Welcome to S. L. U. T.

Slut.

This word has been and is still used to tear women down. It is thrown across the internet at the girl gamer for speaking out against sexism. And at the Youtuber who keeps her videos clean and tasteful. Boys call women in bars who reject them sluts. Boys call the women who do eventually have sex with them sluts. Girls call each other sluts because she develops faster than the others. Or because they prefer the company of boys. Or are liked more the others by boys, especially if they have done nothing special to receive the attention.

What is a slut? It used to mean a dirty, sloven man, as defined by Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1386). The term then broadened to women. Eventually becoming more identified with women. William Shakespeare used slut in place of bitch when discussing a female dog. But in 1450, the word slut was widely used to describe sexually promiscuous women. It was akin to calling a man a rake. The word rake has come up in the world, now being a tool in which people gather leaves or create designs in zen gardens.

Sisterhood Legion of Universal Tranquility

When I decided to create a group of female heroes, I agonized over what to call them. I wanted a name that would be recognized. Something would stand out from the other female teams that have been put together.

What if I call them SLUT? But it would need to have meaning. Not solely to shock or standout. So I had to really think what do I want from these women. To show a bond between women. To show female strength. To show women who can work together without always being at each other's throats. To show women who can love each enough to be blunt. To show that women can play with the "big boys" and even keep a few on the side just for fun.

This series will hopefully be fun to read. I plan to incorporate humor where appropriate (and sometimes where it isn't) lots of action and smart characters. Enjoy! And welcome to S.L.U.T.

S. L. U. T.: Ursula pt 3

Ursula prayed this would work, she would hate to use this threat, but there were more lives at stake than a drug lord's family.

Jávier trembled with hatred for the woman standing before him. How this bitch come into his home, destroy everything he worked so hard for, murder his men, release his forced labor, then attack him in his own office. Now she threatened his family. She couldn't have done all of this on her own.

The worst part was that she didn't even try to look imposing. She looked bored. Like she did this everyday and had better things to do. Fucking bitch.

"Tell my family will be safe."

"You, señor, are in no position to make negotiations. Besides, I already promised that."

"Then call this a dead man's last wish."

Ursula gestured for him to proceed.

"Tell me who betrayed me."

Ursula laughed. She didn't mean to, it just came out. "After."

"The ship is going to port in Ciudad del Carmen, where the drugs will be distributed and moved so we can get them into the States."

"When?"

"In 2 days time."

"Thank you. I know cooperating with the woman about to kill you isn't easy. As for who betrayed you......Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes damn you!"

"It was Maritza."

"LYING BITCH! She would never"

"But she did. She loves you. But she loves her children more. And despite being a good husband and father, you are a bad person, and she couldn't take this life anymore. Watch."

Ursula again showed Mr. Marconi her phone.

Maritza Marconi was standing in frame her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a red dress. The dress she wore the first night of their honeymoon. His favorite dress.

"Javier, mi amore, please forgive me. I cannot live this life anymore. Our children cannot live this life anymore. You have not been what we needed. The deeper you dove into this world of decadence and sin the farther from us you became.

"I would sooner live with the guilt of knowing I killed you than to have our children die screaming in fear, because of your war. I love you. But I must think of our children. Goodbye Javier."

The recording ended.

"Divorcing you would never have kept them safe." Ursula wasn't sure why she felt the need to say something semi-comforting.

"Just do it."

Ursula put her gun directly on his forehead and pulled the trigger. Javier's lifeless body fell backwards in the chair. She shot him three more times in the chest, then went to the liquor cabinet. She grabbed a few bottles and smashed them around the room. Then poured one over and around the body. She lit a match, dropped it on Javier and walked out. In the hallway was the the result of her attack. Bodies of Javier's mini army and his workers lay strewn about. She was sorry for deaths of the innocent, but the assistance was necessary.

As she walked away from the property the oversized mansion exploded. She couldn't suppress her smile as she continued to walk away. "Just like in the movies" she thought.

A Note About Spirit Lake

Alrighty, I best get this out of the way now.  Spirit Lake is going on hiatus for a few weeks.  Why? So many reasons, but the main two are this.

1) I am writing a whole bunch of series at the moment, plus work, and pretty soon school.  Time is just not on my side with this one.  So, I would rather put the series on hiatus and get the work done well, instead of just quickly.

2) About getting the work done well...  I'm not too happy with Spirit Lake right now, and it needs some major tinkering.  As I said before, I'm working on a bunch of other series, and haven't had the time to sit down and really think the series through in great detail.  So, instead of floundering around and trying to figure things out as I go, I'm going to retool the series and try to get it to work.  I learned my lesson after Accidental Demon Slayers: Melody of Light, or as I like to call it, The Series that Broke My Brain.

This will not change the schedule for S.L.U.T, which will still be posting regularly, and I will update you all when I figure out what exactly I'm going to do with Spirit Lake.

Spirit Lake: The House Next Door pt.12

I pushed through the door. 

Just as expected, my entrance made the man’s hand retreat from my husband’s shoulder.

Zack spun around in his chair.

Was that guilt I saw in his face?

“Darren,” he smiled at me. 

It looked forced. 

“I was just checking out the downtown, and thought I would stop in.” I cleared my throat.  “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

The man, the one I didn’t know, stood up and walked towards me. 

His steps were smooth, and his body moved with ease.  He seemed to almost glide across the room. 

“I was actually just leaving.”  He stopped in front of me, and held out his hand.  “My name is Phillip Orion. “ 

I took his hand and gave it a half assed shake. 

“Nice to meet you.” My voice came out weaker than I had hoped.

His eyes seemed to read my discomfort.  His smile grew.  “I’m the realtor who sold your... husband, right?”

I nodded. 

“I sold your husband this store.” He glanced back at Zack.  “Hopefully you don’t hold that against me.”

When he looked back at me I could get a better look at him.  His face was sharp, chiseled.  His jaw was narrow and smooth.  His eyes… his eyes had a predatory glint in them that scared me a little, but at the same time enticed me.  It was… odd. 

“I really must be going.  I have an old house up in the hills to show today.”  Phillip headed towards the door.  “I’ll see you around, Darren?”

I nodded. 

S. L. U. T.: Ursula pt 2

Now as a member of S. L. U. T., she had a bit more free range. She took assignments for whoever could pay. Helped out her team when they needed her. And the government stayed out of her hair.

Which was good, because today she was on a coca plantation in Ecuador ending a drug feud.

Getting into the house had been the easy part. Jávier Marconi had sent his wife and children on an indefinite vacation in Europe while he and his adversary, Tomás Della Torre, continued their war fueled by slave labor, drug addicts, and fear tactics. Which meant his security was light and mostly canine. Dogs were always a sore spot for Ursula, she hated to shoot them, but she also had no intentions of getting torn apart. She rubbed raw steaks in sleeping powder and tossed them near the watchdogs.

The guards she didn't mind killing outright. It may seem backwards to some people, but dogs are much easier to retrain than people. These men abused their "workers", separated mothers from children, and gang rapes, along with daylight executions were a part of daily life. So ending their sad existence was more of a humanitarian act than murder.

But what Marconi didn't know was that Tomás was already dead. Ursula didn't bother to make it look like an accident. She also didn't make it look like some attack from a drug kingpin. She wanted the world to know the Sisterhood of Universal Tranquility had been there. Granted there was nothing tranquil about what she did to Senõr Della Torre but he profited from the sickness, addiction and death of inner city and minority people in the States. Not to mention countless others across the world. If it was only cocaine their drug feud wouldn't have been so high on Ursula's list of things to take care of, but they were cutting it with something else to increase their profits and make it even harder, if not impossible to kick the habit. She didn't know what and she didn't care. This entire place was going to burn when she was through.

Jávier was tied to a chair. Bloodied and battered from Ursula's first round of questioning. He seemed intent on not giving her any information about where the latest shipment of his drugs were heading.

"If you are concerned about your family, don't be. The Sisterhood of Universal Tranquility will make sure they are taken care of. We don't hurt women and children. Unlike James over there." Jávier's bodyguard lay dead in the doorway. "We didn't get much time chat before things got serious. So let's just talk. I shot James' balls off when I got here, as you saw, before blowing his useless brains all over the walls. Would you like to know why?"

Jávier stared at the assassin. He knew why. James was a pig. But he sated his sick lust on the orphaned workers in the factory and on the plantations instead of somewhere he could be caught and arrested. Because giving up a giant operation like Marconi's would seem like a great idea opposed to getting stabbed regularly by security guards and prisoners alike in jail.

"James was in the children's quarters. He was your second. You had to have known about his…activies. I stopped him today and promised the children he would never hurt them again. And I always keep my word. Your fields are on fire and workers are fleeing. You have no reason to NOT tell me where that boat is coming into port. And every reason in the world TO tell me where and when."

Jávier still sat only staring. Ursula could feel his rage and hatred building.

"Fine. Have it your way. A few of my best people have infiltrated your family's vacation." She was tinkering on her phone as she spoke. "This is them." She turned the screen toward her captive and leaned in very close "Now I don't want to have to murder your family while they are having such a good time. But if you don't tell more what I want to know, I will kill them and make you watch. Then I will kill you so the last thing you ever see is them scared and betrayed and dying. Then I will find out what I want to know anyway." She leaned back. "I will just be much more cross about it. All I have to do is push this button" She pointed to her watch "and your wife gets her throat slit followed by your children."

Spirit Lake: The House Next Door pt.11

Zack’s store was still closed, but he had washed the thick, caked soap off of the front window, and had whipped together a simple little display.  A white cardboard sign with the words “Opening Soon”  sat nestled between two of the latest beach reads.

I gave the door a push.

It opened, and I stepped inside. 

A coughed as a cloud of dust invaded my nose and mouth. 

“Zack?” I made my way towards the front counter.  My mouth felt chalky from the dust.

I headed towards the door that led to the storeroom and the back office. 

I could hear voices on the other side. 

It was two men.  One was Zack, but the other... I couldn’t recognize it. 

There voices were low, and they spoke in a familiar, casual way. 

The other man, the man I couldn’t recognize, laughed. 

I cracked the door open. 

Zack sat as his desk, and a man, in his early forties sat on the edge of the desktop. 

His hand was on Zack’s shoulder.  He wore a suit, his salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a neat pony tail. 

He was handsome.

He was smiling at my husband.

My husband was smiling back. 

I knew that smile.

That was the smile he reserved only for me.

Spirit Lake: The House Next Door pt.10

I passed by some tourist shops, packed to the brim with T-shirts and cheap knickknacks that would be quickly discarded not long after being gifted.  I stopped at one of the open store fronts and glanced at the shelves filled with snow globes and little shells with crazy eyes glued to them. 

The gifts for those who had given up on caring. 

Zack’s store was only one block farther, but I took my time. 

This was my new home.  This was my new life. 

I shook one of the snow globes. 

The little plastic sign that said Spirit Lake had come loose and floated with the drifting flecks of artificial snow. 

This was my new life.

S. L. U. T. Ursula pt 1

She stood up straight from the bar.

"Chaango."

"Yeah." the man turned from his phone call to look at the mercenary.

Drusilla turned, pointed her gun at her former crew mate then fired. She hit him in the neck and fell backwards.

The bar was silent for a moment before the patrons went back to their drinks and gambling.

"Ursula, did you see what I did there?"

The young girl nodded. "I've seen you kill before."

"True, but you still aren't paying attention. I called his name. I will freely and sometimes proudly admit to being a murderous thief. But I believe when you kill someone especially in cold blood, they have a right to know who is killing them and why? Chaango knew. Do you know why I shot him?"

The child looked at her mentor.

"Because Chaango talks too much. He was attempting to sell us out."

"No loose ends."

"Exactly.

Is someone going to come scrap this scum off the floor?"

 

Ursula remembered that day often. Being an assassin sometimes made it hard to follow her mentors advice. But she had tried. Until she walked into a CIA set-up.

When a room full of guns were all aimed to shoot her down, because she was betrayed by a rival whom she believed to have a professional respect for her, she surrendered, and began using her skills for the government. Right after she put bullet in each of Ryan's knees and hands.

"The ONLY reason I didn't kill you is because of your child. But I will be watching you. Be a good mother."

That was over seven years ago. Ursula kept her word. Randomly leaving notes or showing up at parks. Never saying anything but making her presence known.

Working for the government was no picnic and more than once she'd been arrested for treason for refusing to complete assignments. They usually involved taking out entire families, children and babies included.

For three years, Ursula sat in an undisclosed prison in the middle of nowhere Peru, until Smoque came and gave her an offer she would have to have been insane to pass on.

"Ursula Hadley, no known aliases. Father was a French soldier whose convoy was set upon by insurgents in Cairo on a humanitarian mission. Where he met your mother who was working in the American embassy when he and two others from his unit escaped.

"They disappeared somewhere in or near the Indian Ocean in a plane crash. You, at the tender age of 2, survived. You were found by Drusilla and her band mercenary pirates. She raised like a daughter until she saw your skills with firearms and stealth and sent you to train with the Macco twins. They turned you into woman you are today.

"After hundreds of killings, you were betrayed by a Ryan Huntington. And turned yourself over to the CIA. You worked for the American government until three years ago, when you refused to dispatch the entire Xin family. And landed yourself in this lovely place.

"Did I miss anything?"

Ursula only stared at the woman in a helmet and what looked like leather, cotton and polyester one piece catsuit.

"I'll take your silence as a no."

"Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"She can speak. They call me Smoque. I'm beginning a new club, need some members and wanted to know if you were sick of wiping your ass with banana leaves."

Spirit Lake: The House Next Door pt.9

Sitting around the house was getting depressing, so I made the short walk into town to check out the lay of the land, and maybe pop in to Zack’s store.  For all the talking he did about the place, he never showed me any pictures.  I kind of wanted to see the building that was going to be taking over our lives for the next couple of years. 

The walk was short, and the town seemed peaceful.  Quiet.

Really quiet.

I always expected to see families out and about, or kids out playing.

There was nothing. 

It was just quaint homes, buttoned up tight, blinds down. 

The neighborhood was a ghost town. 

Even the air seemed stale. 

As I stepped off of our street, and on to the main strip of downtown the atmosphere shifted suddenly.  The air seemed to crackle with life.  Couples and families walked along the wooden boardwalk around the lake, people called out from shops. 

There were signs of life.

I glanced over my shoulder, back at my new street, and it seemed like a totally different world.