Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall or Loamhedge or anything, but I do own my characters (i.e.- Talys, Saer, Knightly, Takk, Rae, etc.)

Chapter 1: The Evil Within

The rain poured down on the icy sheet that covered the ground; making it even slicker than it already was. No one dared a chance on the streets in a car. Most creatures stayed inside; in the warmth, but there were the few dashed about on the sidewalks to get somewhere.

Talys stopped in front of his iced-over window. 'And odd sight,' he thought to himself, 'It's almost like time was frozen over.' The golden otter observed the cold scene with his bright green eyes for a few more minutes before moving on.

Sighing as he sat down at his desk, he closed his eyes at all the papers that lay strewn about it. Pressing his paws to his forehead he clicked his tongue in his mouth. His job was not one to be taken lightly. It's not all agent work; but there is plenty of paperwork to be done also.

Talys worked at as undercover agent in Redwall City. He had been placed in a big business known as Haven Inc.; a company specialized in preserving the history of Redwall Abbey. The government sent him in to pose as a proud beast of his heritage that loves Redwall very much, and desires to organize files in the Haven Inc. library.

The otter sifted through the papers; both ancient and new, and began to file them in order of oldest on top, to newest on bottom. He mumbled to himself as he worked, concentrating fully on his task.

"Hmmm…Dotti traveled with Mattimeo, right? No, that's not it, she was in the beginning before Redwall with Brocktree. Ah yes, that's it. Mattimeo went with Slagar and his band as a slave, and was later rescued by his father, Matthias," he said quietly, arranging the papers into a nice stack.

"You do take your job too seriously."

Talys jumped at the sudden intrusion on his concentration and spun around to see who had spoken. Standing at his doorway was a thin fox dressed in a black mini skirt and a white tank top, smirking at him.

"Saer, if I were to get fired for not doing my job, the mission would be lost," Talys replied, standing up. The young fox strode over to him and let out a small laugh.

"Talys," she began, looking at the papers, "I think you should be more concentrated on finding out who's been committing these murders."

"It's too cold outside for that!" he retorted, then added, "Wait…how'd you get in here, anyway?" Saer gave an innocent giggle and gestured back to his doorway.

"Left your door unlocked," she replied simply. Saer was one of the few agents that had been scattered about the area to work on the mission with Talys. "But anyway," Saer took on a more serious tone as she took a seat by Talys' desk, "I came here to tell you that Agent 2257 was reported missing as of yesterday afternoon. He was last seen at a quiet little bar on West Wall Street two days ago. You, Rae, Knightly, and I have been ordered to find out where he is and rescue him if possible."

"What? Takk has gone missing? Aw man…" Talys said to himself in disbelief, sinking back into his seat. Saer nodded and let it sink in. They weren't the best of friends with Takk, but they knew the little mouse enough. After a moment she stood up.

"We'll meet up tomorrow at HQ. See ya, Talys," she said, waving. Talys looked up from his state of shock.

"Oh, right, bye, Saer," he said slowly.

As Saer closed the door behind her Talys turned back to his desk and sighed. Absentmindedly he began to file the papers again, while going through who could have taken Takk in the back of his mind.

Outside the bitter cold wind blew stiffly across the deserted streets. Downtown a small fire could be seen burning inside a small shack. Takk blew on his paws and rubbed them together, bodily shaking from the cold. He jumped as the voice of his captor pierced the silence. An evil voice that slid across the air like a snake and bit at his ears. He flinched and turned his head to one side at the sound of the voice.

"It will be done, Takk. Soon we will have them all under our power. And we will uncover that ancient power and raise it from the past. The one that was put away so long ago by those at Loamhedge. Soon, Takk, soon."