"Dudley Puppy aka Scratch." Jessica said and walked around the little table in the interrogation room Scratch was sitting at. "The torturer. The drug baron. The legend. The man who kills without batting an eye." Jessica stopped her pace laughing behind Scratch who stared down at the table. "Finally I got you. And it was much easier than expected."
"So?" growled the dog back.
"Well, it took us some preparation but in the end… well you see the result. No harmed agent but you have a hole in your shoulder."
"I was harmed worse." Replied Scratch.
"Oh, I believe that." She patted his shoulder almost violently what made the dog hiss in pain. "So…" she said walking to the other side of the table where a small file lay. She pushed it nonchalantly grinning over to him with the words. "I have prepared something."
Scratch opened the file and found something he had expected. "A confession?"
"Yep, a confession." Confirmed Jessica. "Just that you shot these two FBI-agent in Seattle and that you killed Robson and Johnson… or did you already proceed?"
"Maybe."
"Okay, then Robson, Johnson and White." Shrugged Jessica. "You sign here otherwise I will let someone in here to talk with you who isn´t so civil like me."
"Who, Kitty?" Scratch laughed. "I´m not afraid of Kitty... she had her chance to kill me."
"No, I will let Kitty in if you sign, if not, I swap places with Keswick."
The dog almost fell from his chair as he heard that. "Keswick? Really?!" he laughed
"You wouldn´t laugh if you had heard him talk lately." Meant Jessica gazing deadly serious at him. "This little guy is scary as hell."
"Do we really talk about the same Keswick?" asked Scratch and wiped some tears of laughter off the corners of his eyes.
"Yes we do. Now sign the papers."
Scratch fell silent again and stared at the papers while Jessica stared at Scratch.
She didn´t know if he was just in the middle of a decision process or if he plotted to get out of here but whatever he was doing, he was doing it to slow. And Jessica felt how she slowly got angrier the longer Scratch stared.
"God… how long does this guy need to accept that he lost?" she thought annoyed. Also what Scratch said next wasn´t really calming her nerves.
"I need some time to think about it."
"Sure." She said clenching her fists. "Take as much time as you want." Jessica gave Scratch an angry glare then she left the room and joined the little group of people, consisting of Kitty and Keswick, on the other side of the mirror-window.
"Even though we captured him this guy doesn´t stop to unnerve me!" the cheetah rolled her eyes as she stepped to the others.
"I know what you m..m..mean." replied Keswick. "If I could I would kill him right now."
"I better take your gun." Mumbled Jessica a bit intimidated. "Before you maybe do something you regret."
"I would r..r..regret nothing." Said Keswick and drew his gun. Lovingly he started gently stroking the metal.
"Okaaay… be careful with that… and holster it." Jessica ordered and Keswick obeyed reluctantly.
"Good good." She praised before she turned to Kitty. "What do you think about that?"
Kitty was, just like Scratch, silent. She stared at the dog who still stared at the papers. Within the last hours she had some time to thought about all this. Time to come to terms with what Scratch did to his brother. Again her image of him changed and she wondered what was really left of Dudley in this man.
Should she treat him like that what he was? A once precious part of her life that did something terrible to her, because of circumstances she could understand but not really forgive? Someone you should rather pity than hate.
Or should she finally treat him like what he is? A dangerous and unpredictable criminal that would push any button to reach his goals. A man that would stop at nothing.
She considered all the reasons for the one and the other side and now her decision was certain. "Switch off the cameras and microphones." She growled and entered the room. Jessica and Keswick watched the whole scene from the other side of the window. They heard how Scratch greeted Kitty tiredly with the words "Hey Kitty" and saw how he received Kitty´s fist in his face as an answer.
"Listen to me you pathetic poor imitation of a criminal. Listen carefully! Concentrate Dudley!" before the mutt could reply Kitty´s sharp claws wiped over his face.
"I think we e..e..eavesdropped enough." Grinned Keswick evilly and switched of the cameras and the microphones on the little panel beside the big window pane and then added "But we can still w..w..watch."
"A movie without tone?" Jessica meant raising her eyebrow. "That´s like a burger without patty."
"Yep, but the nevertheless, the veggie-burger version of this will be also q..q..quite satisfying." And Keswick should be proved right. Kitty really gave Scratch hell. She let her fist drum on his face, scratched with her claws deep wounds into his chest and yelled at him things that Jessica and Keswick maybe couldn´t understand but that you could easily conclude from the context.
"Whuu… you promised not to less. Little man." Jessica nodded approvingly.
"Yep… nice c..c..catharsis."
"Hey guys… whoa…" Rick entered the room and immediately stopped seeing the spectacle behind the window pane. "Is that Scratch?"
"Yes." The other two watchers confirmed.
Rick squeezed between Keswick and Jessica and joined them watching. "And Kitty is beating the shit out of him?"
"Obviously yes."
"Awesome." Jessica and Keswick turned their heads startled to the squirrel. Did that just came from Rick Lewis? The most harmless agent working at T.U.F.F. ?
"Seems like someone also got a bone to pick with this guy in there." Jessica grinned and turned back to the window.
"Yes, I have…" growled Rick angrily. "I would give my right arm to have five minutes with this guy."
"What do you t..t..think chief? Should we give Rick a little unmonitored time with good old Scratch?" suggested Keswick grinning.
"Excellent idea…" Jessica pushed a little button underneath the window and called. "Kitty. You had enough fun. Get out."
In the room Kitty lifted her blood smeared fist heavily breathing for a last time and let it rush down on Scratch. "I hope you got it now!"
"Sure…" growled Scratch back.
"Good." She nodded and left the room but her place wasn´t empty for a long time, not a second later the squirrel in the suit that was too big for him came in. Like Kitty he built himself up in front of Scratch and started beating him. But compared with Kitty´s punches that what Rick did couldn´t be called beating. It was more a tickling.
"Boy boy boy!" Scratch suddenly shouted as he endured a bit of this pseudo beating. "Is that really supposed to hurt me?"
"You Bastard!" shouted Rick without stopping his fist storm. "I hate you!"
"And why that?"
"You know why!"
"Boy, so many people hate me…" Scratch started "I can´t always remember why. Wait… the bullet back then!"
"No you evil son of a bitch!" Rick roared and laid is hands on Scratch´s throat. "I mean Parva!"
"Oh…" croaked Scratch who tried to ignore the chocking as good as possible. "The honeypot…. So you know it?"
"Yes, I know it." Hissed the squirrel and tightened his grip around Scratch´s neck. "Do you know how that feels? If you love someone and then you realized that she just played with your heart? I can tell you! Devastating! And I blame you! You send her to squeeze me out! This is all your fault!"
Even though the grip of Rick wasn´t really firm for Scratch standards, the bald dog could see how the lights around him slowly started to fade. It seems that the little squirrel was pressing the right places on his throat. So Scratch didn´t know if the next words were his honest feelings or just a tactic to avoid the coming unconsciousness. "I am sorry."
"What?" Rick asked and loosened his grab around Scratch´s neck confused.
"I´m sorry!" coughed Scratch and breathed for air. "I know that it was maybe… false to involve you and her in this honeypot stuff but it was necessary."
"Necessary?!" screamed Rick. "Necessary for what? For your stupid plan?!"
"Yes, I needed these information to keep Jessica and Keswick of my back." Explained Scratch objectively even though it must have sounded just cold for Rick. "That´s how the business goes boy, don´t get too upset about it."
"Don´t tell me what to do you piece of shit!" Rick ran with both of his hands irritated through his hair. "So this was all your plan? You put her onto me, let her squeeze me out and as you didn´t need me anymore you just let her drop her cover and break my heart? I haven´t even expected this from a…"
"What do you mean with drop her cover?" Scratch interrupted Rick.
"She had told me who she really is in this café yesterday… and then she even had the brass to lie to me." Rick rolled his eyes laughing bitterly. "Like I would believe this shit about she´s loving me. Ha! Bullshit!"
"If my hands wouldn´t be cuffed I would beat the hell out of you." growled Scratch. "For being the stupidest asshole in asshole history."
Rick didn´t hesitate long and slapped Scratch immediately after hearing this. "What was that?" he added triumphing to his slap.
"She didn´t lie to you 'cucurbitae caput'! I never gave her the order to drop her cover!"
"And I should believe you that?"
"Believe me, gullible 'stolidi' like you are perfect sources for intel. I would have never given her that order."
"So why did she do that then?"
Scratch buried his face exhausted in his hands. Was this guy really so slow on the uptake? Or was it really so hard to understand. "Because she wanted to end with the lies between you, god dammit!"
"What?"
"Seriously, I´m going to choke you if you say what again!" nagged Scratch and detached his hands from his face just to slam them furiously on the table then. "She wanted to end the lying to start something real with you! But you chased her away… and now they have her."
Rick´s world stopped for a little moment, a little moment the time around him came to a full standstill. And he began to realize, everything was true! All the moments between them all the kisses. The pure affection he gave her didn´t stay unrequited. Sure, he was still angry on her for lying to him but the feeling that nothing everything was a lie, that the important thing was the truth, was just overwhelming.
But one part of Scratch last sentence bothered Rick. "They have her?"
"Yes, the people I´m chasing have kidnapped her… maybe to put a lever on me so I would stop my killing spree."
"You mean she is in danger?!" Rick went pale.
"Yes." Confirmed Scratch the bad news baldly. "And that´s why I need to get out of here! And you have to help me!"
"What? No, Scratch no. I can´t do that!"
"Dammit Rick she loves you! Don´t let her down! I beg you."
Rick hesitated, he knew that if he would help this man his career was over. But on the other side if someone could save Parva, it was him. "How far would you go?" Rick asked and this time it was Scratch who asked the W-question. "What?"
"I want to know how far you would go to save her." Rick asked and looked with a serious expression at the psychopath. "You want much from me and I don´t want to help you escape just to see you let her down and run away because these guys want you to do something you don´t like."
Angry the bald head dog leaned forward to him and hissed. "Listen to me boy, and listen closely, this girl is part of my team, of my family. She is like a daughter for me and I would stop at nothing to save her. And I swear to you if these guys have just laid one finger on her I´ll make their death slow and painful, so that these bastards wish that their pathetic parents had never given birth to them."
The squirrel nodded, that was the answer he expected, the answer that was necessary for him helping Scratch. "How can I help you?"
"Just be incompetent in the right moment, oh and send Keswick in."
"Keswick, what do you want of him?"
"He´ll be my ticket out of here." Scratch explained.
"Do I want to know what you mean?"
"No." Scratch said coldly.
"Okay." Replied Rick and slapped Scratch a last time. "Sorry, but it has to look like I leave the room angry. It has to look real."
"Good idea." Howled the criminal and watched the squirrel leaving the room. Scratch expected that Keswick would enter next and he could start his escape immediately.
But instead of the little T.U.F.F. scientist a tall thin unknown male sheep in a black suit entered the room. In his left hand he held a briefcase which he put on the table. "Hello Mr. Scratch." Said the guy and sat at the table.
"Hello." Replied Scratch obviously confused. "Uhm…With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"
"Oh… just call me your lawyer." The guy said. "Mr. Willson hired me to represent your and his interests."
"Awful nice of him. But there is one problem." Scratch narrowed his eyes and started to whisper. "Willson and I have no common interests."
"Oh, I wouldn´t say that I mean both of you care a lot about the fate of a young woman." The lawyer had a grin on his face Scratch just knew from himself.
"I swear if you…"
"Calm calm, Mr. Scratch." The sheep interrupted him speaking in a stately rythm. "She is still fine but what happens next is up to you." The lawyer opened is briefcase and rummaged phlegmatically in it. He pulled a picture out and held it in front of Scratch´s nose. Parva was in it. She was tied on a chair and had a gag in her mouth. Her big wide opened eyes were full of fear.
"We were quite… depressed as we heard of the death of Mr. White but… We are willing to give you another chance. Regard it as magnanimity on our part."
"What do you want?" replied Scratch gritting his teeth.
"More power, what else. There is this one person who is our bête noire and we want to get rid of this individual. If you help us… we let the girl go."
"And who guarantees me that you do?"
"Nobody. We just give you the chance to save her. If you don´t take it she will definitely die." Shrugged the lawyer and packed the photo back into the attaché case. "So Mr. Scratch, I need an answer now. Mr. Willson is waiting."
"I… do it." Scratch beat his fist on the table. "Who´s the target?"
"Straight to the point Mr. Scratch, good." The lawyer grinned softly. "Your target is Kitty Katswell."
Scratch jaw dropped. The only question he could speak out was the question Rick has asked him so often. "What?!"
"I think I spoke loud and clearly…"said the lawyer fixing his tie knot. "An easy trade… Katswell dies and Marry Stevens aka Parva is allowed to live. You have six hours." Then he stood up and walked to the exit. "Oh and Mr. Scratch." He turned around a last time before he left. "This is your one and only chance. Don´t ruin it."
And again, Scratch was alone. But this time this he wasn´t pleased about that. He rather got beaten up than making the decision he had to make now. But had to make it otherwise Parva would… No! He wouldn´t allow that this girl dies somewhere in a dusty cellar, he wouldn´t allow that the last thing that she felt was fear. But on the other side, could he really kill Kitty?
He once loved her and caused her great pains which she could just slowly get rid of. So would it be fair then to take her breath now that her life was finally slowly looking up?
What should he do? Should Seneca proven right in the end? Would he really always choose Kitty when he had to decide between them and her?
Scratch weighed up pros and cons in his mind. That maybe sounds a bit cold but he knew that the most stupid thing in such situations is to react emotionally. Reacting emotionally is like reacting headlessly. That never led to something good. Of course the pros and cons he weighed up weren´t so cold.
He thought about Kitty´s and his time together and about the pains he caused her but also about how she treated him over the last days and especially ten minutes ago when she beat him up. Then he thought about Parva and about the fact that she was still young and part of his little 'family'.
So the question was old love or new luck. And if you see it rationally, there is only one choice to make.
So Scratch took a deep breath and called. "The micros are on again, aren´t they? I think I´m ready to sign the confession now…"
It was like they just waited for this sentence. Immediately the doors were pushed open and a smiling Keswick entered the room with a pen in his hand.
"So you have the honor?" Scratch asked the scientist as he came closer.
"Obviously y..y..yes." giggled Keswick and laid the pen on the confession. "Well, Dudley, g..g..game over."
"Seems so." Sighed Scratch and grabbed the pen with his handcuffed hands. Clumsy he turned his hands in an attempt to bring them into a position so he could sign the papers. "Oh come on…" he mumbled the longer it took.
Keswick rolled his eyes annoyed. "Seriously… that can´t be t..t..that hard."
"Hey, you see that I try, don´t you? I just can´t…"
"Yeah yeah, come on, I´ll h..h..help you…" Keswick fished a little key out of his pocket and opened the handcuffs. "Here you go, now sign the c..c..confession."
"Thanks Keswick." Said Scratch rubbing his wrists. "I hate it being cuffed."
"Yeah yeah… whatever. Now take this pen and get to w..w..work."
"Oh I will." chuckled Scratch and grabbed the pen. But instead of signing the papers he lunged out and let the writing utensil sink deep into Keswick´s shoulder.
The surprise and the sudden pain that struck the small scientist shoulder gave Scratch enough time to grab the gun that hung in Keswick´s belt holster. Swiftly Scratch got behind Keswick and used him as a shield while holding the gun against his head.
"Son of a…" moaned Keswick but received immediately a hit from Scratch with the handle of the gun.
"Shut up!" he commanded walking together with Keswick to the door of the interrogation room. On the other side were like Scratch expected it already a bunch of T.U.F.F. agents that were pointing with their guns at him. Among them also Kitty, Jessica and Rick.
"Give up Puppy!" shouted Jessica at him as he opened the door.
"I don´t think so." Replied Scratch grinning manically. "You know I am the one with the hostage, so I am the one who makes the rules."
"Shoot him!" hissed Keswick. "He won´t harm me, just shoot him."
"Oh really Keswick?" Scratch took the gun away from Keswick´s head, pointed it at his right feet and pulled the trigger. Again Keswick howled in pains and the agents around twitched startled. "The period of grace is over."
"You are sick!" screamed Jessica.
"I heard that so often… it isn´t bothering me anymore. Anyway, now that you are in such a talkative mood I´m ready to negotiate for Keswick´s life. First what I want. The T.U.F.F. mobile and an open garage door. Also no pursuers. Second, how long you have to get the stuff ready. Five minutes. Now the consequence of disobedience. I will spread Keswick´s valuable brain on this wall over there. End of the negotiations. The time is ticking."
"What you want is…" started Kitty but Scratch interrupted her immediately.
"Tick tok tick tok. Tempus fugit." He giggled.
All guns were pointed at Scratch in this moment but all eyes were on Jessica. She was the chief so she was in charge if she would risk Keswick´s life or gave in to Scratch´s demands.
"Let him pass." She said lowering her gun.
"What?!" a shocked agent exclaimed.
"You heard me, let him pass. This time you won Scratch but next…"
"Like I give a fuck about your empty threats! Just do what I told you to, agent!" Scratch shouted.
The crowed of agents withdrew to a side of the room and let Scratch and Keswick go through the door.
"Darn it!" screamed Jessica as both of them were outside the room.
"So what´s next?" asked Kitty.
"We stop him, what else." Replied the cheetah fumed with rage.
"And how? He shoots Keswick if we try!"
"We have those spikes at the exit of the garage so that someone can´t get out of here with a car, haven´t we? We use them, Scratch car will come to standstill and then we got him. We just need someone who activates the spikes."
"I´ll do it." meant Rick confident.
"Okay." Nodded Jessica. "The rest of you, follow me to the garage exit. We just have four minutes left!"
Scratch had arrived in the garage in the meantime and started to shoot at the tires of all other vehicles except the T.U.F.F. mobile. Always with having Keswick in a self-protecting chokehold.
"Give up!" hissed Keswick winding.
"No, not yet." Scratch said and pushed the scientist into the trunk of the T.U.F.F. mobile, the last car with functioning tires. The bald head dog sat down onto the passenger seat of the car and opened the plastic paneling under the steering wheel. He knew what to do, Seneca showed him how to hot-wire a car more than often. So it didn´t take a long time until the motor ignited.
"Nice." Whispered Scratch to himself and hit the gas. The loud screeching of the tires echoed together with the rev up of the motor through the garage. A dead giveaway for the agents at the exit that they have to get ready. "Okay, guys…" shouted Jessica. "He´ll be here in three two one…"
Just before Jessica was about to scream 'Zero' the white car rushed out of the garage and turned undisturbed left into the street. In disbelieve Jessica looked behind the car. Shouldn´t there be some spikes that cut the tires as soon as it left the garage?
Powerlessly Jessica had to watch how Scratch turned left another time and then disappeared.
"YOU GOT TO BE KIDING ME!" yelled Jessica at the other agents. In her rage she ripped her wristcom of her wrist and screamed into it. "RICK YOU INCOMPETEND IDIOT! YOU JUST HAD ONE JOB! HOW COULD YOU MESS UP THIS ONE JOB?! YOU BETTER RUN NOW BECAUSE IF I GET YOUR UGLY ASS I`M GOING TO RIP IT APART! YOU HEAR ME! I´LL RIP IT APART!"
"Whoa chief…" meant one of the intimidated agents. "Calm down I mean..."
"CALM DOWN?!" Jessica grabbed the agent tall muscle packed agent at his collar and pulled him close to her. "Do you even know what you are talking about? Or is your brain already wasted by the steroids you take? This man is gone now! We just had this one chance or do you think that he will now let his guard down?"
"I… maybe…"
"SHUT UP" she roared into his face and almost brought the big guys to tears.
"Enough Jessica!" intervened Kitty.
"You!" Jessica let the agent go and built herself up in front of Kitty. "You can´t tell me what to do! You´re not in charge!"
"Don´t come up with this Jessica! Scratch just escape, under your management! So instead of discussing about who´s in charge we rather should think how we can catch…" The loud ringing of her cellphone cut Kitty short in mid-sentence.
"You better take that call!" meant Jessica with angry sarcasm. "It´s definitely the most important thing right now."
Kitty just sighed and pressed the speaker on her ear. "What?!"
"Pier 3, in 45 minutes." It came with commanding tone out of the phone. "If you don´t come alone, Keswick dies. If you come too late, Keswick dies. If you come armed, Keswick dies. We´ll end this once and forever, tonight." And then as sudden as the conversation started, it was over.
Perplex Kitty put the cellphone away. "That was Scratch…" she added.
"Scratch! Already?!" Jessica asked even more confused than Kitty. "What does he want?"
"He… wants me. He wants that I come to him in about two hours."
"Then let´s go!" meant Jessica filled with new hope and dynamism.
"No, he wants me to come alone, if not he´ll kill Keswick!" protested Kitty vehemently.
"Then we reinforce you with some command units. Stealth and with nightvision. I can have a dozen man here in about 60 minutes."
"That would take us too long! Besides that we talk about Scratch! Also I think he expected that! And will take them down before they reach him."
"But we also talk about Dudley Puppy!" replied Jessica. "He isn´t demigod! He is defeatable! We saw that on the harbor!"
"There isn´t anything of Dudley Puppy left in him." Said Kitty coldly and handed her gun to Jessica. "He said unarmed. But I´ll take a knife with me. Maybe I can use it in the right moment and stab his black heart."
"You won´t go there! That´s an order!" shouted Jessica angrily.
"So? Then you better take this too." Kitty handed Jessica her badge. "That´s just the conclusion. If I have to give up my T.U.F.F. career to get this daemon of my life, then it be like that."
"Kitty no there is another way, come on!"
"No it isn´t." the cat stated. "It will end. Tonight. He or I. These are the only choices."
"Kitty you can´t just walk to your death! That´s suicide."
"Wouldn´t be the first attempt." Said Kitty and ran into the small alley nearby followed by Jessica who shouted. "Kitty stop!"
But it had no use, as soon as she arrived the alley the cat sprinted light-footed towards one of the walls and ran a few steps straight upwards before she pushed herself of the wall. With this jumped she reached the edge of the building on the other side where she pulled herself up and then completely disappeared on the rooftop.
Jessica watched in amazement Kitty´s moves. It was strange but the only question that came to her mind wasn´t where she would meet him or if she will make it, no, the only questions she wondered about was: "Where and when did Kitty learn parkour?"
- "cucurbitae caput" = "pumpkin head" (meant as an insult... of course); "stolidus" = "idiot" -