It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! - Queen of Hearts Alice in Wonderland

Operation Giga Pudding (D+6.5 hours)

Spike ran down the steps and butt slid on the handrail to the bottom. A pair of guard waited by the door as he pushed past them.

Inside the bustling room, Spike saw Diana standing next to a map of the city talking with Icepick.

“Mistress Diana,” he said as he ran up to her.

Panting heavily, he placed one hand on his leg to catch his breath. Diana smiled at him and held up her hand.

“Stop…deep breath…first, who are you?” she asked.

“I’m Spike of Bravo Team,” he said then added. “Playboy Mafia.”

“Well Spike of Bravo Team, please tell me what’s so important that you are interrupting me while I’m having an important meeting, and make it quick,” she said.

“Some chick just appeared on the top of the roof and asked if you were going to surrender,” Spike said standing upright.

“Wait…what? What did this person look like?” Diana asked pushing a long strand of her hair from her face.

“I dunno, she was wearing a white and blue cat mask, not like a creepy one you see in a horror movie or anything, but creepy like those crime solving kids and talking dog creepy,” he answered.

“How is this even possible?” Icepick said. “Chicks just don’t appear from out of nowhere. Was there a Zepplin or plane nearby?”

Spike threw his hands up in the air, when the apartment building shook followed by a deafening boom from above.

The windows shook as machine gun fired followed by the sizzle of energy weapons.

“What the…” Diana said. “You said this place was secure!”

The room shook again as the sound of weapon’s fire began to die down.

“Don’t worry Queen, there’s eight of us and only one of her, what could one short chick do?” Spike said.

The building rattled again; this time followed by an abrupt silence as the weapon fire ceased.

Diana yanked the blinds back, the metal plates sewn into the fabric clanked together, and threw open the door to the balcony. Outside, the building glowed, casting a mirror-like shimmer across its surface. Leaning over the railing, she looked up and saw the Fog of War Machine teetering dangerously on the edge. Sparks flew from its failing components.

Then—

It toppled over.

“Shit! That chick just took out our Fog of War Machine!” Diana shouted as it smashed into the pavement below. “Somebody do something!”

The mirror-like surface vanished. Icepick rushed outside, glancing back up at the room as red smoke billowed from the rooftop.

A woman in a heavy grey coat and black dress leapt from the edge. As she descended along the side of the building, she waved a casual goodbye to Diana and Icepick.

“Like, you’re literally in charge of security, so do something about her!” Diana snapped, jabbing her finger into Icepick’s chest. “Go get her! Seriously!”

Icepick stomped out and began shouting, “Get me a Kill Team, now!”

***

The rush of hair whistled through Estelle’s hair. The ground moved closer and closer.

Extending her middle and forefinger she said, “Release.”

A picture-in-a-picture in the corner of her vision appeared. The coin she placed on the ground exploded into a shower of aluminum chaff. The swirling mass of colors called to her as she disappeared.

When Estelle reappeared, she skidded to a halt. In the distance the first two rounds missed the residential building and exploded nearby. The next round impacted on the third floor. The fourth round stuck the top floor, and last hit a window and continued through.

“Proximity fuses would have prevented that,” Estelle said.

The next volley sent the building pancaking down. Before the cloud could blanket the area, Estelle turned on her heels.

By her feet a metallic object landed next to her. She had just enough time to see the words painted on the side of a flashbang grenade that read ‘smile & wait for the flash’.

The grenade exploded as Estelle jumped back. Her ears rang and was disoriented by the effects. The instant blast shield from her mask prevented her from being blinded, but she was still dizzy from the sudden pressure change. The persistence whining continued.

When the blast shield returned to normal, she saw a teenage-looking guy in black suit and goatee holding a carbine rifle.

“Hey Clay!” he yelled, glancing sideways over his shoulder. “I got one of them, get your butt over here!”

Estelle gritted her teeth from under the mask and pulled two dolls from her bandoleer. Then tapped them on the head as she lobbed the dolls towards him.

“Pocket Defender, impetum modus,” she said.

The dolls hit in on the chest and he snorted.

“Geez, still playing with dolls? Are real weapons too much for you, little girl?” he said.

The two Pocket Defenders wiggled on the ground and disappeared.

A woman with bronze skin and steel breastplate appeared. She thrusted a double-bladed gladius sword into this stomach. He stepped back and smacked the sword with the barrel of his rifle. He fired his weapon at the Pocket Defender, the bullets shredded the doll.

The second Pocket Defender appeared behind him and ran her sword between his neck and shoulder. He positioned the weapon and fired at the doll from behind, turning her back into plastic bits. Estelle, still disoriented, summoned Lost Battalion and stabbed him in the throat. He sizzled and disappeared.

Both dolls returned to their normal form, but too damaged to be useful.

Hearing voices from around the corner, Estelle used her Spider Broach to give her insight to see a squad of four more Playboy Mafia suited thugs cautiously moving towards her.

“You know, it’d be so much more useful if you could just adjust your brooch to access the Akashic Record,” Bee remarked, her voice dripping with subtle condescension. “I mean, it would take me like, no time at all if you’d just let me…”

“Not now!” Estelle replied.

The data continued to come in and revealed that the squad consisted of three warriors (one of which was Clay), a single guardian, and one healer.

Auras from the guardian and healer both had a glowing eye with spikes above their heads.

“Two goldies with eyes-for-an-eyes, we should retreat,” Bee said.

"Nonsense," Estelle said in a mused tone as she retrieved the remaining three Pocket Defenders. "My primary objective is accomplished; everything beyond that is merely supplementary. Furthermore, to retreat at the mere prospect of a challenge would be intellectually dishonest and contrary to my principles. I simply wouldn’t be able to reconcile that with myself."

Estelle tossed the dolls around the corner, drawing startled shouts from Clay and his crew as they instinctively backed up. The sound of safety switches clicking echoed through the air as they prepared for a confrontation.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Pocket Defenders, Defensio Modus…testudinem facite,” Estelle calmly said from her position behind the corner.

In an instant, the dolls vanished and reappeared, triggering a hail of gunfire that tore through the street. Flecks of brick and concrete sprayed across the area as bullets ripped into the walls. Unbothered, Estelle casually brushed the dust from her Skyfall jacket, then freed a pair of copper daggers and a coin from her bandolier.

As the gunfire subsided and the metallic clatter of empty magazines hitting the ground echoed in the aftermath, Estelle seized the moment and bolted out into the street.

The Pocket Defenders were kneeling with their tower shields and spears in front of them. The squad was 50-meters away.

“They must have backed up,” Estelle thought, then she shouted a new set of orders. “Pocket Defenders, laxeata ordines!”

One by one, the Pocket Defenders stood and began advancing in a staggered line formation. Their pace quickly doubled as they closed in on Clay and his gang.

A warrior beside Clay fumbled with his weapon, dropping his magazine to the ground, but the others successfully reloaded and resumed firing. The first bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the tower shield of the lead Defender. Estelle, moving swiftly, positioned herself behind the rear Defender.

She hurled one of her copper daggers at the warrior furthest from the guardian, but the guardian sprinted across the line, forcing his comrades to stop firing as he smacked the dagger aside. Using the brief pause, Estelle dashed toward the next Pocket Defender. She threw another dagger, but this time, the guardian deflected it with ease.

“It’s the Tower Witch,” the healer said as he raised his rifle. “You would think she would know better than to bring a knife to a gun fight.”

“Concentrate fire on one target,” Clay yelled, pointing to the closest Pocket Defender.

Gunfire tore the Defender apart, revealing her true form as she turned back into a doll. Estelle flipped a coin over the shield and began counting aloud from five.

"Grenade!" Clay shouted.

The guardian immediately jumped onto the coin, while the others dove for cover. After a few tense moments, the guardian sat up, unharmed, and casually picked up the coin. He held it up, showing it to Clay with a smirk.

The healer looked at he and laughed, “Ha! I think you flattened it, Sumo!”

“I think you’re right,” Sumo said and laughed.

“Daggers release,” Estelle said and extended her middle and forefinger.

Interwoven within the discarded copper daggers was a single silver wire threaded throughout the metal of the blade. The wire began to vibrate, releasing the stored potential energy.

As it glowed, the copper reacted, melting the blades into molten slag. Estelle dashed to the right and pointed her fingers at the two warriors. The molten copper shot toward them, peppering their bodies and tearing through their armor.

Their skin turned pale before they vanished.

“Pocket Defenders, laxeata ordines!” Estelle yelled.

The two remaining Pocket Defenders stood up and began to advance in the remaining enemies.

Then Estelle changed directions and said, “Release morgana image.”

“When did you learn that spell?” Bee asked.

Sumo summoned a heavy machine gun and a pair of sunglasses.

“Illusions won’t work on me, witch,” Sumo said and put his sunglasses over his eyes.

“I never took the time to learn it, though Sumo need not be aware of that,” Estelle thought.

With a flick of his thumb, Sumo switched his weapon to fully automatic. Estelle activated her coin, which exploded in a cascade of chaff.

“You die now!” Sumo bellowed as he pulled the trigger, unleashing hundreds of rounds.

The bullets tore through empty air—Estelle had vanished, only to reappear beside him. With a swift strike to his elbow, she pushed his right arm, redirecting his aim.

The weapon continued to fire, and the stray bullets struck the healer. The healer's protective wards flared brightly, absorbing most of the damage, but the force pushed him backward. The last ward shattered with a sound like breaking glass, and several bullets tore into his stomach.

“Cease fire!” Clay shouted.

“I... can’t... it won’t stop!” Sumo yelled, desperately pulling at the bullets, trying to halt the runaway weapon.

Sumo then dropped his weapon, clutching his stomach before collapsing to the ground. The weapon continued firing as Clay frantically tried to stop it by pulling at the chain-linked ammo belt. The healer's "eye-for-an-eye" spell activated, retaliating against Sumo, and in turn, Sumo’s own "eye-for-an-eye" triggered, dropping the healer to his knees.

Estelle vanished again, reappearing between the guardian and the healer, her daggers Audacity and Credulity in hand. Clay rushed toward her, but she swiftly kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

“Eye-for-an-eye is down, kill them!” Bee said.

She stabbed the prone healer in the back of the neck, and he turned paled she sent Sumo to purgatory next.

Chaff fell from the air, and Clay snapped to his feet. He threw down his weapon and flicked his hand. A thin bladed rapier appeared. Clay glared at Estelle in her cat mask. She was relaxed, her arms hung loosely at her side.

“Take up a fighting stance,” Clay said, shifting his weight to his back feet.

Estelle turned her back. The second Pocket Defender rushed in.

“You will take me seriously,” Clay said, as he obliterated the doll.

Estelle pointed the blade of Credulity towards Clay and said, “I will grant you five opportunities to strike me.”

"For my queen!" he yelled and charged forward.

He brought his sword down, but Estelle parried the strike with Credulity. A Pocket Defender rushed at him, but he swiftly sliced the doll’s head off. Continuing his swing he arced his blade toward Estelle. She sidestepped and knocked his weapon aside.

"Misfire," Clay muttered.

Clay’s weapon reappeared in the same position as before, but this time he thrust his sword. Estelle parried again, and this time his arm jolted when their weapons clashed.

"Misfire," he repeated, his cheeks reddening.

When he reappeared, Estelle pirouetted on her heels. Clay overextended the thrust, and Estelle used Credulity to knock his sword from his hand. With his leg exposed, she drove Audacity into the back of his thigh. He bit down on his lower lip, forcing the pain from his mind.

Leaving the weapon embedded into his leg she said, “Last chance to walk away.”

Then she pulled the weapon out and took two steps away.

“Not till I present your head to my queen,” Clay said and struggled to his feet.

"That marks the second time this season I've been told that, and the outcome was far from favorable," Estelle said.

“Hey!” yelled Bee.

Estelle turned her blade over and began to examine her fingernails.

“You think this is funny?” Clay asked.

He ran his finger along the edge of the blade, leaving a thin, stinging cut. The weapon glowed bright yellow, vibrating the air around it. As the sword hummed, Clay widened his stance, steadying himself.

Pointing the blade downward, he shouted, "Death from above!"

Clay shot into the air with a loud boom, leaving only a debris donut-shaped cloud behind. Estelle looked up as he disappeared.

“Such a fickle young boy,” Estelle said, playfully. “Where could he have run off to?”

Estelle adjusted the eyes on her mask, locking the tracking feature onto Clay’s shrinking form. As the focus sharpened, a number appeared: 5,000 feet. The distance indicator flashed—he was starting to descend.

He plummeted through a passing cloud, his speed picking up rapidly. The friction of the air caused his clothes to catch fire. Sunlight streamed through the hole he'd left in the cloud, forcing Estelle to raise an arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight.

“Is he really moving at terminal velocity?” Bee asked.

"It appears so. As a precautionary measure, I should step back," Estelle said calmly, though her eyes remained fixed on Clay.

She took a wide, deliberate step back as Clay adjusted mid-air fall. The air around him ignited, leaving a blazing trail of fire as he plummeted.

With a deafening impact, the tip of his sword grazed the sleeve of Estelle’s Skyfall trench coat. The material absorbed the blow effortlessly, redirecting the force back at Clay in a violent ripple.

"Five," Estelle counted under her breath, then parried his strike with Credulity.

The clash sent Clay hurtling backward, skidding across the ground for ten meters, tearing up the concrete in his wake. Dust and debris flew as he came to a halt, he struggled to push himself up with his left hand. His right arm and leg hung limp, useless.

Unfazed, Estelle raised her arm, and inspected her sleeve as the fabric stiffened, unbroken by the impact.

“Please enlighten me, did you select ‘Death from Above’ or did the enchantment appear through natural evolution?” Estelle asked and ripped off the sleeve off at the seams.

“Fuck you, witch, when my beloved hears about what you did,” Clay said as he foamed at the mouth. “My queen will kill you.”

“Oh?” Estelle asked and shrugged. “I falsely assume she was flattened when I dropped a building on her. If you could direct me in her direction, I would be most appreciative.”

“She’ll find you, witch,” Clay said and coughed.

His voice was raspy and breathing labored. Estelle tossed the stiffened sleeve over her shoulder and stood on top of Clay’s blade. She placed Credulity at the tip of the blade.

“Mōwō,” Estelle said and snapped his blade.

Clay’s sword vanished in a cascade of radiant light, absorbed into Credulity. Her weapon glowed briefly before the light dissipated. Turning her focus back to the apartment building, Estelle hoped to eliminate any remaining Queen Pin survivors. Then left Clay laying on the ground.

“How did you know your coat would absorb Clay’s ‘Death From Above’?” Bee asked, her tone laced with feigned curiosity.

“I assumed it would, given that he was traveling at terminal velocity,” Estelle replied.

“Oh…wait a second. I thought the coat only absorbed falling impacts, not collisions,” Bee said, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

“It appears to operate both ways. Perhaps further testing is necessary.”

“You really need to stop leaving things to chance like that, especially when I’m involved!” Bee said.

Still bound in the medical alert bracelet, Estelle felt if Bee was there her eyes would be filled with a mix of concern and self-importance.

***