Kitty opened her eyes. She had no idea where Scratch brought her or where she was at all. She just knew that she sat on a chair and that her left wrist and both of her legs were chained to this chair. Her right hand was free for some reason and she had moved it if she had the strength.
But the aftermaths of the electroshock were still very present. She could barely talk and her limbs felt like they weigh a ton. Besides, she was still twitching uncontrollably. This twitching would last for the next hours, Kitty knew that. This wasn´t the first time a Taser was fired on her and it will probably not be the last time, that was sure.
The first time was a strange T.U.F.F. initiation rite after her training was done. It was the idea of her first partner, Jack Rabbit. He began with that, every recruit who ended the training should get tasered by an older agent. The reason for that was… maybe just fun.
However it somehow prepared the agents for the field missions. If you once tasted the Taser you try as good as possible to not taste it again. After Jack left it was Dudley who maltreated her with this wonderful device. On every stupid occasion.
"Hey Kitty look what I found…" always after she heard these words 10,000 Volt were put on here. If Kitty had the power to grin now she had grinned. Dudley always took care of her after he tasered her down. He did that so caring and loving that she fall in love with him after a while. So the Tasers were actually the reason why they became a couple… the world is a strange place.
Once after he tasered her again she was in her apartment with him alone again she decided to tell him about her feelings. Even if she knew that this could ruin their relationship as partners and friends she couldn´t go on with this hide and seek situation. So she told him and Dudley began to beam happily.
Then he told her with the most unromantic words she ever heard that he felt the same. "Why do you think my Taser always goes off when I´m around you?"
Kitty liked to remember that. These memories were from a better time, an easier time. A time without a sick psychopath called Scratch who tried to kill them all, without a NSA agent who has stolen Dudley´s identity and behaved like the scum of the earth. But a time loving, caring and alive with Dudley. Even if it sounds clichéd wished Kitty that Dudley would be in a better place now. Maybe a place with lot of cheese, Dudley loved cheese.
With loud noises the neon tubes on the ceiling chased away the darkness. A young cat girl, not even twenty years old, entered the room and walked towards Kitty. She knew who that girl was, she saw her sitting on the table with Steiner, Petrović and Scratch in the 'Snap in the box'.
"So you are this agent Katswell? Hm… I imagined that you have more… curves." The girl laughed evily into Kitty´s face. "Anyway, your lack of femininity will make it easier for me to search you." A pair of small delicate hands searched Kitty´s body for guns, knives or anything you could use as a weapon.
The girl finally stopped at her wrist. "What is that? Some kind of watch?" She eyed the device on Kitty´s wrist a bit closer now and Kitty begged that she wouldn´t recognize the high-tec camouflaged in a twenty Dollar Chinese Rolex replica.
"Well, it looks cheap." She commented on the wristcom. "T.U.F.F. doesn´t pay much, does it?"
Kitty didn´t answer, on the one hand because she just didn´t want to talk to this girl on the other hand because it felt like her tongue still weighed like a rock.
"Scratch said I should let you rest a few hours more, so nighty night." With these words the lights turned off with the same loud sound with that they turned on before.
The darkness that surrounded her made her drowsy but before she would gave in this inner need to rest she would take care that someone would get her out of here.
With her free right hand she pushed some buttons on the wristcom. A well-known key sequence that activated the tracking device which is integrated in every wristcom.
"When Keswick is free, they´ll search for me and that will help them… I hope that Keswick can break free… I hope." She closed her eyes and surrender to her inner need to sleep.
After a while, it could be hours or just minutes, Kitty was woken up by the sound of the neon tubes again. Her eyes first needed to get used to the light. But after a while she could see that the room around her changed. In front of her stood a table now which was laid with fancy plates and silver cutlery.
It also looked like somebody painted the walls in a new color, a warm yellow, what made Kitty really wonder how long she slept and where her reinforcement was. But it was of course also possible that they just changed the location. Whatever it was it wasn´t important right now. More important was that Scratch entered the room and sat down on the other side of the table.
"Miss Katswell, welcome. I hope you had a pleasant stay." Scratch took an expensive looking serviette and put it into his collar.
"You damn son of a…"
"Miss Katswell!" intervened Scratch harshly before she could start insulting him. "Is it really necessary to behave like that?"
"Was it necessary to kidnap me?" retorted Kitty so harsh that it overcame the tone of voice Scratch used. "Was it necessary to kill 231 innocent people?"
"So you think I am responsible for massacre seven years ago? Interesting, but more interesting is the question why do you believe that." Scratch bend for in his chair and put an interested expression on his face.
"Agent Puppy… Agent Young told us about that very detailed." She said confident.
"Interesting. So agent Young told you… then it has to be right of course. I mean everything is right as long as a person commanding respect is telling you that. I think there were once two of these people who told you that a big guy with a white beard and a red coat is leaving presents for you under the tree. That must be right." Scratch leaned back in his seat and looked to the ceiling while he had this face that looked like the face of a Greek philosopher who understood a big cosmic truth.
"Whatever. Why should I trust criminal scum like you instead?"
"Ts ts ts…" giggle Scratch. "I can´t believe what I´m hearing. You hardly know me but you call me nevertheless criminal scum. Think about it, from where do you got these information?"
"From agent… Young…" Kitty stopped for a second hating the smiling dog on the other side of the table and thought about everything she knew about Scratch.
Everything she knew was drummed into her by this Dudley look-a-like. Why did she just believe that right away without doing her own research? What was wrong with her? She wasn´t so gullible usually. No, usually she wouldn´t believe anything she hadn´t seen with her own eyes. Did she lose this quality? Or was it just the stress of the last days that made her careless?
No matter what it was, she would begin with that again. She was on the source now, if she wanted to know something about Scratch she just had to ask him. Also a perfect chance to check all these street legends that rumored around on the street.
"So it´s wrong that you are a dangerous wanted criminal?"
"No, that´s true. However just for illegal parking. The police is just too incompetent to prove anything else yet. But… I collected park tickets worth 20,000 Dollar" Scratch looked amused to the ceiling and imagined a bunch of police officers which were crying because they still hadn´t got him.
"And it´s wrong that you once killed a kid?" meant Kitty ending his inner cinema.
"Once? I did that so often… Oh I think you mean another incident. It was more a midget but basically yes."
"And is it wrong or not that you are controlling the cocaine trafficking of the west coast?"
"Well, that´s also true." Admitted Scratch and smiled a bit embarrassed. "But I don´t run the business… I have someone who does that. I´m more the guy for action. I don´t like this whole management stuff."
"So everything I have from Young is true?" stated Kitty.
"Yes, except the thing of the massacre."
"Then tell me Scratch, is it really a good idea to trust you?" Kitty leaned forward so that her face was very close to his face.
"No, not from this point of view. But let me help you seeing this from another perspective, Miss Katswell." By laying his index finger on her forehead he pushed her back into her seat. "Agent Young came to T.U.F.F. and claimed his name was Dudley Puppy and that he was trying to catch the culprit of the massacre of Petropolis, right?"
"Right." Confirmed Kitty.
"So he deceived you all and played with your feelings in a disgusting way…"
"What´s your point?"
"My point is, why are you hating me if he is the one who did all the things to you. I can´t remember that I lied to you. I can´t remember that I did something bad to you." his voice sounded so unbelievable naïve as he asked that question.
"I HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU KILLED DUDLEY!" she screamed and silence followed her scream.
Scratch replied nothing, he just looked at her out of his big green eyes which suddenly had a trace of sadness in them. Kitty had never seen this sadness in that moment. She was too heated up by her own emotions too much to recognize such a small giveaway.
The silence became more and more uncomfortable for anyone around. Everyone who had stepped into this room in that moment had felt this oppressive atmosphere which lay in the room like fog above a wet meadow in the morning. It was finally Nefarius, who listened to the whole conversation, who took heart and brought two plates with food to their table.
Like a swarm of grasshopper Scratch began to fight down the food on his plate. The whole food thing felt for Kitty like a desperate attempt to change the subject.
"Miss Katswell, you have to try this." He spitted with a full mouth. "Oh my god, the sauce!"
"I´m not hungry."
"Come on try it. It´s really good." He held his fork under her nose trying to force her to try the food.
"I SAID I´M NOT HUNGRY!" and again silence followed her scream. But this time it was Scratch who broke it. He laid his fork away, sighed and gave her the answer she wanted to hear. "I haven´t killed Puppy."
"I don´t believe you." How could she? This silence and then the subject change. That were indicators that he was trying to hide something from her.
"Believe what you want." Said Scratch leaving the table. "But think about my words. I´m not the one who was lying to you all the time."
As he was finally out of the room the rat with the kind eyes took Scratch´s place on the table.
"That didn´t go so well." He meant shaking his head.
"Indeed." Confirmed Kitty who still looked disgusted after Scratch.
"Don´t be too hard to him, he´s a really nice guy if you know him better… and if you´re able to accept the fact that he´s a brutal cruel criminal who likes Latin… Oh, I think we haven´t met yet. My name is reverend Nefarius. Nice to meet you agent Katswell." Nefarius offered her his hand which she shook immediately. She couldn´t really name the reason why but she trusted this man right away.
It must have been this good feeling he gave everyone around him. You just felt so safe and calm when he was around.
"I want to apologize for the way we had to get you here. But you have to understand, that was our only opportunity to talk to you in private." His words sounded not like these clichéd criminal pseudo excuses, Nefarius seemed to be very sincere. That let a question arise in Kitty.
"Reverend, mind if I ask you a personal question?"
"Go ahead." He smiled friendly.
"Why are you doing this all? I read your file. Why did you become a priest two years ago just to do this? I mean the last two years you did nothing illegal, it seemed you turned your life around and then… You know what I want to say?"
Nefarius nodded. "Yes. And to make this long story short, I´m here because I owe Scratch at least a favor for the things he done for me."
"But how can you reconcile your criminal activities with your priesthood and your consciousness?"
"Just because I´m a priest it doesn´t mean that I´m just a priest. I´m also a person with all its strengths and weaknesses. And as long as I can still forgive myself for everything I´ve done, god will also do that. And if god forgives me my absolution is complete." Nefarius looked very contented in that moment, like someone who was at peace with the world and himself.
Kitty imagined how this would be, to be free. Free from all these things that kept her from being happy. It must be a wonderful feeling.
"But, anyway, I´m actually not only here to apologize for our rude behavior towards you. There is a certain reason besides talking why we have kidnapped you."
"And that´s what?"
"We want to make you an offer. We want you to work for us."
Kitty couldn´t resist to laugh in disbelieve. "Yeah, sure."
"I meant that serious. We need your help to end this all. Without bloodshed." Nefarius gave her a stern look and Kitty realized that he really meant that serious.
She shook her head forcefully. "No! I don´t even think about that!"
"I know that is much…"
"Much?" she asked unbelieving. "You just asked me to betray all the principles and ideals I live for. Do I ask you to worship Satan? You can´t expect me to do that! No."
Nefarius sighed, but not in an unhappy or disappointed way. "I told Scratch that this wouldn´t work. But maybe if I tell you the whole story, the whole conspiracy…"
"Conspirancy? What do you…"
Suddenly, like somebody called him, Scratch entered the room and approached to the table expectantly. "So, what did she say?" he asked his friend.
"I said no!" called Kitty in before Nefarius could answer. "And nothing can change that."
"What if we tell her everything?" suggested Nefarius.
"No, she don´t even thinks about coming to our side, so I don´t think that she´ll believe the whole story." Said Scratch to him like Kitty wasn´t there. Then he turned to her. "Why do you have to be so stubborn Miss Katswell? We are doing the right… What´s that?!" Scratch´s eyes were pinned to Kitty´s left wrist. "Please tell me that isn´t what I think it is."
Kitty began to smile evilly. "Got you Scratch."
Nobody of the persons that were present in this room knew if the following thing was timed or not. But for everyone in there it felt so. Exactly after these words left Kitty´s lips the windows shattered and steel cylinder flew through them which let out a biting steam. Tear gas.
"MOVE FAST WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE." Ordered Scratch like a Sergeant who yells orders to the soldiers on the battlefield. He wanted to run towards the next exit but the door burst open and two T.U.F.F. agents welcomed him with rifles in firing position.
Scratch was too close to them to run away so he decided to knock them down. He hit his fist directly on the throat of the first one what made him drop his gun because he used his hand to hold his throat retching in pains. The second agent was with his finger almost done pulling the trigger but Scratch grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it away from him.
Under the sound of several bullets which left the gun he kicked the agent first on his kneecap and then as he knelt down screaming in pain he rammed his knee into his face with all the strength he had. The agent weakened his grip around his gun and fell to the ground unconsciousness.
His partner who still stood there retching followed him after Scratch gave him a hit with the gun stock.
"NEFARIUS ARE YOU WAITING FOR AN EXTRA INVITATION? GET HERE!" Scratch screamed in him military voice through the steam to his partner who was still with Kitty and tried to get her untied.
"JUST ONE SECOND!" he screamed back. "Well, Miss Katswell. It was a pleasure to meet you." he meant coughing to Kitty as he opened the last chains that tied her to the chair. "I hope we see…" Nefarius was stopped in midsentence by a sound that was similar to the plong when you open a bottle of campaign.
Kitty didn´t know what´s wrong, her sight was blurry through all that tear gas. She stood up, turned around and was hardly able to catch the body that fall towards her. She had no idea what was wrong, the steam was too thick but she could feel how a warm fluid began to run down her neck from Nefarius head which lay lifeless at her shoulder.
Shocked she took a breath of the tear gas what made her cough uncontrollable. The disgusting stench of the gas burnt in her nose and her throat. As she was about to breakdown a firm hand pulled a respirator mask over her head. Her lungs filled with fresh air and her sight slowly got back to normal.
The same hand that pulled the mask over her face helped her up from the ground. It was Keswick who stood there also wearing a mask. "Are you okay Kitty?" he asked her worrying seeing the blood on her.
"I´m okay" she panted. "Where is Scratch?"
"He escaped." Shouted Young angrily who walked up to them carrying a strange looking gun on his shoulder. "And he forgot his waste here." With the tip of his shoe he kicked into the side of Nefarius.
"Stop it!" yelled Kitty at him and knelt down to priest that lay there with his eyes wide open. Even though there was a big hole between his eyes he still had this peaceful expression on his face. Softly stroked Kitty with her hands over his eyes to close them. She took his hands and folded them on his chest. Kitty felt something like grief for this man even if he was her kidnappers.
"Can we somehow find out where Scratch is now?" the chief asked while he was watching how Kitty showed some respect to the dead man.
"No but like I know him he´ll be gone for a while now. He´ll need a new plan, a new team and some time to lick his wounds." Meant Young and put the gun down on the ground like a walking cane. "I think it´s time to celebrate now."
-Seems like the T.U.F.F. agents finally won. But it´s still not the end.-