The news of Anne's indictment did not go over well with Charles. He holed himself up in the closet for several hours until Junior calmed him down. Even so, the pain of being parted from the single parental figure he had since birth never went away.
The day after the incident, Pepé arrives in his apartment, with the young buck following behind. Ralph and Wile stare in confoundment at the surprise guest, until he gives the full explanation.
"I understand that this is on short notice, but I could not allow my son to lose what little family he has."
"Pepé, there's barely enough space here for the three of us," Ralph says. "I don't think we can afford another mouth to feed, anyway."
Charles interjects, "Monsieur, I won't be much trouble, I promise. I don't need to eat much and I can always sleep on the couch."
"What about medical expenses? If you get hurt or sick, we might not be able to pay your bills. Wiles and I do some pretty dangerous work and there's no telling what could happen. You understand that, don't you?"
This confounds Wile. He never thought of Ralph as the type to worry about other children's welfare, despite their heroics back in Studio 8. Self-centered though his phrasing may be at points, he is showing that he cares in his own way. Perhaps his time with Charles changed his perspective.
Nonchalant, Charles answers, "Of course. But you don't need to worry. Back in Québec, Tata and I would deal with shady people all the time. Whenever one of them tried to cross me, I'd use my spray to fend for myself." He smiles. "I am a skunk, after all." Wile bites his lip, reminded of his embarrassing run-in with Anne.
Ralph, on the other hand, is more apprehensive. "Well, I can't stop you. Skunks do what they gotta do, right? But try not to use it indoors. We don't want a repeat of what happened at Cheese E. Sneezer's, okay?" Charles okays in response, pleasing the wolf.
Relieved by the apparent resolution to the conflict, Pepé makes way for the kitchen. "I'll prepare us some breakfast. What do you say about cheese omelettes and bacon?" The excited reactions further cement his assumption.
At the stroke of midnight, the moon shining round and full, Anne stares up at the barred window from her prison cell. She regrets not her actions, but the fact that she was foolish enough to get caught. Never will she watch her nephew mature into adulthood, nor go on more dates with Sylvester, whom she had fallen in love with in their short time together. She will never be free. Not unless a miracle happens.
From the moonbeams, glowing particles appear, floating and merging into a single animated form. The shape is hard to decipher, but when she sees what looks like rabbit ears, her mouth opens slightly. "Mr. Bunny?"
The form responds with a simple "no", an echoing feminine voice resonating in her ears. It orders her to "take my hand". She does. Everything in the space, including themselves, is submerged in blinding white, and she loses her sight. When her vision returns to normal, she finds herself standing alone in the forest, watching the distant city sparkle like a starry sky.
Through sheer serendipity, her wish has been granted. The moon has given her a miracle.
Up in the ACME Corp penthouse, Bugs waits patiently, staring up at the moon from the wall-sized windows. Behind him, the glowing particles from the moonbeams merge and transform into his fiancée. She cups her head in her hand, groaning, "Man, that still gives me a headache. Worst. Power. Ever."
"On the contrary, my little moon rabbit." He goes to comfort her. "You are remarkably blessed. Even the Queen herself would be impressed."
"Really?" She brushes a stray hair strand aside. "I guess teleportation is pretty cool, even if I can only do it under moonlight. I wonder if I can warp across the country…"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, dear. Even my powers aren't that incredible to stretch so far. Now, did you free Henriette from her cell?"
"Yes. But why let a killer go free? It seems rather counterintuitive."
"Because she will provide the best distraction for Wolf & Coyote, and when their backs are turned, we can coax her brother into joining Project Acmetropolis."
"And if he resists?"
"He won't. I'm certain of it." He glances at the safe tucked away in a shelf. "I have my ways of persuading people."
Over in Merrie Road, Sam wakes up, rolls out of his bed, and heads over to the kitchen. There his wife, an Old English sheepdog, sets the table with a freshly cooked breakfast buffet. Their young mutts run past him and hop into their seats. For how mundane the entire image seems, it is moments like these which he appreciates most. Just him and his family sitting at the dining table, talking about everyday life. The mundanity is broken when his kids start prodding into a not-so-mundane topic.
"So Dad, did you catch the Repo Man yet?" one of his kids asks.
"Yeah, didja, didja?" asks the other.
"Cain, Abel, let's not talk about that kind of stuff at the table," his wife says in disapproval.
Sam fills his plate with scrambled eggs and sausages. "It's okay, Delilah. With news of it spreading around as is, they're bound to be curious." In a decision both professional and personal, he fills them in with just enough information to satisfy their curiosity, but not so much as to break confidentiality. "We caught one of the suspects and charged them, but the case isn't quite resolved yet."
"There's that stuff with the Tears of Whatsits, right?"
He nods.
"And the rampage at Cheese E. Sneezer's?"
His ear perks up. "What happened at Cheese E.?"
"It was all over the news, Dad," Abel explains. "Someone set off tear gas and it drove everyone nuts!"
"I heard it was skunk spray," Cain cuts in. "That's what people online are saying. Even Shirley McLoon covered it on her YouToon channel."
"Shirley's a basket case! It was definitely tear gas."
"Nuh-uh! It was skunk spray."
"Tear gas!"
"Skunk spray!"
Before the argument escalates further, Sam warns the pups, "Boys, if you start fighting, I'm taking away your video games." This shuts them up immediately. "Whatever went on over there, Willoughby's got it covered. Our division has enough on their plates already."
After they finish breakfast, they proceed with the rest of their morning routine without incident. He puts on his uniform and is about to walk out the door when Delilah stops him. "I know it's your job and all, but things have been rather scary and… Please be careful, Samson."
With a reassuring smile, he replies, "I will. You drive to work safely, okay?" He pecks a kiss and leaves. What he fails to mention is the uncertainty he has about whether he can prove Anne's guilt in court, or whether the Underground can truly be stopped. All he can do is stay vigilant and fearless until peace is returned to Acme City. And if all else fails, that's when he can turn to his best friend.
The police radio emits a brief cut of static, and Shepherd's anxious voice bursts from the speakers. "Deputy, we have an emergency. Anne Toilette has escaped!"
He picks up the wired comm. "Copy that, Shepherd. Did you check the cameras?"
"We did, but it still doesn't explain anything. Just a flash of light and then… nothing! And it gets worse. We finally got word from the K-9 force in Québec about her history. That skunk's real name is Henriette La Moufette, and she is a wanted serial killer."
Sylvester drops off Junior at school before heading further north to meet with a client. The events from the past few days pass through his mind, a jumbled mess of emotions. To think he went on a dinner date with a murderer! He tries to rationalize the situation–the evidence must be wrong somehow, the witness mistook someone else for her, Wiley wasn't in his right mind at the time. Yet still, the truth is undeniable: Anne, the first woman whom he's dated in years, is a criminal.
The situation with Charles isn't looking much better. Ralph told him about the incident at Cheese E. Sneezer's, and the young buck filled them both in on his biggest secret: his spray has hallucinogenic properties that incite the fears of those within its proximity. This throws another wrench into the works. If someone of bad faith learns about Charles' unusual properties, there is no doubt they will find a way to exploit him. That includes his own aunt, who would know best what he's capable of.
His thoughts skid to a stop when his phone starts buzzing. Curious though he is, his hands are occupied with the wheel. He spots the street of his destination and turns into it.
When he finds a good spot to park, he picks it up. His lock screen is flooded with a series of text notifications, all coming from Anne's number. That's impossible! She's in jail, isn't she? He wavers between checking the texts and ignoring them. Dare he risk letting the texter know that he acknowledged their messages?
The phone buzzes again, this time a call from the ACPD. He picks it up. "Hello?"
Officer Shepherd's voice calls back. "Mr. Pussycat, where are you at the moment?"
"Forest Lane. Why?"
"Find somewhere to hide. Anne broke out, and she's on the prowl."
Heart beating fast, he checks the texts. What he finds nearly causes him to drop his phone.
"Sylvie, my dear! I missed you so much!
"A miracle just happened. An angel descended from the heavens and gave me freedom.
"Finally, we can be together again. Just think: You and me in a wedding chapel, making our vows to love each other as husband and wife 'til death do us part.
"Ooh, just thinking about it makes mon cœur burst in elation!
"Stand right where you are. I'm coming for you~
"I think I saw your car. Wait for me!
"Almost there. Just a minute more."
Then a new text drops, reading: "I see you~"
From the corner of his eye, hiding between two houses down the road, a pair of pink eyes watch him.
"I gotta go." He hangs up and starts running in the opposite direction.
In the old dog house shack down Forest Lane, George fumbles around in his bed, recovering from a hangover. Not helping are the animal noises coming from outside his door. When the noise escalates in volume, he finds that sleep is no longer an option. Sluggishly, he slides out of bed and drags himself to the front door. From the adjacent window, he sees a tuxedo cat rolling around, yowling and scratching at a rather persistent skunk.
He rubs his eyes and looks again. Isn't that the cat from the kids' show that got canceled? Yeah, Ralph worked with him during that whole shebang. But what the hell is he up to this time? Briefly, he catches a glimpse of the surgical knife in the skunk's hand and his guard dog instincts kick in.
Grabbing the rifle in the umbrella rack, he bursts through the door and fires a shot in the air. "Get out of my lawn, varmint, or else!" He barks, aiming the gun at her. The two-tone mammals stop what they're doing, and the skunk, fearfully, scurries off. Once the danger is out of sight, he lowers his weapon and helps Sylvester up. "You looked like you needed help, mate," he says with a smirk.
Sylvester, still shaken, stammers, "Thanks. If you weren't here, I would have…" He looks warily at each side of the road. "You saved my life!"
"Hey, any friend of Ralph's is a friend of mine. Even if they are a cat. Let's chat over drinks."
Inside the shoddy excuse of a living room, Sylvester drinks a can of pop while he tells the Basset hound everything: the Repo Man, the killer skunk ex, the cannibalized body they found, and her recent arrest and subsequent jailbreak. George listens intently, his lax temperament easing the tension. "I don't want to leave Acme City, but she knows where I live and I'm running out of options. Ralph and Wile have enough on their plates with the investigation, and Furrball went back to New York the other day."
"So you need a guard dog, is that it?" George cuts in. "Say no more. Back at home, they called me Barnyard Dawg. I don't look like much now, but I was a damn fine hitman. Still am, if the price is right." He smirks. "So do we have a deal?"
Word of the Cheese E. Sneezer's incident spread across the Looniversity campus, the tale growing to monstrous proportions with each added rumor. Tear gas, terrorist attacks, an ambush from the Underground, the story has distorted to something even worse than what actually happened. But with how things are in Acme City, those sound more plausible than a skunk kit spraying fear-inducing hallucinogens. Even so, it doesn't take long for the strange looks to occur.
As Charles enters Mr. Fox's science class, the room turns silent. Eyes staring at him apprehensively, waiting for his next action. He rips his attention away from them and focuses on Junior and Egghead in the back table. He sits beside the cat with a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness we share a class. Everyone's acting even weirder today. Not to mention the rumors…"
"Don't worry about them," Junior reassures him. "They don't know jack about what happened. Besides, even if they do know, they're not gonna risk messing with you, or any other skunk for that matter."
Egghead texts the two kits in a "boys-only" group thread they made. His texts read:
"I downloaded the DLC for Ark Angels yesterday. We can play at my house after school.
"I have to drop by the funeral parlor on the way. Gotta pick up something from Mr. Blakesley.
" Charles I can show you around if you'd like."
Charles reads the text and whispers, "Funeral parlor? Like un cimitière?" The chick nods. "I would love to!" He receives a yellow thumbs-up emoji.
Science class comes and goes without incident. When the lunch bell rings, the three boys rush out of the classroom and make way for the cafeteria. Right outside the entrance, they skid to a stop. Standing in front of the doors are two familiar-looking pups. The mastiff, nose plugged with a clothespin, steps forward. "Hey, Stink Bomb, didn't you hear? No dumpster diving vermin allowed in the lunchroom."
Charles clenches his fists, tempted to fight back, but Junior steps between them. "Charlie's a student, just like everyone else here. He has every right to be in the lunchroom."
"Of course the stray cat stands up for the smelly varmint," the chihuahua snarks.
"Stray or not, we're not to be messed with." He unsheathes his claws threateningly.
Egghead, observing the situation, quickly types something into his phone. When Charles looks at him curiously, he puts his finger over his beak, then texts a thumbs-up emoji.
The mastiff's phone starts to buzz in his pocket. He takes it out, then almost drops it in shock. "On second thought, you can pass."
Junior stands, baffled by the sudden change in attitude, but regains his confidence immediately. "Thank you, gentlemen," he says to the pups as he and his friends strut past them. As one last amusing gesture, Charles flicks his tail in their direction, scaring them off.
Following behind the kits, Egghead opens up an app called -TRi3iS-, marked by a long-beaked bird's head in a red circle with wings, and drops a message into its chatbox. "Thanks for the help, Thaddeus. You're the coolest."
In the busy town of Asyut, Lycopolis stands between the ancient and the modern. The building is styled to resemble the ancient structures of its namesake, Egyptian with subtle touches of Greek, and the interior, while fanciful, is borderline futuristic in its detailing. Past the gilded floors and neon-light columns is a room locked off to all but a handful of employees. The heavy doors are marked with a winged red sun disk nesting an ibis' silhouette. This is the headquarters of Lycopolis' digital software development, -TRi3iS-.
The -TRi3iS- HQ is pitch black, save for the bluish glow from the computer screens, keyboards and the hieroglyphs on the walls. Sitting in the center of all this is a green, bespectacled ibis, feathered fingers typing at supernatural speeds. On one screen is a chatbox for the self-titled private messaging app. A message pops up from user 3GGH34D: "Thanks for the help, Thaddeus. You're the coolest."
A sly smile curls across his face. This "3GGH34D" is a user with whom Thaddeus has been communicating, initially through occult and technology forums and later through his personal app. Of course, he managed to slip past the young boy's security measures and find out his identity and then some, but there's no need to disclose that with him–unless he can get something good out of it.
Speaking of which, that dirt he was asked to dig up on the two pups from Acme Looniversity was surprisingly scandalous. How daring kids are these days, sneaking into online spaces they have no business meddling in! To think even five-thousand years later, he could still find entertainment in the lives of mortals.
After typing a quick reply, he turns his attention to another program. Pressing the play button, he is greeted with security footage from Wedjat's headquarters. This task was much more difficult to pull off, but the results were more impressive. Right under Heru and Amun-Re's noses, he was able to hack into the company's security and unlock the basement cell blocks. The first set of greyscale clips show Set in his sha form, incapacitating guards with his strength and electric powers. The last set shows him in his hound form, sneaking out of a dark alley dressed in sailor's clothing.
What a wonderful success!, he praises himself. Briefly, he considers sharing the news of Set's escape with his boss, but declines. It will be more fun to keep it a secret. I'm sure he'll enjoy the surprise family reunion. And just in time for the holidays!
Thaddeus hums a merry Christmas tune as he continues with his mundane work.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello, salut. It's me, your duk– *bricked*
Anyways, it's been a while since I last uploaded, and I feel a bit guilty about it. Mainly because, due to a combination of burnout, writer's block, and mental health deterioration, I was worried that I was losing my motivation for making this fic. As I might have mentioned elsewhere, I seriously want to finish a fanfic project for once, and for better or worse, I wanted this to be that project. But with the direction of the story getting increasingly complicated, it became more difficult to make that a reality and it wore me out. Of course, I have other things going on in my life that's leading to this burnout–loneliness, suppressing my interests, lack of confidence in my abilities and moral character, etc–and those compounded the issue further. But after a talk with my therapist about some of my worries, we came to the mutual conclusion that the best way to get myself back into writing is to just do it. Y'know, like the Nike quote.
There are some scenes I probably could have edited or cut out entirely, but I kept them as-is for the time being because I wanted to retain some ounce of context in case I can't cover or answer for everything. I do feel like adding Thaddeus' scene is a bit unnecessary in hindsight, but I also want to have Egghead play some kind of a role in the future, so I put him in to provide for that. Also, he technically did show up for a bit in an earlier chapter, so his appearance here isn't entirely from left field.
As for Lola, I originally wanted her to have ear laser powers akin to her descendant, Lexi, but while writing the jailbreak scene I decided to change it to something more unique to her, and cut out the ear lasers entirely. Plus, at this point there are already, like, two or three Sapient characters with powers involving the manipulation of light/darkness, and Lola was already pushing it in the early draft (having both teleportation and lasers), so a slight nerf was necessary. That said, because moonlight is technically just reflected sunlight, there might be a hidden layer to her ability that she has yet to discover.
Well, I think that's enough jibber-jabber for now. I'm gonna have to brainstorm the next chapter to sort out this mess I've gotten myself into. Ciao~