Built to house an army, warehouse 1137/A was filled to the brim with vehicles of every size and purpose. Everything from the humble Narcis to the mighty Saphrax was there, most in mid states of repair. Many of the vehicles had seen war, leaving precious few in pristine condition. The dark red and brown checkered paint of the Voxsturm Armored Combine was once proudly painted over each of them, it was now faded from sand blasted winds.
As Theo entered the warehouse, he was welcomed by the reek of engine oil, lubricants, sweat, and rubber. Combined, the mechanical stink was overwhelming, catching him off guard and disorienting him for a moment. It was hard, gathering ones thoughts in such an environment. The sounds and smells gave him a near permanent sense of unease.
As he made his way further inside, Theo saw that one of the armored personal carriers had returned from a recent expedition. Nine university students were exiting the Narcis, along with two adults, and one military liaison. They all seemed tired, their armor was filthy, covered in grime and soot, but they all had smiles on their faces. They seemed happy to return home, and not just in one piece, but with several crates of old computers, and a beat up four foot tall terminal with a shattered glass screen, in tow.
The vehicle itself seemed to be in one piece, with only its paint tarnished. That renewed his confidence a bit; Believing their expedition would safely return if given a similar vehicle.
His eyes lingered on one girl among the group in particular, one who looked almost exactly like one of the dancers at the darling blossom. Another woman behind her was definitely the bartender who served him a cocktail mixed with her own breast milk only weeks before.
There was no way the older woman was a student, but perhaps a mother? Or associate? He supposed it only made sense, after all, several in his own expedition weren’t students either. The other adult was clearly a professor, Theo recognized him easily enough.
Careful not to garner their attention, Theo skirted around the periphery of their view. He was excited, walking through the warehouse in search of his group. Their staging area was supposed to be situated toward the rear of the warehouse, Victor had texted him the details that morning.
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It didn’t take him long to find it.
An older Narcis sat underneath an array of brimming orange lanterns, its bulk large enough to field an entire platoon with room to spare. The vehicle was designed for moving men and material through the wasteland, and could be converted for added combat roles if necessary. This particular model was devoid of any weapon systems, its top turret had its gun removed to be replaced with armored glass. The paint job was newly finished, and Theo saw that the livery was that of a dull red with black caution stripes along the sides.
Monica was leaning against the vehicle, her armored bodice and cavlar corset left her arms bare, and some of her cleavage exposed. She was fiddling with a tiny cigarette, seemingly undecided if she wanted to smoke it now or later.
Next to her, Victor was busy going through a checklist, and waved at him. His gear was almost the same as his own, thick padded material complimented by sturdy ceramic plates. While cumbersome, it should protect him from the elements, at least to an extent.
Theo was surprised to find both Laura and Lucy there as well, each of them in a dark purple—almost black—skin tight suits, with ceramic plated armor over their chests. Lucy eyed him warily, while Laura shot him a playful smirk.
Cassie sat on the roof of the Narcis, her back pressed against the observation turret. She was stroking a slender long barreled rifle, inspecting it obsessively. She wore no ceramic armor plating, or tactical suit of any kind, instead going with a nylon bodysuit that was currently unzipped down the middle.
Michael and Marci had yet to arrive, although Theo wasn’t surprised. He figured they would be late, Mike almost always was to just about anything.
Theo walked toward Victor, but when he saw Lorelei he froze dead in his tracks.
Lorelei looked stunning! A dark crimson tacsuit fitted her womanly frame perfectly. A solid black armored bodice covered her giving breasts, the cleavage he could see was sheathed underneath fine layers of latex looking material. Her shoulder pauldrons were layered ceramic plates, yet the armor panels down her arms and legs were thin and smooth, almost indiscernible against the tight fitting under-sleeve. Even her tail was somehow fitted in a thin spandex-looking material, and curled in midair behind her.
She looked over to him, her cheeks blushing, and slowly walked towards him.