Princess Rescue Inc (18 page)

“Come
on, let's let the lady work,” Ryans nodded as he moved away.

<==={}------------>

Zara
shyly told Nate about the animals. He was intrigued. When she shyly asked him
if he was from there Deidra looked up.

“Ah,
no, no lass, I'm not from this world,” Nate said, smiling.

“None
of us are. We're from Earth. The home world, Terra,” Sue said coming over and
leaning against a bumper. “They don't have these here right?” She tapped the
truck. Zara shook her head. “Well, we don't have those on Earth.” She indicated
the animals in the pasture nearby.

“Gaijin,”
Zara said, giving her sister a significant look once more. Deidra tried to
glower but eventually looked away.

“Japanese
I think. Rude but true I suppose,” Nate observed.

“Almost
done?” Waters asked looking them over then walking on.

“Refueling
is a pain. Wish we could have done this under cover,” the Gunny grimaced.

“What
cover? This is the best we could do,” Scooter said as he squeezed the trigger
of the pump. “I'd rather get it now when it's quiet than get caught running on
fumes while looking for a safe place.”

“Yeah,”
the Gunny shook his head as Waters gave him a look.

“These
critters have no horns, but that one does. Males and females?” Waters asked,
pointing to the beasts in the pasture. A few were coming over the fence and
sticking their heads through to nibble at the grass on the other side.

Zara
shook her head. She said something in her language and then when they didn't
understand she picked up a stick and then touched it to her flesh and made a
hissing sound.

“Ah,
debudding,” Nate nodded in understanding. He looked over to the Master
Sergeant. “It's a process where they use a hot poker to burn the horn cells out
when the animal is young. That stopped the horns from growing. On Earth it is
used on goats, sheep, and cattle. I guess it works on spikes too.” He waved to
indicate the creatures. Zara nodded.

“Ah,
gotcha. Smart. Having all those pointy things around could put someone's eye
out,” the Gunny said smirking. The girls looked at him in confusion.

“They
probably got half that,” Sue sighed. She pulled out her tablet and then tapped
at it. “I guess another translation session is in order,” she grimaced, waving
to a confused Deidra.

<==={}------------>

They
spotted a man riding a bipedal creature running down the road. He was dressed
in scarlet and purple. His beast had some strange markings. The man looked
surprised at their vehicles, but dodged through them and moved on quickly
cresting the next hill out of sight. Gunny pushed Lewis's weapon down so she
wouldn't shoot.

“Okay,
you don't see that every day,” Perry said looking on to where the man went,
then back where he came from. “Scout maybe?”

Deidra
shook her head and said something. The translator paused then he heard “Mail
rider.”

“Ah,”
he nodded. “That explains the saddle bags,” he said. He nodded thoughtfully.
“Did the Duke send one out before the attack?” he asked, turning to the
Princess. She looked wary and then slowly nodded.

“Did
he get warning of the wall falling?” After a moment again she nodded this time
slowly, warily looking at him.

“Ah,
so why did it take so long for you to be sent to safety?” he asked. She
grimaced.

“My...”
She looked to her sister. “Our father ordered it if the wall should fall. Food
not... much in castle.”

“So
the Duke is low on provisions?” Perry asked. “Food? Water? Weapons?”
Reluctantly Deidra nodded.

“So
it may not be a long siege. Great,” he grimaced turning in place and then
pursing his lips in thought. “Something else to keep in mind. Once they're done
looting and pillaging they'll head in this direction.”

<==={}------------>

“I
don't know where we are do you?” Deidra asked. She was tired of being in the
metal carriage. It traveled much faster and smoother than the royal coach but
it was still a long trip to the capital.
If
they were even going to the
capital. They may have passed it in the night.

Zara
frowned but didn't look up from the movie she was watching. She was clutching a
pillow to her chest, watching it play out. Bux and Yani were watching with her.
The healer Sue was in the other carriage, taking care of the injured soldier.

“Zara,”
Deidra said impatiently. “Pay attention,” she said in exasperation.

“I
am, just not to you,” Zara said, eyes still locked on the screen. “Why do you
want to know?” Zara finally asked.

“Because
we need to know. We need to know where we're going. We need to get to the
capital.”

“I
wouldn't mind some fresh fruit,” Yani said. “The meals they serve sit like
rocks in your stomach,” she said holding her growing tummy. The gaijin healer
had checked on her pregnancy and said something about first term.

Deidra
frowned. “See?”

“So
talk to them. The leader,” Zara said and finally looked up at her.

“Think
of what they could tell us about things,” Deidra said desperately, trying to
change the subject. She didn't want to deal with the one called Ryans or his
soldier Lieutenant Perry.

“How
are you doing with their language?” Deidra finally asked.

“A
lot better if you'd stop interrupting,” Zara replied in disgust. She returned
to watching the movie. Deidra sighed.

When
they stopped for a break she immediately approached the one called Perry. “Can
we talk?” she asked. He nodded and put the remnants of his MRE away.

“What's
on your mind princess?” he asked. She was in a peasant outfit but kept the
tiara on. At least Doc had finally convinced her and her sister to take a
shower.

“We,
can we stop at a village?” she asked looking around for Ryans.

“The
last one didn't work out so well princess,” Perry said. She frowned and then
nodded. That was certainly true. She hadn't expected Drak to be such a stupid
moron. Her father would make him pay dearly for what he had done.

“I
need a map. And supplies,” Deidra said, lifting her chin imperiously. “And I'd
like your healer to look at some who may be injured. In compensation,” she
said.

“Bux
and Yani are hurt?” Perry asked getting up.

“No,
no, I mean any in the village, as compensation. I'd also like news and to
spread the word of the invasion,” she said.

“Ah,
well, we'll see,” he said nodding. “I'll bring it up with Ryans first chance I
get.”

<==={}------------>

The
next morning they stopped to get news and supplies and help a village, teaching
the native peasants what they could in the brief two day stay. Ryans and
mechanic got with the village blacksmith and taught him how to make a more
modern iron plow, then printed designs for various tools and items. The
blacksmith was grateful. They were grateful to add his comments and
descriptions to the translation program along with the fresh fruit from the
nearby orchard. The scientists were ecstatic over the samples they gathered.

Doc
met the local healer and checked on a few cases she had. Two had sepsis and she
lanced and disinfected boils under the supervision of the native healer. One
woman turned out to have an ectopic pregnancy. She aborted the fetus to save
the mother.

They
tried to get the girls to stay but the princesses flat out refused. The other
refugees chose to remain, however. It was a relief to have less people.

“Less
bunnies running around,” the Gunny said with another smirk. Sue asked what he
meant by that but he turned away.

<==={}------------>

On
the road once more they stopped in a small clearing in a swamp a few miles down
the road. Deidra separated herself from the others immediately; she walked off,
arms crossed, sulking. The young woman had become more and more distant to them
after talking with her sister.

“Pouting
princess?” Ginger asked pointing her fork her way. Ryans shrugged. Zara gave
them a look. “She should stay with the group, it's not safe being off on your
own,” Ginger said.

“Right,”
Ryans nodded. “
You
go ahead and tell her that little thing. I don't feel
like getting my ass chewed any more then I've already had it,” he sighed
leaning back. He rubbed at his injured arm. The cuts itched, a sign that they
were healing. Most of the shallow ones had scabbed over nicely. He didn't like
having them covered in bandages but Doc insisted due to the threat of unknown
infection. He preferred to air dry his wounds.

Zara
got up without a word and walked over to her sister. Ginger eyed her then
looked at Ryans. He shrugged, leaning back, eyes closed.

“What
the hell?” Scooter said looking up from the top of the camper. He shielded his
eyes to look into the grass near them.

“What?”
Perry asked. “See something?” Perry asked looking up. He hefted a rifle.

“Yeah...
looked like something in the grass. There, three o'clock and closing,” Scooter
pointed. Ryans and the others got up and looked in the indicated direction.
Weapons were immediately drawn.

“Boss
we're getting something on the infrared all around. Creatures coming in from
all sides!” The Gunny called looking up from the scanner, one hand on his
earwig.

“Red
alert!” Perry roared. He repeated the order over the radio. Waters looked up
from the truck he was working on and looked around. He picked up his MP-9 and
checked it just as the grass parted and a giant purple and brown centipede came
out.

“What
the hell?” Waters snarled. The yard long creature reared up like a cobra
hissing at him. Antenna and claws wiggled.” Want some of this?” Waters opened
up with the rifle. A quick three shot burst tore the animal apart. Another and
then another came out of the grass and he aimed down, spraying them.

“We
need to Evac now!” Perry ordered looking around. “Lock and load and get your
asses on board. By the numbers people! Move it! MOVE IT!”

Ryans
had made his way after the princesses. He rounded a tree to see Deidra smashing
one of the centipedes with a rock. Her sister was shrieking, backing away. She
stumbled and went down. Another came for her. Ryans grabbed a branch and
reached the girl just as the creature reared, slamming it with the branch in a
hard hit.

“Home
run,” he snarled as the creature sprayed blue goo and fell writhing in the
grass. He heard the shots behind him. He keyed his radio mike. “Try to conserve
ammo folks,” he said over the radio as he reached down for the girl.

“Deidra!”
Zara screeched getting up. He looked to see another centipede had her cornered.
A second was dropping from a branch above and behind the older princess.

“Watch
the trees, above and below!” he said keying his throat mike. Deidra turned just
as his branch slammed into the creature dangling behind her. She closed her
eyes as the goo sprayed her, and then sputtered. Some of it was stringy, like
silk.

“Sorry,”
he muttered, pushing her to one side as she tried to clear her face. He slapped
the stick down but the charging creature dodged, then wound itself around the
stick and started up it.

“Damn!”
He threw it away and pulled his sidearm. A single squeeze of the trigger and
it's head exploded. He looked around for more. When none came out he listened
to the short bursts of weapons fire.

A
hummer pulled up. Zara immediately turned and climbed in as the door popped
open. Deidra looked around. “Come on princess, you can take out your
frustrations on something else later,” Ryans urged, grabbing her arm and
pulling her into the truck. Perry was in the top turret, he fired off a short
burst into the hissing grass line.

“Let's
move out people!” He waved then pointed in the indicated direction. “Safer on
the damn roads apparently,” he snarled as they rumbled out.

“Anyone
hurt?” Ryans asked looking back and up to him.

“No,
not that I know of. Got that goop on a couple of people and things though.
Nate's pitching three kinds of fits about not getting a sample again. We're all
sorely tempted to leave him behind,” Perry growled.

“Typical,”
Ryans snorted. He looked over to Deidra who was wiping at her face. She paused
and looked up to him with a glare and then went back to wiping her face. She
turned away. He reached over and flipped a flap up, exposing a mirror. She
didn't look at him, just brushed his hand away.

“You're
welcome,” he said then shrugged turning back to look at the path ahead. “I
think,” he added shaking his head.

Princess
Deidra insisted on stopping at a local knight's small stone keep. She called it
a Donjon. The translator called it a great tower. Ryans frowned at the
translation.

“Sounds
a hell of a lot like dungeon if you ask me.” Waters muttered eying the
edification. He was impressed by the scale of the thing but not in the look. It
was covered in lichens and moss. Someone wasn't taking good care of the place
from the look of the crumbling mortar and stained walls. The girls give him a
look. He shrugged it off.