Rebel (The United Federation Marine Corps) (9 page)

Chapter 18

Michi rang the buzzer, and a few moments later, the door opened.  She climbed the steps to the third floor and opened the door to Apartment G.  A small counter blocked her way, a 30-something man leaning over it, looking at her expectantly.

“You Seth MacPruitt?” she asked.

“Yeah, and who might you be, angry young woman?” he answered.

He was observant, at least.  Michi was angry.  More than that, she was humiliated.  It had been a day since they had tried to jump the Marine, and the bruise on her face still showed.  She hadn’t gone to a doctor, so she had to rely on NovaSkin, which was great for small cuts, but didn’t work as well with subcutaneous bleeding.

The bruised face meant nothing, though.  It was her pride that had been damaged.  She had been so sure of herself, and even with complete surprise, she had gotten her ass whipped.  Worse than that, she was still free.

Oh, she was glad she hadn’t woken up in jail.  But the fact that the Marine hadn’t even considered them enough of a threat to call the jacks was the utmost degree of disrespect.  No, not disrespect.  That, at least, required that the Marine thought something of them.  He just didn’t care.  They were nothing.

“My name really isn’t important right now.  I hear you still do MMA training.”

“Which would explain the mats and punchin’ bags behind me,” he said.

Seth MacPruitt was First Family, even if the MacPruitts were considered somewhat on the low end of the Clan totem pole.  But as a young man Seth had managed to win not one, but two Kakurega MMA championships and had even taken runner up at the sectional tournament.  The fact that he had then joined the Marines had given Michi pause, but the rumor was that he left the Marines on less-than-favorable terms.

“Well, given the fadin’ bruise on your face, I’d be sayin’ you’re here to get some revenge on a beatin’. The thing is, I don’ take on no wannabes.”

“I can fight,” she protested.

“Not well enough, evidently.”

“Look, I can’t pay you much,” Michi started.

“You’re Clan, cousin, I can smell it on you.  And you can’t pay much?”

MacPruitt and Michi were not related, as far as she knew, but some Clan liked to call each other cousin as a sort of endearment.  MacPruitt, though, used it sarcastically, as if to emphasize their different positions in life.

“Uh, well, I’m sort of on my own now,” Michi admitted.

“Ah, you pissed off your family?  Interestin’.  Maybe you’ve got some balls, girl.  Tell you what.  Hop around the counter, and let’s roll around on the mat.  Let me see what you’ve got.”

Michi walked around the counter and started to step onto the mat when Seth stopped her.  “Take off those Clodders.  I don’t need you tearing up my mat.  There’s a locker room in the back.  Get dressed, then we’ll see.”

As Michi crossed the worn mat, she saw various photos on the wall, some of Seth in action, several at awards ceremonies, and one of him teaching what had to be Marines.  There was even his discharge certificate framed and on the wall.  Was she coming to the enemy for help?

She was changed and back in a few moments, standing in front of the relaxed Seth.  She came to the balls of her feet, ready for whatever he might have for her.

“Well, don’t waste my time, girl, show me you’re worth it.”

Michi immediately launched into a superman punch, knee up to change to a kick if the opportunity presented itself. She was taller than Seth, and the superman punch was a good way to close the distance.

In an instant, she brought her fist down towards his nose, and an instant later, she was on the mat, her right arm being extended and cranked back.

“Tap, tap!” she shouted, using her left hand to tap Seth’s back.

He let her up while she tried to shake out the strain on her arm.  “You done?” he asked her.

In response, she flicked out with a front kick, which barely touched his chest.  She hopped up to come down with an axe kick, which he easily batted away before dropping down and punching her between the legs.   The punch hit her squarely in the crotch, and pain flooded her senses.   With a shout, she dove at him, grabbing him and driving him back, striving to mount him so she could get to the ground and pound.  She felt a momentary thrill as she felt him go down, but somehow, he ended up on top, and within moments, she was in a crucifix, pinned. 

He didn’t pummel at her, as she expected, but he thrust his pelvis into her face once before letting her go and looking at her expectantly. 

She felt the
radge
start to rise, but she fought it down.  She knew his little balls-in-the-face was an attempt to get her to lose it.  It would take more than that to get to her, she promised herself.

She stood back up, brought her fists up, and started circling, leaving anger and emotion to focus on technique.  She thought she saw Seth slightly nod as he closed in.  They sparred for another 20 minutes, giving and taking, although Michi was taking much more.  She managed to reverse Seth once, and she caught him with an elbow, but that was about it.  If he’d wanted to, he could have destroyed her, she realized.  

He called a halt, walked over to an old, beat-up fridge, and pulled out two waters, throwing her one.  She gratefully took it, trying to drink between heavy breaths.

“Well, you ain’t very good, are you?” he asked.

She started to protest, but he held up a hand and continued, “But you’re ungodly strong, and you’re aggressive.  You’ve got some potential.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but come around at 3:00 tomorrow, and we’ll see what we can do.  Pay me what you can, and if it ain’t enough, you can clean up the place after, give it a good scrubbin’.  Deal?”

Michi wasn’t a maid, and cleaning wasn’t her thing.  And she owed him for the crotch shot, which still hurt.  But she needed to get better, and this was her best shot.

“Deal,” she said as she shook his hand.

Chapter 19

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Michi said as she looked in the mirror.  She had on her own face, but she was very unsure of the outfit Tamara and Cheri had come up with. 

“Look, this top is about five sizes too small,” she told them, trying to stretch it out to give it more coverage.

“We went over this, Michi, dear,” Cheri said.  “The Federation government and military are the last bastions of misogyny.  Women need to be protected, so they say, and that keeps us from all the opportunities offered men.  If you, as a woman, take down one of theirs, that should shame them.”

“I get all of that, and I agreed to this mission, but why do I have to look like an exotic dancer?  I’m not comfortable with that at all.”

“Suck it up, big girl.  ’Sides, we need there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that it’s a sister doing the deed, and your twins there are going to take care of that,” Tamara said.

“Easy for you to say.  You’re not going,” Michi grumbled.

“First, I don’t have the assets you do, and second, I’ve got to be at work.  Someone’s got to pay the bills around here.”

“I . . . but what about the boots?  And the gloves?  How can I fight in these things?” she asked, pointing at the thigh-high faux-leather boots Cheri had brought.

“I told you, this time, you won’t be fighting.  I’ve got the three guys to meet you there, and they’ll do the restraining.  You’ve just got to look fierce and deliver the message,” Cheri started.

“But—”

“If you feel uncomfortable in them, we’ll fix them after.  But we’ve got to strike now before one of them gets tired of the other.” 

“Them” was Marine Lance Corporal Thane Regent and Kelli Mae Osterson, a local girl hired as a food service contractor to help feed the Marines.  The two had managed to hook up, and they were meeting every Monday and Wednesday afternoon at her apartment for a discreet liaison; only it was not so discreet that Cheri and the WRP had not found out.

The decision had been made to break into their little tryst, capture the Marine, and record a message for distribution.  The decision had also been made that the person doing the recording was to be female, and Cheri had volunteered Michi without revealing her identity.

Cheri had come over to the condo the evening before to set it up, telling them that this was a better plan than trying to jump a Marine somewhere.  Michi and Tamara hadn’t batted an eye at that.  None of the three involved had told Cheri about their disaster the week before.

Tamara mentioned the need for a “look,” and with Cheri quickly on board, the two of them concocted this warped fantasy outfit.

Michi took a deep knee bend.  The boots restricted her flexibility.

“Uh, that might be a little revealing, I guess,” Tamara said, pointing to Michi’s ass as she squatted. 

Michi jumped up, pulling up on the back of the low-riding pants.

“Don’t worry, we’ll fix that, too.  For a first try, though, you look pretty bitching, if I say so myself.”

“Michi, we’ve got to go.  Just follow the plan.  I’ve got the overalls over there on the table.  Be sure not to take them off until you are in the building, and don’t put them back on until you are on the roof.  Doug is sure he can control any overhead surveillance and inside the building, but not all the security cams in the area.”

Both Tamara and Cheri kissed her on the cheek.

“Kick some ass,” Tamara said as the two left for their jobs. 

Michi sat down, feeling alone. She turned on the holo and tried to watch a show on how T-cells were replicated to fight the constantly evolving virus threats, but she couldn’t focus.  She got up and practiced some of her kicks with the boots on.  Her favorite roundhouse was doable, but some of the others would be difficult and less than effective.

At 10:00, she fixed some soup, but she could only finish half of it.  She threw the rest out, then called Seth to tell him she was not feeling well and would miss that afternoon’s session. 

She regretted that.  In only a week, she felt that she had really progressed. She was earning the increased skill, though.  Seth was not holding back, and each lesson was a journey into pain.

The day crept on, but finally, it was time.  She slid on the blue company overalls worn by utility teams.  PI Services was not part of the company proper, but rather a purportedly independent spin-off that managed the water, sewage, and power for the planet.  The overalls looked like the real deal.  The boots sticking out from the bottom of her cuffs were not, though. She flipped on the face-spoofer, and her redhead alter ego appeared.  She put on the uniform cap and pulled it down low over her eyes.

No one seemed to notice anything as she walked outside and over to the tram line.  No one seemed to notice as she sat on the tram, going to the other side of town.  No one seemed to notice when she got out and made the ten-minute walk to Kelli Mae’s apartment building. 

As she walked up, three men in the same blue overalls stepped out from the side alley.  One threw her a tool kit, which she caught and slung over her shoulder.  Another one of the men swiped an access card, and the apartment door opened.  Talking about the latest V-Game, they entered the building and went up three flights of stairs, ignoring the elevator.

“OK, you ready?” the first man asked her.

Michi didn’t know any of the men, and she hoped they didn’t know her.  She nodded, though, and slid off her overalls and stuffed them in her tool kit.  She thought she caught the briefest flicker of prurient interest from at least two of them as they slid out of their overalls, revealing black military-looking uniforms, but no one said a word.  Each of the men had a wicked looking handgun strapped to his thigh, and the shortest of the three handed Michi one in a belted holster.  She started to put it on backwards, and without a word, the short guy helped her get it attached.  Michi looked down at it.  She didn’t have a clue how to fire it if it came to that, but it did feel reassuring as it hung on her hip.  No one was supposed to get hurt, but they had come prepared. 

They silently climbed up two more flights, then slipped into a utility closet.  Standing there, half-naked, at least in her mind, in close proximity to three men, Michi wondered how she got to this position.  Just two months ago, her main concerns were ballet and planning a wedding.  Now she was hiding in a closet, waiting to attack a Federation Marine.

One of the men, the swarthy-looking guy, Michi thought, had horrible breath.  Michi thought she was going to gag as it filled the closet.  Then, to make things worse, the short guy, the one who had handed her the handgun, let out a quiet fart.  That broke the tension.  No one laughed out loud, but there was a sense of normalcy about it.  Suddenly, Michi felt OK.

It was only five or so more minutes before they heard movement outside.  There was a quiet knock, then a whispered greeting.  The four of them waited another five minutes before creeping out and moving to Kelli Mae’s door. 

The tallest of the three put his ear to the door and listened:  no high-tech gear, just an ear to the door.  He nodded and motioned to the stairwell, and the bad-breath guy left and disappeared down it.  He was their security.

The three left got into position.  Michi knew what she was supposed to do, but it would have been nice to rehearse it at least once.  She nervously waited behind the two men as the tall guy took out a small rectangular box that he held up to the lock.  Red lights blinked for a few seconds before turning green.

For a moment, Michi wondered what his name was.  It seemed impersonal to refer to him only as “the tall guy.”  Then there was no time to wonder.  He pushed open the door and the three of them barged in.

The Marine was at full throttle, pounding away at Kelli Mae, whose feet were up in the air straddling her thrusting paramour.  He had time to glance behind him and start to dive off of her before both of Michi’s companions were on him, dragging the young man to the floor.  Michi could see they needed no help, so she jumped on the bed, straddling the sweaty girl and placing a hand over her mouth. 

“Shh,” she said, holding a finger over her own mouth.  “Stay quiet, and no one is going to get hurt.

The Marine was struggling, and he managed to get up to a sitting position.  Michi contemplated joining the fight when the tall guy managed to ziptie the Marine’s hands in back of him and slap a pressure gag over his mouth.  They hauled him up, avoiding his kicks.  The shorter guy stepped in back of the Marine, put him in a choke hold, and began to apply pressure before easing off.  The Marine got the message and stopped struggling.

He was glaring bloody murder, though, and Michi had no question on what he would do to them if he could.  He stood there, stark naked, being held, yet he was not cowed.  He was no longer rampant, and his dick still had Kelli Mae on it, but he stood as if he had on full battle gear.

Kelli Mae, on the other hand, squirmed under Michi, not to escape, but to pull up a sheet to try to cover herself.  She didn’t speak, but terror showed in her eyes.  Michi felt a moment of compassion for her, but they had a job to do, and she was going to get it done.

“Over here, with the bed in the background,” she said.  The shorter man nodded and brought the Marine over to the foot of the bed.

The other man reached in his tool kit and pulled out a small, high-def holocam.  He stood in front of Michi, ready to go.

“Look, lance corporal, you are going to be let free if you cooperate,” Michi said.  “I want you to stand beside me while we record something.  That’s it.  Then you and your girlfriend will be free to go.  If you make a move, if you try anything, not only will you fail, but Kelli Mae will pay the price.  Do you understand, and do you agree?”

Michi would not hurt the girl no matter what happened, but the Marine didn’t need to know that.

“Nod your head if you agree.”

“Thane!” Kelli Mae pleaded.

“Shut up!” Michi ordered, not turning around to look at the girl.

The Marine looked beyond Michi at Kelli Mae, and Michi could see the capitulation.  He nodded.

“Good.  Stand here,” she said, pulling him over as her short companion stepped just out of cam range, but close enough to move in if need be. He pulled out his handgun and kept it loosely aimed at the bed.

Michi looked back at Kelli Mae, who had managed to cover herself.  Michi knelt on the bed, then turned the girl slightly to the side, pulling back the sheet to reveal a long expanse of her side and legs.  She let the girl keep the sheet over her front, but Michi wanted there to be no question as to what had been happening.

“You can put your head down so no one can see your face,” she whispered to the girl before getting off the bed to stand next to the Marine. 

She nodded at the tall guy, and when the record light came on, she started.

“I am a member of the Free Kakurega Militia.  We have been formed to protect our rights under our Federation Charter, rights that have been abrogated by Propitious Interstellar Fabrication, Inc.  Not only have they broken the charter, but they have brought in Federation Marines to crush our legal right to protest.

“Today, we have stopped one of their Marines, Lance Corporal Thane Regent, from abusing a free citizen of Kakurega.”

At Michi’s use of “abusing,” The Marine stirred, but Michi’s short companion raised his weapon and pointed it at Kelli Mae, who thankfully didn’t see it as her face was still buried.  The Marine saw it though, and he got the message and stood still.

“The Federation Marines have the power here.  They killed three of our citizens when they arrived.  They are enforcing martial law.  And now they take our citizens for their own perverted pleasure.

“It is up to you, people of Kakurega.  Will you stand for this?  From First Families and all Free Citizens, from employees and indentureds, this is our home, and Propitious Interstellar cannot break the charter as they deem fit. 

“If you agree, on this Saturday, at 9:00 AM in the city, we urge all of you to take to the streets.  We are not advocating violence.  We leave that to the Marines and Propitious Interstellar security forces.  But let your voices be heard.  Let the Federation know we will not stand for this.”

With that, she swept one hand back to indicate Kelli Mae.  This was adlibbed, but the tall guy took the hint and zoomed in.  Kelli Mae’s sobs shook her body, and Michi knew this was good footage.  She made the cut motion, and the tall guy cut out. 

“It’s OK, Kelli Mae.  It’s over.  You did fine,” she said, reaching over to put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

The girl flinched, and looked up.  “It’s not fine, you bitch.  We love each other.  It’s not like you said,” she spewed with anger.

The Marine, hands still bound behind him, climbed into bed and leaned up against his lover, who put her hands protectively around him.

Suddenly, Michi felt dirty.  Very dirty.

She wanted to say something about the greater good, but their security came running into the apartment.

“Trouble!  We’ve got jacks swarming.”

Michi’s heart fell.  How had they found out so quickly?

The tall guy pointed up, and all four of them sprinted out the door, leaving the two lovers, and over to the stairwell.  Taking the stairs three steps at a time, they climbed to the tenth floor and out onto the roof.  Michi automatically looked up, hoping that Doug had been able to gain control of any overhead surveillance in the area.