Solace & Taproots

1.12

The shrill tone of a high-pitched electronic beep woke them again. Bex rolled upright to get clear of Ronnie and reached for her gun — only it wasn't there, it was back where she first set it down. She looked back as she scrambled for it and saw Ronnie picking up her P90, and beyond her a spinning red light like on an old fire engine by the door. Moments later, there was a loud clattering WHUMP from beyond the door, accompanied shortly by screaming. She was just reaching her gun as two canisters flew through the door as it opened.

Rhonda called out a warning by force of habit and dove for the side of the pillar. Bex tried to convert her forward motion into a roll to cover, snatching up the M4 as she went, but then her world turned into a migraine. All she could see was stars and retinal after-images, and her ears rang while sending corrupted positional data to her brain. She heard a distant ticking noise that was probably Ronnie's P90, and then she stumbled over her M4, heard faint footsteps, and was hit from behind.

Someone shoved her towards the wall she remembered being just a few feet ahead, and she managed to get her arms up in time to get away with only a few scrapes to her cheeks instead of knocking into it headfirst. Her grunt was also a half snarl as she tried to lash out behind her, but she felt her left wrist get grabbed and twisted to force that arm behind her back. Someone's weight pinned her up against the wall, and she tried to keep her right arm tucked in close to protect it.

She began to hear thuds and crashes of hand to hand combat — Ronnie must be mobile but disarmed. She tried to drive her heels into the shins and kneecaps of her assailant, but they had leg guards that deflected her stomps. How was that fair?!?

A voice very close behind her was yelling about how she should stop struggling, giving her somewhere to aim a backwards headbutt. It didn't hit as hard as she'd hoped, but there was swearing. Unfortunately, they also squeezed her wrist and hand tighter, sending a searing jab up from her bruised finger. She couldn't help crying out in pain as she was rammed into the wall again, knocking her cap off.

"For fuck's sake, princess! Stop! Dammit..." A thoroughly antagonized male voice came from over her left shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she turned her head against the wall to glare burning hate at the blurry figure.

"Y'know the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?" Her snarl was feral, through clenched teeth.

Ronnie's voice came from far away, amid grunts and thumps. "Oh, now you've done it." This was followed by a grunt of exertion and a heavy thud that usually she only heard when Ronnie had just thrown Bex on her own ass in sparring sessions.

Thinkthinkthink. This guy has position, strength, and leverage. What do I have that he doesn't? Girls in video games usually had... agility and boobs? Boobs were not going to be any help in a tactical situation. They're usually all on display in form-fitting body ar... that's it! Her bulletproof vest was very generically shaped, not tailored for women. It was a stiff, flat sandwich of synthetic fibers and a steel strike plate over her most vital organs, and was never quite comfortable.

She hadn't ever really thought of herself as "abundant", they stayed under control in volleyball with a decent sports bra. But, the armor always put more pressure on her chest than her abdomen and sure enough, the wall was doing the same. Maybe, just maybe there'll be enough space for...

She tried to curl her pelvis forward and "slouch" her back as much as she could, and then shoved her right hand in front of her abdomen. Yes! There was just enough of a gap BEHIND her armor that she could push it in slightly. Ignoring her knuckles skinning against the wall, she strained to pop the two lower clips on the load-bearing tactical vest she wore layered over her armor... then push a little farther... and her fingers found the familiar rubberized grip of her 9mm.