Exo Saves The Day, Chapter 18

[gynoneko]

Still no sex, but at least a little sexiness, and more sex to come in chapter 19 or 20
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Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4.
Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8.
Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Chapter 11. Chapter 12.
Chapter 13. Chapter 14. Chapter 15. Chapter 16.
Chapter 17.

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Exo Saves the Day
Chapter Eighteen: Shot Through the Heart
By Gynoneko


We pulled into the free clinic around 1:30 or so. I was surprised how fast the events at the hotel took, considering all that happened. The parking lot was not full, luckily, but inside it was a mad house. The staff were all busy, there were at least a dozen other people sitting in the waiting room waiting to be helped, and an overworked receptionist struggled to keep her head above water as she dealt with complaints, phone calls, and new arrivals at the same time. She was a young woman, probably 18 or 20, and would have been very attractive if it wan't for the stress on her face.

"Let me handle this" Jack said, and he sauntered his way over to the window. I didn't hear anything he said over the bustle of the busy room and the elevator music playing, but Jen gave him an evil eye as he chatted up the girl. The receptionist giggled and touched her face many times while looking up at him. He really did have a way with women, but Jen might make it a curse more than a blessing. He gestured toward me, and the girl rose to her feet before coming out of the office and over toward us.

"Here, let me help you sir. You poor thing. I'll get a doctor to look at this right away!" She was a gentle girl, with a sweet flowery smelling fragrance about her, but I couldn't help but be destracted by the sudden awareness that every eye in the waiting room was focusing on me with disdain.

I held up my arm, blood staining the bandages, and the presence of eyes glaring at me subsided. Apparently my injury was a little more urgent then theirs, so no one made a fuss about it. Of course, I was still shirtless, and didn't wear any of my gear. Last thing I needed was for someone to see Exo the Vigilante walk into a clinic. We decided to have Joan stay in the car to keep an eye on things, and to keep herself out of the public eye, especially with a shot up leg and missing arm and all. I didn't want to expose the girls to such public scrutiny if I could avoid it.

As we walked into the back into the examination room, I couldn't help but notice how Jen kept glaring at at Jack. I sat on the examination table in the back room, and watched Jen continued her silent assault on Jack.

"What?" he finally asked.

"Were you flirting?" Jen shot at him.

"What? When? No! Of course not."

"Don't pay stupid with me! I saw you with that girl, chatting her up." Jen's face glowed red as she shot daggers into his face with her eyes.

"Naw! That was nothing. I was just having me a bit o' fun. Besides, it got Danny-boy here looked at-"

"Don't change the topic. You were flirting with her!"

"He kind of does that" I said.

"Butt out!" Jen and Jack said at simultaneously.

"Okay, okay. Sorry" I said defensively. Touchy... they did seem to argue like a couple.

"I will not be going out with a guy that chats up the first set of legs he runs into" Jen spat.

"Does that mean we're dating?" Jack asked with a sly grin.

"I- Don't change the subject..." Jen was flustered but determined to stay mad at him.

"You didn't answer the question" Jack replied smoothly.

"I'm not- Look you! I am not going to play this little game. Did you flirt with her or not?"

"I didn't have to. As soon as she saw a shirtless guy with a bloody arm, she ran over to help. Besides, unless I'm dating someone, why shouldn't I flirt with her?" Jack was playing a dangerous game.

"How could you say that? You slept with-" Jen blurted about before spotting me and turning bright red.

"Tell you what doll, I'll give you a fighting chance. I promise that I won't lay a finger on another girl for one-"

"Or anything else" Jen interrupted.

"... a finger or anything else on another girl for a one week, and by the end of that week, you can try to convince me to make it for more than a week." This was very unbecoming of Jack. Usually, he'd had a girl one day, and then another by that evening. I don't think being 'steady' ever occurred to him before, so I had to wonder if he was going to be able to pull this off. And also why? Had Jen made that much of an impression on him?

Jen of course was blushing furiously when she realized what he was saying. He was giving her a week to win him over, and if it worked, they could be official. It also meant that she had to admit to him, out loud, that she liked him, or at least wanted to date him. She thought it about it pensively as we waited for the doctor to come into the room.

Abruptly, she turned her chin up, stuck out her chest, and nodded. "Deal. But if I catch you with another woman, even for an instant, you will regret it!" They shook on it, they actually shook on it, and the timing couldn't have been better.

Before they could release their hands, the doctor came into the room to look at my wounded arm. She was a drop-dead gorgeous bombshell, clearly flustered from her busy schedule, which only made her look more attractive than ever. Her disheveled raven hair ran down to her shoulders and gave her a sexy look like she just got out of bed. Her white lab coat was buttoned low on her chest, revealing a healthy pair of buxom breasts that were barely contained by a black low-cut blouse and matching bra, She appeared to be asian, but I wasn't sure. Jack and I gulped nervously as she walked into the room adjusting her glasses, and fumbled with a tablet.

"Which one of you is..." she consulted her digital tablet for about 20 seconds before she found my name. "Daniel?" I held up my bloody limb, a painful gesture, to show her it was obviously me. "Oh! Hello Daniel. My name is Dr. Harding, Hitomi Harding. You can call me Hotomi."

"Did she just say 'hit on me'?" Jack whispered to me.

I slapped my forehead with my good arm hard enough to leave a red mark. "Hitomi... it's Japanese" I answered back.

"Actually yes!" Dr. Harding interjected as though she was a part of our whispered conversation. Note to self: Don't try to have a whispered conversation in a small cramped room. "My father was American, and my mother is Japanese. But enough about me, what can I do for you today?"

Once again, I held up the blood soaked bandaged arm, and it took her a second to realize I was showing her the wound to look at. Jack just looked between Hitomi, Jen, and me. He clearly saw an easy target, as did anyone who was in the room. He was probably jealous I was going to have her full attention. But at the same time, if he had tried to make a move, Jen would have been all over him. Sometimes fate likes to tease us for fun.

Jen looked at the good doctor with her mouth hanging open like some higher being decided to test Jack then and there, either that or she was so buxom and well-endowed that it caught her off guard ad well. I admit, Hitomi looked more like she belonged in the middle of a Playboy magazine than in a doctor's office, and I'm sure I wasn't the first to imagine her 'playing' doctor.

"Oh! Oh my! You really should go to the hospital for something like that. It looks serious. How did this happen? Were you two fighting?" she suggested while looking between Jack and myself. Jack refrained himself from introductions and anything else to follow, and just shook his head silently with his mouth hanging open.

"Oh, well. I might as well take a look at it. You'll have to take off your... oh you already did" she giggled. "Just lie down on the table and let me take a good look at that arm of yours.

She started to unwrap the bandages to reveal the full extent of the damage. It was a painful proceedure, and yet also somewhat pleasant. Tera watched with eager anticipation, not noticing my complete attention to Dr. Hit-on-me's body.

Hitomi leaned over to pull a bandage off my shoulder, and gave both Jack and I a wonderfully clear view of her cleavage. It was hell and heaven at the same time, and Jack had to literally kick himself when he saw her. Jen smiled, contented that the doctor was giving him a thorough test as much as she was giving one to me.

Just then, Jack's phone rang, and he was more than eager to take the call and leave the room. Jen followed him as he answered, closing the door behind him, leaving me, Tera, and Dr. Hitomi in the room alone.

The initial examination took probably 5 minutes or so, but it felt like a year. It was more painful than I thought it would be. Even though Dr. Hitomi had very soft and gentle fingers, the cuts on my arm were painful. There were 2 long cuts going into the muscle, which were extremely painful, but not deep.

"Oh my! Did you have a run in with a cat or something?" she asked.

Tera and I just looked at each other. How could she have known it was a cat scratch? "Of course not" I lied with a nervous laugh. "It was um.. a dog. A big dog."

"Oh! Of coure. I don't know what I was thinking. How silly of me thinking it was a at" Hitomi giggled. "It would have to be like the size of a cougar! And with such clean cuts too."

She ended up cleaning the wound, stopping the bleeding with a simple stitch, redressing my arm in a much more professional style, and finally giving me pain killers, aka Tylenol. It was a relief to finally be done with the procedure which probably lasted about 15 minutes, and left me feeling a little tired but better off. She left me with my arm in a cloth sling, bound tightly in bandages, but with no cast or splints.

Tera and I thanked Dr. Hitomi, and took her business card. She insisted that if I was attacked by another dog I'd either see her, or go to the hospital. For once, I was walking away with the pretty girl's number instead of Jack. I had to admit, despite the pain and uncomfortable situation, I really enjoyed getting looked at by a sexy doctor for once. I was honestly surprised she was so good at dressing my wound, she seemed so ditzy at first but really knew her medical stuff!

As we left the examination room, we were once again greeted by Jack and Jen, who had just finished talking on the phone. They gestured for us to leave, so they could talk in private. Of course, I took the hint, and Tera followed closely behind grabbing onto my good arm.

"So who was that?" I asked Jack as we left the clinic and walked toward the beat up SUV. It was still raining lightly, but the sky showed signs of daylight around the corners.

"Cynthia" Jack said. "She tried to warn us about her hotel room." Jen and I rolled our eyes as we approached the truck. "There's more. They want to meet us somewhere public right away. I suggested a favorite little joint of mine, The Majestic."

"I know the place" I said.

"You better, we ate there yesterday!" Jen exclaimed.

"Well, let's go! They want to meet us at 2:30. Since it's already 2:20, we should get moving!" Jack seemed excited to get going, and I couldn't blame him. We now knew that Cynthia and Tom were ok, but I worried that it was a trick. Still, we had nothing else to do, no other plan yet, so what other choice was there?

Joan greeted me at the door before I could step in, leaning against the vehicle.

"Here" she said, as she tossed the bag containing my Exo suit at me. "Put this on."

"What?"

"I would like you to wear this."

"But why? We were just going to meet up with Tom and..." I tried to explain.

"Please, sir. I'm worried. I can't do much to protect you and my sister, especially like this" she said indicating her damaged body, "but this suit could help. 261 is still out there, and at least this suit has some sort of bullet resistant armor on it."

I looked in the bag at the suit and thought about it for a moment. Perhaps I should put on the suit, but I didn't want Exo walking around the place. I'd have to cover it with a jacket or a shirt or something.

"Please Danny" she whispered.

"Alright. I will. Get ready to go, I'll put this on in the
truck. Let me just put something on over it..." Jen helped me get the suit on, and Jack looked into the bag they packed for me and grabbed me a loose fitting button-up shirt to cover up the gear. He chose a stylish blue striped shirt for me to wear, but I decided not to put on the leg or arm extensions, only wearing the vest which has on the body armor. I knew it wasn't the bet armor, but it was Kevlar, and it was better than nothing.

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later, and decided it was best to park in the back, near a grove of trees. Tera fussed about the entire trip concerned about my arm and if I was feeling alright. The Tylenol I took at the clinic wasn't doing much, but it did take the edge off the pain. Joan decided to stay in the car, but Jen insisted that she get something to eat. They ended up compromising and decided we'd bring her something she could eat on the go.

Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess, and showed to our seat, a booth big enough for 6. It appeared Tom and Cynthia hadn't arrived yet, so we took our seats and waited. Tera and I sat next to each other, and Jen sat next to Jack.

"Double date?" the waitress asked as she came by to take our drink orders.

"Oh! Oh no. We're not dating..." Jen started before she got flustered. Jack just looked down at the table, and Tera starred at the two of them with interest.

"Just friends hanging out" I said. "Actually, we are expecting 2 more people. They should be here soon."

"No problem. Would you like to order some drinks while you wait?" We ended up ordering water all around, although Tera seemed interested in trying something else. She hadn't had that much to eat before, and so far, this place had severed her more meals than I had. We decided to split a chocolate malt, something I'm sure would delight Tera.

We sat there in silence, contemplating our next move, but I could feel Tera shaking nervously beside me. She fidgeted with the napkin in her lap and looked around nervously. She refused to talk about it, but did sit close to me. I knew she felt safer around me, but I just wish I could give her the protection she needed.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to hit the loo" Jack said before getting up.

"Yeah, me too." Jen said, and followed Jack, leaving Tera and I alone just as the glasses of water came to our table.

Tera was still nervous and scared, shaking against me as she sat there quietly.

"Do... do you think I should just give myself over?" she asked out of the blue.

"What? No! How could you think such a thing!?"

"I don't know. I'm just scared. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me" she said as she gently touched my injured arm. "I mean... I'm just a robot, a stupid robot that can't even fight for herself."

Her voice was weak and wavering as she spoke. I looked at her in shock. She never said anything like this before.

"How could you say that? You are not just a stupid robot. You are-"

"I'm just a tool for humans to use then throw away when their done. I'm only a machine designed to do your bidding. What use am I when I'm in constant need of rescuing?" She was starting to cry silently to herself, and her voice was broken up. Tera was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"Where did you hear such nonsense?" I asked, putting my injured right arm around her. Luckily, the bandages only covered my forearm, and my hand was still useable, although it hurt to hold anything heavy. However, holding Tera was a joy even though it was uncomfortable..

"That man... He said I am just a defective toy, a tool... just a robot designed to be used and thrown away."

"Don't listen to a thing he said, Tera! He's just trying to get to your head. You are so much more than a toy or a tool."

"How? In what way am I more than just your play thing?" I could hear an ounce of bitterness in her voice as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Look at you" I said. "You are crying, scared, and nervous. You cling to me not just for protection, but because you like me. I dare you to find any hammer, robot, or car, or any kind of machine or tool, that feels emotions like you do! You are an individual, a person. Just because you are mechanical doesn't mean anything. Is the human body not just a machine grown from organic compounds?"

She shook her head. "But you are a human, you are alive! I'm just a bunch of wires and circuits. I-"

"You are amazing! You are more human than half the people I know, Tera! You have more compassion and emotion in your pinky finger than some people have in their entire body!" It seemed to cheer her up a bit. "Besides, people use mechanical parts all the time! I bet you didn't know this but Jen's father has an artificial heart. His heart doesn't even have a beat like yours does."

"Really?" she asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"Yeah. And he isn't alone. Lots of people use artificial parts that are far less complex than yours. What makes them less or more human than anyone else?" I explained.

"But... what about my brain? It's just a holographic circuit. It isn't organic like yours" she said looked up at me.

"Tera... your brain is the most amazing thing I've ever seen! My brain is just a collection of nerve cells, it isn't much to look at let me tell you. But you're is a work of art, and you are smarter then most of the people in this room" I said with no real idea if that was true or not. Still, she smiled and laughed a little to herself when she heard it.

"I'm not that smart" she said.

"Sure you are! Besides, you're the one that told me your mind was infused with my DNA, and you should be growing smarter by the minute. I bet you there is enough 'human' in you to run for governor!" She laughed at this.

"Yeah right. Governor Tera, the first female robot governor, who gave equal rights to robots around the tri-state area." She was definitely feeling better now, and giggled with me.

"Whatever that man told you, just remember that you are more than just a machine to me. I will be here for you, and I will take care of you."

Tera smiled at me, and hugged my arm tightly. Pain shot down my spin as she squeezed my injured arm.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said letting me go. "I didn't mean to... I... oh Danny..." She wrapped her arms around my torso and hugged me. My sides still hurt from the fight, but cheering her up so much really made me happy, and I managed to ignore the dull pain in my sides, and squeezed her gently back. Tera almost seemed like she was bipolar at times. She'd be depressed and crying one minute, but happy and dancing the next. I suspected she may have suffered some side-effect from the night her systems were corrupted by an MMR virus, but I was willing to bet she'd learn to cope with it, but maybe I'd have to look at that programming in her later on to be sure.

"Well you two are getting along well" Jack said as he sat back down at the table. Jen joined us shortly after, just in time to get our chocolate malt. I was really glad to see Tera was in a good mood again, as she rested her head against me smiling.

Tera looked at the brown concoction before her with curiosity, trying to figure out what it was. She sniffed at it, raising one eyebrow at the scent, and pulled the glass closer to her.

"Oh! It's cold! Like really cold" she exclaimed. Jen and I watched Tera with amusement as she experienced her first frozen treat.

Putting one of the extra wide colorful straws to her lips, Tera sucked, and sucked, and sucked at the drink, but nothing came out. She moved the straw around and studied on the consistency and texture of the drink as she stirred it.

"Wow, it's so thick. I can't suck any out!" Jen laughed at Tera, seeing the unintentional innuendo.

"It's usually a little hard to get it started, just keep trying" I said to encourage her.

She once again sucked away at the straw, and finally, the semi-frozen treat seeped up the straw, and into her mouth. At first she was shocked by the flavor, smacking her lips to better analyze it. Chocolate is one of those flavors virtually everyone loves, and apparently it was no different for Tera, as she went in for another taste.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed after another swallow. "You've got to try this! What's it called?"

"That is a chocolate malt" Jen said. "Maybe I'll order one too."

I took a sip of it myself when Tera offered the drink to me. It really was one of the best chocolate malts I've had in a while, and I savored the flavor in my mouth. Tera took another sip, and then another. A smile the size of Rhode Island spread across her face and she looked completely relaxed and calm. I swear it looked like she was getting high on chocolate, literally.

I let her drink most of the drink, while we waited for Tom and Cynthia, and decided to wait on ordering food till they got there.

"Fancy meeting you here" Cynthia said as she came up to our table, Tom following behind. The two of them sat down at the end of the table across from each other. Cynthia wore a scarf over her hair and a pair of sunglasses to cover her face, while Tom bore sunglasses as well and a baseball cap with a stylized 'A' on it. He also wore blue jeans and a faded blue shirt, while Cynthia had on white jeans and a plain gray blouse .

We didn't see them come up to the table until they were practically seated, and they quickly took off their sunglasses looking around nervously. Tera instantly lit up at the sight of her parents, while Jen looked at them confused as though she forgot we were meeting people there. I realized she hadn't yet met them, and introductions were in order.

"Cynthia, Tom, this is Jen, she's a friend helping us out." Jen nodded and extended a hand to shake with Tom and Cynthia, but they seemed a little hesitant. Cynthia shook her hand slowly, eyeing Jen carefully, humming a disapproving tone as she took her hand.

"Why is it that I am shaking hands with another person involved in this, Danny?" Jen looked offended, but Cynthia took no note of it, and moved her gaze to concentrate on me with her own disapproving look.

"It isn't like that" I said defensively. "She's my best friend and she sort of... well..."

"I can help!" Jen interrupted. "I know a lot about androids and... can repair..." She fell silent as Cynthia continued to glare at me.

"Look, she's done a lot to help us already" I explained. "If it wasn't for Jen, we'd probably be dead right now."

"Dead?" Cynthia asked, uncertainty crossing her eyes. She looked back and forth between me and Jen, trying to decide if having Jen on board was a good thing or not. I understood where she was coming from, she wanted to make sure as few people were involved in this situation as possible. So far it seemed every time I met up with her, there was someone new joining us.

"She's golden, Cynth" Jack said. "She helped me out of a tight pickle." Cynthia shifted her gaze to Jack, before letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer was it? I'm sure you are very nice, but I can't risk exposing my fam-" she faltered for a moment and cleared her throat, "our girls to any more... publicity."

"I promise I won't tell anyone. Please, let me help!" Jen pleaded.

"She's already been a huge help" I pointed out.

"I'll take a leap of faith here, but there better not be anyone else getting involved" Cynthia said. "Sorry if I seem so uptight. I've been under a lot of stress lately. Pleased to meet you Jennifer" Cynthia said, once again shaking her hand. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"You can call me Jen" she said as she shook Tom's hand as well.

I decided it would be best to formally introduce Tera under her new name as well. It might help ease the tension. "And this here, this is Tera" I said putting my arm around her petite shoulders. Tera smiled and waved, still drinking from her malt.

"Hi mom, dad" she said in a clear yet somewhat quiet voice after she swallowed.

"Terra? Like in earth?" Tom asked in his deep voice.

"Tom, did you hear that?" Cynthia said turning to her husband.

"No, Tera, as in T-E-R-A, short for Terabyte" I corrected.

"That's cute, I like it!" Tom replied.

"TOM! Didn't you hear that!?" Cynthia said again.

"What?"

"Say that again honey" Cynthia said looking at Tera.

"Say what? Hi?" Tera replied.

What Tom had overlooked, Cynthia instantly caught, and now both of them stared at her in disbelief. Her voice was restored to it's former clarion glory, and they were prepared for her to be virtually voiceless for more than a week while they smuggled in a replacement part for her.

"How did you... when... your voice! Honey, your voice is back!" Cynthia was overjoyed to hear Tera. It took a bit for Tom to recover from the initial realization, and soon he was wearing a smile large enough to fill a stadium.

"Oh... heh. Jen gave me a new voice box" Tera said. Cynthia put her hand to her mouth in surprise, looking back at Jen with new eyes. She realized she had been rude to the girl that gave Tera back her voice, and she still didn't know how helpful she had been beyond that.

"I'm... I'm so sorry dear" Cynthia said apologizing to Jen. "I... 263... her voice..." Her words came out disjointed, but her emotion flowed easily enough as she wiped the tears from her face. SHe took in a deep breath. "Thank you for giving my little girl her voice back!"

"Eh... it was nothing. Glad to do it" Jen said. "Tera was such a sweetheart I couldn't resist helping her out."

"Tera?" Cynthia asked.

"Yeah... I just told you" I said. "Her name is Tera. As in Terabyte. Remember?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I must not have heard. Tera... that's a cute name. I like it" she said very similarly to Tom.

"260 is with is too" I explained.

"What?" Tom said shocked.

"260. She's in the car waiting for us. She got a little beat up so we thought it best that she stay there for now."

"You have 260 also?" Cynthia was clearly shocked to hear this. It seemed she had given up on getting back any of her other daughters, but clearly we managed to save 260, leaving us with 2 of the 4 girls in our care.

"Yeah. She tried to take away Tera at my job... er... former job" Jen said correcting herself. "But somehow Tera managed to disable her."

"Tera?! You disabled your sister? 260!?" Cynthia's look of disbelief as she stared at the timid girl was almost frightening. "How did you do that?"

"I... hacked into her..." Tera answered timidly, as if she was admitting guilt for breaking an expensive vase.

"You HACKED her?"

Tera nodded, and Cynthia sat back in her chair and tried to take it all in.

"She's fine now" I added. "Both of them are, more or less. You can see her when we leave. She's waiting at the car."

"Right outside? Can't we meet her now?" Cynthia asked.

"In a bit. Let's eat something first." We all agreed that food was a good idea, and prepared to order. As I looked at the menu and helped Tera decide what to eat, Cynthia noticed my arm.

"What happened to your arm?"

"We had a run in at your motel room" I said plainly.

"Liberati! I'm so sorry we didn't warn you earlier" Cynthia said with a look of concern.

"No. It wasn't Liberati. It was someone else... someone we think Liberati is working for. That is one of the things we need to talk about. We need to plan our next move, and we're tired of only being on the defensive. I don't know who it was that assaulted us at the hotel room, but I do know that Liberati is after us, and we can at least try to take him out of our hair."

"Liberati is a problem, but I don't think we can just take him out so easily" Cynthia replied in a raised whisper. "He's a mob boss, he has resources you couldn't possibly predict. There is no way we can get close enough to him to do anything."

"I know, but we need to do something. I'm not going to just sit here and let them throw wave after wave at is while we try to recover. It's time we came up with a plan to stop this" I replied in a similar whisper. Tom and Cynthia kept looking around the room nervously, as though they expected someone to jump out at us at any time. The whole point of using a public meeting place was that it was less likely Liberati would want to make a scene.

Everyone was silent, but nodded in agreement. The waitress came back before long and took our food orders. I made sure to order a hamburger to go for Joan. Cynthia suggested Tera try the tuna melt, and I got a cheeseburger.

"We can't talk here" Tom said. "We need somewhere safe, somewhere private. Let's just eat and leave. I know a good place not far from here where we can hide. I doubt Liberati know about it."

Tom was right. All this talk about androids and mob bosses and whom would be killing whom would eventually be overheard, and that could lead to our plans getting leaked, or just getting in trouble with the law, or even a private citizen. We needed to be discreet about this, so instead we agreed to talk more after our meal, when we would all follow Tom and Cynthia to their new hideout.

Tera loved her tuna sandwich, which was a joy to watch. She savored every bite, and would close her eyes as she swallowed to really enjoy the flavor. As she finished up her sandwich, she would hum to herself and bounce in her seat. I could just watch her for hours. I wondered if anyone else enjoyed a sandwich as much as she did. While most of us 'enjoyed' our food, she really relished in it, taking in all she could from her senses to get the most out of the experience. It was cute.

As we ate, Cynthia told us about their own escapades. While it didn't involve as much action or giant metal cats as we experienced, it appeared Cynthia and Tom had only barely escaped an attack themselves. As Liberati's men closed in on their location, they managed to get away but ended up in a car chase. Thanks to Tom's driving skills and more than a little luck (involving a train apparently), they managed to get away, and lose their pursuer.

We probably spent a little less than an hour at The Majestic, and prepared to leave for a hasty retreat and regrouping at Tom's hideout. Cynthia was eager to talk with 260, but it would have to wait. We didn't want to be outdoors for long, since we still didn't know where 261 was. I realized I never told them about her either. I didn't want to upset Cynthia with news that her second oldest was now chasing after us. I'd tell her once we got to the hideout.

Tom paid for our meals, and we all got up to leave, satisfied. Tera stayed close by me, and talked with Cynthia while Jack and Jen walked ahead of us, carrying the food we ordered for Joan. I noticed Tom looking around the place, eager to get out of a public setting and wary of any spies or would-be assailants.

"Tom, do you really think we have a chance at this?" I asked him quietly.

"Maybe. I know a lot of their weaknesses, their personel, some of their security meaures, but this isn't Joe Liberati we're dealing with" he said in a hushed tone as we walked toward the exit. "I worked for Joe as a bodyguard, but he died of a heart attack a few years back now. His son Larry is now in charge, and I'm sure he's made changes to the organization."

We followed Jen and Jack, who were chatting it up and actually getting along fairly well. It was good to see them both smiling, but with all that was going on, I knew none of this was going to last. Sooner or later, we'd have no room for luxuries like laughter.

The rain had stopped, and by the time we got outside, hints of blue were just appearing at the edges of the sky. The storm had rolled through, leaving a blanket of water over the world behind it. We walked through a few puddles as we headed toward the back of the restaurant, where apparently Tom had also parked.

The sunlight gave off an eerie glow through the clouds as they started to break up, with occasisional shafts of lights striking the earth. It was a pretty scene, but it wasn't to last.

As we turned the corner, we saw Joan huddled against one side of the SUV on the ground, her left arm hanging lifelessly on her side, covered in her artificial orange-red blood. She was in clear pain, and I realized the front driver-side window to the SUV had been shot out, leaving a shattered shell of glass in its place. Joan stared at us with wild eyes for a moment.

"Get down! Sniper!" she screamed at us. It took me a second to realize what was happening, but Jack didn't hesitate at all. He pulled Jen to the SUV and ducked beside Joan, leaving the rest of us to react on our own.

Tom was the next to respond, getting low to the ground. Before I realized it he had pulled me, Cynthia, and Tera down as well just as something whizzed over my head, and struck the brick buidling behind me. We found ourselves hiding behind a car parked close by. Despite how busy the restaurant seemed, large sections had been left empty, which meant the back lot was not nearly as crowded as the front, and that meant there were very few placed for us to duck and cover on the way to the SUV.

"I'm parked over there" Tom pointed out. Their smaller gray car was not far, but there was a large gap between us and their car. We would have to risk running through the open to get to it. It was closer than the SUV, but I didn't know where the shots were coming from, and didn't know where to duck to. I stayed as still as I could. Since she hadn't taken another shot at me, I figured I was out of her sight, but one light movement could be the end of me.

"Where are they?" Cynthia shouted ducking beside Tom.

"She's shooting from the water tower to the northeast" Joan yelled. Her voice was a little raw sounding, but it was loud and commanding. We all looked carefully toward the northeast, and sure enough, there was a small water tower. I could make out a tiny figure crouched down on the top of the tower, probably taking an aim at me. I ducked my head down again, just before a mirror shattered on the car behind me. A heard the blast from the gun an instant later, and realized she had been taking shots at me this whole time.

Tom sprinted out from behind the car with his head down, rolled across the open asphalt, and slid next to his car. It took him a few seconds, but there was no shot made. Tom must not have been her target. She was after me, and probably Tera as well.

"I'll get the car started, you three get ready to follow me in your car" Tom said aloud to the 3 J's hiding behind the SUV. "You three take cover and I'll be there in a second."

Tom hopped into the car, started the engine, but before he could do anything, the passenger window which was closest to the water tower shattered into a million shards stuck into place as another bullet flew through it. Tom dove out of the car, but was ok.

"On second thought, carefully make your way over. Quick now. I'll make a distraction" Tom stood up and started dodging between cars, yelling and waving his hands. Not the best distraction, but what else did we have?

Cynthia grabbed Tera's arm and prepared to run for it. "Whatever you do, stay near me two-six- um Tera. She probably won't shoot me, so keep your head down." Before I could react, Cynthia and Tera bolted out from behind the car. Cynthia was very good at making sure she was always between Tera and the water tower. I nervously watched as they made a run toward the car, while Tom made a fool of himself.

Surprisingly, it worked. Either Tom distracted 261 well enough to keep her off target, or Cynthia managed to keep her covered well enough so she never had a clear shot. Either way, there was no gunshot, and Tera and Cynthia made it safely to the side of the car. That means it was my turn.

"Damn... should have put on those leg extentions" I muttered to myself, regretting that I didn't don the entire Exo suit, and only the vest. At least I had that, but it would do nothing for a headshot. I readied my nerves, and prepared my run.

Just as Tom was doing his best to distract 261 while heading back to his car, I ran for it. I felt completely vulnerable, scared that at any moment, everything would go black. I tried my best to zig-zag, roll, and sprint between the cars, as I made my way toward Tera.

As I got up from a roll, something pushed hard against my chest, forcing me back to the ground. I didn't realize what it was, until I heard the shot a moment later. Funny thing time, as you enjoy things in life, it flies by, but in your final terrifying moments, everything comes to a stand still, and you are stuck there with the realization that you are about to die, and there is nothing you can do about it.

I hit the ground hard, and realized I had no breath. Had she already killed me and I was just a lifeless body doomed to rot? Another shot struck my chest, and pain filled my mind. I welcomed it, and yet hated it. It meant I was still alive, for now, but it was so intense I could barely manage to stay conscious, let alone get to my feet.

I felt another surge pain in my gut, but didn't hear anything; my mind decided it had had enough. All I could think about was 'how could I protect Tera if I was dead'? I lay there still for what was probably only a second or two, but felt like an eon. I never passed out, but I would have gladly accepted it.

Instead, I got enough control back to my body to struggle a little against the pain in my chest. I wasn't sure if my armor had been penetrated, but something in the back of my mind told me I was still alive, and still in one piece. The pain of a penetrating shot would have been much more piercing and fatal, but this pain was more like someone punched me with a battering ram.

I looked down toward Tera and Cynthia, and saw Tera screaming my name as she struggled to get away from Cynthia's grip. I could hear nothing, and time had still not caught up, leaving everything in a slow motion ballet. I struggled to take in a breath. I knew that if I could yell to her to stay back, she'd be safe. But I couldn't get in any air. I struggled to get to my side, maybe I could stand, but my strength left me, and all I could do was watch as I struggled against my pain.

Tera fought Cynthia's grip furiously, tears flying from her eyes as she continued to ball. I had no way of stopping her, but somehow I knew she had been experiencing more emotional pain than she had ever felt before. It was tearing her apart, and she could think of nothing else than to get to my side.

I managed to slowly roll to my side as I tried to gasp for air. I was sure I'd suffocate if another bullet didn't end me, but the only thing I could concentrate on now was stopping Tera from running into the open. I watched as Tera broke free from her mother, and ran toward me crying.

I redoubled my efforts to breathe, but no breath came to me. I watched as the light of the late afternoon sun broke through the clouds, illuminating Tera for an instant, at the same time the figure in the distance behind her raised her gun to take aim, a beam of light silhouetting her form.

Tera's expression filled with shock as a spray of her orange-red blood burst from her chest, a bullet piercing it and striking the ground near me. She twisted her body slightly as she faltered. The sound of a rifle shot hit my ears a second or two before Tera hit the ground hard on her side.

Air finally filled my lungs, and control of my body returned too late. My voice came out rough and fierce and loud.

"TERA!"

------
/Chapter 18
Chapter 19 here.

[liliwinnt6]

To express my interest on chocolates, what is a chocolate malt? Is that a cold drink or a bit like an ice cream?

[gynoneko]

The difference between a chocolate milkshake and a chocolate malt is minimal. They use the same ingredients except a malt will add malted grains that are dissolved in the drink. It is an old fashioned diner and dive recipe in America but is not as common as the regular milkshake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malt

As for the story, I need to make one small change (Joan is injured in the wrong arm) but I already have plans for the next 2 installments. However, I can't promise when it will be out, classes start this week so we'll see what kind of time I get to write this out.

How do you all like it so far?

[Asato]

It is very good so far and I enjoy the humor

[liliwinnt6]

About the chocolate malt, I got'em.
About Tera, too bad her mom couldn't hold her, and both Tera and Danny got shot. Where is she hit? I wish I could scramble with the sniper then capture her for you.

[gynoneko]

Well Danny got shot in the chest and stomach but his armor saved him. If you get shot for real with body armor, it can knock the wind out of you, or even knock you out for a short while if the impact is strong enough. These shots knocked him down, put him into shock, and knocked the breath out of him, but he'll survive. Tera ran out to him and got shot in the back, the bullet passing through her and exiting her front.
As for Joan, right now she has her right arm shot and removed, her left hip shot and left leg mostly useless although she can move her ankle to drive (can't put weight on the leg), and just had her left shoulder shot. I have to change that in the story, I did it backwards by accident. That covers all the injuries right now.

In the next installment, you will learn more about the girls, travel to a new location, and sparks will (literally) fly! Look forward to it!

[Saya]

Well Danny got shot in the chest and stomach but his armor saved him. If you get shot for real with body armor, it can knock the wind out of you, or even knock you out for a short while if the impact is strong enough.

Fun fact: depending on the force of the round fired, an impact against body armor can also cause bruises and in some cases break ribs and cause internal bleeding.

Great story, and I can't wait for the next chapter!

[gynoneko]

Funny you mentioned that, aim planning on giving him severe bruising... Forgot about that injury, but it will show up later on.