They followed the twisting corridors, stopping only once to pick up the other two cats. Mistoffelees gave them a small smile as he saw them, and a questioning look to see if they'd passed, but the two brown cats merely looked at him and turned their tails. That could mean anything. These corridors rarely saw emotion. The journey passed in silence.
The procession stopped suddenly and Mistoffelees brushed against the back of one of the brown cats by accident. He was rewarded with an angry glare and the flick of a tail against his face. Annoyed, Mistoffelees bared his teeth, but kept silent as he knew the grey cat would be watching for any sign of misbehaviour. It took only one mistake, even this close to the end, to be thrown to the streets. Only the best of the best came through. Which was partly why there were so few left in the group now.
It was then that Mistoffelees realised where their journey had been taking them. Although the place may look like a factory from the outside, inside it had been restored beyond recognition. The main body of the building was a maze. Each corridor and room was designed to look exactly the same. It was a menace to the newer cats, and those who missed so much training because they spent too long finding themselves again merely had to leave. It was a small loss to make for the security. By the time an enemy had found the important rooms at the centre, they were usually exhausted, half-starved and extremely open to persuasion. By the time the cats had been here as long as Mistoffelees had, they had memorised all the tiny details of the walls and floors, and could tell where they were instantly. So Mistoffelees knew exactly where he was now.
He could feel the other cats bristling around him and he knew they'd noticed too. They were about to prowl onto forbidden territory. Although they all knew where it was and how to get there, one of the first things the cats had been told was that the area in front of them was off-limits. Under no circumstances were they permitted to walk down it. No one dared disobey such a direct order. If they did, they never got the chance to let anybody know about it.
They were standing just outside the Boss' private area.
Despite the forbidding image that preceded it, Mistoffelees knew he was curious to finally see what lay beyond the dark corridor. He couldn't be the only cat who'd ever wondered what went on in the whole scheme of things. The organisation was so large that the scrap of knowledge they'd been given couldn't possibly be the entire plan. It was here that the whole operation began. And it was here that they were about to enter.
This could only mean one thing: they were about to meet the Boss.
According the what Mistoffelees could remember, and judging by the slightly confused looks of the other cats, this wasn't part of the Ceremony as they'd been told. What usually happened was that they were taken to the Grand Hall, the largest room in the place, and initiated into the system. They were congratulated personally by the Boss' right-hand man. (The Boss himself was far too important to mingle with his mere workers.) They had to pledge their life, knowledge and power to the Boss. It was what happened every time a cat had reached their final stage of training. Mistoffelees had attended many. So what was going to be different here?
Mistoffelees snapped to attention as the grey cat cleared his throat pointedly.
"From this point on there is to be no talking. There will be no looking at each other and there will be no attempts at communication. You will walk when you are told, stop when you are told and start when you are told. From now on, if you put a single paw out of line, you're gone." They all knew what he meant and a shiver ran through them. Not this close. Not now they'd come so far.
The grey cat looked them each in the eye. "Now," he growled. "It begins."
He moved off and the four other cats fell silently into line behind him. They were instantly lost; an unfamiliar feeling. The floor felt strange beneath their paws as they felt new cracks and weathered stones not drilled into the memory of their feet. There were many side passages, and Mistoffelees had to wonder why the Boss needed so many private rooms.
Very few definite facts were known about the Boss and even fewer cats were actually allowed to meet him. He was very careful; anyone seeking to infiltrate the system in order to get close to him would most likely spend their entire lives trying to reach the top, and even then the chances of being successful were extremely slim. Yet everyone knew what he looked like: his coat was distinctively red and long, unlike the close-cropped fur compulsory for his workers. Mistoffelees spoke from never having seen him, but cats who had worked for him for much longer than he had seemed to agree with the rumours that flew. Some people said that the Boss was a god, or an incantation of a god. Apparently he was the most powerful and cleverest cat alive, and apparently none had ever beaten him in a test of brains, strength or magic.
Mistoffelees didn't know whether to shudder with fear or look forward with expectation. He couldn't think of any possible reason why the Boss would ever want to see four magic cats who'd only just passed their final examination, even if it was the highest level possible. Maybe he was going to give them some more training. Although he'd never heard of it happening before, it seemed the only likely explanation. Either that or they'd all done something terribly wrong and were being punished for it... Mistoffelees didn't even want to think about that possibility.
Eventually they seemed to reach their destination, as the corridor drew to a close and only one single door remained in view. The grey cat, who Mistoffelees realised must have a very high rank indeed, motioned for them to remain a few paces back while he approached it. He slowly reached out and, into the stiff and total silence of the corridor, injected a single tapping noise as he rapped once on the door.
Seemingly out of the shadows melted three cats. With blank faces and the movements of one thoroughly trained they examined first the grey cat, then the four others waiting. Mistoffelees tried not to flinch as one thrust its face next to his, eyes unblinking. He could see their muscles rippling under their toned bodies and knew they wouldn't hesitate to attack if in doubt. As it was they quietly signed their approval and, although Mistoffelees didn't see how, opened the door with a smooth click. Then they disappeared back into the shadows, and no matter how hard Mistoffelees strained, he couldn't see a single hint of their figures.
Awed and slightly shaken by how surreal his situation was, Mistoffelees tiptoed into the room. He was well aware that every single time he so much as moved, he was being watched, and a single wrong step could bring it all to an end. He could be in what would turn out to be one of the most important situations of his life.
The room he was in was plain and bare. It contained only a single wooden bench on the concrete floor and another door on the far side of the room. Other than that is was empty. Mistoffelees felt his stomach lurch. Was this a prison?
The door slammed shut behind them.
"You all wait here," barked the grey cat, strutting towards the far door. It shut at his retreating back and the room was plunged into darkness.
Mistoffelees got the impression that everyone, including him, was doing their best to hide their fear. Nobody was talking or moving. He glanced around the room. They were all looking at the floor. Mistoffelees shrugged and copied them. He'd learnt that here, different was bad. He felt surprisingly calm. He knew he should be afraid, but sitting here in the dark with nothing to do but wait - he could handle that. Black was the best colour to be in. It's everywhere: in every shadow in every room, yet it's mysterious and daunting. Mistoffelees couldn't quite explain, but black just felt right to him. After all, he was a black cat.
He flinched when the door opened again and lay a silver line of light over his face.
"Yes..." a silky voice floated out, as if answering a question, and Mistoffelees shivered with delight. What a voice! It was rich and melodic; filled with power and somehow he could tell that the cat this voice belonged to was strong and unbelievably confident. This was a cat worth meeting.
Yet Mistoffelees was disappointed when only the grey cat from before walked into the room. He motioned for one of the brown cats to follow him and they both exited. The other three cats hadn't even been looked at. Mistoffelees felt the time had come for him to be curious. Carefully, he padded towards the door and pressed his head against it. The other cats pricked their ears up nervously, but none tried to stop him. In this world, it was always every cat for himself.
Disappointingly, he found that he couldn't hear a thing. Either they were being deadly silent, they'd moved further away, or the door was too thick to hear through. Mistoffelees strongly suspected the last option. This was the Boss he was talking about, and he never took chances. Sighing, he moved back to his place and continued staring at the floor. He supposed waiting was all he could do for now.