RAPH
Raph groused to himself as their employer negotiated his way into their next stop, which, as far as he could tell, was the basement of a condemned storage building. When Aries said they'd been hired by a rich asshole, he hadn't been exaggerating.
The guy, with a vaguely unidentifiable accent, had wanted what he believed to be a gritty, authentic New York experience. One in which he was perfectly safe behind his personal bodyguards. And so, they'd spent a fun evening tourist-gawking their way through poor communities like a bunch of tools.
The situation had not been improved by the text Jem had sent him a while back. Though, given what he suspected had happened to her friend, he didn't fault Drea for wanting her weapons on hand.
As their client argued over the legitimacy of his invitation, Raph caught some motion off to his right. A scruffy kid, who vaguely reminded him of Casey back in the day, was protesting while a badger mutant strong-armed him into another door of the building. The kid looked scared.
Almost without thinking, he started towards them.
"Hey are you coming or not?"
The whiny reed of their client's voice caused him to look back where the bouncer had opened the door to permit entry. Their client stood, arms crossed and foot tapping, like a petulant child, while Aries was trying to get a look at what had caught Raph's eye.
He tried to get another view of the kid, but it was too late. They'd already gone inside. He'd have to keep an eye out for the boy once he made it in.
Five minutes later they'd mixed into a crowd of decadently wealthy people milling about in a cement room lit by fluorescent lights. A slick looking weasel mutant worked the room, flanked by a couple, scantily-clad, glazed-eyed, young women, one a blonde human, the other a calico cat mutant. It sounded as though he was taking bets. Blended throughout were a team of dreary waitstaff, made up of both humans and mutants, trying their best to go unnoticed as they served drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
He didn't like it. And from the look in Aries eyes, he could tell he wasn't alone in that. But, before he could act on his misgivings, the event began.
A Siberian husky mutant stepped out from a metal service entry door wearing only a top hat, tie and dress slacks. Though the microphone he held was modern, its design had obviously been inspired by early 20th century versions. "Let the games begin."
The gray wall behind him turned out to be a folding partition as it slid apart to reveal a brightly-lit, raised arena, surrounded by chain link fencing. This was looking bad.
"In the left corner we have Knuckles taking on Slugger in the right. Last call for bets." The announcer's voice echoed through the large space.
Knuckles appeared to be a chubby little wombat mutant, blinking in confusion at his surroundings. Slugger was and also wasn't the kid Raph had seen earlier. Gone was the protesting, frightened child. In his place was now a raging maniac swinging an aluminum bat.
The announcer rang a bell and Slugger charged at poor Knuckles.
It must've taken a bit for both him and Aries to react from the shock because they could do nothing but stare for the initial exchange of blows, during which Knuckles proved to be a surprisingly capable, if reluctant, boxer, deftly dodging the bat while managing to put in a few good body shots. Body shots that should've doubled Slugger over, but didn't even slow him down.
Aries grabbed a hold of their cheering client. "This is illegal."
Huffy at the interruption, their client tugged free and straightened his lapels. "Relax. I've been assured that there's no risk of being arrested."
As the jerk returned to spectating, the tide turned against Knuckles. Slugger finally caught him with the bat, taking out a knee, before proceeding to mercilessly wail on him as he curled up into a furry ball.
The bell rang. "Slugger is victorious."
Knowing that they were probably being watched, by the establishment, not their client, Aries signed to Raph, making use of the family's secondary language, as teams ran out to both restrain Slugger, dragging him back to his corner, and pull Knuckle's unconscious body away.
"Call in the authorities. I'll go try to put a stop to this."
Raph nodded and checked his phone. No signal. That probably wasn't a coincidence.
He hurried back towards the entrance as the announcer called out another fight between slugger and someone named Juko. A couple guards were stupid enough to try blocking his way. Without pausing, he body-checked one into the cement wall and dropped the other with a hammerfist strike to the temple.
Finally, outside, his phone linked back up with the network. He frowned as a text from Zoe popped up. When had that gone out? He answered quickly.
You better. In the middle of something with Aries.
He'd look into whatever that Marco's place was later.
Setting what was likely a record for the shortest and strangest 911 call ever, he hurried back inside. He was partway back to the spectator gallery when his ears detected Aries's deep yells of dismay, though the words were lost in the roar of the crowd. Not good.
At full sprint, it didn't take long to return. He immediately scanned the area for Aries whom he found seven guards deep, struggling to get passed them to the arena. What?
Following Aries's line of sight, his heart about stopped. Drea was in there, facing off with a katana-wielding panther mutant. The bastard had just kicked her and was trying to stab her. His Drea.
Letting out an inarticulate howl of rage, he steamrolled through the crowd. Launching himself onto the heads and shoulders of a line of waiting guards, he springboarded off of them onto the cage. He practically vaulted to the top, he scaled it so fast.
Up there the mesh was only tacked to the ceiling and he easily pried his way through. Raph dropped down hard on the panther, who'd just ripped his daughter off its back and thrown her aside.
He flattened the cat, grabbing its head and slamming it into the cement floor, ending the fight with a loud 'crack.'
"Dad?" Drea sounded exhausted and confused as she shakily regained her footing.
He abandoned the unconscious panther to protectively scoop her up, casting his gaze about for more threats.
Aries, having finally overpowered the guards in his way, tore open one of the doors used by the employees to switch out contestants, ripping it right off its hinges.
"Come on. Let's go."
Not needing to be told twice, Raph clutched Drea tightly to his chest as he followed Aries out of this hellhole.
ZOE
When Raph didn't answer, Zoe passed her yoga class off to Karai then went to Marco's herself. As she walked up on the place a myriad of scents overwhelmed her senses. Smoke... more than cigarette, more than pot- she grimaced- males, many of them, come and gone, booze and strong remnants of sex. And she was only outside the dump.
Five black vans were parked in a row, one with a broken tail light. The hairs on her neck rose as she walked by them. Then a familiar scent brought her to an abrupt halt. It was faint, fading even, but she'd know the unique mix of her daughter's lavender and sandalwood body wash paired with her natural scent, anywhere.
Zoe closed her eyes, reaching out to locate her. But the shortest thread of the three had moved. A few miles away, but the same side of town.
"Hey you! What're you doin out there, Lady?"
Zoe's eyes snapped open. Revealing five large men marching toward her, a bull mutant, a coyote mutant, and three humans. She inhaled to be sure. Not hybrids. Definitely human.
"Well?" The coyote, with a tonfa in hand, used it to point at her.
Zoe's phone buzzed. As the men approached she tugged it out, read a text from Raph. What took him so long to reply? Never mind, she had it.
"Hey! Show some respect! You're trespassing." The coyote eyed her, the five encircling her. "Then again maybe you could just come inside and join the show."
"She's a little old and scarred up, don't you think, Gil?" One of the humans licked his lips. "Scars are kinda sexy though. Might be a MILF."
"She looks like an older version of the kid they took to the games earlier." The bull mutant snorted. "I thought about hittin that. But kids ain't my thing." He nodded, the ring in his nose swinging. "But I won't feel bad about you."
Zoe lifted a finger. "Hold that thought, Angus." She pecked out a text to Raph.
Drea's not here.
She hit send then thought for a moment as the bull inched closer, correcting her. "Names, Billy. Not Angus."
Zoe's lips curled into a smile. That's what you think, fella. I'm about to make hamburger out of you. Ignoring him, she resumed her text.
Gonna need-
She bumped send, her message incomplete as the bull mutant snatched her phone, crushing it in his hooved-hand. Then the coyote brought his tonfa across her back. Zoe's claws extended as she reached, with blurring speed, for the ring in the bull's nose, pulling him down to her. With her free hand she jabbed a claw in his throat. "Where's my daughter?"
The coyote shifted and Zoe pressed her claw in deeper, summoning a gasp from the bull, blood dripping from the puncture in bright red splatters. Zoe clucked her tongue. "Nobody moves or we'll all be having steak tonight." She purred as she wiggled her claw making the wound bleed more. "That is unless the rest of you want to share a porterhouse in the afterlife."
The bull's eyes were wide, rolling as she held him at her mercy. "Don't move. Nobody move."
Catching the slightest shift from the coyote in her periphery, Zoe sighed. "If you move again, Wiley, you'll die before T-Bone here. So. Where is my daughter?"
"What's wrong with her eyes?" One of the men croaked.
"Not the question, and I'm getting bored." Zoe dragged her claw a little closer to the bull's jugular.
"T-t-the f-fight club." The bull stammered. "T-They took her t-to the fight club."
One eyebrow popped up as Zoe peered into his eyes. "Funny thing. I don't actually need you to answer that. Built in radar on my Kid. But that fear you're feeling right now, hmm, yeah you know it. That's me giving you and your little buddies the chance to live another day."
The coyote's weight shifted to a fighting stance.
"Or not," Zoe cooed. Then, tugging hard on the bull's nose ring she rotated around, driving her foot in the coyotes chest. Her claw ripped across the bull's throat at the same time the cartilage in his nose snapped. The great beast let out a bray, blood splattering everywhere. As he crumbled to the pavement Zoe looked for her next attacker, but the three humans were running away, the coyote lay folded in half, his chest caved in.
Zoe sighed. Well that was hardly a fight. She frowned, eyeing the two bodies. The mess was no good though. She picked up her crushed phone. Well shit. Her eyes shifted to the bull. Maybe...
She bent over, searching his pockets then pulled out his phone, pausing to check in internally on the location of her family. This time the shortest thread was with the longest. Relief flooded her.
It's me. You've got Drea. U ok? She ok? And, I kind of made a mess. Need a little clean up help... still at Marco's.
RAPH
Aries jumped in the car and fired it up as Raph piled into the backseat with Drea. Behind them, their client scrambled out the door.
"Where are you going?"
Aries leaned out the window. "We don't do illegal. The job's over."
"But...no, you can't." He sputtered.
"We can. Read your contract next time." Aries replied and floored it away.
"Please tell me mom's home." Raph examined Drea for injuries as he spoke while she still looked around wildly as though still trying to process what had happened.
"She was when I left the warehouse. Should be there in a few. Speaking of, where are the cops?" Aries replied.
"I don't know. I called 'em." Raph griped, pulling out his phone. More texts from Zoe. He read them. Crap.
Trying to massage calming circles in Drea's back, he tapped out a text to Leo.
Zoe made a mess at some place called Marcos.
Almost immediately he got a reply 'sending Medusa and Sappho' followed by a frowny face.
Then he shot another message off to Zoe via the unknown number she'd used. Not a good sign. Got Drea. Heading to the warehouse. Saph and Dus on their way.
That handled, he called the police directly this time. The operator who answered did not sound satisfied with her career.
"NYPD. Do you know your extension?"
"I called 911 to report an illegal underground fight ring and no one responded." He complained loudly.
"Are you serious, sir?"
"Yes! Does it sound like I'm joking?" Raph yelled.
"Honestly? A little bit."
He banged his forehead against the front passenger headrest. "Just send someone around to check it out. Please." He ground out the last word as though it were painful.
The operator sighed. "Fine. We'll have a patrol swing by and check."
He rattled off the address again and ended the call hard enough that it would've cracked the screen had Donnie not constructed them out of reinforced glass.
Just then, Aries pulled to a halt in front of the warehouse.