Ten of hearts is the card for your family and people that you hold dear - Madam Tobin’s Tarot Guide

Operation Giga Pudding (D+6.5 hours)

Lillian ran through a narrow passage between two puke-brown homes. Behind her, the retinue followed.

“You three, block this passage,” she said and kept running. “Establish an overwatch. Spike you are with me.”

Behind them three more houses down gunfire ripped through the streets. Then the bullets ceased after a few scattered pops.

Lillian ran past a flock of chickens that pecked and scratched in the backyard.

She stopped by the back door of the sickly-green colored house, pointed, and said, “Spike, get the door.”

Spike squared up to the door and pressed the barrel of his 28-gauge shotgun to the doorknob, he shot off the lock.

“Seal it up,” Lillian said, glancing at her watch. “This day just keeps getting better. Spike, we’ve got five minutes till our comms window opens. We just need to hang tight until I can get through for backup.”

Spike rummaged through a pouch until he found a plexiglass cube, about the size of a bottle cap, with tiny electronics inside. He placed the device in the center of the door and pressed down until he heard a soft click.

A thin stream of clear green gel spread across the surface, flowing to the edges. As it coated the door, the frame, and part of the wall. The gel gradually darkened to a deep green.

He tapped the door, and it gave off a solid, stone-like sound.

“Good luck getting through that,” he said and moved to the hallway. “I’m going to take care of the front door.”

Lilly stomped into the living room and pushed dishes, plastic vase, and tablecloth onto the floor. She scrolled through her menu and summoned a computer tablet.

A DeSitter doorway opened with a sizzle and pop as a computer appeared on the table. She snatched it up with the flick of the wrist and entered her passcode.

Spike ran his hand across the mantle of the fireplace when he abruptly stopped. Then he inched his way back.

“Yo Lilly,” he said, as his voice waivered. “Your doll is back. Stay there, nice creepy doll.”

“Get rid of that thing!” she said slamming her hands down on the table. “Can’t you see, I’m trying to call for…great look what you made me do. The screen is cracked!”

“No way, the last person who touched it got diced up by that crazy bitch in a pig mask. She’s your problem,” Spike said.

Lilly picked up the door and tossed in a few lace doilies, along with a fancy pillow for good measure. She set the lace on fire, watching as it quickly kindled, spreading flames to the other items. The fire grew brighter and hotter, but when it reached the doll, the flames twisted and curled away, avoiding it entirely.

Spike snorted and said, “See told ya’ that thing is cursed.”

“Curses only affect simple minds like and the other trogs,” Lilly said. “Now go do something useful like watch the grass grow or jump on a grenade.”

He turned and went upstairs, giving her the middle finger when he turned the corner.

The black eyes of the doll, despite being black, turned darker in the firelight. Then the head turned towards her.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Echoes of machine gun fire shook the walls of the home, breaking the spell the doll had on Lillian.

She adjusted her hat and shouted into a wrist communicator, “Tom-Tom, attack pattern delta, load servo rounds.”

Servo motors whirled from within her backpack, and a pair of black rifles with light grey stripes popped out from the back. A set of smaller arms appeared and loaded a pair of snail drums into both weapons.

Lilly pushed the table over and braced herself against the wall. Then raised her rifle and c-gripped her hand around the handle.

“Tom-Tom, activate Targeting Matrix with Paraíba Tourmaline lens,” she said, and placed a set of goggles over her eyes.

A targeting image appeared with three hazy figures that were outlined on the wall.

“Activate overcharge,” she said, then inhaled deeply. “Go back to hell, demon bitch!”

A stream of rounds spat tungsten death from all three of her rifles. Each of the rounds passed through the cinder blocks of the house, the fence, and into the rooms of the next three homes.

The force pushed Lilly back as empty shell casings fell on the floor like a waterfall. The barrel of the rifle on the left servo arm began to glow red, followed by the others. Through the dust kicked up by bullets, she saw two images on her matrix disappear.

“Cease fire! Creases fire!” Spike yelled as he ran into the room. “Those are our boys, stop firing!”

Lilly gritted her teeth, and she aimed one of the rifles towards Spike. The first five rounds turned him pale, but only disappeared after fifteen more rounds passed though.

“Tom-Tom, new weapons,” Lilly said, reloading her rifle.

The weapon mounts ejected the spent rifles, swiftly replacing them with fresh ones. Her Targeting Matrix indicated someone was still on the other side. Once the new rifles were locked and loaded, she crept toward the remnants of the crumbling wall.

Concrete and drywall crumbled around her as Lilly peeked over. Just around the corner, she glimpsed a flickering, pixelated image of Whisper.

“A hologram generator?” Lilly muttered, kicking aside some debris for a better view. “That's some outdated tech.”

Then she poked her head through to search for her target.

“But it still fooled you,” Whisper said while she jumped down from the roof with Lullaby’s blade pointed down.

A mechanical arm swung outward, metal clashing violently against metal. Lilly had just enough time to pull back as Whisper brought her naginata crashing down for another strike.

Lilly shifted her weight onto her back foot, heart pounding, and quickly aimed her rifle at Whisper.

“Activate overcharge!” she shouted; voice tight but shaking.

“Not this time,” Whisper said, smashing through the wall like a force of nature. “Angry Hornet Defense…go!”

Lullaby swung in a brutal downward arc, cleaving through the rifle’s servo motors with a deafening screech. Sparks flew motor as Lilly fired the ten hastily placed shots. Whisper leaped back; the rounds sparked off Lullaby’s blade as she deflected each bullet with precision.

Lilly gritted her teeth. She was running out of options—and fast.

She fired a desperate volley at the window, her remaining backpack rifle still locked onto Whisper. Without hesitation, she leapt through the shattered remaining glass, losing her hat mid-jump as she tumbled outside.

Behind her, Whisper slipped a remote from her pouch, pressing the button labeled "activate." Instantly, a metallic field flickered to life around the hologram generator, warping the air. Lilly’s bullets began to veer off course, curving toward the hologram instead of their intended target.

As Lilly sprinted down the street, her servo weapon unleashed a relentless hail of bullets toward the window. Whisper adjusted her boar mask then gave chase. She slowed just long enough to snatch up Lilly’s fallen hat, and she placed it on her head.

“Mrs. Lillian Rose, you dropped something,” Whisper taunted, her voice carrying through the chaos as she vaulted through the window after her.

The chase was on, and Whisper was closing in fast. Bullets continued to arc through the air, pulled toward the flickering hologram.

"It’s a nice hat," Whisper called out, her voice laced with mockery. "It’d be rude not to return it."

She paused at the edge of the shattered wall, watching Lilly sprint down the street, her figure growing smaller in the distance.

"Run, sweet Lilly," Whisper said with a dark grin. "Oblivion is right behind you."

With a swift leap, she vaulted onto the rooftop, and she resumed her relentless pursuit from above.

***