Waiting in the junction, watching her dress fluttering in the dark, Emma found the heat and humidity sucking the energy out of her. She had been waiting for a while, worried about Leira, wondering if she had been caught or hurt. It wasn't until she finally saw her crawling out of the vent that she let the worry go for a moment before sensing difficulty in her movement.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Emma whispered urgently.

“Fell down a vent. Hit the floor fucking hard. Met some doc, gave me some shit for the pain. Explained what was going on and such.” Leira was slow-moving and badly bruised.

“I was worried about you.”

“Thanks, girl. I’m hurt but I will be fine eventually. As soon as we get out of this shithole.”

“That doctor going to help us?”

“Sorta. Like, he didn't say he would, but he knows enough about this place. I figure we force his hand and he will get over being scared really fucking quick. Said there was a radio upstairs as well.”

“I think I saw it. But I don't think we can get to it with the vents. They didn't really lay them out conveniently.”

“No, we need the others if we are gonna fight these fuckers.”

“How? They have the collars.”

“And we just have to rescue a human who can give them orders. We go get him, he can tell us how to take off the collars.”

“You think you can do that?”

“I think you can. My back is really fucking sore, even with the meds he gave me, and I don't think it's gonna get better.”

“But if there are soldiers guarding him…”

“Then we gotta be really careful. But I’m barely able to move myself. Not gonna be tackling some fucker like this. Of course, neither are you, but you are prolly better at being subtle than I am.”

Emma couldn't really argue any specific point with Leira but still didn't like it. She moved behind Leira, who was facing away and resting with her arms on the wall to support herself. Sliding one hand over her back and the other between her legs. Leira spread her legs the moment she realised what was going on, letting her breasts swell to full size. Touching Leira the way she liked to touch herself, she moved her hand over Leira's back, slowly tracing the bruises. Although telling her body to heal was beyond her ability, telling the muscles to relax was almost as good. Leira quietly moaned as the pain drained from her back and pleasure spread forth from between her legs.

“Feeling better?” Emma whispered in her ear as she pushed harder on Leiras panties.

“Fuck yes. Keep going. Make me fucking cum,” Leira whispered desperately.

“Not this time,” Emma let go of her and backed away. “That would just tense you up again.”

Leira turned around and sighed with a pout, “For a girl who doesn't like other girls, you are damn good at that.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice with myself and it's what I need to do to avoid living here. Also, you’re a friend in need so why not?”

“It's nice to have friends.” Leira smiled.

“Yes, it is.” Emma returned the smile.

“With benefits is better.”

Emma shook her head, rolling her eyes with a smile, and started down towards the lower vent. Being rather more careful, they avoided the fall into the lab and found another drop at an angle that led into a lavatory. Thankfully, someone had left the light on and Emma unlatched the vent cover. She was slowly crawling out when the door latch was suddenly making noise. Dashing to the wall where the door would cover her when it opened, she waited and hoped that Leira wouldn't come out or that he wouldn't notice the open vent.

Instead, he closed the door behind him and Emma could see herself in the mirror over the sink. Their eyes met in the mirror, and while he was distracted by the barely dressed elf, she rushed up behind him. Putting a hand on his back, his legs suddenly gave way causing him to fall to his knees. Emma guided his fall and bent him over the toilet. She put her hand on his head and shoved it in.

“Breathe deep,” she whispered.

It was harder to control people when they were pumping adrenaline through their bodies, but one lungful of water meant she only had to counter his actions for a short while. Another lungful and he was still. His body fell back on the floor as Leira came out of the vent with a look of shock on her face.

“You killed him,” she muttered.

Emma stomped on his chest. He suddenly sputtered and spewed the water out of his lungs onto the floor. As he recovered Emma drew his pistol and handed it to Leira as she took his knife. Holding it against his throat, she waited for him to realise his situation.

“Some people think that if you save someone's life, that life belongs to that person. Now, since I'm also the one who killed you I don't think that would apply, but either way, your life is in my hands. So tell me, you going to do what I say? Or am I going to have to kill you again?”

“Damn, girl…” Leira muttered.

The guard, still sputtering water as he coughed, nodded his head. They got him to his feet, then Emma went to take a peek through the door. Suddenly it swung open.

“Hey, dumbass what…” was all he said before he noticed the knife in his throat and the delicate elf hand holding it.

The body slumped to the floor. Emma was shocked in disbelief at what she had done. The drowning was a risk she knew but figured she could bring him back. This was unexpected, permanent. She felt numb. Leira pushed the prisoner past Emma and the body to the door to the lab so he couldn't see her reaction. Emma shuddered and looked away.

Leira pushed the prisoner towards the door, “Open it.”

He turned the handle and opened the door, looking back at Leira, wondering if he would be killed right after.

“Again?! What are you… did you fall in the toilet or something?” Adler asked.

“Or something,” Leira answered, pushing him further in the lab.

“What about the other one?” he asked.

“Dead. If you don't mind taking care of this one, I will go check on my friend.”

Adler took the pistol as she offered it to him, and grinned madly as he looked at the guard who had been taunting him for a very long while. Leira left and returned to Emma, who was just outside the bathroom leaning against the wall and staring at the empty floor.

“All these fuckers deserve to die. Even if it's not in self-defense. One less to put a noose around later.” Leira took Emma by the shoulders for a firm shake.

“I’ve seen people die before. Like, get shot or something. I always wondered why they needed to do that. Couldn't they just figure a way around their problems? But I knew right then that I didn't have time. The risk that he wouldn't listen was too great. If I didn't do anything then, then I wouldn't be able to do anything later.”

“Look, this is all good shit to examine for one's mental health. But not right now. Like you said, don't do anything now, can't do it later. Well, we need to rescue the fuck out of our friends and ourselves right now. If we don't, then we can't later on. So shove that shit aside until we are safe. Then if you want to spend hours talking about it, I will totally fucking listen. Even if we don't fuck while doing it. Friends do that shit, right?”

Emma looked at Leira and nodded. Then nodded at the two rifles resting against a table the soldiers had been playing cards at. Leira went back to the lab.

“Strip that fucker naked and hope his shit fits you. We are getting out of here.”

****

Hannah bounced as the truck rumbled over the dirt road, almost knocking her from her seat. A mild panic ensued as two soldiers burnt some fingers trying to keep the small stove from tipping or losing their soup.

“You two have heard of gloves, right?” Hannah scoffed.

“Yes, Ma’am. Got them right here in my pocket.” The master chef replied sheepishly, putting them on before going back to keeping the soup stable for the next bump.

Another series of bumps pleasantly reminded Hannah of her favourite toy as they vibrated the man inside her in a similar way for a few moments. Her hips swayed on his lap as his hands held her mostly in place. She needed all the support she could get since her hands were busy pressing her breasts around the hard shaft of the man standing in front of her. Watching it slide between her flesh mounds, Hannah kept her mouth open and ready. The truck suddenly came to a stop that almost sent the soup flying.

“Shit, they're gonna make us get out,” said the man, suddenly pumping faster between her breasts.

He was working rapidly when they heard Gray call out, “Leftenant Hannah?” as he walked down the convoy of trucks.

He arrived at hers in time to see her wrapping her lips around the man finally relieved of his seed.

“Is she in that one sergeant?” The general called out.

After a pause that allowed Hannah to at least start buttoning up her jacket, he replied, “Yes, sir.”

The man holding her hips bucked himself firmly to have his satisfaction as well and grunted at his release. Swallowing the last of it, Hannah pulled her mouth away and snatched a handkerchief from the hand of Grey as he offered her one. Cleaning her face and then between her legs as she stood up, she was helpfully assisted with her pants by the man she had been sitting on. Just as everything was fastened and both soldiers had stuffed themselves back in their own pants, the rear curtain opened up wide to reveal the general.

“My dear, I must apologise for not including you in my carriage.” The general eyed her appreciatively.

“No worries, sir. Some men have more important matters to concern themselves with than where their lowly officers sit.”

“Ah, true, but a lady such as yourself is never below the concern of a proper gentleman. Please, it is lunchtime and I would hate to eat without you at my table.”

“Ah well, I have already had something to eat…” Hannah looked down at the soup and the faces of the soldiers sitting, trying not to show anything on their face. “But I am sure you have much nobler fare to offer.”

Grey rolled his eyes, happily behind the general, who replied, “Indeed I do. Come.”

He closed the flap and returned to his carriage while Hannah turned to the man she had sat on, “I already did, twice.”

Stifled chuckles followed her as she hopped out of the truck and went to join the general.

****

Ving could have set the ship down without a dock, but Inky had given a gesture to just get low and drop a ladder. Hovering there for a brief time as they climbed their way aboard, Ving wondered what they had found. Quickly getting some altitude and setting the helm to lock, she went downstairs to where Liddy would have greeted them. Everyone was there.

“What did you find?” Liddy asked.

“Just an empty shack where they had been keeping trucks and shackles. The only other way they could have gone was back to the city,” Inky replied, frustrated.

“If they took them all back to the city, they could be anywhere,” Astra added.

“Slave market, docks, some warehouse, anywhere that handles cargo, and nowhere we can start kicking down doors. Don't know if the city knew about this, but we can't fight them and half the city at the same time.”

“Hit the bricks then. Ask around and try to locate them first,” Conna spoke up.

“See if we can find that investigator fellow?” Cat suggested. “He should still be around and does this for a living.”

“Right, unless anyone else has a better idea, that is what we will do.” Liddy decided.

“I can fly around a bit,” Ving offered. “Get everyone on deck and see if we can spot truck tracks elsewhere?”

Liddy shrugged, “I doubt they would have gone off road, but keep us slow over the road and we will look all the same.”

Ving got back to the bridge and numbly guided the ship as her world continued to fall to pieces.

****

One uniform swap later and Adler was almost looking like a soldier holding his new rifle. Leira held the other one while also wearing the ammo pouches from the dead guard across her chest to her hip. Emma held the pistol in her hands wondering if she could ever actually use it.

“Alright, well, this isn't how I expected my escape to go, I have to say it isn't the worst plan that's come to me in my time here.” Adler tried to lighten the mood. “Now if we want to save your friends, we need the keys to their collars. They will be in the room where they were put on. Each collar has a unique key, so we can't just find one and release them all.”

“Will there be anyone in there?” Asked Emma, worried she might have to kill again.

“It's been a while since I knew much of what goes on, but if there aren't any deliveries or shipments then it's probably empty.”

“We’ll see, I guess,” Leira concluded, not wanting Emma to dwell on it.

Up through some corridors and a short staircase passing a number of old doors, they arrived at a final door Adler motioned them to stop at. Standing tall, he opened the door and walked through as if he owned the place. Then beckoned for the girls to follow once he was sure the room was clear. He closed the door behind them and slid the lock into place, in case the guard he tied up got loose and escaped from the cell.

Leira and Adler spread out checking cabinets and crates while Emma went to the desk. The top drawer contained a few random items like an old fountain pen, monocle, and a key ring that Emma held up proudly.

“Master key copies, good for doors but not the collars. That idiot just left them there. I'm finally glad he's still in charge around here.” Adler chuckled with a grin.

Emma opened a bigger filing drawer below the top one and gasped, “Well fuck me sloppy and sideways.”

“If you think we have time,” Leira replied with her own grin before coming over to look at what she had found.

In the big drawer were the keys they wanted. Along with absolutely every other one. Black tabs with rectangular metal wafers, all with different shapes, piled in without order or markings.

“Umm… well fuck berries on shit flakes,” she added not wanting to be outdone by the first profanity she heard the elf mutter.

“Seriously?” Adler blurted, finally seeing what they were looking at. “That is either the most profoundly stupid security or the most genius.”

“Genius?” Emma asked.

“Think about it,” he started. “Anyone tries to escape because they got an order they could work around, or wants to let someone go free, has to spend hours checking every damn key in here. Long enough to get caught doing it.”

“Well, Foxy and Easy are new, so they would be on the top right?” Leira asked hopefully.

“I suppose,” Adler answered. “But between deaths and releases to the market, they do need to unlock them from time to time. There needs to be some kind of system.”

“There was only an old pen and a monocle in the other drawer.”

“Oh, that fat sack of stupid,” Adler opened the other drawer and took both items out. “These are mine. Used them to keep notes and such hidden.”

He put the monocle on and took out a key. He smiled, taking a piece of paper off the desk and a normal pen to scribble down a number.

“That's the key number,” he stated. “Invisible ink that this lens can see. Just need to match it up to the collars and we got it. Still not fast but it's a whole lot faster now.”

“Right. Leira, you two go gather Foxy and Easy with whoever else you can without getting noticed. I will label keys on the top and hope we get lucky.”

Leira stripped naked, “Best camouflage ever. You wait by the door, I tell them to look and you give orders to obey.”

Adler nodded and opened the door to the breeding hall. Inside Leira saw all manner of Emberborn having sex in every way she could imagine. At least, the ways she could imagine that would also have a shot at causing pregnancy. Easy was easy to spot, having a crowd around her of men who had come to breed her but were instead breeding women who were more available.

Almost by her side, Leira was suddenly grabbed from behind and impaled by a man she couldn't see. Her back hurt again and she gasped in pain, suddenly drawing the attention of some of the nearby Emberborn. One of them was Easy who looked at her with surprise.

“Look over there,” Leira muttered and pointed.

Easy and the man she had mounted, as well as a few others around them, looked over to see the gestures being given to them. They started moving over without interrupting their breeding as Leira started looking for Foxy. The man behind her let her go as he filled her up, and Leira slowly walked with her sore back deeper into the hall. She wasn't paying attention to the man who came at her next, even though he was in front of her. Wrapping her legs around him and feeling him push inside she spotted Foxy and pointed.

“Over there in the pool.”

Leira worked her hips as best as her back allowed as she was carried into the fake hot springs pool. Foxy was currently bent over a rock in the water moaning as a fox man pleased her. Enjoying the hot water on her back, Leira inflated her breasts hoping it would get her partner off sooner.

“Foxy,” Leira whispered, trying not to get distracted by the lovely breasts the fox had, moving in the water with each thrust.

“Leira? What’s going on?” Foxy replied.

“Look over there.” Leira pointed again.

“Oh, alright,” Foxy replied, turning to show her partner.

Leira did the same and rode her partner to the doorway. They found Easy on the floor on top of her partner and four other couples still going at it.

“How are we doing?” Leira asked, still held by the man inside her.

Emma looked up, almost not surprised, “Got a bunch done, but no idea who they belong too.”

Adler closed the door after another male walked in, “The collars have numbers. We need to check them and match them. I will do that, and you can read off what we have found.”

“Alright, I…” Emma was picked up and pushed against the wall before being lifted by the final male who had come through after thinking the hand gestures included him.

He pulled her panties to the side and pinned Emma to the wall as he penetrated her. Emma wanted to resist and keep working, but felt so good feeling a man inside her and knowing she couldn't stop him anyway.

“Or I can do it all, I suppose,” Adler took the monocle from Emma as she handed it over before wrapping her arms around the feline male whose forceful thrusts made her moan and forget she could have satisfied him right away with a touch.

“Men first,” Leira called out. “Everyone told to enjoy this but it might not work when it's off. Can't have the women being forced by men who can't stop. Let them enjoy it until they are safe to release.”

“Right.”

Adler checked and wrote down the numbers of all the collars, trying to ignore the fact they were still breeding, and got to work finding the matching numbers. Like Foxy and Easy, some of them had keys on the top as well. Leira had her partner freed first and finally relaxed against the wall with her back in too much pain to dwell on the fact she had her sex interrupted. It just wasn't fun for her when it hurt like that. The partner backed away and stood in shock as he collected himself.

The reactions of the other men were similar, once they were relieved of their collars. Easy and Foxy had theirs taken off as well in case they were discovered and they needed to fight, but kept allowing the men inside them to avoid them trying to get back into the hall. Thankfully the men were freed quickly enough and the keys for the women discovered were used as soon as they didn't have to worry about them being taken by another man.

“Couldn't you just tell them to stop?” asked Emma as her partner let her down and withdrew from her.

“No, moving about sure, but not to stop breeding,” Adler replied, trying to find the final keys for the two women now waiting for men to take their place inside them.

Emma kept a hand on both to keep them from getting up, finding it difficult to fight with the collars. She sensed they used the same magic as she did. They had the labels for dozens of keys by the time the two final women were free.

“Alright, listen up,” Emma started. “Short version. Some of you have been here a while, others recently. This man isn't one of them, just wearing a uniform as a cover. We are going to get out of here and we have friends looking for us. We need the radio upstairs to call them in. We are going to fight our way there. You can help or stay here. Stay and you get the collars back on if we fail, come with us and you might get shot on the way. Helping us will increase the chances of getting out. I know you have been through a lot, and probably need to clear your heads. We don't have much time for that so it will just have to wait.”

“Fuck, our clothing is over here. Or, well, theirs is. Mine is on the floor over there or in the vents.” Leira interrupted.

“Okay, you have until you get dressed to sort out your heads. Then you make your choice.”

Foxy quickly got her uniform back on and loaded up with the ammo Leira had been wearing. The rest of the girls helped the others get dressed and put on whatever was available in the bin since elegant dresses were not made for combat.

The four women from the hall stayed behind with one of the men. Yet they all kept their distances, trying not to even look at each other. Quite possibly the first real alone time they had had in a long time. Seven other men nodded their agreement to follow the Harlots. Light on her feet, Foxy stalked up the staircase behind the door the woman with the hooves had come out of to laugh at her claw work.

At the top of the stairs was a short hallway connecting the area where the soldiers were to a locker room and shower. Hearing nobody in the locker room, Foxy ushered everyone inside. Taking some time to listen closely, Foxy then joined the rest.

“There are at least twenty of them in there with guns,” Foxy reported to her friends.

“I got an idea.” Adler smiled.

Foxy was suspicious of him, but Emma stopped her from speaking too aggressively, “Go on.”

“We get you all against the wall so they can't see you when they come in. Then I call them in and you aim your guns at them. With any luck, they leave their guns behind.”

“That's weak. How are you…”

“Alright!” Adler shouted as he turned on one of the showers. “What one of you fuckers took a shit in the shower?!”

He turned on some showers as commotion came into the shower room. Foxy, her hand forced, took up against the wall with the others, rifle ready. The men came in and looked around on the floor in the far corner where Adler was looking.

Confused, one asked, “Where is the shit?”

“Kid, you just stepped in it.” Adler smiled as he pointed towards Foxy.

Having not brought their weapons with them into the shower room because nobody needs to look at shit while armed, they raised their hands in surrender.

“That worked better than I thought.” Adler smiled at his successful ruse.

The men were liberated of whatever possessions they had brought with them into the showers before being gagged and tied up. Foxy looked at them.

“This is going to be loud, others will come. If they do, they will get set free and be our enemies again.”

Leira picked up on her meaning, and took Emma out of the shower room before she could protest. Foxy looked at the former slaves holding knives they took from the soldiers and nodded towards their prone former owners. She left and listened to their muffled screams that only lasted for a few moments. Emma was shaking in the hall and looking almost sick as Foxy walked by. She entered what was now obviously the armoury and found no other soldiers. Not that she expected any to have been silent enough to avoid her, but she was careful regardless. Two were on catwalks walking a patrol route. One between them and the radio room, and another walking a lengthwise catwalk along the side of the wall. They didn't need to go the second direction but taking out both would help ensure stealth for as long as possible.

Easy walked up behind her, “What next?”

“Lots of guns here that we can take, but if those two see us load up we are fucked. We got to take them out.”

“How fast are your legs?”

Foxy smiled, “Faster than most, I would think. I will get the one along the far side there. The man on the walkway is closer. Can you handle him?”

“Emma is a wreck. I get why she is, can't blame her but I can't blame you either. I don't like it, but I didn't learn to shoot because I never thought I'd have to be ready to kill someone.”

“Use a knife.”

Easy swapped her pistol with one of the men for his knife and hushed them all to wait while Foxy set her rifle and ammo down. Foxy went off dashing silently along the side of the building while Easy crossed the central walkway that ran over the trench they entered by. Slowly, in bare feet, she crept up behind the guard as he slowly walked over the breeding hall and took in the sights. Just as she was about to cross the final few feet, he stopped almost at the end of the walkway to turn around and come back. Easy sprinted the last few steps and leapt into the air as she beat her wings as fast as she could. Her body cleared over the guard just out of his field of view but the sound of her wings made him look up only to see an arm extended with a knife that slashed across his exposed throat. Easy landed softly before finally resting her wings and helped guide the dying man to the floor so he wouldn't make a noise.

Looking back up, she saw Foxy already on her way back, holding a rifle and ammo she had taken from the guard. Easy took up the weapons from the dead guard and crouched by the door to the radio room and waited. Hoping nobody would notice the body on the walkway. She could see the flurry of activity as the slaves gathered up weapons and ammo. Easy had just put the knife on the barrel of her rifle when the door opened. A figure emerged and stopped in his tracks upon seeing the dead body and suddenly having a bayonet rammed up under his chin at the same time. Easy pulled her rifle back and the man turned to look at her before stumbling away from her and over the side. Some bulky headphones that were resting around his neck went with him.

“What the?!” A voice shouted, and Easy turned to look in the open door to see a soldier who had been bored out of his skull a moment ago.

Easy twisted to align herself and shouldered her rifle to fire. The report boomed inside the confined space, and the man slumped back against the wall he had been leaning on a moment ago before his chest had a hole in it. He slumped to the floor, and Easy turned to see Foxy and the others hauling ass across the walkway. She ducked inside and soon the rest followed. They got in and dropped what they were carrying before suddenly sprinting back out.

“Not staying?!” Easy asked surprised.

Foxy knelt near the open door and took aim to cover the others, “The more stuff we bring over here the less we need to worry about them using. Also, there were some blasting charges they use to clear trees. Had to do ‘something’ with them”

Five of them had made it back by the time Foxy had to fire off a round at a curious soldier who had poked his head in from a door down in the breeding hall. His body propped the door open when it fell. Leira held Emma next to the radio, trying not to let her look at the dead body. When the others had made it across, Foxy pointed them to where she wanted them to shoot from.

“Just shoot at them and keep their heads down if nothing else. Stay calm, learn a new skill, and maybe you get to kill more of them. I'm going to use the radio.”

“Oh, my fault,” Easy spoke up. “Guy with the headset surprised me and stumbled over the ledge.”

“Damn. Leira, look for a spare set while I tune this.”

Leira got to work searching around in drawers and cupboards while Foxy flicked switches and turned dials. Coming up empty, Leira shook her head at Foxy who sighed.

“Well, we can still transmit,” Foxy flicked the switch on the microphone as someone behind her started taking shots. Moments later she heard the return fire coming back and breaking some of the windows, “Foxy to the Lucky Harlot, Foxy to the Lucky Harlot,” she repeated a few times until a faint buzz from the socket the headphone plugged into changed pitch. “Unable to receive, transmission only. Located at a farming complex near a forest and train tracks. Many hostiles, demanding you come in hot. All four safe for now but under fire. Caution on entry, crates contain children and collared Emberborn noncombatants who may be unable to avoid being in the line of fire.”

Easy saw Foxy look at her in case there was more to say, “Just leave it open, if they can't transmit, then they can listen.”

“Right, leaving the channel open.”

Foxy locked the mic button down and took up her weapon again. She fired out of the window at some guards who appeared on the walkway near the body of her sentry kill. Only her shots seemed to find their mark, but soon enough the enemy might be too close for accuracy to matter much.

She motioned for Emma to take the mic and repeat what Foxy had said in the first place. If they hadn't received it the first time, then they might have been scanning channels. Two of the men, one of whom was the fox that had been breeding her in the pool, were lifting one of the machine guns they had taken onto a desk. Quickly she showed them how to load it, but told them not to fire.

“They aren't grouped together yet. That window is closed, but it looks out over the walkway. Aim at it and don't fire until I tell you. They will try to rush us at some point and I want that ready.”

They nodded and the fox shared a look of regret with Foxy. The gunfire kept her mind on the matter at hand and returned to her spot. More and more guards seemed to be gathering below and on the walkway. Of course, the majority were gathering in the armoury, looking for weapons that weren't there.

“Now?” The bull behind the machine gun asked as the fox got ready to load.

“No, at least not you,” Foxy turned to an amphibian of sorts. “You can go now, though.”

“With pleasure!” His wide mouth grinned even wider.

All along the armoury wall, where most of the soldiers were taking cover getting ready for a charge, suddenly erupted in a hail of carnage as the blasting charges went off the moment the detonator was twisted. The concrete walls kept the blast contained for the most part. Easy and the others had taken cover moments before, but those below had no such luxury. Fortunately enough, the damage to those still wearing collars was minimal.

“You fucking animals!” A voice shouted after the dust had settled. “You are fucking nothing! You can't compare to a human! You bitches can't compare to a man! Filth like you won't kill me!”

His mad ranting was cut short as Easy fired at his manic face. Far too in shock to have taken cover, he just looked down at the hole in his chest before looking at Easy, his face contorted in confusion.

“You just got killed by a sparkly fairy, asshole!” Easy shouted back.

Gunfire was traded back and forth as Emma repeated herself over and over on the radio. She watched Adler and Leira dragging the wounded away from the windows. Suddenly the big gun on the table erupted in a cacophony of noise and men started screaming outside as they were hit or fell from the walkway. It stopped soon, and the two men worked quickly to reload. The others took this time to start firing again to keep the enemy away. Emma pushed herself back against the wall, trying to get away from the fight. Even knowing she was already against it, she pushed away harder and suddenly the wall slipped away.

Emma lay on the floor, looking up at the tall, powerful, red-skinned woman with hooves standing right near her head. Farther away, huddling in the corner and weeping like an infant was the fat man who had put collars on her friends.

“Do something!” he screamed.

The woman knelt down and offered her hand, “Hello. Need a hand?”

Emma took it and stood up with her help while the man shouted, “What are you doing?!”

“You said to do something. I'd suggest learning to be more specific, but…”

A pistol shot ended the conversation, much how the red woman expected it to end.

Emma held her pistol in a steady grip, “Thank you. Can you help us?”

The woman stood there staring at the corpse. Emma could see she was wearing a collar and cringed, thinking of the drawer her key must be in. Foxy came around the corner taking a quick look, then turned around to order some of the others to shoot from the window in the private bedroom. The red woman remained motionless except for her eyes tracking those in her field of view. One of the men at the window tripped over the body trying to line up a shot.

“Can someone move this piece of shit!” a crow man shouted.

Emma walked over to try and drag the fat body but it was too heavy. The jacket ripped as he tried to pull and she fell over. From the pocket on the breast of the jacket fell a key ring. Like the one they found in the desk, but ended up not really needing except there was another key on it. A collar key. Emma whipped around and clamoured over to the woman while trying to stand at the same time. Too short to reach, Emma sighed and grabbed hold of her breasts and lifted herself up. Wrapping her legs around the woman's slender waist, she reached for her shoulders and then standing on the powerfully wide hips and gripping one of her horns, Emma fiddled with the collar and key until a click popped the collar off. The two of them collapsed to the ground. Emma straddling the woman's chest as she lay on the floor, stroked her hair gently until her eyes focused on her. She could swear her eyes were on fire.

Lifted by powerful arms, Emma was set down on her feet as the woman stood while she had been lifting her, “Thank you so much. We can talk later. Right now I have two things to do.”

“My name is Emma. You are welcome.”

“Mine is Vile. Now help me with this sheet, Emma, I've been naked for years.”

Emma helped Vile fix the sheet around her body like a toga robe. Not perfect, but good enough as far as Vile cared. She picked up her collar and ripped it apart, breaking the metal joint, before tossing the pieces to the ground as she left the bedroom.

“Poetic, welcome to the fight. We got guns if you want to use one, but running low on ammo. They have stopped advancing so probably trying to wait us out,” Foxy explained after her offer.

“I appreciate that, but I brought my own fire power.”

Vile strut past the broken door and onto the corpse-strewn walkway. Bullets whipped by her but those that got too close deflected away the same instant they were turned into molten lead. Holding her hands open at her sides she let out a deep rumbling howl of rage and was suddenly consumed by fire. She hurled a fist full of it into the armoury to the screams of the men now burning inside it. Vile lept from the one walkway to the other and landed amongst the soldiers there, slashing with claws of flame.

“Holy sweet fuck,” Leira blurted, as they all stopped firing to watch. “I want new powers. She has rocking tits and fire shit.”

“I feel slightly emasculated,” the crow muttered.

“Fuck it, I’m done being a man. I'm switching genders again,” the amphibian added.

Vile seemed to be taking her time with the men who, simply by being near her, found her too hot to handle, let alone fight. Undoubtedly, Vile was working out a great many frustrations on them. Below in the breeding hall, the collared didn't stop their work but watched in amazement as they went from partner to partner. In the back of their minds, they were starting to process what was going on. Although they couldn't acknowledge the end of their breeding as anything they had an interest in, they were suddenly starting to get happy. For the first time in a long time.

There was a rapidly dwindling number of people to kill for Vile, and once exhausted of her enemies, they all stood around wondering what to do next. Foxy and the rest cautiously started walking out onto the catwalk.

“What the fuck, Foxy?!” came a shout from below that, as Foxy looked down to see, came from Juno. “I thought you needed help?!”

Foxy laughed, “So did I!”