Now that they had an exit out of the Warehouse, she now had a motive for larceny against her father.

The gold-red queen mystically ascended back to Macavity's chemical laboratory, where she had kept a close eye on what the antidote looked like…

~^..^~

All there was left for Marceth to feel was penitence. There were several things he had done in his young life that he wasn't proud of, but what he said to Zela had been the worst thing he had ever done. That stupid Maine Coon was right. He was receded to nothing but scum. Some mate he turned out to be. He still thought that Zela and he could be perfectly happy at the Warehouse, but suddenly she had to go back to the Junkyard with Jellicle prisoners.

Maybe he felt this way because for once, he wanted to be right. But once again, he was proven wrong. And what was attached to being wrong was having the hurt in Zela's eyes. He wouldn't live that down, even if she ever forgave him for his idiotic mistakes. But upon moping outside the cells, the tortoiseshell came to the conclusion that he needed to take a positive step. He loved Zela more than anything. She was truly the only queen in his life that opened his eyes, proving that Macavity's word was not his own. And the affections were suspicious on both their parts. Falling in love with Zela gave Marceth vulnerability, and in turn, weakness. She could have manipulated him, had he let his feelings consume his mind. And now when she seemed most desperate for his help, he found a way to resist it. He couldn't have felt more untrue to the queen he loved.

But then, what would happen if he were to betray his boss? The tom that took in his family? After training him, moving him up in the ranks, this was how he was going to repay the tom that gave him this life? Without Macavity, Marceth would have never met Zelaphelia, proper circumstances or no. The tortoiseshell knew he'd become Macavity's enemy if anything was done to defy him. He'd be considered dead the moment the Hidden Paw discovered that he was with his daughter…

So then… what did he have to lose?

As he quickened his steps down the hall, not even stopping to see if anyone would follow, Marceth was finally working things through in his mind. The only queen he loved would not be abandoned. Zela had put so much confidence in her tribe that they would be accepted; that they could live normally and start a happy life together. And if they didn't accept them? Simple enough. They would run away. Far from the ones who had corrupted their pasts. Zel could escape her prude Junkyard tribe, he would escape his undermining parents, and perhaps they could both leave Macavity behind forever.

All of this brewed in his mind as the tortoiseshell tom trailed through the halls of the warehouse, until he had found a guarded door, where the tortured victim, Mungojerrie was held. Marceth kept his head tilted up as he stopped in front of the skulking henchcat keeping watch. "I'm to take the prisoner from this cell to the boss." He lied.

The unkempt, black queen turned her head, one yellow eye burning suspiciously. "Boss nevah said anythin' to it." She spat.

"It's his orders, Sadgidi. Not mine." Again, another lie. Yet, Marceth was even surprised about how sure he sounded.

Sadgidi hoarsely growled before raising her wavering paws to the cell door, and unlocked it with a single swipe, she gestured Marceth to follow as she temperamentally stormed to a pathetic tiger-tabby hanging by his arms, a few drops of vomit dribbling down his chin. "Gettup, ya sod!" she hissed in her snake-like tone of voice. "Dis fool 'ere says da big bass wants ta meet wichya! Can't deny 'im nuttin', no we caun't."

Marceth winced as Sadgi undid the clasping chains on Mungojerrie's arms before she kicked him into his own vomit. The black henchqueen got a sordid laugh from that one. "Oi, 'e's as flimsy as shaken sheets, eh?" she chuckled, continuing to kick him until he got close enough to Marceth. She rested her foot before skulking back out. "Still a bloody mess, though." She hissed, "Get 'im outta 'ere 'fore he starts bringing da res' of 'is breakfast back."

Marceth said nothing else to the gruesome-looking queen. Instead, he quickly supported Jerrie, using his shoulder, and started back down the hall. Obviously, Mungojerrie had been in hell for far too long. The affect that the torch lights had on his eyes was creepy enough. It was as if there was no life left in him. And yet there was, for his weak legs slowly tried to move with Marceth. Maybe it was because this wasn't his usual route to torture, or maybe it was because he was being carried in a way he hadn't experienced during his sessions.

Either way, Marceth wasn't enjoying his time with the macabre mess. For one thing, he reeked of burning feces, body odor, and stagnant water. And for another thing, he was actually heavier than would have been predictable. Marceth rolled his eyes as the weight started to take its toll on his arms. "Weeks of not being able to hold down your own food and you're weight is comparable to those wealthy cats on James Street!" he growled, almost struggling to keep hold of him. Still breathing easily, Marceth continued down the hall. "Well, Zela's damn worth it, Mungojerrie…."

He sighed in exhaustion, Mungo's odor starting to get to him. Not only that, but the tiger-striped tom's stained coat and vomit remains were starting to dirty up Marceth's own pelt. "Everlasting Cat…" He breathed, wrenching out of the interrogation hall. "Alright, Mungojerrie…. Hold on… freedom's on its way… for you and all the other Jellicles…."

Yet little did Marceth realize, someone had watched him make his treacherous move. With a grim smile, Benthelo eagerly started down the hall to the Boss's quarters, where he was going to report something that would surely put Marceth in his proper place. Six feet under….

~^..^~

Misto finally worked out of the word for how he felt right then. Between watching Tugger's bruised scowl at Marceth, Marceth tiredly grooming himself free of blood stains and grime, and Mungojerrie huddled in the corner of Zela's old cell, the word to describe his feelings was awkward. He had silenced the toms' rights to speak to each other, knowing that Mungojerrie was in a very frail state of mind where the slightest discomfort could make him break down. Mistoffelees had never seen a mind so shattered in his life. If Jerrie was under risk of being distributed the toxin, then it almost seemed like a better fate than what he had received.

Yet it was surprising that Marceth was the one to rescue the tiger-tabby after seeming so adamant on his refusal to Zela. Tugger's reaction to the henchcat's actions was one that Misto compared to envy. It was hatred of not being able to help in the way that he wanted to. Yet that was the Maine Coon's fault. Misto just didn't have the energy to explain that to him.

While the silence uncomfortably lingered in the Cells, one thought was still caught in the Magician's spinning mind. He had been right about Marceth's abilities. His suspicions of mysticism were ultimately confirmed. Only the blood of a magical cat could make someone fall asleep by simple touch. The question was if Marceth was ever planning on telling him this, or better yet, telling Zela! Another dearth in answers was whether the henchcat could still be trusted, despite the fact that Jerrie would not be with them without his help. That didn't mean he wasn't a doubtable character.

Before he could find another topic to preoccupy his internal monologue, Mistoffelees' ears perked when three loud bangs came from the door. Heavyside, if this was a henchcats, freedom was as good as gone!

Yet to Misto's relief, Zela entered, carrying three vials in her hand, all with clear looking liquid quickly oscillating in the small, test tube-like vials. "Okay, Misto, I know you have your cure in mind, but since everyone may die tomorrow, I figured it would be better to make the cure come a little …Marceth? Who's in the cell?"

Mistoffelees couldn't help but lightly grin at Zela's expression when she noticed Jerrie in the corner. The Magician stood up on his paws and decided not put the burden on Marceth to give an explanation. "Your mate successfully retrieved Mungojerrie." He stated, snatching the vials from her paws as she stared down at her mate blankly.

"…You brought him down here?" she asked the tortoiseshell uncertainly, "Why?"

Marceth looked up at the gold-red queen and shrugged. Misto growled in his mind. Though his thoughts still appeared pure in thought, the tuxedo tom still saw Marceth's embarrassment to be helping Junkyard cats. Out of respect of his privacy, Misto decided to remain silent until the silly henchcat could gain some confidence to explain everything to Zela.

In a matter of minutes, Marceth found his words. "… Because… I'm ready to start that new life that you mentioned earlier…" He gradually stood on all fours and stepped up close to his mate. "Maybe a change of scenery wouldn't be so bad…"

Misto expected somewhat of an awkward silence, but for once, nothing of the sort occurred. Zela's dubiety and confusion quickly turned to a sense of thrill. She wrapped her arms around Marceth's neck, the smile on her face growing to be record wide. "I love you, Marceth! I can't even tell you how much!"

Marceth paused, a rain of surprise washing over his face before contentment finally settled. "I love you too, Zel…" he purred lovingly.

The mates embraced tightly, showing no signs of regret toward each other. Mistoffelees felt himself smile a little. If he had doubts about the tortoiseshell tom, they were no longer present in his head. It was clear that his best friend had found someone that loved her, and that was good enough for him.

However, not everyone in the room was as touched by the moment. Tugger's scowl had grown excessively, letting out a free hiss of disdain. Zela didn't seem to mind it. Her focus was on Marceth. "When we get to the Junkyard, things are going to be different. I promise." They shared a kiss before Zela turned herself to Mistoffelees. "Misto, it's time to go. Help Jerrie up. Marceth, you'll escort us all to the exit, if you wouldn't mind."

Misto nodded accordingly and quickly went to the cockney tom's aid. He was still such a mess. The cuts on his back were still exposed, almost to the level of unhealthiness. The tuxedo tom held his breath as he lifted Jerrie back on his feet. "Come on, Jerrie. We're going home. Finally."

Mungojerrie gave a small pensive nod, as he leaned his head up and looked over at the magician hollowly. Misto saw that the injured tom's full support was on him. "Get… me… out…" he whispered.

Misto was glad to see some reaction in him where he understood most of what was happening. As Misto tightly clutched the vials in his hands, he quickly followed Marcetheus back out of the cells, Jerrie limping by him. He looked back to see if Zela and Tugger were following, but surprisingly, they weren't. Zela? You coming?

The line was dead for a moment as the cell door closed. Tugger wants to talk to me for a couple minutes, Misto. Tell Marceth we'll catch up with you in a minute…

~^..^~

Tugger was still suppressing hisses, his blood boiling to a hazardous level. He never got jealous if he could help it, but this was one case where that particular emotion was unavoidable. He was still perplexed as to why Zela could do this to him, and with a dim, volatile henchcat, no less! She had clearly gone mad during her time at the Warehouse, and that was certainly going to be no defense when the Junkyard learned of her new mate. Above all, the Maine Coon was under the impression that he deserved an explanation from her.

He quickly shut the door before Zela could leave, giving her one massive scowl. "I think you should explain yourself…" he growled, gritting his teeth.

Zela raised an eyebrow, not appearing to find his behavior at all intimidating. "I don't need to do anything of the sort," she said simply, "I didn't betray the tribe. That's all you need to know."

She was about to reach for the door again, but Tugger shoved it shut. "That's not good enough!" He spat, "You know perfectly well what you did wrong! Seriously, Zel, that guy? He's a henchcat!"

"He's a good tom!" she hissed, "And he's much better for me than you ever were, Tugger!"

Both of Tugger's eyebrows rose significantly. He was debating whether he was more shocked or angered by her statement. "I've done nothing wrong to you, Zela!" He hissed back, "I was never with any other queen besides you for all this time! How can you stand there and lie about what it was like when we were together?"

"Oh… 'So now we're together? I had no idea…'" She glared after mocking him with his own quote, which Tugger vaguely remembered was a part of their last argument. "You didn't give a damn about me, Tugger! You were so focused on having us hook up that you didn't think about what was actually good for a relationship! And now I finally have someone that I can trust, whether the Jellicles thinks so or not! But you'll never change! You'll always be the same arrogant tom with the reputation of the Curious Cat to uphold"

Tugger growled lowly, his mane ruffling up at her criticism. "You have truly grown pathetic, Zela, if you crawl to your daddy's scum. I may not change because I like the way I am! But I don't even know who you are, Zela!" Sighing roughly, the Maine Coon just stared away at his feet. He was furious with her, and she would never understand that. "You're going to regret having Mac's guard tag along in your life, because whatever the hell he's offering you won't be enough. No one's going to accept him. When everyone figures out you've been playing 'Daddy's girl' while you were here, they won't accept you either."

His rant, though as noble intentioned as he tried to coat it, did not look like enough to sway Zela's mind. She snarled at him, and turned away from him hatefully. "You'll never understand the way I feel Tugger. I trust Marceth with all my heart…. I love him…"

"Oh yeah? And what happens after your loser mate turns on you?"

Unbeknownst, Tugger received a slap for that comment. As much as it burned, nothing could have stirred him more than the look of pure ice aggrandizing from the gold-red queen's eyes. "…Marceth will never hurt me, Tugger! And right now, I want to push you into a cell and lock it so you can be left for my father to deal with! You don't deserve my help! You can't even move on from your ego!"

"Move on… yeah, because worrying for you was obviously the worse choice I could make, right? …I think I can see that now." Tugger swung the cell door open widely, ready to leave her now, but his gaze lifted slightly, "…There's nothing left between us, is there?"

The gold-red queen stood in a freeze for a moment, but soon started back up the stairs. "What do you think, Tugger?" she growled. With that, Zelaphelia strode away from him, taking on numbness from his presence. A gelid stillness passed between them before Tugger followed her in a slow trudge. He couldn't believe after all this time; he had been worrying for nothing. And the queen he loved was now no longer his to love. What Tugger figured would last a lifetime now didn't have a good memory to offer him. And as far as he could figure, it was better that way.

Zela started rushing down the hall, keeping as much distance between them as possible. They turned one corner silently. When he looked up, Tugger saw they had caught up to everyone. But another sight forced him to stifle. Five henchcat were blocking their way to freedom. And who else to lead them but the Mystery Cat himself….

~^..^~

Macavity hadn't felt a twinge of betrayal, oh no. He was far too livid at what the henchcat told him to feel that. And yet, it was hard to argue with the sight of his prisoners trying to find escape. And to think of all the work he put into swaying Zela to his side. Clearly, he would have to use more intensive methods on her after sorting this mess.

The five henchcats positioned themselves into a v-shape line with Macavity in the lead of them. Composedly observing the sitting targets, the Hidden Paw raised a slim eyebrow, barely revealing the stinging pierce of one yellow eye. Yet, that one look seemed enough to chill the room to a tremble. All of his victims appeared apprehensive and struck by fear, but the look Macavity was most interested in was his daughter's.

The shock distilled and shrunken in her pupils satisfied him to a T.

In a slow, derisive manner, Macavity gave the group a short applause. "Brilliant…" he snarled darkly, lowering his paws, "Simply remarkable. You were able to elude my notice as you planned such a… crafty escape. You took advantage of trust, and persuaded my most dim-witted henchcat to help you. Amazing, I must say, that you kept me in the dark for so long, biding your time until it was almost too late. But there's one thing you left unaccounted for, Zelaphelia."

Zela stared at her father as she took a few meager steps forward, as if to take credit to being marked as the ring leader. Macavity smirked slightly, "This is my game. My Warehouse. And you can't cheat me out this time. You cannot escape your fate, and you won't try to again, I'll make sure of that."

The gold-red queen stared at her father before hissing and taking a step back. "We will not be your prisoners any more, Father! I will not be a pawn to you anymore!"

Macavity sighed roughly and shook his head in disappointment, "Oh, daughter, I wish you could simply understand what I was trying to do for you," He revealed a devilish smirk as he raised his head, "But you will, in time." The ginger tom turned toward his henchcats, but mainly spoke to the tom that had gave him the information of their escape. "Put the Magician in an interrogating cell… and bring Zelaphelia to my den when the mess is cleaned up. The rest, you may kill."

Macavity was half thinking of staying and seeing how his most skilled henchcats played against the pathetic almost- escapee group, but he had to prepare himself mentally for what he planned to do with his daughter. He glanced over at Marceth, who already adopted hostility in his stance. "Now Marcetheus, I'm extremely disappointed in how you turned out. So much potential too… And to think how much hope that your parents had in you… Ah well. Your worthless family will soon come to an end anyhow." Ignoring the confused look on his former-henchcat's face, Macavity looked once more at Zela.

"Until later, my daughter," He purred. In one bolt of energy, the ginger tom disappeared in his den….

~^..^~

After Macavity's departure, Zela knew this was definitely a time to worry. The twist in Benthelo's sadistic grin was growing closer to her, his claws extended. "Tell you what, Girly, you come along quietly, we'll make your friends' deaths quick and easy."

Zela was about to retaliate somehow, but suddenly, a dark flash tackled the leader of the henchcats. It took a moment for her to realize that Marceth was the first to strike at Benthelo. "No one will come near my mate!" the angered tortoiseshell roared.

In a flurry of excitement, each of the remaining four henchcats looked for an opponent to attack. Mistoffelees seemed to be doing fine on his own with two henchcats going at him and Mungo. The Magician fortunately found the speed to sit the tiger tabby behind him, and get into a defense. With one paw sparkling and the other gripping the cure, Misto looked quite eager to use his powers again.

Tugger looked like he was going to have more difficulty, as he and the remaining henchcat started to go at each other like pollicles, one scratch after another. With this kind of defense, Zela wondered why she had even begun to worry. But her top priority was to help the toms in any way she could, now that her powers were at use. The gold-red queen quickly avoided a misaimed lightning bolt from Misto as she leaped over to Benthelo and Marcetheus.

Ben had retreated after a few scratches, but stared at the two cats with slight interest, despite the blood matting his shoulder and forehead. "Mates, Marceth? Ah… so that's why you two have been hiding out in the cells all hours of the day!" He snorted and swiped one claw at the both of them, "Oh, the boss will get a kick out of that one! …You know what, Zela? Maybe after I finish off your mate here, the boss will award you to me for defeating you …"

Zela growled lowly, but Marceth kept her blocked from the assassin. "You've officially crossed the line, Ben. Sorry it's got to end like this."

His fur bristled angrily before the tortoiseshell took a strike at the black tom. And for the second time that day, that simple touch had knocked the tom unconscious. Marceth didn't even try to take notice to this. He immediately jumped on to the unconscious tom, his claws peeling away at his flesh in ways that he was blocking from Zela's view. She simply shuddered, turning away once a few splatters of Benthelo's blood landed on the floor. She didn't want to know what her mate was doing, but it was simple to surmise that it was the end of Benthelo.

Their greatest challenge laid dead, as well as two henchcats with scorch marks in the middle of their chests. Mistoffelees glanced over at Zela, quickly lifting Mungojerrie back up. Zela sighed in relief as Marcetheus came back to her side, wiping a small trace of blood away from his face. She wasn't even going to glance at the body, fearing what she might see.

As they appeared prepared, Zela turned to see if Tugger was ready. But shock quickly filled her as the last henchcat sprinted back out of Tugger's grip and hustled down the hall with a terrified look on his face. Tugger cursed at his evaded prey, about to take off after him.

"Tugger, stop!" The gold-red queen shouted, about to chide him about how close they were to escape and how they didn't have time to take on the rest of the Warehouse.

But before she could, her mind faded into darkness. A vision blurred into the frightened henchcat running down the hall. His large were eyes screaming in despair. He started running toward the den of his boss, and from there it became fairly obvious that the young, horrified henchcat was going back to her father to report the defeat.

Zelaphelia came back to her regular vision, her eyes widening at all four toms. "We have to get out of here now. That henchcat's going to tell my father!" She pushed her mate forward, now rushing for him to lead them to the Henchcats' exit. "Hurry!"

The panicked moment passed, and soon the group of five stealthily disappeared in the shadows, so close to freedom that Zela felt like they were flying to it…

~^..^~

Getting to the exit with so much pressure put on Marcetheus was particularly a cinch. He was used to pressure being put on him. Leading everyone under the standing, stair-case like structure of crates, Marceth stopped at the entrance and calmly made sure that everyone got out, even the supercilious waste-of-a-mane, Tugger. Zela was the last to exit before him, but she quickly pulled him a long with her paw, now seeming more excited than hasty. How could anyone blame her? They were finally back out in the day light, now closer to a new life than ever before. The most convenient part was that all the guards didn't have duty in the day. This god-forsaken property was cleared, as far as escape went. Marcetheus breathed deeply, starting to run behind his mate to catch up to Tugger and Mistoffelees.

They quickly reached the gates, about to exit, when Mistoffelees quickly stopped and turned to Zela. "Macavity will come after the cure first, Zela. And I'm not sure how long Jerrie's going to last on this run. But since we're not so close to the Warehouse property, I think I can transport us all there without any complications."

The smile on the gold-red queen's face only increased. "Yes. The sooner, the better."

As Mistoffelees began saying some sort of incantation under his breath, Marcetheus prepared himself, not only for the transport, but for the Junkyard, and his new Jellicle life.

He was interrupted as a recognizably dark voice sibilated in his head. You don't want to be doing this, Marcetheus… You can't leave here, knowing everything that you've done for me. Those Jellicles will eat you alive, merely because of how you were raised. That's how closed-minded they are. That's why you will always remain my henchcat….

Marceth blinked, before slowly realizing that Macavity was speaking to him through his head. No…NO! Go away… leave me alone!

You're mother's name is Wynestelle, yes? I recall telling you that your worthless family is coming to an end. Your vermin father was simple to eliminate, and Wynestelle will be no different. Now, I can stop from killing your mother, but only if you come back as quickly as possible… if you find a way to bring Zelaphelia back with you, all will be forgiven, and you will continue being my servant as if nothing has changed. Just think about it, before my claws slip…

Marceth backed up a step, his eyes widened at what his former boss was telling him. Yes, his mother hadn't done much good for him in the past few years, but she was still his mother! And he didn't have a doubt that Macavity would kill her in a matter of minutes. He turned to look at his mate, now realizing that the Hidden Paw was forcing him to give up the life he wanted so desperately to share with Zela. But no matter what Macavity would do to him, Marceth wasn't going to let Zela get hurt again by her father. Taking a few steps away, Marceth knew he had to do the more horrible thing that he could ever do to the gold-red queen. Break her heart. "I can't do this Zela. Go ahead and go, but I have to stay here."

Zela turned her head to him, her eyes puzzled, "Marceth…. What are you talking about?"

"The Warehouse is my home, Zela." He said quickly, "I have to stay here, where I belong. Macavity will never stop harassing us if I leave with you, but I know what I'm doing is right. If I give myself up, then I know you won't have to worry about me again. You can move on with your life and forget you ever knew me."

Zela opened her mouth to reply, but was quickly interrupted by a snorting Tugger, "You are full of it, idiot!" he growled.

The Tortoiseshell growled back at him angrily, but ignored him. Zelaphelia stepped forward, her eyes now pleading. "Marceth… please… don't say all this! If we concurred Macavity once we can do it again, but please don't leave me like this. Don't run away when we're so close to the end!"

She was breaking into tears about how serious his demeanor was. He turned away from her face, his heart breaking in uncountable pieces. "I'm sorry Zela, but this is how it has to be… it'll be safer this way…"

"We're wasting time!" Mistoffelees reminded. He glared at all of them and held out one paw. "The charm's been casted. We get out of here now, or we're Macavity's toys for the rest of our sorry lives! Everyone who's coming, lock paws now!"

Mistoffelees' words were enough to ratify Marceth's new decision, even if his heart was shouting at him to simply take his mate's paw and leave. Yet, he knew he had to protect her. There was no other way around it. Wincing tightly in his face, Marceth pushed Zela away from him, unintentionally toward Tugger. The Maine Coon didn't seem to have a problem locking Zela in the circle with Mistoffelees.

Marceth let a tear spill out of his eye. He heard Zela begging to be released as she reached for him, her tears more obvious than his. The tortoiseshell blocked out her voice, knowing if he heard her, he would shatter and change his mind. Solemnly, Marcetheus made a vow that he would find her again. "Good bye, love…" he whispered softly. Zela's despairing eyes disappeared from sight as the charm activated in a bright flash. This temporarily blinded Marceth, but when he looked back, the four Junkyard cats were gone.

That was the last thing Marceth remembered before being dragged away by his former colleagues back to the Warehouse…

~^..^~