[[REDACTED], Val Verde]

[May 16, 2023]

The night was calm as I snored. The gentle breathing of my companions got drowned out by the diesel engine of my own snoring.

How they adapted to it must have been some sort of bizarre self-hypnotism. Kori said she enjoyed my natural sleeping sounds, and Kara said I could drown out the world.

It was the motion around the bed that woke me up. Kori moved around and hugged me into her. The squeezing sensation helped as Kori’s protective hugs were a force of nature.

“Wha-go-in-on?” I yawned out as I noticed Kara floating off the bed. Around us were a dozen maids in full combat gear. Kara scanned the room before floating back down to my side.

So long as my girls were calm, I did not need to panic.

I blinked away the sleep as I saw the newcomers. Armored women in honest-to-the-greater-good Maid Protect Gear. My brain helpfully supplied that they were using the new 5X Protect Gear. The current cutting-edge armor from R&D.

“The Mansion in Venezuela is under attack by assassins,” Clara said with a bow and the rest followed suit. “This is a wonderful chance to showcase our newest prototypes.”

I blinked as I studied the new armor. It looked like the Protect Gear if they added long metal skirts. A normal, deep green apron adorned the armor, a frilly apron. It was offsetting considering the inhuman-looking helmet.

“Friday, please show our surviving guest,” Clara asked.

Friday turned on the holo-projector hummed to life. The low hum was only audible in the silence of the room.

The image flickered to a large, black man growling as he fought a half dozen maids in full armor.

The bold font identified the extra-large man as [Doomfist]. His oversized rocket-boosted right fist flared to life. Jets of flame streamed out as the rocket-booster punch hit a maid.

I held my breath as I feared for her life. Though they were nameless, never giving me a name as they were simple helpers to the Supreme Leader. Only Cara ever had a name.

The armored woman went through two walls. Plaster and wood showered the hallways. The two stopped at the third wall as the rockets stopped. The reinforced wood of the outer structure held up against the reduced momentum.

The woman then grabbed the gigantic fist. Doomfist had a look of shock as he was unable to escape. Then she took a step into his personal space.

The maid slammed her armored palm into the man’s chin. It rocked him back, forcing him to step back to regain balance.

The maid took a classic boxing stance and started hitting back. The tiny fist was comical in comparison to Doomfist. Yet she left dents as she shuffled to keep up with the backpedaling crime king.

The other armored maids cheered. Friday patched in their voices as they yelled out their love for the woman known as 15. Kori and Kara cheered as well, surprising me.

I looked at the two girls in my bed before turning to Clara. She pushed up her glasses and gave me a soft smile.

Wow. They even had code names at work. How cute.

15 built up momentum, entering a Dempsy Roll as she began a chain of hooks that pushed Doomfist back through a wall. A second hole formed as 15 slammed the man back through.

My eyes tracked 15. Her form was clean as she used her smaller form to its greatest potential. I noted her hands were looking odd.

[The new Tribranium V alloy allows for small metaphysical shifting of materials. While it will not magically expand or shrink, it can fuse fingers into a much tighter fist for impacts.]

I nodded as 15 switched up her stances. Her locked feet became fluid. She twirled like a ballerina before unleashing a classic Taekwondo kick.

Doomfist flew backward and into the soft hug of the largest maid I had ever seen. She was as tall as Doomfist, and nearly as wide.

The girls whistled out 11’s codename, and the mega maid suplex the screaming man into the floor. She pulled him up and hugged him with her left arm.

I winced as I saw her hands crunch into his flesh and metal bits. Blood leaked freely from the hand imprinted wound. The man screamed in protest as he raised his right arm.

Doomfist tried to escape. His rockets roared to life but only succeeded in dragging them forward as 11 wound up a fist. She brought down the hammer fist onto Doomfist’s chest.

I winced as the sound of metal screeched from the impact. Doomfist screamed out in pain as the man’s entire right, golden chest plate caved in. Oil and blood spurted out.

Doomfist screamed louder as his chest plate got ripped off. The ruined piece got tossed aside as 11 drove in her hand to rip out wires.

Doomfist screamed and his infamous gauntlet lost power. The propulsion rocket puttered out, and he raised his left fist. He proceeded to try to unload his Hand Cannon rounds. The shots sparked as it shattered or bounced off of 11’s armor.

The woman grabbed onto the man’s left arm and held his left shoulder. Then she pulled.

Doomfist screamed as his nerves lit up. Pain registered across every circuit. The elbow joint exploded as it could not endure the strain.

Doomfist dropped to the floor, but could not escape. He moaned in suffering as the world spun around him. 11 grabbed his legs.

11 repeated the motions. One hand on the shin, the other crushed into his hips. The man screamed as he lost his legs at the knees. One at a time.

The man’s screaming got reduced to silent sobs. Another maid took pity and charged up an energy attack. She shot the squirming quadriplegic.

[An anti-cyborg shock attack.] Friday supplied. Various readings showed the output of the attack.

Doomfist had a seizure as his exposed nerves sparked from the sudden onrush of energy. It was enough to ignite a few strands of carpet on fire. A fire that was immediately smothered by the flailing stumps tossing out blood and oil.

Four maids moved and grabbed each of his limbs. They stabbed hooks into what was left of his limbs. 11 walked behind in case Doomfist had some surprises.

They then hoisted him up and walked towards the new basement. A detention center got built last season where they could interrogate him.

[Nine intruders neutralized. Doomfist and eight grunts. No further intruders were detected. Mansion squads are all mobilized and performing dark searches across the property.]

—

The screen turned off.

The maids were quick to top off the pitcher of water and settled against the walls of the room.

“We will be here for the evening, your eminence,” Clara said as she bowed and left.

I had no doubts she would return.

“Was that not exciting!?” Kori exclaimed as she took pride in the combat squad she had helped train.

“We have been helping them train. Though they are already skilled in various martial arts, they wanted more experience. Specifically with metahuman, and alien opponents,” Kara explained at my surprised face.

“Yes! They have all been working so very hard!” Kori chimed in as she gave me an extra squeeze.

“Friday, what is the time?”

[3:30 AM]

An assassination. How nostalgic. The last time this happened was right before my return home. Excluding the near-successful attempt a few months ago.

I was enchanted by the success of the new armor platform. For the first time, I saw the dawn of Val Verde’s military future. A lot of combat data was still needed, but we had it. Tribranium V.

We found it. The lynchpin to true independence. Combined with Impluse tech, I had few doubts that we could finally stand up. We could stop tiptoeing around the world superpowers. Well once we had the 5X armor massed produced at any rate.

Kori snuggled into my right side. Her right arm was rubbing warm circled into my chest as her left arm snaked around me.

Kara floated to my other side and bashfully snuggled in as well. Unlike Kori’s exuberant hugs, Kara was much more shy.

Kori began to hum and I blinked. Her body warmed up to ensure I was in the proper mood to sleep.

Oh Hell no! No mere humming was going to offset my adrenalin.

I was asleep in minutes.

————

Chapter 58: Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders