Synopsis: Naked Peril (a Sir Differel adventure)

The girls race through an open wood with Gen. Ross in the foothills west of Denver. At one point, they come upon a wall and follow its perimeter to a gate. There they find an armed guard. Ross knocks him unconscious and they head up the drive towards a distant house. However, they stumble into a patrol and are captured. They are taken to a military encampment and told to enter a tent. There they see the back of a chair at a desk. They can't see who's in it, but they can see smoke rising above it and a hand reach out to take some loose papers off a table at the rear of the tent. Then a familiar voice asks them to sit down. When they do, the chair turns around and the girls discover it is Sir Differel.

She asks them what they are doing there. Though her manner is pleasant, she is obviously upset. The girls and Ross sidestep the question and ask what she's doing there. Differel explains that a paranormal artifact was taken from the British Museum. Her agents traced it here, and she's come to get it back. When the girls ask about Dracula, she claims he's busy elsewhere. When Ross asks why she didn't inform the American government, she tells them she didn't want the Americans to know about the artifact. Ideally, she shouldn't have told the girls, but she likes and trusts them enough to hope that, Ross's presence not withstanding, if she was straight with them, they'd be straight with her.

The Ross agrees to cooperate and Differel orders tea. She explains that she's here to investigate reports of strange phenomena in this area, and she asked the girls to accompany her because of their unique talents. Differel asks how she met them. She explains that three months previously, Dr. Mabuse had been kidnapped by a rogue army colonel named Torain Thegn and tortured to reveal where she hid the self-aware robot she invented. The robot had contacted the girls, and with their help and the help of Medb, he rescued Mabuse, though he sacrificed himself to do so. However, Ross had been so impressed with the girls' handling of the rescue that the next month she hired and train them to participate with her in a commando operation against a bioweapons plant. Sir Differel is impressed; she had heard of the operation, but she never realized the girls had been involved. In any event, they had done a few other jobs for Ross, mostly by going in and finding out what's going on, then alerting Ross so she could send in whatever troops or specialists were needed to deal with the situation. This was the first time, since their first mission, that Ross had come with them.

Differel states that technically the girls are Caerleon agents, so she could second them to her troop as part of her personal team, but Ross's presence presents a problem. She reiterates that she cannot have the Americans involved. Realistically she should incarcerate Ross until the operation is over, but she doesn't want to spare the men to guard her. She would prefer to enlist her as well, but she would have to give her word that she will do what she tells her. In any event, she could use all their help. She has a platoon with her, but with the exception of a trio of specialists, it will mostly be responsible for defense and diversion tactics. Ross assures her that her only concern is to find out what's behind the reported phenomena; she has no interest in interfering with Differel's expedition so long as they confine themselves to recovering the stolen artifact. Once she and her troops are gone, Ross can send for her own forces to mop up. Differel accepts that.

As she continues her informal briefing, she explains that the artifact was taken to the house. She intends to go in, raid the house, find the artifact, and leave. She is simply waiting for word from her scouting teams before going in. She gives them a chance to clean up a bit, remarking that their camouflage paint makes them look like circus clowns. She also remarks that Sunny looks different with her hair dyed black and in pigtails.

After Ross and the girls wash up, Differel introduces them to the platoon commander, Lt. Carrig, the platoon leader, Sgt. Frombe, and the three specialists, Capt. Ranlier, Lt. Savoir, and RSM Perkins. She has Ross and the girls outfitted with weapons: Heckler & Koch UMP submachine guns, SIG P226 pistols, and Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives; Ross retains her M1911 .45 ACP pistol, but also takes a Neostead 2000 combat shotgun. The scouting teams return and report to Carrig, who then informs Differel. She orders the platoon to move in; Carrig leads them while Frombe coordinates with Differel. They storm the house and quickly secure it, meeting no opposition. In fact, the house seems to be deserted, which unnerves everyone. Differel and her team proceed to the library with Frombe and a half-dozen troops. There they find a rough-hewn, disc-shaped piece of black stone with a smooth face covered in strange symbols. Frombe checks it out and declares that it isn't booby trapped. Ranlier, Savoir, and Perkins take charge of it under Differel's supervision while Ross and the girls look on. The three specialists examine it and eventually declare it to be genuine. They pack it away and Differel orders the troops to withdraw.

The sound of gunfire alerts them that there is a problem. They make their way down to the great hall, where the platoon is under siege from a mass of diminutive creatures. Despite their overwhelming firepower, the troops are overrun, and Differel retreats with her team, Ross, the girls, and Frombe. Carrig sacrifices his life so they can get away, taking a couple of dozen creatures with him. The survivors try to make it out the back, but are cut off. They are driven into the basement where they plan to make a stand while Ross calls for reinforcements.

In the room, the girls find a tunnel leading underground. Thinking it leads to a ghoul warren, they take out their ankhs and persuade the others to follow them. They go down the tunnel and emerge into a large chamber filled with the creatures. They are overwhelmed and subdued, but not killed. Instead the three specialists are taken away with the stone while the women are stripped naked. Frombe tries to fight back but is wounded. The creatures seem to be frightened of the girls' ankhs; not enough to leave the girls alone, but they do not touch the ankhs and the girls are able to retain them. They are then all dumped into a pit. While they wait, they can hear bloodcurdling screams mixed with chanting in a weird, sibilant tongue.

Some time later, the creatures return. Savoir is with them, but he is now dressed in ceremonial robes. He reveals that he is allied to them, whom he calls The Little People, that his family has inbred with them for generations. It was he who stole the stone and had it brought to America. He intends to use it to call up one of the Little People's gods, and he needs the women as sacrifices. Ross warns him that she has called in a Marine anti-terrorist squad and that they will arrive soon, but he indicates that the ceremony will be finished before they can arrive. He then departs. The Little People lower a rope ladder and threaten the women with poison darts if they don't climb up. They are then escorted through a tunnel to the outside, where a huge bonfire in a pit has been lit. Savoir stands in front of it, chanting in the sibilant tongue with a group of Little People chorusing him. The rest dance around the fire with wild abandon. Frombe is taken and spread-eagled on a flat stone. The women watch helpless as the Little People torture and rape her, then she is picked up and flung into the fire. Her screams continue for some time before she falls silent.

The Little People then grab Sunny and manhandle her towards the altar, but before they can get started, ghouls come streaming out of the surrounding woods. They rescue the women, herd them into the trees, then into a cave and down a passage. They go through a secret entrance and another tunnel into a chamber, where they are met by two ghouls. One the girls recognize as Stéise, the ghoul leader who officiated at the ceremony that made them ghoul-friends. The other salutes Ross and introduces itself as Bonecracker, late Lt. Col. Benjamin Harold Sherman, USMC, now retired. Ross is flabbergasted; she knew Sherman, he had been her commanding officer when she was a first lieutenant in special forces. He was lost, presumed killed during an operation in the Middle East. He explains that his change began while on that mission, and after it was over he went to live in a warren in the desert. He has since risen to be an important tactical officer among the ghouls.

Stéise explains that while the ghouls live peaceably with many subterranean races, they are at war with the Little People. Normally the two groups just stay out of each other's way, but they often clash, such as when the ghouls must interrupt a summoning ritual. Tonight was one such ritual, except that the presence of Savoir and the stone complicate matters. Even so, their original intention was to let the women be sacrificed and see what was called up, but when they saw the girls' ankhs, the observers reported back for instructions. Stéise apologizes that they did not intervene in time to save the woman who was immolated, but they had to deliberate what to do. In the end, it was the possibility the girls were Team Girl that prompted their intervention. Though they did not learn what they wanted to learn, nonetheless the ceremony had been interrupted, so all is well. The women are welcome to remain safe with them until Ross's reinforcements arrive.

At this point Differel interrupts. They must recover the stone; it is the property of the Her Majesty's government. Stéise responds that the political affairs of humans are not their concern. Ross sides with Differel, explaining that as long as Savoir has the stone, he will try again. Differel adds that Savoir is a traitor who killed her men and he needs to be killed. Bonecracker agrees, but Stéise overrides him. The girls ask about the "god" Savoir intended to raise. Stéise is shocked to hear the name, and when she asks how they know it, they explain Savoir told them. Stéise explains that it is an ancient, chaotic entity, older and more powerful than Mordiggian or Nyarlathotep; older and more powerful than even the Archons. Were it set loose in the world, it could destroy all life in a matter of weeks. The surface of the earth would be scoured down to the bedrock, leaving only those races who live underground. And without humans, the ghouls would eventually die out. She agrees the stone must be recovered, and she places Bonecracker in charge.

He takes the women to another chamber, where a number of armed ghouls are waiting. He explains that this is his model unit: a short company of 75 individuals, divided into three infantry platoons with a heavy weapons platoon. Ghouls have always fought hand-to-hand before, but casualties are often heavy. This unit was created to test the idea that using weapons would give them a greater advantage and cut down on casualties. It is made up entirely of former military personnel from several different countries, so they are already trained and disciplined. He gladly places it under Ross's command. Ross demures, since she is not a combat officer, but Bonecracker insists, so she makes him her exec, with full tactical authority; she will develop the strategy, in concert with Differel. Bonecracker offers them weapons but regrets he can provide no clothes; his troops don't wear uniforms.

The strategy is simple: the ghouls will assault the Little People's warren and spearhead the thrust for Savoir and the stone; Differel and the girls will be responsible for dealing with Savoir and recovering the stone. Bonecracker will handle the tactical requirements to achieve the strategic goal. The heavy weapons platoon is assigned to escort Differel and the girls.

The attack goes off as planned. The armed ghouls, supported by unarmed ghouls sent in behind them to mop up, wreck havoc with the Little People. Differel and the girls pursue Savoir deeper into the warren. At one point they are ambushed by some form of monstrosity, but Differel engages Savoir while the girls secure the stone. Differel kills him after a savage hand-to-hand fight, and they retreat back towards the surface. The armed ghouls have driven off the Little People and claimed their warren for their own.

Afterwards, Stéise insists the ghouls must have the stone for safe keeping. Differel refuses to give it up, but offers to let the ghouls protect it in London. Stéise agrees to negotiate a fair settlement and lets her keep the stone. Bonecracker offers his unit for Ross's use, and Ross pledges to give him logistical support. He then informs her that her troops are closing in; she can meet them at the house.

The women are escorted back to the house, and when the first troops arrive, Ross goes out to meet them, while Differel and the girls remain inside. The commander stares dumbfounded at her at first, but when she barks he hurries off to get clothes for her and her companions.