Legacy of the Blazers - Chapter Eight (Patreon)

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Nightmare chugged along war-torn streets, crushing rubble and dead bodies underneath its tracks. Blowhole’s Militia had done a number on this block of the city, obliterating every building in site, leaving behind only craters. Lux kept her eyes away from the windows. Seeing the damage only made her want to do stupid things.

She sat on an uncomfortable bed with springs poking her butt and devoured her third bowl of tomato soup. The first had come with a grilled cheese. The second had come with crackers. This one came with sprinkles of basil on top and an overwhelming bitterness which made each bite resemble a block of moldy cheese.

Still, she ate it. Slurped it down in one gulp, actually, ignoring her stomach which growled the entire time. Her battle with the rat had left her so hungry you could probably sit actual moldy cheese in front of her and she’d gobble that up no questions asked.

“Another batch of soup is done,” said a tired voice over the intercom. Poor Joey, a young Greaser and the only one with a lick of cooking skills, had been trapped in the kitchen since the moment they stole this hunk of junk, feeding a troop of too-hungry soldiers after a too-long battle.

Taking The Nightmare wasn't easy, but it was worth it. This thing wasn’t just a normal tank made to plow through the streets and blow shit up. No, it was a full-blown headquarters equipped with bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, basically anything you can think of. Plus, it was stocked-to-the-gills. Feeding army wasn’t easy, but doing it on the Panty Mafia’s dime definitely helped.

She wondered what Blowhole was doing? Probably stomping around his lavish den, wondering how that stupid rat had been so brutally killed and how his precious ship had been stolen. Maybe he’d kill a few assistants, or trash something expensive he just bought. But no matter how furious he was, it likely didn’t come close to how furious Bon was. He’d funded The Nightmare, after all, and seeing it fall into the hands of the enemy, twice, probably had him explosive.

She knew little of Bon, though, save for the fact that he was a teddy bear and that he wasn’t a person to be fucked with. Beating him would be a dream, but Blowhole had to come first, and after she was done with him…well, she just wanted to focus on rebuilding the Blazers. She didn’t want to fight another war. Hell, she didn’t want to fight this war. She threw herself back onto the bumpy mattress and tried to ignore the coils aiming for her spine.

Though she hadn’t taken a single hit in her battle with Cheese, her body ached. Her muscles had been pushed too far and weren’t particularly happy about it. Eating had satiated them a bit, but they’d be screaming at her until they got what they desired most—rest. But she was too awake to sleep. Her mind…it ran endlessly.

She still wore the panties. They were hidden under her robe, and while she wanted to take them off, she couldn’t. Their power was dangerously alluring, and it was clear why Panty Mafia members were so easily enthralled by it. They seized the rage in your heart, twisted it into a firestorm, and then used that to drive you forward, to make you fight. And after what happened to Jess, Lux’s heart…

Worrying about that was a waste of time.

Beat Blowhole. Restore the Blazers.

A knock disturbed her thoughts. When she looked up, Cy stood in her doorway with his arms crossed. “You’re awfully pale.”

“Just tired,” she said. “Feel like I could sleep a whole ‘nother month.”

His eyes traveled to the empty bowls. “You were hungry?”

“Still am. But if I eat any more, I’m going to burst.” She turned onto her side, clutching the pillow tightly. It, at least, was comfortable. “How’s everyone doing?”

“Spirits are high, at least. Despite the infirmary practically overflowing, everyone’s still wearing a smile, happy to get some food and happy we won a few big battles. If I’m being honest, I don’t think anyone believed in us.”

“I don’t think I believed in us,” she said.

He took a seat at the foot of the bed and stared at the floor. “But we did it. And easily, too. Cheese, man, he didn’t stand a chance.” He flashed her a smile. “Greasers and Blazers, celebrating victories together with bowls of tomato soup. Life’s got a weird way of changing, huh?”

Cy then laid down behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her close. Her gut instincts kicked in and she tensed up, but he stroked her shoulder calmly. “Don’t worry. We don’t gotta hide it anymore. Spike and everyone else, they don’t really give a damn about us being together.”

“Greasers and Blazers working together,” she mumbled, letting her muscles relax. “It feels good to relax. We haven’t done this since…”

Goddamn, it had been too long. With tensions between the Greasers and Blazers simmering, they’d avoided seeing each other, not wanting to do anything to rile up another round of fighting. But here, in this moment, her body scolded her. She'd forgotten the warmth of his touch, and there was little worse than that.

“I could lay like this forever,” she said.

“Sadly, we can't. But once this is all over, I promise, we’ll lay like this a lot.” He leaned forward, kissing her ear. “Our next mission is going to be stupidly dangerous, though, so let’s enjoy this while we can.”

“Taking the fight to Blowhole. Never thought it would happen so fast.”

“That’s not our next mission. Our next mission…it’s even more stupid.”

Those words were sour and Lux didn’t like the sound of them. She pulled away from him and turned over. “I thought…I mean, isn’t that why we stole this damned thing?”

“We stole this because we could. This is an outdated model, one the Panty Mafia has little use for. Blowhole, one of Bon’s highest-ranking generals, had access to an even stronger variant, one that is able to be enhanced by panties. Its power is supposedly devastating, though he’s yet to use it. So…”

His voice trailing off only worried her further. “Cy…?”

“So…we’ve gotta ask for some help.”

“Help?” Neither the Blazers or Greasers had any notably allies, and with the Panty Mafia hot on their asses, nobody would be stupid enough to stick their necks out for them. Even Jess wouldn’t have done something so careless. “Nobody’s going to help us, Cy.”

“You’re probably right. But a slim chance is still a chance, and while we’ve got one, we have to take it.”

“I don’t like the way you’re talking.”

“And I knew you wouldn’t. Well, we knew you wouldn’t. Tegan’s plan was never to charge straight at Blowhole.” He pulled away from her, sitting up and running his hands through his hair. “She suspected if she told you the plan you would’ve rushed off and gotten yourself killed to avoid it. At least now that you’ve got your powers back you can rush off and maybe have a chance.”

“A chance is still a chance,” she said, throwing his words back at him. “Who is it, Cy? Who the hell are we asking for help?”

“We’re not on friendly terms with them,” he said. “You likely hate them.”

“You’re pissing me off, Cy. Just tell me who the hell it is.”

An awkward second passed where he did nothing but tap his finger on the table.

Then, he just sighed.

“Kern and Bon," he said. "Leaders of the Panty Mafia.”