Dance of the Macabre
Chapter 6
I awoke the next day to the sounds of my team talking.
"They're looking all over for us."
"If we're caught, they will kill us on sight even if we surrender." I rose up from the chair I was sitting in the cockpit and I walked into where they were talking.
"Welcome to the life of an escaped convict, gentlemen."
"Fox, I don't want to get caught and killed." Mishkin said and I looked at Calyx.
"Zoness anyone?"
I put the craft down and Mishkin walked up to me.
"Do you know what you're doing Fox?"
"Yes, I know Zoness like the back of my paw."
"Ok, you guys stay here and I'll check out the lay of the land. Feds have been trying to clean up this area so if I don't come back in thirty minutes, get out of here." I said and I strapped on a blaster.
"Be careful out there Fox."
I walked out into the streets and my concerns were alleviated for the moment; they were filled with furs and I blended in as I slipped into the crowd. I noticed the very same strip club that I had died in so long ago.
Oh what the Hell… I walked in and nothing had changed. Business was going slow today and I sat down at the bar.
"Well, look who it is." The panther I had seen so long ago was back and she walked up to me. "I thought you were dead."
"It takes more than that to kill me." I nodded and she placed a shot of vodka in front of me. "Thanks."
"No problem honey." The panther was wearing a different dress but like the previous, it didn't have a back.
It was with good reason too. I looked around and females were sitting around everywhere; I ignored them and the panther came back.
"So why did you come back?"
"Well, I heard that the Feds were cleaning up Zoness, I wanted to see if that was true."
"Yeah, they haven't touched my place yet but they swept through the streets a few cycles ago."
"So you're the owner?"
"Yep," She laughed a bit and continued. "When you were killed, I was harassed by the Feds about the amount of violence so I had to ban mercs."
"Bummer."
"Yeah, but you can come here any time honey."
"Call me Fox." I said and her jaw dropped slightly.
"Not Fox McCloud, the serial killer?"
"The same," She took a step back and I held my paws up. "Don't worry; I don't kill for sport anymore." She still was a bit tentative but I downed the shot.
"So, um, Fox, didn't you get sent to Shark Tank?"
"I did, but there was a disturbance and I escaped with a few other inmates. Do you have a place that I could hole up for a while?" She thought about it and I placed the shot glass on its top.
"How many inmates do you have?"
"Five, including me."
"Ok, I have a back room and there's a basement here that I can hide from the Feds."
"I'll be back in a while, don't leave." I said and I walked out of the bar.
I walked back into the bar an hour later and my team were with me. The panther walked up to us and she and Calyx made eye contact; I coughed and she led us to the basement. It was nicely furnished and the two tigers and Falco took the room.
"Do you have another room?" I asked and the panther nodded. We walked to the end of the basement and the panther flipped a small panel over; she typed in a code and Calyx and I walked into the room. It was half the size of the basement and it also doubled as the weapons room.
"Sorry about the space issue; I keep a stash of weapons here just in case."
"This will do." The panther made eye contact with Calyx again and she smiled as he watched her go.
"Wow, she's a piece of work."
"So you want to f-"
"Shut up Fox," He cut me off and I laughed. "Of course I do." I walked into the other room and the inmates had staked out there places.
"Fox, how long are we going to be here?" Janus asked me.
"As long as we need." He sat down on his cot and I sat down next to him. "At least we won't get bored." We all laughed but it was cut short when the panther ran down the stairs.
"Quiet, the Feds are here and they are looking for you Fox." We shut up and the panther looked at me. "I'll come back down when they are gone." She ran up the stairs and we headed into the small room. The lights were cut and we kept silent. I thought how terrifying this would be to Mishkin and Janus; they were younger than me and I placed my paw on Mishkin.
"Don't worry, we'll get out of here alive."
The black husky walked into the strip club and four agents walked in behind him; he switched on his Comm on his wrist and he walked over to the panther.
"Can I get you boys something?"
"Yes, I'm looking for an escaped serial killer; his name is Fox McCloud, have you seen him?" He displayed the picture on his Comm and she played a cool bluff.
"No sir, I haven't seen him since he was in my club a few years ago. Now I have a strict policy in my bar so if you're not going to buy something or buy a stripper, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The husky looked around and he nodded to his agents.
"Go on, I'll be out in a while." The four left and the husky folded his paws. "I'll have a martini, no olive and shaken, not stirred." She whipped up the drink in a few minutes and the panther placed the martini in front of him. "I have a few questions to ask you."
"Go ahead, I have nothing to hide."
"You can say that again." The husky said as he remarked about her dress.
"What did you say?" The panther asked indignant.
"So how has business been going lately?"
"Shitty, thanks to you and your lot." She said with a bit of anger.
"Well, General Pepper has asked us to clean up Zoness and it's not my problem that you might lose business. Now you say you saw Fox McCloud a few years ago?"
"Yes, he came to my bar and he wanted to meet with someone else."
"Do you remember who?"
"No, it was too long ago." The husky didn't like that and the panther could feel the tension in the room heat up. Most of the strippers went into a back room that was for when business was slow and a few were sitting at a table, listening.
"What is your name?"
"Most call me Zima, but you can call me whatever you like."
"Well then Zima, I'll be back. I hope you aren't hiding anything from me." He walked out of the bar and Zima breathed a sigh of relief, it was over. She walked to the entrance of the bar and the agents and the husky walked out into their ship outside. It shot off and Zima walked back down into the basement.
"Hey guys, they left." The lights came back on and I had an AR33 Assault Rifle pointed at her. "Whoa, they're gone and you can put that away." I walked out into the room and I listened intently.
"No they're not. Get back up there and pick up a crate of liquor so you have an excuse."
"Fox,"
"Do it and we won't be discovered." She obediently did what I asked and Zima walked back up the stairs with a case of liquor. Three more Feds had walked in and they had sat down at the bar.
"Can I help any of you?"
"Yes, three vodkas." One said in a cold tone of voice. She quickly broke the crate open and the three drinks were out in a few minutes. The agents stared at her while she worked behind the bar and she felt their eyes running down her form.
"I'm not for sale boys."
"We don't care." One said as he set his glass down and pulled out his blaster.
"Get out from behind the bar and come with us."
"You're wearing what a stripper would wear." Zima knew this could end in someone's death so she walked up to the bar and placed her paws on a shotgun under the mahogany.
"Show me your badges."
"This is our badge now get your candy ass out here now." Zima looked like she was going to move when her paw knocked the blaster out of his paw; the shotgun was out and she pumped three shells in it.
"Anyone care to die today? Badges now." They stood up and the double barreled shotgun glinted dully in the light. "No badges? Get your asses out of my bar before I blow your heads off." They moved toward the door and a real Fed walked in.
"What is going on here?"
"Arrest these animals Officer; I have them on charges of impersonating a Federal Agent and attempted rape." The three tried to explain but the Officer raised his weapon and they quietly filed out. Zima sighed again and she replaced the shotgun back where it was. She walked back into the basement and I saw the lights flick on.
"They are gone now, aren't they?"
"Yes." Calyx walked up to her and I could feel the sparks fly.
"Thanks for hiding us down here, um," He gestured for a name and she gave it to him.
"Zima. And no problem; now do you have a name?"
"Yes, Calyx."
"Calyx, you're a serial killer just like Fox."
"Yes, only he's worse." He took her paw and I could feel something about them; it was like they were old lovers from some long time ago.
"Hey, get a room." Falco said and the two tigers chuckled.
"Now that wouldn't be a bad idea." Zima said and Calyx's jaw dropped.
Author's Note: I used a James Bond ref, so that's covered. Well, that was one Hell of a chapter, I'm not sure what should happen from here so either drop me a line or write a review or do both about what to do now. Later
Silver Meta Dragon