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Doug gripped the handle of his sword with his left hand. "So, do I look intimidating enough?"

"You have nacho cheese on your face," Charlene said.

"How much?"

Ahead of them was a warehouse by some docks where they could see a number of people and vehicles out front. "So are we just walking up there?" Charlene asked.

Lulu checked her pigtails. "Sorry, but I couldn't get us a horse drawn chariot."

Charlene's hand moved over where one of her guns was hidden under her jacket. "We do not look like violent criminals, and they're going to see right through us."

"Being intimidating is all about attitude," Lulu said. "Your bitchy attitude actually works for this situation."

"This is a quick business transaction; let's not over think it." Bryce had the same confidence he always had before things blew up in their faces. "All this worrying is going to lead to stress ulcers. Let's just do this."

"Go Team Hellbender!" Lulu shouted as she marched forward. "Fear is for cowards!"

As they approached the warehouse, they came near a number of large, obviously armed men, each of whom looked like they could easily kill the four of them. Lulu walked right up to one who was a head higher and had more than hundred pounds on her. "We're here to see Colette, and we don't abide dilly-dallying."

The thug looked somewhere between annoyed and amused. "I don't know who the hell you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me, stupid. Tell her Hellbender is here and we have business to discuss."

"What if instead I just gut you like a fish."

Lulu stood on her tiptoes in a vain attempt to meet him eye to eye. "If you do that, then my friends will avenge my death..." She pointed to the three behind her, and Doug waved hi. "...then neither of us will be very happy."

"What the hell is this, Rick?" Two attractive young women walked up to the group.

"These guys claim to be here to see Colette," Rick answered. "Do you even think it's worth bothering her to see if that's true, Grace?"

Bryce walked up next to Lulu, and Charlene motioned to Doug to stay close behind. It looked to him that Charlene was ready for a battle, which was a bit disconcerting. Bryce looked unconcerned, but Bryce had a skill of looking unconcerned no matter what was going on. "Colette will be upset if you turn us away," Bryce told Rick and then smiled to the two women. "I'll be especially upset."

Grace smiled slightly and turned to the women next to her. "Why don't you see if Colette is expecting anyone." The woman walked off, and Grace turned back to Bryce and his group. "So who are you all supposed to be?"

"We're Hellbender," Lulu said. "Who are you supposed to be?"

She smiled smugly. "I'm under the employ of Dammon." She looked to Charlene and laughed a bit. "I hope you're not looking to get hired, as he expects a certain level of quality in his women."

Charlene faced tensed over so slightly into a greater frown. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means the women here have appearance standards, little boy."

Doug was afraid Charlene was going to get even madder, but she actually seemed to calm slightly. "Well, beauty isn't just physical appearance; it's also personality."

Grace laughed. "Then you better have one hell of personality, little--"

Charlene's fist hammered Grace in the nose. Grace fell back clutching the injury, blood dripping down her face. Charlene brushed off her fist. "See; if you had nicer personality, you'd be a lot prettier right now."

It looked like Rick was about to go for gun, so Doug quickly drew his sword and putting it to the large man's neck. A number of others around drew guns and pointed them at Doug, though.

"I like her; she's a pip." Out of the warehouse walked a beautiful redheaded woman in a black evening gown. She looked almost too perfect, and there was something creepy to the slight smile she had. "Guns down, people."

The thugs all lowered their guns. Doug slowly returned his sword to its sheath. Grace, still clutching her bloody nose, looked outrage. "Look what she did! We should--"

"Go clean yourself up," Colette commanded.

"But--"

"Now!"

Grace took one last angry glance at Charlene and then ran off.

Colette walked up to Charlene. "She did have a point, though. Most of the women I hire out as bodyguards are basically eye-candy, so Grace is now pretty much useless to me until she heals up."

"You're not much of feminists, are you?" Lulu commented.

Colette laughed. "Not really a woman anymore. I've transcended my more animal existence, so I don't see why I shouldn't be honest about things." She looked back at Charlene. "Anyway, the point is you just cost me by disabling one of my employees. Not a good way to start with me."

"She brought that on herself," Charlene said. "I don't know what she expected to happen by disrespecting me like that."

"Fine. Fair enough. Come on; I hear we have business to discuss." Colette turned to walk back into the warehouse.

Bryce quickly ran up to her. "That we do. I must comment though, you say you're not a woman, but the form you take is--"

"Please don't bother; I don't nor ever will have the slightest interest in you."

Inside the warehouse were more armed men and women and tons of crates stacked to the ceiling. If it was all contraband, it was quite a lot of it.

"Anyway, in the confusion of the destruction of Shride," Bryce said, doing his best to ignore the previous slight, "we obtained some military equipment that might be of interest to your organization."

"Was it in a vehicle like this one?" They turned to see that in one of the rows of crates sat the truck they had fled Shride in. Next to it stood Lara, smiling quite smugly.

"I know exactly who you are and what you did..." Colette patted Bryce on the back, apparently with enough force to knock him off balance. "...Armin."

Bryce's face went white.

Charlene once again tensed in preparation for battle. "Crap."

NEXT

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Hellbender Take Two
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