“Gods above,” Emilie whispered, looking out the helicopter window as they zipped over what remained of the Lemurian jungle.

“I’ve been a busy girl,” Natasha chuckled, holding Mika up to let him see as well, “I had all of this started just as soon as you left.”

Mika’s heart sank as he saw the vastness of her preparations. The grand trees of the Lemurian jungle, which had hidden the Temple of Eternity and Chloé herself so well, had been hewn down, creating a  massive kill zone of mud and track trodden earth around the ruins. Guard towers had been erected, gravel roads hastily poured, and hundreds of soldiers and what were visibly Nekos patrolled the grounds of the sacred site. Beyond the grounds the great river had been bridged, allowing a line of trucks to move like ants, bringing supplies to and from the base. Further out he could see more bases and defenses, ringing the temple even beyond the river, and he felt his mouth go dry as he saw rumbling tanks, helicopter gunships, and even artillery placements.

“What do you think?” Natasha asked with a wicked grin. “Ouroboros alone didn’t have enough for what I needed, so I’ve called in some favors. Most of the soldiers in the outer defenses think they’re here for a multinational training exercise, but I don’t think they’ll have issues shooting the Naga if she decides to interfere.” She chuckled and shook her head, “They’re mostly South American, but I’ve got some from just about every nation you can think of… I tried so hard to hire the foreign legion for this, but alas they’re harder to get than they used to be.”

“Chloé will find a way to get to you,” Mika growled, “no matter how many soldiers you have.”

Natasha giggled, “It’s almost cute how you’re still thinking about her…” She brought Mika close to her face, her warm breath ruffling his hair, “You really do have an intoxicating smell,” she whispered. “I wonder, would just one taste hurt?”

Mika grimaced as her warm, wet tongue slid up the side of his body, coating him in a slimy layer of Natasha’s saliva. His pulse quickened as the black haired Neko shivered, her feline ears twitching in excitement. She opened her eyes, looking down at him hungrily for a moment, then giggled.

“I don’t know how you manage not to eat humans Emilie,” Natasha drawled, regaining her composure as the helicopter slowly began to descend. She tucked Mika back into her breasts, letting him rest in her cleavage.

“Empathy, decency,” Emilie muttered, “things that were never your strong suits, even before you were taken by the curse.”

“Morality is decided by gods,” Natasha said with a smirk, “and I’ll be one soon enough, or close to one anyway.” She pulled the helicopter door open, wincing in pain as the arrow wound in her shoulder nearly tore open.

Emilie noticed, smiling slightly, “Do gods bleed Natasha? That’s not a bullet wound, maybe I’m not the only Neko who opposes you?”

Natasha spun around, her eyes filled with rage that burned so hot that Mika half expected her to leap across the helicopter cabin at Emilie then and there. Again she controlled herself, her gaze cooling as she stepped out into the humid jungle air.

With a resigned sigh Emilie followed after her, then froze as she saw a massive rocket, sitting on a truckbed launcher in the middle of the cleared space before the temple. The Greek symbols for Alpha and Omega were scrawled across the side, and her hair stood on end.

“N-Natasha, what is that?” Emilie whispered.

“A surprise for the Naga if she manages to survive fighting several thousand soldiers,” Natasha chuckled, “I was able to sneak it away when the Force de Frappe wanted to decommission it, it’s not a very big bomb as atomic weapons go, but it should be more than enough to vaporize a Naga, while keeping the important people out of the blast range.”

…

The Temple of Eternity was a massive complex, at one time overgrown with vegetation. The massive stone walls once again served their original purpose as the vines and trees had been hacked away, leaving the ancient stone walls protecting the vast inner courtyard. The original entrance had long since crumbled to rubble, but was now protected by concrete anti-vehicle barriers, along with large pre-fabricated guard towers that allowed men with scoped rifles to survey the entire interior. 

Command tents had been quickly erected, along with first aid stations, outhouses, and all of the other necessities of moving this many men into such a remote place. Dozens upon dozens of vehicles were parked along the walls, and others slowly traversed the courtyard along pre-marked paths, gunners manning turrets and scanning their surroundings for any signs of trouble. Beyond the courtyard lay the temple itself, rising above the now flattened jungle like a stone monolith, overshadowing them all. 

Yukia stroked her hand down her tail, gripping it as she tried to hide how nervous she was. The Nekos were all stationed in the inner defenses, along with what remained of the organization’s own loyal troops.

Why did I do that!? She wondered, I almost killed Natasha… For Craig Higgins? Her ears were flat against her head as she considered the implications, I just did it without thinking, she reasoned, and if Natasha had seen me do it, I wouldn’t have made it this far… Unless she’s waiting to kill me in front of everyone?

“Natasha’s here!” one of the other Neko said excitedly. The other catgirls all leapt up eagerly, preparing for the arrival of their leader.  

Yukia did her best to appear calm, but hung her katana from her belt loosely, sliding it just half an inch out of the scabbard. The Neko leader was flanked by four human mercenaries, and dozens of the catgirls gathered around her, going silent as they awaited her orders. She looked over them all, and Yukia froze as Natasha’s gaze passed over her.

I could go for her now, take her by surprise, Yukia thought. Some part of her knew it was foolishness, even wounded, Natasha was too fast, too skilled with a blade for a quick kill, and she’d have seconds at best before the humans and other Nekos took her down. She relaxed slightly as Natasha’s gaze moved on, but kept her hand near her sword pommel.

“My sisters, the hour of our victory is at hand,” Natasha roared, “all that you need do is guard this temple while I steal the Naga’s power out from under them!” She paused, smiling at the cheers, then drew her blade, causing them all to go silent. “I will warn you all, we have a traitor in our midst,” she said, her voice going low. She walked up to the nearest Neko, holding the long narrow knife just inches from her throat, “Some coward who shot me in the back!” she moved to the next Neko, who tensed nervously, then relaxed as Natasha’s gaze drifted down the line. “Be on the lookout,” she finished, “and whichever one of you it is… I’ll personally find and devour every human that took part in your little rebellion, and then I’ll come for you.”

With that she turned, walking towards the central temple complex, behind her Emilie was pushed by a guard, glancing momentarily in Yukia’s direction. The black haired Neko gazed back impassively, lost in her own thoughts.

Is it worth killing Natasha over one human? He’ll be gone in what, eighty years at most? She giggled a little madly to herself, realizing that while she knew the answer she couldn’t admit it, even in her own thoughts. I’m not just killing her over Higgins, she lied to herself, she’s unhinged, once she’s done shrinking all the humans I’ll take over, we’ll farm them, and keep a few as pets maybe? Her ear flicked in annoyance, I’ll work the details out later, after the heads have rolled.

…

Chloé stared down at Higgins, who simply stared up at her, arms crossed. The two had come to an uneasy agreement, and as his men pulled up in a series of humvees, he looked up at her expectantly.

“Well?” he asked, gesturing to the vehicles.

“How do I know you won’t try to kill me as soon as I take human form?” she growled.

“How do we know you’re not going to eat us all as soon as we land in Brazil?” he retorted, “this goes both ways, we just have to trust each other.”

“You worked for Natasha,” Chloé muttered.

“And I got a lot closer to killing her than you did,” Higgins growled.

Chloé sighed, then slowly began the transformation, her tail splitting as she shrank down, finally standing before Higgins and his small group of mercenaries in the nude. The fear at being stared at by a towering Naga was replaced by the awkwardness of a dozen men standing before a naked young woman, although Chloé was oblivious to their discomfort as she walked by Higgins to the vehicle.

“S-Someone get her something to wear,” he shouted.

Chloé paused, chuckling in spite of the situation, “Oh right, I knew I forgot something…”

The provided tactical pants and compression shirt were loose on Chloé’s form as the Humvee rolled along the same dirt road that Natasha’s forces had used to withdraw earlier. Higgins was sitting in the backseat with her, fighting the urge to put his hand on his pistol. It was odd seeing her like this, and while he kept his face impassive Chloé smirked knowingly.

“I know you were afraid,” she remarked, “I could feel your heartbeat when I was bigger. My senses aren’t as good when I’m human, but I don’t think I need them to figure out how you and your people feel about me.” She shifted, turning to face him, “so why are you doing all of this? Did Emilie mind control you to be good now?”

He fought down a chuckle, but Chloé caught the smile anyway, “I keep asking her that, and she says she didn’t. I don’t know for sure, but stopping Natasha is a matter of human survival. I’ve worked for some of the worst people in the world, but no matter how bad they were, the rest of the world could continue on…” he gestured to the driver, then to the other vehicles, “these guys are mostly others who came to the same conclusion, or just people who got sick of working for a bunch of psychotic cat-people.”

They drove for about an hour before reaching a small town, and Chloé watched the people outside the window for a while as the convoy maneuvered through the now paved streets to the airfield on the edge of town. A large cargo plane was waiting for them, with several boxes of supplies being loaded by the rest of Higgins’ men. They snapped to attention, and looked uneasily at Chloé as she followed Higgins out of the vehicle.

“I-Is that her? ” one of the men said in a hushed voice.

“So, let’s just go over the plan real quick?” a woman’s voice called, causing Higgins to frown. He turned to see a young woman with a nose ring, dressed in the same combat uniform as his own men. She was carrying hefty backpack with stickers covering it advertising her belief in everything from aliens to bigfoot, and poking out of her collar was a poorly concealed microphone. The woman powered through his suspicious gaze, “is the snake woman going to fight the cat queen?”

“Gloria!?” Chloé scowled, “what the hell are you doing here?”

“How did you get past my men?” Higgins hissed angrily, resting his hand on his gun.

“Gloria Chesterfield,” Chloé sighed, “she’s kind of a reporter, but Mika says she’s not a very good one.”

“Excuse me!” Gloria exclaimed angrily, “I’ve been covering your adventures diligently since all of this started! It was really hard to track you guys all the way here!”

Higgins frowned, “Wait, this is the Gloria Chesterfield? The same one that always infiltrates Ouroboros operations?”

Gloria nodded eagerly, “That’s right! Do you read my articles?”

“I read the security reports,” Higgins muttered. He drew his gun, “You’re coming with us.”

Gloria paled, “W-What?” she squeaked.

“What do we need her for?” Chloé asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s always able to get past the cats and the people they hire,” Higgins explained, “I don’t know how she does it, but we need to sneak in close to Natasha, and she does that all the time.”

“I-I just bullshit my way through,” Gloria stammered, “I got onto your runway by saying I was friends with the snake woman!”

Higgins glanced angrily at one of the sentries, who just shrugged, “I-It sounded believable enough sir!”

“So you can probably just leave me here,” Gloria said with a weak smile, “I’ll just be on my-“

“No, Higgins is right,” Chloé said with a grin, “you’re just what we need!”

Gloria swallowed nervously, “I-I’ll help, on the condition that I get an exclusive interview with you at the end of this!”

Chloé rolled her eyes, “Fine.”

“Don’t put my name in the article,” Higgins growled, holstering his pistol and gesturing for her to get on the aircraft.

…

Oklahoma slapped the empty shot glass down on the bar, sliding it across to the bartender, a well dressed dark skinned man who poured her next drink reflexively.

“More,” she muttered in Portuguese. The bartender hesitated, but she shot him an angry look, then shrugged and poured her another.

“Oklahoma!?” a familiar voice called.

“About time!” she laughed, sitting up and seeing Cécilia nervously entering the bar.

The auburn haired Neko was disguised in a wig that covered her feline ears, and her tail was tightly tucked away in the maroon pantsuit she wore as her heels clacked across the bar’s tiled floor, taking a seat next to the pilot.

“I-I came as soon as I could,” she said nervously, “Luckily I was in Egypt on business, so it wasn’t that far of a flight… You said Emilie and Mika were taken?”

“Yep,” Oklahoma said, taking a sip of the whiskey with a grimace, “this bottom shelf stuff is foul, but it’s all he’ll pour for me on credit,” she chuckled. “Do you mind paying my tab?”

Cécilia frowned, but pulled a credit card from her fashionable handbag, sliding it across to the barkeep. He took it, eyes widening as he saw the high end traveler’s brand, and with a grin he reached to the top shelf, placing a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in front of Oklahoma.

“Enjoy,” he chuckled, moving away from them to the other patrons.

“I kept telling him I had rich friends, but he wouldn’t believe me,” Oklahoma smirked, pulling the cork free.

“So what can I do to help?” Cécilia whispered, “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Oklahoma snorted, “I figured you’d want to know what happened before Natasha does whatever she’s going to do… My plan is to drink this bottle of bourbon, then see if there’s time to go home and apologize to some people before we all end up in a catgirl’s stomach.”

Cécilia growled angrily, “What?” she hissed, “You’re joking, surely!?”

“Nope,” Oklahoma said, pouring herself another shot.

Cécilia swiped it away from her, tilting it back and taking it herself, scowling as the hot taste of the liquor burned her throat. With an angry glare she grabbed the bottle itself from Oklahoma, placing it in front of herself as she turned on the bar stool.

“Hey!” Oklahoma protested.

“I bought it, it’s my bottle,” Cécilia said. She nearly gagged as the aftertaste of the drink hit her throat, “liquor was a mistake,” she rasped, “was wine not good enough for you people!?” She sighed, collecting herself. “We’re going to go save Emilie,” Cécilia explained.

“Who’s we?” Oklahoma replied, “it’s hopeless, she’s got armies of people, one of her cats told me she’s got a goddamn nuke! What am I supposed to do against that? Hide in the fridge?”

“What’s the expression,” Cecilia scowled, thinking, “Cowboy up? Well, Cowgirl up!”

“What’s one more cowgirl going to do at this party?” Oklahoma asked wryly. 

Cécilia frowned, opening her handbag and drawing out her own grimoire. It was deceptively thin, bound in a fine soft leather that caught Oklahoma’s eye. The pages fluttered like leaves as she flipped through it, finally reaching a few pages near the end.

“The Alamo,” she said, “I was there.”

Oklahoma smirked, “Oh, another cat was in Texas back then?”

“I was with Santa Anna,” she read, “I had provided financial backing during his rise to power.”

“Wait a minute, you were with them!?” Oklahoma spat, “I should shoot you right here-“ she grasped at her empty gun holster, scowling.

Cécilia just sighed and continued reading, “I was both disheartened and inspired by the defiance there, and realized that the fall of the Spanish mission would not crush the resistance as I’d hoped.” She closed her grimoire. “Remember the Alamo?” she asked, looking Oklahoma in the eyes.

The pilot blinked away a tear, “F-Fuck you Cécilia.”

“I don’t know if we can make a difference,” Cécilia said quietly, “but I’m going to go try. I could use some help. If there’s anything of your people in you, you’ll come with me.”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma sighed, “Okay…” She gave a weak smile, “Save that bottle of Pappy for later, okay?”

“I’ll buy you a fresh one if we live,” Cécilia smirked.

…

Cécilia gulped as she followed Oklahoma into a dusty warehouse. Men were moving all around, carrying boxes, and shooting them dirty looks. Up in the rafters men with assault rifles regarded them with smug smirks. Oklahoma looked completely at ease as she walked up to an African man with a shaved head, sitting behind a desk and looking at a computer with a bored expression.

“Ah, welcome Miss Espinoza,” the man behind the desk said with a grin, “I was certain you were from the CIA, but my friends in South America assure me you’re on the wrong side of the law… Now what do you need?”

“Oklahoma, they’re moving behind us!” Cécilia said nervously as a pair of men with guns moved to stand in front of the exit doors.

“Relax,” Oklahoma chuckled. “They just want to make sure they get us if this is a sting.”

“Indeed,” the man said with a grin, “it’s a rough world, we cannot be too careful!”

“So, the uh… pheasants, I want to hunt are very agile,” Oklahoma began, “I’m thinking that my friend and I would like some submachine guns, some of those little revolvers that shoot shotgun shells, and if you’ve got one, I’d like a derringer for my jacket sleeve.”

“A derringer, in Africa?” the man laughed, “I admire your optimism! No, I don’t have that, but how does a pair of Uzis and a Taurus Judge sound?”

“Fucking peachy,” Oklahoma said with a grin.

“Uh, I don’t know much about firearms,” Cécilia said hesitantly, “when I had to fight, I usually used knives…”

The man behind the desk stood up, pulling a massive blade from a sheath on his leg, “Machete?” he offered.

“O-Okay,” Cécilia said weakly, taking the blade from the man. A moment later another grinning arms dealer walked to Cécilia, opening a case with a grin and presenting the small revolver with the long chamber. “Oh my,” Cécilia muttered, picking it up and hefting it in her hand, “A shotgun is like a little cannon, right?”

“Sorta,” Oklahoma grinned as the men presented her with an uzi. She racked it, smirking at the click, “Hey, freakin’ shot in the dark here, but what do you guys have chambered in Colt .45?”

…

Oklahoma twirled the massive revolver, “All right Cat-girls, make my day,” she chuckled, holstering it as she followed Cécilia onto the airstrip. Cécilia was grimacing under the weight of several weapons herself, the machete was strapped across her waist, and the shotgun chambered revolver hung across her chest, a few shells hanging on an ammo bandolier as she struggled to balance it all.

“So what do we do now?” Cécilia asked, walking up the stair ramp.

“I guess we get as close to the whole thing and see what we can do,” Oklahoma said with a shrug.

“Avanti Savoia!” Cécilia said with a grin, “I said that once… Is Savoy still around?”

“I don’t know,” Oklahoma laughed, “but to hell with it, Avanti Savoia!”

…

Higgins and his remaining men sat in the long rows of the cargo plane, looking at Chloé and Higgins himself as the pair walked down the center of the craft. Gloria was seated at the end, giggling excitedly as she looked around.

“This is so cool you guys, Bat-Boy is going to love this.”

“Mika says Bat-Boy isn’t real,” Chloé said.

“He says Snake-girls aren’t real,” Gloria retorted.

“It doesn’t matter,” Higgins snapped. “We need to discuss intelligence… you said that Natasha has a…” He sighed, rubbing his temples, “An a-bomb?”

“Oklahoma said Natasha had one,” Chloé said quietly. “What does that mean?”

“An A-bomb is…” Higgins looked to his men, but they were silent.

“It’s a really big bomb!” Gloria offered.

“I’ve been bombed before,” Chloé said dismissively.

“Not like this,” Higgins sighed, “I don’t want to be rude; you’ve shrugged off weapons that would have killed everyone else on this plane a thousand times over, but this is going to be different. Natasha will have satellite surveillance looking for you, and she’ll be using thermal imaging, she’ll see your body heat even if you conceal yourself. She’ll have guided missiles, heavy weaponry… And the nuclear bomb, it’s humanity’s most powerful weapon… entire cities can be flattened by one. If there’s anything humanity has made that can hurt a thing like you, this can. You won’t be able to regenerate from it, you’ll be vaporized instantly. You’re the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen, but please understand, if you’re not careful here, Natasha will kill you before you even see her.”

“Okay then,” Chloé said softly, “how do I counter it?”

“If Natasha has one, she won’t use it close to herself,” Higgins reasoned, “so the answer is to hit her at the center of her defenses, where she is.”

“The temple itself,” Chloé scowled, “She plans to take what’s supposed to be for Mika and me… she’ll be there.”

“She’s been routing resources to the Brazil temple for weeks,” Higgins scowled, “it’ll be a hard nut to crack… how are we supposed to sneak two dozen men and our gear in there?”

“My stomach can fit fifty or sixty prey… humans,” Chloé said mildly.

The men all suddenly went tense, and Higgins shivered, “What else can you do?” he asked quietly.

“You’ve seen my camouflage in action,” Chloé said. “When I’m recently fed my regeneration is pretty strong, my wounds heal almost instantly… I think I could probably swallow up to three hundred humans in one setting.”

“Good god,” Higgins muttered.

“Also, things that are in my body when I change size shrink too,” Chloé finished.

“It’s true, I’ve seen it firsthand!” Gloria said, “my website has photos, that Mika guy was tiny.”

“You can’t seriously expect us to let you…” Higgins gulped, “eat us?”

“I was eating Mika and my other friends all the time, they’re fine,” Chloé smirked. “I have very precise control over my digestion.”

“Our protective suits are supposed to be acid-proof sir,” one man offered.

Higgins stared into space a moment, “you’re sure it’s safe?” he asked finally.

“As long as we’re all on the same side, you’ll be safe,” Chloé replied. “I have two stomachs, the first one can store humans safely until I’m ready to digest them, my second stomach will dissolve anything almost instantly, but I have to consciously push you into it.”

“Okay,” he breathed out slowly, “Here’s what we’ll do, we’ll land a few klicks out from their defenses, and you’ll…” he sighed, “you’ll swallow us, and then turn human.” He turned to Gloria, “you take her past the main defenses, get us as close to the temple grounds as possible.”

“No problem!” Gloria said excitedly, “and I’ll stream the whole thing to my followers from my new drone!”

“Absolutely not!” Higgins growled.

“But-“

“Gloria,” Chloé cut in, “ no filming!”

The reporter crossed her arms, a pouty look on her face.

…

It’s so strange being back here again, Mika thought as Natasha carried him into the temple. He looked up at the murals on the walls, thinking back to when he’d first met Chloé what seemed like a lifetime ago. He grimaced as Natasha squeezed him tightly, smirking at his pained expression.

“It’s funny, this place used to be the center of the Naga’s power,” Natasha mused, “the shining center of their glorious civilization… These ruins? They’re all that’s left, meanwhile the Neko clan lives on.” She turned to the pair of guards that were flanking Emilie, “Leave us,” she instructed.

One of the men frowned, “Miss Natasha, are you sure?”

“Emilie is quite talented, but violence was never her strong suit,” Natasha chuckled. She skillfully drew her knife, balancing it on the tip of one finger, then flipping it in the air, artfully catching it, “I think I can keep her in line on my own.”

The two guards glanced at one another, then withdrew, walking out of the temple to join the rest of the defenders.

“Will you kill the ones loyal to you too?” Emilie asked bitterly.

“They’re going to be the first course,” Natasha chuckled. “I’ve been thinking about what to do about the other Nekos too, it’s clear from you and… others , that some culling is needed.” She grinned down at Mika, “with our little friend here, and you, I think we can shrink a few of our wayward sisters as well…” She playfully licked her lips at Emilie, who shivered.

“I won’t help you do that,” Mika said bitterly.

“I just need your blood to make Emilie's shrinking effect permanent on the other Nekos.” Natasha replied, leading them deeper into the temple.

They finally came to the massive stone door, covered in the hieroglyphics that had danced to life for Mika so long ago. Natasha studied it for a moment, then sheathed her knife, placing her palm on the stone surface.

“This isn’t meant to open for me,” Natasha muttered, “but we can make it work…” She lifted Mika up over her face, looking up at him with a grin “I’ll just have to hold you in my mouth, like she would have… and then we’ll start playing with the enchantments, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours. We’ll have to do it together.”

“I have no idea how to mess with enchantments,” Mika spat angrily, “and I wouldn’t if I did-“

“You’re her priest, it will come naturally,” Natasha explained, “and I believe we already went over this, if you won’t help me then…” She drew her knife again, there was a blur of motion, and Emilie cried out in pain, clutching her neck. Mika’s eyes went wide in horror, but as the blond Neko shakily moved her hands away, he saw only a trickle of blood from a long scratch. “The next cut won’t be so shallow,” Natasha warned.

“M-Mika, it’s okay,” Emilie said softly, “you can’t let her do this…” She gulped, “even if it means saying goodbye to me.”

Mika looked at Emilie, “I…” he sighed, “Natasha… let’s open the door.”

She chuckled, “You be a good girl and stay put for us Emilie, I’ll have Mika in my mouth for this, and it’s going to take a lot of willpower to keep myself from swallowing him. It would be best if you don’t distract me.”

Emilie glared at her, but slowly nodded.

Natasha opened her mouth, slowly lowering Mika down into it. He felt her warm breath around his body, and he was slowly laid down on the soft mattress of her tongue, and his heart skipped a beat as Natasha groaned almost orgasmically at his taste. Her saliva dripped around him as her lips pursed around his head, feeling almost like a pillory locking him in place as her tongue went along his body.

For a moment he was sure that she was about to swallow him, that he would meet his end in her belly then and there, but with a final frustrated sigh Natasha turned back to the wall. She placed both of her hands on the stone, and an electric feeling passed through both of them. Mika gasped as it seemed like a thousand glowing strands of light appeared around them.

These must be the enchantments that she was talking about, he realized. Slowly Natasha began to parse through them, as if she was unraveling a large knot in a ball of string. He felt himself instinctively starting to help her, willing the threads to float down into her hands as she tied them together, loosening some, and straightening others.

Emilie’s mouth was open wide as she watched the floating magical strands that made up the enchantment, “This is raw magic,” she whispered, “b-be careful, any mistakes could-“

“We won’t make any mistakes,” Mika said grimly, his head sticking out from Natasha’s lips as she continued picking the temple’s magical lock. This will take us hours… but after that? I don’t know what I can do to slow her down… Hurry Chloé!

…

Higgins pursed his lips as he looked out the cargo plane’s window, eyeing the massive fortifications that Natasha had constructed.

I knew she was getting ready for this, but it’s another thing seeing it firsthand.

With so many other supply craft in the air, their own plane didn’t attract any suspicion as it continued towards the landing site, a cleared strip of land several kilometers away from Natasha’s defenses, and what Higgins hoped was far enough away for Chloé to transform without being seen. The location had been used as a makeshift airfield when Higgins and his team had deployed, back when he’d believed the entire operation to be related to pharmaceuticals. It was abandoned now, with larger and completed airfields closer to the temple in use to supply Natasha’s forces.

Chloé and Gloria waited to the side as the men unloaded the craft, and Chloé frowned as she watched the men grunt under the weight of the crates.

“What’s in those?” she asked suddenly, “if you want me swallowing all of this stuff too I’d like to know what it is.”

“The cat-women mostly use swords, knives, that kind of thing,” Higgins explained, unclasping the large box’s lid. “You’d think that would make killing them easier, but they’re pretty damn terrifying up close… I’d like them to not have the chance.”

“Is that a flamethrower!?” Gloria asked excitedly.

“I purchased it from a forestry company,” Higgins said, “said I needed to clear out some invasive weeds.” He nodded at the other boxes, “I’ve got some belt fed weapons too, even if we lose this… they’ll know they’ve been in a fight. I’ve got a few Javelin missiles too, just in case they think they can roll a tank up on us… that cost me pretty much all of my retirement savings.”  He slammed the lid shut again, “Okay… let’s do this.”

Chloé nodded, and they gathered together as she walked a few dozen meters away from them, readying herself for the transformation. The men looked away uncomfortably as Chloé stripped her clothing off, kicking them away without a care for her nakedness. Modesty couldn’t keep them from watching as she transformed though, and as her legs sealed together and her size began to increase, everyone was watching her, open mouthed.

“Damnit, I should have filmed that!” Gloria scowled as Chloé finished transforming.

“No filming!” Chloé repeated, crossing her arms angrily. “Now who’s first?”

Higgins stepped forward with a grim look on his face, “Me.”

Chloé nodded, pinching her fingers around his body and lifting him up into the air. She gently slid him into her mouth, and giggled as he shuddered, sliding over the wet surface of her tongue. She closed her mouth, and the ominous *gulp* caused the men to shift uneasily. The naga playfully patted her belly, looking down to all of them with a grin.

“And… there he is,” she said, feeling him land in her stomach with a splash.

“I don’t think I can do this,” one man said, backing away.

“He’s fine,” Chloé said, rolling her eyes. She snatched the man up before he could run, causing the others to leap back in surprise. She lifted the mercenary up to her belly button, practically pressing his head into it. “Higgins, can you tell these guys it’s nice in there?

“I wouldn’t go that far,” his muffled shout came, “but I’m alive.”

“O-Okay,” the mercenary muttered, “I guess that-“

He was interrupted as Chloé’s mouth came down on him, her lips closing around his upper body as she slurped him in like he was a piece of spaghetti. Her tongue quickly forced him to the back of her mouth, and she swallowed again, sending him to join Higgins.

Chloé licked her lips teasingly, “delicious!”

Her tail curled around the remaining men, trapping them almost like a wall as she giggled mischieviously. Part of her felt slightly guilty about teasing her erstwhile enemies like this, but another part of her was reveling in her predatory instincts, and she felt a shiver of excitement as she kept teasing her prey.

“Eenie, meanie, miny… YOU!” her hand darted out, snatching a shocked man and shoving him into her open maw like a piece of popcorn. Her tongue curled backwards, sliding him down her throat as she tilted her head back, enjoying the sensation as he slid down to her stomach. To their credit, no one panicked, and soon Chloé was playfully licking her lips as the last of them slid down her esophagus, landing with a plop in her belly. “Ah, it feels so good having a belly full of delicious humans,” she giggled. 

In her belly Higgins frowned, not appreciating the teasing, “Just send our equipment down!” he shouted, trying to keep his voice level.

A moment later she picked up their equipment cases, swallowing them like pills, grimacing at the artificial taste.

“Blech,” she muttered, making a face as the last one went down. “Higgins, is that everything?”

Higgins sighed, looking around at his surroundings, the pink walls of Chloé’s stomach shifted slightly as she moved, and he did his best not to think about where the sphincter at the far end led. The soft light inside of her was a pleasant surprise at least, and he did a quick headcount as his men steadied the equipment crates. 

“Give us a minute to tie everything together, then we should be good,” he shouted. He gestured to his men, who began tying a thick climbing cable through loops on the boxes, and then lacing it through clips on each other’s belts. That should keep us stable, and help her get us all out of here at once, he thought. 

“Great, now hold tight because it’s going to get a lot more cramped, and dark, and dangerous,” Chloé muttered apologetically. “My human stomach isn’t nearly as nice as my Naga one, at least that’s what Mika says.”

“We’ve all got our full body chemical suits on under our gear,” Higgins shouted back, “these things are meant for industrial chemicals, I doubt a little stomach acid will do much.”

“Great,” Chloé nodded, “Okay, here goes…”

The men in her gut suddenly had their world plunged into darkness, and several of them cried out in surprise as they were pushed together as Chloé’s body transformed from the towering Naga form back into her human one. Within a few seconds she had finished shrinking down, her tail had once again split into a pair of legs, and she wobbled for a moment, unsteady.

“Woah,” she muttered, patting her belly.

“Everything all right?” Gloria asked nervously as Chloé started getting dressed.

“I’ve never had this much in my stomach in human form,” she explained, “I just feel a little bloated…” She grimaced as her stomach gurgled, “it’s so weird that you humans can’t just empty your stomachs whenever you want… What do you guys do if you eat too much?”

“Sleep,” Gloria said with a shrug, “maybe take an anti-acid? Don’t worry, we won’t be walking far,” she pointed to one of the humvees, “come on, I’ll drive!”

Inside of her stomach Higgins coughed at the acrid smell of the air, while it was breathable it was more pungent than her naga form had been, and with everyone pressed together in the dark it was a nerve wracking experience to feel the world shift as she walked. Feeling the tension among them all, Higgins forced his arm up over them, clicking on a small camping lamp, providing just enough light for them to see their surroundings, and each other. It was a small thing, but he could practically feel the relief from the others.

Higgins pondered humanity's fate as he saw the rippling, growling stomach around him: "this is what awaits us all if we fail, humanity summed up to food..."

Keep it together, he told himself, clenching his fists, we’re almost done.

…

Gloria drove straight up to the group of soldiers guarding the bridge, nonchalantly smiling as a tank’s turret turned almost casually towards the vehicle. She rolled the windows down as a group of soldiers with Brazilian flags on their uniforms approached her. The man who appeared to be the officer in charge stepped forward, saying something in Portuguese.

“It’s okay!” Gloria said, pulling a Weekly World News badge out of her pocket to show the man, “we’re press!”

“This area is restricted for a military exercise,” the officer replied in accented English.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re here to cover it for the American news!” Gloria said eagerly.

The officer’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Chloé, who just smiled and waved, “This sounds… irregular, there’s a unit of American marines involved, I’ll contact them and-“

“Aren’t you worried that will look unprofessional!?” Gloria balked.

The officer blinked, “I don’t understand-“

“I mean why do you have to call the Americans to ask what to do, they’re not in charge of this operation, are they?”

“It’s a multinational-“

“Yeah, and you guys clearly know what you’re doing!” Gloria said, gesturing up at the tank and the men, “I don’t want to have to tell the big important people at the base in the center that I got held up because the Brazilian army didn’t know how to handle one little journalist!”

The officer chewed his lip a moment, “Very well,” he said finally, “go!”

He waved them through the security checkpoint, and Chloé looked on in awe as Gloria started the car, driving them across the bridge.

“Wow,” Chloé murmured, “does this kind of thing always work for you?”

“Most of the time, yeah,” Gloria giggled.

…

“Hold on, it’s in here somewhere,” Cécilia muttered, flipping through her grimoire.

“If you don’t have the clearance phrase then I’m going to have to shoot your aircraft down,” the man on the other end of the radio said.

“Just a minute!” Oklahoma said, muting it and looking the Cécilia in a panic.

“We have a few catch phrases to identify each other,” Cécilia muttered, “I doubt Natasha has changed any of them since I left… and here we go!” She showed Oklahoma the flowing script on the page.

“Chat Botté!” Oklahoma almost shouted into the radio.

It was silent for a moment, and both Cécilia and Oklahoma tensed, half expecting a surface to air missile to come screaming through the small private jet cockpit. The radio crackled, and both of them stared at it, gulping nervously.

“You’re approved for landing.”

“Whew,” Oklahoma laughed, “close one!”

…

Yukia frowned as a humvee approached the concrete barriers at the edge of the temple complex. A woman stepped out, beaming at them and waving as she hefted a backpack. Yukia drew her sword as the other Nekos and human guards eyed the woman, and further up towards the temple a pair of men behind machine guns trained them on her.

“Hi, I was supposed to bring some stuff for Natasha?”

The woman seemed familiar, but Yukia couldn’t quite place her, “Stuff?” she asked suspiciously.

“Yeah, fancy wines I think?”

“That sounds like Natasha,” Yukia muttered, “She probably plans on toasting her victory.” Yukia’s eyes lingered on the nose ring, frowning as she struggled to remember something about that particular piece of jewelry, something important…

“Where is Natasha?” Gloria asked again, “I really don’t think she’s going to want miss out on what I’ve brought!”

“She’s in the temple,” Yukia said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, “and she isn’t to be bothered. Go park your car over with the other ones and check in with the guy running the human end of security.”

“Thanks so much!” Gloria said, walking back to the Humvee.

…

“She’s already inside,” Gloria said nervously, “So uh… do you want me to just let you out here?”

“No,” Chloé said coldly, looking at the army before them, “I want you to go find someplace to hide. Try not to get yourself killed Gloria.”

Gloria’s eyes went wide, and she nodded, “R-Right, good luck!”

Chloé patted her belly, “Just as a heads up to everyone in there, get ready, because you’re coming out really soon.”

“Finally,” Higgins muttered, deep within her stomach. Around him the men muttered in agreement. “Okay everyone, final weapons check, we’re going to be going in hot.”

She opened the Humvee door, leaping out of the vehicle and sprinting away from it. As she did so Yukia and several other Nekos turned back towards the vehicle curiously, catching sight of Gloria just as she dove behind a large concrete barrier.

“Hey!” Yukia shouted.

Chloé grinned, feeling her body begin to grow as she transformed. The steel frame of the car stung as it dug into her expanding flesh, but a moment later it tore apart like an aluminum can, crumpling beneath her weight as she shot up into the sky. The tiny pinpricks of gunfire danced along her body, tickling her slightly as she reached her full size. A missile slammed into her chest, causing her to wince slightly, but with all of the men and Nekos she’d eaten at the previous battle, her regenerative abilities were at their strongest.

“GET HER!” Yukia shouted, leading the Nekos in a charge towards the towering Naga.

Chloé smirked, then disappeared, camouflaging herself as she slithered around them.

“The temple base is under attack!” a man shouted into a radio, “send all forces here now!”

Alarms blared, and all around the temple grounds men looked up, “Alert, Alert,” a series of intercom speakers blared, “We are under attack, this is not a drill.” There was a pause, and the message began again, “Attencion, Attencion, estamos sob ataque…” The message continued to repeat in various languages, and with her advanced senses Chloé could feel the rumbling in the ground as hundreds of fighting vehicles in the outer defensive ring began heading in their direction. 

Better move fast, Chloé thought. She felt her stomach contract as she began regurgitating.

"Be prepared to cut your ties once you're out" Higgins said, feeling the world rumble, “GET READY! HERE WE-“

He felt himself vaulted upwards, and the other men shouted in surprise as they were launched through Chloé’s esophagus. Sunlight hit his skin as he tumbled along the stone entrance of the temple, and he fought the disorientation as he leapt to his feet, readying his assault rifle as the wave of Nekos paused, looking at the men in surprise.

“GO GO GO!” he shouted, squeezing the trigger and causing them to scatter with angry shouts and hisses, leaping gracefully out of the way of his shots. He glanced at the temple entrance, “Form up there!” he shouted. He looked up at one of the hastily erected guard towers, and with a scowl squeezed a burst of gunfire towards it, feeling a hint of satisfaction as the rifleman in it went limp and tumbled over the side.

“I’ve got the nuke” he shouted as he sprinted to the vehicle with the large launcher mounted missile on the back. A control box was at the side, and he looked at it for a moment, scowling as he realized the only French word he knew was “ merde”. With a resigned sigh he stepped back, drawing his handgun and squeezing off several rounds into the control box, causing it to spark as the display went out.

That won’t disarm the bomb, he thought, but nobody’s launching it today at least.

Chloé smirked as she saw Higgins and his men securing the temple entrance, and she cloaked herself again, slithering towards a group of a dozen Ouroboros soldiers sprinting in their direction. She could feel their panic as she came down on them, the tip of her tail wrapped around one man, making it seem as if he was floating in the air as she casually tossed his screaming form into her mouth.

…

A bead of sweat slowly rolled down Natasha’s forehead as she continued her work on the magical lock, the sound of gunfire outside gave her pause, but she just giggled, a sound that vibrated her lips as they pressed around Mika’s shrunken body.

Let’s see if Chloé likes the toys I brought for her to play with!

…

Oklahoma and Cécilia glanced outside of the jet windows, “That doesn’t look good,” Oklahoma muttered, pointing to a series of helicopter gunships that were slowly lifting off, flying in the direction of the temple.

“Can you fly one of those?” Cécilia asked suddenly.

“Those look Russian, so probably not,” Oklahoma muttered, “I flew a couple of helicopters in the guard, but unless they’ve got-“ her face lit up, “holy shit, look over there!”

“What?” Cécilia asked with a frown, “another helicopter?”

“That’s an RAH-66 Comanche,” Oklahoma whispered in awe, “it was this badass stealth helicopter the army wanted, but they only ever made a few of them for testing… I guess Natasha got one when they scrapped the program.”

“And you can use that one?” Cécilia asked nervously.

“I think so, I used to mess with them in flight sims, and how much different could it be from flying an Apache anyways?”

…

Chloé frowned as she heard the steady drumbeat of helicopter blades, and a second later there was a screech as the first missile slammed into her, the explosion causing her to cry out in pain as it knocked her onto her back. The ground shook as she landed, and winced as the large bullets from the gunships slammed into her body.

How do they see me!? she thought in a panic as the helicopters circled above like vultures. My Body heat! She realized , like Higgins said! She let her camouflage drop, focusing on the helicopters as she tried to think of a plan.

Chloé sprung up, ignoring the pain as her wounds knitted themselves shut. One of the helicopters swooped low, a machine gun chattering as the bullets pinpricked up her belly. She coiled her tail below her, shielding her face with her hand as the cocky pilot got closer, readying for another shot.

Gotcha! 

Like a spring Chloé rocketed through the air like a cobra, colliding with the helicopter and gripping it in her hands. The engine whined, flames bursting from ruptured fuel lines as she tackled the flying machine to the ground. There was a hiss as the pilot ejected, and Chloé’s eyes tracked the human upwards, grinning as she saw the seating fall away and his parachute expand. 

The terrified pilot looked down, then screamed in fear as he saw Chloé’s open mouth below him, and she couldn’t help but giggle as he slowly drifted down onto her waiting tongue. Her mouth snapped shut, her massive teeth severing the cords of his parachute and letting it fall to the ground like a discarded napkin. A loud gulp sent the pilot to his fate as the wrecked helicopter burned.

Her victory was short lived, she cried out in pain as another trio of missiles struck her back, nearly sending her into the dirt again and stressing her regenerative abilities to their limit as she swayed unsteadily, her skin smoking. 

I’ve got to keep moving, she thought, going low to the ground. Like a sidewinder she made her way among the command tents and parked vehicles, deftly dodging salvos of missiles and machine fire as the helicopters pursued her like angry wasps. With a hiss she raised her tail up, shielding her face as she gripped a parked humvee in hand. 

“CATCH!” she shouted, tossing it at the low flying craft. She grinned in satisfaction as she saw the humvee strike one of the choppers, sending it careening into the ground with a blossom of fire. She grabbed a second vehicle, readying it in her hand, but the loss had caused the rest to take a more cautious approach, falling back and flying higher as they pelted her with machine guns and missiles. 

Too… much… she thought, gasping from the pain. Her hand went limp, dropping the humvee as her skin caught fire again, and with a shout she fell, raising her scaled tail in a feeble attempt to protect herself. 

…

Higgins felt his mouth go dry as Chloé hit the dirt, but there was little he and his men could do. They were pinned down by gunfire from the advancing soldiers, and the Nekos were giggling, readying their blades as they playfully blew kisses at their human prey, licking their lips eagerly.

We need time to get our heavy weapons up, he thought angrily. He leaned around a large stone column, firing off a few shots, causing some of the advancing men to duck, spreading out.

“I’m hungry girls!” One of the nekos shouted, sprinting towards them, a long broadsword flashing in her hands as she leapt around the shots fired at her. One of his men screamed as she leapt up, bringing her sword down with a wicked laugh. Higgins gritted his teeth as he saw another missile slam into Chloé, and at least a dozen of the cat girls were approaching her too, flashing their weapons like they were preparing to carve a dinner ham.

We’re getting torn up… We need the Naga on the field or we’re mincemeat!

“Santo,” He shouted, calling to one of his men, “Smokes!” He pointed towards Chloé, and the man nodded, loading a grenade launcher strapped to his vest. There were a series of *plunk* sounds as the cylinders were launched across the courtyard, landing around Chloé as the smoke columns rose into the sky, obscuring her from the attacking helicopters.

That’ll give me maybe a minute, he thought, time to see if I packed the right gear for this trip…

He reached into the equipment case, hefting the flamethrower tank onto his back with an angry growl. With a roar Higgins stepped out from behind the column, sending a massive stream of flame out towards the charging Nekos. The mob’s eyes went wide, and they shrieked, fleeing before him. The soldiers fared no better, disappearing behind a wall of flame as he advanced.

“GET THE GUNS SET UP!” he shouted back to his men.

The weight of the flamethrower’s tank caused his legs to ache as he forced himself to run towards Chloé, covering his advance with streams of flame that broke the enemy’s attacks.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!” he shouted at the Nekos, causing them to turn, then flee in screaming terror as he swept a wave of flame over them. He heard running footsteps behind him and whirled around, raising the nozzle of the flamethrower with a sneer on his face.

Yukia’s attack stopped, and their eyes met for a moment. Higgins looked at her, then down to the flamethrower in his hands, and the sword in hers. Yukia gulped.

“I-I think you’ve got me.”

Roast her now, just be done with this, he thought, but his finger wouldn’t pull the trigger.

“No, I missed you,” he growled, “get out of my way.

Behind them Chloé sat up with a groan, her injuries healing before their eyes as she steadied herself again. Yukia looked up at the Naga, then to Higgins. She giggled madly, a blush in her cheeks as she blew him a kiss before sprinting away.

That’s one can I’m kicking down the road for later, he decided.

The beating of helicopter blades caused his heart to race, and this time when the trio of gunships opened fire it was him they were aiming at. He threw his flamethrower down, sprinting for cover as the bullets kicked up bits of stone and dirt around him.

…

“That’s right, fuck off!” Oklahoma shouted, squeezing the trigger of her uzi and sending a burst of gunfire into the air as the maintenance workers fled before her. She climbed the stairs up to the stealth helicopter’s open cockpit, drawing the massive revolver from it’s holster as Cécilia scurried nervously behind her.

“Uh, the guards seem to have noticed us,” Cécilia said with a gulp, pointing to a jeep full of approaching soldiers.

“Don’t worry,” Oklahoma said, cocking the gun as she leveled it at a terrified pilot, “We’re not staying long.” She grinned down at the man, “You’re in my seat.”

…

Chloé hissed in pain as another pair of missiles struck her, setting her skin alight and causing her to roil in pain. The helicopters circled again, and she looked up at them with hate in her eyes as she cried out in agony. A fourth helicopter appeared, zooming over the temple grounds as Chloé grimaced, closing her eyes and waiting for the killing blow.

Instead she heard an explosion, and the whine of an engine failing. She opened her eyes to see one of her attackers spinning towards the ground, the tail in flames. The newcomer helicopter was different looking than the others, sleek and agile, darting out of the way of the return fire. As it banked low to the ground Chloé got one quick look at the cockpit, breaking into a grin as she saw a familiar face.

OKLAHOMA!?

…

“YEE HAW!” The pilot shouted, climbing high as the two remaining helicopters chased after her.

“I think I’m going to be sick!” Cécilia shouted, her face going green as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Flying free isn’t for everyone,” Oklahoma laughed, “just hold on and think happy thoughts!”

…

Chloé rolled in the dirt, extinguishing the flames that had scorched her skin. The wounds screamed in agony for a moment, and then the pain faded, her regenerative powers coming into play as the burns vanished. She shook her head once, taking a deep breath to get her bearings. Looking around the temple grounds, she saw that most of the enemy forces had fallen back. She slithered her way over to the temple entrance, where Higgins and his men were dug in now, with their larger weapons unfolded and loaded, ready to defend against the assault that was no doubt coming. Higgins himself had a slight limp as he walked behind them, nodding at her.

“We’ll hold them off here as long as we can,” he shouted, “Go get her.”

“Let me give you a hand,” Chloé growled. Her tail swung out, wrapping around the nearest of the office building sized stone pillars. With a grunt she pulled it down, causing the stone to tumble in front of the positions that Higgins and his men had taken, adding another barrier for their enemies to overcome.

In spite of everything the mercenary smiled, giving her a thumbs up, “Go finish it.”

Chloé nodded, and with a grim look of determination made her way towards the temple’s darkened entrance.

Emilie, Mika, I’m coming!

…

Natasha grinned as the final magical thread fell into place, and she spat Mika into her palms triumphantly as the enchantments faded. A moment later the entire temple shook, and the stone door slowly slid down, revealing a massive shimmering portal of pure light.

“T-The world tree, is it in there?” Emilie asked nervously.

“Yes,” Natasha sighed triumphantly. She grinned as she drew her knife again, gesturing to Emilie. “After you!”

Emilie gulped, approaching the portal and walking through it. The surface rippled like water for a moment, and Natasha approached it curiously, tapping it with the edge of her blade and watching it shimmer.

“It would appear there are no more traps,” she said with a grin, “Come Mika, let’s go finish this!”

With him in hand, she stepped through the portal.