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He had no idea that the vixen in question was having an uncomfortable nightmare that strangely resembled much of what had just gone on... and not from any gift of unnatural power, but instead merely the suspicions of exactly what the badger could have been up to, mixed with her own worries for the future. She rolled back and forth on the bed, clutching for a person who wasn't there, moaning quietly to herself as if in pain and kicking at the bed before she suddenly snapped awake, staring at the wall and letting out a shriek of terror at the sight of Tank standing over the bodies of Mika and her idol.

Then she reached up and touched her sweaty forehead, clenching her eyes shut, head pounding. Just a nightmare... she thought, then winced at the thudding in her skull, opening one eye and looking miserably around the room. But what the fuck is wrong with my head... I... don't remember anything...

She shook her head slowly, then shakily got to her feet: she blinked and grunted as he legs gave out, however, almost falling... and then realizing that Mika wasn't there. She frowned, but then decided that the coyote had probably left sometime earlier that night, just so Tank didn't freak out... and she sighed quietly as she forced herself to stand straight, hating how bad her legs were trembling and how painful her head was aching.

She staggered to the door - barely conscious enough to make sure to check that she was wearing any clothing - before swiping several times at the handle, then she shook her head slowly, the world spinning as a multitude of doorknobs suddenly swirled from the single one in the middle. She clenched her eyes shut, letting out a moan, then grunted and fell heavily on her rear as her legs gave out.

The vixen cursed angrily, feeling tears welling up in her eyes... it was almost like she'd been drugged, for fuck's sake. She could barely walk, could barely see, and she could feel from the sunlight and hear the birds tweeting outside... meaning it had to be at least eight in the morning, if not later. And she thought if she'd been drugged... well... Mika wouldn't do that to her, and she was pretty damn sure she'd be able to tell if she had some kind of anesthetic or paralytic or even a crappy sleep aide pushed into her system... her father had used plenty of different toxins on her before settling on muscle-affecting paralytics, after all.

She grunted as she forced herself to her feet, clawing at the wall... but as she moved around, she felt her body beginning to loosen up more, and when she opened her eyes there was only one doorknob again. She closed her eyes, her head still throbbing painfully, and focused her objective in mind: the bathroom. All she needed to do was reach the bathroom, and then at worst she could frigging crawl back to bed.

Felicity reached down, and smiled grimly as she managed to grab and turn the handle... then frowned as she jerked on it. Did she not even have the strength to open the goddamn door anymore? But then she paused as her eyes settled on the lock, and she muttered under her breath before turning it and then tugging the door open, walking out into the hall. Her back slid against the frame as she staggered to the side, wincing, but then she forced herself to stumble along the wall, leaning heavily against it for support as she moved towards the bathroom.

After a few moments, she managed to get into the nearest one and slammed the door behind her, falling back against it and hitting the thumb lock with a sigh. Then she stripped down her pants and panties below before walking over to the toilet and dropping heavily on it. She set her elbows on her knees, and her muzzle on her hands as she did her business, glaring at the wall and mumbling angrily to herself about the state she was in from just a nightmare and a rather too-long-

"Shit!" she yelled, bouncing on the toilet and swinging her arms out to the side: one of the hands collided with the countertop that the sink was built into, and several of the bottles on it rattled loudly. "The fucking meeting!"

A few minutes later, the vixen ran out of the bathroom while still doing up her jeans and adjusting her shirt, and hammering on the first door leading into an occupied room that she came across: there was no answer inside, however. Felicity continued to try this for every other door, but they were all the same... either everyone was ignoring her, or they were already gone for the day on Godkiller business.

Finally, only Tank's door was left... and the vixen sighed before knocking twice on it. She waited a few moments, then there was a shuffling from inside before the badger opened the door, naked except for his boxers and looking at her blearily... but immediately grinning and stepping into the doorframe, leaning on the door so he could show off his muscular body as he said in a tired but cheerful voice: "Hey there, Ellie-"

"Felicity." The vixen corrected sharply, and Tank blinked at this uncommon snappiness before smiling amusedly as the fox rushed on: "The meeting, I missed giving my speech at the meeting..."

"It's okay." Tank reached out and gently settled his hand under her chin, gently flicking it with his thumb as he smiled widely at her. He opened his mouth, then paused for a moment before deciding to go with a different story than his original one, and changing his tone to be a bit more sour. "Mika did it. He... nobody wanted to wake you up, since you were working so goddamn hard the whole night."

"Oh." Felicity blinked slowly, then she smiled a bit and nodded, looking immediately relieved: it wasn't exactly a look that Tank liked seeing on her face in conjunction with her junkie friend, but any port would work in a storm, he figured. "So everyone knows the plan then?"

"Yeah, everyone's settled and ready." Tank responded, then he let his hand slip down to her shoulder, grinning a bit wider at her as he tugged lightly at her t-shirt, saying in a playful voice: "Why don't you come on inside, I'll get you settled and ready too, babe... I'll give you a massage, then when you get tired of that, I'll give you a whole different kind of rubbing with my big love-stick."

Felicity made a face at this, immediately stepping back and shrugging the badger's grip off, making him frown as she said mildly: "No, Tank. We are not girlfriend and boyfriend. We are not together. Now grow up and leave me alone... I'd better go talk to Mika."

The badger snarled as the vixen turned her back, wanting to reach out, grab her tail and drag her into his room like that so he could... fucking spank her before he gave her the best sex she'd ever get in her life... but then he leaned forwards and composed his features so he was again only looking irritable, calling after her mildly as she headed towards the stairs: "You can't! Junkie's gone to the radio tower or some shit to work on his precious toys!"

"Great." Felicity muttered, glancing over her shoulder and watching the badger glower after her before he retreated into his room and slammed his door. The fox rolled her eyes, then she simply continued down the hallway, sighing and shaking her head slowly. She'd try calling Mika's cell, anyway... but if Tank wasn't lying, then Mika would be pretty much inaccessible. The radio tower that the coyote always went out to for testing new trinkets he had was outside of town, after all... and since it was also what the Godkillers used as a relay point to bounce signals off of and to communicate with the satellite, when Mika worked on fixing up the once-abandoned tower or on the sensitive computer equipment that was out there, he never carried a cellphone with him for fear of overlapping calls or screwing up his measurements.

She wandered down to the kitchen, deciding she could at least eat first... and she winced as she saw the time was past nine-twenty in the morning, shaking her head at how long she'd slept... but it had been a hell of an emotional outpouring yesterday to her brotherly coyote friend, she supposed. Then she paused in mid-reach for the bread... and smiled to herself, turning to the phone that hung on the wall and picking it up, saying softly to herself: "Breakfast can wait. Mika deserves a call and a thank you for everything..."

After all... she had broken down, and he'd just... cuddled her naked body and held her tight as she'd bawled like a baby about all she'd been through, and he'd never made any advances or even hinted at sex despite the fact she'd been all but rocking and bouncing in his lap. And even afterwards, when she'd asked him to stay with her, he'd just nodded and quietly wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tight and cuddling her close, giving her his warmth and love without asking for anything in return... and no matter what Tank said about him, she would never forget that the coyote was her best friend, or any of the things that he had done for her. That he had made her feel better about her scarred and ravaged body... and that he'd reminded her of her worth, not only to herself but to the others out there, like the coyote. She loved Mika deeper than she'd ever loved anyone... and their friendship, their siblinghood was sacred to her. So eating could wait... but a phone call to him couldn't.

Little did she know that Tank was currently rushing to attempt to halt that phone call, not wanting to think of exactly what the drug addict would say to Felicity, and what exactly she might do to him in response. He knew they had some weird thing going on between them, he'd seen that clearly yesterday when Mika had been raping his girl but then, for whatever reason, his girl had willingly curled up with him... but before he could continue his thoughts or delusions, as the badger attempted to tug his black jeans up, hopping around like an idiot, one of his feet stomped painfully on his other paw and he fell forwards with a wince, still trying to jerk up his waistband and then smashing his head off the desk with a yelp of pain, stunning himself. He still would have been fine and perhaps even achieved his goal, but the small - yet heavy - electric motor that had been sitting safely on the desk slid to the edge with the rocking of the furnishing caused by his hard head whacking off it, and as the badger tried to get up, shaking his head slowly, it toppled and struck him firmly in the back of the skull, knocking the mighty badger out.

Downstairs, Felicity was just dialing in Mika's cell number, and then she waited a few moments, glancing up at the ceiling and smiling a bit to herself... before her smile froze as the phone was answered by a choked, broken: "Who... is this..."

"Mika? Christ, are you okay?" Felicity asked, concern flooding her voice and face as she turned to face the wall, reaching her other hand up to hold the phone's receiver closer to her ear. She was answered by a burst of sobs and choked crying instead of anything coherent, and so the female quickly fell into saying soothing nothings, trying to do all she could to comfort the coyote.

On the other end of the line, Mika was rocking back and forth on his bed in his plain room, which smelled more of antiseptic than anything else. The normally neat room was a mess: books had been thrown from the wall and were strewn all over the floor, pencils, pens and rulers littered the room like abandoned - and often broken - bones, and the desk where the coyote usually kept his computer had a splatter of blood on it amid splinters of broken glass from the jar of dye that the battered canid had dropped.

He rocked back and forth: every sway backwards struck his head firmly against the wall, where he was slowly making a deep dent in the drywall, and every rock forwards threatened to send him off the bed. One hand - wrapped clumsily in a bandage that had already seeped through with blood - clutched his legs, all his limbs trembling violently and his tail spasming wildly behind himself. The other hand was clutching the cellphone so tightly that it had turned his knuckles white, and he was pressing the small device so hard against his head that it was threatening to grind into his skull, the click of buttons going off every now and then. His teeth chattered and his eyes bulged, and he was naked except for a pair of piss-stained skivvies. It was the only other stench in the room: the coyote had lost control of his bladder.

At random, there were pill bottles strewn across the room, which looked like a cramped cell with the condition it was in instead of the spacious, pleasant bedroom it usually was. Some of the bottles were open, and had spilled their contents into the wreckage that dotted the floor. They lay like dead soldiers in the ruins of some once-great city, some of them bleeding white powder as Mika lowered his head and began to cry hard, his rocking becoming even more violent for a few more moments.

"The pain... I need my drugs... I need them..." he moaned into the phone, interrupting Felicity for a moment, then he clenched his hand spasmodically and began to cry harder. "But I can't... can't go anywhere... can't drive..."

"Listen. I'm coming over there, okay?" Felicity started, but immediately the coyote yelled something into the phone that sounded like 'no!' The vixen blinked at this explanation, then Mika took a deep, shuddering breath and forced his rocking to stop.

His body still trembled violently, but as the coyote grit his teeth almost hard enough to crack them, tears rolling down his face, he forced himself to calm down, to grab the pain and even use it as something to power his broken, scrawny body. He breathed harshly in and out of the phone, then he finally said raggedly: "I'll survive. I've... I've hurt worse before. It's... fucking close, though."

"I want to do what I can for you... I can take you somewhere, to the hospital at least to see if they can do anything for the pain..." Felicity started: the vixen felt tears in her own eyes, and one slowly spilled down her cheek as she trembled violently, unable to stop from finally whispering into the phone: "At least tell me what happened..."

"Tank." Mika's voice was flat and plain, and the vixen felt amazed there was nothing but dull despondence in it... no rage, no hate. She certainly could feel both those emotions growing in her body right now, as an angry snarl spread over her muzzle, listening as the coyote related the story. The talk, at least, seemed to help him gain control, gave him something to focus on and let him take his mind off the agony that was currently running rampant through his body. "He... caught us together somehow... I don't know... maybe he's been spying on us or something somehow. But... he dragged me out into the hall... beat the shit out of me and then broke all my morphine vials... I can't get more until next week, they won't give them to me... and so I've been... trying to just sit here and deal with the pain, but nothing else and I just... I don't want you to see me like this."

The last statement almost made Felicity laugh faintly as she said quietly into the phone: "You saw me yesterday... and you comforted me and held me... I want to... return the favor. You're in real pain... yesterday was almost me being stupid and-"

"Don't talk like that!" Even in his own pain, Mika managed to scold her... and the vixen smiled a bit again as she closed her eyes, nodding silently and whispering a gentle okay to the coyote. She could hear him panting quietly into the phone... then he added in a nearly-silent voice: "I don't want Tank to hurt you. Yesterday he... I don't know. He was crazy... and I don't want you to get hurt."

For a few moments there was silence... but Mika felt his shakes reducing, at least for now. He breathed quietly in and out, hating the trembles rocking through his body and how painfully his heart was galloping in his chest... and then the pain washed away as Felicity said quietly: "I know. But I love you, Mika. I want to help you if I can."

"I... I love you too, Felicity... but Tank has lost it." Mika whispered in return, and then he smiled faintly as he added: "Thanks for... making my heart break, by the way. And I was just starting to calm down."

"Fuck you." Felicity replied with the faintest of smiles, then she glanced up at the ceiling as she heard a loud muttering behind her. Then she closed her eyes and said softly: "The person-in-question just showed up. I'll... I'll phone you later, okay? I'm going to have a word with him."

"Felicity-" Mika started, but then he was left only staring at his cellphone as the line disconnected. Moving carefully, he put it back beside him on the bed, then he looked at the mess of books in front of himself and whispered: "Well, what the hell, right? Might as well clean this place up."

While the coyote worked to busy himself, Felicity slowly hung up the phone, then turned around to face the muscular badger behind her. Tank grinned... then he faltered, rubbing at the goose egg on his head at the icy smile on the vixen's face before saying in an uncertain voice: "So... Mika's not out at the tower, huh?"

"Nah. He thinks I should let you in on a little secret. Come closer." Felicity said softly, raising a finger and making it teasing beckoning motion to Tank. The huge badger blinked, stepping forwards... and then Felicity snarled angrily and slammed one of her hands out, at the same time throwing all the telekinetic force she could muster into her attack: never before had she used her powers to actually try and hurt someone else, but the rage in her mind commanded that Tank might as well be her first target - after all, right now, he was on the same level as that scumbag Requiem, who had kidnapped the Boss's daughter.

Tank's eyes bulged, and he let out a scream as he flew backwards before colliding with the wall, arms and legs pinned, spread-eagled and shaking violently on the spot. His head whipped back and forth as some weird, invisible force tore into him, feeling like someone had just taken a net of steel wire and dragged it hard over his body to pin him against the wall like a bug on a needle. Blood bubbled out of his mouth and nose as Felicity approached, the pressure on his body magnifying tenfold, and his eyes bulged with agony as he managed: "How..."

"You hurt Mika. You have no idea what he's going through... and you went and hurt him like that, you bastard!" The fox snarled, then she raised her hand violently - immediately, the badger flew up and collided with the ceiling with enough force to send down a hail of plaster, before she slammed her hand downwards and Tank fell like a rock, smashing into the floor and cracking the tile below as Felicity screamed at him: "You fucking bastard! Always throwing your weight around, trying to make me yours! I am not yours! And I am not going to let you do whatever the fuck you're planning to do against the Boss!'

Tank slowly wobbled to his feet, snarling, feeling the strange hold on his body released for a moment... and he lunged forwards, but this time the vixen didn't do anything but glare at him, and he found himself frozen, floating in midair. The effect was both maddening and terrifying, as he struggled but found himself entirely unable to move, arms out to tackle the fox who had apparently developed some psycho-powers behind his back... and then she said softly: "I'm not going to let you hurt anybody anymore."

Then she reached up and flicked his nose, and Tank flew backwards through the air, flipping end over end like a child's doll that had been shot from a catapult before he crashed into the wall outside the kitchen and fell to the ground in a broken pile. Felicity slumped, panting hard and then coughing, reaching up a hand to press over her thudding heart as she snarled at the fallen badger, feeling no regret... then she spat as he opened his eyes and began to slowly crawl to his feet, saying angrily: "Get the fuck out of here, Tank... I don't need you, your help, or the help of any of the other fuckers that are here just to hurt the Boss instead of help him get his daughter back... you are not wanted here! I'm throwing you out of Exile Village, and don't even dream about coming back!"

The badger stared at the vixen with pain and horror in his eyes... then he slowly snarled before turning to leave: as he did so, however, he saw Felicity turn her back on him, saw her reach for the telephone and noticed the wince in her movements... and quickly, he spun around and put the last of his energy into a final charge, throwing himself at her.

This time, she didn't turn fast enough... and the last thing Felicity saw was the floor before Tank smashed her head off the tiles and out went the lights. Then he stood, panting quietly and placing a foot on her back, muttering angrily as he wrapped an arm tight around his body: "Fucking bitch. I'm going to have to whip you good after this is all over... make sure you know your place. Weird-shit powers or not..."

He panted quietly for a few moments, then he winced as he straightened, rubbing at his bruised and sore body. His eyes stayed locked coldly on Felicity, however, wondering just what the hell he could do with her, still somewhat shocked by the fact that she had shown off such a strange ability that she had apparently kept hidden from everyone all these years. He frowned at the vixen, then shook his head slowly... it meant that she was going to throw one hell of a tantrum, but he liked to take things in stride. Sure, normally someone showing up with freakish powers would be cause for alarm... but Tank already had some idea of what he could do with her, and they lived in a town ruled by people with awful and terrible abilities, anyway. But hopefully those people would soon enough be crushed to dust...

"No wonder she admires him... she's a freak, too..." he murmured, then he bent down with a grimace and hefted Felicity's body off the floor, throwing her over his shoulder with a wince and walking back towards the stairs. Thankfully, he thought everyone was out... it would just be a matter of keeping her door locked and making up some story about how she was hiding out of fear of the Boss, or some shit like that. "I'll have to beat that out of her, at worst, I guess. Stupid bitch..."

A few minutes later, he threw the vixen down on her bed, making her groan and shift uncomfortably. He winced, raising his fist in case he had to rap her hard and knock her out again, but thankfully she stayed asleep... and the badger nodded with a mutter before leaving and heading down the hall to the storage room.

He fumbled open the drawer, then took out three bottles of the tranquilizer he'd used on her earlier before shuffling through the supply cabinet a bit more, knocking over vials and other plastic bottles before finally seizing a plastic bag of small needles, letting out a sound of triumph through his teeth as he grinned. Then he turned and left the room, heading back to Felicity as he tore the bag open with his teeth and extracted a needle, filling it three-quarters of the way full with the toxin as he mumbled. "That's about the same as I put in her earlier, right? When the junkie was here... that kept her out from... fuck... three to... nine? That's..." He paused as he shouldered his way through her door, then he put down the extra supplies on her desk before grinning a bit, finishing mentally: Eighteen hours. I'll just check on her every six or so, see how she's doing... at worst, I'll juice her up again.

He nodded to himself, then he grabbed one of her arms and shoved the needle into it, depressing the plunger at the same time. The vixen gave a liquid moan that sounded something like 'Daddy,' and Tank grinned wider to himself before murmuring. "Yes, honey, that's right. Daddy's here, and he's gonna take real nice care of you..."

Then the badger idly flicked the needle aside before turning and leaving the room, careful to lock the door on the way out as he grinned to himself. Now everything was set up nice and well... and he could deal with Mika and anyone else who tried to interfere with his plans as viciously as he want, with Felicity out of the picture. It made him sad that he had to keep his girl locked up like this... but sometimes you had to make sacrifices for love.

Lone found himself staring at the ceiling of the den for a good hour or so after he woke up: he simply didn't want to get out of bed, mainly because he knew that the day would be a very painful one. After all, he'd been neglecting... well... all his duties as Mayor, so eventually he'd have to get off his ass and actually do something instead of just letting the other politicians handle it, for one. For another... he hurt all over, and he didn't want to attract attention to himself by staggering around the house looking like an idiot.

Finally... the idea of getting up scared him. As he lay here, remembering the events of yesterday and all his promises and oaths... he could easily follow them all, could just... reassure himself and say that he wouldn't screw up again, that it had been little more than a bad dream and now all was forgiven and he would atone. If he actually got up, however, then things would get far more complicated. He was worried about even making small slipups now... and he was pretty sure it would be hard to remember what he was trying to accomplish, who he was trying to become as the day went on. He was honestly scared of the idea that as time moved forwards, he would forget his lessons and slip back into the past... and he didn't want to do that.

But eventually, Lone realized he had no choice, and so he slid silently off the couch: he winced at the feeling of his sore paws touching the ground, and for a few moments trembled violently as he clasped his hands tight together, just sitting in his plain sleep clothes, before he finally forced himself to stand up, walking quietly out of the den and heading up the nearest set of stairs to the second floor, rubbing at his stomach slowly. It still hurt like hell, and he wasn't hungry at all... and he also simply hated it, hated how he had been... so proud of the weight he'd lost by means that required the least amount of effort when Zerrex had given him a firm exercise plan that he'd been supposed to follow.

He sighed a bit as he pushed into his room, then he stripped and shuffled through his clothes, finally selecting a plain dress shirt and loose, but more professional pants over a pair of clean new boxers. He shifted a bit from paw-to-paw, looking back and forth, then rubbing idly at his throat... and he blinked as he felt a silver chain under his fingertips. He followed it down, then made a disgusted sound as he touched the outline of his silver sword, still dangling around his neck. Immediately, he wrapped a hand around it and tore it off, throwing it to the ground and then wiping his hand against his pants leg like he'd just touched something disgusting. He stared down at the broken chain and the small silver sword with hate burning in his eyes, then he forced himself to reach down and pick it up, dropping it on the counter and making a disgusted noise as he looked at it, at what had once represented so many hopes and dreams but now was just a tawdry, ugly piece of jewelry with nothing but bad thoughts associated with it.

Lone looked back and forth, then he blinked tapped along his body before cursing quietly as he realized he didn't have the pocketwatch Zerrex had given him. He loped out of the room, not bothering to close the door on his way out and heading quickly for the stairs, taking them down two at a time - an act that almost overbalanced the flabby wolf, but he managed to keep his feet and only stumbled a bit on the floor.

Then he twisted on his heel and ran down the short hall into the kitchen, panting quietly and holding his side with a wince: even that short exertion had left him winded and his body aching. For a few moments he only stood in the doorframe, regaining his breath as the servants stared at him, and Lone looked back. He opened his muzzle to snarl at them, feeling a blush rising to his cheeks... but then slowly closed it and instead straightened, trying his best to not screw up this early in as he merely cleared his throat instead and asked quietly: "Um. Where's my... my pocketwatch?"

"Charles took it to the jeweler's, sir, to be repaired. It was fairly badly damaged. Sir." One of the servants said meekly, and Lone looked at her for a moment before nodding. Then he winced and walked out of the room, before pausing in front of the next door and rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh. Thank you." He said quietly, trying to remember the lessons he'd been taught on respect... not by his parents, Gods no, but by Zerrex and the others of Baskin's Grove... even Cherry treated the servants as equals, after all. Suddenly, it seemed very important that he find her... and so he glanced up and said finally: "Look for... I mean, please find Cherry for me and bring her to the dining hall... and a small lunch for us both. Just... nothing fancy, just... plain sandwiches."

With that, the lupine turned and left through the hallway, feeling horribly uncomfortable... but also a bit of a light inside himself, like he really could manage. And he smiled to himself a bit at the expressions that had been on the servant's faces when he'd talked so politely... it was like they thought he was possessed.

He entered the dining hall... and immediately made a face of disgust at his own symbol, at the gigantic tapestries that lined the hall. Regal purple, and adorned with the goddamn crest that was designed to put him and Zerrex at odds... like it wasn't obvious what the dragon and the wolf were supposed to represent. He walked over to one, frowning, then decided on a spur of the moment to rip it down.

The wolf reached up and tugged at the thick cloth pitifully, but nothing happened... he made a face, then continued to tear at it, almost hopping up and down. At the top, a heavy crossbar shook back and forth, and the lupine managed to rip part of it... but to no other effect. Frustrated, Lone tried to all but climb the tapestry, wanting nothing more than to see it gone as he jumped up and grabbed handfuls of thick cloth and kicked his paws at the tapestry and wall behind, then blinking as he found himself hanging from it instead. He swayed back and forth on the tapestry, then he heard a loud pinging from the top and a moment later he felt something bounce off his head.

He blinked rapidly, then looked down behind him as he kept his knees hunched up and paws against the wall: on the floor, he could see some kind of... long screw, it looked like, sparkling. Then there was a horrible grinding sound, and Lone yelped as he fell backwards, landing heavily on his rear as he jerked the now-loose tapestry down with him, the crossbar above giving out and falling: fortunately, the heavy metal crossbar - weighing in at likely two-hundred pounds, and nearly as thick as a log - fell straight down, and only crushed in the floor just inches away from the wolf's paws, as the tapestry itself furled upwards before the thick cloth draped over the lupine, who was staring in horror at the wall of purple in front of him, unable to believe he had just survived yet another near brush with death before the heavy, folding cloth fell over him.

Lone immediately tried to struggle free, but it only made his netting in the tapestry worse; the cloth was surprisingly heavy, and it threatened to suffocate him as it blanketed his body in gold-streaked purple darkness. He yelled and battered against the huge cloth, trying to struggle out as he crawled along the floor... before suddenly a firm hand grabbed his arm and jerked him free of the cloth, and the wolf blinked as he fell heavily on the floor, back in the light of the room and staring up at Cherry, who wasn't smiling but looked a bit amused nonetheless. "Fuck. Are you trying to find the lamest way ever to die? Or did you just decide you didn't like the color scheme?"

"More the latter than the former." Lone muttered, standing up and brushing at himself as he looked around the room, feeling humiliated again. But then he forced his eyes to look up at the female's, and he managed out: "Thank you."

She smiled, and Lone immediately felt better... more so when she reached down and squeezed his shoulder gently. Then she turned and headed for the table, sitting at one of the chairs, and the lupine quickly trotted to the other side and sat across from her, smiling a bit as he glanced back and forth, putting his hands on the table. He blushed deeply as she looked at him, and he looked down and tapped his fingers against the table, feeling horribly embarrassed. Then he looked back up, and smiled faintly as he said quietly: "If... if you want... we can go buy some clothes for you... your kind of clothes, I mean, whatever you want."

Cherry tilted her head as she sat back a bit: she was still wearing the same shorts she'd had on yesterday, but she'd switched into her well-worn exercise top over the bikini 'top.' "I'd... I'd appreciate that Lone. Thank you." she said slowly, looking at the lupine curiously and wondering if this was supposed to be some kind of trick... but it was really far too subtle for the wolf's usual style. Before she could speak again, however, a servant entered with a plain, large silver tray, walking down to where they were positioned on the table and only taking a cursory glance at the fallen crossbar and puddle tapestry.

"Your lunch." he announced clearly, putting the large tray down: on it were two plates, with plain sandwiches on them. Lone smiled up to the servant, then he rose a hand as the male was about to turn away. "What is it, sir?"

"I'd... I'd like everything with the Wulfe crest on it removed from the mansion, either sold or scrapped..." Lone said slowly, and Cherry blinked at this. "Same with most of the jewelry and accessories in my room... anything with the Wulfe or Apple Villa sign on it. I'm sure there will be other things that'll come to my attention too that I want to get rid of as well."

"Very good, sir." The canine nodded and bowed a bit, but he looked somewhat confused as he turned and left. Cherry tilted her head curiously towards Lone, but the Arctic wolf only smiled back at her and shrugged slowly.

"It's time for a change." he said finally, and then picked up his sandwich and began to eat quietly. The female Drakkaren did the same, watching the wolf... and for once she didn't mind, as the lupine ate almost daintily instead of with his usual... fervor, she guessed, could be one word for it.

Once they were done, Lone took her plate from her and dropped his own on the tray, then he stood up with it and headed towards the kitchen: this made Cherry all but stare, as she got up and followed him slowly, wondering idly if she'd taken a bullet to the head and this was some kind of dream... then pausing to wonder if she'd kicked the wolf too hard in the face last night, as he shouldered through the sliding door into the kitchen. Four servants stood inside, and they all stared as Lone delicately sent the plate on the counter, then smiled a bit around at them all and rubbed the back of his head as he looked around... and then his eyes settled on Marylyn.

The feline was trembling a bit as she looked at him, and she quickly cast her gaze down: he remembered being harsh with her and slapping her, and that... well... Cherry had kicked his ass after he'd done something stupid. But nonetheless, she had her cleaning tray out beside her, and she looked ready to do her job... and Lone felt another roil of sudden hate at himself. With his eyes opened now, looking at her as someone who was equal and not trash that was below him... he could admire her resolve, the bravery she had and the way she was going to go through with her job despite her fear of what it might lead to.

The wolf quickly held up his hands as Marylyn started forwards, shaking his head a bit as he stepped close to her: he could feel the tenseness in the kitchen, all eyes on him as she shrank back a bit... and he quietly reached past her to pick up her cloth, wiping at his own muzzle a bit before putting it back down. She watched with wide eyes... and then Lone gave the faintest of smiles as he said quietly: "Why don't you take a vacation for a while... you've worked hard." He stopped, realized how that could be taken coming from him, and added quickly: "I'll... I'll pay you of course... for the work missed, and... for you to go wherever you want."

He stopped, then realized how close he was and stepped back, clearing his throat and looking away before turning his gaze back to her, smiling a bit as he rubbed at his wrist slowly, looking nervously back and forth... then he glanced back to the feline as she asked in a meek, surprised voice: "You... are you serious?"

"I really mean it." Lone nodded back, hating the tension in the air and looking around at the servants... but none of them were relaxing yet. In fact, he could see such... hate in their eyes among the surprise, and it made him choke on his words as he quickly looked at the floor and murmured quietly as he felt his own body start to tremble: "I'm... I'm sorry..."

But he could still feel their gazes on him, even as the maid in front of him said it was okay, and he saw the faintest of smiles on her features... and the wolf nodded and said in a roughened voice: "Just come find me when your shift is over and I'll... I'll pay you in full then." Then he quickly spun on his paw and ran for the nearest door, shoving through and starting to cry as he covered his face with an arm, almost falling as he staggered back down the hall and into the dining room.

He turned, then stubbed his paw on the crossbar, feeling splinters of wood biting into his paw at the same time as his toes struck the hard metal, and he fell forwards heavily with a howl of pain into the tapestry. Part of it slid over him, as if trying to consume him, and the wolf let out a miserable sob as he tried to force himself up, crawling out of the purple cloth and then half-falling, legs still buried in the tapestry as he covered his face and started to cry hard. Atonement? What a joke... they all hated him. He didn't know why he'd never seen it, or maybe it had just never mattered... but now that his eyes were opened, he could see how much they all hated him, even when he apologized, even when he tried to do something good. They didn't trust him, they loathed him for the things he had done... and why not? He was scum, he was a maggot, he was a filthy rich bastard and he had everything he wanted but at the same time, he had nothing but pain and worthlessness...

Then he heard a loud sigh, and the wolf looked over his shoulder, snuffling and crying quietly still, and saw Cherry standing there with her arms crossed, looking at him with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy. He swallowed thickly at her gaze, then she said gently: "Hey. Butthead. Don't go getting all depressed and shit over the consequences of your own actions to the point where you start cutting yourself or some crap like that." She strode easily over the tapestry, then grabbed the scruff of the wolf's neck and hefted him easily to his feet, making him blink and then totter unsteadily on his paws before she caught him and looked down at him mildly. "I gotta keep you alive and well, after all. Besides, you promised to take me shopping for some new duds and I don't want you embarrassing me by getting all emo at the counter."

Lone smiled a bit up at her and nodded, quickly reaching up to wipe his eyes before hugging her convulsively. Cherry winced, but then reached down and uncomfortably patted the wolf on the head, her muzzle twisted in a half-grimace... but eyes sympathetic nonetheless. The wolf kept his head tight against her for a moment, pressed comfortingly into the side of her bosom, the pain stilling for a few seconds as he thought quietly: Maybe I am starting to get something real and good after all...

Then he stepped back and nodded firmly, wiping at his face with his wrist and looking up into her eyes. "Okay. Let's get going then, Cherry... we can go into town and wherever, get whatever you want."

The rest of the day passed quietly for those who held the keys to the fate of Baskin's Grove: Felicity spent her day laying silently on her bed, but twisting and turning through horrible, violent nightmares where her father hurt her again and again, running screaming from the scalpel that flickered in the darkness. Often, she only ended up running straight into Tank, though, who stood in his boxers and then forced her down and raped her over and over, or watched as he killed her friends, companions, and her idol, mowing them down with his minigun or commanding an army of shadowy monsters armed with blunt instruments, chains and knives to torture and mutilate Mika and Zerrex. Although she remained motionless, she was forced again and again to replay the events of the past and fear for the future in an endless nightmare from which she could not awaken.

Tank took care of Felicity with a smile on his face, fluffing her pillows... then eventually slowly licking his muzzle as he realized what else he could do. He stripped her naked... but found himself disgusted and horrified by the scars on her body: the muscular badger made a face as he leaned in close, touching her bare breasts and stomach, hating the fact it looked like she'd been all but... gutted. It was enough to make the erection that had been growing in his pants disappear, along with the idle thoughts he'd had of sealing their matrimony then and there... and finally he shook his head slowly and mumbled: "Plastic surgery can fix that, right. We'll get the bitch looking high-top and tip-shape or whatever the fuck the saying is." Then he paused, reaching down to squeeze gently between her legs, two fingers rubbing along her slit as he felt scar tissue there as well and he made a face before blinking and looking at her misshapen body again, a bright light going off in his mind before he all but ran out of the room and quickly searching for a camera. Eventually, one of the other Godkillers - the mole was eating lunch and idly chatting with his friends - offered to lend him one, but warned it wasn't digital... it was the kind where the picture popped out and the film instantly developed.

That, however, fit perfectly with the badger's plan, and he grinned widely before nodding and making almost grabby motions and voicing his interest. A few minutes later, he was standing over Felicity's body and taking what he thought were some very candid shots of various parts of her body... it was enough to make him feel excited again, but he regretted the fact that if he did do anything with her, now it would be rather obvious. Then he slipped out of the room, closing and locking the door before heading downstairs. Over the next hour he'd hold a quasi-meeting in the kitchen with all those present, ranting about the pictures he'd hand around the room and put down on the table, saying that Felicity had finally given him permission to show these scars off on the condition she didn't have to show her face again until after Zerrex was dealt with... and that she'd finally agreed to the plan. He said she was humiliated, but that ever since Tank had explained to her the plan this morning, when everyone had been out, she'd been hesitant but finally agreed to let him deal with the Boss in his way, but she was so terrified she didn't want to come out of her room or see anyone but him.

Everyone believed him... worse, they called each other, spreading the lies and filth that Tan spoke, and finally Mika heard what had happened and he'd been horrified. The coyote was bleeding from the mouth, and his features were pale, body shaking violently... but he'd forced himself to his feet and to get dressed, after taking a few pills that would at least allow him to control his bladder. Then he'd forced himself down the stairs and out of his home, out to his humvee before starting the ignition. He'd fix this the only way he knew how...

The coyote, however, only made it halfway to the Godkillers base before he was intercepted by a gaggle of bikers that Tank had left waiting, just in case Mika tried to rally his own supporters - or worse, inform the Boss... and so the badger had sneered and told them to... be "polite" to the rich boy. So they politely asked if they could hitch a ride, then politely forced the coyote to turn around, before politely breaking one of his kneecaps and then politely forcing him to drive back to his home... where they would politely stand guard over him in his small Apple Villa flat until Tank either gave them the order to bring him in, kill him, or have him drive them to the meeting point for the attack on the windmill.

Requiem - who had been driving by while picking up groceries - noticed the bikers climbing into the humvee... but he'd also noticed that the coyote behind the wheel was wearing leather, grinning like a maniac, and trembling violently from something else as much as fear. So he'd merely sighed and decided they were sent by some drug dealer to teach a rich junkie who had gone back on his debt a lesson. Then he'd returned back to the sawmill and entered... as always, amazed by the fact that Cindy was still there. When he came in - carrying a portable toilet that was little more than a bucket with a toilet seat attached - he blinked, watching as she did one-handed pushups, the chain around her neck jingling.

She glanced up at him curiously, smiled, then switched hands and began to mumble her count under her breath as Requiem put the toilet in a corner for her, then returned to the car for a moment to pick up the dry foods he'd bought. He put the two bags down on the metal table, not bothering to close the door to the windmill - left open, it created a pleasant breeze through the sawmill, and he felt the female could be trusted enough that she wouldn't make a dash for it. She seemed to honor her word as much as he did... or as her father did, and he smiled a bit as he sat down to watch her complete her workout. She didn't seem to mind, and he enjoyed watching her and the way she'd learned to exercise... plus he had to admit he was somewhat impressed by the sheer amount of work she was doing.

Cindy, on the other hand, had most of her mind on her father, only idly keeping track of how many reps she'd done and what set she was on, as she went down into a basic push-up position... then grunted and kicked up to a neat handstand, before slowly lowering herself until her nose touched the ground, then pushing back up and turning her head so she was looking at the wall, muzzle parallel to the ground. Once more she lowered herself - this time, until the top of her head touched the sawdust-covered earth below - then pushed back up.

She continued this absently, liking the strain in her body, the way it let her concentrate and let her mind loosen up and think about things outside of where she was right now. The jingling of the chain was almost music to her as her mind again and again returned to her father... wondering how he was doing, feeling angry at herself for not saying goodbye, wanting to kiss him and hug him and love him in as both a daughter and as... well... a lover. And she wanted to see Cherry again... wanted this all to be over... but in the back of her mind, she also wanted Requiem to just... to just go away, so that he wouldn't be killed. She respected him now, and had come to accept him as a member of the family as much as she accepted her father... and she was determined that she could at least learn as much about him as she could if he did have to die. But that would have to wait until tomorrow... for now, the only thing she wanted to think of was Daddy.

Cindy would have been surprised to know that all Zerrex was thinking of was her... and that all he was doing was training and readying himself for the battle. No longer did he feel anger or hate towards his uncle, though... instead, there was a certain level of anxiousness, and even a strange happiness. It had been so long since he had fought someone who would prove a worthy adversary... someone who was even stronger than him. He was excited, thrilled with the idea of the coming battle... and strangely, the thought of losing only bothered him because he knew his death would sadden his daughter and Cherry. And of course, Tinman... and he laughed a bit as he easily dodged the metal plates the badger threw, moving with a wonderful, easy grace he'd forgotten he'd had, bending his back and kicking one leg out like a dancer as he spun in midair, the three plates gliding smoothly by his body before he landed in an easy crouch and grinned at the badger, saying in a pleased voice: "You'll have to try harder, Tinny!"

The badger smiled at Zerrex and nodded: he'd taken the time to break down the heavier metal objects that had been scattered outside and mold lightweight discs out of them all, each the size of a large dinner plate. He could understand a bit why the Boss was so happy... it was because he felt wanted, and had a reminder that he was needed by people other than himself. He had a reason to fight, instead of just a dark battle-lust that would only be pleased by shed blood... and the badger wasn't worried. He knew who the victor would be, because Zerrex's will to will and endurance was unmatched. And he couldn't deny that all this training had not only made him stronger, it brought a special delight into his life... he was using his powers to help a person he admired and respected prepare for what could possibly be the hardest confrontation of their life. Moreover, he was helping his former superior officer in other ways as well, acting as a support and even being his friend... and Tinman had never dreamed that he and the once-so-terrible lizard would ever be something as close as friends. As he picked up two metal plates in each hand and cocked his arms back across his body, preparing to throw, he had to smile and wonder idly if Cherry was doing as well as he was with Lone.

Surprisingly, the female was actually grudgingly enjoying herself: not that she'd ever admit it, as she made the wolf stop at store after store in Comfort Town... and amazingly enough, Lone didn't seem to be minding that much. On the contrary, he was smiling and looking relatively happy for the first time that day... and it was a much different kind of happiness than the fake joy the wolf usually threw himself in, weaved out of arrogance and cocktail parties. Instead of rolling in his own filth, Lone was actually wandering peacefully around for a change and doing something for someone else.

And, on another pleasant note, she now had three nice new pairs of leather pants, as well as quite a few good-fitting tops, and even a new leather jacket. The wolf had picked one up himself, too... not a biker jacket like she'd gotten - and personally thought made her look like a badass - but instead something that was a bit tight with his paunch right now, but otherwise was probably a good choice for the wolf. It was almost a bomber jacket, made of fairly lightweight material that nonetheless had some good durability to it, and a vast array of pockets inside.

Lone also picked up some plainer, non-tailored clothes for himself... it was amazingly weird to actually be doing his own shopping after all these years, and for the wolf the experience was almost exhilarating. After all, he'd never worn a widely-manufactured, plain shirt that only cost twenty dollars; the cheapest item of clothing he'd ever bought himself was a one-hundred and twenty-dollar plain blue dress shirt... and it had been on sale for half price.

The other thing he enjoyed was... well... making Cherry smile. He didn't know that it would make him feel so good inside, and it was almost a weird sensation, watching her be happy and letting that make him happy. He wondered if this was why people always did things for each other, because it made them feel good too... but looking at Cherry again, watching her paging through a magazine rack, he figured the answer to that question was no. Hanging out with him constantly obviously grated on her nerves after a while... and he didn't blame her, but nonetheless was confused by the sentiment. He'd never understood why you did something for someone else when you knew it would cause trouble for you, or you didn't enjoy it... but he guessed that was a lesson for the future, and likely an important one.

For now, however, he planned to do everything he could for the female Drakkaren... and his goal wasn't even to get in her pants anymore. She... he thought that she might really be his first real friend, staying by him as she did - even if she was under orders - and doing all these things with him. So he was anxious to please and do what he could for her, then he blinked as she let out a mutter and he looked up to see she was holding a newspaper.

Leaning to the side and glancing past her, he blinked and stared as he saw the ruins of the building that Tinman had leveled last night. It had been cordoned off by police tape, and there were firefighters investigating the wreckage... but the headline was the interesting part. It stated a bald question: "Has The Boss's Power Weakened Over Baskin's Grove?"

"Fucking reporter shitheads." Cherry muttered angrily, then she crumpled up the paper and threw it aside, turning and walking away. Lone, however, quickly made a dive for it, curious as to what it said and quickly picking it up before following Cherry to the door. Then he blinked and turned around, quickly trotting to the counter of the magazine store and fumbling his wallet out, muttering an apology as he grabbed some change and threw it on the counter before quickly charging out after the female Drakkaren. The clerk stared after him: the wolf had dropped maybe five dollars in change on the counter for a seventy-five cent news rag... and then left a cascade of coins behind him in his rush for the door.

The wolf jumped into the passenger side of the sports car just as Cherry started the ignition, then he she smiled slightly as she tilted her head towards Lone and adjusted the mirror, asking mildly: "What? You think I'd leave you behind?"

"Um. Maybe?" Lone replied meekly, but the female Drakkaren laughed in response to this, and the wolf relaxed a bit as she nodded and then pulled smoothly away from the curb. She frowned slightly as Lone turned to the front page of the crumpled newspaper again, however, turning her attention from the road but still making an eerily-easy swerve to avoid a truck that backed out a bit too soon into traffic.

"Asshole!" she yelled angrily, despite the fact she'd been in no danger, then she resumed her normal voice, saying moodily: "You know, most of that's going to be bullshit."

"Yeah... but... I wanna see what's going on, anyway. What people are saying about what happened." The white wolf replied, reaching up and rubbing at the black fur on his throat uncertainly, tangling his fingers in his ruff as he examined the photo again. Looking at it from this angle, it really did look like some kind of terrorist act... usually the Boss left some sort of warning or signature behind when he blew something up.

Cherry nodded a bit, then she slowed for a red light and brought the car to a stop, slapping her hands lightly against the wheel as she glanced around the somewhat-busy streets: when Lone looked up at her, though, he thought her eyes betrayed something other than the casual observer's interest. "Okay, wolf. I'm gonna drive around for a bit then... take a look around town, shit like that. To be honest, I'm kinda worried about the effect this could have here. Even these days, there's a few cops on rich people's payrolls and the police have trouble patrolling certain areas of Comfort Town, especially the extremist ones. Plus Baskin's Grove does have a few prostitution, drug, and weapon rings that do business under Zerrex's watchful eye... if they think that eye's closed or gone blind, then I'm worried what could happen."

Even Lone got the implications of this statement, and he nodded, wincing slightly as he shrank a bit deeper into his seat. He knew that could mean some very bad things for him; even yesterday, he probably would have shrugged it off and decided he was still bulletproof, but yesterday he'd still been convinced that his servants were all in love with him, despite the way he treated them.

He turned his attention instead to the newspaper: little did he know that across Baskin's Grove, many others of the influences on the town would be doing the same. Tank found the article after he'd finished ranting, sitting on the table in the common room, and became immersed with it; Mika had the article thrown at him by one of the bikers, who laughed and commented that it looked like the Boss was already losing face even among his strongest supporters. Zerrex would refuse to look at the article himself, but Tinman would read it over, standing in the kitchen and looking enraptured even as he made a knife neatly cube a tomato, then swipe up the pieces and add them to the salad he was preparing to go with dinner. As he then made the knife fillet a bass he'd bought in the morning on a run to the store - ironically, just missing Requiem - he'd read out bits and pieces to the Drakkaren, who was pretending to rest on the couch but in reality had a round weight balanced carefully on two fingers and his thumb, pushing it up into the air and then lowering it slowly. His other hand was behind his head, and he was mocking the expression's he imagined on Tinman's face as he lip-synched along with his talking.

Eventually, of course, the badger caught him, glaring and stopping the metal weight at the apogee of the press, leaving the reptile to blink stupidly when he brought his arm down and the weight stayed afloat. He looked at his hands, then up at Tinny, before rolling quickly out of the way as the badger huffed and let the weight drop. It landed heavily where the Drakkaren's head had been only a moment earlier, and the reptile coughed and rubbed the back of his skull from where he now lay on the ground, between couch and table.

Even Requiem would end up reading the article, picking up a copy of the newspaper when Cindy said she refused to use the toilet without some sort of sanitary cover on it or, more importantly, toilet paper. So the Dragokkaren had ended up going to some crappy corner store on the edge of town and coming back, reading the paper and idly walking through the open door... eventually handing it over to Cindy once she saw the front page and demanded to see it, hopping around the giant like a child.

For now, though, only Lone was reading the article, and he winced at the implications it had as he read through most of the extremely-unflattering summary of Zerrex's reign and the last three years. The first sentence, of course, made it clear that the writer wasn't a fan of the Boss and maybe even had some Apple Villa relations... and for whatever reason, it only infuriated Lone all the more, as he read silently: It seems that yesterday may have been the start of the fall of the egomaniacal, cruel tyrant that many call simply 'the Boss.'

Zerrex Narrius has long been the secret, undisputed lord and master of the town, acting as the puppeteer of many of the most influential political leaders: among his lackeys are Mayor Lone Wulfe, Police Chief Kevin Vance, and a score of others too numerous to name here. But over the last three years, ever since his climactic rise to power in a bloody, horrible battle that took the lives of many of Baskin's Grove's finest, he seems to have been losing his chokehold of fear and authority over the town.

Although some would say that the Boss is a 'good thing,' or even the 'best thing to ever happen' in Baskin's Grove, many others see the truth: the Boss is nothing more than a cruel dictator who enjoys depravity and violence, as insisted by his long and horrible past. But like all dictators, his power seems to be waning rapidly. Note, for instance, the destruction of a warehouse that apparently contained guns and other illegal goods possibly owned by the Boss and his compatriots (pictured above), and the recent riot that occurred late at night in one of the parks in the Beaux Fields district, what many call 'Comfort Town.'

However, we find ourselves asking: why has no one informed the government of this? The state police, or perhaps even the national military, if one person is so fearsome and dangerous? The answer lies in the past of the notorious Boss: he is a secret that our own government wants to forget, and thus is left to play as he wishes throughout our country. Or maybe it's merely because any of the fair citizens who have ever whispered the secrets of the Boss to any officials in charge have never been believed... after all, how could one person so thoroughly take over an entire town? This reporter, however, is left to wonder why the government hasn't even bothered to send an official to even check if any of the rumors of violence were true.

So it seems that it has come down to us, to being our duty to deal with this so-called Dragon, after the mythical monsters and not the well-known variety in today's society. Only we, the citizens, can make a difference... and now, with our freedom again on the rise, even the most beaten and gullible of the Boss's victims, even those mesmerized by his power are starting to awaken from their trances and see the truth behind his lies, and are prepared to help in any way they can to rid our fair city of the Boss and seek justice, throwing out the corrupt officials and putting new ones into place who will lead us out of the control of one cruel master and into our own shining era of peace...

Continued on A2.

Lone blinked and looked up from reading the newspaper, and then he looked worriedly back and forth, feeling a strange sinking sensation in his stomach. They made it sound like Zerrex was a horrible monster, like the Boss had done nothing but tyrannize the people and that they were getting ready to... to wreak some horrible judgment on them... and when he glanced at the reporter's name, he cursed quietly under his breath, drawing Cherry's attention as he looked shamefully down.

"What?" she asked quietly, and Lone glanced back up for a moment before he forced a smile. He folded up the paper silently, not answering for a minute as the female Drakkaren simply watched him, driving slowly along the plain streets of Comfort Town, then the wolf finally lowered his gaze and answered.

"Harris Milano wrote this... it's Dana's brother." he said quietly, closing his eyes and laughing faintly and Cherry blinked as she added the pieces together in her mind, even before the wolf continued. "I don't know if they just added in the part about it blowing up or not but... looks like the Silver Crusaders wanted to get rid of me last night no matter what else happened. But maybe they would have used the Combat Armors to take out the building as part of their field test... you know... leave no evidence behind and... hide my body in the wreckage, or blame my death on the blast or something."

Lone looked down miserably, closing his eyes. How long had they planned this usurpation of his position as Mayor, of the Boss himself? And how dare they twist things like that... and why did he deserve to live when the rest had died, when... he was the idiot who had given them all the tools in the first place to set up the massacre of Zerrex and his family that they had planned...

"Didn't I say not to get emo on me?" Cherry asked mildly, and she pulled into a parking lot as Lone blinked and looked at her, before reaching out and punching his arm lightly: it still was hard enough to make the wolf rock and wince painfully, however, rubbing at his injured bicep. "Yeah, your life sucks right now, I get that. Not as bad as a few people I could name, but it's still pretty harsh. But don't go blaming yourself for this crap or anything stupid like that... these assholes tried to turn you a corpse too, if I remember right from last night." She stopped, then shrugged a bit and added mildly: "Besides. I'm sure Zerrex won't really care. Propaganda like that article's filled with doesn't work very well in Comfort Town, after everything he's done for all of them. Only a few factions there are of any threat at all..."

She paused after a moment, then frowned slightly and nodded slowly. "And you know what? I think we should do a drive-by of one of those unknown factions before we head off for something to eat. I'm kinda worried about the Godkillers... they might take this seriously and do something retarded like stage an attack on you or shit, if think Zerrex is actually out of commission."

Lone nodded meekly, and he felt another burst of guilt and anger at himself; after all, he'd been the idiot who'd told the Godkillers about Requiem, after his stupid, self-important inflation about chasing the giant out of the grocery store... wasn't that a laugh, though? Him, chasing off Requiem... when Requiem had beaten down Zerrex without so much as breaking a sweat. He sighed softly and shook his head slowly as Cherry started the car, curling up a bit on his seat and staring out the passenger window, feeling already like he wanted to cry again... but at the same time knowing that just stupid crying would do no good for anyone, him included.

It only took Cherry a few minutes to navigate the winding streets and find her way to the Godkillers' headquarters... and, as they drove past, a gaggle of people dressed in punk-style clothing - one of them, a horse, sporting a pink-dyed Mohawk - glared at them, one of them playing threateningly with a knife. They were leaning against a rusting car parked in front of the large, converted apartment complex, and it made the female Drakkaren wonder just what was going on inside.

As they passed, she noted something else that even Lone picked up on: most of the parking lot next to the building was full, even though usually there were only three or four cars there at most. Cherry also didn't like the cluster of custom-built motorcycles at one end of the parking lot, or the fact that one of the cars looked more elegant and expensive than the wolf's sports car... usually the Godkillers didn't associate with folk like those from Apple Villa.

Then they were past, and Lone shook his head slowly as Cherry bit the inside of her cheek: something serious was up, in any case. It looked almost like the Godkillers were raising an army... and although she doubted they'd be able to assemble anything they couldn't handle, there were still a few certain points of vulnerability right now. For instance, Cindy... kidnapped, and kept by Requiem in some place... and then the female Drakkaren paused before glancing over at Lone and asking slowly: "Hey, wolf. Do you know where they're keeping Cindy?"

"Not entirely sure..." Lone admitted quietly, shrinking in his seat as the female Drakkaren turned down a side street, then he paused and added quietly: "But the Godkillers probably know by now... and I have a radio transmitter that one of them gave me a long time ago. Mika, I think, the creepy-looking, scrawny one. They sometimes use it to send out illegal broadcasts to all the other Godkillers and their friends, if they don't know where everyone is at any given time."

Cherry nodded in reply to this, musing a bit as she squeezed the wheel of the car tightly. Then she glanced up, hitting the brakes at the same time to slow the car down for a light that was still green... but in a moment it flickered to yellow, then red as they halted at the intersection. "Thanks, Lone. You might have helped us out quite a bit there, actually... I... is there..." A pause, and then a faintly-entertained look at the lupine. "Right. You don't really have anyone who you can trust, do you?"

Lone shifted uncomfortably, then he glanced back at her and said meekly: "Well, I trust you."

Cherry blinked at this, then she couldn't resist a slight smile, reaching out to nudge the wolf gently with one hand. "Asshole. You know what I mean." But she was still smiling when she turned her attention back to the road and continued driving, and Lone felt more than relieved by this.

The wolf watched her for a few moments, then he twiddled his thumbs in his lap and looked down as Cherry drove onwards. He didn't bother to glance up even when she stopped for gas, instead thinking quietly to himself and absently handing her his wallet, before a question came to mind. Just a curiosity, really, but... it wouldn't leave his head, and finally he glanced over at the female and asked: "Um... Cherry? Do you have a license? Like, a driver's... well, actually, any kind of license?"

The muscular female blinked, then looked at the wolf with equal interest. "No. Why do you ask?"

Lone blinked slowly at this, wondering if the Drakkaren understood exactly what a law was or even if she knew that the police on the outside of the city likely wouldn't be so afraid of pulling her over as the ones that knew her here. "Well uh... what about Zerrex? I know he doesn't drive but he must have some gun registration or something..."

"No... why would we bother with that?" Cherry blinked in surprise, tilting her head and looking at the wolf like he was an idiot. "That'd just be a paper trail for some other nasty people to follow us by..."

"Well, getting a ticket or jailed also isn't good for the whole incognito thing." Lone replied mildly, then he coughed at the look Cherry gave him, quickly changing the subject with another question. "So um. How do you guys buy all those guns and everything, then?"

Cherry shrugged, then paused as they heard a dinging noise, and the gas jockey who had been silent until now approached the driver's side hesitantly: the female Drakkaren pulled a fifty out of the wolf's wallet, looked at it thoughtfully, then shrugged before handing that over for the thirty or so dollars of gas she'd bought, making Lone wince before she started the car and drove away. A moment later, she answered the wolf's question as if nothing had happened, tucking the lupine's wallet easily into one of her pockets at the same time. "Well, when you know the right channels in the military, getting illegal arms is pretty damn easy. All you have to do is promise them you'll file the serial number off or that you won't reveal how you got the weaponry, under pain of death or whatever... some of those disillusioned military types get real theatrical, you know." She paused, grinning at the wolf. "But dealing with them is the same as dealing with any wild animal. You just gotta remember they're far more scared of you than you are of them."

"Yeah. I'm sure soldiers high-ranking enough to get their hands on rocket launchers are really scared of your average person." Lone muttered, then was surprised when Cherry laughed and shrugged, looking amused.

"Of course they are, Lone! Like... fuck, stop and think about. All those years in the service, and they spend it bowing to a president, a boss, a colonel, and worst of all, the average person." She paused and looked at the lupine with entertainment, leaning back in the seat easily. "Do you know how frustrating it is to stand guard duty while some asshole tourists come by and snap pictures of you, leaning on you and shit like that, and all you can say is 'Sir, please remove yourself from the premises or I'll call security.' Especially once they figure out you're too humiliated to call for backup on fucking floppy-hat and his bitchy, screechy anorexic wife... it's not like in the television shows, you know. Fucking average person sues a military base, they end up owning a condo in the sunny south somewhere: it's not like on the shows, Lone.

"Like, for example. We hit one of the citizens of our own fair country, even justified... we get citations for insubordination, failure to follow outlined duties and a big lecture on how it's not helping the image of the military if we start thwacking on our country's inhabitants." She nodded, looking upwards thoughtfully and idly hitting the breaks, revolving her hand on the wheel so she held it straight with her wrist but was still able to flip off the driver in front of her, who had jerked into their lane a moment ago. "And fuck. Half the time the rules let civvies come and go from what are supposed to be guarded checkpoints, so long as they can show a fucking driver's license... and we can't strip search every goddamn person, or do anything more than look in their vehicles for something suspicious.

"Of course you end up being more scared of the average citizen than your average soldier... an enemy soldier, you can see what he's carrying. Hell, you probably know from the start of the battle the armament of everyone who's opposed against you, their numbers, and all this tactical bullshit that I still don't understand half of. And there's nothing personal there... you and the enemy don't look at each other with hate in your eyes." She softened a bit as she continued to talk, her voice quieting a bit. "Back in those days, when I was just a rookie, all there was... was fear. And when you did see someone else with hatred for the enemy burning strong, you knew they were going to do something stupid and end up dead... or that they were going to be given some shiny award at the end of the battle but later on end up in jail for war crimes. You and the enemy got linked by that fear, by the worries and the thoughts of back home and the business of battle.

"With the average citizen however, when they raid a facility, it ain't cold military tactics or even anything really thought out; most of what's there is raw hatred and anger. And the shit your normal person will pull is scary... strapping bombs to other people, taking horrible risks that too often result in some... amazing fuckaree because everyone's too shocked to react..." she shook her head slowly as Lone listened intently, nodding silently at the same time as he clasped his hands tight over his chest. "When you get trained, you lose some of that magic ability to... think outside the box sometimes. All you know what to do is the base tactics you're taught, and how to react if such-and-such a situation occurs... but the reaction is never enough, and it always goes bad, always. 'Cause no one bothers to train anymore on what to do if the boss is killed, or the enemy pulls a stunt like simply walking through your defense post and pulling a grenade out from under his hat and blowing your unit to shit."

She paused a moment, then added mildly: "And you don't know their armament... and one person can carry an entire platoon's supply of weapons if he or she really wants to, Lone." Then she stopped and suddenly twisted the wheel to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by another speeding car and bumping over the curb and into a parking lot as Lone yelped in surprise, suddenly saying cheerfully: "Oh hey, I love this place! The food is shit, but hey, sometimes shit is good, and I don't think a pick-me-up would sit badly with either of us right now." A pause, and then Cherry shifted uncomfortably for a moment before adding in a quieter voice: "Thanks for listening, Lone. It's weird trying to explain that shit to someone other than Zerrex, but... it was nice. I'm glad you listened."

"I was more than happy to, Cherry... I'm sorry you had to go through all that." The wolf responded, rubbing the back of his head as the female Drakkaren pulled up towards the drive-thru, and the muscular reptile grinned a bit at him in return, shrugging.

"Hey, lots of experiences there... and not all of it was bad at all. Plus I met Zerrex and got involved in some pretty crazy non-legit shit." She paused, then peered at the menu before mumbling under her breath: "Fuck, I can't read that from this far away. I'll just get the usual combo, I think... what about you? What do you want?"

"I dunno..." Lone said uncomfortably, glancing at the restaurant and feeling a faint trill of nausea run through him. It was some crappy restaurant chain that he'd normally never stop in, preferring some sort of expensive dive over letting himself be seen buying food from some corporate franchise... but then he swallowed his distaste with a mental reprimand about how he was trying to change, and he guessed that meant respecting the small businesses now as much as the larger ones. "Why... why don't you pick for me?"

"I think I know what'd be good for you, anyway." Cherry said agreeably, leaning towards the wolf with a slight grin. "See, it's all about balance, right? Even these places, you can eat healthy if you eat the right stuffs." She paused as they pulled ahead a bit, then sighed and dropped her elbow on the door, supporting her muzzle with a fist as she glared at the line of cars ahead of them. "The only problem is everyone likes ordering big fucking meals, which is why they're all lardasses and fat fuckers."

Lone blushed a bit at this, self-consciously hugging himself around the waist as he glanced down embarrassedly. He felt suddenly awkward, even though Cherry was still muttering to herself and looking ahead instead of paying any attention to him, and then he couldn't help but glance over her body, comparing her form to his.

There were the obvious differences... like how she was muscular, enough that you could probably mistake her for a guy if it wasn't for the curves of her body and her quite-large bosom. She was taller, far more fit than your average person, and... well... again, there was the fact that when she flexed, she looked like a championship-level bodybuilder... a male championship-level bodybuilder.

He, on the other hand, was flabby and pudgy... nowhere near how fat and heavy he'd been in the past, but he also seemed fatter than three years ago... mostly because he wasn't wearing that stupid girdle that he'd used to use, which kept most of his belly in. Secondly, he was so out of shape that jogging up a set of stairs usually left him feeling winded... and walking for a good hour or so straight during the day left him feeling sore the next.

But there were more subtle things, too... like the way they dressed, Cherry always unafraid to show off her body and even seeming to delight in walking around wearing skintight clothes and tight tops that left little to the imagination. Lone, on the other hand, wore loose clothes that were designed to be tight only in certain places... so he could show off what he, in the past, had imagined to be godly assets and hide his weak arms and flabby body. And of course, there was the fact that Cherry was always neat and tidy, her clothes clean even during a bloodbath... and Lone somehow always managed to wrinkle up even his best suits, or drop crumbs all over his shirt and pants within a few minutes.

Discipline... Lone was beginning to think it all came down to discipline, as they finally pulled up to the speakerphone, Cherry muttering about how it was about fucking time. And Lone smiled faintly to himself as he noticed that the difference was even more than in clothes and styles... after all. Although obviously frustrated, the female was still lounging on the chair, tapping her fingers impatiently... Lone, on the other hand, knew that if he was in her position even yesterday, he probably would have leaned into the speaker and yelled angrily for the next ten minutes, calling up every threat and oath he had available for daring to make him wait.

Finally, there was a babble of something almost unintelligible from the speaker, and Cherry leaned over the door of the sports car, saying loudly: "About damn time. Like... anyway. I want two double-bacon cheeseburgers, an extra-large fry, a vanilla milkshake and one of those frigging dessert cake things... uh... the vanilla cupcake thing. Oh. And the kiddy hamburger meal with a Frost cola and a large Greek salad, no dressing."

She glanced at the wolf at this, and Lone gave a faint smile: that was him, alright, the kid. And a salad was probably the right thing for him to have, if he wanted to work the weight off with a better diet... so he only nodded in return, and Cherry nodded back before glancing at the small screen beside the speaker, muttering about the price before pulling out the wolf's wallet and flipping idly through the bills. Finally, she pulled out another fifty, and Lone winced a bit at this: but then he forced his emotions to quell. Sure, it was almost double the price, but... whatever, right? He'd wasted far more money on fancy clothes he'd never wear, and shoes that looked pretty but that he'd never put over his paws because he hated to have anything on his feet.

Cherry pulled up to the window of the drive-thru, then she glanced back and forth idly before looking up as a fox pushed the window aside, putting two bags side by side along with a plain tray that held two containers: Lone noticed with faint amusement that the smaller one was obviously his, covered in dancing animal shapes. "That'll be twenty-eight fifty, ma'am."

The female Drakkaren all but winced at this, letting out a disgusted sound before handing over the fifty to the fox. He took it, and Lone sighed, before blinking a bit as the todd returned promptly with the change, handing it over to Cherry, then handing over the bags of food with a faint look of mistrust. The female took them and handed them idly to Lone, making the wolf blink as he suddenly found himself cradling the bags of food in his lap and holding a drink container, then Cherry gave a sweet smile and said in an almost-simpering voice: "Thank you."

With that, she shifted into gear and drove away, snorting as she looked at the wolf and muttering: "Bastard. Looks like the article's had an influence already... either that or he was just a pissant. Anyway, let's go park somewhere and eat this, okay? I wanna watch the traffic."

"Okay." Lone nodded and looked down at the bags curiously: one was almost a plain, brown paper bag, except it was emblazoned with the symbol of the restaurant... but the other had some weird happy-pirate mascot on it and was dotted with simple children's games, like connect the dots, match the patterns and a maze. The wolf found himself idly doing the last, mumbling to himself as he tried to trace the right route through the map of random lines and cursing under his breath at every failed attempt.

It was more than enough to amuse him until Cherry pulled into an empty, grassy lot on the far side of Comfort Town, making Lone almost squeal in terror as she suddenly hit the gas and jerked hard on the wheel, spinning around in a tight circle. Fortunately, the wolf didn't spill the drinks or the bags, and the female grinned at him as she turned the engine off, leaning back in her seat and now looking towards the streets, which were slowly growing busier. "What? I can't very well watch the cars go by if we're facing in the other direction, can I?"

"I guess not." Lone said faintly, then he blinked as she took the bag and tray from him in an easy movement: it reminded him of how easily she'd picked his pocket the first time they'd met: it also made him wonder - for maybe the first time in his life, in a non-sexual way - what other talents she had and the skills she may have learned over the course of her rather-strange career.

Then Cherry adjusted the seat and leaned back a bit with a sigh, putting the cups into the car's holders and tossing the foam carelessly out the side, letting it join the other debris scattered along the lot before she reached into her bag and pulled out a greasy-looking burger wrapped in yellow paper. Lone watched her for a few moments, then he shrugged to himself and looked into his bag before pulling out his own, blinking at the fact that this also had multicolored profiles of various animals parading around on it.

He pulled the paper aside, then looked at his pathetically-small hamburger, staring at the bun that engulfed the synthetic meat product inside, leaving only a bare edge visible. He picked it up, then looked from it to the far-larger hamburger that Cherry was busily slurping down, as she sat and watched the cars drive by with a pleased expression on her muzzle; finally, he picked it up and took a bite, feeling somewhat miserable as his stomach rumbled and murmured that it deserved more, thinking despairingly: I hope this counts as atonement... but somehow I doubt it...

The wolf, however, was careful with how he ate... he noticed that even though the female Drakkaren ate fast, she was still cautiously avoiding spilling anything on herself. Lone tried to mimic her and thus managed to avoid covering himself with ketchup and the other sauces on the burger, only getting a bit of food on his body.

Then the lupine pulled out his salad and poked at it, wincing at the lack of dressing and feeling his face twist in disgust as he opened the container. He paused to look into the paper bag again, then made a face as he pulled out a plain plastic fork... before sighing a bit as he saw Cherry produce her second burger and start in on it.

The female tossed him a glance... then she smiled slightly and tilted her muzzle towards him. "Eat it up, and I'll share some of my fries with you... and don't go whining now. It's good for you... and way healthier than if you soaked it with hundred-islands dressing or whatever crap you usually use."

"Okay." Lone nodded a bit in return, feeling a bit torn between irritable and happy that she was treating him almost like a kid, offering a treat if he ate all his veggies... but then he looked at it from another angle and let himself be warmed by the idea that they were becoming friends, just... acting like real friends. So instead he went to work on his salad... grudgingly admitting to himself that it wasn't really that bad plain. A bit tasteless, but he figured it was more from the processing it had likely gone through to be sold in the fast-food business than anything else. He also surprised himself by wondering how the salad would taste plain if he made it himself, and he couldn't resist a bit of a smile: maybe he really was on the road to change.

"The fuck?" Cherry asked mildly, looking at him with slight bafflement at the fact the wolf was smiling into thin air. He looked back, then blushed a bit as he held up his empty tray, and she rolled her eyes before putting the last bit of her hamburger into her mouth, swallowing it and then digging out her fries. She looked at the container, then up at the wolf before shrugging and holding the entire thing out to him, making him blink. "Here. You can have this shit... I got dessert anyway."

Lone reached up and smiled, saying a soft 'thank you' as he took the fries... and that was how Lone Wulfe and Cynthia 'Cherry Blossom' Narrius became friends.