Chapter 4

Not long after Johann has left does the door open again. Story almost doesn’t bother looking up. When she does, however, she sees Doctor Reading standing before her. See recognizes the woman right away.

“We don’t have much time to get you moving,” the doctor says, kneeling down to help Story to her feet.

“You’re a little late,” Story says groggily to the other woman.

“And I would have met you sooner, if had you not gotten caught or Johann not moved quite so fast.”

The last part of the statement sent alarm bells through her head. “What the fuck did he do to me?”

“Nothing that can be undone,” the doctor simply says. “Unfortunately, you are like us now and will have to feed like us.”

“You mean I’m going to have to eat those ... things?”

“Afraid so,” the doctor says edging Story toward the door. “Now let’s get moving. We don’t have a lot of time.”

After a few minutes Story gets her bearings and is able to move freely on her own. She follows Doctor Reading from corridor to corridor and from room to room, avoiding other staff and thus questions. She sees a soldier or two here and there, but not nearly as many as were outside when they captured her. She thinks about expressing her concern but decides that the good doctor must have a plan to avoid any confrontations, should the need arise.

Finally after what feels like hours, but most likely minutes, the two women arrive at a transparent door. Story can’t tell exactly what type of material it is but she knows it definitely isn’t glass or plastic. Above the door the words “Pod Six” are etched meticulously.

Before she can ask about the number, the doctor feeds her the information.

“There are three women to each pod. We have a total of twelve here.”

“Twelve?” Story asks not at all worried about the shock in her voice.

“We need a lot of power and we have a lot of staff to feed.”

“And they want to copy this?”

Doctor Reading quickly scans the area before turning her attention back to the other woman. “They plan to use a different alternative. Besides, it’s a small price to save your sister is it not?”

Story sighs. She doesn’t want this to be repeated anywhere else and her sister is the reason she is here. Well, not the only reason, but her main reason. “Let’s get this over with.”

“I’ve already collected one of the new hatchlings from one of the other pods,” she says pulling out a container similar to the one Johann had and hands it over to Story. “I am in charge of that pod so hopefully my fudging of the data will go unnoticed.”

Story truly doesn’t care if the woman gets caught or not, just as long as she and her sister go free. But she is curious.

“Why are you helping us?”

Doctor Reading walks over to the door and pushes a button. A small hatch opens and she reaches in pulling out a hand gun and an assault rifle. Upon handing the assault rifle to Story she says, “My sister is in Pod Eight. I was like you, resistant at first. When I didn’t join willingly Johann did that to her. Next it was me unless I converted. It was this or that.”

“And you chose that,” Story says, grabbing the weapon.

“Wouldn’t you?” Doctor Reading asks, releasing the button to open the pod.

Story glares at the doctor. “You could have done something like this earlier.” Without another word she steps through the doorway into the pod.

Once inside the stench of sex hits them hard. Story tries not to cough or gag and in between fits finds it amazing the doctor isn’t affected. Reading notices the questioning look behind the other woman’s eyes.

“Once you are fully converted, stuff like this won’t bother you.”

Story continues her fit for another minute or so until she can tolerate it. Then her attention goes to the large tentacle wavering in front of her with her sister being fucked wildly. “Catherine?”

Her voice is like a dull whisper compared to the noises her sister is making.

“She’s not going to respond to you,” Reading informs her. “Her memories are quelled by some drug-like side effect from the creature. She doesn’t know who she is, where she is at or even what is happening. All she knows and wants is him.”

“What the hell did you do to her?” Story asks pointing to the large cock sticking out from between her sister’s legs.

Doctor Reading laughs, despite herself. “We had to modify each girl for this to work. It’s all part of the alien biotechnology we discovered.”

“You’re lucky I need you to get out of here or I’d kill you where you stand,” Story growls out. She raises the assault rifle, aims it at the tentacle and pulls the trigger.

“No!” Reading yells.

But it is too late. The bullets tear into the pink flesh, sending pieces of it and the creatures pink blood in all different directions. She continues firing until the gun clicks empty at which point she tosses it to the ground and runs for the falling, lifeless tentacle.

Cat is lying on her side, breathing heavily, but not from the sudden attack or fall but because the tentacles are no longer pulsing and sliding through her. Story runs her hand along her sister’s face, trying to comfort her.

“It’s alright now. I’m here to take you away from this.”

Cat gurgles as she looks at Story with blank eyes.

“She can’t understand you,” Reading supplies. “In fact you’ve just ruined any chance we have to keeping her alive.”

“What do you mean?” she looks up with tear filled eyes.

“There’s a process to get her off without too many long term effects, at least until you got her to your destination. The only other chance she has is the emergency procedures that can only be done here at the center, but now the whole place is on alert.”

“Then we get her the help we need,” Story demands.

“Even if we could get her to a lab, we don’t have the time for it.”

“She’s coming with me then and they will save her.”

“She’ll die long before that happens and it will be agonizing,” Reading says coldly.

“I can’t just leave her like this,” Story says looking down at her older sister. “I can’t let them reuse her.”

Reading hands her the pistol. “We haven’t much time.”

Story looks at the doctor than the gun and nods, taking it from the woman. “I’m sorry we never got to meet each other,” she says to her sister.

-

The War Golem, Tanttan, and his female counterpart, Sage, are met by a squad of Sanctum soldiers upon blowing open the building’s main door.

“Hi there,” Sage says smiling. “Guess you’re going to tell us that we aren’t allowed to be here.”

The leader of the group steps forward, distinguishing him from the rest. “On the ground or we won’t hesitate to shoot. And you, you power down or something.”

“Alright, alright,” Sage says still smiling. She starts to drop down but as her knee touches the ground she draws out a knife with her right hand and lets it fly. Her left hand follows suit targeting a second soldier. Both of the knives land in the chests of their targets, dropping them dead before their bodies hit the floor.

Tanttan gets the drop on the remaining two before they realize what’s going on. His first strike lands with a giant fist to the top of the closest soldier, crushing the helmet and skull beneath. Before the last soldier can react, a jet of flame shoots from the War Golem’s opposite arm, igniting the soldier and reducing him to a charred piece of flesh and armor.

Sage quickly gets to her feet and waves on the giant machine. “Come on before they sound the alarm.”