Another night clicked into place as if it were a machine, it's cogs turning in a uniform fashion, predictably in rhythm.
The fox seemed awfully sure of herself, especially when it came to something not even he had heard about before. These men, had somehow existed outside his preview of knowledge, which seemed beyond strange to him.
Was no one going to say anything?
Dozens of dominion agents had walked through the shadowy doors of The Den and none of them had thought to mention the five men that made up Kintobor's elite investigation force.
Was it fear?
Fiona had made it seem like it was, but perhaps it something less mundane. These were the people you feared when you needed to and ignored when you didn't. They slipped through the cracks of casual thought. There one moment like a scary looking shadow watching over you, and gone the next. They were of as much importance to the grand scheme of things as a rat in the sewers. Sharp fangs and ugly tails, but the shrew creatures were only a problem if you found yourself in places no one wanted to be.
They don't matter, unless they matter, Johnny decided.
Right now they mattered. They were their ticket into the bank, no questions asked. Yesterday, they were nobodies, useless to everyone because they didn't matter. The second the little pointy nosed man disappeared into the depths of a bank vault, they were likely the most important people in the country.
"Walking in the front door," the vixen began confidently, "will be as easy as if we owned the place. But there are still a few things for you to understand."
By 'you', Johnny assumed she meant him, seeing as he and his partner were the only ones capable of speaking without raising an eyebrow or two.
"These men are not the talkative type. Even in their most intense interview they might only ask a question or two a piece."
Precise, the man decided. I can relate to that.
"If you speak," Fiona implored him, "it has to be direct and with purpose."
She said it as if he weren't capable of such a feat, but he hid his resentment of the sentiment. Besides the way he phrased his inquiries was hardly what concerned him at this point.
"Miss Fox," he asked politely.
"Fiona," she correctly quickly.
He brushed off her request, opting to continue instead, "It's been three days since the incident, wont we be too late?"
What type of investigators show up three days late? Not the good ones, surely.
"It's possible they've already been there and left," she conceded. "Or it's possible that because no one is around to request their investigation they haven't shown up yet."
It wasn't the confidence he was hoping for, but it was still a plan.
"Besides," she continued pulling out the Dominion badge beneath her leather jacket, "between this, and our collective reputations no one will pause long enough to keep us from where we want to go."
It appeared as if it was Sally's turn to question the plan. The princess was quick to question what happened when things didn't work out so well, "We're leaving ourselves wide open. If they figure out this is a ruse, we have nothing to fall back on."
It wasn't a criticism so much as it was an observation. Sally was a tactician, and knew well enough to never dismiss a plan, not even one that sounded crazy.
"As long as we make it inside, I don't think they will be able to stop us whether they figure out who we are or not," Fiona replied.
"There's two guns between all of us. I would feel a little more comfortable if we had more than just our teeth to bare."
"We're guardians," his partner replied curtly, "we don't need guns or teeth to make a point."
"As useful as blinding our enemies is, I fail to see how it will stop them in the end."
Johnny had been wondering when his powers would come into question. With devilish grin, he locked eyes with the princess and snapped his fingers. The dumpster five feet behind him erupted into a fireball nearly 30 feet high, startling almost everyone. It was perhaps his greatest display of his power to date and he had been itching for an excuse to see what he could do now that he was no longer restrained. So close to home, there was a never ending supply of The Source for him to draw on. With enough concentrated heat he could vaporize the decomposing material in methane, which was easily capable of producing the bang he was looking for.
"Keep your weapons Princess," Johnny said wryly, "I think you'll find we don't need them."
Sally's lip hung open, resisting the urge to ask a question. Even the fox who had already seen a fair share of his power at work seemed surprised to see him take such aggressive action. Maybe there wouldn't always be a rotting pile of garbage nearby, but sometimes all that's needed is a spark in the right place.
Hey Everyone, I know it's bee way too long. I could go into lots of excuses about why I haven't posted anything, but it would probably be easier to just apologize and say here you go. Let's see if we can't finish this up.
Cheers,
M.D