It had been so hard to explain what had happened to Mrs. Canola and Maleer. Their beloved son and baby brother was dead.
He remembered the soaring feeling in his heart when Nils said that Maloof was alive, and the fear that gripped him when he learned that he was still in danger. He remembered the relief he felt when the radio transmission revealed that the boy was alive, the terror when he stopped breathing, and the shame when he saw the smaller boy lying on that stretcher because he hadn't been strong enough to help him.
Mikhail brushed a few tears from his eyes and gently fingered Maloof's curls. It was going to be different this time. When those tigers got in, they wouldn't lay a paw on Maloof unless Mikhail was good and dead.
Then, he saw it!
"Hallelujah!" Mikhail thought to himself. Maloof was right! Both of them didn't have to die this day! Why do that when they could both live?
Mikhail could have kissed Bobby and Benny, donned a pink tutu and performed Swan Lake right then and there with the joy he was feeling. Never again would he complain about the mail system, because, damnit, it was about to save their lives!
Meanwhile, Lili was making her way into the corner of the room furthest from the door, holding Raz tightly and preying desperately for some kind of miracle. She cursed whoever worked in that office as she tripped over the garbage can and hit her head against something metal in the wall. She snatched a name plate off of the desk and looked at it. She sneered.
"May you rot in hell for your traplike office and homicidal garbage cans, Roger Kapaulski!" She spat, throwing the nameplate against the wall. A loud metallic clang rang from the spot, making Lili look up. She grinned from ear to ear and picked the nameplate up again.
"Someone should give you a freaking medal, Roger Kapaulski!" She cried, kissing the nameplate and setting it back on the desk. Like Mikhail, she was happy enough to kiss Benny and Bobby and don a pink tutu and perform Swan Lake right then and there.
That is, if the door hadn't given out right then and there.
Mr Aquato cried out as the tiger's jaws closed on his arm. He punched the beast hard on the jaw, trying to get it off of him.
Benjamin, despite the horrible pain in his throat, drew a deep breath and blasted fire from his mouth. The big cat released his father and jumped away from him. Benjamin coughed heavily and fell to his knees. He could feel blood riding down his blistered throat.
"BENJAMIN!" Mr. Aquato cried. He seized the tiger by its tail and tossed it aside, running toward his injured son.
"Benjamin? Have you no more water?" Mr. Aquato asked.
"Used it…" Benjamin rasped.
"Lyle, Jennifer, you must assist your brother. He can no longer fight. Joseph, protect your brothers and sisters. I will deal with the beast. You must go now and get these people to safety!" Mr. Aquato said.
"Be careful, father! We do not wish to loose you too!" Elizabeth cried, hugging her father tightly.
"I will be fine. I love you, my children. Go, now!" Mr. Aquato said. Reluctantly, his children took off down the hall toward the hanger.
Very merrily, Mikhail lifted Maloof up into his arms and made his way toward the other side of the room. He jumped as the doors blew off of their hinges and the tiger bounded in and pushed him up against the wall. It snapped at Maloof, smelling the blood on him. Mikhail tumbled backward and held Maloof close to him as the tiger's claws flexed.
It brought down an enormous, sharply clawed paw on Mikhail's back, still, he protected Maloof. He could feel the tiger's claws rip into his skin over and over, but he didn't give in to the pain. He was so close!
One more time, the tiger swatted Mikhail and he sprung up, cradling Maloof to his chest and lifting the hatch to the mail chute. H took a second to flip off the tiger before jumping right in.
Mikhail wondered if this was such a good idea after all as he was tossed around in the dark, winding chute. I the drop didn't break his neck, he would be really sore tomorrow…
Lili yelped as the tiger's massive paw swiped her across her face. She felt her neck crack loudly and slumped to the floor in a daze. She reached up and rubbed her neck gingerly. It hurt to move her head.
Suddenly, she stopped caring about her own neck as the tiger stepped over her and toward Raz. She still had to save his!
She got to her feet and blasted the tiger in the back of its neck for a little payback. The tiger fell to the ground, its head the only thing moving. She had severed its spinal chord! She gave a triumphant cry and stepped over it, putting a psiblast through its head to seal the deal.
"Ha! Not only are you dead, but I've decided that I'm a dog person now! Take that, bitch!" Lili cheered. A soft groan caught her attention. She quickly looked up to check on Raz.
She cried out as she was slammed into the floor from behind. She groaned softly, dazed. She felt the tiger's claws swipe across her back and she cried out. She struggled desperately to get free as the creature continued to assault her. She telekinetically lifted the broken door and tossed it into the tiger, trying to knock it off of her. While it was distracted, she attempted to scramble back to her feet.
She was quickly thrown back to the ground by the last of the three tigers that had been pursuing her. She held her arms up to shield her face and tried to curl into a ball to defend herself. Every time she tried to erect a shield, the tiger would smash through it.
She cried out as she felt them both ram through the shield and pounce on her. She managed to elbow one in the eye and throw it into the wall hard enough to stun it, but the other wasn't even giving her a chance to get up. She yelped as it pinned one of her arms to the ground with its massive paws. She clawed at the paw with her free hand, trying desperately to free herself.
The tiger took the short opening without hesitation. It lurched forward and seized her neck in its powerful jaws.
Lili grabbed onto the creature's head, digging into its fur with her nails. She could feel its powerful jaws tightening even more, strangling her. She thrashed and frantically tried to pry the jaws open, but to no avail.
Her struggles were rapidly weakening as the lack of oxygen began to affect her body. The whole room was going red before her eyes. She could feel the temperature rising rapidly. Her grip on the beast was slipping. Her body was going numb.
"Damnit! This can't be happening! I have to protect Raz! I have to repay him for saving my life! I can't just up and die at the time when he needs me most!" Lili thought. A single tear slipped down her cheek. She tried to turn her head to get one last look at her boyfriend. His figure was blurred, like a mirage on a hot day. His body seemed to glow in her fading vision. She dimly noted seeing something, no, two somethings glowing her favorite shade of intense green.
"I'm so sorry Raz. I've failed you…" She thought. She could hear his voice, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.
She quite suddenly felt the jaws around her neck loosen. She slumped back onto the floor, gasping for breath. The tiger was writhing and screaming in agony.
It clawed at its own body frantically, as if it were covered in fire ants. Lili wondered if they might have been fire ants that had been exposed to psytanium as the beast abruptly burst into flame from the inside out. It writhed and screamed as the flames engulfed it and ate away at its flesh, but in mere moments, it was over. The tiger had ceased thrashing and screaming. It was limp now. The smell of blood, ash, and burnt hair was thick in the air.
Lili was beginning to regain her senses. She realized that the room really was hot and that it was bathed in red firelight. She sat up slowly and looked around. Raz's body sat propped up in a sitting position with his back against the desk. His body was engulfed in the same flames as the tiger! His eyes were dimming and his face was contorted in agony.
Lili let out a terrified shriek and ran over to him. As she did, the flames began to draw back. They concentrated themselves on Raz's right ankle before dying down completely.
Raz's head lulled forward and he started panting heavily. Lili dropped to her knees next to him and began checking him over. He wasn't burned at all. His clothes weren't even singed. Lili did the only thing she could think of to help him. She put an arm around his shoulders, trying to calm him down.
"Raz? Raz, can you hear me?" Lili asked shakily. She could feel both Raz's and her own body trembling violently. She was doing her best to keep herself from hyperventilating and stop the tears flowing down her cheeks, but it was like a faucet had been turned on and gotten stuck.
Raz reached with a shaky hand and pulled up the hem of his hospital scrubs to examine his right ankle. There was a tattoo there. It looked like real silver had been inlaid into his skin all the way around his ankle in the pattern of a shackle. Engraved into the shackle was a band of flames with jets of water twisting around it.
The mark gave an ominous gleam, as if it really were metal, and Raz hissed in pain. He whispered something that Lili couldn't understand.
"What?" Lili asked.
"Two violations…" He rasped. "As in stone it has been writ, should six atrocities be commit, its love forlorn shall drown blessed fire, lest wind doth claim its dark desire."
Raz groaned, blinking dizzily. The glow in his eyes vanished and he slumped forward, unconscious once again.
"Raz! Raz? Are you okay?" Lili asked. She held Raz to her, trying to calm herself down. Something here was very wrong.
"What does that mean, Raz? What's happening to you?" She asked. Raz's eyes fluttered lightly. She hovered over him anxiously, not even daring to breathe. Raz blinked tiredly. Vibrant green eyes locked with her own. So far, it looked like he was himself.
"Uhn…Lili?" He asked weakly. For a long moment, they just stayed like that, utterly still and gazing into each other's eyes. Both of them slowly broke into affectionate smiles. Raz slipped back into unconsciousness in her arms, but Lili kept smiling. She stroked his hair and sniffed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.
Yep. That smile proved it. The Raz that stole her heart was back. A low growl from down the hall snapped Lili out of her thoughts.
She cursed under her breath and quickly hoisted him up onto her shoulders and hastily threw open the mail chute. She held Raz tightly to her chest so that he would be jarred as little as possible on the way down, and jumped in.
Mikhail landed inside a half-full mail bin with Maloof lying on top of him. Mikhail sat up gingerly, sore all over. He felt Maloof's grip on his shirt tighten slightly. The boy groaned softly and his eyes fluttered.
"Mikhail?" Maloof asked drowsily. His eyes suddenly lit up with concern. He reached up and caressed Mikhail's cheek gently.
"Y-you're hurt." He whispered. Mikhail caught Maloof's hand in his own and locked eyes with the smaller boy. He could feel hot tears welling in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. He didn't even know where to begin to express what he was feeling.
He pulled the younger boy to him and held him tightly. He buried his face in Maloof's shoulder and gently grasped a handful of his soft brown curls. A soft sob escaped him.
Maloof tensed, half from pain and half from the older boy's strange behavior. After a moment, Maloof laid his head on Mikhail's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the taller boy's neck. He sighed as all the tension drained from his body.
"I'm sorry…so, so sorry…" Mikhail sobbed. Maloof smiled kindly into Mikhail's shoulder and hugged his neck a little tighter.
"You're my best friend." He rasped. Mikhail felt him slip back into unconsciousness in his arms.
Lili grunted as she and Raz toppled into a mail bin. The fall winded her slightly. She took a second to catch her breath before sitting up to check on Raz.
"Raz? Can you hear me?" Lili asked. There was no response from the young agent.
"Lili? Is that you?" She heard a familiar voice call. It was just in the next room!
"Mikhail?" Lili asked.
"Yes. It is me. You are alright?" Mikhail asked.
"I just got mauled by three tigers, dragged my boyfriend all over HQ, and jumped down a freaking mail chute. What do you think, Mr. tall drink of dipshit?" She said.
Mikhail laughed. She was pretty pissy, so she couldn't be too terribly hurt. Mikhail gently lifted Maloof up into his arms and carried him into the next mail room.
"I though you had escaped with boyfriend already. What are you doing here? Are you alright?" Mikhail asked.
"Yeah, I'll live. I thought you escaped with Maloof and the Aquato's. What are you doing here?" Lili asked.
"We were cornered in office, so I jump down mail chute to escape. Aquato's are in hanger by now." Mikhail said.
"Same here. You look pretty scratched up yourself. Are you okay?" Lili asked.
"As long as friends are safe, I am okay." Mikhail said. They both stood in silence for a minute, trying to decide what to do next. Lili walked over and dumped several mail bins out onto the floor. She pushed the mail into a pile and carefully set Raz down on it.
"It's more comfortable than the floor. Set Maloof down there and give me a hand." Lili said. Mikhail gingerly set the younger boy down next to Raz. He wished he had a blanket or at least a jacket to cover him with.
"There's a radio in here. Shut the door and lock it in case there are more of those hell-cats running around. Block it off the best you can. I'm going to set up the radio and try to call in some help." Lili said. Mikhail did as he was told, stacking everything he could in front of the doors. When he was finished, he went over and sat next to Maloof.
Mikhail ran his fingers through his own hair and sighed. He winced at the pain that seemed to throb all over his body. He was both physically and mentally exhausted. Mikhail glanced over at the boy asleep beside him. A grin spread across Mikhail's face.
Seeing the steady rise and fall of the younger boy's chest made every bruise worth it.
"How's Maloof holding up?" Lili asked, trying to get the radio working.
"Pretty well, considering…circumstances." Mikhail said. Lili chuckled.
"What about gypsy friend?" Mikhail asked. Lili sighed and walked over to him. She plopped down beside Raz and pulled her knees to her chest, leaning back against the wall. She sighed and reached down to brush Raz's bangs out of his eyes.
"Well, I don't think he's doing any worse, and I guess that that is good." Lili said. She let out an angry growl and let her fist drop to the floor.
"I just wish I knew what the hell was going on!" Lili growled. Mikhail reached over and squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. He too had had just about enough of this crap. They sat in silence for a long while.
"What do we do now?" Mikhail asked. Lili sighed and raked her fingers through her hair.
"I'm way too tired to get the radio working. We should try to get some rest. I think that the doors will hold for a while." Lili said. She got up and pushed over another mail bin, pushing it in a pile next to Raz. She turned and glared at Mikhail.
"Here's the deal. As I'm sure you know, these two are in no condition for us to be worrying about our reputations." Lili said. She laid down next to Raz and wrapped her arms around him.
"We need to keep these two warm. We do what needs to be done, and never speak of it again." Lili said.
"Agreed." Mikhail said. He slowly eased himself down next to Maloof and pulled the smaller boy to him. Maloof groaned softly. He had a terrible case of the chills.
"Misha?" He whimpered. Mikhail pulled the younger boy close and tried to soothe him. He petted Maloof's hair and rubbed his back. Mikhail pulled his hand back when it made contact with Maloof's forehead.
"He's burning up…" Mikhail said. Lili reached over and pressed her hand to Maloof's forehead.
"You're right. The burns he's got aren't helping." Lili said. She reached over to check Raz's temperature.
"He feels warm too." Lili groaned.
"There is little we can do for them but try to keep them warm." Mikhail said.
Mikhail and Lili got little sleep. Neither could sleep for very long knowing that their friends were suffering. Their medication was wearing off. Raz and Maloof were in terrible pain.
Lili guessed that it was around two in the morning. Raz stayed still and his temperature neither rose nor fell, but his expression was pained. Maloof's fever was on the rise. He was coughing uncontrollably and getting weaker by the hour.
"Since we're not getting any rest, I'll at least make use of this time and try to get the radio working. You take care of the invalids." Lili said. Lili worked for almost two hours until finally, she got some static on the radio.
"Mede! Mede! This is Lili Zanotto. Agent Aquato, Cadet Maloof Canola, Cadet Mikhail Bulgakov, and I are trapped. Can anyone out there hear me?" Lili asked. A famillar, but weak voice responded.
"This is Agent Nein responding. Your distress call is acknowledged, but your signal isn't very clear. Please repeat your previous transmission."
