The Maidens of U.N.I.C.O.R.N.
By Marcus Lycus
Welcome to my science-fiction/cyberpunk sex and bondage story!
A little while ago I was playing with different ideas for heroines and tried out the Agents of UNICORN, two high-tech, cyber-enhanced spies working for a UN-sponsored group of do-gooders. I saw them as a cross between Adam Warren’s Dirty Pair comics and Marvel’s SHIELD.
I introduced them in a story called Global Protectors: Tangents and they were very popular new creations.
The story can be found here:
http://www.superheroinecentral.com/~wizard/Stories_MarcusLycus.htm
I used them a few more times in other Global Protector stories (particularly in part 6 of All Fall Down) but never had a good idea for how to use them on their own.
Till now.
Legal Horrors – The Maidens of UNICORN and other characters are copyright and trademark Marcus Lycus. All rights reserved.
What does that mean? It means that if you want to use any characters in another story you need my permission. It also means that you can’t repost this story without my permission.
And since this story is meant for people over the age of 18, please don’t read it if you are younger than that.
Any resemblance between characters in this story and any actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental of course.
And finally, please e-mail me with any comments, complaints or suggestions. Remember feedback leads to more stories!
Marcus Lycus
October 2007
Chapter 1 – Puppet of the Voodoo Baron
“BRAINS!” The undead creature hissed as it advanced. Dozens more staggered after it, their dead eyes glowing unnaturally.
The United Nations agent froze for a second looking at her useless sonic pistol and neural rod. The two weapons would harmlessly stun any living foe but against these zombies…
She tossed a flash-bang grenade down the tunnel to slow them, but the undead zombies didn’t even notice. She backed up several steps, looking for more room to maneuver. Something grabbed her foot; she pulled and saw the rotting hand disintegrate. But it had slowed her down too much. The zombies were upon her.
Her combat computer took over. With one enhanced kick she shattered the first one’s skull. A cybernetically-boosted punch sent its body flying back into its fellows. But the other zombies just trampled it into the mud and kept coming. She took another step back. There sure were a lot of them.
She cursed in fluent Vietnamese and French, cursing the UN intelligence reports which never mentioned zombies, cursing the narrow, muddy tunnel that prevented her from using her speed, cursing her partner for not being there.
She stumbled and fell on her ass. A rotting hand had sprouted from the mud and seized her ankle. Cybernetically enhanced muscles pulled, but the grip was surprisingly strong, finally she grabbed her thigh with both hands and yanked, the zombie hand disintegrated into clumps of rotting meat and bone.
But it was too late.
More hands emerged from the mud grabbing her slim waist, her shoulders, her arms and her legs. She was pulled down, her arms and legs disappearing into the deep mud. It had suddenly become like quicksand. She struggled but without leverage she was helpless. Now only her breasts, shoulders and head were above ground. Through her skin-tight indigo suit she could feel clawed hands gripping her body in obscene ways. Claws pulled her hair and made her wince.
She cursed Haiti.
“That’s hardly polite.” A voice, a living voice, called out from down the tunnel. “You should always be polite to your host country.” He continued in the debased Creole that passed for French in that miserable country.
“Baron Blood!” She spat. The thin black man wore a leather coat, tattered white pants, and a top hat. His bare chest was covered in scars and tattoos. He bowed to the struggling woman.
“And you must be one of the lovely Maidens of UNICORN.”
“My name is Captain Castellan” she corrected. Even in mortal danger she could not stop herself from correcting that patronizing nickname the superhero press had given her.
He poked her left breast with his twisted wooden cane. She saw it was capped by a human-sized skull. “You’ve come a long way to find me mon amie, I hope it was worth the wait.”
Mai-Lynn spat. “Baron Blood, you are under arrest for the murder of seven UN peacekeepers, and I am adding charges of unlicensed necromancy and abuse of the laws of nature.”
“Mon petite amie, somehow I do not think you are in any position to dictate terms to me.” He twisted his cane a bit, wrapping it around a lock of her hair. He twisted some more and pulled. Mai-Lynn cried out in surprise, her cybernetic systems suppressed the pain.
He raised the tip of his cane and picked off the bit of hair with two fingers. From somewhere in his coat he produced a blue figure. Mai-Lynn recognized it as one of the UNICORN action figures the Japanese made. She always hated the idea of being turned into a toy; she considered it insulting to her professionalism. But she never imagined it would be used like this!
He tied the strands of hair around the action figure’s chest. “Your UNICORN troops are all over the surface, getting out of here will be quite hard, without your help that is…” He waved his hands over the action figure a few times.
Mai-Lynn winced as her onboard psychic-countermeasures engaged. It felt like an ice pick shooting through her frontal lobe. Baron Blood frowned. He moved the action figure’s arm. Mai-Lynn’s arm twitched but did not really move. He moved the head. Again the agent trembled against her will but her head remained stubbornly in place. Mai-Lynn allowed herself a small smile.
WHACK!
A blow from Blood’s cane wiped the smile off her face.
“I see you are a stubborn one, but even the most stubborn will can be broken!”
Below the must Mai-Lynn could feel the zombie claws start to tear at her uniform. The high-tech polymer bodysuit was almost indestructible, immune to bullets and knives, but the undead hands tore through it easily. Just as easily as they gouged cuts in her tender skin.
Her body’s pain-suppression systems overloaded. She screamed!
Baron Blood lowered the skull-tip of his cane to her forehead and chanted again. Mai-Lynn’s head felt like it was exploding. Blood seeped from her nose and ears, her head shook forward and back as her body went into and epileptic fit. In her mind conscious thought gave way to instinct and desire for something, anything to end the pain.
And then it ended.
The claws released her. The cane withdrew. Her arms moved up and took Baron Blood’s hand. He gently pulled her up, out of the mud.
Even covered in muck, dressed in a torn bodysuit she was an attractive woman. Slim and tall, combining the best features of her French father and Vietnamese mother; she could have been a supermodel or movie star, but chose to follow her father into the military.
The Baron turned the action figure around and moved its legs.
Mai-Lynn took a step forward.
He laughed and pulled the action figure’s head back.
Mai-Lynn laughed too.
He put his skinny arms around her slender waist and felt her modest breasts. He leaned in a smelled her long dark hair, taking in the scent of jasmine. He put a finger between the action figure’s legs and felt a reaction in the girl.
“Perhaps later my dear. But in the meantime here is a taste of the pleasures you will know.” He thrust his finger against the action figure’s crotch a few more times, listening to her gasp. “But now let us go. I imagine you will be able to talk your way past the UN troops.”
He nodded the action figure’s head.
Mai-Lynn nodded.
They emerged into the night air of a Port Au Prince graveyard. A UNICORN trooper in white body armor spotted them and raised his electromagnetic rifle.
Baron Blood put a finger over the action figure’s mouth and moved his lips.
“Lower your weapon trooper! This man is my prisoner.” Mai-Lynn said.
The trooper saluted.
“There are zombies in the tunnel! Get the rest of the men and clean it out!”
“Yes ma’am!”
As white-armored troops descended into the tunnel the Voodoo priest and his captive walked towards the edge of the graveyard.
“Ah Captain! There you are!” A Russian-accented voice called out. The pair froze. The Baron looked up at the strawberry-blonde dressed in a blue UNICORN bodysuit and wearing a white beret.
++I’m being controlled!++ Mai-Lynn said over the comlink. ++Take him down but remember we need him al-++
Before the Baron could react two electromags pistols were in the Russian woman’s hands. Fifty ball-bearings traveling at five times the speed of sound turned his body into a cloud of red mist.
Mai-Lynn collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut.
***
UNICORN – The United Nations International Crime Organized Reaction Network (UNICORN) was created to respond to the growing threat of superpowered criminals that normal authorities could not deal with. While countries like the US and Japan have seemingly endless numbers of heroes and heroines to fight villains, the rest of the world is increasingly at the mercy of any mad scientist with a killer robot or freeze ray. UNICORN is the answer. Armed with the latest in high-tech weapons, cybernetics and equipment UNICORN agents are the world's elite response force for super criminals. They are based in ancient Roman fortifications on the Mediterranean island of Corsica and have facilities around the world including their superhuman prison in Hokkaido Japan. But after a dispute with the U.S. government, they were barred from operating on U.S. soil.
Standard UNICORN troops are ordinary humans equipped with electromagnetic rifles and body armor. Their elite agents however are enhanced with cybernetic implants, genetically engineered body parts and equipped with the very latest technology. They are easily a match for almost any superhuman foe or any number of ordinary foes.
The so-called Maidens of UNICORN are two highly-decorated female agents, as well known for their beauty as for their ability:
· Captain Mai Lynn Castellan – this cybernetically enhanced agent is the daughter of French war hero and a Vietnamese woman. A religious Buddhist she refuses to use deadly force and instead tries to disable foes without harming them.
· Lieutenant Natasha Gorki – was the first Russian to join after the fall of the Soviet Union and serves as Castilian’s partner. Her fiery temper causes a lot of problems but her cold effectiveness more than makes up for it.
– The Kirby Guide to Superheroes and Heroines, 2007 Edition
***
“Disgraceful.” Colonel Gu said bluntly.
“Sir I-“
“I have already reviewed the records. Overcome by a minor sorcerer. Barely a 4 on the Teller-Potter scale yet he managed to trap and then mind-control a €60 million UNICORN agent.”
“Sir I-“
“Why didn’t you blow apart his zombies with your electromag pistol? Oh right, because you refuse to carry one. Why didn’t you drop a concussion grenade into the mud when they tried to catch you? Ah, because you don’t carry those either! Why not melt his brain with a hand laser? No, no, none of those ‘lethal’ weapons for UNICORN’s warrior maiden! Heaven forbid she actually injure someone!”
Gu stopped for a breath giving Mai-Lynn a chance to speak. It was a week after the battle in Haiti and her superior officer was not happy. She looked at him with barely disguised disgust. Gu was a fat man, his right arm and half of his face replaced with crude 80s cybernetics. He hadn’t been in the field in years. He couldn’t even communicate wirelessly, hence the need for these interminable face-to-face meetings. His attitudes were as out-of-date as his technology. He made it clear from the beginning he did not approve of female agents in general and of Mai-Lynn in particular. She tried to keep her voice even.
“Sir I did not choose that nickname. That was Capes and Masks magazine, a joke based on the idea that only a maiden can ride a unicorn. No doubt they thought it was clever. My objections to it are on record.”
The Chinese officer growled. ‘Maidens of UNICORN’ such a ridiculous name, made worse by the fact that he knew from personal experience that Gorki was no maiden.
“And my choice of weapons and equipment is fully authorized.”
He growled again. Gu knew all about the special exceptions she had. Agent Castellan had powerful friends.
“About that, since when do your ‘upstanding morals’ forbid the use of force against zombies? Surely at least a pistol would have been appropriate?”
“The intelligence report made no mention of zombies.”
Gu tried not to chuckle. He’d had the intelligence officer remove that part of the report as ‘unsubstantiated’. He knew Mai-Lynn was the only one who would be caught unprepared. He’d seen the video of her afterwards; he liked to imagine those rotting hands pawing the oh-so-mighty Captain Castellan while she was helpless. According to the medics who had treated her she had been quite aroused when they found her. Gu had no trouble believing it; he always knew this woman was a disgrace to the service. Her and the Russian whore.
“Well despite your ‘ethical concerns’ about lethal force you still did not take Blood prisoner.”
“Lieutenant Gorki acted-“ Mai-Lynn hesitated, she had been about to say her partner acted against orders but then again she hadn’t been able to finish that order had she? “That is, she acted perfectly appropriately. Given the exceptional circumstances.”
“And is that your entire defense?”
“I’m not aware I need a defense. The Security Council has already approved my actions.”
Colonel Gu growled and sat for a minute.
“Dismissed.”
Castellan rose, saluted and left.
Gorki was waiting outside flirting with a trooper.
“How was your date with the dragon?”
“All told I would rather have been with Baron Blood. How did that man ever become a colonel?”
“You’re not the only one with friends in high places captain.”
Mai-Lynn frowned “I am here because of my qualifications, not because of any connections” she said for the thousandth time.
“Which does not change the fact your father was a popular man and still has many friends in UNICORN. In Russia no one would object, it is only natural to look out for your friends.”
Mai-Lynn just frowned. Despite her objections, despite her skills, despite her record, she also wondered how far she would have gotten if her name was not Castellan. Her father Pierre Castellan was heroic aviator who fought the Nazis in World War II and the communists in Vietnam. Soon after Mai-Lynn was born he disappeared on a mission in Vietnam to rescue her mother’s family. She still felt she was in his shadow.
“Come on, my captain, let’s go to the canteen, there’s someone you should meet.”
Mai-Lynn wanted nothing more than to head to the gym and relax but she nodded and followed her partner deeper into UNICORN headquarters.
***
“Yes sir, I believe Captain Castellan is perfect for this mission. She fits the profile and this sort of mission fits well for someone with her… ethical concerns. She won’t even have to touch a weapon.”
The UN official on the other end of the video connection nodded and reviewed the file again.
“We’re sure about this intelligence? I don’t want Modred to slip away again. He’s embarrassed us enough already.”
“Yes sir, quite certain. Modred’s enhancements require specialized maintenance and upkeep. He cannot go much longer without contacting a cyberdoc and Chesterfield is the best. As soon as he does we’ll have him.”
“Very well then Colonel Gu, the mission is approved.”
Gu turned in his chair to the young man standing beside him.
The middle-aged technician was in uniform but still managed to look sloppy and unkempt. He stood with his shoulders slumped and his gaze unfocused, his turtleneck was untucked and ridding up around his stomach. The metallic implants on his temple were tarnished. There was stubble on his chin. According to his file he hadn’t had a date in months.
As far as Gu was concerned, he was perfect.
“Captain Klaus, is Captain Castellan’s program ready?”
“Y-yes sir but, but, isn’t it a bit… extreme?”
“No Klaus, I would say it is just about perfect. In fact I have a few last minute additions I want you to make.”
***
“Ah Ensign Obata! There you are!”
The Japanese girl jumped to her feet and saluted, moving so fast her pigtails shook. Mai-Lynn and Natasha casually returned the salute and sat down. Obata was a petite girl, maybe just under five feet but perfectly formed. Her hair was dyed blonde and her eyes were bright blue. At first glance Mai-Lynn thought the girl was French before she saw the Asian features under the western modifications. The Japanese girl was wearing a standard UNICORN dress uniform, a white blazer over a blue turtleneck and a white skirt. But she had shortened the uniform skirt so it came well above her knees and accessorized the jacket with dozens of pens, pins, bracelets, gadgets and even a stuffed animal handing from her button hole. She looked more like something out of a Gwen Stefani video than a UN officer. With all the clutter it was hard for Castellan to pick out the Japanese flag on one shoulder or the insignia of the cyber-tech unit on the other. Amazing. She couldn’t believe the nonsense they let these techs get away with.
“Good to see you again ensign, I don’t think you’ve met my partner-“
“CAPTAIN CASTELLAN!” Obata practically squealed and seized the woman’s hand pumping it up and down enthusiastically. “I’m a big, big fan! I think you’re the tops baby! Babe Ruth! Elvis!”
“Um… thanks.”
“Ensign Obata is our new technician. She’s just out of training.” Gorki helpfully provided.
“I see…”
“I’ll be keeping you spic’n’span, new and improved, up-to-the minute! I know we’re gonna be best friends, like Laverne and Shirley or Pinky and the Brain!”
“That’s great.”
“She learned English when she was twelve by downloading over 10,000 hours of movies and TV directly into her brain.” Gorki said with a smirk.
“Wonderful…”
Obata raised her coffee cup in a toast and said “here’s looking at you kid!”
Castellan groaned, Gorki tried not laugh. “I’ll let you two get better acquainted, I’m afraid I have an appointment in my office.”
Mai-Lynn suffered thirty more minutes of Obata’s company before her comlink buzzed again. Colonel Gu wanted her.
***
“Sergeant Vickram! You’re late!”
“Yes Lieutenant Gorki! Sorry Lieutenant Gorki!”
The Indian trooper stood at attention, his chest puffed out, his eyes dead ahead. The officer walked around him. He could hear her unzipping her bodysuit behind him. He struggled to keep his eyes ahead.
“I am very disappointed in you.” He could feel her hands on his shoulders. “Letting that nasty voodoo doctor walk right by you.”
“Mai-Ly- er, that is Captain Castellan said he was a prisoner.”
“But you didn’t verify did you?” She was whispering in his ear now, running her fingers along his scalp. Vickram could feel his erection struggling against his pants.
“I’m sorry ma’am, no excuses ma’am!”
“What would have happened if our dear saintly captain had gotten hurt?” He could feel her breasts against his back. One of her hands touched his pants right were they were tenting. The sergeant started to sweat.
“Um…”
“Captain Castellan’s safety is very important to me. It is her shinning virtue that blinds people to certain, less virtuous, actions on my part.” She was licking his neck now. The sergeant shivered and bit his lip.
“Without her fine example, why I wouldn’t be able to do this…” She reached into his pants.
The sergeant let out a low moan then a sigh. A wet spot formed on his pants. He heard the sound of Gorki zipping her suit.
“Tsk! So soon. Oh well. You may go now.”
The sergeant looked down, disappointed. He turned to go.
“Next time I will expect better performance.” Gorki laughed.
***
“You must be kidding!”
“Sorry Captain, what was that?”
“I… I mean surely this isn’t correct sir.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“I…”
Mai-Lynn looked again at the file, at the pictures, at what they were going to do to her. She ‘understood’ all of it, but it had to be wrong. It had to be. She didn’t know where to start.
Colonel Gu’s tone became condescending. “Perhaps I had best explain it from the beginning. As you know Major Greggor went renegade almost two years ago after becoming the sole recipient of the Modred program enhancements. You are familiar with the Modred program are you not?”
It took Mai-Lynn’s onboard computer five nanoseconds to retrieve the data. “Yes sir, it was meant to replace the Bernlad series heavy cyborgs. In the 1990s UNICORN experimented with full conversion cyborgs, replacing the entire body, leaving only the brain and spinal cord. They were almost unstoppable in combat but the program was a failure. Cut off from all natural sensation the Bernlad agents succumbed to cyber-psychosis, they could not distinguish reality from fantasy. That is why this generation of agents have enhanced human bodies rather than purely robotic bodies.”
Gu nodded. Mai-Lynn wondered why he was making her recite things he obviously already knew.
“And the Modred program?”
“The Modred program was an attempt to combine the body of a heavy cyborg with the computer power of our techs. It was hoped that the improved computer power would be enough to keep the recipients sane. It was scrapped after Major Greggor went renegade.”
“Very good Captain. You worked with Major Greggor didn’t you?”
“Yes sir. Briefly, on one of his shakedown missions. He was quite… impressive.”
She looked at the photo. While agents like Mai-Lynn and Natasha were designed to look completely human, Modred went to the opposite extreme. He was huge and monstrous, designed to intimidate and overpower foes. While Castellan won battles though superior speed and maneuverability, the Modred program was about winning through strength. But that did not mean he was just a brute. The oversized frame had been packed with computers and electronic warfare gear. Mai-Lynn had watched him tear apart a Viper tank while simultaneously hacking their computer system and taking over a squad of robot troopers. Impressive barely began to cover it.
“Well he’s grown more impressive. Since going renegade he has become a preeminent international terrorist and has eluded us on numerous occasions.”
“Yes sir. I am aware of that sir.”
“His enhancements require regular comprehensive maintenance, which only a handful of people outside of UNICORN can do. At the top of that very short list is the renegade English cyber-doctor Clydesdale Chesterfield.”
“Yes sir.”
“Infiltrating Chesterfield’s organization would take years. He has only a few guards, all cybernetically enhanced and monitored by him. His assistants are all fully robotic. But fortunately our psychological operations unit has found a weakness. A weakness you are ideally suited to exploit.”
Mai-Lynn looked down at the photos, showing two Asian women dressed in latex and lace ‘maid’ costumes, waiting on a smirking Chesterfield. She swallowed hard.
“Yes sir.”
Afterword
Well that was a bit talky, but now that the set-up is done the action can really get going!
With Obata I think I have a good trio. I figure there are 3 kinds of soldiers. There are paladins (like Castellan) who fight for what they believe in. There are thugs (like Gorki) who like to hurt people and are glad to have an outlet. And then there are the kids who think this will be fun. Sooner or later all of them evolve in veterans, who just want to cash their paychecks and get home safe, but that’s hardly fun is it?
And before anyone asks, yes I know that lieutenants and colonels are army ranks while ensign is a navy rank but UNICORN is my made-up organization and ensign sounded right to me.
And yeah, I can’t speak a word of French, I hope the internet wasn’t too far off.
Please e-mail me with any comments, complaints or suggestions. Remember feedback leads to more stories!
Marcus Lycus
October 2007
WIZARD'S LAIR MAIN
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