04-27-2023, 11:06 PM
The Duty of Daughters - Part 5
Xia finished cutting through one of the bars, and Rosemary lifted a leg to kick part of it away. The resulting gap was barely enough for her to fit through, but with Xia pulling, she managed. Then leaving the saw and battery on the ground, they both hurried into the car. And then stopped.
“Is there any chance?” Xia asked, before turning on the engine.
“I…” Rosemary began, when there was a loud bang.
*
The bang, and the bright light that accompanied it, disoriented Olivia and Reena a little, but it disoriented the Patels and their guards far more. Olivia and Reena, after all, had their eyes closed as they cried. And suddenly, they were both being picked up and carried up the stairs with their ears ringing.
Then they were on top of something moving fast, the wind cold against them. Olivia managed to open her eyes. They were on the back of a truck zooming past the Patel Mansion and towards the driveway. Behind them, Patel guards were picking themselves up from the chaos of the stun grenade and beginning to point weapons at the fleeing truck. Olivia ducked. She had already been shot once tonight. Oh Goddess she had… she became dizzy.
*
It couldn’t have been longer than thirty seconds between the bang and when Rosemary and Xia saw the truck barreling at full force towards the gate. Xia had the presence of mind to immediately switch on the engine and reverse out of the way. The truck burst through the gates; and would have kept going but for the size of the things. Instead, it began to spin around and crashed into some trees by the road.
Xia and Rosemary quickly got out, leaving the engine running, and ran over to the truck. In the back was a now-unconscious Reena Patel and Olivia Pierre. In the front was… Carolyn Greenwood.
“Uh…” Rosemary said, staring.
“Later!” Carolyn, who was conscious but now had a bright red gash across her forehead from where she’d hit it in the crash.
The three quickly lifted Reena and Olivia into the other car, and they all got in. Xia slammed the door and drove off at the absolute maximum speed the vehicle was capable of, as the sound of engines beginning to follow from the mansion were heard.
“Carolyn, what, why, how?” Rosemary babbled.
“Did you think I was so stupid I didn’t know what you were up to three years ago? And I’m hurt you didn’t trust me, but no matter,” Carolyn said, turning around from where she sat next to the unconscious pair to watch for a tail. “Head for the Hale estate.”
“We’re heading for the Goddessdamn Zongongian border,” Xia said as she continued to press on the accelerator.
“No, they’ll be watching and the mountains will slow us down,” Carolyn said.
“She’s right,” Rosemary pointed out. “But, Carolyn, how the hell did you get the two of them out of there?”
“I tricked Mother’s spies,” Carolyn said. “She has spies on the staffs of all the other Families. I convinced them she approved of this. They helped me and then I drove off.”
“They’ll be killed!” Rosemary said, shocked.
“Well of course they will!” Carolyn replied, confused. “That was always a given.”
“Goddess, you… how did you even find out about this?”
“Natasha had me wait as a backup plan. She was annoyed that you left her out last time.”
“She was fourteen!”
“Again, that doesn’t really matter right now!” Carolyn said as they skidded around a bend.
“The Hale Estate is in the Virtus Region, to the north-east!” Xia said, returning to the matter of where, exactly, they were fleeing to. “There’s no way we’ll make it.”
“It’s as far as the Zongongian border!” Carolyn pointed out.
“The Lauchenoirian border is nearer,” Rosemary said.
“The last time Olivia and I went to Lauchenoiria we got kidnapped by treasonous communists!” Xia shouted as she had to swerve around an oncoming vehicle.
“Uh, guys, the fuel…” Rosemary pointed.
“Fine! We go to… oh shit,” Xia said as ahead of them loomed what looked like a complete roadblock. Complete with armed Kerlian soldiers. And she had no choice but to brake.
The Duty of Daughters - Part 6
“Get them to the hospital immediately!” Councillor Natalia Hart ordered as the car skidded to a halt at the blockade. The Councillor was standing behind a group of armed guards. Some paramedics appeared and opened the back doors of the car, deftly lifting out both Olivia and Reena. The other three, still in a state of shock, just stared.
“Oh come off it,” Hart said irritably. “You know I disapprove of torture. Now, hurry, get across the line before they catch up!”
The three Daughters looked around. They were on the boundary of Primrose and Hartwood Regions. They looked at each other, and quickly left the vehicle to cross the line into Hart’s territory. Or well, Hart territory circa 1924 to 1934. What difference this would make in 2023, none of them quite understood.
The Patel vehicles chasing them saw the roadblock and skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding collision with the abandoned Arnott car. Yamunda Patel got out of one of the cars and stormed towards Councillor Hart.
“I demand to know the meaning of this!” she shouted.
“I outrank you,” Hart replied calmly. “You will not speak to me with such disrespect.”
“Give me my traitor daughter back!” she hissed.
“You are no longer on your private land,” Hart pointed out. “And you are not the police.”
“I will sta-”
“Enough, Yamunda!” Councillor Nirmala Patel ran up, placing a hand on her sister’s arm. “We are sorry to have bothered you, Natalia,” she said to Councillor Hart.
Hart nodded and turned around, as Nirmala dragged a protesting Yamunda away. Hart walked over to where Rosemary, Carolyn and Xia sat, the three staring wide-eyed.
“What… just happened?” Rosemary asked.
“I prevented you from beginning a civil war,” Hart replied. “That would not have ended well for anyone. But Nirmala is sensible. She would not snatch you on public land with witnesses around. But, Councillor Arnott, you should be more careful.”
“Why me, and not the others?”
“Ah, you do not know,” Hart sighed. “That is regrettable. It is probably what led to your actions today. Well, it is not my place to say. Ask your mother. But, for now, I shall have my people take you to Zongongia. You ought to let things calm before you return.”
“I don’t…” Rosemary trailed off upon realising that Hart was already gliding away, and she was much too exhausted and shaken to follow. So the three of them allowed themselves to be guided into yet another car and driven to the Zongongian border.
Xia finished cutting through one of the bars, and Rosemary lifted a leg to kick part of it away. The resulting gap was barely enough for her to fit through, but with Xia pulling, she managed. Then leaving the saw and battery on the ground, they both hurried into the car. And then stopped.
“Is there any chance?” Xia asked, before turning on the engine.
“I…” Rosemary began, when there was a loud bang.
*
The bang, and the bright light that accompanied it, disoriented Olivia and Reena a little, but it disoriented the Patels and their guards far more. Olivia and Reena, after all, had their eyes closed as they cried. And suddenly, they were both being picked up and carried up the stairs with their ears ringing.
Then they were on top of something moving fast, the wind cold against them. Olivia managed to open her eyes. They were on the back of a truck zooming past the Patel Mansion and towards the driveway. Behind them, Patel guards were picking themselves up from the chaos of the stun grenade and beginning to point weapons at the fleeing truck. Olivia ducked. She had already been shot once tonight. Oh Goddess she had… she became dizzy.
*
It couldn’t have been longer than thirty seconds between the bang and when Rosemary and Xia saw the truck barreling at full force towards the gate. Xia had the presence of mind to immediately switch on the engine and reverse out of the way. The truck burst through the gates; and would have kept going but for the size of the things. Instead, it began to spin around and crashed into some trees by the road.
Xia and Rosemary quickly got out, leaving the engine running, and ran over to the truck. In the back was a now-unconscious Reena Patel and Olivia Pierre. In the front was… Carolyn Greenwood.
“Uh…” Rosemary said, staring.
“Later!” Carolyn, who was conscious but now had a bright red gash across her forehead from where she’d hit it in the crash.
The three quickly lifted Reena and Olivia into the other car, and they all got in. Xia slammed the door and drove off at the absolute maximum speed the vehicle was capable of, as the sound of engines beginning to follow from the mansion were heard.
“Carolyn, what, why, how?” Rosemary babbled.
“Did you think I was so stupid I didn’t know what you were up to three years ago? And I’m hurt you didn’t trust me, but no matter,” Carolyn said, turning around from where she sat next to the unconscious pair to watch for a tail. “Head for the Hale estate.”
“We’re heading for the Goddessdamn Zongongian border,” Xia said as she continued to press on the accelerator.
“No, they’ll be watching and the mountains will slow us down,” Carolyn said.
“She’s right,” Rosemary pointed out. “But, Carolyn, how the hell did you get the two of them out of there?”
“I tricked Mother’s spies,” Carolyn said. “She has spies on the staffs of all the other Families. I convinced them she approved of this. They helped me and then I drove off.”
“They’ll be killed!” Rosemary said, shocked.
“Well of course they will!” Carolyn replied, confused. “That was always a given.”
“Goddess, you… how did you even find out about this?”
“Natasha had me wait as a backup plan. She was annoyed that you left her out last time.”
“She was fourteen!”
“Again, that doesn’t really matter right now!” Carolyn said as they skidded around a bend.
“The Hale Estate is in the Virtus Region, to the north-east!” Xia said, returning to the matter of where, exactly, they were fleeing to. “There’s no way we’ll make it.”
“It’s as far as the Zongongian border!” Carolyn pointed out.
“The Lauchenoirian border is nearer,” Rosemary said.
“The last time Olivia and I went to Lauchenoiria we got kidnapped by treasonous communists!” Xia shouted as she had to swerve around an oncoming vehicle.
“Uh, guys, the fuel…” Rosemary pointed.
“Fine! We go to… oh shit,” Xia said as ahead of them loomed what looked like a complete roadblock. Complete with armed Kerlian soldiers. And she had no choice but to brake.
The Duty of Daughters - Part 6
“Get them to the hospital immediately!” Councillor Natalia Hart ordered as the car skidded to a halt at the blockade. The Councillor was standing behind a group of armed guards. Some paramedics appeared and opened the back doors of the car, deftly lifting out both Olivia and Reena. The other three, still in a state of shock, just stared.
“Oh come off it,” Hart said irritably. “You know I disapprove of torture. Now, hurry, get across the line before they catch up!”
The three Daughters looked around. They were on the boundary of Primrose and Hartwood Regions. They looked at each other, and quickly left the vehicle to cross the line into Hart’s territory. Or well, Hart territory circa 1924 to 1934. What difference this would make in 2023, none of them quite understood.
The Patel vehicles chasing them saw the roadblock and skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding collision with the abandoned Arnott car. Yamunda Patel got out of one of the cars and stormed towards Councillor Hart.
“I demand to know the meaning of this!” she shouted.
“I outrank you,” Hart replied calmly. “You will not speak to me with such disrespect.”
“Give me my traitor daughter back!” she hissed.
“You are no longer on your private land,” Hart pointed out. “And you are not the police.”
“I will sta-”
“Enough, Yamunda!” Councillor Nirmala Patel ran up, placing a hand on her sister’s arm. “We are sorry to have bothered you, Natalia,” she said to Councillor Hart.
Hart nodded and turned around, as Nirmala dragged a protesting Yamunda away. Hart walked over to where Rosemary, Carolyn and Xia sat, the three staring wide-eyed.
“What… just happened?” Rosemary asked.
“I prevented you from beginning a civil war,” Hart replied. “That would not have ended well for anyone. But Nirmala is sensible. She would not snatch you on public land with witnesses around. But, Councillor Arnott, you should be more careful.”
“Why me, and not the others?”
“Ah, you do not know,” Hart sighed. “That is regrettable. It is probably what led to your actions today. Well, it is not my place to say. Ask your mother. But, for now, I shall have my people take you to Zongongia. You ought to let things calm before you return.”
“I don’t…” Rosemary trailed off upon realising that Hart was already gliding away, and she was much too exhausted and shaken to follow. So the three of them allowed themselves to be guided into yet another car and driven to the Zongongian border.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax