Authors note: Obviously, it’s been a long hiatus and those of you that are still with me, I really really appreciate it.  The week I announced I was back on the news page, I got 600 hits as compared to the usual 30 or so, looking for updates.  You guys rock.  Anyway, I’m getting back to it now but it’s been a busy year and I don’t want to lie, so no promises, I will write what I write.  I will say however that I am really psyched and looking forward to writing the rest of the book (and maybe more, who knows).

Anyway, here’s the deal.  I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to end this story over another few chapters and I’d like to share my thoughts.  Chapter 21 and 22 (the final two chapters) were to follow more or less the same story but for whatever reason split over two different chapters – probably due to suspected length.  Chapter 20 was to be a stand-alone story in the traditional “every five chapters do something special” format.  So I thought, why not combine chapters 21 and 22 into one big chapter.  No loss of content, it just makes more sense with formatting…  And THEN I thought…  Chapter 20 (entertaining as it may be) is really just a throw away chapter and it will kill momentum coming into the end of the story, so THEN I thought…  why not make chapter 21 and 22 (the now combined chapter 21) into chapter 20 and finish II off with a nice round number.

So, that is what I’m going to do.  Thus, the chapter you are reading now is in-fact the penultimate chapter of this Invid Invasion: Destiny book.  It doesn’t have a lot of sex in it compared to many chapters, but just wait until chapter 20.  You’ll have all you can handle.  After all, I intend to go out with one hell of a bang for the super-sized final chapter!

As usual, mail me comments/suggestions/death threats etc. at (invidwriter@hotmail.com) – Even if you have to resort to just saying "cool story.”  And as always, I have msn messenger, so if you want to add me to your contact list just use the email address above.




Invid Invasion
Chapter 19
"Offensive"

  	“It was morning and Andrea was sitting with Aria at breakfast.  “So everyone is here?”  Andrea asked.
	“Mostly,” Aria said.  “Enough of them to make a fight of it.  You figured out your strategy yet?”
	“Unfortunately.  How many of those daisy cutters did you say you found in the stockpile?”
	“Oh, fuck,” Aria said.
	“How many?”
	“Twelve.  I take it you’re going to be using one of them?”
	“I’m going to be using eight of them.”
	“You realize daisy cutters aren’t a fuckin’ pair of giant pruners right?  We’re talking about high yield bombs.”
	“I know.”
	“Fuck, Andrea.  Mike tells me each one will take out half a kilometre.  What the fuck do you need eight for?”
	“To make a point.  They’re non-nuclear so using more then one won’t damage the environment.  Not that it matters anymore anyway.”
	“That’s not the fucking point and you know it.  You can’t just go around dropping enough firepower to take out a small city on any damn thing you want to.”
	“Oh, so now you’re the voice of reason and common sense, is that it?”
	“Fuck,” Aria said to herself.
	“I would think you’d want the Invid gone more than anybody.”
	“Believe me, I do but what if something goes wrong and you hit this army of yours?”
	“It’s a chance we have to take.  Come on, Aria.  Don’t tell me you’re not with me on this one.”
	Aria sighed.  “I’m with you.  Just be careful with those things.  The only thing I hate worse then the Invid are fucking bombs.”
	“Well I’m not a fan of them either but we have to do what we have to do.”
	“Fuck.”  Aria stood up.  “I’ll get everyone together, tell ‘em to start on route to the staging point, all that shit.”
	“Good.  Thank-you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.  Mark my words, by the time this week is over you’ll have wished I tried harder to convince you not to use them.” 

* * * *
	
	Bringing everyone up north took a lot longer than Andrea had expected.  Since there were so many more people than vehicles each truck had to make the run three or four times to move them all.  Not to mention they had to take sheltered back roads to help prevent them from being seen by the Invid.  The last thing they needed before their attack was an ambush.
	Andrea had waited for the last group of transports and was about half way to their destination when a poker game started in the back of the vehicle.  Andrea didn’t particularly feel like playing but did sit back to watch the others.  There were half a dozen players, two of them female and the rest male.  She didn’t recognize any of them, but that was nothing unusual nowadays.  The army had been growing so fast she could hardly keep up.  Unfortunately that meant nearly all of her troops were under-trained.
	Without anything to bet the game quickly turned into something much more akin to truth or dare, but without the truth.  Overall though, it was relatively mild, probably because of Andrea’s presence.  Andrea had to laugh at one point though, when one of the men walked to the back of the carrier, opened up the flaps and mooned the Coalition soldiers travelling behind them.  When Andrea heard the round of helpless honking on the horn from the car behind them, she couldn’t help but laugh.  After a solid minute of wagging his ass back and forth, he pulled up his pants and closed the flaps again.
	The ride seemed to go a little quicker after that.

* * * *
	
	The truck had stopped and Andrea was the first one out.  Since she still had a bit of planning to do before the attack in the morning, she headed off to the operations carrier to get to work.  “Hey, Andrea,” it was Mike’s voice.  Andrea stopped and turned to look at him.  “Wait up a sec, will ya?”
	“What’s up Mike?”
	Mike finally caught up and looked around, “well uh…  it’s kinda personal in nature.  Do you have a minute?”
	“A minute I can spare.  What is it?”
	“Ah was wonderin’ how well you knew Stacy.”
	“Hah, not very.  I met her just before I met you.”
	“Oh.  Cause see, Ah noticed that she seems t’ spend a lot of time on her own, you know?  Ah thought maybe she didn’t have many friends around here.”
	“You’re probably right there, she hasn’t had much time to meet people yet.”
	“Ah see.”
	“What was it you wanted to ask me, Mike?”
	“Oh, uh… Ah was wonderin’ if you think it’d be okay to ask her out for a date.  Maybe show her people aren’t so bad around here, y’know?”
	Andrea laughed to herself.  “You don’t have to ask me permission to ask someone out Mike.”
	“Ah know.  Ah know that.  It’s just, Ah don’t know her story.  She still seems kinda shaken up and I wasn’t sure if it was really an appropriate time, you know?”
	“Yeah, I know.  Listen, if you want my advice, just go ask her.  It’ll be fine.”
	Mike nodded. “Okay, will do, thanks.”
“No problem,” Andrea smiled, still not sure what entirely she had done to help. “Oh, Mike?”
“Yeah?” he said stopping.
“I’ve got a question for you too.”
“Okay, what’s goin’ on?”
“I’m wondering if you could outfit some of the troop carriers to travel by remote.”
“By remote?” he said surprised.  “Ah guess so.  It may take a bit though.  How many do you need?”
“Nine.”
“Daym.  Probably take me three or four days, assumin’ I can find all the parts.”
“I’m sure the parts won’t be a problem.  The Coalition sent us a supply truck with all kinds of gadgets and materials.  But I need them all done by tomorrow morning.”
“You’re kiddin,’ right?” Andrea shook her head.  “Shit.  Guess ah’m gonna have to ask Stacy out in a day or two.  Alright, ah guess if ah got some help from people in the army, ah could pull an all nighter an’ maybe finish it off for you.”
“Thank-you, Mike.”
“Hah, yeah no problem ah guess.”
He turned to leave one more time and Andrea spoke up again, “and Mike?” He turned to face her.  “It’s important.”
“Ah’ll get it done, don’t you worry ‘bout that.”  Mike turned back around and left.

* * * *
	
	Andrea finally left the operations vehicle near midnight.  She was exhausted and made a bee-line to her tent planning to be asleep within the next few minutes.  By the time her head hit the pillow she was out and dreaming.
	She knew she was dreaming because she was naked, underwater, and yet had no trouble breathing.  She tried to swim to the surface but despite its close proximity, she couldn’t get any closer.  Light and shadow refracted from the waves above and danced over her nude skin.  “Andrea, turn around.”  It was Irene’s voice, and Andrea did as instructed.
	Irene floated in front of her, also naked.  Her long blonde hair was splayed out all around her face.  “What are you doing here?” Andrea said telepathically to her friend.
	“I thought you might be lonely,” Irene reached gingerly around Andrea’s waist and pulled her tight against her own body.  “I figured I could cheer you up.”
	Andrea felt her stomach and breasts melt into Irene’s warm body.  It was a nice feeling in the cool water all around her.  She hugged Irene back and as she pushed her pelvis into the blonde’s, she could feel the warmth coming from between the woman’s legs.  Irene moved her face closer so their lips were nearly touching.  Irene breathed out slowly and a series of bubbles escaped her mouth and floated to the surface.
	“If we can breath water, why are their bubbles,” Andrea said curiously.
	“Don’t question,” Irene said.  “Just tell me you want this.”
	Andrea didn’t know what to say.  “Ed’s dead.  I didn’t even get to say good-bye.”
	Irene looked sad tightened her grip around Andrea.  “Then tell me you need this.  Let me make you feel better, even if only for a while.”
	“I need this,” Andrea said with bubbles now escaping her lips.  She could see her own hair in front of her face as if it was blowing in a strong breeze but in slow motion.
	Irene breathed out again and the air bubbles brushed lightly against Andrea’s lips on their way to the surface, tickling her sensitive skin in an extremely erotic way.  Slowly, the blonde leaned forward until her warm lower lip touched with Andrea’s.  At that point it was Andrea’s turn to take control and she moved her lips closer.  She moved slowly at first, enjoying the feel of Irene’s full lips pressing lightly into her own but soon after, her desire to forget the complications of life overcame her and she pressed her lips hard into her lovers.
	Irene pressed back, and soon Andrea felt the delicate touch of Irene’s tongue against her swelling lower lip.  Andrea breathed hotly into Irene’s mouth and parted her lips just enough to make way for the tongue requesting entrance.  She could feel its bumpy surface and smooth underside against her lips and a shiver ran down her spine before she was compelled to meet the tip of it with her own tongue.  The tips flattened against each other and as Andrea pushed harder, more and more of their tongues touched until they felt as if they were one.
	Slowly, Andrea reached up Irene’s sides, only stopping when she could feel the swell of the blonde’s breasts with her thumbs.  Using the soft mounds of flesh that overflowed off the sides of Irene’s torso, Andrea separated her chest from her lovers and moved her hands inwards to grasp Irene’s large breasts tightly.  She could feel the soft nub of each nipple poking into her hands and Andrea began to massage them; rolling her thumbs around the pink buds.
	Andrea heard an unusual sounding moan come out of Irene.  A guttural, passionate moan distorted by the water.  Suddenly, to Andrea’s surprise, Irene grasped her by the wrists and gently pulled her arms away from her firm, round breasts.  That was Andrea’s first real look at them underwater and they were impressive indeed.  Large perfect globes, shimmering in light and unaffected to the slightest degree by gravity.  Her pink swollen nipples pointed upwards and her breasts looked so perfectly placed on her chest, Andrea could hardly keep her hands off her.  
	Irene had other plans however and lowered herself slightly to place her head between Andrea’s own firm, shimmering boobs.  The buoyancy of the water had equally attractive effects on Andrea’s chest, forming her smaller breasts into youthful cones that stood straight out.  Irene grasped one firmly as she kissed at Andrea’s cleavage and up towards the nipple of the other.
	There was no feeling of wetness left by Irene’s mouth.  Only a residual heat and pleasant friction from her taste buds.  The water seemed to heighten her sense of touch and her nipples responded accordingly.  The cold water only stiffened the already tight buds further and when Irene’s hot mouth enveloped her hard rosebud, Andrea gasped in pleasure.  The sudden heat and friction from her tongue was nearly more than she could take.  She let her arms and legs go limp, no longer trying to stay afloat.  She was all too happy to let Irene take things from there.  She never realized how good it felt to stretch out with no concerns as to where the floor was.
	Painstakingly slowly, Irene shifted her mouths attention to the other breast, kneading them both pleasurably as she did so.  Then, just as slowly she began kissing down Andrea’s ribs, occasionally running her tongue along the smooth skin before kissing it again.  When Irene mouthed the bottom of her breasts, or her ribs, or stomach, Andrea couldn’t help but break out in goose-bumps.  She arched her back, but found no additional weight on her butt or shoulders.  She smiled at that and Irene continued to kiss at Andrea’s skin as if she were grabbing a lip into her mouth to devour it whole.
	Finally, to Andrea’s relief, Irene’s mouth made it to its final destination between her legs.  It kissed hard at Andrea’s trimmed pubic hair.  Irene even bit down gently and pulled away.  The movement elicited a surprised gasp of brief pain from Andrea as Irene’s teeth had clamped down around a number of the short brown hairs lining the area.  Irene smiled upwards, spitting the hairs out to slowly drift away.
	“That was cruel,” Andrea said.
	“Yeah it was,” Irene said still smiling from between Andrea’s legs.  Then, as if putting on a show, she rubbed her tongue along the length of Andrea’s slit before licking her lips erotically.  “You still taste like you,” Irene said and lowered her head once more.  She kissed deeply at Andrea’s sex.  Andrea’s lower lips wrapped around Irene’s mouth as the blonde dug deeper with her tongue, forcing it as far as she could inside Andrea’s pussy.  Andrea flung her head back and moaned as she shivered.  The cool water was starting to get to her but for the moment, she was more concerned with the tongue between her legs.
	Irene’s hands tickled as they brushed up Andrea’s hips and moved towards her breasts.  They gripped the fleshy mounds tightly and Andrea felt a surge of pleasure flow through her chest.  She was instantly warmed in the chilly water and her nipples became painfully hard.  Irene squeezed one of them, again sending warm pleasure through her torso and up into her neck.  Her stomach twitched as Irene’s tongue rubbed across her clit and the warmth spread downwards through her stomach and pubic region.
	Instinctively she wrapped her long smooth legs around Irene’s neck and crossed them at the ankles.  Irene continued to delve deeply while she reached up and desperately massaged Andrea’s breasts.  Andrea couldn’t help but arch her back and without anything to stop her shoulders she curved away from Irene’s groping hands, forcing them to get a lock around her legs instead.  She felt her pussy get even warmer on Irene’s tongue and new she was about to cum.  Then, suddenly, it stopped and the flowing blonde curls pulled away.  “No,” Andrea moaned, straightening her back out.  “I was almost there.”
	“I know,” Irene said with a smile while using her hold on Andrea’s legs to pull herself up her body.  A few seconds later they were face to face only a few inches apart.  Their breasts pointed at each other in the water as if requesting the others’ presence.  They soon got their answer as Andrea wrapped her arms tightly around Irene’s neck and pulled her close, meeting her open mouthed and kissing hard.  Their breasts mashed together in the cool water.  Andrea felt swallowed up by the warmth of Irene’s skin.  She never wanted to move.
	“You want to feel something neat?” Irene said through the kiss.
	“What?” Andrea said more than willing to try something new.  
	“Put a finger in my pussy.”
	Andrea did as she was told, snaking her arm between their flat stomachs and curling her fingers upwards until finding the entrance to Irene’s insides.  She shoved gently, pushing first one, then a second finger inside.
	“Okay, you ready?” Irene said.
	“Ready,” Andrea responded, now slowly moving them in and out of Irene’s moist sex.  She was enjoying the feel of the blonde’s muscles contracting tightly around her fingers.  Suddenly, Andrea felt a rush of pleasure concentrated in her pussy, it felt as if Irene had just inserted two fingers into her sex as well.  After a moment, Andrea realized that she could feel two hands on her back as Irene continued the kiss.  Andrea broke away for a moment in confusion.  “What?”
	“It’s our link,” Irene said sliding one of her hands around towards Andrea’s breast and caressing it.  “I’m using it to transmit what I’m feeling.”  Irene’s hand snaked downwards, forcing Andrea into a pleasurable shiver as it slid across her stomach and through her pubic hair.  A few moments later she felt pressure against her sex and Irene slid two fingers in.
	“Ahhh,” Andrea moaned in surprise.  She felt Irene’s fingers inside her, but also felt as if there were two others, pressing on slightly different spots.  Andrea closed her eyes and arched her neck back as the fingers inside her pussy seemed to double in sensation.  
	“Unnn,” Irene moaned at the same time.  “It feels good, doesn’t it?”  She pushed her fingers in to the hilt and both women moaned again.  “Having only two fingers inside but feeling them in two spots at the same time?”
	“God yes,” Andrea moaned.  She used her spare hand to pull Irene closer and kissed her again hard on the mouth.  As with the fingers inside her, the sensation seemed to double as their tongues ran across each other.  Andrea felt herself approaching orgasm.
	“Not yet,” Irene said taking her fingers out of Andrea.  She then grabbed Andrea’s wrist and pulled the other woman’s digits out of her own pussy.  Andrea moaned in disappointment.  “I said not yet,” Irene repeated.
	“But I want you so bad,” Andrea said.
	“And you can have me.  But slowly.”  Irene kissed her again and then pulled away.  She floated a few feet down Andrea’s body and spun around so they were crotch to crotch.  She grabbed Andrea’s ankle and used it to guide her sex into Andrea’s and moved into a sitting position, thinking it the best view of her lover.
	“Your breasts look amazing in water,” Andrea said looking at them pointing upwards, while light refracting through the waves danced across them.  “Not that they don’t normally.”  Andrea reached down and grasped Irene gently by the outer thighs.  “So what are you waiting for?”
	“I guess I’m a little enthralled myself.  You have such a gorgeous body.  I wish I had muscles like yours.”
	“I wish I had boobs like yours.”
	“Then we’re even,” Irene said.  “Ready to fuck like animals?”
	“You have no idea,” Andrea said smiling up at her lover.
	Without another word, Irene slowly rubbed her pussy along Andrea’s and then flexed her hips backwards again to do it in reverse.  She couldn’t help tilting her head back at the double pleasure the movement brought and had trouble finding the energy to continue going.
	She paused for a second, relishing in the giddy, tingling feeling of her first thrust before she bucked her hips into Andrea’s a second time.  This time, she pressed a little harder and the tingling spread through both women’s bodies.  “Mmm,” Andrea moaned and instinctually bucked her hips to counteract Irene’s movements.  “Don’t stop,” Andrea said as her body writhed around in the weightless environment.
	Irene pumped again, then a fourth time.  By her fifth thrust, she had leaned forward slightly and grabbed at Andrea’s breasts with one of her hands.  “Oooohhhh,” both women moaned in tandem.
	Irene picked up the pace and changed her movements from a hump to more of a grind, wiggling her hips back and forth so that her pussy rubbed against Andrea’s without ever being separate.  Her hips gyrated as she moved as quickly as possible in the dense water.  After a few minutes, Andrea couldn’t hold back any more and she came, instantly triggering Irene’s orgasm as well.
	The feeling of two orgasms at the same time, completely floored Andrea.  She wouldn’t have been able to describe how pleasurable it was to save her life.  She writhed and twisted in the water, completely overcome by instinct.  She couldn’t think; only images of breasts, smooth stomachs, lips and grinding crotches seemed to manifest themselves in her head.  She tried to speak but all that she could muster were guttural moans of pleasure that seemed to originate from the very center of her being.
	And the feeling went on like that.  The women fed off each others pleasure for long seconds that led into long minutes.  By the time Andrea was winding down, at least five minutes of literally mind-numbing orgasm had passed.  It was another few minutes before she could move and a few minutes after that before she could speak.
	“Oh, God,” Andrea said still out of breath.  She had never imagined pleasure like that.
	“Oh, Andrea,” Irene said turning herself around and pressing her body up against her lovers as tightly as possible.  “You’re my whole world.  I wish the All Mother would invade again just so I can see your face in person again.”
	Andrea couldn’t help but blush redder than she already was from orgasm.  “I want to see you again too.  Why couldn’t it have been you that stayed instead of Destiny?”
	“The All Mother didn’t think I’d be able to handle it as well.  She’s probably right.”
	“Maybe,” Andrea said not completely relenting the point.  
	“Andrea?”
	“Yeah?”
	“I have something to tell you tomorrow.  Maybe when you go back to sleep I’ll be able to contact you like this again.”
	“Okay,” Andrea said, still too exhausted to press Irene for more details just now.  Besides, she had a feeling it was bad news and didn’t want to ruin the moment.
	“Do you want to do it again?” Irene said smiling innocently at her friend.
	“Is that a trick question?  Of course I do.”
	“Mmm, good,” Irene said and she pressed into her lover and kissed fiercely once more.  Suddenly, Andrea’s surroundings went black and she felt herself weighted down by gravity once more.  She was awake.
	“Unnnnhh,” she grunted as she rolled over.  That was one dream she didn’t want to wake up from.  She reached down and felt her pussy was completely soaked.  Not to mention the fact that she was horny as hell.  Slowly she opened her eyes.  She was in her tent just as she expected and Kitty was lying asleep beside her.  She was under the same covers but in her sleep they had been pulled down nearly to her waist, thus exposing her small upturned breasts and puffy pink nipples.  Andrea looked at them and realized they were already hard from the cool night air.  She watched them as they rose and fell with her breathing.
	Gingerly, she reached over and put her hand over the right one, which was on the far side of her.  She looked from the other naked breast up to Kitty’s young, innocent face and back down her smooth almost overly thin stomach.  Eventually she gazed back to the sleeping woman’s chest and she knew she couldn’t wait anymore.  She was horny as all hell.
	Andrea took Kitty’s naked nipple into her mouth and flicked at it with her tongue.  The younger woman didn’t stir so she continued.  The nipple responded, growing even harder inside her mouth and Andrea began massaging the small fleshy area of her other breast while she suckled at the nipple in her mouth.
	“Mmm,” Kitty smiled in her sleep but still didn’t wake up.  Andrea had an idea.  She crawled under the blankets until her head was next to Kitty’s newly bald pussy.  Kitty must have just shaved.  Andrea smiled and pulled the blanket over her head and pressed her tongue up against the redhead’s clit.  She could feel the smooth skin around it against her lips and cheek and it felt nice but there was still no response from Kitty.  Andrea flicked the woman’s clit with her tongue and took it into her mouth.  Slowly it began to harden and as it did, Kitty slowly stirred.  “Andrea?”  She said hazily.
	“Mm-hmm?” Andrea said not taking her mouth away from Kitty’s hairless sex.
	“What are you doing down there?”
	“In response Andrea sucked harder and slipped a finger deep inside Kitty’s pussy.”
	“Oh,” Kitty said half in answer and half in surprised pleasure.  Andrea sucked at Kitty’s clit just as she had her nipple earlier and Kitty moaned.  “I don’t know what’s gotten into you but I like it,” the redhead said.
	Andrea didn’t respond but she wanted some pleasure on her pussy as well.  She swung her body around until they were in a 69 and lowered her dripping crotch down over Kitty’s face.
	“God, it looks like you’ve already cum,” Kitty said staring at Andrea wet pussy.
	Andrea pulled her mouth away from Kitty’s clit long enough to say, “I had quite the dream.”
	“I see,” Kitty said lifting her head just long enough to give Andrea’s slit a solid lick.  “You still taste pretty damn good.  I guess you need another one hm?”
	“Mm-hmm,” Andrea said buried in Kitty’s sex once more.  Andrea’s nose pressed into the deepest parts of Kitty’s sex while her tongue continued to lap at her clit relentlessly.  
	“Ooo, not so hard,” Kitty said.
	“Sorry,” Andrea pulled away to say before going back at it again.  Her chin, lips and nose were soaked in Kitty’s juices.  “I’m not the only one that’s pretty wet.”
	“With lip service like that, how could I not be,” Kitty said and grabbing Andrea by the ass, pulled down hard until Andrea’s sex was pressed into her face.
	Andrea twitched as Kitty’s tongue explored the deepest areas of her pussy.  She moaned into the redhead’s sex and did her best to keep licking.  She felt hands pressing down harder on her ass pressing it tighter against Kitty’s mouth when one of those hands moved inwards.  The next thing Andrea knew there was a finger pressing against her asshole lightly as if requesting permission to enter.  Andrea was still buried in-between Kitty’s legs and did her best to relax her rear hole.  Kitty took that as a sign to continue and put a little more pressure on the pink rosebud.  With a little effort she worked her finger in to the second knuckle and played in Andrea’s rear while continuing to assault her pussy with her tongue.
	Feeling orgasm approaching, Andrea pulled away and turned to face Kitty mouth to mouth.  They kissed hard and sloppy thanks to all the juices on their chins and mouths.  Andrea reached down to grab Kitty’s sweat covered breasts as the kiss continued to deepen.  A few minutes later, Andrea sat up and shifted into the same position Irene and her had been in during her dream.  “What’s this?” Kitty said.
	“Something I was dreaming about,” Andrea smiled back as her crotch pressed into Kitty’s.  She grabbed one of Kitty’s legs and pointed it up.  Then, holding it as a stabilizer, Andrea began to grind her crotch into the redheads.
	“Mmm,” Kitty moaned.  “That’s amazing.”
	Andrea didn’t speak.  Her eyes were closed and she was desperately trying to return to the mindless carnal state she was at before.  Her thrusting and grinding continued and as she got closer and closer to orgasm she nearly felt as if she were there.  Visions of Kitty’s small sweaty breasts, her mouth in an O from orgasm, her neck and chest flushed, all the sexual images she could think of danced through her head.  And then her orgasm hit her.
	Andrea shook in pleasure as the first wave of it came over her and she drenched Kitty’s sex with her own juices.  The first pulse of her orgasm triggered one in Kitty and the redhead shook nearly as hard, twitching and writhing in pleasure.
	“I love you, Kitty,” Andrea said when it had wound down.  She dropped the redheads’ leg and laid down on top of her.
	“I love you too,” Kitty said in response.
Andrea smiled at that and let herself go limp in her lovers’ arms.  She quickly drifted back to sleep. 

* * * *
	
	Andrea woke up with her head on her lovers’ chest.  Her hair was splayed out around her and she lifted her head to admire Kitty’s face.  As she did so, Kitty groaned and rolled over to her side, placing her arm on Andrea’s hip.  Her small breasts pushed together slightly.
	Andrea kissed her on the forehead and shimmied out from under Kitty’s arm.  She silently put on her Invid jumpsuit and exited the tent.   It was a drizzly day but the sun was lighting the thin cloud layer vibrantly.  The horizon looked free of clouds and Andrea figured it would probably clear up soon.
	It was still early but a few people were rising.  There were half a dozen troop carriers parked in a line near the trees and there seemed to be a wide range of commotion around them.  Andrea walked over.  
	“Mike?” She said as she got closer.  There were at least a dozen people buzzing around between vehicles and it looked like an additional one or two under each one.  Andrea thought she could hear Mike’s voice coming from underneath one of the middle ones and she went over. “Mike?”
	“Not now, Andrea,” he said from under the carrier.  
	“I just wanted to see how things were coming along…”
	“Ah mean this as politely as possible, but bugger off an’ let me focus.  They’ll be ready.”
	Andrea turned around a little shocked and otherwise unsure of what to say.  “Okay…” she said to herself.  She saw Aria in the distance and made a light jog in that direction.  When she got closer she could see Aria was practicing with her knives.  
	“Ya?” she said, not stopping her practice.
	“Just wondering if you could organize something else for me.”
	“Oh fuck.  What now?”
	“I need you to load the Daisy Cutters onto the carriers back there.”
	“There’re nine trucks.  You said you were only using eight bombs.”
	“That’s right.”
	“So what goes in the last one?”
	“All the protoculture you can find. Spare engines, e-clips, pick the flower from the damn forest for all I care.  Pack that carrier to the brim.”  
	Aria gave Andrea an unimpressed look.  “You’re fucking kidding.  You want me to go out and pick flowers before the god-damn battle of the decade?”
	“That’s right.”
	Aria stopped practicing with her knives and put them back in their sheathes.  “Are you fucking nuts?”
	“Irene always got headaches when I ran the cyclone around her.”
	“Okay, that settles it.  You are nuts.  I’m taking over and there will be no fucking flower picking.”
	“Aria, the cyclone runs on protoculture.”  Aria wasn’t following.  “The burning of the protoculture is what gave her a headache.”
	“Just tell me what you’re thinking like I’m a fucking moron, okay?  That’s pretty much the case anyway.”
	“If one engine in normal operation is enough to give them a headache, then I’m hoping a whole carrier full of the stuff goin’ up will be one hell of a distraction.”
	“You’re building a protoculture bomb.”
	“That’s right.  Now can you please do as you’re told and go pick the damn flowers?”  Andrea smiled a bit.
	“You’re lucky you got that stupid grin on your face to let me know you didn’t just seriously try and order me around.”
	“Not lucky, planned.  By the way, don’t tell Destiny.”
	“Fuck,” Aria said and she walked away. 

* * * *
	
	“Hey, what’s going on?” Kitty said as she finally caught up to Andrea at breakfast.  “Everything all set?”
	“I think it will be in an hour or so.”
	And then what?”
	“Well, this command center or whatever it is, is supposed to be only a few kilometers from here.  We’ll go up at marching speed and attack.  We should be there in a couple hours.”
	“Sounds simple enough.”
	“I wish.  No, apparently this thing is underground, so we’re going to have to do a lot of damage to surface troops to get it to even surface”
	“It can surface?”
	“I guess so.  Destiny said it was some kind of beetle like thing.”
	“Great, next thing you know they’ll be attacking us with cockroaches and mosquitoes.”
	Andrea laughed.  “It does seem like that sometimes, doesn’t it?”
	“Yeah it does.”  There was a long silence while the two continued to eat.  “You scared?”
	“Oh yeah.”
	“Good.  Means you plan to come back alive.”
	“Course it does.  How is that different from everyone else?”
	“Simple. You always do what you plan to do.”
	“And I’ll be waiting for you in the carrier as soon as it’s over.”
	“No.  You’re not coming.”
	Kitty smiled.  “Too bad.  I’ve already had this argument with you in my head.  I won.”
	Andrea laughed.  “Is that so?”
	“That’s right.  First I tell you I’m going to be right there to back you up.  You say no, that’s too dangerous, I have to wait here.  I tell you I’m not willing to sit this one out.   Again, you say no.  I accuse you of babying me, you accuse me of being foolish and we eventually compromise on me waiting for you in the support carrier so at least I can be there while still being at minimal risk.”
	Andrea laughed again.  “You’re really something.  All right fine, deal.  I just have one question for you.”
	“Shoot.”
	“If we “compromised,” how does that mean you win?”
	“If you wear the pants in the relationship, which I think we can agree you do, then that makes me the woman, and I’m sure we can also agree that the woman always wins.”  Kitty smiled proudly.
	“Sounds like you’ve got this relationship thing all figured out by yourself.  I’m going to start thinking you don’t even need me,” Andrea said joking.
	“Not true,” Kitty said leaning in to give Andrea a kiss.  While she did so, she grabbed one of Andrea’s breasts and squeezed.  “I need both of you.”
	“Alright, alright,” Andrea said shoving her off playfully.  “Finish your breakfast.” 

* * * *
	
	The drive north was the longest 5 kilometers Andrea ever had to travel.  The nauseous feeling in her stomach refused to leave her and she couldn’t help but worry about Aria, or Kitty, or even Destiny.  Mike and Stacy had had the good common sense to stay behind at a safe distance.  At least Andrea could take some consolation from that.
	“Got something on radar,” one of the scouts said from about a kilometer in front.  The terrain was clearing up as they got closer and it would be difficult to mask their approach much longer.
	“Can you see it?” Andrea asked.
	“There’s quite a few of them, the response came in.  And those are just the ones outside of the hive.”  There was a delay that was beginning to make Andrea nervous.  “Uh… looks like a dozen command units, 20 or so enforcers but they’re red not blue, a couple dozen I don’t know what’s.  They’re maybe 20 feet tall, three arms, two pinchers, two legs and they don’t look organic like the others do.”  
	“That all of them?” Andrea said hopefully.
	“That’s a negative.  There’re also about 80 shock troopers, a hell of a lot of armored scouts and… and three or four scorpion looking things I’ve never seen before.  Maybe 50 feet long, and they’re in the air.  Could be drop ships of some kind.”
	“Okay everyone, this is just like we…” Andrea started but was interrupted before she could finish.
	“Uh, General?”
	“What is it?”
	“They’re coming this way.”
	“How many?”
	“All of them.”
	“Shit,” Andrea said to herself.  “Shit.”  She took a second to think and went back to broadcasting over the main channel.  “Okay everyone, change of plans, we’re making our stand here.  Spread out into original positions as quickly as possible and then cut your engines if you’re running protoculture until they’re in firing range.  I don’t want them to know our numbers.  We’ll just have a little further to advance, that’s all.”
	“Andrea, what’s going on?”  The voice belonged to Aria’s and she sounded a little concerned.
	“Just get the troop carriers prepped as quickly as possible okay?  Fan them out right away.”
	“But if we fan them and they hit one we could lose half the…”
	“Just do it.  If they’re all together and they hit one it’s game over.”
	“Okay, I’m on it.”
	“And send one through the trees, keep it as covered as possible from the air and see if you can get it close enough to the hive to detonate.”
	“I thought that’s what all of them were for?”
	“No, the rest are for the command center when we draw them out.”
	“Okay, will do.”
	“Scout,” Andrea said trying to get back in contact with the man at the front.  “How long until they get here.”  There was an eerie pause.  “How long?”  There was still no answer and Andrea could see shadows moving across the ground in the distance.  She looked up and saw thousands of Invid ships coming through the thin cloud layer.  Apparently they were using it for cover.  “They’re not stupid,” Andrea said to herself marveling a bit.  They were coming from a 180 degree arc, only leaving the south open as a potential means of retreat.  “Aria?” Andrea yelled over the radio.
	“Fuck, what do you want?  I’m busy.”
	“Did we pass through a canyon a few kilometers back?”
	“Yeah, what of it?”
	“Lots of caves, wide open spaces?”
	“I guess so, fuck, what are you talking about?”
	“The Invid are trying to force us to retreat into a trap.  After a few minutes of fighting I want you to send one of the special carriers back into the canyon.  Make it look like it’s fleeing on its own.”
	“Hah, a little fuck you present, eh?  Consider it done.”
	“Damn-it…  already down to six bombs,” Andrea said to herself.  She turned off her engine as she instructed the others to do and waited to transform her cyclone into battleoid mode.  She looked around her and couldn’t help but feel awe.  120,000 soldiers surrounded her.  They took up nearly two kilometers in either direction.  Despite the impressive number of Invid ships in the air, she still had them far outnumbered.  She hoped she had them outgunned as well.  The Invid began to get closer.  They now appeared to number closer to 10,000.  
	“Let’s get this show on the road,” she said to herself.  She clicked on the radio, “Okay everyone.  Turn on the engines.  We’re not waiting for these clowns to fire first.  Let’s start shooting.”  She looked up at the swarm of Invid.  “It’ll be hard to miss.”
	“Aria,” she said on the private channel.  “I’m going to get closer to the front so I have a good line of sight to the hive.”
	“Fuck,” Aria said.  “How did I end up being God-damn Command and Control?  I should be out there fighting.”
	“Maybe so but you’re not used to power armor.  Knives aren’t gonna be any good against these guys and I’d rather have someone I can trust calling the shots back there.”
	“You and your damn flattery.  Okay, I’ll quit bitching.”
	Andrea smiled and gunned her bike.  It shot forward climbing to 50, then 100 kph.  It was extremely difficult maneuvering through all her troops, not to mention the trees as she drove towards and past the front line.  Soon she found she was dodging energy blasts as well.  The Invid had begun firing.  “Shit,” Andrea said as an energy beam pierced past her and sliced a nearby tree in half.  She swerved to the side by reflex but if the beam had hit her instead of the tree, it would have been too late.  She revved the engine and maxed out her speed.  She quickly realized she’d rather take a dive then an energy beam to one of the areas her riding armor left open.
	She swerved around a fallen tree, seeing it split from another energy beam.  Apparently one of them was following her.  She didn’t dare break her concentration to look back.  She simply hoped her swerving around trees would be enough.  It wasn’t.  She felt her body rock forward as she took a hit to the back of the shoulders.  Her first thought was how glad she was she didn’t take it in the lower back where there was no armor.  Her second thought, as her movement caused her arm to jerk and the handlebars to jar left, was how she was going to survive a crash landing at nearly 200 kph.  
	Her bike began to slide and the back wheel hit a stump, launching it and her into the air in separate directions.  Andrea’s first contact with the ground was on her shoulders in the same spot she was shot in.  She cringed in pain as she felt the impact on them.  Leaves and bushes tore at her unarmored midsection and thighs until suddenly, there was no pain.  She had bounced and was in the air again.  Her mind felt as if she was in slow motion.  She spun in the air, and saw the ground coming at her fast again.  She tried to roll as she hit, once again feeling the impact.  She grunted as the wind was knocked out of her.
	She bounced another time before plowing into the ground in a long slide.  She cringed in pain and had yet to even try breathing in again since she was winded.  She tried to roll with it and it seemed to help but her eyes went wide when she realized she was fast approaching a very large tree.  She heard her armor smash against it before she felt the tingling in her spine.  She heard something crack and she wasn’t sure if it was a bone or a branch of the tree behind her.
	She was feeling dizzy but after a moment was able to breathe again.  She looked around but her world was blurry.  In front of her however, she managed to make out a large purple blur in the shape of an Invid shock trooper.  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Andrea said looking at the 19-foot tall monstrosity.  It had a central eye, as all the Invid mecha did, two huge pincher arms, two thick, armored legs (to which standing she would be about knee high), and a huge mounted energy cannon on each shoulder.  She was still shaking off her landing and had yet to move when she saw both plasma cannons glowing green, and the purple blur approaching.
	Andrea’s eyes went wide and she forced her body to respond and roll to the side.  She felt the heat on her lower back and heard the crackling of wood as the base of the tree was vaporized.  The majority of the large tree fell down beside her with a loud thud.  She jumped.  “Fuck me.”
	The shock trooper had buzzed her and was turning around for another pass.  She pulled out her energy pistol but she wasn’t sure she could even dent the thing with it.  Unless, “the eye,” she said aloud.  Still in a sitting position she took aim at it as it turned.  It was still blurry but she could clearly see the red of the eye.
	She fired.
	And missed.
	“Damn-it!” she shouted at herself.  The shock trooper was getting closer again.  She new it would be ready to shoot again and so she dodged once more, that time using the fallen tree as cover.  Again the Invid missed, but instead of buzzing her once more, it landed beside her, breaking the fallen tree trunk in half with its weight.  It was going to try the hand-to-hand approach.  Andrea rolled to her feet, starting to shake off the cobwebs.  She could see straight again but her body still ached all over.  She knew her only chance was to somehow get a shot at the eye.
	As Andrea looked at it face to face she could see the eye stood about 15 feet off the ground and would be impossible to reach from her current vantage point.  However, there was a lip around it to better protect it from stray energy beams.  If she could get up there, she might be able to hang onto it and get a shot away.
	She didn’t have time to think past that point however as the creature took a swing at it with its huge clawed arm.  Andrea ducked to the side adeptly and the claw swung directly into what was left of the tree trunk, jamming into the wood.  ‘Finally I catch a break,’ she thought to herself as she planned her next move.  Her relief didn’t last long.  The Invid had hit the trunk in such a way that, thanks to its extreme strength, it was able to wield the twenty-foot tree trunk as a club.
	“Naturally,” Andrea said unamused.  “I swear to God, if I had my cyclone right now…” She dodged another strike, this time by a hair.  “You’re a fast bugger.”  She looked at the eye again.  It stared back at her unblinking.  “How the fuck am I going to get up there.”  She dove to the side again, once more missing a swing with the tree trunk.  In the process though she hit another tree and could instantly feel a pain in her chest.  She knew immediately that the cracking noise earlier was in fact her ribs and not the tree.  “Fuck it.  I don’t care how stupid it is, I’m just going to do it.”
	She waited for another swing from the Invid and when it came, she was ready for it.  She jumped to the side and when the tree trunk hit the ground with its expected thud, she jumped onto it and quickly ran up its length.  The Invid quickly tried to grab her with its other claw but Andrea was ready for that too.  She was nearly at the arm and she put all the might she could into her legs to push off the Invids' one hand and leap for the center of its body.  
	Her hand reached out in front of her and she just barely managed to grab hold of the eyes bottom protective lid.  “Ungh,” she groaned as her shoulder wrenched under her weight.  The shock trooper grabbed her around her hips with its free claw and pulled her straight out, perpendicular to its body.  “Ahhhh,” she screamed as one of the three thick claws dug its tip into her unarmored waist.  It was pulling at her hard and she thought she could feel her shoulder beginning to separate.  In a last ditch attempt to defeat it, she reached forward with her other hand, still holding the valuable energy pistol and pressed it against the eye point blank.  She pulled the trigger and held it down hard, not letting it go until the pistol had spent half its clip and overheated.  She dropped it immediately, the handle being too hot to hold and for an instant, she gave up hope.  The Invids' grip on her didn’t relax, and it still stood on its feet.  She looked up at its eye to see only smoldering green goo dripping out and suddenly, the shock trooper dropped her and fell backwards.
	Upon hitting the ground, Andrea’s legs instantly gave out beneath her and she fell into a clump.  She was breathing hard and didn’t even bother to look up again until she had caught her breath.  She looked down at her waist but the Invid suit was doing its job well.  It had already healed itself over her wound and was applying pressure.  Unfortunately, it did nothing for the pain.  “Alright you bastards,” Andrea said standing up.  She could barely see over the fallen creatures legs but managed to make out her cyclone only a few hundred feet away.  She could see a few Invid in the distance approaching but she knew with a sprint she would have a chance.
	Andrea hauled herself over the dead Invids' mechanical legs and ran harder than she ever had in her life.  Her heart pounded and her chest throbbed from her broken ribs.  She reached the cyclone just in time to leap over it and use it for cover as three Invid scouts buzzed her.  Before they could turn for another pass, she righted her bike and got on.  She gunned the engine just enough to get her speed up for the transformation and switched it into Battleoid mode.  When her heads up display appeared in her helmet, and the armor transformed snugly all around her she felt like a whole new person.  “Now, I’m going to make you bastards pay for fucking around with my planet.”
	She contacted Aria.  “How you coming with the carriers.”
	“Christ Andrea, it’s only been four minutes.  Give me a fucking break will you?  I just sent the one back south and the other is probably half way to the hive.  It’s still going strong though.  The Invid haven’t spotted it.”
	Andrea looked around her again.  The scouts hadn’t come back yet.  ‘That’s odd,’ she thought to herself.  She looked for them and quickly found them hovering above the trees a short distance ahead.  They were looking off to the side instead of at her.  Following their gaze, Andrea could see faint movement through the trees.  “Shit.  Is it taking the northeast road near where I am?”
	“Yeah, why?” Aria asked.
	“Cause three scouts just found it.”
	“Oh, shit.”
	“Yeah.  Don’t worry, I got it.  I’m going to have to use up my missiles though to make sure they don’t make it out to tell any others.”  Andrea hit the jump jets to temporarily lift her up to the same height as the scouts and switched on her missile lock.  She targeted the middle one and fired three high explosive missiles at it without hesitation.  The scout exploded and sent debris everywhere. The other two seemed to have taken minor damaged but they were not nearly wounded enough.  One turned to her, likely as a distraction while the other took off after her daisy cutter carrier.  Andrea wasn’t going to take any chances, so she fired another three missiles at the one targeting her bomb.  Two of the missiles connected and it immediately went down.  Unfortunately, Andrea paid the price as her attack left the one charging her an easy attack route.
	“Umph,” she grunted as she was knocked backwards and down to the ground. “Ahhh,” she moaned in pain as her shoulders hit the ground hard, sending more tingles down her spine and through her ribcage.  The Invid scout was trying to attack her with its pinchers but Andrea managed to slip aside.  She was sweating now inside her cyclone.  Between the heat, the pain and the exercise she was starting to tire.
	The Invid took another swipe at her and this time Andrea wasn’t fast enough.  It caught her legs and took them out from under her.  “Umph,” Andrea soon found herself laying on her back looking up between the Invid’s legs at two giant claws about to come down and smash her into the Earth.  She knew she wouldn’t be able to roll away fast enough so she did the only thing she could think of.  She hit her jump jets for as quick a burst as she was able.  Her plan worked, as she shot backwards, through the scout’s legs and behind it.  She locked on another two missiles and fired, blowing open the rear of the mecha.  “I got them,” Andrea said over her radio.  “I got them.”
	“Good work,” Aria said.  “Stay there in case any one else goes looking for it.  Are you close enough to see the hive?”
	Andrea stood up and truly looked at her surrounding for the first time.  “Yeah.  It’s huge.  I don’t know how they built it so fast.”
	“Probably just used one of the ones left behind from the Regis.”
	“Yeah, maybe,” Andrea said.  She picked up another couple Invid approaching on her radar.  “Here we go again,” she said to herself. 

* * * *
	
	Andrea aimed her energy cannon and blasted the hell out of a damaged, yet still combat worthy, fallen Invid mecha.  It had only been about ten minutes but for Andrea it felt like an eternity.  “How much longer Aria?”
	The sound of a huge explosion and a bright white flash of light from the south answered her question.  A mushroom cloud rose into the sky from a distance.  “Holy shit,” Andrea said as the mushroom cloud took on an obvious green tinge.  “Did you detonate it Aria?”
	“Nope.  I guess that confirms your ambush hypothesis.  See all that green?  I don’t remember a lot of trees in that canyon if you know what I’m saying.”
	“Damn…”
	“We’re not done yet,” Aria said.  “Turn around.”
	Andrea did so and could see a carrier approaching the relatively undefended hive in the distance.  A few strays left behind at the hive took shots at it, but they were too late.  The troop carrier rammed into the side of the monstrous Invid hive and exploded.  Half the hive was instantly vaporized and the rest was left standing with a spherical shape cut out of the side of it from the bombs shockwave.  Another mushroom cloud rose and as it did so, the side of the hive still left standing collapsed inwards.
	Andrea felt a great sense of relief.  She turned just in time to see another Invid approaching her and fired two missiles at it.  It exploded and parts of it rained down around her.
	“We did it!” Aria exclaimed over the radio.
	“Not yet.  Remember, we’re still waiting for that hives big brother.”  Andrea looked at her missile count.  Only four remaining.  She switched to the supply channel.  “Guys, I’m nearly out of missiles and my energy cannon is getting pretty depleted.  What are the chances of getting a reload?”
	“All the re-supply units are out,” replied a familiar voice.
	“Kitty?”
	“I’m covering the radio.  I could re-supply you.”
	“No, forget it.”
	“Damn-it Andrea, you need my help.  Your army has been advancing on your position.  It’s a pretty safe route all the way there.  And the Invid are disoriented now.  I can make it, no problem.”
	“Kitty, you’re not equipped for…”
	“There’s an extra suit of armor here.  I already have it on.  Come on Andrea.  I’ve already argued this with you in my head.”
	“Shit,” Andrea did need a re-supply badly.  In not too long she’d have only her energy pistol to defend herself.  “Okay, be quick, be quiet and don’t take any risks on your way here, you understand me?”
	“Got it.  I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
	Kitty clicked off and Andrea found herself surrounded by an eerie calm. Most of the Invid had stopped firing and simply hovered or stood in their last position.  Her army was doing the same in response, unsure of whether the attack should continue.  
	An uneasy feeling sunk to Andrea’s stomach and she looked around her.  She could hear a low rumble, coming from the distance.  The ground began to shake, trees to the northeast fell over suddenly for no apparent reason and dust was raised high into the air.  “It’s here people,” Andrea said over the radio.  “Be ready for anyth…”  Her message was cut short as all the Invid simultaneously began firing.  One of them struck a carrier on the far east side of her lines and there was another bright flash of light.  A mushroom cloud soon followed  “Oh God…  Aria, how many people?”
	“Fuck if I know.”
	“Aria!” Andrea said with renewed vigor, “how many people in the blast radius.”
	“I told you, I know,” Aria shouted back angrily.  “Probably 20,000.”
	Andrea felt weak and nearly fell to her knees.  Instead, she leaned backwards into a tree and reached out for a branch.  Her mind was reeling.  What to do, what to do… “Aria, get the carriers under cover.”
	“Already on it.”
	Andrea looked around her again.  There were still no enemies in the immediate vicinity.  Most of the Invid seemed to be regrouping in the area of the dust cloud.  Andrea closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “Reform ranks,” Andrea said calmly over the common radio.  She opened her eyes and pushed away from the tree, forcing herself to recover.  “Our new target is to the north east.  Set up defensive positions.  Their first attack is going to be hard and fast.  After that, split into smaller units and try to disorganize them.  The Invid don’t know what to do with themselves if they’re on their own.”
	Andrea began hurrying back to her army, intending to meet Kitty part way.  The ground rumbled again and she nearly lost her balance.  She could see something emerging from the field in the distance.  The top of it was smooth and shell shaped.  It was black but seemed to glint with green veins when the sun hit it.  As it continued to emerge, Andrea could see just how huge it was.  At nearly 300 feet long it was as big as a football field and it stood a solid 100.  It took the shape of a cockroach.  Andrea watched in awe as part of the shell opened, and swarms of Invid ships exited out of it.
	“Looks like you pissed them off,” Aria said over the radio.
	“I didn’t think it would be so big.  What the hell do we do?”
	“Fuck, you’re lucky we have a private channel set up.  If the troops heard you utter that phrase we’d be screwed right here and now.”  There was a pause and Andrea thought she heard Aria sigh.  “Andrea, the plan is working.  This is exactly what we wanted.  Remember that.”
	Andrea nodded to herself, realizing Aria was right.
	“Besides,” Aria said.  “I’ve got a present for you that I think you might like.”
	“What are you talking about?”
	“I didn’t want to mention them to you in case they didn’t make it.  Didn’t want you counting on them and all.”
	“Aria, what the fuck are you talking about?”
	“Look west.  You should be able to see them on that hill top any second now.”
	Andrea did as instructed.  The sun was peaking out from the light clouds behind the hill and at first she couldn’t see anything.  “Aria, I don’t see…”
	“Wait for it,” Aria said patiently.  “There.  Now.”
	Andrea zoomed in with the optics in her helmet but quickly realized she didn’t need to.  The first two she saw were the also the most impressive.  Two M.A.C. II destroids climbed the hill and looked down upon the battle.  The sun cast them in silhouette and it was an extremely impressive sight.  The two mecha stood more than 70 feet tall and weighed nearly 300 tons.  Their four large auto cannons on the top stood out from the large frame.  Its arms were triple barreled missile launchers and Andrea could actually see the ground shift under their weight.
	“Aria, where did you find…”
	“Wait for it, Andrea…”
	“What are you…?”
	“Keep looking.”
	Andrea did as instructed and was soon rewarded.  Four more silhouettes came into view, but these ones were different.  They were Excaliburs.  They stood only about 40 feet tall but their armaments were nearly as impressive.  Even more astonishing, was the six new silhouettes to follow along beside them.  The new mecha were about the same height but specifically designed for long-range weaponry.  Andrea thought they were called Spartans and they had two huge drums of missiles, one on each shoulder.
	“No, fucking way,” Andrea said smiling broadly.
	“Oh yeah,” Aria said.  “The big boys finally made it to the party.”
	“Where did you find them?”
	“Remember that guy in Chetumal with the arena and the basement full of weapons?”
	“Tough to forget.”
	“Yeah, well when we were rounding everything up, let’s just say I stumbled across another basement.”
	“No fucking way,” Andrea repeated.  “Are they on the same channel as everyone else?”
	“They are now,” Aria said.
	Andrea switched over.  “Destroids, this is General Robertson.”
	“Yes ma’am,” came a few simultaneous replies.
	“Fuck waiting for the first attack.  Let’s get this show on the road.”
	“Yes ma’am,” came a happy reply.  
	Andrea watched the mecha begin to unload as they marched forward.  Missiles and energy beams streaked across the sky by the dozens and most of them struck the Invid command center.  Andrea could literally see the M.A.C. II’s rising from their deep imprints in the ground as they began unloading their 100 tons of ammunition.  Andrea’s spirits were instantly lifted, despite the Invid’s quick response in kind.  “Aria, send in the carriers.  Make sure once they get out into the open that the protoculture bomb is out in front.  I want the Invid to take out that one first.  And keep them fanned out incase the Invid attack the wrong one.”
	“You got it.  You want me to send a defensive unit with each one?”
	“Absolutely,” Andrea said and turned to see an armored woman running hard and approaching her position.  “Kitty,” she said happily.
	“Glad you’re still okay,” Kitty said putting down a large box of ammunition.  “Damn that thing is heavy.”
	“Help me load up,” Andrea said, releasing the covers on her missile ports.
	Kitty quickly popped the lid of the box and began removing the mini-missiles two at a time, and placing them into the ports.  “The box said they were fragmentation, I hope that’s okay.”
	“That’s fine, thank-you,” Andrea said taking the opportunity to replace the e-clip in her energy cannon.
	Kitty had just finished loading and closed the missile ports when an energy beam seemingly came out of nowhere and struck Kitty in the chest.  She fell backwards and laid still on the ground.  “Kitty!” Andrea yelled, wanting to help her but knowing it was more important to identify her enemy first.  Andrea spun around, and peered through the light forest.  An Invid creature she hadn’t seen before was fast approaching.  “Kitty, are you alright?” Andrea yelled taking a moment to glance behind her.
	The moment was a mistake and Andrea was immediately tackled by the extremely fast machine.  At least, Andrea thought it was a machine.  It was twice her height and had an extremely thin frame, especially at the waist.  It sported three arms joined to its chest and two large claws on appendages coming off its shoulders.  Its large red sensor eye peered at her from between two of its arms.  The Invid slashed at her with one of its claws and in so doing left a large gash across her armor.  A few more of those, and it would tear right through her.
	“Kitty, answer me damn-it,” Andrea said struggling with the machine.  To gain the upper hand.  Unfortunately the struggle was proving futile.  After all, the creature had three extra limbs to attack her with.  “Kitty!” Andrea was getting worried.  She was finding it difficult to concentrate on her own predicament.  What if the creature had found a hole in her armor?  What if the blast was so strong it went right through?  “Kitty!”  Andrea shouted one final time.
	“I’m fine, I’m up.  What do you want me to do?”
	“Run for God’s sake.  Get the fuck out of here and back to the carriage.”
	“But…”
	“Just do it.”
	“Okay, I’m going.”  Andrea heard rustling from Kitty’s location and spared a second to look.  Kitty had a large black spot on the chest plate of her armor and seemed a little dazed but she was heading in the right direction.  The Invid creature followed her gaze and its legs tensed as if it was going to leap off her.
	“Oh no you don’t,” Andrea said.  She reached upwards and grabbed one of its legs as it tried to take off.  She twisted it and brought it straight into the ground.
	With unexpected agility, the Invid mecha spun, came up with its spiked knee and hit Andrea square in the stomach.  The blow instantly hunched her over, even through her power armor.  This thing was quick and strong.  Andrea, still feeling the knee to the stomach aimed her energy cannon and fired.  She was relieved to see she got a lucky shot and hit the creature square in the eye, but o her surprise, the blast had little affect.  Other than a minor scuffmark, the shot didn’t seem to hurt the creature.
	“You really are one tough bastard…”  The creature came at her again, tackling her once more and clawing at her with its two shoulder appendages.  Andrea grimaced, feeling each blow through the armored suit.  If she survived, she would be awfully bruised.
	Andrea, unwilling to go down easy, brought both her knees up hard in an attempt to push the giant creature off.  To her surprise, the Invid moved even faster than before and moved off of her to avoid the hit.  Before Andrea could lower her legs again, much less regain her footing, the creature held two of its arms high in the air and brought them down hard on Andrea’s right knee.  The blow was so powerful, Andrea heard the loud cracking sound before her leg even hit the ground.  “Ahhhh,” Andrea screamed in pain and knew instantly her leg was broken.  Somehow the Invid mecha had hit her hard enough to break her leg without even rupturing the power armor.
	Before Andrea could retaliate, it leapt on her again, this time repeatedly clawing at the same spot on her stomach.  Andrea was finding it hard to breath with the creature on top of her and was beginning to grow desperate.  Despite all her attempts, she couldn’t seem to push it off or get her energy cannon pointed at it.  Fear began to grip her.  Her leg felt hot and the heat was spreading to the rest of her body.  She began to get dizzy.
	“NO!” She said forcing herself to stay conscious.  She gave the creature a quick fake and landed a solid punch to its midsection. It reared backwards a bit but was immediately back on top of her.  In desperation she tried kicking up with her uninjured leg but it stomped on it, effectively pinning her to the ground.  
	She heard a loud explosion from the distance and it was immediately followed by an intense high-pitched scream that echoed throughout the Invid ranks.  “Was that it?” Andrea managed to say through tense muscles and little breath.
	“That was the protoculture,” Aria replied.  “I’m sending in the other trucks while they’re stunned.”
	The creature hit Andrea again with its claws.  “Fuck,” Andrea said.  “Mine’s not stunned.”
	“What?” Aria said.  “Do you need help?”
	“It’ll be too late,” Andrea grunted through the creatures’ relentless attack.  If it wasn’t stunned, then she must have been right.  It was a machine of some kind.  
	“I’m sending someone over,” Aria said hurriedly.
	“Just…” Andrea took another hit to the stomach.  She knew it would be through her armor soon.  “Just destroy that command center.”  She took another hit and an idea came to her.
	“Andrea, you need help.  What are you doing?”
	“Something stupid,” Andrea replied.  She opened her missile ports.  “Let’s see just how tough you are.”
	Andrea closed her eyes and tensed.  “This is going to hurt you a lot more than me,” she said and without another hesitation, fired four missiles straight into the creature right on top of her.  She had never dared fire a missile at a target so close before but she didn’t see any other option.  The blast hit her with incredible force and she felt plastered to the Earth beneath her.  She was winded again and felt her broken ribs shift inside her creating a new hot pain in her chest.  She also felt the Invid’s weight lift off her and she opened her eyes to see the creature was still standing, but considerably further back.  One of its arms had been blown off and its right claw seemed to have actually melted.  Its right leg was also severely damaged and it was having trouble standing up.
	Through sheer strength of will, Andrea regained her footing and stood, face to face with the creature.  It looked about to leap on her again and she opened her missile ports once more, releasing another six at it.  She hit the Invid mecha directly on the torso and two missiles had hit directly on its skinny waist thus separating the creature into two.   It was helpless on the ground.  The eye blinked once, and went dim.
	Another white flash lit up the sky and Andrea turned, using a tree to support her.  One more of the carriers had gone off early and she knew there were only four left.  “Protect those carriers!” Andrea shouted through the radio.  She was in no condition to move and could only watch as the four remaining carriers drove impossibly slowly towards the Invid command and control.  She saw the giant cockroach fire its own missiles at the carriers but someone in a cyclone bravely jumped in front to take the hit.  Whoever it was, was vaporized instantly.  More attacks were attempted and each time, someone would sacrifice their own life to take the hit.  Andrea had never seen anything so moving.
	Finally, the carriers reached their destination.
	Simultaneously, all four remaining daisy cutters exploded with the brightest and in a way most gorgeous white light she had ever seen.  For an instant she was blinded and when her sight restored she could see the Invid command center, half gone with many collapsed legs, but still standing.
	“No…” she whispered to itself.  “Nothing could survive that…”
	She was right.
	Another explosion lit up the sky, this time green and far larger than any of the daisy cutters.  A shockwave was sent out in a sphere around it and seemed to destroy everything in its path.  Trees, boulders, Invid and humans alike seemed to be instantly destroyed as the shockwave expanded.
	“Kitty, tell me you’re back inside.”
	“I’m almost there.”
	“Damn-it Kitty, get cover!”
	“I’m almost there!” Kitty repeated.  “I can make it, I promise.”  The shockwave was getting closer.  Andrea turned towards Kitty’s direction and zoomed in.  Kitty was running as fast as humanly possible and the shockwave was quickly gaining on her.  She seemed to duck behind the carrier at the last minute and Andrea prayed that the vehicles massive frame would be enough to protect her.
	As the shockwave approached Andrea’s own position, she turned her back to it, in an attempt to shelter her damaged front section from it as much as possible.  When it hit, she was instantly knocked to the ground and gritted her teeth in pain.
	A moment later, she was still alive.  She slowly stood, no longer having a tree to brace against and for an instant; she didn’t dare to turn around.  Courage found her, and putting as little weight as possible on her broken leg, Andrea turned.  Only the destroids, tanks, cyclones and armored carriers seemed to have survived the blast.  And even then, only ones at a significant distance like herself.  The whole area around her was a graveyard of the worst kind.  Skulls were frozen in positions of horror for miles.  Trees were burned to cinders and pieces of torn weapons and armor littered the ground all around her.
	“My God,” Andrea said stunned.  Suddenly, a warning came up on her cyclone’s heads up display.  “Danger, danger.  Radiation.  Danger.”
	“Radiation,” She said to herself.  The cyclone’s display popped up with a radiation meter and it was clearly off the scale.  “Fuck,” she said to herself and opened up communication on the open channel.  “This is a direct order, no exceptions.  Anyone currently inside a vehicle with independent atmosphere such as a destroid or carrier is not to exit or open that vehicle for any reason.  There is severe radiation danger.  I repeat.  Anyone with an independent atmosphere is not to compromise their own safety.”
	“Fuck, are you kidding me?” Came a response from Aria.  “There’s people screaming outside this thing, Andrea.”
	“You open that door and you’re as good as dead,” Andrea shouted back firmly.  Suddenly she thought of Kitty’s last dive behind the carrier.  “Kitty!” She said over the radio.  “Kitty, did you get inside?”
	There was no response.
	Andrea panicked.  She knew she couldn’t run in her current condition so with nothing else to attempt she hit the jump jets and angled herself towards the carrier that Kitty had fled behind.  Andrea was relieved to see the vehicle was still there but she still felt hope fading.  Kitty could still be outside and her armor was not radiation proof.
	Andrea cut the jets as soon as she approached the rear of the carrier and without both legs functioning properly could only slam into the ground shoulder first.  She grimaced in pain as her ribs adjusted inside her again. 
	Ignoring the pain, Andrea looked up and saw Kitty’s hunched up body against the oversized tire of the carrier.  Her heart sank and she felt weak but somehow she managed to drag herself towards her at great speed.  She used both arms and her good leg to shove forward as fast as possible.  “Kitty!” She shouted.  Andrea finally reached her and crouched down beside her fallen love.  “Kitty, Kitty, it’s me!”  Andrea lifted up the tinted visor on her helmet so Kitty could see her face through the glass.
	“Andrea.”  Sores were already breaking out over Kitty’s face.  She seemed dazed and had already taken off her helmet in an attempt to get more oxygen.  “I’m so sorry.  I promised I would make it back to the carrier for you.”
	“You did Kitty.  Look around you, you’re back.”
	Kitty shook her head with difficulty.  “No.  I promised I would make it back safe for you.  I’m so sorry.”
	“Don’t be.  You got here, you survived the shockwave.  You couldn’t have known about the radiation.  No one could have.’
	“Remember that.”
	“What?”
	“That no one could have.  You’ll try and blame yourself.  I know you.  You will.  It’s not your fault.  I…”
	“Kitty don’t,” tears were welling up in Andrea’s eyes.
	“No, I want to tell you…  The last year since I’ve known you.  It’s been the happiest time of my life.  Even with the Invid, the Coalition, Jewel…  Even before you loved me back.  I…”  She coughed.  Andrea could see blood coming out of her mouth.  “I was so looking forward to spending my life with you.  I was so looking forward…”
	“Shhh, Kitty, don’t think about that now.”  Andrea’s tears were flowing freely now.
	“I love you so much,” Kitty gasped.
	“I love you too.”
	“I know,” Kitty said smiling.  “I knew before you did.”  She paused, and Andrea thought Kitty stopped breathing.  She held her breath, hoping to see Kitty’s lungs expand one last time.  With a loud gasp, they did.  Kitty’s last words were only a whisper.  “Thank-you for loving me.”
	Andrea forced a smile.  Kitty smiled back, and closed her eyes.


	End Chapter 19”

Wow, that chapter was hard to write, knowing all the way through how it would end.  I know some of you are going to hate me for killing off Kitty but a story without conflict is no story at all.  I hope it was at least a moving death, and I hope the chapter was worth the very long wait.

Next: The final chapter of Invid Invasion: Destiny.  It’s going to be a long one.  A VERY long one I suspect.  It’s four months later and Andrea is still coping with the aftermath of battle.  Lots of sex, lots of plot.  A lot of things will be wrapped up, some won’t be.  I hope so far you’ve enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  See you one more time!
