Hey there! It's been a while! I was on vacation, and I am applying to medical schools .

Thanks for all the comments! I'm so happy you like it. Okay, here we go!

Gasp. "Okay! Okay!" he rasped.

Laila released the pressure slightly. I held my fist closer to his face.

"Tell. Us. Everything." I growled.

"Yeah, man! Just don't kill me, huh?" Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "The Coon sent me here with orders to take your computer. I don't know why, I swear." He pointed weakly to Laila's desk.

Laila's eyes cut to me. "What do you think, Mysterion? Seems like he's telling the truth, but you know the Coon better than I do."

The flame in my hand went out, and I took a deep breath. "Yeah. He doesn't know anything. Even when we all worked together, the Coon never let anyone know the reasons behind his plans."

"Really! That's all I know," the man insisted. "Get the computer, and bring it back to…oh shit."

"Where?! To where?!" Laila grabbed his black bangs and yanked upwards.

"GAH! To the Airport Hilton!"

She let his hair go, and the rat sank to the floor. "You've told us the whole truth now, haven't you?"

"Yeah! Honest to God, I have no idea what he wants your computer for!"

I touched Laila's shoulder. "What do we do about this guy? We can't kill him…"

"I know," she whispered back. "I have an idea, though." She jabbed three fingers into the man's armpit and pressed the nape of his neck with her thumb; the man went limp. "That should buy us about three days. He'll wake up with no memory of this whole thing."

"Hey," I said. "You have a car? I think we have an appointment at the Airport Hilton."

"I sure do." Laila grabbed her computer and typed away for a few moments. "And I have a plan, as well. But something tells me you're not gonna like it."

"Great."

Laila:

At 7 am, my old Jetta sputtered to life as I pumped the accelerator.

Kenny turned to me as he sat down in the front seat,"I don't see why we're driving your car as Rin and Mysterion if we have to walk through a hotel lobby to get to the Coon's hideout."

I slung my arm around the back of my seat and threw the car into reverse. "Okay, so there is a method to my madness, don't worry." I backed carefully out of the parking space and onto the road. "We need to get to the Coon's hideout without being noticed, right?" I tossed him a Smores flavored Luna bar.

"Yeah, but I'm wearing purple spandex for God's sake," he added, "and you're a freaking ninja. How are people not gonna notice us?"

"Any other day, that'd be a problem. But today, the Airport Hilton is going to be full of people in superhero costumes. The Denver Comic Con is kicking off there this morning. I'm telling you, we'll fit right in."

Kenny tore the wrapper off the Luna bar and demolished it in three bites. "Srgrrmph eh mmf brbrgmff?"

"Exactly. Sometimes, the best place to hide is in plain sight."

Kenny:

I still wasn't sure about Laila's plan, but I figured it was best to leave the setup to her. If anyone would know how to be stealthy, it'd be a ninja.

I instead focused on preparing myself to face the Coon and end this cat-and-mouse game once and for all. I hated him for murdering my friends, and I wanted to look into his eyes as I choked the very last breath out of him. Laila was right. My power is growing. I needed revenge almost as much as I needed oxygen to survive. He's going down. Even if I have to take him to Hell myself.

I looked over at Laila; her determined eyes were fixed on the road. I'm glad I met her, but not under these circumstances.

She sensed I was watching her, and she turned to me as we pulled up to a red light. Her eyes softened as she pulled down the lower part of her hood. "You've been through hell in the past seventy-two hours, Kenny, I know. But it'll be over soon." Laila's hand found mine on the center armrest. "And the Coon doesn't stand a chance against the both of us."

My arm stiffened as my friends' deaths replayed in my head. I looked down. Our fingers had interlaced. She looked back at the road.

"He and I have a little score to settle as well."

We sped down the highway another thirty miles, until we parked at the Hilton and walked inside. I adjusted my hood, checking for security cameras. Laila nudged me, "Hey, looks like you're pretty popular." She pointed to the coffee kiosk, where a group of cosplayers wearing hoods with green question marks ate pastries, laughing.

"That's good," I said. "The more Mysterions there are here, the less likely I'll be noticed."

"And the ninja chick count is sky high, too," Laila offered. "Now let's find the central office."

We took a left out of the marble-floored foyer, past the bathrooms, finding a door labeled "Hotel Staff Only". Laila tried the door. Unlocked. "That's weird," I thought aloud. The door swung open.

"Aw, crap!" she exclaimed.