Monster Girl Base 4 Chapter 2

I stared at the pile of broken wooden boards that had once been our cabin. It had lasted long enough for me to get out, but I had hoped that it would last a little longer even if I knew going in that it was a temporary solution. I’d only made it through three worlds with it, but our next build would be able to withstand more natural disasters since we had no way of knowing what we would find and I had to ensure it was ready for anything. I took a deep breath in as a plan formed in my mind and I then looked over at my girls to make sure none of the crates had toppled over onto them.

Acrasis was crouched down next to Floppy and Fela with her hand on the wooly mammoth’s snout. Her legs had melted into the soft soil beneath her, and her dark emerald eyes were as round as Fela’s pupils. She didn’t usually breathe, but her chest rose and fell quickly like she was about to have a panic attack.

“It’s okay,” I promised as I reached over to take her smooth hand in mine. “I’m sure we’re just fine as long as we stay in the circle.”

I squeezed her hand in mine, and smiled reassuringly when she slipped her fingers curled around my own. Then I sat in the dirt next to her and pulled her legs over mine as she started to calm down.

“I hope that is true, Dave Meyer,” the beautiful woman said as she tore her gaze away from the debris to look at me.

“I think we got everything that was important out,” Emma said as she wiped her pale hands on her black skirt and stood.

She pulled a small notebook and a wooden pencil out of the pocket of her skirt and began to take an inventory. As she worked, she tucked a loose black strand of hair behind her ear while she nibbled on her bottom lip, and I was amazed at how sexy she could be without even trying. Her black eyebrows furrowed together, and her agile fingers scribbled each item she came across and how many we had while I tried to force myself to focus.

“Floppy is unharmed,” Fela ran her muscular hands over Floppy’s brown fur and down to his trunk to pat him, and he gave a little trumpet of irritation and shook his ears in the air.

“Good,” I said. “I think we need to make sure that the ground is still stable before we move around too much.”

“Shouldn’t Honest Abe take care of that?” Emma asked as she hefted a crate out of her way.

The jars inside the wooden crate jingled but they didn’t sound like they’d broken.

“Theoretically,” I said. “Sol meant for us to make this a home base so I’m pretty sure he would’ve thought to keep it all anchored and not just the engine, but who knows. It looked like the ground near the edge had started to splinter with the first earthquake.”

“I will check the ground,” Acrasis said as her body began to spread out over the soil and sink below the dark earth. “And if it is unsteady, I will hold it together the next time it shakes.”

“Good idea,” I said.

It was a little unnerving to see the beautiful, curvaceous woman melt into the ground, but I shook the image out of my head and turned to help Emma with the inventory. I bent down to look at the solar panels and solar stills to make sure that they hadn’t cracked, and then let out a relieved sigh when I saw that they were all in perfect condition still.

“I think we have enough food to last Fela and Acrasis for several days, so long as the next world has some kind of meat,” the blue-eyed woman said as she scrawled on her notebook.

She’d managed to sort through three more crates already. She had set them in a neat line, and they all looked like they were filled with beef jerky. She tugged another one down and broke into a bright smile as she fished out a small jar of what looked like oregano.

“The spices survived!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I was so worried that they would’ve broken.”

I shook my head and smiled at the Gibson girl lookalike while I shifted my attention to the box of gardening tools and tugged the chainsaw free. I’d seen Sol bring it into the cabin, but I hadn’t realized that he’d left it behind, so I held it away from the girls and tested it to see if it would turn on.

It revved up with a low whine as smoke puffed out from the engine. The chain with blades jolted and then began to spin around. It would need more gas at some point, but for the moment it would help us get through the wooden boards so we could unearth everything that had been in the cabin when it collapsed.

I turned the chainsaw back off, set it aside, and then went back to the box of gardening tools. I found another Garden Weasel that I set aside for Fela along with the small box of seeds that Puck had given us. I yanked it free and then looked through the perfectly labeled bags.

“Floppy will need food soon,” Fela said as she walked and picked up the Garden Weasel. “And we will need to find a source of water.”

“Once we get the solar stills we should have enough for Floppy,” I replied. “But for now he’ll just have to drink some of the water that we have in jars. We can probably find the river in the morning.”

I looked up from the seed box as I wondered if the river still existed in this world. I hadn’t seen it in the junkyard earlier, but I’d been more focused on all of the furniture and random tech. I glanced at the amber colored lanterns that floated lazily around us like aimless jellyfish, but I didn’t think they gave off enough light that I would be able to see the water if it was surrounded by mounds of debris.

I stood and then strolled towards the edge of the pocket dimension to look in the direction that the river had been in my world, but all I could see were shadows in the darkness. I squinted, leaned forward with my hands in my pockets, and then took a step back as the earth crumbled underneath the toes of my shoes.

“I do not see any water, Dave Meyers,” Fela said as she came up beside me. “I believe I would be able to see farther than you.”

“You definitely can,” I muttered as I strained my eyes in hopes that I might be able to see better. “We might need to wait until the sun comes up before we can find water. If it’s still there at all. It might have been buried underneath this junkyard.”

“But water will always find a way,” the saber-tooth woman replied as she put her hands on her shapely hips and stared out into the night. “The land near my cave once fell into the river, and the water worked the stone until it could get through and flow freely again.”

“Right,” I said with a nod. “We’ll try to find the river in the morning. The junkyard probably doesn’t cover the whole world so the water had to have been diverted. Will Floppy be okay until then?”

“He drank deeply from the river of the last world,” Fela answered. “But he will need food soon, and I do not see any trees.”

“I don’t either,” I grumbled. “Hopefully we can find some in the morning. There has to be an end to these mountains of trash.”

“Do you think that the humans have abandoned this place like in your movie?” Fela asked as we walked back over to Emma.

I swatted at one of the lanterns as it bobbed in front of my head and watched as it just floated away, bumped into another lamp, and then drifted into an area that hadn’t been illuminated yet. I would definitely want to take a few of them with us since they didn’t seem to be harmful, and they looked like they were run by solar power.

“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s possible that the junkyard only seems endless because it’s night. We’ll have to look at it when there’s light enough to see.”

“I hope there aren’t any creatures lingering around and waiting to eat us,” Emma said with a frown as she slipped her notebook into her pocket.

“There are no organic lifeforms near us,” Acrasis said as she reformed.

I watched as the oil slick colored slime rose out of the ground to become the curvaceous Acrasis. I was still a bit weirded out by her nippleless breast, but they were really perfect, and my fingers itched to run over the purple and green rings that swirled over their surface. I shook my head to focus, though my pants had gotten tighter as my eyes drifted down to the vee between her legs.

“What about the pocket dimension?” I asked. “Is it going to hold together?”

“The ground has not given way,” the alien woman said. “I do not believe that we are in danger. But the earth outside of us is unstable.”

“Right,” I said. “Well we should at least be okay until the morning.”

A yawn pulled at my mouth, and I covered it with my hand as tears pricked my eyes. I hadn’t slept much during our movie marathon and I would need to rest so that I’d be prepared for whatever we’d find when the sun came up. I trusted Acrasis when she said that there weren’t any animals near us, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t find us if they existed.

“Why don’t I make a snack?” Emma said as she tugged a small camping stove out of one of the crates. “This will do until we can get my full range out from underneath all those boards.”

“That’s a good idea,” I said. “We can make a plan and then take a nap until the sun rises.”

“I would like a little more sleep,” the demure woman said with a small smile. “And we were able to save the five person tent so we won’t have to sleep out in the open.”

“I would not like to be easily accessible if a predator finds us,” Fela said as she pulled out her Garden Weasel. “I have my weapon, but we should not make it easy for them.”

“I agree with Fela,” Acrasis said. “I have not sensed any organic lifeforms, but they may have hidden themselves like the warriors in the world before last.”

“What about inorganic?” Emma asked with a glance at the floating orbs.

“There are machines all around us,” the purple and green skinned woman replied.

“Do you think they’ll attack us?” the Victorian woman whispered as the lightning crackled along her fingertips.

“Most of them do not give off energy signatures,” Acrasis answered while she tilted her head. “They are like the lights.”

“We’ll keep an eye out,” I said as I looked at Emma. “There’s no telling what happened to this world. It may’ve been like Wall-E, but until we can explore more there’s no way for us to know if there’s something hiding out there. And there’s plenty of places where something could hunker down so we don’t see it.”

“I’ll be ready if anything does try to hurt us,” Emma said as she stood over the wood that she’d collected for a fire. “It won’t be the first time that I had to take care of a wayward machine.”

She held up her fingers and the blue sparks of lightning danced around them before she released the energy into the night air. Her Westinghouse superhero ability, the lightning powers that she’d been born with in her world, had proven to be more than helpful. Her world had been overrun with machines that were powered by the earth itself, and that included lawn mowers that could move all on their own, so she’d no doubt had to use her abilities on one of them at some point.

“I will keep part of myself in the earth,” Acrasis said. “I will know if anything comes into our circle.”

“Great,” I said with a bright smile. “Emma, I’m wondering if we should just have a snack for now and then we can have a full meal after we wake up.”

“Okay,” the black haired woman said. “We can use jerky. And I have some honeyed apples that Floppy can eat.”

“He will enjoy those,” Fela said as she took the jar of sweetened fruit from Emma. “But we will need to find him something more nutritious.”

“We have a few hours until sunrise,” I said as I glanced at my watch.

It was already five in the morning, but if this world ran like my world, then we had until seven thirty before the first rays poked their head over the horizon. It might take a little longer for the canyon of garbage to be illuminated because the huge mounds reached up over the cliffs that ran through what used to be Detroit would hide the sun until a bit later in the day.

“I would like a little more sleep,” Fela said.

The saber-tooth woman took the now empty jar of honeyed apples from Floppy and set it to the side before she accepted a jar of jerky from Emma. She plopped down on the ground next to her companion and then leaned back against his soft fur.

“I think we could all use some,” I said as I sat and leaned against the crates. “None of us really slept a lot last night. I wish we had some coffee. I think we’re going to need some today.”

“Oh!” Emma exclaimed with a clap of her delicate hands. “I think I have some of that chicory root leftover.”

“That was pretty good,” I said with a grin. “I think that’ll be exactly what the doctor ordered.”

“How long will we be in this world?” Acrasis asked when another aftershock rattled our inventory.

I chewed on the hunk of dried meat as I lifted my watch. It had an arrow that always pointed in the direction of the Dimensional Engine, Patent Pending, the time, and a replica of the numbers that were displayed on the DEPP.

The Dimensional Engine, Patent Pending was safely tucked away under the hood of the 1972 Lincoln Continental, but my watch had the same red, yellow, and green numbers. The red numbers displayed the dimensional code that we were in, but I had no use for them so I usually ignored them. My Sol had said that one of the dimensional versions of him would be able to make sense of them, and I hoped that the machine kept a record because I hadn’t written any of them down.

The green numbers showed the area of our pocket dimension. The Dimensional Engine, Patent Pending added six meters of diameter every time we made a jump, and at the moment it displayed a bright green 39. It would continue to expand until we had our own base of operations that could hold us and whatever children we had along the way, assuming my hunch was right that it would take us a very long time to get home.

But it was the yellow numbers that were what I paid the most attention to. They showed the time that we would be in the new dimension, since it took at least 48 hours, more or less, for the Dimensional Engine, Patent Pending to recharge. At the moment, it said that we had 58 hours before the next jump. My quick math told me that we’d leave at about three p.m., and I let out a quick sigh.

“We have two and a half days,” I told Acrasis. “We’ll leave in the middle of the afternoon.”

“Floppy will need more food before that,” Fela said before she tore a piece of dried meat with her teeth.

I took a bite of my own jerky and closed my eyes as the sweet chili flavor rolled over my tongue. I hadn’t had a homemade jerky in years, but the Magpies had made the most delicious beef strips that I’d ever had. I chewed slowly while the tired cogs of my mind tried to turn over and come up with a plan.

“I’m sure there’s some trees down in the bottom of the canyon,” Emma said. “Or maybe we can find some nearer the top. They should be able to get enough sunlight.”

“If we can find something for Floppy to eat, then we will find water,” Fela said with a grin.

“Okay, that’s a great plan,” I said. “So we put up the tent, get a few hours of sleep, and then tomorrow we’ll get started.”

“We should take apart the cabin, too,” Emma said.

I glanced at the pile of wooden planks that had been our shelter for the last few days. I didn’t think that there would be many salvageable nails, but the wood could at least be used for fire. It wasn’t a huge loss, since I was confident we would find a storage container in this world to retrofit into a great place.

“Has everyone eaten their fill?” Emma asked as she screwed the lid back onto her jar of jerky.

“I will need fresher meat, but this will suffice for now,” Acrasis said as she unscrewed the lid on the empty jar of honeyed apples, reached her finger inside, and then swiped the elongated digit around to scoop up the rest of the sweet goo. She let it soak through her skin rather than bring it to her mouth but she did let out a satisfied moan.

“I will also need another source of meat,” Fela said. “But this dried strip will curb my hunger.”

Another yawn pulled at my mouth as the stress of the last couple of hours washed over me. I needed to sleep soon, but first I wanted to go over our plan so that we could make the best of our time in the junkyard world. I doubted that the mounds of garbage were well organized, at least if they were anything like the ones in my world.

“Maybe we should go over this after a nap?” Emma said as her gaze met mine. “The tent shouldn’t be too hard to set up.”

“Will it be big enough for Floppy to sleep?” Fela asked as she eyed the pile of canvas dubiously.

I shrugged and stood before I stretched out my spent muscles. I’d had to run and fight more in the last two weeks than I ever had in my old life, but my time job delivering groceries had kept me in better shape than I thought. I would be fine after a few hours of sleep, though, along with a nice cup of Emma’s chicory root.

“It’s a five person tent so it should be fine,” I said. “It might be a little snug.”

“I do not mind,” Acrasis said as she patted Floppy’s soft fur. “I have enjoyed sleeping near him before.”

“He is a wonderful companion, and he will alert us if anyone comes,” Fela said while her black tufted tail swished behind her.

“Let’s get this tent set up, then,” I said as I tugged the black canvas.

The girls and I pulled on the heavy fabric until the base was spread out. I found the tent pegs in one of the boxes next to some 3D printed poles. I handed one to each of the girls before we took up our corners.

“I have a mallet that will help us,” Emma said after she’d tried and failed to press the spike into the dirt.

The dark haired woman hurried over to a crate of building materials and pulled out a little black mallet. She held the hammer in the air with a triumphant grin and used it to nail her peg into the dark dirt. She wiggled it a few times to make sure that it would stay and then moved to help the rest of us.

“It sounds like it’s hitting a hard stone,” I said when a sharp ting rang into the air while I secured my peg.

“The earth underneath us is very tough,” Acrasis said.

“Oh, I hope that doesn’t get in the way of our garden,” Emma said with a frown on her rosebud lips.

“We’ll figure something out,” I said. “We might be able to find something to break up the stone somewhere in the junkyard.”

“I suppose we could use raised gardens,” the dark haired woman said while she shoved a strand of black hair behind her ear. “Puck said she included some, and she explained a bit about how she kept them. But I really do want to have a traditional garden at some point. I believe the corn will need to be in the soil.”

Floppy stomped his feet as we began to run the poles through the fabric. He looked at me expectantly, and I grinned at the helpful wooly mammoth since I knew that he liked to be a part of whatever we were doing.

“Floppy, you can hold up the middle of the tent while we run the poles through,” I said as I gestured to the middle of the canvas.

The furry mammoth gave a happy trumpet before he grabbed the rough fabric and lifted it up. He held it perfectly still while the four of us ran the 3D poles through the slots in the tent. His trunk was just long enough to get the job done, and he gave a happy little flap of his ears when we were finished.

“It’s taller than I expected,” Emma said as she stood back and put her hands on her hips.

“The opening is big enough for Floppy,” Fela said as she strolled around the front to look at the double tent flaps.

“It’s exactly what we need for tonight,” I said before another yawn pulled open my mouth.

“I really wish we could’ve kept the cabin a little longer,” the Gibson girl lookalike sighed.

“That would’ve been helpful,” I said before I shrugged my shoulders and looked out towards the junkyard that surrounded us. “But I’m sure we’ll find a container or other building materials out in those piles. And our next home will be even better.”

“That’s true,” the blue-eyed woman responded with a smile.

“It’s going to be amazing,” I said while I fought back another yawn.

I swayed on my feet as I shook my head. I took a step back, crossed my arms over my chest, and then looked at the massive five person tent. I was sure that the tightly woven material would keep out any rain, but if there were any northern gales, then it would fly away, and the earthquakes might shake it apart if it was strong enough.

“I think we can pull the futons out of the rubble so we’ll have something to sleep on,” Emma said as she strolled over to the side of the cabin where we’d watched the movies. “Floppy, do you think you could lift these boards up for me?”

The sweet mammoth ambled over, stuck his tusks underneath a few of the beams, and then lifted them into the air to reveal the pile of futons underneath.

“Perfect,” I said with a big grin on my face. “We can get the pillows and blankets later.”

The sky above us was still pitch black, but the air was warm. It was hotter than it had normally been in my own dimension during a spring night, but it wasn’t too humid, and the temperature was perfect for sleeping in a tent, especially since we’d have Floppy with us.

We tugged the futons free and dragged them into our new shelter while Floppy tossed the boards that he’d picked up into a new pile. Once they were all laid out they took up most of the floor, though there was still some room near one of the walls for our furry woolly mammoth to snuggle in.

“Floppy will be a good pillow,” Fela said as she joined me in surveying the inside of the tent. “He has been a cushion for my head on many occasions.”

“He does have wonderfully soft fur,” Emma said as she ran her fingers through the creature’s undercoat.

The mammoth stood at the entrance of the tent, and his molten brown eyes looked around the large rectangular space before they settled on me.

“He could definitely use a bath, though,” I teased. “Come on in, bud. There’s enough room for you, too.”

My girlfriend’s animal companion flapped his ears and rolled his eyes at me, but he took a careful step forward into our new shelter. The massive creature managed to pick his way around the futons without stepping on them and then settled in the spot that we’d left for him.

“We’ll get your carpet out tomorrow,” I promised him when he wiggled in the dirt until he was more comfortable, and he let out a grateful toot.

“I am glad that we do not have to sleep on the dirt,” Fela said as she laid down next to her pet’s head.

“We should see if we can get some grass growing,” Emma said as she took the spot next to Fela.

“Soft grass will be important when we have cubs, Dave Meyer,” the saber-tooth woman said while she rolled onto her side. “They will need a place that they can roll around while they learn to fight.”

“We’ll add it to the list,” I said as I laid next to Emma.

Acrasis took the spot on my other side, though I wasn’t sure if she even needed sleep. The alien woman had laid down with us before, but I didn’t think that she needed as much rest as the rest of us. She and Fela seemed to only need a few hours of sleep, and Emma was used to only a couple at a time since she had to be wary of the electric animals and cannibals of her world, but I was sure she enjoyed a good night’s rest as much as I did.

“So tomorrow we’ll try to find trees and water,” I said with a yawn as my eyes drifted closed.

“And we’ll have to clear out all of the wood from the cabin,” Emma said as she put her head on my shoulder and closed her sky blue eyes.

“Floppy and I will help with that,” Fela said. “After we have found the water and food.”

“We can supplement our stores using the junkyard,” I mumbled. “I’m sure anything that broke can be replaced.”

“What plan do you have to replace our home?” Fela asked.

“Hmm?” I muttered as sleep tried to pull me under. “I want to look for a shipping container. The Magpies used them, and Rigs told me how he made them into living spaces. I think I can replicate it.”

“Oh, those were wonderful,” Emma said.

“Will they be more suitable?” the gorgeous cat woman asked as her tail drifted over to brush against my leg.

I blinked and yawned as I tried to stay awake so that I could answer my girlfriend’s questions since I wanted to make sure that Fela knew that I had a plan to keep us safe. I was happy that she’d decided to make me her mate, and that she wanted me to be the father of her cubs, but I still wanted to prove that she’d made the right choice.

“The container will be sturdier,” I said. “It’s made out of metal so Emma will need to be careful with her Westinghouse powers, but it’ll keep the rain out and it won’t collapse like the cabin did.”

“Good,” Fela said, and I could hear her begin to pur.

“I really liked what the Magpies did with theirs,” Emma said. “But I really will need to be careful not to Westinghouse anything. Do you think we could cut a hole in the top so that my stove can be inside?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” I said while I wrapped my arm around her slender waist. “I saw a few TV specials in my world where people had completely renovated them and put in doors and windows. I’m sure we can figure out how to do that, too.”

“It would be nice to have fresh air,” the dark haired woman said. “And big windows so that we can see the kids when they’re running around outside.”

“And we can always add more room when we have kids since they’re stackable,” I said. “We’ll see if I can find any tomorrow. I think I’m about to pass out, though.”

“Sleep, Dave Meyer,” Fela purred. “I trust your plan for our pack.”

I drifted off to sleep and dreamt of the different ways that I could move whatever containers we found into our pocket dimension, and of sweet little children that looked like my three beautiful girlfriends.

The sun had already risen by the time I finally pried my eyelids open and I let out a yawn while I stretched and stared up at the sun-soaked fabric roof. I sat up with a start when I realized that it had to be almost noon, and only Fela still laid with me.