[Cure] Survivor's Last Stand

Story by Th3Shadow on SoFurry

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#11 of Cure


Annie sat up suddenly in bed as what felt like a wave of fire enveloped her. She pressed her head to her forehead as feeling of having a wedge driven into her skull between her eyes hit her with full force. It was the third time in a week the headache had come on like this.

"The headache again?" mumbled a half asleep voice from beside her. Turning, Annie looked down at the half open gold eyes of her lover.

Hack, as she was known, was at best nineteen, but her arms and shoulders were covered in scars and burns. According to Sabre, she had been a fairly reserved girl, however the outbreak changed a lot of people and the mechanical genius was no exception. After having to defend herself from the horde she had taken on a completely new persona. With her neon blue hair fluttering in the wind, Hack lived life with a near reckless abandon. Her nature had, in the past few months, endeared itself to Annie; despite the overwhelmingly large number of close calls that had cropped up because of it.

Sighing in response, Annie brushed Hack's somewhat crazy morning hair.

"They're getting worse, aren't they?" her partner asked with as much concern as she could muster while barely awake.

Nodding, Annie clambered out from under the covers and shakily walked to the floor's large, albeit shared, bathroom. Glancing out the open window as she waited for the shower to heat up, the former reporter clicked her tongue. The sun was not even up yet, the wasteland around the settlement completely dark aside from a column of light to the south were Las Vegas still sparkled even though there was no longer anyone to entice.

Slender arms wrapped around her bare athletic torso as Hack joined her. The feeling of the other woman's warm skin was a comfort that Annie had come to enjoy as much as the other woman's infectious personality. Facing her partner, Annie pulled Hack pulled close and rested her head on the taller girl's shoulder. The sudden feeling of teeth on her neck made Annie gasp and then moan as Hack continued to softly knead her skin. Returning the favor Annie slid her teeth along Hack's collar bone as she pushed her lover into the porcelain wall off the bathroom. Wasting no time, the former reporter slid her fingers up the mechanic's thigh but broke off at the last second at the sound of someone else coming into the bathroom from the far door. Without breaking the embrace the two somehow managed to scramble into the shower.

Once behind the curtain, Hack dropped to her knees and repaid Annie for her unintentional tease. Nipping at the insides of the Asian woman's thighs, she got ever closer to Annie's pelvis. As Hack's progress got incrementally slower Annie found herself unable to resist tangling her fingers in the younger woman's hair and forcing her the rest of the way to the destination. The feeling of Hack's lips against her own brought a moan to Annie's throat that was thankfully downed out by the sound of two showers running.

After a few sadly tense moments of gentle nips and probing licks Annie felt her body relax in a regretfully restrained orgasm. Mentally she cursed whomever it was that had woken up so early and interrupted them. Pushing the feeling aside, she helped Hack up and then pressed her into the only solid wall of the shower. Annie attempted to return the younger woman's tender affections by playing her fingers over her lover's modest breasts. Dragging her fingers over the taller woman's aureola, Annie coaxed all manner of whines and moans out of Hack. When the sound of the other shower waned Hack's voice dropped suddenly, but too late as the sound of her last gasp hung in the air.

A tense silence settled over the shared room that was broken by a familiar voice.

"For. Fucks. Sake!" The curtain for the other shower was torn open as the irritated voice of Florette, Sabre's older sister carried in the air. "You two DO know I really don't care that you're doing things like that in here, right? I however, DO care about how fucking irritating the strained silence is though, so stop making things awkward for all of us and just fucking enjoy yourselves! It's not like we've got forever after all!" The sounds of clapping wet feet and the far door slamming punctuated her rant, though she didn't stop as the sounds of her angry shouting continued to permeate the far door. Relieved, the two lovers let out a sigh and then began to laugh.

The mood effectively killed, Annie turned off the shower. Stepping out behind her lover she wrapped her arms around the taller girl. "I love you, Hack. I don't know what I would do without you. Despite everything these last few months have been the best."

Spinning to face her, Hack smiled at Annie. "I love you too but, your tone's all wrong. You make it sound like today's the last day we're going to be together." Stepping back, Hack tucked her towel around her chest and walked over to the sink to brush her hair.

"Well, we do live in a dangerous place-"

"- and have for months! We've made it work so far, haven't we?." Hack finished without looking away from the mirror.

"Well, you certainly didn't help!" Annie added accusingly as she shook out her own hair and started to braid it.

Hack spun and stared at her lover. "Hey! Don't give me that spiel now, especially after THAT display of affection!" she finished pointing at the shower.

Annie blushed and looked away.

The near door swung open and hit the tile with bang that mad both of them jump and was followed into the large room by the familiar, well trained, form of Revolver, her namesake Smith clenched in her gloved fist. "Is everything alright? I heard raised voices."

"YES!" both women yelled, making the raven haired former spec ops flinch.

Revolver made a number of noises that seemed like attempts to speak as the realization of what she had heard hit her. Then, she laughed. The sound continuing to follow the spec ops into the hall as she resumed her rounds.

Hack and Annie did their hair in silence for a moment. Then Hack picked the conversation back up. "It wasn't like I had any idea that you weren't into girls, after all you didn't resist my advances until after I'd already committed."

Stepping sideways Annie put her free arm around the taller girl's waist. "Yeah well, waking up to you eating me out was quite the...enjoyable surprise and at that point saying no would have been rude. It's not like I've not enjoyed every moment since."

"Totally agree with you there. Mostly because you're such an awfully good study." Hack said lifting Annie's chin. "It's so nice to have someone with such...polished technique."

"Well, what can I say? I like to impress my teachers." Annie replied, her voice smoldering. Her braids forgotten, Annie leaned forward towards Hack. Their lips were almost touching when the far door banged open for the second time in half an hour. Slipping in surprise Annie and Hack tumbled to the floor just as Club and Sabre came around the island of mirrors and sinks. Both of the men were robed only in their towels, which for the hulk of a human Club was left very little to the imagination.

"Uh...hi guys." he said cheerfully, his face going red quite rapidly as he turned around.

Sabre's expression on the other hand was stern and showed no signs of embarrassment as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Are you ladies done with the bath?" he asked in his soft urbane tone.

"Yes, sir." Hack said with a quick salute before scooping Annie up in her arms and half dragging her lover through the near door back to their room.

"I will never understand how that happened..." Sabre said with a slight grin.

"You and me both, boss." Club said stepping into the nearest shower.

-*-

A few hours later, Annie and Hack were heading to the briefing room on the lower level of the complex to sit in on the planning for the day's skirmishes. Entering the room they first saw Sabre, standing with his back turned and scribbling on the white board. Besides the three of them, there were five people sitting around the large briefing table. Each was a veritable veteran of the group, all of them having survived their fair share of raids into the Zone.

The huge mass of human that was Club waved as they came in. Next to him was Cyann, a tall and lanky guy who was long in the tooth and equally fast on his feet. A skittish female spec ops known as Revolver was next at the table. Sabre's empty seat was next, his short swords hanging over the back of his chair. Then came Boomer, a borderline sociopath, the child prodigy was the one who had held the building they now resided in. Cross was settled into a seat next to him, looking to all the world like a southern belle, the blonde was ex-KGB and deadly accurate with all manner of firearms.

There were a large number of empty seats, including Florette's, but that was to be expected. Any number of the other elites were constantly deployed in the pursuit of keeping the settlement well stocked and prepared.

Dropping into a pair of empty seats next to Club, the women waited for Sabre to begin.

"So, we need to make a run to Arsenal Ruins today at some point." Sabre opened "We will need 7 mil rounds for the turrets on the south wall and some cases of 9 mil for the training handguns. Revolver since you were stationed there before the Outbreak, you will lead the team. Since you will need to take two buggy's to carry the munitions, who are you taking for support?"

Revolver cleared her throat as she leaned forward, her voice was sharp as she made her assessment. "Considering we locked up after the last trip, I'll need someone to handle security. As such...Hack, I'll need your expertise. As for the other pair...Club, Cyann you two work well together, you can back us up."

Sabre nodded. "Any questions?" He looked around, his piercing green eyes making contact with each of the people sitting around the table. "No? Then, next order of business. After the incursion yesterday, the east wall needs repair. Annie, you and I will take a few of the trainees and reinforce the guard while those are preformed, as the infected will be drawn by the sound. Alright then people! Mount up! You'll want to get there and back before noon. Dis-missed!"

Annie and Hack scooted back from the table, their hands finding each other in the process. They left the briefing room and headed to the armory along with Club, Cyann and Revolver. No one spoke as they walked, missions like these were routine but that didn't make them any safer.

Stepping into the converted locker room, the four geared up. Club grabbed his namesake and slung the huge metal spike covered bat over his shoulder. Cyann tucked a pair of plain police issue handguns into his belt holsters. Revolver dropped an extra box of magnum shells into the large pocket on her vest. Hack holstered her machete and picked up one of her more experimental inventions as one by one the other three slid down the pole to the bay below.

Hack stepped up to the pole and turned to look at Annie. "See you later."

"Just make sure you come back."

"I will." and down the pole she went.

Annie's gear locker was nearly empty aside from a single handgun that she had been given and a half used box of rounds for it. Pulling the firearm out she holstered it and headed towards the east wall.

In the garage below, Revolver was laying out the mission objectives. "Hack, you and Club will take one buggy. Cyann you're with me."

"Shouldn't Hack go with you?" Club asked.

"Better that we split up." Revolver responded. "That way, if only you two make it, at least the mission isn't a complete wash. Unless you or Cyann have magically gotten better at disabling level eight security..."

He smiled back and tapped two fingers to his temple. "It's alright, I'll make sure Hack gets there safe." Turning to his teammate who was already loaded up, Club winked and jumped into the front seat of their buggy. As the engine roared to life, he stomped on the gas and Hack nearly fell out of the open vehicle as Club shot out of the garage far faster than was necessary. His tires squealed on the polished cement and he drove along the tracks set in the floor. Hitting the sand, the pair tore towards the south gate and the abandoned military base that was their destination.

From the wall, Annie watched them go as their cloud of dust rose against the empty blue horizon. The former reporter let out a sigh as she went back to watching the desert for signs of the horde. Sabre's hand on her shoulder brought a smile to her face. Everything would be okay.

A few minutes later Hack and Club crested the first dune that gave them a glimpse of the base. They paused for a moment as the sound of another whirring motor came up behind them. Turning , Hack caught site of Revolver's buggy. Hack began to wave and then realized something was wrong. There wasn't anyone in the passenger seat!

"Step on it Club!" she urged, suddenly getting a bad feeling.

Club put the pedal to the floor as the launched down the lee side of the dune, it took everything he could muster to keep the buggy upright on the shifting sands and let out a audible sigh of relief when they reached the bottom and the harder packed sand. The likely hijacked buggy topped the dune and came to a stop. Hack squinted and could see someone unfurl a rather large rifle.

"They're going to try and shoot us!"

"Rodger that." Club twisted the settings on the buggy's suspension without looking down and swerved left. Hard. Just as they peeled away from their old path the sand where they would have been exploded. Counting to three, Club spun the wheel the other way just as another bullet just missed them. Twenty feet ahead was another dune. Another quick turn, another near hit. As Club pulled the wheel again for what was hopefully the last time there was a mind jarringly loud ring and the buggy wavered before rolling over. Thrown free, Hack only had a second to react before she hit the sand hard. Cradling her invention she landed on her side. Biting down to keep focused she lined up the sights on her crafted firearm and pulled the trigger.

A wave of green blasted out of the end, enveloping the buggy at the crest of the dune. Shocked and terrified, Hack couldn't release the trigger even after the gun had overheated. It took a firm hand from Club to remove the weapon from the terrified woman's grasp. No longer holding the zap cannon Hack collapsed into the ground, her hands over her head. Killing infected was one thing but a human...

Club hauled her to her feet. "Come on, you've got to get up. We need to make it to the base."

Pushing the buggy back to it's wheels, Club convinced it to start again and soon enough the duo were at the gates to the base. None too soon either. As they drove past the vacant guard house Club caught sight of movement to their left. Infected, two of them, their bodies twisted into hideous parrots of a spider's form. Six thick bone colored legs grew from the spine, letting them skitter along as their spike covered humanoid bodies hung limply below. They easily climbed over the barricades as they rushed the buggy.

Switching places with Hack, Club stood up in the bed of the buggy and unstrung his weapon. With a swing that would've made Ruth jealous the huge man made contact with the first former human's chest. The momentum of his strike carried the impaled creature over his shoulder. Flipping his grip on the bat he brought the thin end down on the head of the second, it's maw inches from his throat. Even as he congratulated himself, more of them began to appear. It seemed that in the past few weeks the area had become a nest for a new strain!

"We've got to get out of here!" Hack shouted as she ran one of them over.

"Head for that hangar! I've got a plan!"

Sliding around the corner of the runways, Hack pushed the buggy as they tried to get ahead of the annoyingly fast mutants. Club jumped free as they blew through the open hangar doors and looked around for a second before smiling broadly. There was an Apache anchored in the center of the large space, it's blades set for take off. Running as hard as he could for the chopper he listened for the sound of approaching infected.

Hack spun the buggy around and aimed her cannon out the door. Not sure what Club was doing, she had just figured they were trying to make a stand. The fear from earlier had been replaced by the wonderful rushing feeling that she lived for and with a wide grin the mechanical genius fired her beam gun and the column of green bathed the approaching horde in plasma death.

In the Apache, Club started the engines. He watched as Hack obliterated the first wave. Pulling out a roll of tape he set the flight stick to push the chopper forward once the throttle was engaged. Tying a cable to said throttle he jumped out and made a dash for the buggy.

"What'd you do?" Hack shouted over the turbulence.

"Set a trap. Drive! THAT WAY!"

Hack spun out as she jerked the buggy to face the far door, but the tires quickly found traction and the pair launched forward towards the other end of the empty hangar. Wave after wave of the infected poured into the hangar. It looked bad until there was a sudden increase in noise from the chopper's engines and the craft tilted forward. Hack didn't look back as she drove the buggy out of the far door, she didn't want to see but the sounds of fast spinning metal hitting fleash and bone still followed her until the scraping of metal on cement finally ceased.

They headed further into the base when Hack realized something. "There aren't any more of them. Nothing at all."

"Yeah, makes me uneasy. Never seen anything like them either. They didn't seem...human. Even the worst infected still feel human...you know?"

Hack shook her head and kept her eyes peeled until they arrived at the base's armory. The pair jumped out and Club took watch while Hack did her thing. It only took a few moments and the heavy metal doors cracked open. Drawing her torch, Hack stepped into the dark vault looking for the internal controls with Club right behind her, both stepping carefully on the dark catwalks. After few minutes of fumbling in the dark she found the primary access panel and with a couple quick keystrokes had the lights on, bathing the armory in a warm glow. As the humming of warming florescent bulbs waned, another sound rose.

A slow clap.

"Brah-vo, you two." smirked a familiar voice.

Whirling about the pair was faced by Revolver, her Smith magnums pointed at their heads. Her stance and demeanor were completely different, none of the shell shock from before showing.

"You-" Hack started.

Club cut her off though. "Why?"

"That's a good question, my dear Club. I suppose because it was just orders."

"Whose? The military?"

"Oh goodness no! I work for they who will be the saviors of the human race from the virus."

Neither Club nor Hack knew quite what to say. To think that the kind woman who had been the biggest advocate of a camp guard was actually traitor was staggering.

"I can see you're speechless, no doubt dumbstruck from this revelation. So I'll make this short, a settlement thriving in the Zone is unacceptable to my superiors so it is my duty to erase it."

"You can't!" Hack cried.

"I already have, as we speak Cyann is returning to the settlement to report that we were attacked and he was the only one who escaped. It's only a matter of time before he succumbs and begins to change. Then, the end will come quickly and it will all look like the blasted virus was to blame. It'll give credence to my employer's calls to wipe this area out, burn the desert and eradicate the virus."

"But there are normal people still living here!"

"After today, everyone will think the last survivors have succumbed. In the minds of the public only the Infected will reside inside the walls of the Zone. Now, if you'd be so kind..."

She stepped forward slowly, motioning for the duo to back up, until she stood next to the control panel. "I can't have you two radioing for help and ruining my charade so-" She smashed her gun into the panel and the lights flickered "- i'll just take care of you."

Holstering the gun in her off hand, she reached into her bag and withdrew a needle full of red liquid before tossing it to Club. "Though I'm not completely heartless, So, here's the deal. I'll let one of you go, but whomever it is has to inject themselves with that. It'll make you feel good I've been told. REALLY good. So good in fact, that you'll likely just blow up with happiness."

"You bitch." Club spat.

"You could both die now instead. Would that be a more acceptable deal?" She clicked the hammer on her pistol.

Club looked at the needle and clenched his fist on his bat. Biting the cap in his teeth he made to inject himself, bringing his arm up so Revolver could see him do it. The hollow metal was inches from his skin when he flinched and threw the needle. Revolver spun to avoid it and Club rushed her. The brawler brought his arms up to smash his bat on her slender frame when there was a bang of gunfire and he stumbled in surprise. He managed to keep his feet and got with arm's reach of the double agent. The stumble was all she need though, his momentum broken it was easy for her to dodge the slow attack.

"CLUB!"

He looked down as he tried to follow up and froze. Revolver had two of the needles pressed into his leg on either side of his shin. She licked her lips as she then shoved both of the plungers down, filling his veins with infection. It was like fire spreading through him as his tissue was consumed by the virus's effects. His already bulging muscles began to pulse and further expanded. In a matter of seconds the cat walk began to creak from his weight as his body took on an impossible level of musculature.

In a sick way, Club's burgeoning muscles reminded Hack of bubble wrap as each group grew larger and rounder slowly destroying the clothes on his body. She could hear cracking as she watched his bones shift under his skin, slowly widening his frame to account for the greater and greater mass of muscle. The cable next to him snapped and the catwalk began to sway. Revolver turned and ran for the ladder, but Hack stood paralyzed as she watched one of her oldest friends become a monster.

The muscles of his shoulders were almost the size of his head now, his biceps approaching the same absurd level. With each breath a wave traveled over his skin as all of his muscles shifted. "Hack...Kill me..." Club said quietly, though his voice was like an earthquake now. "...Please, I don't want to hurt anyone..."

A second cable snapped and the catwalk tiled. Club began to slide towards the edge and a decidedly fatal fall.

"Club!"

He looked at her, sadness in his eyes.

"Gavin! No!"

The hulking human smiled and tapped two fingers to his temple before a third cable snapped and the section supporting him fell out of view towards the armory floor below. Hack dove to the edge and watched as the metal plummeted the twenty something feet colliding with a parked tank.

The sound of boots on the metal behind her made her spin to her feet, left hand drawing the machete her name originally had risen from. Realizing who was behind her, she brought the thick metal blade up towards Revolver's neck. The other woman parried the blow with her pistol and kicked Hack in the chest. Stumbling back, Hack grabbed the a dangling cable from the fallen section and swung out over the abyss. Hurtling towards the catwalk from the side Hack cut into the cables of the section Revolver was standing on, forcing the other woman to jump back. Letting go of the cable, Hack sailed towards the next catwalk over, barely landing on the suspended walkway. Sparks flew as several bullets bounced off the metal near her, Revolver trying to keep her from moving.

"Just hold still and I'll make it quick!" The traitor yelled.

"Not happening!" Taking a chance, Hack ran for the door to the vault. A bullet whizzed by her ear but she kept pelting towards the exit and the waiting buggy beyond. Bursting into the desert sun she dove into the driver's seat of the buggy and started the engine. Punching the throttle, she tore along the runway towards the gate. She thought she was home free until the sound of another motor from behind caught her attention.

Revolver pulled along side and rammed Hack. Knocked to the side, the mechanic tried to keep the buggy steering straight when a warming light came on. It was something about the suspension and not sure what else to do, she jumped into Revolver's buggy when the spec ops tried to ram her again. Wrapping her hands around the other woman's neck she tried to crush her windpipe, but a punch to her face sent her head over heels in the back of the buggy. Revolver steered erratically in an attempt to keep Hack from getting to her feet.

Pinned by the g-forces Hack decided to do as much damage as she could. Shoving her machete down into the bed of the buggy she sawed at the fairly thin metal until she could pry it up. Reaching through the crude hole she swung her weapon around as much as she could, until the broad blade caught in the vehicle's drive shaft and was jerked out of her hands. Looking over the tailgate she could see a steady stream of fluid's leaking out on to the sand.

The car spun to a stop and a pair of hands lifted her roughly. Revolver pulled her arm back and decked Hack, sending the mechanic flying through the air. Drawing one of her pistols the gunner took aim and fired, hitting the other woman in the leg. Jumping down from the now defunct buggy, Revolver walked slowly over to Hack. The traitor stood over her for a second, each staring at the other.

Hack spat at Revolver, who then stomped on the wound she had inflicted and then turned and walked away.

Hack watched the double agent head into the desert until the heat made her figure vanish in the shimmer, which considering the sun was only a few seconds. Starting to see stars, she crawled to the disabled buggy and pulled herself to her feet. Grabbing the med kit, she cracked it open and turned on the short wave radio inside.

"This is Hack calling base over..."

"This is base, what's up?" Florette's answered as Hack's voice came over the receiver.

"Am...sh you're all i....ger!"

"Hack! Hack what happened!"

"Cya....fected, Revolver trait..."

"For fucks sake..."

"South gate, this is command. Do not permit Cyann access!"

"He just came in, not two minutes ago."

Swearing in response, the brunette hit the alarm and set the entire facility on alert.

At the east wall, Sabre heard the alarm but didn't know what it was for.

"Annie, were we going to have a drill today?"

"I'm not sure...maybe?"

"Head down to the gate and ask, I'm not going to leave the newbies up here without some back up."

Nodding, Annie dashed along the wall and own the steps to the ground floor. Skidding to a stop she asked the guard at the gate what was going on.

"Possible infection within the perimeter," He started, and before his mouth had even closed Annie was running backup the stairs. "I'd get to the main hall if I were you." He called after her, but there was only one thing on her mind. Preventing others from getting infected.

Across the courtyard, Cross and Boomer had blocked off the driveway into the garage. Even so, Cyann hurtled towards them. The pair of gunners stood their ground until the last second. When they jumped out of the way of the buggy both opened fire on the interior. The buggy swerved and collided with the outer wall. The pair walked cautiously towards it, there was no sign of movement inside but they still held their arms trained on the crash as the raised wheels kept spinning.

They were a few feet from the vehicle when the engine finally stopped revving. With a concussive blast the fuel caught fire and the buggy exploded. Both of the gunners were knocked back. As they got to their feet something climbed out of the burning wreck. It was like living silver, a polished edge climbing up over the rim of the bed and then pouring over the ground. More and more of the goo emerged from the out of the vehicle's husk until it was a blob the size of a pig or large dog. The slime began to crawl over the ground towards the gun duo. Who both were ever so slowly starting to back pedal.

A hand grew from the slime, then an arm and finally a head. Cyann's head.

"Oh fuck..." The pair said at the same time. Working in tandem, Boomer unloaded two shells into the slime as Cross dropped her handguns and drew her sub-machine gun. Each of the hunting shotgun's slugs made a huge splash in the shifting surface of the mutant that were then punctuated by a spray of bullets that scattered the goo everywhere. The dispersed drops hissed as the fire consumed them but Cyann kept coming, drawing ever closer to the pair.

Turning to run for a bigger gun, Cross picked up her leg only to feel something slimy grab her arm. Then her neck. In an instant a chill feeling washed over her, soaking into her skin. Certain that he too would be snagged, Boomer dashed for the guard tower.

The sound of gunfire reached Annie on the east wall. Gasping she rushed the last fifteen feet, almost collapsing when she got to the work site.

"Sabre, it's...not a drill."

Their leader nodded once and stood up.

"Alright, everyone. Situation Alpha, clear the walls and return to your quarters."

Back in the courtyard, Cross felt weak. Unable to stand any longer she fell to her knees as more and more of Cyann's form engulfed her. Her senses became increasingly vague as the liquid enveloped her. Her body started to tingle and she could feel herself becoming indistinct. It slipped between her clenched lips and she could feel it moving inside her. Then, all she felt was a constant orgasm as the world around faded into a haze of pleasure.

Boomer meanwhile managed to get up the ladder. Looking out over the courtyard, Cyann had turned towards the main building and Cross was no where in sight. Spinning the turret, he set his sights on the slime and let loose a spray of heavy caliber rounds that blew holes in his former comrade. Holding the triggers until his hands were numb he splattered the puddle of living virus with a hail of metal.

"Oh Boomer.~ I love it when you shoot your gun.~"

Looking over his shoulder the gunner was met with quite the display of pale cleavage. Leaning on the edge of the tower was Cross, and then some. Each of her breasts had to be twice the size of her head, her aureola bigger than her hands. Entranced by the display, Boomer was too slow to react as the realization hit him.

With a scream that was cut short by the sudden impact of explosive levels of breast expansion, Boomer's fate was sealed. Pressed into the wall of the post, he felt Cross' body begin to soften as her breasts started to exude that same slime. Slowly covered in the chill compound he eventually slid free. Feeling it seep into his very being he tried to reach his handgun. Gripping the metal he felt the bones in his hand give way as the slime permeated them. Cursing, Boomer felt the slime enter his skull and then there was nothing, just pleasure.

Rapidly his body changed to fit the needs of the viral slime. Arm and legs stretched and his torso broadened as bones reformed. Everywhere, muscles bulged. The most notable sensation however was the tentacles that started to grow from his bulking shoulders. Four of them, each one beyond sensitive. As they grew, the slime born tentacles began to caress Cross' now impossibly huge tits. As even more pleasure washed over both of them, their edges softened and the material they were now made of began to mingle.

From the east wall Annie watched the guard post for the south gate crumble as she herded the newly rescued people off the wall and towards the complex. She cringed mentally at the thought of just how much weight that tower was supposed to hold. Her hands were shaking and it took all of her will to stand there and not follow the junior survivors down the wall towards safety. After what felt like an eternity, Sabre's hand rested on her shoulder.

"They're all clear, lets go."

Annie nodded in response and the pair took the steps two at a time. They had taken two steps towards the main building when sounds of gunfire from the closest gate cut trough the air. In the second it took Annie to turn, gunfire rang twice more. As she finished turning towards the gate the sound of a body hitting the ground came from her left. Annie wanted to turn but her gaze was held by the smoking barrel of a Smith magnum revolver.

In the command room, Florette had managed to lock down the building and was now watching for survivors still outside in the courtyard. She was monitoring the slime that had been Cyann when a page from the east door came over the comm.

"Go ahead."

"Revolver here, I would like to request access to shelter."

"Bite me, you traitorous bitch."

"I see news of my actions at the armory have reached you. Well then, I'll offer a trade. My passage for the lives of Annie and your brother. How's that sound?"

Florette checked the camera on the east door. Sure enough, Revolver stood with her back to the camera, a pair of pistols pointed at her two former comrades.

"Tick-tock, Flo. Only a matter of time before the virus finds us."

Glancing over at the camera for the south gate, Florette could see there were now two more of those eerie blobs moving towards the building. As each moved, its surface rippled. Occasionally those ripples would become something recognizable as human. Squeezing her eyes closed she pushed the button to open the shutters on the east door.

A buzzer sounded and as the shutters retracted, Revolver shoved her two captives through the door. The halls were empty as they trudged through them. The red lights from the alarm the corridors only other occupants. They came to the main elevators and Revolver pressed the call button. Annie leaned Sabre against the wall as she took a breather.

"Why are you doing this?" Annie asked, not able to bear the silence any longer. Revolver didn't answer. The ding of the elevator was followed by the sound of the door sliding open.

As it slid past half way, Revolver cursed suddenly and tried to bring her pistol up. Her reactions were too slow though and Florette's charging form knocked her back into the curved wall of the lobby. The two women scuffled, each grasping the wrist of the others dominant hand as gun grappled with sword. Rolling back and forth along the wall the two attempted to gain control of the scrim until Revolver managed to kick Florette in the gut and knock her rival to the floor. In one motion she drew her other pistol, aiming to stuff the barrel in Florette's mouth and pull the trigger.

Instead, the swordswoman rolled to her left and the bullet impacted the polished floor. Before her rival could get her feet, Revolver swung her other heavy pistol wide and the pommel collided with the back of Florette's head. The brunette's eyes glazed over, she slumped forward and didn't get back up.

Revolver fell back into the wall as the whistle of steel passed her ear. Out of reflex she fired back and a spray of warm blood hit her in the face. With a gasp Sabre fell to the floor next to his sister, the sword siblings both apparently dead. Looking through the hallways for any other threats, Revolver finally stood up and holstered her second pistol.

"Get in the elevator." She said to Annie coldly, motioning with her pistols.

The former reporter said nothing, choosing instead to stare her captor down.

Revolver pointed the pistol at her head and licked the hammer back. "Now."

Gulping, Annie stepped into the elevator.

As the doors slid shut, the sound of glass breaking echoed in the empty halls. Revolver grinned to herself, so far so good. The ride up to the command level was tense and the sound of the doors opening to the entryway was a welcome relief that was almost immediately quashed by the sounds of people screaming for help.

Rushing to the command room, Annie was bombarded by images of people huddling in their rooms as a slimy substance crept towards them. It was on every monitor, coming through every comm.

Revolver threw a microphone down on the table next to the reporter. "I want you to broadcast. I want you to let people know this is going on."

Annie turned, tears wellng up in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because, now the virus can be wiped out. With the footage here and your words the world will know the terror of the virus and it will act! You'll be a hero!"

"I won't!"

Revolver pressed the barrel of her gun to Annie's chest. "FUCKING DO IT!"

In the silence that fell between them the cries for help had redoubled, a few of the monitors showed people being consumed by the oddly metallic substance. Annie set the equipment to broadcast on all channels and as she slid her fingers around the microphone something came over her. Suddenly all the bad that was going on was just another story.

Just another day on the job.

"This is Annie King coming to you from within the Quarantine Zone. The scenes you are being shown are the outcome of an attack by the rapidly evolving Cure virus on a settlement inside the Zone. We have been completely overrun, our defenses useless against the virus. There is no escape for us. Even now the virus is coming for me-"

"You know who else is coming for you, Annie?" Shouted a familiar voice that caused both women to turn.

Standing in the door was Florette, her body splattered with the slime, her arm was completely consumed effectively fusing woman with weapon. It was obvious that it was taking everything she had to keep standing. Revolver aimed at Florette's forehead and tightened her finger on the trigger.

In a decisive move, Annie wrapped the mic's cable around the traitor's neck. Pressing her knee into the other woman's back, the former reporter pulled with more strength that she new she had.

Revolver swung her arm back and smashed Annie in the face, knocking the smaller woman off of her. She drew her other pistol and stood between the last two survivors, barrels trained at both of their chests. Without hesitation, she fired.

Annie saw the muzzle flash. Braced herself for the bullet's impact. Except, it didn't come. Opening her eyes, nothing was going at the right speed. The flash from the pistol was still fading, the puff of the power still dissipating.

Her head pounded and her skin felt warm.

She stepped sideways and with a crash the bullet whizzed past her through the glass of the command window. The other bullet hit Florette square in the chest, leaving a hole that rippled outwards as her appearance flickered and then solidified again. The infected woman looked down at the hole and grinned.

"Bet you didn't see that fucking coming!"

Revolver grinned back and fired another round, hitting Florette in the head. This time, the hole didn't ripple. As her body went limp, the slime hardened. Hitting the floor, the shining parts of her shattered, leaving what remained like some macabre statue. Her short sword skittered across the floor to rest at Annie's feet.

"Well, that takes care of everything then." Revolver said with a chipper tone as she turned back to Annie. "Even your services aren't required any more. So serve your final purpose and die as the last victim of the virus."

Again Annie's head throbbed.

Breathing.

In. Out. In.

Sword.

Fury.

Spinning right, she dodged the shot as things sped back up and she brought Florette's sword across. The edge of the blade caught Revolver's arm, the metal sliding into the skin and muscle. The next shot went wide as Revolver's primary hand went numb. Annie shifted her grip and thrust forward. The point pressed against Revolver's shoulder, threatening to cleave the tendons and leave the arm useless. The spec ops rolled with the attack and the blade ended up leaving a shallow cut as it slid over leaving Annie unbalanced. Revolver turned her spin into a trip and Annie found herself on her back. The spec ops drew a knife and held it against Annie's throat, pushing hard enough to break the skin.

"Just a little more and you'll die, too. How does it feel, always being the last to die?"

"You would never understand." Annie snapped as she grabbed Revolver's arm with both hands and shoved the woman back. It wasn't much but it was all she needed to roll and knock the traitor off of her. She started to run for the elevator. She was almost there when a whistling made her turn. The knife was flying at her! Not sure why she did it, she reached out to it as it hurtled in her direction. The feeling of the metal cutting into her skin sent a shock through her. The hilt rested against her palm, blood dripped out from the back, rolling down her arm.

Pulling the serrated blade free, she felt more alive than ever before. Revolver fired another round that impacted just to her right. Rushing the other woman, Annie pushed the knife out in front of her, grasping the handle with both hands. Her blood trailed behind her as she closed on her opponent. Too late Revolver realized her error as the hammer clicked on an empty chamber. Horror seeped into her eyes as Annie collided with her, stabbing the blade between her right ribs. The speed of Annie's thrust carried both of them back into the console near the window. Punching the Asian woman in the face Revolver tried to strafe around her, only to get hit with a counter kick the sent her flying back and crashing through the window. Annie watched her fall. Then, covered in blood she passed out in the command room, her hand clutching for the radio.

Revolver wasn't dead though. Broken and battered she lay in the courtyard screaming curses until she was hoarse. Then, the real terror set in. Unable to move, she could hear her creations coming for her. She prayed the oddly burning knife wound in her chest would finish her off before they completely converted her.

Her prayers went unanswered when the first one touched her arm, rapidly enveloping her limb in its chill embrace. The first thing it headed for were the open wounds. Tendrils of it whipped out and slowly wrenched the cuts wider as it invaded her body. She could feel it creeping through her as it consumed more of her arm, indoctrinating her from both sides. Any second now, it would move onto her torso and then it would only be a matter of time until it destroyed and remade her in it's image, but instead more and more of it seeped into her arm. Each ounce of slime that slithered inside of her made the wound in her chest burn even more. With a somewhat sickening pop the last bit of the slime slipped through her wounds, which then sealed behind it leaving only a pair of pink lines on her tan skin.

Even with the oddly fortunate break she was still unable to get up as the burning in her chest began to spread. She had to be close to bleeding out by now and yet her awareness was sharper than ever before. A sudden terrifying realization dawned on her and at the same time it felt like her arm caught fire from the inside. The pain was so intense that even the bones broken in the fall from the third story window stopped hurting. Rolling so the she could look at it, she could tell that something was happening that should not have been. Huge chords seethed under her skin, as if the virus was at battle with something that could compete.

"But the only thing could be..."

Adenaline pumping she grabbed the knife. Pulling on the handle she tired to get the blade trying free. With a snap the handle broke off in her hand. Thowing it aside she pressed her hand to the wound. It too was simply just a scar. The pain in her arm spiked as the writhing of the virus grew more pronounced, creating waves in her flesh and thoughts of anything aside from how much it hurt were wiped from her mind.

The chill feeling of a second blob rested on her shoulders as its form rapidly enshrouded her head and torso. It was like the first one had called for help and even as her mind started to go hazy she was thankful for that as the pain receded. She took what would likely be her last breath as a normal human as the second blob finished enveloping her head. The color in her arm faded into the metallic sheen of the viral blobs. She could feel her arm disintegrating, the bones and muscle degenerating into slime. The two blobs touched as they began to crawl down her torso. Then the pain returned tenfold.

Her whole body throbbed now, it was like she was being crushed and boiled all at the same time. Every inch of skin in contact with the virus peeled and regrew in increasingly rapid cycles until they too had taken on the metallic luster. Even so, her internals held out, somehow bolstered to resist. Even her arm began to reform, the muscles slowly pulsing larger as her unknown benefactor fought what should have been a losing battle.

Soon, tens of the blobs had joined around her, leaving her suspended in their sparkling substance. Each one that joined pushed the pain back for a moment. A moment where everything became purely pleasure. That moment of heaven was followed by the pain surging back up with even more intensity. Even the virus fought for her body, it fought for itself as well. She was slowly becoming aware of just how her body was managing the fight it was putting up. It was consuming the virus back!

Knowing this seemed to hasten the growth, her body suddenly growing large enough for her arms and legs to break free of the cocoon of slime. Thinking about what the virus could do for her, she focused all of her mind on forcing the last traces to further bolster her strength. Getting to her feet, she towered over her former self. Six feet tall with her body like cast bronze, she was the perfect specimen of the spartan ideal.

"Do you really want this to be destroyed?" a voice said from behind her.

Turning, she was faced with someone that everyone in this day and age knew. Danielle Smith, Subject One. Revolver shook her head, this had to be-

"A dream?" Dani finished. "If only it were that easy..." The hauntingly alluring presence walked towards Revolver, her massive hips swaying opposite her unnatural shafts. With each soft step, her torso enveloping tit's jiggled, slowly forcing her to walk with an even more exaggerated sway.

"Would you wish this was a dream?" Revolver asked finally when Dani was only inches away.

"Everything is a dream for me now." Her form shifted and before Revolver could blink a huge blob of the slime crashed into her and pushed her back into the wall. She tried to squirm free, but the slime had already taken hold of her again. This time however the pain didn't rise. Oddly confident she pushed back and fell into the slime allowing it to wrap around her. Pleasure devoured her senses as every inch of her body was caressed by the softest feeling imaginable. Hundreds of voices began to echo all around her. Each pulling at her. Each wanting to please her and her them. The intensity of the pleasure rose the longer she held out until her mind could no longer focus completely on strength.

That was all the slime needed. As her form softened and shifted, it pressed even more against her. Her muscles gave way to curves and her mind relaxed further as the pressure swamped her senses with pleasure. Her breasts swelled, to baseballs, to grapefruit, to melons, coming to a stop at a size that rivaled her head. The voices got louder, now screaming about how she had betrayed them. The pressure became stifling, the pleasure steadily replaced by burning as the virus seeped into her body. The fire from before spread through her and her mind went blank.

She found herself standing, alone and dressed, in a field.

"Elinor!"

Turning she saw Cyann no, Mat. He was Mat before the outbreak. Mat before she...

"I'm so happy you're back from the sandbox. You want to go grab dinner sometime?"

"You free tonight?" she felt herself ask.

"Yeah, going to the usual place?"

"Can we?" she said with a happiness she hadn't felt in six months.

He nodded and she embraced him, the feeling of solid against her was reassuring. Then, everything about him was cold. Stepping back she realized he was liquifying, becoming the slime she had turned him into. The form she had convinced him to die in as a martyr to the cause of human survival. Screaming in pain, she was thrust back into reality. Her body had since ceased to exist, her tissue consumed by the viral slime so that all that remained was her mind. Even then, she kept screaming.

"It's all a dream now for you too..."

NO! I have to live! TO SURVIVE!

Flexing fingers she no longer had, she clawed at the slime around her. At first nothing happened. Then, substance began to move. A hand emerged, stretching the surface trying to escape, but the surface never ruptured, never retreated. Instead it formed to the arm that followed and the torso after that. Like saran wrap it clung to Revolver's body as she fought free. Her form was back to how it had been before falling, though her entire being now consisted of the material that the slime was made of.

"We can live the dream together..."

Her body began to shift, her silhouette taking on the curve it had just before she lost to the virus. She hefted her breasts, the feeling on her hands sliding into and become fused to them a decidedly unnerving one.

Another form rose out of the slime. One male in appearance. "We can be together forever Elinor!"

"It doesn't have to be a dream, accept me."

Cyann embraced her. She could feel breasts on her back.

"Accept us. Accept us. Accept us."

Her mind started to fade as a warm tingly feeling came over her.

"...a dream..."

With a shudder the slime contracted funneling all of its mass into her form. Denser and denser the substance grew, its metallic sheen becoming more pronounced by the second. Within a minute there was no sign of the gigantic blob. The only thing in the courtyard was a form that looked like it was made from pure sterling.

Standing, the newly formed creature looked it self over, it's mitten hands sculpting into deft fingers as it drug them along it's smooth face. Features rose from the smooth surface, becoming a countenance that was simultaneously every pin up model that had ever lived and though beautiful lacked any humanity, it's black eyes dull and lifeless.

The hands continued their exploration, sculpting its neck into a taper that flowed seamlessly into narrow shoulders. As the hands sculpted they grew larger, taking on the extra material hey removed. The creature's waist narrowed a little as its hands came to a stop on what would have been it's chest. Pulling it's hands away the creature formed a pair of increasingly large and impossibly perky tits. Even after it couldn't reach any further they kept growing, until they touched the ground before it.

Shaking its head, the creature slid its hands into the wall of burnished breast flesh about a foot from it's chest and then pulled it's hands away. The extra material from its epic breasts melded back into its forearms, giving the sticks definition. Up the creature's arms the wave of material traveled until it reached the shoulders, where it grew out and then down into the creature's still blocky bottom half. The material meshed into it's hips, swelling them out as it traveled down. Steadily it's legs got longer until the wave subsided.

"I have to Survive." The metal sheen slowly faded into a more realistic skin tone, the lifeless feeling about her face softening. "To Thrive." The creature's lips opened and it took a breath, then another, the feeling of air rushing through it's throat sending shivers through it's body.

"To Cure, for that is my name now." The creature started laughing, a sound both full of triumph and full of terror, but devoid of mirth. A sound from behind made it turn. Standing there was Annie.

"Sister...join with me." It reached out to the former reporter, its hand and arm stretching as it did so. Annie's eyes glowed and its progresses was halted by something it could not see. "We...can't be together?"

The sound of an engine roaring was the first answer as a humvee landed in the courtyard. Wheels spinning in the dirt it came to a stop between the two figures. The door before Annie opened.

"Get in you goof! We gotta go!" Came a cheerful and familiar voice.

Leaping into the open door Annie was pressed into the seat as the humvee launched forward. Looking over she was relived to see a grinning Hack behind the wheel. A huge hand rested on her shoulder, turning she was greeted by a fair amount more of Club than she was used to. Looking into the mirror she watched the creature that had been Revolver wave slowly as they drove off.

They had survived again it seemed, but at what cost?


Afterthoughts:

Also sponsored by Bahamad over on FA, this is the single longest story i've ever written. It's also where Cure sits right now, waiting patiently for me to get another chapter written that can top this one.