, not apt to be much of one unless you think you can take me without it, can you?� The comment got a scowl from Tonya and she snarled in turn, �Watch your mouth bitch! You got lucky the last time, this time I will beat you so badly you�ll wish you never saw me the first time!� A moment�s pause, and she continued before Carla could say more though she apparently was about to as she opened her mouth and was cut off. �As for the stingers, I don�t need mine either, nor does Lash here; we�re both more than capable of taking you down and taking you out!�

Carla had in part been hoping to keep the fight out there where they were, a good deal of her plan was hinged on it and keeping Tonya and now also Lash away from Twen and the others when they sneaked in, but Tonya apparently had other ideas as she gestured towards the door and Lash went in first and Tonya bluntly told Carla, �Inside bitch, we got some nice hard concrete floors in there to slam your body on repeatedly while I take you apart!� A slight shrug by Carla of her shoulders and she turned to follow Lash in with Tonya not that far behind, and Carla very much aware that she still had the stinger on and pointed her way.

The threesome once inside stopped, and Tonya told Carla, �OK bitch, you wanted a fight like the last time! Strip down bitch! And move out in the middle there where I�ll have plenty of room to take you apart and you have little room to run. Carla looked around and then slowly started to strip down, even as Lash turned and locked the main door they had come through. They were in the main room of the plant, at one time sugar cane cutting machines used to cover the floor and also belts but these were all long gone leaving bare floor except for some old rusted bolts sticking up where the machines used to be bolted to the concrete. Carla was also looking around, this area took up about two thirds of the building and for luck, the women had chosen this room which may work for her, the plan was for Twen to enter via the next room over which was separated by walls and a door that was thankfully closed, if they can stay quiet enough and find the hostages in there, since they were clearly not out here in the main area...

Stripped finally, Carla stepped towards the center carefully looking for and choosing a spot with the most open space and clear of the bolts in the floor, a trip or fall or worse a slam on those was apt to do some serious damage and she wanted to avoid it at least to her if possible. Satisfied she had Carla just as she wanted her; Tonya finally was removing her own pack, and set it and Lash�s pack on the floor against a wall and started to peel down, a look of eager anticipation on her face. The humiliation she had endured not just at Carla�s hands but also from the others at the outpost were about to be wiped clean after she got done with her. Normally, stripping down was a sign of shame and humiliation to her kind, a fact she had recently used herself against both Lash and Vexx, but this thought was far from her mind right now, she realized nude didn�t bother the woman before her, in fact it seemed to bother none of the women, a weakness in her eyes, but to prove she was better than Carla stripping herself so she was the same as Carla and then destroying her was far more important! Lash however had different ideas about this, �Commander, I request permission to deal with this bitch! You know I want a piece of her, to prove my worth, and after I trash her she�ll be much easier for you to take your revenge on as well.� Tonya glanced at Lash and there was an almost condescending tone to her, �Yes and if I allow it and you succeed, anything I do afterwards will be a hollow victory as I wasn�t the one who took her apart first.� It looked like Tonya was going to go first and Carla saw a possible opening to sow more dissention and she spoke up. �Let her try me first Tonya, I think I can take her, in fact I�m certain I can, and make her regret her words, and she�ll not be able to say you lost so easy either if she lost as well.� A brief pause as she considered how to best get her way with Tonya and she added, �Besides we�re not going any where and I can rest up and be fresh after a few hours for you to try and lose to me a second time then!�

The first part appealed in a way to the vanity of Tonya, she would like to see Lash lose and shut her up about her loss though the quip about Carla then taking her as well almost blew the deal and she was waffling for several seconds and Carla decided to push it a bit further as she looked at Lash and her voice tinged with contempt as she tried to force the issue, �What will it be then fool? An all out fight? Or would you rather we dueled with holds?� The hiss of anger from Lash was welcome and she turned and again asked Tonya for the right to face her first, and Tonya apparently caved in. �Go ahead, I think I would enjoy seeing Carla shut your loud mouth up and she�s right, we have time enough for her to rest after she deals with you and then...� her voice dropped to a dangerous hiss �It will be my turn, and I will duel her and beat her at any duel she wants!�

That suited Lash just fine, and giving Carla a venomous stare she started to strip down and then stepped forward and struck a pose meant to strike fear of her muscled mass. If Carla was impressed, she hid it well except for perhaps a darkening of her eyes in the dim light of the place that came from the moonlight through the windows down there and from the upper level as well.

Perhaps noting that Tonya had already made her intentions known to duel Carla, Lash decided if he wanted to prove herself better she had to duel her as well, and almost as fast as the thoughts came to her she said, I�ll duel you, name your poison and be ready to deal with the effects of it because I will be your worst nightmare!�

For the first time, Carla allowed a small smile to play across her lips, perhaps meaning the smile, or perhaps she was just trying to play games with the mind of Lash and then said, �You look a bit more flexible that your boss there, but I think I�m better than you in that department, are you daring enough to risk being locked by me in to the Bahamian Backbreaker and then try to gain control of me and make me beg? If I do, then you have me as your prisoner, but if I can make you beg instead then I get to rest and duel Tonya in turn for the right to walk free with the hostages. Think you can take me?!� The last words though framed as a question was not spoken that way as Carla�s voice changed to an almost contemptuous tone, one that said unspoken that she didn�t think Lash had it in her to beat her in the duel. The tone was not lost on the powerful blonde and her face went crimson with barely suppressed anger.

Her voice was tight and with a near growl in it and she said �Show me how it�s done� and Carla allowed herself a small twitch of a smile at the apparent admission that the woman didn�t know the hold; casting a glance at Tonya she asked her, �Care to explain it to her?� But Tonya shook her head no as well, �Never heard of it but whatever the move is, you best be an expert in it or this won�t even be a duel, it�ll be pure one sided and I don�t mean you doing it to her and then me bitch!�

It was almost too good a chance to ignore for Carla, neither woman was aware of the dueling hold and since she had to apply it, considering who she was fighting, she was not above cheating herself in this matter. Looking as solemn as she could, she looked back to Lash and told her to pick a spot near the center and to lie down, face down. That got a growl of protest from Lash, but Carla was not going to let her have any chances to change things and cut her off. �You said you were not aware of it so I�ll have to apply it myself, watch me and don�t worry you�ll have your chance to reverse it soon enough, besides we have your boss here to watch us both and if I try anything funny I�m sure she�ll step in! You think I�m dumb enough to do that with both of you so close? Even without your toys, the two of you are dangerous!� Part compliment and part truth, it was meant to put Lash enough at ease so Carla could get her locked in and play her trick on her, and slowly after scanning the floor a bit, Lash chose a spot near the center and laid down.

Carla went to her feet and bent them and the legs back in to the classic Figure X leglock, but before she could go further Tonya growled �Back off Carla!� Surprise showed on her face, and not sure why Tonya demanded she back off, perhaps wanting to do the duel first instead, she let go of the legs and backed away slowly. Lash partially rose, a venomous look on her own face but it was directed more at Tonya than Carla, certain that Tonya was changing her mind and she would go first instead. Tonya however had something else in mind.

Tonya�s words were not towards Carla but at Lash instead as she barked an order, �You want to prove yourself superior to her, then match her and strip completely, you get no protection from your outfit for this duel, and you�ll take her nude just as she is!� The order got a scowl from Lash, she had already recently suffered and been humiliated by Tonya after the abortive attempt to capture Plague when Tonya had her and Vexx stripped and then sent to take out the fort, now she had to strip again to face this one human and it galled her, but her conditioning to obey orders even those she hated over ruled her feelings and she slowly rose and stripped off her gear and threw it aside and then laid down a second time and allowed Carla to again lock her legs in the figure X pattern. Carla then stepped between Lash�s legs and thrust Lash�s feet and lower legs between her own and locked her feet behind Carla�s own calves. Normally for the duel, Carla wound have crossed her own legs before thrusting her foes feet between hers, but because they didn�t know the hold she didn�t cross her legs and then leaning back putting pressure on the trapped legs, she stuck her hands in to the armpits of Lash and then thrust forward putting higher strain and pain on the locked legs and arching her foe�s back much like a Boston Crab, and heard a gasp from Lash under her. �From up here I control and punish you as you can see and feel. You need to stretch and flatten me enough to roll so you get on top and can thrust forward to reverse the hold!� Carla said and then she tried to push further out dragging Lash in to a deeper arch and work her back as well.

Tonya�s face partially cleared as she got the idea and she yelled at Lash, �It�s like the figure four leglock you roll for control, move it girl stretch her out and roll her under!� Her words were almost useless for Lash had caught the concept just as fast and even as the words came from Tonya�s mouth, she was already pouring power in to stretching out Carla and trying to turn her over, the turnover attempt came a bit too soon before she had really stretched Carla out and keep her stretched and the cunning of Carla took immediate advantage of the space to bend herself enough to effectively block the rollover, even against a brute force attempt by Lash to finish the turnaround and as she paused to gather her breath and strength for a second attempt, Carla moved and regained the top and quickly arched out a second time and this time she went a lot deeper drawing her foes back even further up and back and getting an angry hiss from Lash, surprised that Carla had not just blocked her attempts but now had her in control again.

Worse, from the side, Tonya was actually enjoying herself if the chuckle that she heard was any indication, she was clearly enjoying seeing Lash struggle against Carla and being not so successful as she thought she�s be. The amusement vanished moments later when Siren�s voice came from above. �Commander! Intruder Alert! A group of fighting women just entered the field area near the railroad access point.�

Anger suffused Tonya�s face as she heard that and she snarled at Carla, �Bitch! Did you think you could fool us! Think we would be able to not protect ourselves?� Carla�s own face was showing the strain of keeping Lash under her which given the woman�s power was no easy feat, but she looked at Tonya as she towered over her and shook her head in denial. �Not mine.� She gasped and then had to struggle for several seconds as Lash seeing the distraction tried to power Carla flat, but she held for now and gasped. �I sent the first group to the fortress down the road for protection and to be escorted from the area, maybe they ran in to a patrol and getting their story came to investigate.� Any further words she didn�t have time for as she had to give a lot more attention to Lash who had been slowly stretching Carla out and this time she got her flat and rolled her all the way under and arched herself up and high, an evil grin on her face as she heard Carla gasp and utter a small moan as she wound up on bottom, and arched. Lash�s face may not have been so triumphant if she saw Carla hiding her grin as she could easily bear the arching she was in, was in fact less than the arching she did in her exercises, and was gasping and moaning more to trick her in to thinking she was taking damage.

Tonya however was not quite ready to buy the tale and she looked up in to the darkness and saw Siren looking over the side. �Watch them, show no lights and used the infrareds to see how many and make sure there are none approaching from any other direction!� Siren nodded and she returned to her duties even as Tonya quickly slid herself back in to uniform and added her own stinger before kneeling down in front of Carla�s face and she tried to look like she was straining to also fool Tonya. �For your sake, they had better not be someone you brought with you, we will take some of them prisoner and question them completely, if they betray you, let�s just say you�ll not like what happens to them and even less what we do to you, we don�t need you alive and kicking when we bring you to the commander, just barely alive will suffice.� Rising she looked down at Lash who was herself struggling against the occasional power bursts from Carla herself and said, �Me and Siren can handle a small group, you stay here and deal with this bitch, while we go outside and greet our �guests�.�

Lash didn�t like the idea, she wanted the chance to pound some of the new arrivals as well, but orders were orders and she gave a vicious thrust to Carla and got a gasp from her in turn and grinned evilly. �Starting to hurt bitch! It gets a whole lot worse before I�m done with you and I doubt Tonya will have much left to play with when I�m done!� Tonya had risen by then but she added a final warning to Lash, defeat her but don�t break her, that�s my prerogative in case you forgot, you break her and I�ve seen enough to replace her with myself and you will have to deal with me instead!� The warning issued, she turned to Siren and demanded a status report. �All other areas show clear visual and infrared sweeps, the group went to one of the outermost buildings and went in there, they seem to be staying there perhaps to watch for signs of us, I make out nine heat signatures though they are close enough to each other to be hard to separate them.�

That got a frown from Tonya, she had expected a large military force if Carla came with one, this did indeed sound like a recon patrol of some kind, probably like Carla had suggested. Looking up at Siren, she called. Keep watching them and also keep sweeping the full 360 I want no unpleasant surprises in case this is a feint!� Little did Tonya know it but she was absolutely correct and even now as Siren watched from above, Twen and her group had been busy already.

Once they entered the building, they had gone to the center of it where the rail tracks had gone through the building and removed some rotted wood planks that covered an opening through the floor to a tunnel a good dozen feet or so below. Once opened they had removed from their packs a large bag and set them around the one corner closest to the main building and a pair near the window and added water to them and was rewarded with the packs heating up and helping create a heat signature to fool any infrared seekers, that done they dropped through the opening on ropes to the tunnel below.

Once all down there except for one to stay on watch above and further help fool watchers they began to follow the tunnel. It had long ago been used by the mill to unload sugar cane from rail cars and it dropped on a conveyor belt below and transported to the main building, now the group went swiftly under the ground protected from sight and infrareds by close to a dozen feet of ground using hand torches until they approached the point where the conveyor used to rise and entered the main building. This area had been sealed off ages ago but the main exit point was not what they were interested, a bit further back they stopped at a ladder in the wall and looked up at a metal hatch that used to be a service entrance for mechanics to come down and fix the conveyor, now they slowly climbed the ladder and after listening carefully slowly cracked the hatch and looked around.

Everything was quiet, and essentially all dark except for a faint light and they took a chance and opened the hatch all the way and looked around. One of the scouts was first up and out followed by Twen and then the rest until the remaining eight women were now inside the building. From here on, absolute silence was mandatory, but they had rehearsed this already and knew this and used hand signals. The sole light was from a pair of windows in the opposite ends of the hall area and a few doors led to various offices and the like including the possible hostages.

Quietly, they spread out a bit checking the doors quickly, one of them signaled the others of sounds from beyond, but Twen shook her head no, that was the door to the main area, and she was probably hearing Carla and the others in there. Then one of the others heard sounds and this time they decided it was the hostages. Getting the door was actually easy enough, one of the fighting women was also a local locksmith and she had come prepared, within a minute, the lock on the door was free and they quietly removed the extra bar and set it on the floor and braced it against the door to the main area, making it possibly harder for them to get the door open if they alerted to their presence.

With recently gained knowledge that swords were useless, they had brought wooden weapons instead and these once readied they opened the door and slipped inside. The prisoners were there, and immediately the rescuers made schussing sounds to keep them from alerting their captors and the crowd stilled at once realizing the danger. Twen checked the remaining prisoners and in a soft voice explained the procedures they would use. The prisoners removed shoes to avoid foot sounds and carrying them, one by one were taken to the ladder entry and they climbed down and moved a short way before putting their shoes back on. Within four minutes the prisoners and the team were done there, the door closed and the bar returned to its place to make it look untampered. Twen was the last one out and would have been the last down, but she hesitated and looked back to the door leading to the main area and then made her decision.

Kneeling down, she quietly called to her sergeant to take charge and get the prisoners out, breaking as a group from the rail building and heading down to rail line until it crossed the road and then follow the road to the nearby fortress, Twen was staying there and when the escape was spotted, she would reveal herself there and try to help Carla escape as well, or if not, she would sell her life very dearly and hopefully slow their pursuit enough to ensure they did escape. Wishing them luck, Twen closed the hatch and tried to hide the easy to spot trail of footprints in the hallways by rapidly padding up and down the length several times herself to confuse the trail a bit. Satisfied, she hunkered on the backside of the door and listened to the sounds from beyond, certain that when the break did occur there would be a ruckus in there to tell her it went down and then she would reveal herself as well. Sliding from her own backpack, Twen smiled at her own choice of weapons, a large wooden club in which she had inserted an iron bar in the center that would hopefully work, and a pair of old fashioned bolos to entangle and bring down the feet of an Amazon woman so she could hopefully get close enough to engage one on one.

For the next ten minutes or so, the occasional moan and curse could be heard from the other side, Carla�s voice was clearly among them, but other voices as well could be heard and Twen realized that if Carla was fighting someone, she must be doing damage to them if their sounds were an indication. Twen had guessed right, with a bit of skill and trickery, Carla was getting her foe to pour more and more of her strength and stamina in to trying to harm her when she was doing minimal at best and had repeatedly used the brief pauses while Lash regrouped her strength to reverse the hold and do some damage of her own. The combination of making Lash waste her energy and her own damage was taking it�s toll on her bigger foe and she was sweating profusely and was long ago coated in the a heavy layer of dirt from the floor as they rolled back and forth. Carla had even started to taunt Lash each time she got on top and only enraged her further and made her waste more energy, and Carla was not above playing games with Tonya as well, asking her if she could do any better than her lackey was doing? Tonya�s response was usually a surly growl that was too low to hear the actual words from where Twen hid, but then everything broke loose with the alarm from Siren.

�Commander! Activity at the outer building, they are leaving and heading back to the woods. Wait a minute, there�s too many heat signatures there!� A few seconds as Siren used regular field glasses and her words help a touch of alarm to it. �It�s the prisoners! They have the prisoners they are escaping up the rail line in to the woods!�

Tonya�s response was crisp and immediate as she ordered Siren to leave her post and begin pursuit of them. Turning to the straining pair before her, Tonya set aside her plans and snarled at Lash, I�m checking the prisoner room, she doesn�t have to survive to serve the commander�s needs, finish her off!� Moments later heavy footsteps were heard coming towards the door Twen was behind and she prepared herself for a final time for the fight.

The door crashed open and Tonya half charged past Twen and went right for the door bar where the prisoners were and Twen was right behind her. Instincts caused her to pick up on Twen and she whirled and blocked the club heading for her head and yelled in surprise as her arm barely absorbed the blow, the heavy wood was not being protected by her armor, and she raised her stinger for a point blank shot at Twen. The woman however was not going to stay and fight there and leapt back in one move and in the next she was through the door and in to the main room where Carla was and Tonya in hot pursuit. A glance around and Twen easily spotted Lash and Carla struggling, Lash was trying to abandon the duel and was twisting desperately to do so, but she didn�t know that the only way to escape was for the one applying the hold had to unlock it and only if the other was limp. Her struggles were making that impossible to do and she was going crazy as each twist and attempt to buck free just did more damage to her legs and to a lesser extent to her back, though Carla trapped underneath for now was also doing her best now to arch her back even further since she was ordered to kill her, she had no qualms about killing first and remembering Plague�s advise to kill her from either the heart or the mind had reached up and snagged Lash�s chin and was trying to bend it back far enough to break her neck and end her threat enough to break the deadly duel and finish her fully.

Spotting Twen she shouted, �I saw the third one, upper level, she went out the window up there and is in pursuit of the others out there.� Any chance to respond however was wasted as Tonya emerged even as Carla was shouting and Twen began to race around the room towards the far end where some heavy equipment still remained and could be used as a partial shield against the force of the stinger.

It was just as well as Tonya fired and the metal groaned and partially buckled but an answering gasp from Tonya suggested that the metal had partially reflected the sonic blast back at her in part. Abandoning the sonic blaster for now, Tonya gave full chase determined to pin her foe and deal with her directly. It was not what Twen wanted either and not realizing the stinger was not going to be used, she ducked and dodged around this piece of equipment and that, even as Tonya tried to use her tail to bludgeon her and knock her down long enough to reach her.

The chase came to an end with an unpleasant surprise as Twen sped between a pair of large panels and a third overhead making a short tunnel and then turned the corner, a sharp sparking sound came from behind followed by Tonya cursing loudly and she appeared, smoke erupting from her backpack where the stinger came from and the stinger tail itself swaying wildly and drunkenly striking anything in its way and apparently out of control. With a curse, Tonya managed to power the tail down and discarded it, the unit now apparently useless and slowing her and then turned on Twen who had stopped a dozen or so feet away, she had her bolos out now and as Tonya charged her, she spun them quickly and released, the weapon tangling around knees and thighs and stopping the woman and toppling her as she tried to reach down and free herself.

It was an opening for Twen, perhaps the only one she might get given the stakes now in play and she leapt forward and aimed a kick for Tonya�s head and managed a glancing blow as Tonya spotted the action and rolled to avoid the impact and still trying to get at the entangling bolos. For a split second Twen was wide open the one foot in the air and Tonya saw it and took advantage of it and swung a club like arm at the other leg connecting and toppling Twen on top of her and the two began a deadly struggle on the ground. Tonya was reaching for Twen�s neck with both hands and she was desperately holding them inches away from closing around it with all her strength, even as they rolled and Twen managed to come on top and started to slam her knee in to her womanhood in a desperate attempt to break Tonya�s attempts to throttle her.

Over on the other side of the room, it was anyone�s game, Lash�s longer body length was allowing her to even though she was not in the two way hold able to bend Carla back enough that her back was not actually threatening to become damage and in turn, Carla�s hands clasped around the chin had also turned in to a partial choke hold and partial blood hold as she extended her thumbs and was probing the neck desperately and blindly in an attempt to locate the Carotids that fed the blood to the brain and cut them off with pressure to them. She wasn�t having much luck there but Lash was gasping for breath as her neck bend dangerously back had severely restricted her air intake and she was at a point if she thrust forward any further to appoint she might damage Carla�s spine the neck bending on her may also reach the point of breaking her neck and she was hoping to outlast the woman below her, even as she heard Carla sing a chant of some kind and figured it to be her death dirge knowing her end was near at Lash�s hands.

Glancing around for any kind of advantage she could use against Carla under her she saw the answer mere inches away. Their struggle had taken them close to one of the floor bolts, and if she could just get Carla�s body up a bit in the air...

Taking a dangerous chance, Lash strained forward and felt her own breath stop as her neck strained to not snap and she had to divert a lot of her attention to keeping her neck muscles as tense as possible, but she felt Carla�s body lift further and she started to writhe and twist again forcing the two to change their direction a bit at a time, Carla never saw the danger as she was intent on Lash until it was too late and they were positioned over the bolt and Lash relaxed and dropped Carla hard on the bolt. The old rusted metal did not take well to the impact and partially broke, a sharp edge stabbing in to the side of Carla getting an involuntary gasp and then a scream from her and her hold on the chin faltered and Lash broke free of it. Realizing she succeeded Lash started to rock Carla in the hold trying to drive the bolt in deeper and open the wound up as she saw blood start to seep out from under Carla.

Near the other end of the main room, the all out struggle with Tonya had started to turn mostly thanks to the blows to the groin and she was writhing more and more the pain in her face growing with each successful blow. Before the whole affair had begun, earlier, Carla had briefed them all of what Plague had revealed to her about only the head and heart being their weak spots to kill them and had added her own observation from her fight with Tonya that the women were susceptible to sexual attacks, Twen found herself now in such a position as Tonya weakened from the blows and still unable to free her legs found her hands slowly shifted from her attempts to choke out Twen to being pinned on the floor above her head, even as Twen abandoned her groin attack and tried to use the tactics Carla suggested and dropped down and tried to breast smother the big woman under her. Her leather gear would not mold and shape as well as a natural smother would, but she doubted she would have the chance to strip her top off and do it that way. Thankfully an ample bosom and some flexibility did manage to cut off about 90% of the air and it was having the desired effect of radically weakening Tonya as she ground her face in to the leather covered breasts and Tonya found herself in a dangerous situation where she was fading for lack of air, and worse she was getting erotically excited again by yet another woman�s breasts and at the risk of going in to a climax even as she might die, and that also ignited a berserker like rage in her as well that she was having this done to her a second time and by an unknown woman to boot!

With a near bestial howl, Tonya shuddered and jackknifed hard and it was enough to throw the feisty Huntress off her and she tried to rise to her feet but fell yet again thanks to the bolos still entwined. Twen was not so hampered and she closed even as she rose and went for another head kick, this one scored solidly, but Tonya was losing control in her anger and thrashed around to face her and swung with both hands forcing Twen to skip back to avoid the blow, However, and as Tonya reached for and this time grabbed the bolos and snapped the cord, she gave Twen a final opening and she closed and managed to get behind her and applied a sleeper hold trying to take her down before she could finish freeing her legs and rise to throw her off.

It was dangerous locked as she was with Twen trying to put her out, but Tonya was intent on getting the entangling line off her legs and did so first and then started to rise anyway, dragging Twen up with her as she tried to hang on and make the sleeper take hold. She could already feel some of the effects starting and she realized the wall was right behind her and threw herself backwards slamming Twen in to it with her own weight crushing her to it. The impact was enough to drive most of the air from Twen but she hung on grimly as Tonya stepped forward to throw herself back in to the wall again and crush Twen, actually half leaping up and locking her legs around Tonya�s waist in a scissoring action though against the heavy body of Tonya�s the scissors were not the most effective from there.

Tonya could feel herself going out and in a last attempt to break the hold, she twisted and dropped backward to the floor her weight over Twen was enough to drive the last of the air from Twen and she tried to scream but could not as she felt one of the ribs give way from the hard impact. Still she hung in there and rode Tonya as she rolled to hands and knees and tried to rise but then collapsed as the hold finally took effect and she went out.

Letting go and having trouble standing herself, as she gasped for breath and tried to not cry from the sharp pain of her broken rib, she turned and saw the trouble Carla was in and half ran, half staggered for the struggling pair. Approaching from the side, Twen delivered a sharp kick to the side of Lash with enough strength to force the two on their sides and in the process it got Carla off the dangerous bolt but the damage was done and Carla was definitely bleeding badly even as Lash tried to reach for Twen to jerk her off her feet as well and re-roll Carla back under at the same time.

The two way attack at the same time seemed doomed however as Carla strained to not be forced back on the spike and Twen managed to snag one of the powerful arms and held it with both hands effectively helping to immobilize the viscous woman on her side. It was not enough however to free Carla from her current peril, and Twen responded despite her own injuries dropping her knee down full force to the head of lash and repeating it a couple times enough to rattle the bigger woman and slow her struggles, it gave her the opening she needed and on the fourth drop to the head, she shifted and wound her legs around the head and leaned back stretching the captured arm out and drawing the head deep between the thighs and she closed them in a scissors that got a barked �Unn� from the powerful woman and her struggles grew worse as she tried even harder now to escape the two way attack. The new shift using the scissors was enough to let Carla also regain some movement without again impaling herself and she managed to regain the top position twisting Lash�s neck along the way as she abandoned her grip on Lash�s shoulders to press one hand against her wound to slow the blood and still try to arch and damage the back if not snap it. The dual assault however was rapidly becoming to much for the larger woman, her twisted neck while unable to be snapped was being closed from the pressure on the head that keep her from turning it to free the airway and she was fast fading, even faster than her own regenerative abilities could compensate for. After a good minute trapped in the dual grips she finally passed out. The two women looked at each other, no words spoken, they knew this one was trouble, was going to kill them if she got the chance but their own belief in life was holding them back, bad as they wanted to end the threat of her. Twen made the first move unlocking her legs and standing up, and then helped Carla get the legs unlocked and rise to her own feet.

�The hostages?� Carla asked, and Twen nodded, �We got them out and unless that third bitch managed to catch up to them, they have a good chance to escape.� Carla nodded her own head, �Let�s get out of here, before I change my mind and try to kill both of these women anyway, Tonya�s treachery by bringing her friends to back her up backfired this time on her, if it had been just her and me, it might well have gone against me, but she�ll have to deal with that now.�

A hoarse voice then came in and said, �No, you�ll have to deal with it bitch!� and they both looked, Tonya was awake from her sleeper induced hold and on her feet and from the look on her face murder was clearly in her intent. Carla and Twen exchanged glances and without a further word they charged the woman and hit her with a double drop kick that sent her slamming back in to the nearby wall. A normal woman would have been stunned, but Tonya was still half in to her berserker mode and she stayed on her feet and seized Carla by her hair and jerked her to her feet so fiercely that a full handful of hair came out even as she rose and Tonya had no control over Carla, but she had risen enough and Tonya was close enough and her powerful arms closed around the body in a deadly bearhug and she tried to crush her ribs in and kill her, even as Carla struggled wildly and tried to break the hold by slamming her knee in to her crotch repeatedly. Twen had risen to her own feet and was trying to circle the big woman intent on getting her back in the sleeper but Tonya was wise to the move this time and she spun dragging Carla with her and kept Twen in front of her despite her attempts to get behind and partially used Carla as a shield to avoid a frontal attack. Carla was also getting desperate as the pressure reached critical on her ribs and she knew she would die unless she broke the no kill rule and her hands went up and for the eyes, the thumbs ready to stab in, and Tonya saw it and broke her hold on Carla thrusting her away and in to Twen even as she tried to get behind again and collided with Carla, the two going down together.

With a growl of rage Tonya followed them down, throwing herself down on top of Carla her hands going for her throat even as Twen managed to extract herself from the tangle and half rising grabbed Tonya by her hair an tried to pull her back and off. The attempt got a snarl from Tonya and she half turned letting go of Carla and slammed an elbow hard to the groin breaking Twen grasp on her hair and making her stumble back. As Tonya made her turn back to Carla however she made her own move from below heaving up and capturing her head with her arms and dragging herself up from the ground and buried Tonya in to a breast smother again, Twen in the meantime had recovered from the blow she had taken and saw Tonya�s arms coming up in response to the smother and start to close around Carla for another rib cracking bearhug and leapt at her from behind, this time with Tonya occupied with Carla she didn�t see her coming and she got her arm around Tonya�s neck and went once more for the sleeper and leapt up as well to try and scissor her waist.

The combined attack of smother, sleeper and scissors was enough to alarm Tonya and she quickly abandoned the bearhug and tried first to pry the arms from around her head to break Carla�s smother and then to try and break the sleeper hold by Twen. Worse however, Carla was using her body and grinding her breasts against Tonya�s in that crazy way that was arousing her despite her dangerous situation. Both women however were holding on with all they had determined to take the brawny woman down this time for the long count and within a half minute or so, the sleeper at least was taking effect as Tonya dropped heavily to her knees and began to shake, her hands still clawing alternately at Carla�s and Twen�s arms seeking to break any part of the assault. The three some soon toppled over as the last of Tonya�s air went bad and she began to fight for any kind of breath, abandoning any attempt to pry the arms free and instead her fingers sank claw like in to Carla�s breasts and clawed hard the nails were large and they with the power of Tonya behind them even as she faded dug deep in to the flesh and tore skin and flesh both starting even more bleeding that covered Carla�s and Tonya�s torso as the final stages of the struggle began to play out. A sudden shuddering from her as she took a particularly fierce bit of breast grinding from Carla that jacked her erotic sense up and it combined with the lack of air and her mixed feelings and she finally went limp, passing from consciousness to unconsciousness even as her body continued to jerk from the climatic action.

Carla waited only a few seconds more before releasing her own grip and saw Twen still locked in with the sleeper determined to put her down for good with it, and told her �She deserves to die, but I say let her live, let go of her and let�s get out of here while we can, she�ll have to answer to her own superiors I suspect and they�ll probably punish her a lot worse than we would.� Twen heard her and slowly unlocked her grip and rose as well, the look on her face however told that she was obeying but would rather not. The images of the recent attack on Palm City were still too fresh in her mind and she wanted these people to pay in kind, the rules about preserving life in their case she felt should not apply.

A quick look at the other woman showed her out as well still and the two made for the door to try and complete their escape. As they exited, they saw the third scorpion returning, she was already half way back across the open area and thankfully empty handed, the escaping prisoners and the other fighters must have either been too far ahead to easily catch or else the odds perhaps too high. At any rate, she spotted Carla and Twen lose and no sign of her own people and realized something had gone very wrong and broke in to a dead run at them, her scorpion tail rising to fire as soon as she was in range.

Carla had already felt the blast of those stingers and in her condition didn�t care to deal with it again or become prisoner again, with a jerk of her head, she pointed her horse out and the other direction and both women moved as fast as they could, both literally vaulting on to the back, even as Twen drew a knife and slashed the line that kept the horse at the old light pole and they turned towards the roadway in seeking to put distance between them and Siren who was in pursuit.

A sharp crackle of sound and a painful blow enveloped them both and almost dismounted them from the impact, the horse reared as well from the pain almost throwing the two women who clung as best as they could before it came down and broke in to a wild and panic driven gallop that had both women clinging for dear life and unable to control the beast for now. A second crackle came and again they were hit, but distance had opened between them and was getting wider each second and this was more like being swarmed by red ants and bitten repeatedly. The third blast they heard but didn�t feel even as they reached the wood line and disappeared in to the area where it ran the woods and a hoped for rendezvous several miles down the road with the prisoners and hopefully an alerted fortress by now.

Within a couple hundred yards they slowed the horse to a walk after a quick look back and saw no signs of pursuit, the third Scorpion called Siren had apparently realized she could not hope to catch them on foot and returned to the building where she�s no doubt find the other two unconscious women. Suddenly Carla cursed violently and alarmed Twen searched around thinking they were being attacked but saw nothing, asking Carla what was wrong, she was rewarded as Carla spat an oath of anger at herself and slapped herself up side of the head. �I just screwed up royally back there, not just by getting us both hurt, but when we ran from there, we ran right past one of those weapon packs sitting against the wall and never thought to grab it and take it with us. The commanders would have loved to get their hands on one of those and might even overlook what we just did here to free the captives!� Glancing back the way they came from Carla asked, �You feel up to...� then she stopped at the look on Twen�s face. The answer already plain on her face as she considered her probably broken rib and Carla�s own bleeding, her one hand still pressed to the wound that while it had stopped bleeding probably was hurting real bad. �Yeah, you�re right, too risky in our current state, but damm! That was a dumb mistake that a recruit should make not someone like us!� Turning towards the fortress down the road they urged the horse up to an easy trot to not overload it with them both riding it and completed their escape.

Epilog One

Carla had been right, Siren realized she could not catch up with them on the horse and had turned back to the building where she found both Tonya and Lash just waking from their enforced naps, Lash in fact was already on her feet and was staggering towards the door as Siren came in while Tonya was still on hands and knees trying to shake off the effects she had just endured. As she rose and looked around and saw Siren back and empty handed her own face screwed up in anger and her hands balled in to fists of impotent rage as she realized that Carla had essentially defeated her a second time, and that was not going to make her look good to Commander Sarah when they got back, but then she looked down at herself and allowed herself a half smile.

Going to a large backpack in the corner she extracted several medical slides and began to scrape the blood on her that was Carla�s and also some bits of flesh she had gouged from Carla�s breasts that were clinging to her fingers before examining the bolt on the floor where Lash had managed to impale Carla and recovered some more blood and bits of flesh and skin from it. Holding the prized items up for the others to see she growled, �The bitch may have escaped and we may have lost the hostages, but she gave us something worth even more, let�s get this back to the base and when they use these samples...� Tonya paused a moment as she recalled Commander Sarah�s orders, �We�ll be giving Carla the worst nightmare in her life!� she finished.

Epilog Two

Carla and Twen actually ran in to the second group of escaped prisoners a mile or so shy of the fortress along with the fighting women escort. Their initial smiles faded however when they saw three bodies with them. Siren had apparently caught up to them and in attempting to capture them, they had turned as a group on the sole scorpion and thanks to the wooden clubs and other wood weapons had managed to hurt her enough to force her to retreat, but not before one of the hostages and two fighting women had paid the ultimate price of their lives. Without any words, both Twen and Carla dismounted and the bodies placed on the horse for the final distance to the fortress and they whole group did a slow jog for the place which was the best speed they could manage with some of the others also injured from the scrap with Siren. Their bloodied arrival at the fortress was met with alarm and the hostages and bodies were quickly loaded on wagons and taken at top speed to a larger town and military post while Carla and Twen and her surviving team after being patched up, returned to the sugar plant ready for a fight but by then the deadly trio of had also departed the area, leaving behind them a building in flames to hide their tracks and possibly pursuit as anyone coming would have to first deal with the fire to keep it from spreading beyond the building in to the nearby fields and finally the woods. Thankfully it was easy enough to contain as a lot of the area was still paved over parking lot and the few routes of grass they controlled easily enough and just let the building itself burn down and out. That would take until well past dawn, and tired and hungry the group returned to the fortress where Carla thanked Twen and her fighting women and again reminded them the mission was a secret not open to discussion unless commanded by a superior officer. They then departed returning to their own respective areas to see what new troubles the Amazon women might spring on them next and hopefully stop them before they could do too much damage.