Hello everyone! Long time no see! Time for a new chapter!

As Felina is reluctantly pulled from Razor's arms, a new and unknown threat lurks in the shadows.

Author's note: Sorry for the delay everyone. I got stuck trying to explain everything is this chapter. And I was having fun with the Blind Date, too.

This story now talks about the events leading to how Felina got her bruise.

Korats are mentioned in this chapter. Remember Xiao talked about how they almost gained control of Mr. Young's business? Korats are a Thai breed, with grey fur and green eyes. In this story, they make Khao Manee City their home.

Thanks for everyone's reviews and your patience with me. I hope you all enjoy!

Thanks again,

AkaneKitty

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The Great Escape

An Indigo Evening

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One week earlier...

Razor grunted when something soft pounced on top of him, jarring him out of a wonderfully blissful sleep. Not fully awake, his battle instincts took over as he flipped the offending attacker onto their back and pinned them down with his body weight. A happy yell rewarded his efforts.

"That was fun!"

Blinking, Razor's consciousness finally caught up with his body and he found himself looking into the lovely brown eyes of Lieutenant Felina Feral. She smirked at him.

"Damn it, Lina! Don't do that to me!" Razor hissed, easing his grip on her arms. "I could have hurt you!"

"Well, you didn't, and that's all that matters."

Razor sighed, fully waking up. This was the result of answer a call from Felina: Ending up in her bedroom.

Laughing lightly, Felina reached up to scratch his ears. "Ready for another round?"

"I thought the reason I was called was to go over the personnel records Hackle sent."

"Yeah...But all the names started to run together. You know paperwork is the bane of law enforcement," Felina replied. "Besides, we ran out of beer and Siamese takeout."

"Whose fault is that?"

Felina chuckled. Razor lowered himself to give her a kiss when the unmistakable chirp of Felina's official Enforcer cell phone froze him in place.

Groaning, she cursed, "No, no, no! I'm off duty until tomorrow afternoon!"

Wiggling a bit Felina reached for her phone located on her night stand. Grabbing it, and warning Razor to be quiet, she answered the phone.

"Lieutenant Feral."

"Major York."

As soon as she heard the very polished and sophisticated accent of her superior, Felina bolted upright, sending Razor flying off the bed.

Major Emma York, a petite shorthair from the City State Commonwealth of Saxon, was the major in charge of Enforcer Investigations Division. She handled everything from petty theft to homicide. She also served as Felina's mentor.

"Sorry to disturb your evening. The C3 officer on duty caught a case of that blasted cough that's been going around."

Felina winced when she heard a light chuckle in the major's voice. Nothing could get by the major, so she probably heard Razor falling off the bed. "No problem, ma'am. How can I be of service?"

"I need you to report to headquarters. We have a situation here I think the Commander should be privy to from the start. I also need you to get a Siamese translator from Communications. I'm running into a language barrier with my crime victims."

"Yes ma'am. ETA fifteen minutes." Felina glanced at the clock on her nightstand and remembered their break room was in the process of being disinfected. "Make it twenty minutes. I'll get coffee."

"You're a doll, Ducky," York said. "See you soon."

Felina signed off. "Gunny. I'm going to..."

"...Head into work, I know." His voice came from somewhere other than the floor in her bedroom.

"Where are you?" She demanded, searching with her eyes as she began to get off the bed.

"At the window. I'll see you later," he told her, a smirk in his voice. "Don't work too hard."

"Now wait just a damn-" Felina started, but soon heard the window in the living room slide close. She sighed in resignation.

There went her evening.

Enforcer Headquarters

Crud! This was supposed to be my evening off!

Felina stepped from the elevator which led to the major's suite of offices. In one paw, she held a Styrofoam carrier which contained two large cups of coffee and, in the other, she clutched her C3 briefcase.

Nice timing, Felina thought, stifling a yawn. Nice damn timing.

Pouting a little, she thought about Razor. The tom had the audacity to leave without a kiss or saying goodbye properly. Hmph! She'll get him for that.

She made her way down the hall toward Major York's office. The major was one of Feral's few bright spots during the reign of the super-villains. Her ninety percent solved case record was an achievement few city states could match due to her demanding excellence from those under her command. As such, Feral appointed her to be his second in command when he was unavailable but only in emergency situations. She also served as Felina's advisor.

Reaching the major's door, Felina was about to shift the container to the crook of her elbow in order to knock when she heard York's accented voice come through the slightly open door. Noting the undercurrent of frustration in the major's voice, she realized York must be speaking to Major Callahan, who was in charge of ground defense. For some reason, York and Callahan never seemed to get along.

After knocking on the door and receiving an affirmative, Felina entered York's office. As the major had the most seniority compared to others of her rank, she had the largest office. It was light and airy, with enough plants to start a garden. It also had large bay windows and her walls were adorned with pictures and achievements.

The major herself was sitting at her rather large desk, phone attached to one ear. A petite she-kat slightly shorter than the Deputy Mayor, the desk seemed to overwhelm her. And while she had regal looks and delicate movements, she was never mistaken for a helpless female. All knew her as a strong officer who took no shit from anyone.

At the moment, a look of consternation was on the she-kat's fawn colored face which all but confirmed she was talking to Callahan. Felina also noticed that York's long reddish brown hair, normally in a thick braid down the center of her head, was loose and spilled over her shoulders.

"Look Callahan...all I'm asking for is that a Be On the Look Out notice for a group of muscular looking Korat tomkats be given to patrol." York listened for a few minutes, then sighed. "This is not profiling! If you attended my seminars, you would know that!"

Felina stifled a grin. As she still considered herself a part of air defense, it felt good to hear ground defense get a tongue lashing.

"If you make me lose the only lead in this case due to your refusal to follow protocol I'll...well, somebody has their knickers in a twist this evening! This is about that bet you lost, isn't it?"

Felina glanced away to studiously stare at some of the things on York's walls, fighting the urge to laugh. Callahan bet that York wouldn't be able to take him down in five moves. She did it in two.

"All I'm asking for is a BOLO, Callahan. If you continue to impede my investigation, I will be forced to take this up with the Commander. You know how he feels about infighting between departments. And guess who has the most seniority?"

Silence filled York's office. The major always had a trump card up her uniform sleeve.

"...You still feel like the BOLO is profiling? Fine. How about a BOLO for three or four grey tomkats ranging from 5'8 to 6'0 tall. Green eyes, muscular build. Last spotted in Siamesetown. Identify as Korats. Thanks!"

Resisting the urge to slam down the phone, York took great care to place it back in its cradle. Finally noticing Felina, she motioned for the she-kat to take a seat.

"I apologize for letting you see such an unprofessional display," York stated, her accent tinged, voice dripping with irritation. "But then again, no I don't. Everyone on the force knows Callahan and I do not get along."

Avoiding the landmine of a statement, Felina pulled a coffee cup out of the container. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please. Thank you Ducky." York gratefully accepted the cup. "I needed a boost, but there was no way I was going to step into the break rooms until they are disinfected. I can't afford to get sick."

"It is a very nasty bug." Felina replied, retrieving her own cup coffee.

"So...I hope I wasn't interrupting anything fun when I called earlier."

Felina winced. Next time she answered a call from HQ, she needed to make sure Razor was completely out of the room. "No ma'am. He was just leaving."

York smiled, taking a sip of coffee. "Nice to have toms who understand our line of work."

"True." After taking a big sip of coffee, Felina placed the cup beside her feet. "How may I be of service, ma'am?"

"I have a series of strong arm and armed robberies happening in Siamesetown which I feel is connected to something bigger. I need you to start a line of communication with the Commander, funneling all the information I'm about to give you to him. This is something he might have to run by the Mao City Consulate."

Felina retrieved a pen and notepad from her briefcase. "Go ahead ma'am."

"About two weeks ago, I noticed an upswing in robberies in Siamesetown. Some were armed, others strong armed. All were focused on small mom and pop businesses like noodle shops." York paused to take another sip of coffee. "The suspects were the same, a group of three or four muscular looking Korats. They are very organized. They go in, take what they want, and get out before we have time to respond."

"Sounds like it would only be a matter of time before they made a mistake and we got them."

"True...but something is bothering me."

"Oh?"

York leaned back in her chair. "Why the mom and pop stores? They usually don't carry large amounts of money and there are other high value shops in the area."

"Maybe these shops have something these criminals want," Felina mused aloud. York grinned.

"Just what I was thinking Lieutenant. And guess what type of criminal activity uses these types of stores?"

Felina smiled to herself. "Organized crime."

"Correct. And Mao City's biggest problem is organized crime."

"And the Korats figured out these shops are fronting money for them."

"Possibly figured out they were laundering money too."

Felina wrote on her notepad. "So I guess the next step is to figure out what store the Korats will hit next."

"Which is why the Commander needs to be informed so he can lean on the Mao City Consulate. Hopefully, they will allow the Corsairs to exchange information with us." York finished her coffee. "In the meantime, I work on the Siamese crime victims. Did you find a translator?"

"Lieutenant Chen, ironically from our Enforcer/Corsair exchange program, is available. A bit tired though."

"Poor Chen. He was working Siamesetown Fair all day. I need to put a commendation in his record." York sighed. "But this is all for now."

Felina put her notepad away into her briefcase and stood up. "I'll get started with the logistics right away ma'am."

"Hold it Lieutenant."

Felina froze and York rose gracefully from her seat. "I seem to recall that we are overdue for a chat. As your advisor, I request you join me for tea by the end of the week."

York regularly maintained a tea time in the afternoon. Barring any emergencies or casework popping up, she was always available to chat. As she couldn't talk about everything with her uncle, she used York to decompress. As an added bonus, York wouldn't talk about those chats with her uncle unless it affected her job or the Enforcers as a whole.

"Is this an order ma'am or a royal decree?" Felina smiled. "I mean, you are the twentieth kat in line for the Saxton throne aren't you?"

York rolled her eyes. The City State Commonwealth of Saxton was ruled by a monarchy, and York was a part of the royal family. As she seemed to move up the list of heir prospective every year, Feral joked he would start worrying about once she made the single digits.

"Ducky, if this was a royal decree you would be receiving a personal engraved invitation from Her Royal Highness Emma York of Daventry. I would use my best china and we'd discuss polo matches." York said haughtily before dropping the affectation to smirk. "Which is a lot more boring than enjoying tea, some biscuits, and chatting about your latest tom."

"Okay, Okay." Felina shifted her briefcase to her other paw and saluted. "I'll stop by for tea ma'am."

"Good." York saluted back and sat back down. "Carry on Lieutenant."

Khao Manee City

The imposing figure of a grey tomkat stood on the wharf wrapped in a thick, black trench coat. The coat did little to ward off the chill coming from the sea, but the kat didn't seem to mind.

Piercing green eyes watched choppy waves, noting the strong undercurrents. Anything sunk here would be pulled toward the beaches of Mao City, Khao Manee City's rather volatile neighbor. In fact, he had disposed of more than a few bodies here.

The click of high heels against the wooden planks of the wharf reached his ears. He slipped a paw into his trench coat, reaching for his silenced gun. He'd been expecting company but one couldn't be too careful. His description topped most wanted lists all over the world and he had numerous enemies who wanted him dead. Par for the course in his chosen profession.

Steps coming closer, he pulled his weapon from his coat, disengaged the safety, and extended his arm. His gun's muzzle stopped within inches of a pert black nose. Soft green eyes glanced down at the gun without fear and looked up.

"Mr. Indigo."

"Ms. White."

Indigo quickly lowered his weapon, engaged the safety, and holstered it while White walked to his side, clutching a portfolio. Indigo was his code name among Khao Manee Intelligence, known as the Si-Sawat, as his real name was lost ages ago. A highly trained operative and assassin, he protected Khao Manee interests at home and abroad.

He waited as Ms. White put down her portfolio and pulled out a cigarette, obviously in no hurry. She was dressed in a sharp business suit covered by a wool jacket. The slender she-kat had all the features all Korats valued, flawless grey fur and soft green eyes, except hers were sharp and distinctive. She almost stood out too much as his handler, but looks were an important asset in their line of work.

White lit her cigarette from a lighter pulled from her jacket. Taking a puff, she exhaled it before turning her attention to him.

"The Honorable First Family has tasked you with an important mission."

"Long may they rule," Indigo said without thought. It was a phrase said by all Korats loyal to the First Family.

Nodding, White reached down, opened her portfolio, and took out a slim folder. Standing up, she passed the folder to him. "Some high value targets were spotted in Megakat City by one of our intelligence agents imbedded there. They are Korat Resistance Movement leaders."

Indigo began looking through the folder's contents. Familiar faces and information stood out. "The KRM have infiltrated other cities?"

"We thought we had them restricted to Mao City. But since the Siamese have begun immigrating to other cities, they have followed." White took another puff of her cigarette. "The First Family has authorized you to eliminate them."

"Quietly?"

"Violently. A message must be sent to the rest of the Movement. Their actions against other cities have impacted Khao Manee City's diplomatic alliances... " White exhaled. "...And as you know, the First Family does not take kill orders against their own lightly."

Indigo nodded. "Of course."

"Your secondary mission is to prevent whatever the KRM is plotting. We don't know much, but if it's anything like what they do in Mao City, the consequences will be dire." White said. "And if this happens while the First Family is negotiating to reopen their embassy in Megakat City..."

"...Then they will be eliminated."

"By the way...," White passed Indigo another folder, "Our agents have put a name to the operative that hindered our plot against the Russian Blue Mafia. They will be in Megakat City."

Indigo opened the folder. A she-kat in a distinctive uniform stared back at him. The information in the file was blacked out, but he would never forget the face which caused his first, and only, mission failure.

"Misha?" Indigo blinked. "No, her code name was Echo."

"You are authorized to do whatever you want with her." White dropped her spent cigarette to the ground. She then stared at Indigo. "Will she be a problem?"

Indigo stated at the photo for long moments before closing the folder and flinging it into the sea.

"No."