Choices and Consequences

Stairs, corridors and more stairs. And few dusty rooms and then more stairs. And all of them were empty and covered with dust. That was everything Belle and Volodja met on their way. Only footprints they saw were left by Pyotr Yershov who was last living being in that abandoned TV station before Belle and Volodja come to give this old lady her moment of being useful and glorified once again.

"Got to love this pre war technology," said Volodja when looking at emergency generators, covered with thick layer of dust. "Usually it's reliable and not that complicated that even I can handle it. A diesel engines! Who would think that I see Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel's invention here. The diesel engines used to have the benefit of running more fuel-efficiently than gasoline ones due to much higher compression ratios and longer duration of combustion. That meant the temperature rose more slowly, allowing more heat to be converted to mechanical work. Now we are on petrohol of course, but I am glad to witness part of history which we can put into a good use as long as we find some fuel."

They looked around and finally discovered fuel canisters in one of corners. Volodja lifted one up and shook it. Splashing sound revealed that there was at least some of liquid left in there. Volodja opened the lid and sniffed:

"Do I smell diesel here? And I do. You know, dear Tinkerbelle, that Army vehicles used diesel because of its lower flammability risks and the engines higher provision of torque and lower likelihood of stalling. That means we can keep those engines running without taking a risk that something will blow up while we make reality TV. And I do apologize for that lecture I just gave you. I got carried away again."

After his most sincere apology he finally gained some sense to close his trap and start to work instead of another history lesson. Volodja opened one canister after another and poured diesel into fuel tanks. Then he examined the switch board managed to find correct panel and turned generators on. After some coughing, motors started to purr like bunch of well fed cats and power was back on. It won't last forever but Belle and Volodja needed living TV station for only one important broadcast. They never intended to provide Defiance with a full time program.

"I think we are done here. Prepare for a grand show, Tinkerbelle," said Volodja before grabbing her hand - he didn't knew why he did it, but it sure felt good when he did - and both of them hurried towards their destination - the TV studio where cameras and limelights were waiting for Belle Starr.

Studio was empty because lonely skeleton behind news anchor desk with an old revolver laying on the floor by it's side doesn't count as a company. "Sorry old boy," muttered Volodja, lifting remains of long time ago deceased human being gently from it's chair and placed most of it to the floor. Rest of the skeleton dropped there by itself. Volodja checked cameras, switchboards and rest of the equipment. Abandoned long ago it was intact and still FUNCTIONAL as Volodja stated with a grin on his handsome face.

Gunshot and sounds of something heavy blown into pieces caught Marcel's attention. He turned his head and saw his girl Lena Marr victoriously by the smoking of remains of something what only few seconds ago used to be a tree.

"Hee-hoo!" she yelled and made couple of dance moves, hands still orange from Overcharge. "Look what I just did, My Love. EGO powers are ASWSOME!"

"Indeed, My Love," replied Marcel. "Shame to see such amount of firewood is going to waste." Suddenly he spotted an approaching vehicle. Another Beast army patrol headed towards them. They obviously heard the explosion or saw the special effects and hurried to check on their outpost."

"Lena-darling. Time to test your new powers in the battle. Enemy vehicle at three o'clock," was Marcel's EGO to EGO message when he grabbed his sniper rifle again and aimed it. His shot created a small bullet hole into vehicles wind shield and huge red cloud of blood, because driver's brains were splattered all over the interior. Vehicle rammed a huge tree and was abruptly stopped. Remaining enemies jumped out and scattered all over the area trying to hide behind trees and rocks because Marcel's first shot showed that they had to deal with a really good sniper.

Belle Starr and Volodja Uljanov stood in the middle of studio, cameras already switched off, looking into each other eyes, when last drop of fuel was burned out, emergency generators stopped and old TV station went into hibernation again. Then Belle approached him and embracing him, pressed her rose petal lips against his and they kissed passionately.

Volodja was caught into the warm pink cloud of bliss when he felt sweet taste of Belle's lips on his. Living lightning passed his body, starting from his mouth, reaching his toes after that and ending with an explosion in his head, making it dizzy. Maybe that's why he prolonged that kiss, they shared, as much as possible. After it ended and his lips let her's free from the lock, Volodja still looked into Belle's diamond blue eyes and replied to her after she said that she was too nervous to kiss him for a good luck before the broadcast:

"I think we need all the luck we can have, because we must reach back intact. It would be a real shame to die after those moments we just experienced so that kiss was most appropriate and I...That broadcast was extremely important and the camera loves you. Everyone loves you. We did a great job at warning people of Defiance.

The rest is up to our audience now. I really hope that they watched, listened and didn't thought that Orson Welles was reborn to recreate H. G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds" using the combination of the news bulletin form of the performance with the between-breaks dial spinning habits of listeners when he created that radio drama. Panic was reportedly spread among listeners who believed the fictional news reports of a Martian invasion. What you told them was true and you told it really convincingly so they MUST believe you. If people believed the fictional danger then they should react to the real warning adequately."

He removed his lips from Belle's some time ago but forgot to release his hands which were holding her and they became too big and clumsy when he discovered them still around her and Volodja didn't know how to remove them without Belle noticing it. And in his heart Volodja knew, he didn't want to remove them at all.

Lena cloaked, getting behind their enemies and then blasting them in the back of their heads in quick succession. She had no qualms doing so, but not because she believed they would have done the same to her if they had half a chance, which they would have. Instead, Lena believed that there were winners and losers in the world, with Marcel and Lena being the winners and their enemies being the losers. She firmly believed it was their manifest destiny to win in time whatever they wanted, although she wouldn't intellectualize it in that way. Lena just instinctually knew it to be true.

Also, Lena liked to see their heads burst like over ripe melons.

Lena sported her wicked grin as she looted their bodies, thinking, "I could definitely get used to this."

"Me too!" Replied Greed who was currently dominating her EGO psyche.



Meanwhile down below, the lights suddenly went out as the generators ran out of fuel.

Startled, Belle pulled out of Volodja's grasp, unslinging her SMG-ECC and turning on the flashlight attachment, saying, "Um... I guess we better get out of here before... well, anything else happens!"

Belle led the way with her flashlight to the ladder leading to the surface, admonishing herself all the way, thinking, "Oh my God, I've turned into a brazen hussy! Here I am trying to steal Aunt Sandy's boyfriend, just as she is about to get her body back so she and Volo can be a real human couple! And poor Vo is not even cold in the grave yet! How despicable is that? How low can a human being get? What the heck was I thinking?"

"What the heck were you thinking?" Interjected MOM, her EGO psyche.

"I guess I wasn't thinking," Thought Belle sadly to herself as she began what seemed to be to her a long climb to the surface.

Marcel Lestrange felt proud of Lena. She really knew how to use her new powers in the battle by blasting enemies one by one and now she was busy gaining trophies again. Marcel could not wish for better partner to himself. Smart, courageous and so sexy...Which made Marcel to wait a bit more until Lena was done with looting. Then he went to her, finishing a moaning wounded off with a single knife strike on his way. Reaching to her, Marcel slid his hands around her, kissed her hard on her white lush lips, using little tongue play as a teaser and manoeuvred them both to their car. He used his free hand tu pull the door open and whispered:

"I want you Lena. Right here on the battle field. Unlike those good doers, I won't hesitate on important moments like this to show my feelings for you in a straightforward way. I bet they just hold each other hands or something like that and even then they are blushing." He kept kissing Lena and he used a chance to slide his hands all around her body under her 7th Legion outfit while she was thinking about Marcel's sudden proposal.

"Belle and Volodja look nice together," thought Marcel looking at her with a smile. But after that his glance fell to Lena's half naked body (the downer part, if someone REALLY must know that) and he felt sudden blood rush going to his downer regions again when he thought about their intercourse right in the battlefield, surrounded by snow and dead bodies. "But Lena is something different than Belle. And I am an opposite of Volodja. Voldoja Le Fou might love and watch Belle but he will never be able to touch her in the way I do with Lena. That's for sure. So once again I am more man than he is ever going to be, because unlike those two we can have some really exciting times together with my beloved Lena," he thought with a satisfied smile when his hand stroke gently Lena's silky skin on her buttocks, slid around her right hip and covered her most strategic part after reaching there.

"Nous excusons," said Marcel to Belle and Volodja in a calm voice like being spotted during or after having hot sex in the cold snow of the battlefield was something common for him. "You were getting late, leaving us to fight with another truck full of uninvited guests. But unlike some people, we can fight efficiently, so we had plenty of time afterwards and Lena and I knew how to use it in most pleasurable way. You sent the message, I assume. Otherwise you would not been here.

Mind to wait until we get dressed? Of course you are not. By the way, Volodja. That glance in your eyes suits more to a funeral service than a victory party. Stomach-ache? Personal problems? You always have some and you have to blame your hypertrophied conscious for that. Luckily Lena and I are in good terms with our conscious. Merde! Almost forgot!" said Marcel searching for a cigarette, putting it into his mouth and lighting it with his left hand, because his right one still covered Lena's nude downer part.

"Polite people do not look when others are getting dressed, so turn your glances away. Yes, there is a lot to see here, but that does not mean that you have to stare." When Belle and Volodja turned their glances away, Marcel stood up got himself properly dressed and watched Lena do the same, enjoying what he saw. When Belle and Volodja were allowed to turn around, Marcel and Lena were busy kissing, Marcel's left hand holding his cigarette and tapping ashes to the snow.

Not being learned in Latin, Belle didn't understand Voldja's crude comment to Marcel. Her uncle and his VBI scientists didn't think that understanding a "dead" language was necessary for a super-soldier to know, although he did insist she learn the arts and be skilled in dance. Belle thought it odd later, when she found out her genes were spliced with Volge, that he would do so, but then her father and uncle wanted her to be the ultimate "human" weapon, so she guessed that included being knowledgeable in the arts and sciences.

"Well, if y'all are... finished, we better get back to the others!" Remarked Belle as she go back into the backseat of the car with Lena after the latter got dressed, avoiding Lena's long lashed sky blue eyes.

Lena on the other hand stared at the still blushing Belle with a cat-ate-the-canary grin that said to all that saw it, "I got some and it's obvious you didn't! Take THAT, Miss Belle Starr!"