The Rats's Story

The cloaked feline, who was almost as black as the night itself, stared up the large tent that was plonked in the middle of the street with scathing, yellow eyes. This was NOT what he’d had in mind… and SOMEBODY was going to DIE!
“You IDIOT!” he screamed at the unfortunate man standing next to him. “This isn't the building I asked for! USUALLY they have these things called WALLS! And they tend to be made out of these things called BRICKS! NOT CANVAS!”
The young man quivered, “I-It was all we could find S-Sir,” he mumbled. “We couldn't f-find another estate agent willing to work with you... and everyone else simply refused answer the door…!”
Tesslar sighed grumpily, “FINE! If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room!” And tossed the canvas aside, before storming into the tent.
The man didn't answer. Mainly because he was lying on the ground with his throat severed...
“Lawrence! Clean up that mess!” Tesslar hollered, before walking towards his own private quarters, noticing someone standing just outside. “Ah! Bombalurina, my sweet!” he purred, suddenly the picture of charm. “I don't suppose you've seen my little Pearl anywhere, have you?”
The curvaceous red Somali took a deep drag of her cigarette. “No, sorry,” she said. “Last I saw, she had to go for a lie down… said something about a headache…”
Tesslar tutted, his features folding themselves into something akin to disappointment (a dangerous emotion for ANYONE who happened to be standing within ten feet of him!) before pulling themselves back into one of what seemed to be pity... although it was hard to tell the difference! “Ah... that is... unfortunate...” he muttered. “I was so looking forward to…”
Bombalurina regarded him nervously, but her flagrant demeanour never slipped. Not once. In fact, she smirked and rested her arms upon his massive shoulders. “Never mind,” she said sweetly. “I'm sure she'll make it up you when she feels better. In the meantime… why don't I…?”
“Hmmm…” Tesslar grumbled, “I suppose you'll have to do…”

A man pulled aside the curtain... shrieked! And quickly closed it…! But he wasn't quick enough!
The next thing he knew, he was being pinned up against the canvas, with a set of dagger like claws around his throat, staring down a gullet packed with razor sharp teeth! The growl that reverberated from the Cat's throat set his hair flying, “Who DARES to disturb me?!” Tesslar demanded. “You'd BETTER have a good story! I want LOTS of DRAGONS!!!!” And he tightened his grip, snarling (but secretly enjoying the terror he was inflicting, as the man breathed his last...!)
But just before the poor man died, he managed to utter the fateful words, “Sir… the Snowshoe’s escaped…!”
“WHAAAAAAAT????!!!!!@!”

On the corner, a man in a black trench coat melted out of the shadows. Moments later, a blacked out Porsche Panamera screeched to a halt in front of him. “Where the HELL have you been?!!!” he snarled as he yanked open the door and got in. “Because of YOU, the fleabag and its friend got away! And now the Boss is going to KILL me. And THEN I'm going to KILL all of you pathetic, useless knuckleheads…!"
He carried on raging, even as the car sped away with yet another screech of burning tyres, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust fumes…!

From outside, a commotion could be heard coming from within the tent, the voices muffled. To passers by, it sounded as though someone was being murdered… but no-one stopped to investigate. For the simple reason that murders were all the rage in this part of town. In fact, they were so common that you could get them to order... and they usually came with a side of chips!
However, if someone had been foolhardy enough to look inside the large, circus style marquee, they would indeed, have witnessed a scene of utter carnage. Several Rats were dead, and Lawrence was pinned to the thick, black canvas with his feet dangling, by a seemingly invisible force! “You let her ESCAPE!!!?” Tesslar roared, his paw outstretched, staff pointing at Lawrence's chest!
“S-Sir…!” Lawrence tried to explain, though it was hard for him to talk- the force was slowly crushing his ribs! “She… she had a friend with her! A Jellicle...!”
That took Tesslar's mind off crushing the man like a coke can for a moment! He paused, arm still outstretched... “A Jellicle you say?” he said thoughtfully. “And... what exactly did this... Jellicle, look like?”
“S-S-Silver... black... tabby stripes! There was also a man with them…!”
“I see. That is… most intriguing...” The Fiend let go of the man, simply letting him fall to the ground in a heap, as he waved the staff and, moments later, a hologram computer screen appeared before him. “Evilyne!” he barked.
There was no answer (and Tesslar's eyes began to glow red!) “EVILYNE!!!” he roared. “Kindly answer me, you useless pile of junk!”
“What do you want?” The computer snapped in a monotone, staccato voice that sounded vaguely female. “I was halfway through upgrading my systems, I shall have you know. Now I shall have to start again. You bastard.”
“I don't care if you were filing your nails!” Tesslar snarled. “I want the names and faces of all the Silver tabbies this side of Terra! And make it snappy!”
The computer appeared to sigh moodily, and, a few, excruciating minutes later, thumbnails began to appear on the screen… over twenty thousand of them!
“Now Lawrence,” said Tesslar. “I need you to be a little more specific. Let's start with: Was it male?”
“Yes sir,” Lawrence quickly replied, and ten thousand thumbnails instantly vanished.
“Height?”
“Around 7,3.”
“Fur. Long or short?”
“Long, Sir.”
“Eye colour?”
“Green.”
“Breed?”
“A definite mix. Not a pedigree. At a push I'd say Maine Coon or Norwegian forest, with a bit of Balinese thrown in.” At that, only five thumbnails remained, and, still holding his ribs, Lawrence pointed to one, “That's him, Sir! That's definitely him!”
Tesslar enlarged the picture, and stood, staring at it for a long time. “Computer! Information on this individual please!” he barked again.
“Need I remind you that my name is Evilyne!” it replied moodily.
“Oh just get on with it, you virus infected Potato! Before I deep fry your hard drive!”
“Munkustrap Grayhame: assassin, status: mentor. Last known location: Gambit’s Bar…” As the computer listed off everything it had on the individual (including his birth date, star sign and family members... all the way down to his favourite childhood cuddly toy) Tesslar stroked the beard-like fur on his chin.
“So?” he mused. “Munkustrap Grahame, eh? My nephew’s killer? Residing here? In Wing City? Well, well, well! That is a turn up for the books. What electronic devices does he have on his person?"
"Target 197 carries a mobile wrist device. A Samsung Wristphone."
"Hmmm. Perhaps I will not kill you after all Lawrence! At least, not today! Computer! Track his phone, pinpoint his location!”
The computer was silent for another few ions (or what seemed like it anyway!) while on the screen, a circular throbber rotated around and around and around... "Negative," Evilyne said (after about ten minutes!) "Target out of range. Do you wish to retry?"
"No just forget it... Yes of course retry you idiotic machine! And keep trying until you locate him!"
Then he proceeded to interrogate the Mage for information on the other man (the one who had helped Jazzei to escape) and when Kurt Bannon's face appeared, Tesslar started to laugh. An evil, insane laugh that reverberated around the marquee and sent icy shivers down the spines of all those present… including a Red Somali queen, who was listening in the shadows...
The laugh was soon followed by a frenzie of stentorian orders, “LAWRENCE! Take your men and search the city! I want the girl AND Munkustrap. Both together! Preferably alive! However, you may kill the old man at your leisure! And don't you DARE fail me this time, Lawrence! Or I will change my mind about NOT turning you into a dust cushion...!”
"Oh, and one more thing," he added, just as Lawrence was about to disappear out of the canvas door faster than bat out of Hell. "Try not to get followed this time! I don't really want to have to kill anymore policemen. They made a frightful mess of my front porch!"

Christopher J. Richardson stared down with barely veiled disgust at the corpse lying at his feet. She'd been a young prostitute, a poor soul with no way to protect herself other than the dirty route.
She had been the third person killed by "The Immortal" Zodd Nosferatu.
Besides him, the detective known as Rorschach inhaled, smoking a cigarette. It was strange that the man didn't roll his mask up to smoke. But what was stranger was the composition of the mask itself; it was white with black spots that moved and roiled around on it like clouds.
Rorschach exhaled, breathing out a plume of smoke that rose into the air. Then he turned to Christopher. "So what do you think?"
The police officer raised an eyebrow. "Think about what?"
"Well, the murder of course. What do you notice?"
Another odd trait about Rorschach - for some reason he let Christopher figure something out, but then explain it better. In any case, Christopher bent down and looked at the corpse. It was the same as all the others - a person seemingly in the wrong place at the wrong time, always centered around Main Street. This was the second one in the Side Alley.
He peered closer at the wound. As all the others, it had been done with some sort of giant cleaver. The forensic scientists had discovered traces of iron dust on the wounds. And the wounds were, strangely, always centered around dismemberment.
As he looked over the young woman's body, he noticed something. It wasn't something very unusual, but as he saw it, the light bulb came on in his head.
"She's very strong-looking," he said. "Muscular. Built for fighting."
Rorschach chuckled. "She would've had to have been, considering her profession. But what about it?"
Christopher slowly stood up, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. This case was starting to make sense at last. "The last case had been a construction worker going to work. He'd been very strong too. And Clay had had a past-time of boxing, so he was well-muscled as well."
"So?"
"This demon, this... this Nosferatu... he must be seeking strong people for a fight! He must be some sort of vengeance demon."
Christopher couldn't see Rorschach's face, but he could sort of feel that the detective was smiling. "Now you're catching on. But if he were a vengeance demon, why would he kill them if they hadn't done anything?"
Christopher's face fell. "Um... I... I don't-"
"Think, man," Rorschach interrupted, grasping the police officer's shoulder. "You said that the people who died were built for fighting. If Zodd is a vengeance demon looking for a fight, then what do you think they must have done?"
Realization crashed upon the constable like strong waves upon a beach. "They tried to fight back."
Rorschach smiled. "Bingo."
Christopher began to pace. "They tried to fight him. Foolishness of course, as he was a demon, but they had to defend themselves. The construction worker with his hammer, the young woman with a knife she had hidden in her boot. By trying to fight him, they'd only invoked his rage."
"Thus, he'll be searching around for more strong folks to massacre. Which could be bad, considering what's coming up soon."
"What do you mean?"
Rorschach turned aside to exhale, and then tossed his cigarette in a nearby dumpster. He then started walking out of the alleyway. Confused, Christopher followed along. Finally, Rorschach stopped at the front of Gambit's Bar, and pointed to a poster taped to the front window that read "Upcoming Wrestling Event This Week!!! Pro Wrestlers From All Over The Multiverse To The Terran Wrestling Arena This Weekend!!! One Night Only!!! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!!!!"
Christopher gasped softly. "Oh no. This is not good."
"Yup," Rorschach said, pulling out a bottle of brandy and swigging it through his mask. How does he even do that? Christopher wondered. "Our happy little demon friend will be drawn there like moths to a lamp. Worse still, we don't have enough time to cancel it. It begins in two hours."
"Two hours?! We have to get there and stop him!"
"I agree, friend, so we better hurry up and get there." With that, the two started to run across the crosswalk. Out of nowhere, a dark and sleek car with blacked out windows sped by, running the green light. It would have flattened Christopher if Rorschach hadn't held him back in time.
"Hey! Asshole! You just ran a green light!" the detective shouted at the car, shaking the bottle at it. The driver continued on speeding away.
As they reached the other side without any other mishaps, Christopher pulled out his walkie-talkie. "This is Christopher J. Richardson. A blacked-out Porsche - license plate 89E 7O1 - speeding, running green lights, and nearly harming pedestrians on Main Street. Send out a unit or two to pull him over. Over."
The officer on the other end responded, "We copy, sending two units to track and subdue Porsche 89E 7O1. Over and out."
As Christopher put his walkie-talkie away, Rorschach grabbed his hand. "Stop socializing and hurry! We have a mass murderer to stop!" And thus, the two ran along towards the Arena, the area where the event was to be held.

“So? Ladies! It would appear that we have a traitor amongst us!” Tesslar announced, as he walked up and down in front of the group of ten, nervous, Jellicle women, who were lined up against the far wall.
Some were shaking, others crying. The rest stared at him blankly, not knowing quite why they were there.
Twirling the beretta on a clawed finger, Tesslar continued the interrogation, “Come on! Which one of you was it?”
No one answered. So he sighed regretfully, took aim... and shot one of the queens (a brown and white Bicolour Angora called Aurora) square in the centre of her head, killing her instantly! And as she sank to the floor, the others shrieked and cried out in shock and horror…! As Tesslar spat, “I shall ask you again! Which one of you, sly little weevils stole my keys and helped my star performer, Jazzimoré, to run free?! Causing me to have get The Wolves in to kill her…?”
Bombalurina suddenly gasped, “What?!” Drat! She'd blown her cover!
“That's right, SWEETHEART,” Tesslar replied, looking directly at her with realisation dawning in his eyes. “Your precious friend is DEAD! And it looks as though you only have YOURSELF to blame!”
“I dunno what you're talking about!” Bombi growled, folding her arms.
“Oh I think you DO…!” Tesslar held up the gun-
“Tensey did it!” She said automatically.
“Hortenseya?”
Tutting, Tesslar turned to the Korat, her blue black fur shining with silver tips. “Tenseya! Tenseya!” he said almost pitifully. “Sensible Tenseya. Drummer of The Nymph Quartet and one of my finest acrobats. Why would you, of all people, do such a thing?”
Hortenseya glared hate filled daggers at Bombalurina, knowing full well that the Spartan Bitch had just sealed her fate. “I didn't do it, Sir,” she protested with tears in her eyes. Not of fear or sadness. But of anger! “She's lying! Can't you see?! I would never-!” BANG!
Poor Tensey never got another word out... dead before she even hit the floor, her chest ripped apart…!
Putting the gun away, Tesslar carried on as though nothing had happened, “Now let THAT be a lesson to ALL OF YOU!" He snarled. "I want no more sneaking about! No more treachery! No more lies! And if any one of you tries to escape, I will not only find you and kill you, but I will send the rest of you to Kingdom Come as well! NOW GET BACK TO WORK! Bombalurina. You will stay! I have need of you!”
“I can tell, Chicken!” the sassy Harlot drawled, not in the slightest bit phased by the ever growing pools of blood that were seeping into the carpet. At least, not appearing to be…!
Shaking and crying, the rest of the queens beat a hasty departure, going back to their jobs: which involved either cleaning the Marquee or otherwise, entertaining the ‘visitors’...

It started at midnight.
The prisoners were bundled out of the Marquee one by one and transferred to a blacked out minibus, with blindfolds over their eyes, and some with paws tied behind their backs (the squeaking fairies had been shut inside a special box which prevented them from using their magic; whereas the Alicorn had had its hooves clapped in chains.)
The Marquee was then quickly dismantled and stode away inside the boot of the bus, before it drove silently away, leaving behind no trace, aside from a few particles of dust blowing in the wind and collecting in the gutter, coupled with a number of stains darkening the cracked pavement...

Taking over The Ghoul had been surprisingly easy. The Boss was apparently away on business, and so all Tesslar had had to do was take over the barmaid’s mind and she had been most obliging after that!
His prisoners (seven Jellicle wives, five fairies, a Mithrall Swan, a rare Origin Fruit Bat, a handful of Pokemon and a blue roan Alicorn) had then been shipped in, in the dead of night, via a blacked out minibus, and were now safely housed inside their bullet and magic proof glass cages.
In slightly better spirits, Tesslar surveyed his new, grand surroundings and rubbed his paws together. It was time to prepare for the show! It was just a pity that he didn't have his star performer...
"Don't forget, this is only a temporary stop off!" he told the prisoners. "Tomorrow, we ship out to our new place of resistance. And I am sure you will find it to be most... comfortable...!" And he started to laugh. A long, low, evil laugh...!

The Red Somali Cat woman wandered aimlessly around the market, looking for a potential pick up. If she didn't (and subsequently failed to bring Tesslar his money) then there would be Hell to pay! The last thing she wanted was to see another prisoner killed, least of all herself! (As it was, their numbers had more than halved over the years, due to Tesslar's murderous rampages!) So she staked out a particularly busy market stall, one paw on her shapely hips, the laces on her top straining in their attempts to contain the endowments they had been given the task of supporting, as she attempted to titillate one of the gentlemen by trying to catch his eye.
At the same time, she also kept a hawk-like watch on the other ladies who were hanging around, dressed similarly in their tight corset tops, fishnets and thigh high boots. Kuze the Pokemon girl had already attracted the attention of some lecher in filthy overalls and had followed him around a corner.
But there was no way any of them could escape. Tesslar had put everything he could think of in place to prevent that from happening. There were Rats creeping about all over the place, but if the prisoners managed to evade them, then the mind control switch in their brains would force their feet to return to Tesslar at his beck and call, no matter how far they strayed. And even if one of them were to somehow break through that, then there were always the tags. The metal devices that had been sewn into each of their arms meant that Evelyne was always watching, and could eliminate them at the touch of a button!
However, with her help, one had managed to crack the system. Immune to Tesslar's mind control, and with three failed escape attempts already under her belt, Jazzimoré had finally used her surgical skills to extract the chip from her own arm, enabling her to escape for good and find help. At least, that was what Bombalurina had initially thought (or rather, hoped!) “Now she is dead,” thought the ex Spartan Queen with a glimmer of regret leaking through her inhibited mind. “Now there is no hope of any of us…!”

At long last, the pub renovations were almost complete. The foundations had been pretty sound, so all that there was to do was to build up on top.
Looking like a Georgian shop front, with square lead windows, black walls for the ground floor and buff walls for the upper, it looked fairly innocuous, and already had a sign outside saying: The Penance Tavern now open. Under new management! Welcome all!
Inside, it was dark and gloomy, with wooden chairs and tables, a pool table (that also doubled as a poker table) dart board and solid oak bar, manned by an odd looking fellow whom Tesslar had met in the market, called Smiler Mcpsycho (So called because, when he smiled, he looked as though he was about to kill you! And most probably was!)
There was also a stage and poles for Tesslar's performers to entertain the guests with while they had a drink or a gamble... And a few had already started to check the place out! However, when they asked Smiler about putting anything on the tab, he simply smiled his ghoulish smile, held up an axe and said, “Give us yeh fingers. Yeh can av em back when yev paid!”
Everything was going to plan. Ok, so it wasn't quite the Slick Cassino that he had in mind, still, it was better than nothing!
Making his way to the combination of steel and reinforced concrete warehouse, Tesslar opened the door with a wave of his paw and entered, the door closing behind him. “Anything happening out there, Narkskull?” he asked.
The cyborg turned away from the wall of screens in his swivel chair and shook his head. “No sign of the escapee or the friend she was with, Sir. We're monitoring every camera in the city though, so it's only a matter of time. He can't hide forever, and Evilyne will be watching when he comes out of his hole-!”
At that moment, there came a frantic bleeping! It was coming from the super computer itself! Narkskull hurried over, punched a button on the keyboard and a map of the city appeared on the monitor, a red dot flashing in the area where the hospital was situated. “Target 254 identified and located!” Evilyne announced in her monotone voice. “Mobile phone signal detected at Wing City Hospital, Level 6. Now can I go back to sleep?”
“No you cannot, you wretched box!” Tesslar snapped. “Get the Hospital up on screen, this instant!”
Seconds later, the screens on the far wall flashed up with images of Wing City Hospital, and Tesslar eagerly zoomed in on one of them. He smiled avidly when he saw a familiar cat woman talking to a strange man outside the Pharmacy. “Found you, my pretty!” He chuckled.
“Warning!” Evilyne chimed in. “Detecting Aschen technologies! Detecting Aschen technologies!”
“Oh no! Not those bastards!” Tesslar groaned, taking up his staff. “Rats! A call to arms! Lawrence! I'm opening a portal to level 6 Wing City Hospital! Find the traitor! Kill her before the Aschen get their stinking mits on her! And I want her properly dead this time Lawrence!!!”

Jazzei didn't stop running! Her breath came in ragged gasps and her foreleg burned from the added pressure that it wasn't accustomed to. But she dared not stop! Because she could hear a pursuer coming up behind her, terrifyingly fast for a human! In fact, he was almost on her tail!
Higher and higher she climbed, how many floors she passed she didn't know (she lost count at nine!) But when she passed a sign reading: level 32, she knew she was almost at the top, suddenly reaching a dead end! A fire door! And she was a cat! It was time to morph back! Which she did, in the blink of an eye, threw open the door and charged through it! But where to go next!?
Heart pounding, she ran along the corridor, trying doors left and right…! All locked! But then she rounded a corner and had a desperate idea! In front of her was an abandoned laundry trolley, full of clean sheets and, best of all, uniforms!
So when the man sped around the corner, expecting to find a cat, all he found was a young nurse with long, brown, wavy hair, sky blue eyes and milk white skin, pushing the laundry trolley along towards one of the wards... However, there was a problem!
The shoes she was wearing were far too big, and she had no socks on! Added to that, she clearly had no bra on underneath that pinafore! But, before he could apprehend her, she had swiped her card key into the slot and slipped through the door, slamming it shut in his face!
She knew it wouldn't take him long to get through! And alas! Seconds later, the door clicked, opening with a bone chilling creak...!
Shit! She was at another dead end! She was trapped!!!
But wait! What was that? A hole in the ceiling? It was her only chance! And she only had one shot!
Changing from a human, back into a cat, she leapt onto a table, looked up... and jumped! She would easily have made it… if one of her arms had not been broken! And for a nerve freezing moment she was left dangling from the plasterboard by a single clawed paw, trying to use her opposite elbow to haul herself through the gap!
She could hear him getting closer! Heard the antagonistic laugh at her efforts, as the guy cocked his weapon…! But at last she managed to scramble into (what she realised) was the air vent and hurried through, barely avoiding the bullets that came hissing through the metal just millimetres from her tail!
Finally, she came to a an iron grate and pushed it aside, dragging herself through the gap, and falling ungracefully out of the ventilation pipe, onto the concrete, panting and exhausted!
But there was no time to rest! For there was the Devil incarnate himself! He'd found another way! And it wasn't who she had initially thought it was either! (But someone almost as bad!) “Lawrence!” she hissed. Flanked by four heavily armed Rats!
He grimaced, showing all of his metal teeth, as he pointed his semi auto at her chest. “Did you miss me?” he asked, his voice like a snowman with laryngitis.
Morphing back into her Jellicle form (completely without attire, save for the gold locket around her neck) Jazzei turned and ran! Bullets pinged at her heels, but she didn't get far! There was nowhere else to go, because she was on a roof! And was now looking down at the ground, just under four hundred feet below (or so she reckoned!) There was nothing for it! All was lost! Shaking from a combination of anger, weariness and lack of food, she turned to face Tesslar's Evil Servant. “Ok. I give up. You win!” she said. “You want to kill me so damn badly? Go ahead!”
With tears falling from hers eyes, she spread her arms out. “Well, go on then! Do it! And make it quick! There's someone I wish to join!”

Upon the rooftop a single creature stood at the edge. A golden globe of some form in his black and silver hand. "Oh I wouldnt go that far. Your husband wouldnt want his death to be in vain after all" Came the calm cultred voice of Munkustrap. He turned around and held up the Apple, golden light danced around him and Jazzei, the two soldiers that had chased her fell to the ground simply knocked out by all their own senses going haywire.

Munkus then removed his dark cloak and wrapped it around Jazzei's shoulders. "Come, I have a place where I can help you properly and we can figure this mess out." He told her simply. It was true, he did have a place, a safe place, a place none really knew about safe for a select few, and those few that knew of it so far, was simply only him.

Well, him and Jazzei.

A silver and black patterned formed on the rooftop they stood upon. When it was done formingit was made clear of what it was.

A Transportation Array.

Munkus was getting Jazzei out of there to better safety

Jazzei looked to her left towards the unexpected voice and did a double take...! ::What the-?! WHAT-?!!!! Silver Guy-!? Here…? On the roof like he'd just dropped in to say hi!?::
But before she could ask what the Hell he was doing there, the orb like object that he was holding burst into life, forming a kind of energy shield around them, and knocking Lawrence and his men right out! ::This day just gets weirder and weirder!:: she thought, but felt jubilant for some reason! In fact she had never felt more happy to see someone!
“Well I didn't much fancy jumping off there anyway!” she laughed jokingly, as (with good grace, she thought!) he placed a cloak around her bare shoulders (which were only covered by her fur, along with the rest of her!) and realised she still didn't know his name! Well, there would be time enough for that (and all the other million and a half questions she had!) when they got to wherever they were going. She hoped it had a bed. And food! And a bath!

Kesslee didn't give chase when the woman seemed to turn into a cat, and scamper off. He simply stood there with a twisted expression on his face. The IIA Agents stayed put as well, if Kesslee didn't give chase, than neither would they.

His eyes moved to the ceiling, as shutters snapped shut all around them. The swirling vortex of clouds, and rainbow light continued to gather around the top of the hospital, followed immediately by a column of rainbow light, which shot into the hospital. Kesslee disappeared in a flash of multicolored light.

The remaining IIA agents considered their options. The ones who revealed themselves and opened fire, that is.

They put down their weapons, and surrendered to the Terra Nova, kicking their Disruptor PDWs away from them, and putting their hands up.

Then they collapsed, every one of them trapped in the room collapsed dead in an instant, each of them taking a fast acting poison, and collapsing in the hospital room.

---

On an adjacent rooftop, a pair of Operatives watched the exchange in near silence, EVE Advised that they disengage, so they elected to watch through their scopes.

The Penance Tavern now open. Under new management! Welcome all! ➡️

Tesslar and Narkskull watched intently as the scene on the screens unfolded: the silent hospital shoot out, the rivers of blood, dead bodies littering the corridor… Tesslar chuckled. It was like watching a really good war film! He liked war films... but aha! There was Larry and his Rat Crew! Chasing their injured quarry up the stairs and through the hospital…! “Go on! Grab her Man! What is wrong with you!” Tesslar roared at the screens (And Larry flinched as though he could hear him!)
Finally, an image of the roof appeared onscreen and Tesslar chuckled once again. “There she is, my little snitch! You're cornered now aren't you…? Hey! What just happened?! NARKSKULL!”
Narkskull frantically tapped a multitude of buttons on the keyboard...! “Something has knocked the cameras out Sir!” He said. “I can't get them back on!”
“Dang and Blast!” Tesslar railed. “When I find out who is responsible for this, I shall chew them up and use them as Pokemon food...!”

Slowly, Lawrence began to come round. And so did his four men. “Drat!” he snarled, getting up and dusting off his trench coat. Then he spoke into his wrist phone. “Bitch got any Boss!” He said.
“Then stop standing around like a blinking lemon and get back before the Aschen see you, you idiot!” came the reply.
“Yes Boss,” said Larry, showing his teeth.
“Come on,” he said to his men, and they all dived through a portal that had opened up beside them. As soon as the last man was through, it closed up and disappeared.

“Now, Lawrence. I'm going to ask you one more time. WHAT HAPPENED out there?!”
Lawrence was in his usual relaxed repose, hanging upside down in mid air, while Tesslar pointed the staff at his chest! “We were overwhelmed sir!” He explained (though it was hard to speak with the blood rushing to his head!)
“By WHOM!”
“The-the Fleabag! I almost had it, I swear! But then its friend appeared...! And what with the Aschen sticking their oar in where it wasn't wanted-!”
“Which friend?” Tesslar demanded.
“The Silver one! I saw it on the roof! It had something in its hand... a kind of gold orb…!”
“An Apple!” Tesslar whispered, ignoring the rest of Larry's feeble excuses. “So that was what knocked things out!” He looked at his staff, at the ornate holder at the top, designed for holding an Apple Of Eden. “I cannot deny that I have long desired such an object,” he said to himself. “To reunite the Apple with it's staff would make me unstoppable! And then I could finally teach those Aschen Scumbags once and for all, not to march all over MY turf-!”
“Sir! You've got to see this!” said Narkskull suddenly.
“See what?” asked Tesslar, snapping back to reality and letting Larry drop to ground with a dull “thud!”
Narkskull pointed at the wide, LG flat screen, which was tuned to an Aschen News channel:

“Terran insurgents attempt assassination on Grand Confessor Kesslee!” the broadcaster announced.

(“What? That prick that opened fire on innocent civilians? In a hospital no less?” Exclaimed Tesslar, making a great display of tutting and shaking his head. “What a pity they didn't succeed!”)

“While inspecting Terran medical facilities, Grand Confessor Kesslee came under attack from the manifold, vile, and monstrous enemies of the empire,” the voice droned on.

“One insurgent, identified as a young Felid-xenos entity with no known public records, and the alias 'Jazzimore' pulled a vile weapon of destruction against the noble grand confessor; in an unprovoked attempt upon his life. Assisted by the Terran Arch-terrorist Militant identified as Kurt Bannon, the insurgent drew her weapon in an attempt to take Kesslee's life, before fleeing in the presence of the noble Confessor Ayla Kayama, and the members of the Imperial Intelligence Agency's InOps Division, whom valiantly, and selflessly gave their lives to protect Grand Confessor Kesslee.

Agents of the Confessor Cabal, and the Imperial Intelligence Agency attempted to pursue the subjects, but the subjects managed to escape through the assistance of an unidentified felid-xenos entity who has been confirmed as a third militant assisting in the assassination of Grand Confessor Kesslee. (The image of Munkustrap appeared on the screen).

The United Aschen Empire is offering a reward of two hundred thousand cubits to information leading to the identification, and apprehension of these militants, so that they may be tried, and brought to justice to the fullest extent of Aschen Law!

Our noble brothers and sisters serving the Imperial Government will not tire until these vile terrorists are found, and calls out the Terrorists, let them know that wherever they may hide, they will not be able to hide from Imperial justice forever!”

After watching this, Tesslar quietly stroked his chin fur, his mind working overtime. Getting his revenge on Munkustrap would have to take a back seat, for it appeared that a bigger enemy was afoot. A MUCH bigger enemy! And it was time to show them who was boss! They would rue the day they messed with Tesslar! “I'll wash them back down whatever drain they crawled out of!” He muttered darkly.

“Good evening everybody!” the man in the dark glasses and trilby hat proclaimed to the modest group of individuals who had bothered to show up for the scheduled night. “Thank you all for coming. I, Cassius Countdankworth, will be your host for this evening. And I do hope that you enjoy your evening, while you let us entertain you! And don't forget your free shot to get the party started! Now, without further ado, I bring you: the marvellous, the magnificent, Grinning Ghoul Extravaganza...!!!”
The music began, and with a sweep of his long, black coat, the man (whose hair and beard was also long and black) picked up the microphone and began to sing.
As soon as he began to sing, beautiful women started appearing all over the club, some twirling around polls and others twisting through the crowd as they served out drinks. Every male in the room was truly mesmerized, and by the sight of one woman in particular: A busty redhead who was burlesque dancing onstage, salaciously attired in spiky shoes, fishnets and a tight corset (which was being held together by sheer luck alone!)
Soon she was joined by others and, as the audience members watched the show, transfixed by the staff that Cassius waved as he sang, not one of them noticed The Rats filtering among them, emptying their pockets…!

#”Ow!
Come on!
Yeah!
See-see-see-see-see-come on!
Would you please look at this mother next to me
Frontin' more booty than Peru got keys
Damn, if I don't get that
Wait right there and I'll be right back
Got a new trick in the back of my car
It's kinda like a movie but you're the star
Lights, camera, make a scene
The Endorphinmachine
Go baby
The Endorphinmachine
Yeah, go baby (Go baby)
Tippy, tippy, tin my friend or shall we begin?
Step right up and I'll strap you in
Don't be shy, this won't hurt a bit
Unless of course you don't believe in it
As sure as the dippy dippy wave of my 'do
You'll believe in somethin' before this night is through
Press one for the money, press two for the dream
And get ready for somethin' that you've never seen
The Endorphinmachine
Go baby
The Endorphinmachine
Go baby (Go baby)
Tommy Barbarella, turn it on
Hold up, wait a minute
Ain't no good unless somebody else is in it
You there with the cynical disposition
Perhaps you'd like to join us in a mission
Of fishin' for logic in a think tank
Unless, of course, you're feelin' like a punk and take the bank
But every now and then there comes a time you must defend
Your right to die and live again, live again, live again
Get up, get up, get in
The Endorphinmachine
It's alright, baby (Go Baby)
Don't be shy (The Endorphinmachine)
Yeah, I ain't gonna hurt you
Go baby
Come on, come on (Endorphinmachine)
Well, I told ya (Go baby)
The Endorphinmachine
Go baby, go baby, go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Don't make me!
Cass esta muerto
Cass esta muerto
Que viva para siempre el Poder de la Nueva Generacion!”#

Flora, a crime ridden city where the law is merely non-existent. Who knows how long the people here were allowed to run rampant doing whatever they wished. From stealing to killing the crimes could go on, but one thing was for certain for the forces of the Imperium. And that was that they would no longer simply allow this to happen, as such they responded in what they knew best, with a show of military force.

In the streets around midnight, mechanized and motorized transports began to roll into the city around an abandoned warehouse. Hundreds upon hundreds of boots began to march across the streets as well diciplined soldiers of the Cadian Guardsman began to get into position. Imperial Command had drawn a starting battleplan for them: secure a base of operations in the city to house Imperial Command and control in the area. Next convert the area into a regimental headquarters to properly direct forces and fortify the area in the event of any hostile action done against imperial forces.

Next part of the plan would go according to the Cadian Commander in charge of the forces here, his mission was to bring the hammer of the Emperor down on all criminals in the city. Lethal force was authorized when needed during this campaign. They were here to bring these criminals to heel. And they were coming in with zeal and fury.

The city was now under the watchful eye of the Imperium. As such, all criminals should be wary for the brave Guardsman are now here to stop them.