Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode 3 – A Routine Patrol

Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode 3 – A Routine Patrol

The sun was beginning to set as Belle gunned the powerful V-8 engine of her white Challenger as she raced down the highway patrolling for dangers to fellow travelers. Belle loved speed and the Challenger fit the bill nicely. She smiled at the satisfying roar of the engine, than frowned at the thought that maybe the bartender at the Crater might not have her favorite beverage, but dismissed the thought with a shrug. He wouldn't dare - not after the five cases of wine she provided him the week before. She always stopped at the Crater to wet her whistle after a successful patrol.

So far, the patrol had been pretty uneventful. There were a few small hell bugs on the road, but she hadn't even bothered to exit the car to deal with them. Belle had merely sped up and ran over the bugs, hearing a satisfying shriek and then squishing sound as she ran over each one in turn. She only had to back up the car once to get a bug that had escaped her initial attack.

As Belle rounded a corner, her blue eyes narrowed as she saw a sight that made her bring her car to a screeching halt. Next to an old truck that had clearly been driven off the road, three humans on their knees and with their hands tied behind their backs were lined up in a neat row with their heads bowed. The humans were obviously local ranchers from the way they were dressed, but the five armed men standing over the ranchers were anything but! Their colorful but odd garb, with the crested helmets and gas masks labeled them clearly as Raiders. She wondered how they could breathe in those stifling masks, but quickly dismissed the thought as she began to focus on her deadly work ahead.

The Challenger's brakes screeched loudly as Belle grabbed her VBI SMG-EEC from the seat beside her and leaped out of the still moving car. She took out three of the raiders with a spray of bullets from her SMG and a splattering of blood on the kneeling ranchers. Suddenly the spray of bullets stopped with a resounding click from the empty chamber. I can't believe I forgot to reload after my last patrol! What a rookie mistake, she thought to herself as the two remaining raiders leveled their assault rifles on her. Their shots sparked as they bounced off her defensive shield as she reloaded her weapon, but suddenly her movements were a blur to the two men as she was racing towards them. Thank God and VBI, Belle thought, grateful for the prototype weapon that would sometimes trigger her EGO device to speed up her movements tenfold. "If only I could control it," she muttered under her breath as she bulldozed the two men, shooting the first man in the face and then gutting the second raider with the huge bayonet mounted on the front of her SMG.

As Belle slung her weapon over her shoulder, she brushed her sandy blond bangs from her forehead, revealing a smattering of small star tattoos going from the corner of her right eye to her right ear, than put her hands on her hips giving a reassuring smile to the frightened ranchers. "Y'all are going to be fine now", she said, emphasizing her Southern drawl. She knew she looked quite imposing in her red, white, and blue Liberty Trooper armor that tightly fit her athletic but shapely form. Belle knew she was striking a pose, but felt was that all part of being a hero of Paradise.

The smile on her rose petal lips quickly turned to a frown as Belle realized that the frightened look on the ranchers' faces had not diminished. Suddenly from around the far side of the overturned truck stalked a hulking figure in armor wielding a huge cannon connected to a metal backpack. "Holy Crap-on-a-stick! It’s a Tanker!" she whispered to herself. Un-slinging her weapon with her right hand as she placed two fingers of her left on her temple to activate her EGO device, she was hit point blank with an explosive round from his cannon, knocking her to the ground. Her protective Sai Zanzou IV shield fizzled, then sent a perfect replica of herself running to the Tanker's left flank. The shield had triggered her EGO device to send a perfect decoy when it broke. As the Tanker turned to meet the apparent new threat, Belle thought, It pays to be a 7th Legion Magistrate and a Lucky Kitty! Then she simply disappeared!

Her EGO device was usually tuned to the cloaking function, because Belle preferred to be able to get out of a bad situation as easily as she seemed to get into one, and facing a Tanker by herself was a bad situation indeed! She moved unseen behind the Tanker, than emptied her SMG yet again as she continually fired into his metal back pack. It exploded with a loud boom, then the tanker fell face forwards with a metallic clang. The battle hadn't taken long - probably less than five minutes. Belle gently kicked the Tanker's foot just to make sure he was dead, then smiled once again as she moved to untie the ranchers.

As Belle untied the last rancher amid verbal thanks and grateful if a bit frantic handshakes, she noticed a disturbing fact. The ranchers still looked fearful, but fearful of her. After thanking her, they couldn't seem to get away from her fast enough. "I guess they are intimidated by the little girl with the big gun", she surmised as she climbed back into her car. She shrugged, than started the lonely trip down the highway toward The Crater.

Belle often thought it would be nice to have a companion on these patrols, like a Tonto to her Lone Ranger. She even thought about joining a clan for the fellowship, but she enjoyed her freedom and clans meant obligations. As she drove into the parking lot next to the Crater, she smiled widely at a sudden thought. After a few drinks, she was sure she would have a companion for the rest of the night, and absolutely certain she would by the time she was dancing on the tables. She secretly hoped it wouldn't take that long.