Robespierre wrote, "Crime butchers innocence to secure a prize, and innocence struggles with all its might against the attempts of crime."
Chapter 9, Coming Struggle And Show
The two kids yell and beat on the thug as they held onto his back. Garth groaned as he was dropped when Clint and Gaze pounced on his attacker. The big Cevian criminal yelled and flailed as the two boys pulled on his ears and beat on his head. Gaze yelped as he lost his grip and was tossed on top of Garth and they both grunted and groaned as Gaze landed hard.
The thug screamed as Clint bit into the side of his ear, drawing blood. The Cevian thrashed and rammed his back into the wall, making Clint yelp and let go.
"What's going on in here?!" Jude barked as he barged in with a two other Cevians. He saw the Cevian with a bloody ear and sighed before backhanding him hard across the face. The thug yelped a bit as Jude yanked him back up and got in his face, "Go on Verace, get your ear looked at... and don't let me catch you with my clients again... or I'll tell Meyer, you get what I'm saying? Only reason I don't now, is cause you're good at what you do, but my generosity only goes so far..." His expression told Verace that he wasn't joking, and Verace whimpered a bit as Jude shoved him back and he walked out, holding his ear.
Turning his attention to his captives, one of which had blood all over his mouth, Jude gave as best a reassuring smile as he could muster. "There, there now, that wasn't... planned, you have my apologies..." He looked at Clint, who was simply staring at the ground. "Come here son," He offered his hand, "Let's get you cleaned up. We have some very big clients for you three this evening." Upon seeing that Clint hadn't taken his hand, he reached for the kid.
Clint winced and jumped back when he felt Jude's hand touch his shoulder and he bared his teeth and snarled. "Git back! Don't ya touch..." He yelped as Jude backhanded him across the face.
The mobster scowled a bit as he pulled Clint up close and got in his face, holding his arms to his side. "Listen here, I don't want to be unpleasant to you, and I get this is jarring, but..." As he paused, he pulled out a razor and let the edge of it poke the side of Clint's neck, "you will NOT cause problems for me!" He took a deep breath upon seeing Clint and his friends' scared reactions and put away the blade. "Now come along and let us clean you up."
The young lombax whimpered and nodded in fear, making Jude smile a bit and gave him a few pats on the back as he walked Clint out. Clint glanced back at Gaze and Garth as he was led out.
Garth stood beside and behind Gaze, obviously looking to him as being the elder. "Wh-what are we going to do?"
The older lombax kid looked around, his eyes moved in apparently erratic movements and he didn't speak for a moment.
"Gaze?"
He looked at Garth, "Sorry, was just thinkin'..." He looked up at a vent briefly and turned back and whispered into Garth's ear. "Looking for a way out or something we can use to fight back should we get an opening..."
Mr. Esoter's Dynamic Carnival and Exhibitions!
The sign read as Weiss and her friends (along with Weiss' father and Kaden's father) approached the fairgrounds and their senses were bombarded with new stimuli. The smell of various sweets and greasy carnival foods all hit the kids' noses while the playful and upbeat music from various rides and the happy squealing of other kits rang all about them. They saw multitudes of rides that moved in thrilling manners, shows that promised mystery and entertainment, along with vendors selling all kinda of toys, trinkets, and snacks beyond what most of them had seen before.
The fair seemed almost alien to the lombax kits, and the adults for that matter. Its style, while fanciful and joyous, didn't seem to be of lombax design, despite the owner and staff all clearly being lombaxes.
Weiss' father, along with Kaden's father, took note of this detail, but couldn't see any harm in it. It was obvious that Mr. Esoter was a bit of an eccentric, so that would explain the odd, if not charming, design of the fair. The thought didn't last long as the quartet of kits were quite enthralled with it all, each of them having wide eyes and yearning to see every inch of the new and dazzling fair.
"Dad! What's that?" Weiss asked eagerly and pointed to a stall that currently held the kids' collective attention. The lombax running it was operating some kind of spinning machine and pouring a colorful liquid into it before taking a stick and lowering it into the spinning part. When he raised the stick, brightly-colored a cloud seemed to be stuck on it.
"Why, I don't know, how about we find out?" He looked as curious as the kids as they approached the vendor, who gave them all a large smile.
"Hello there young ones! Have you come to try my cotton candy?" The vendor asked with a gleeful tone.
"What is it?" Kaden asked with great curiosity.
"Just a sweet syrup turned into a cloud! Here, have a taste young'un!" The vendor then offered the newly-made confection to the kit, who took it and poked the fluffy treat first. Of course, the three others, and the two dads, gathered around to look at the new oddity before Kaden pulled a piece off and put it in his mouth.
His eyes lit up as the fluff dissolved in his mouth into a sweet taste. "MMMMM!" He didn't hesitate or hold back as he took a big bite out of the candy. "Yew ould, ry et!" He recommended as he ate the candy and offered a piece to everyone while he continued to eat it up.
Each kid, and both fathers, were impressed by the treat and soon, each one was carrying a stick of the sugary sweet.
The place seemed well-equipped to amaze, and the small group couldn't wait to see what was next.
"So what's first?" Liz asked as the Professor as he led them down a street, towards the capital city.
"First? Why my dear, you're a little late to the game, more like, what's five-hundred-and-twenty-second?" He asked with a wise smirk on his face and he chuckled at her annoyed look. "Aw don't be like that, you'll be getting your first gig!" He stopped, turned, and offered a card to Tucker.
He looked the card over and also saw that the Professor had already put a list/schedule of songs he was to play."The Tautochrone? You mean the fancy, little club near the center of town?"
"Precisely the one."
"But what are we supposed to do? We've barely practiced!" Liz pointed out, "I don't know how to play! And what does this have to do with saving our friends?!"
At her outburst, Catenary laughed. "Oh bax my dear, who said anything about you playing? No, no, Tucker will be playing with the band already there. You and..."
"Conroy," Scrapper muttered.
"...Conroy, thanks, you and Conroy will be his assistants."
"And... how does this help us get Clint, Gaze, and Garth back?" Scrapper asked, obviously trying to hold back his frustration.
Their new leader didn't seem to notice or care as he gave a somewhat crooked grin. "Because, the heads of the Cevian Cartel will be there, and your friends won't be too far from them."
"H-how do you know that?"
Catenary pulled out his pipe as they neared a small mansion, just outside the rich neighborhood. He lit it as he walked towards his home, "Because, I am one of the few that knows what they like." He breathed out a puff of smoke absentmindedly as his guard/right-hand approached them and Catenary leaned against a wall. "Oh yes, everyone, this is Emerson Fractal, my close friend."
As stated before, Fractal had a horizontal scar on his cheek and dark-blue fur with black stripes and green eyes. He was just slightly taller than Catenary but had a good layer of muscle all over. He looked like an ex-Guard based on how he moved and talked. "How do you do?" Fractal asked and shook their hands before returning his attention to Catenary. "Kipper says that the party is still a go, though he can't reach the three kits. They must be kept in a nearby building."
"The Arccos Inn, has to be it." Tucker stated and looked at Catenary, "It makes the most sense."
The Professor nodded and held his wrist up. On it, rested a black, plain-looking, smooth band. He tapped on it and a small, holographic interface popped up from it. He swiped and typed on it until a layout of the capital was brought up. He zoomed in on the Tautochrone and pointed to a building about a block away. "There's where they are..."
"How do you know that sir?" Scrapper asked, obviously a bit more respectfully.
"Simple really, see that alley?" He pointed to it, "There's no windows and few doors, easy way to transport them or sneak from the club to the inn. The property records show that they are both owned by the same person, and from where it sits, there's no clear shot from any sniper position, should a rival gang try to do anything. In addition, while not seemingly guarded, Fractal capture video for two days and time lapsing it shows that there are in fact guards. They rotate every twelve hours, wearing different outfits and change their fur colors but they are the same set of lombaxes based on their strides and facial structures."
"So... what's the plan?" Liz asked with a lightly sharp tone, not taking too much notice of Catenary's observational skills.
The Professor huffed lightly at the lack of notice before walking into this house and Fractal looked at her as they all followed Catenary into his small mansion.
"There will be two parts," Fractal started as Catenary went and got a few drinks for them. "I will lead one and Dean will lead the other. I will be going into the Inn to rescue your friends..."
"I'm coming..." Scrapper stated bluntly, "And before you say anything, I can handle myself in a fight. I don't even have to have a gun; I can use my gauntlet."
The bodyguard glanced over at Catenary, who simply shrugged and puffed on his pipe.
"Fine... but you're the only one." He said as he looked at Liz as she furrowed her brow. "Don't throw a fit, I need to move fast and Conroy here has enough for me to work with. Besides, I think Catenary and Tucker need your help on their end."
"Doing what?" she asked with a sideways look at Catenary.
"Why, entertaining some lowlifes of course," He chuckled as he set the tray of drinks down and resumed puffing on his pipe. "We have plenty of clothes you all can wear for this evening."
"Ugh... wow... that was wild," Kaden's father exclaimed with a slightly-nauseated manner as he climbed off of Flight Of Fastoon, a decently-intense roller-coaster. Even with plenty of experience in flying various ships, this was just... different. Weiss' father had a similar reaction, though the kids mostly seemed pumped, especially Alistair, who was begging to go again along with Kaden.
Despite their insistence, the two fathers declined and suggested they try out Blast The Cragmites, a shooting game. It didn't take much convincing as, once they saw it, all four of the young ones rushed over to it, eager to grab a toy blaster.
As she ran over, a few simple, yet mysterious and intriguing notes of music caught Weiss' attention and she walked down the road a bit to see where the music was coming from.
"Weiss?" Her father called and walked after her.
She turned a corner and her eyes went wide and she gasped lightly upon what she saw.
Before her, was a huge tent, its peak was easily sixty feet tall and the canvas was a captivating, smooth black with gold stripes and red tassels hung on the edges, along with elegant, crimson swirls all over the tent. At the peak, was an orb-shaped light that had a multitude of colors swirling around in it, casting colored shapes all over the canvas.
Mr. Esoter's Magical Emporium And Show! Read swirled and elegant gold letters on top of the canvas, with a mysterious eye occupying the "o" in Esoter's name.
"Whoa... well if I didn't think Mr. Esoter was ostentatious before, this certainly makes that clear..." Kaden's father stated as he, and the rest of the kids, approached.
"Well he is an entertainer, he has to be," Weiss' father responded.
"True"
"Can we go see?!" Kaden yelped and pulled on his dad's shirt.
"I can probably fit in there," Garth nodded towards the vent. "Only problem, how do we get the grate off?"
Upon realizing that the grate had reinforced bolts on its corners, Gaze's ears dropped and he sighed. "We can't... not on our own."
Garth and Gaze jumped up as Clint returned moment later with Jude close behind him. His ears hung low as he was wearing nothing more than a pair of short shorts and looked utterly embarrassed as he had walked across the place in such little attire.
Jude tossed two pairs of similar shorts to Garth and Gaze, "Put those on and hand me your clothes." He said with a blunt tone that was devoid of his charm and made it obvious that any protest wouldn't end well.
Both of the kits sighed and looked down as they did as they were told and handed their clothes over to Jude. He nodded and walked out, shutting and locking the door.
"What happened? Why are we stuck in these?" Gaze asked, despite having some idea of why.
"There's a party tonight... an' before we're sent off, we're going ta... entertain... some of the higher-ups..." He looked at Gaze, "We need ta find a way out..."
"How?" Garth interrupted, "Just one of those guards can toss us like toys, not to mention they're armed with stun rounds. We don't have the time or things to make any kind of weapon, and the only way out is through that vent." So saying, Garth pointed to it. "Which only I can fit through but I don't think we can get the grate off of it..."
"Garth has a point..." Gaze added with a defeated tone.
Clint walked over to the bed and sat down, looking at his feet. "We... we can't give up guys..." He sniffled lightly and wiped his face as Garth and Gaze approached.
After a few moments of silence, Gaze spoke up. "Our friends are out there... only option I see is to just wait for an opening; if they, or something else, causes..."
The youngest of the three tilted his head curiously before walking over to the wall and bending down to pick something up.
"What is it?"
Garth fiddled with the object for a second. It was cylindrical in shape, with two, metal prongs sticking out of one end. Garth raised a brow as he pushed one of two buttons on the side of the device. A small, yellow beam of energy shot out from the two prongs and was about a foot long. He jumped a bit as the beam/arc only lasted a quick millisecond, "Must've fallen off of that thug when we were fighting, looks like a Shocker."
"He'll come looking for it soon..." Garth looked around, looking for a place to hide the Shocker and winced a bit as he heard the door start to open. Not having much of an option, he slid it into his shorts and sat down, praying he didn't hit the button.
He didn't, and Jude walked in with another lombax they hadn't seen before. He was about the same height as Jude, though he wore a significantly more expensive set of custom clothes. He also appeared older, given the greying fur around his mouth and ears and eyes. The rest of his fur was a dark brown with crimson stripes, and his amber-colored eyes started at each of them for a few moments before he gave a nod.
"They'll do," he turned and looked at Jude, "Good job son, they'll fetch a good price tomorrow." His words made the three whimper in fear but neither Jude nor his father paid them any heed.
The younger mobster gave a smile at the praise, "Thanks, you coming to the party before or after?"
"Hmm... after, need to unwind a bit with all of this Kappa business..." Jude's father rubbed his face.
"Don't blame ya there dad," He looked over at the three with a smirk. "You've been on the streets, you hear anything about the Kappa Cartel?"
All three looked at each other for a second before they all shook their heads.
"Yer lucky then, they're not nearly as... civil, as we are." He smirked as he held Gaze's chin and looked at him, taking in his scared expression. "Just hang tight for a few hours, if you don't mind." He chuckled lightly before his father gave him a light smack upside the head.
"Enough, don't spoil them Jude. We have plenty of things to do before this evening anyways."
Jude grunted a bit and rubbed his head, "Yes sir..." At that, Jude and his father left.
The heck have I gotten myself into? Kipper thought to himself as the jazz-like music played in the main lounge of the Tautochrone. He sat back in a a booth by himself, sipping a drink and going over the plan Catenary told him. It wasn't that the plan didn't make sense, it did... for the most part. He knew Catenary didn't tell him everything, but he was desperate to get out of the Cevian Cartel.
Kidnapping and selling kits? I didn't sign up for that... How long until they come for me or my family? He sipped his drink and looked at the lightly-alcoholic drink swirl around. Can't tell if this professor guy is brilliant or insane.. but Prism ain't a pushover or stupid, can't be if yer smuggling things for the Kappa. Wonder if they fit into this professor's plans somehow? Sure made quite the mess from out of nowhere... He looked up as a Cevian, by the name of Verace, approached and sat at the table. Kipper raised a brow upon seeing the bandage on his ear, "The hell happened to you?"
Verace groaned, "Dang runts that's what..."
Kipper felt his stomach churn a bit, Verace was known to be rather... disturbed when it came to intimate matters, and the thought of him being near the three made Kipper feel sick. At that moment, he wanted more than anything to pummel Verace's face in, to unleash the pent-up disgust and anger. He knew though, he couldn't. Verace could easily eat Kipper for breakfast and ask for seconds. After all, he was nearly double Kipper's size, and Kipper knew the only reason those three kits weren't obliterated, was because of their value. He had to along and be friendly with Verace or else be crushed.
So Kipper forced himself to not grin or laugh when he learned that the three managed to inflict such a painful wound. "Looks pretty rough..."
"Ya ain't got any idea." He grunted as he downed a shot of liquor. "What brings you here kid?"
"Oh y'know, family issues, finances and the sort. Ya hear anything about the Kappa situation?"
The older, and bigger, lombax thug waved the bartender over to refill his shot before responding to Kipper. "Took our last shipment and nobody knows how they found out about it. I say it's gotta be some mole who is higher up the food chain than you or even me."
"Makes sense, only been involved in one shipment and wasn't told about it till the day of..." He sighed as it was clear that Verace, already being in a bad mood, wasn't wanting to continue talking about that subject. "...Anyways, you going to be coming tonight?"
"Heck yeah, who isn't?" Verace remarked as he downed his second shot before pulling out his comm. He groaned, "Great... gotta go, see ya this evening kid."
"Sure thing," He responded and waved as Verace left. Kipper looked to make sure he was gone before letting out an irritated sigh and muttered several, often vulgar, insults about Verace to himself before he resumed contemplating the plan. At least he knew Verace would be attending, he just hoped this Professor's game pays off and he wouldn't have to deal with being around the sick pelt again.
Hey everyone! Whatcha think so far?
Hope you all like it! Stay tuned for more!