"Well, that narrows it down to just a couple choices... but are you guys sure you don't want to just do a Local Bounty while gearing up further? I know the general plan was to load Poli up for doing this stuff, but there's no way we've gotten as much as you wanted..." Marty asked with a hint of concern.

The couple in question shook their heads simultaneously, eliciting a small chuckle from the group as Oliver waved for Poli to answer. "That's true, but part of why we want to take a Bounty off world is just to get some distance from Eve and the FBI. It's hard for them to fuck with our lives if we disappear for a bit."

"Won't that make the FBI a little suspicious? Or more suspicious, if they already are?"

Poli shrugged indifferently. "Maybe, maybe not. If they question it, we'll just tell them that Oli left on work and that we didn't tell anyone where we were going; the information can't be leaked if no one knows where we are."

"And if they question the safety of doing that, I'll just tell them I took along some extra security." Oliver smirked, glancing at Poli.

"You think they'll buy that? I mean, no offense Poli, but if this guy," Ed chimed in, hooking a thumb in Oliver's direction. "had so much trouble dealing with the crazy bitch, then vampires must be tough as hell. There's no way they would believe you could actually keep him safe from her."

"That's true." Poli nodded, not bothered by his question. "But, as far as they know, we're just regular people that have no idea what Eve really is... and the only way for them to push the safety angle too far would be to admit she's more than just a crazy terrorist- and I went through the terror response training that was offered last year, so I'm at least somewhat qualified to help keep Oli safe."

"You know, maybe I should add you to the payroll as a security consultant..." Tyrone murmured, already making a note to discuss that with Mrs. Mary.

"Ok, so you've got a cover story just in case, and some likely Bounties to pursue... but my question gearing up still stands." Marty jumped back into the conversation. "Where do you stand on that front?"

"We're actually in a decent spot." Oliver admitted slowly. "While I would prefer to get her some enchanted armor, we picked up some nice leather pieces from a guy that makes it for the SCA- quality stuff, too. Add in the ballistic armor that she already owns- and yes, that surprised me too- she's actually pretty good for physical defense."

"Maybe even better than me right now, since Lita is still growing and adapting."

"What about the mental protection? And the language problem?" Tyrone asked, scribbling away in his notebook.

"Mental protection is better than I had hoped, actually." Oli smiled. "The item we received from the Bounty actually increases the wearer's mental defense by five percent, and has a five percent chance of just negating any mental effect targeting her. It's not as good as I want, but definitely better than I expected."

"As for languages." Poli jumped in when Oliver paused. "We got a decent item. It can translate anything once the language has been analyzed, which takes a few minutes, but it only offers literal translations. Slang may be a bit problematic, but it will get the job done."

Marty nodded along, making a few quick notes. "What about weapons? I know you two were talking about swords and spears and stuff-"

"Oli bought me a ranseur!" Polina exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

While the others chuckled, Marty just sighed. "Ok, besides the ranseur, are you guys well set? I know you already have bows, crossbows, knives..."

"I got this one Oli!" Poli cheered as she started to tick things off on her fingers. "We each have a bow, crossbow, pistol crossbow, two hundred arrows or bolts for each, a sword and polearm- I went with the ranseur and a shortsword, while Oli chose a halberd and an arming sword like a basic bitch..."

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Oli sighed at her jibe, though his smile showed he wasn't really bothered by it, and she continued her list. "-several throwing knives and axes, a laser pistol and rifle each, with spare energy cells to power them... then Oli has his guns: an AK, a FAL, his shotgun, five pistols that all chamber the same round, and about five hundred rounds for each gun. Plus spare mags, of course."

"Ok, that's pretty good-" Marty began, only to be cut off.

"I'm not done yet!" Poli cackled almost maniacally. "For my guns, I have my M16- yes, it has fully automatic capability, thank you very much- my AA12 shotgun... which is technically not legal, since it also has full auto... and I have several of the drums, both twenty and thirty-two round, which I'm not really supposed to have..."

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces- except Oliver's- Polina blushed softly, and let out an embarrassed chuckle. "...ah, and my pistols... and my Medusa Revolver, which I'm taking because it can chamber and fire almost any ammo in the 9mm family... its a fantastic gun, really..."

She trailed of slowly at their stunned looks, and began to fidget awkwardly with her hands.

"Ah...ok..." Marty said slowly, still reeling from the list. "And... is that everything?"

Not meeting anyone's eyes, Poli spoke softly. "-and the Mosin-Nagant my grandfather brought back from World War 2..."

"What the hell is a Mosin-Nagant?" Ed exclaimed, struggling to wrap his head around the number of weapons the two were taking with them.

"It's a common rifle used extensively up to and during World War 2, especially in Eastern Europe..." Gary added absently, a hint of admiration in his tone. "Russia used them as sniper rifles during the war..."

"And how the hell do you know that!?" Ed huffed.

"...History Channel, bro."

Marty sighed, shaking his head. "Ok, you're good on weapons and ammo of every sort, I guess... What about other supplies? Survival gear, tools, food- all that stuff?"

"Pretty solid, I think." Oliver shrugged. "I mean, we can't plan for everything, obviously, but we're loaded up with all sorts of camping gear. Everything from tents and sleeping bags to climbing gear... and a ton of food- I mean that almost literally. Poli pushed me into expanding the warehouse so it's a twenty foot cube now, so we're pretty stocked, and we still have space for if we find anything we want to bring back... Well, anything smaller than my truck, that is."

Marty's mind boggled at what he just heard. "You can... what? Just store your truck away and carry it with you now?"

"I mean, yeah? Technically we could fit two side by side, and still have some space between them... we would have to store some stuff in their beds, and it wouldn't leave much room for the Scrambler, but it could probably fit too..."

"You do realize that my office isn't even twenty feet on its longest side, right Oli?" Tyrone chuckled weakly.

"I think we're getting side tracked." Marty broke in before things could derail further. Sighing, he shook his head slowly. "Ok, so you're good on supplies I guess... Honestly, I don't see anything that would stop you from heading off on an adventure tomorrow- other than needing to pick which Bounty you'll be taking."

"So, which is it going to be: the pirate adventure? Or helping the slave rebellion?"

Oliver glanced at Poli, unsure what to choose. "I mean... both will be dangerous. The rebellion could get messy, and pirates can be vicious..."

"But if the ship sinks, we're screwed." Poli added, looking thoughtful. "Though, I guess with the extra space in the Warehouse we could grab some good inflatable rafts? Or just take a small boat with us?"

I"m not sure I like the idea of being stuck on a raft in the middle of an ocean..." Oliver muttered. "Just...drifting along..."

"So just take an outboard motor with you!" Ed nearly shouted, throwing his arms up. "I mean, fuck bro! You've got the space for it, and for plenty of gas to power it! Plus, if you get one of those life rafts they have for cruises and stuff... those things are hella durable, man! They can hold up for weeks on the ocean."

Turning to his friend, Gary couldn't help but exclaim. "Bro, how the hell do you know that?"

"...the Discovery Channel..." Ed muttered with an embarrassed smile.

"...and you give me hell for watching the History Channel?"

"Well, the History Channel is mostly just about aliens now, isn't it?" Oliver threw out, knowing he was just fanning the flames of his friends' bickering...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.