Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode 4 – It’s in the Bag

Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode 4 – It’s in the Bag

Three days! It was amazing how far down someone's hopes could be dashed in three days. Belle's chin rested on her arms folded on the bar of The Crater, staring deeply with unblinking blue eyes into the depths of a half full bottle of champagne sitting in front of her. I used to think the glass, or bottle in this case, was half full. In this case, the bottle is most definitely, most assuredly, half empty, she thought as she searched for the meaning of life in the tiny bursting bubbles. Her mind went back to the memory of three days ago.

Belle had the perfect scheme! Small groups of Volge had been appearing all over the Bay Area, attacking people apparently at random. Belle was positive that the device that teleported Volge to attack sites was located in the Viscera's head. The way the Volge arrived in waves with the Viscera coming in last suggested to her that he controlled the Volge attack group's arrival at an attack site. Belle had staked out such sites for weeks, and noted the pattern repeated itself each time, and that they arrived regularly at certain points and certain times along the roads of Paradise. She had carefully assembled a crack team of professionals. Truthfully, it was a ragtag group of drunk ark hunters recruited at The Crater, but they were seasoned ark hunters. Eren Niden, the Indogene Bio-Technician at Top-notch Toolworks had already agreed to examine the head for a teleportation device if Belle got one, and her years of working in VBI Research and Design department should help her figure out how to attach it to her EGO device. Then, if she could link the teleporter to her implanted EGO device, she could have access to a fifth EGO power.

I could wake up from sleeping in my trailer behind The Crater, Belle had reasoned back then, Teleport for a quick check on the VBI Vendor at Shondu's and then be dancing on the roof of the Bug N Chug within a matter of minutes! It would be AWESOME! And the power will be mine and mine alone! Sure, technically I’m an employee of VBI, but I’m doing this during is my free time!

Her team had retrieved the Viscera's head after a hard fought battle where anything that could go wrong did, but they had got the head and that was what counted. Belle had stopped at The Crater for a celebratory glass of champagne, but left the drink unfinished, unusual for her, to race to Top-Notch Toolworks so Rosa and Eren could exam the Viscera's head as soon as possible. The faster they got the Viscera's head, Belle reasoned, the faster they could retrieve the teleportation device within, and attach it to her EGO implant. Her EGO unit would then have access to a fifth superpower, and Belle could teleport to wherever there was trouble in the Bay Area with a moment's notice, saving the day like a true hero of Paradise.

Belle recklessly sped to Top-Notch Toolworks, fishtailing her white Challenger onto the winding ramp that led to Rosa Rodriquez's and Eren Niden's workshop. She raced her car up the curving ramps, hitting the guardrails three times before bringing the car to a screeching halt at the top. Belle fairly leapt from the car, stopping only to grab the bag holding the Viscera's head from the backseat. Carrying the bag close to her chest with both hands, she took the many steps leading up to their workshop two at a time, but she stopped short at the sight she beheld upon entering it.

Rosa leaned with her back against her workbench and her arms crossed, frowning as she stared down at the cement floor in front of her. Eren stood near Rosa, her impassionate Indongine face turned towards the four men in the room. From the helmets and the uniforms, two of the men were obviously heavily armed E-Rep soldiers and the bereted third was a high ranking officer. The fourth man caused Belle's blue eyes to widen in surprise. It was Mr. Greenstreet, her uncle and the high level VBI executive who had enlisted her into the EGO program. Even when he adopted her at sixteen he had always insisted she call him Mr. Greenstreet. He visibly flinched as she moved forward to hug him, so she resisted the compulsion. He always lectured her that informality breeds contempt, although she didn't see it that way.

"Uncle - I mean Mr. Greenstreet, what are you doing here?" Belle asked nervously.

"I believe you have VBI property" he said as he pointed to the bag clutched tightly to her chest, "Please hand it over."

"I don't know what you could possibly mean," Belle lied, blushing because she knew exactly what he meant.

"Belle Starr, you are a VBI employee and therefore the contents of that bag are VBI property, so hand the bag to me or these gentlemen will take it from you," her balding uncle replied in a matter-of-fact manner.

Belle quickly calculated the odds of her taking out the E-Rep soldiers, and found the odds excellent in her favor, but quickly dismissed the idea. Such a move would destroy any chance of becoming a VBI spokes model, which was her long term goal. More importantly to her was the fact that Mr. Greenstreet was the only family she had left. Belle's rose petal lips turned down into a pout. Her six foot armored frame towered over the short balding man in the expensive business suit, but it was obvious to all in the room that it was he that was in control of the situation. With an audible sigh, Belle handed the heavy bag to her uncle, who almost fell forward from its weight, and who quickly handed it to one of the E-Rep soldiers.

"You will get a written commendation in your employee file for obtaining this Miss Starr, and maybe even be named as VBI employee of the month for the R&D Division. And of course, you will receive a bonus check of 2000 script this month."

Mr. Greenstreet did not smile when he said that, but then he never smiled, at least as long as Belle had known him. However, Belle giggled when she heard the bonus amount for it was the same exact amount that Belle had spent on the venture from her personal funds. He frowned and furrowed his brow in disapproval, before saying, "Okay Miss Starr, get back to work," and then he left with the E-Rep Soldiers and her bag with the Viscera's head.

The next two days were spent thoroughly searching her car, her trailer, and her Liberty Trooper armor for any and all surveillance devices. She found and destroyed many planted throughout her possessions, some even microscopic.

So now, three days later, Belle sat on a bar stool in her 7th legion tunic that hung off one pale shoulder and black skorts, the closest thing she had to a little red party dress, and the sexiest item in her closet. She turned on her bar stool, crossed her shapely legs clothed in fish net stockings, and regarded each of the patrons of the bar with a raised blond eyebrow.

Belle audible sighed before taking a sip from her glass of champagne, thinking, I'm going to have to get much more drunk...

* If you want to read about this particular adventure in more detail, look for the shared story under the Defiance Forums' RP thread "The Crater". It's a fun ride!