I am Baaack! Part 7

"Hey, I saved your bacon, Bar.uh, blondie!" ('Discretion is the better part of valor,' she thought, as she changed the name she would use.) The two women stood over Lou, who was in shock, grinned, then high-fived each other, Navy and Marines of one mind, for once.

That's how Joyce and G.A. found them when they entered the living room. Joyce entered first, pushing Ed ahead of her. She had secured Ed's hands behind her with the arms of her own sweatshirt so that Ed was in her skirt and just her lacy pink bra. Joyce held the gun to Ed's temple. When they were close enough to the couch, they pushed Ed down beside Lou. Then they did a double take at Robbie. At the same time, Joyce and G.A. came out with, "Well, don't you look."

"DON'T EVEN START!" said Robbie menacingly, but then spoiled it by giggling. "I wonder what my old Marine sergeant would say about this combat gear?"

All four cracked up, while Ed glared and Lou just made little mewing noises while cradling her wrist, the knife still in it. She hadn't even attempted to remove the makeshift gag. Finally, Robbie and Barbara, the ones with combat first aid training, knelt and looked at her wrist. "Clean wound," commented Robbie. "No tendons or major blood vessels cut. Damn, lady, you're good!"

"Occasionally, something our government does turns out well," laughed Barbara; "I'm it." She pulled the knife out, sprayed it with antiseptic from her kit, shoved it back through neatly without additional cutting, and pulled it out again, all before Lou could even respond. Then she field dressed it. "We'll fix it up nicer when we get you two to where we're going," she told Ed, who seemed the only one capable of coherent thought.

Finally, Ed burst out, "Robbie, what is this? Why are you doing this? Why have you brought HER - she spat at Joyce - over here? Who are these people? Why? We're your friends."

Robbie interrupted. "Oh, can it, Ed! I know all about your little scheme to sell me, and, frankly, I'm really pissed!" She didn't realize it, but she had slipped into Robert's voice; testosterone time! She yanked Ed to her feet, spun her around and untied her so she could fight back if she chose, and began pushing her toward the entrance way.