as of this chapter this fic is over 25k words, making it the longest thing i have ever written! (also if this were for nanowrimo i'd be at the halfway point. amazing.)
"Back to the car," Bad Cop said, grabbing Unikitty by the shoulder and turning them in the direction of the cruiser. "Go, go!"
It was too late. There was a crunch, and the roof of the patrol car buckled under the weight of a creature roughly the size of a bear. At first glance, one might think it cute, with its yellow fluffy fur and floppy speckled ears, appearing to be some mix of cat and dog.
But then there was its wide grinning mouth, full of pearly-white shark teeth, and its long razor-sharp retractable claws, stained with blood.
"Let's be friends," it said in the voice of a young child still learning to speak, and then it lunged.
"Run!" Bad Cop screamed, dragging Unikitty along as he and Wyldstyle dove out of the way.
The Hound landed in the spot the three of them had just been in, its claws leaving deep scores in the asphalt.
Bad Cop tripped and stumbled, unused to Benny's lanky legs, and lost his grip on Unikitty. He regained his footing, then suddenly found himself being lifted off his feet by the back of his shirt and flung into the air. Then he landed awkwardly on soft pink fur behind Wyldstyle, and he realized that Unikitty had transformed into a much larger, more horse-like version of their cat form. Wyldstyle helped Bad Cop upright as Unikitty thundered down the street. Bad Cop twisted around to look behind, and saw that the Hound was hot on their heels and had been joined by two more – one a powder-blue panther-like monstrosity and the other a thing that didn't look like any creature he'd ever seen.
He pressed the button on the radio clipped to his right breast pocket. "I need backup in the Northeast Projects!" he shouted into it. "Three Hounds sighted, with the possibility of more!"
The radio crackled, but he received no reply.
"This is Deputy Chu!" he yelled. "Can anyone hear me?"
Nothing.
"Kinzel could be blocking the transmission," Wyldstyle said, looking over her shoulder at him.
Bad Cop checked his watch and gritted his teeth. Less than twenty hours to go. "We don't have time to battle our way out of here, gather reinforcements, battle our way back in, and still be able to do a proper search," he growled, drawing his gun and checking the clip. It was full – seventeen rounds, and a spare clip in his belt.
"So we're on our own, then," Wyldstyle replied, baring her teeth in a fierce grin. "Sounds like fun."
Bad Cop slammed the clip back into the gun and yanked the slider. "I like your optimism, lass," he said, turning to face backwards. "Keep it up." He aimed carefully at the closest Hound, the bizarre mutated mess, taking a moment to adjust to the rhythm of Unikitty's galloping gait before pulling the trigger. The bullet hit the Hound in the eye and it reeled back, letting out a horrible, blood-curdling scream. He'd been aiming for between the eyes, but he supposed that worked as well.
The other two Hounds didn't even flinch, pounding furiously after the trio.
"Hang on, guys!" Unikitty called, and Bad Cop was barely able to fist his free hand in Unikitty's fur and clamp his legs down before Unikitty hung a sharp left into an alley. The Hounds were going too fast to react in time, and they overshot the entrance.
There was a half-destroyed building in front of Unikitty now, and Bad Cop tightened his grip as he felt Unikitty's muscles bunch under him in preparation for a leap.
Then they were in the air, soaring over the rubble below, and Wyldstyle whooped. Bad Cop looked over his shoulder at where they were headed – a gaping hole in an abandoned building, five stories up. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and braced for impact.
Unikitty's speed had been too much for them to stick the landing. They dug their claws into the floor in an attempt to brake, spun wildly, and scrabbled to a stop on the opposite side of the building.
Bad Cop slid to the floor and let out the breath he'd been holding, his legs shaking. Wyldstyle hopped off Unikitty's back.
"Wow," she said breathlessly. "That was something."
Bad Cop grunted, holstering his weapon.
Unikitty shrunk back into their human form and Wyldstyle helped them back to their feet. "You okay?" she asked.
Unikitty nodded, rubbing their right shoulder. "Still a little sore," they admitted.
Bad Cop paced back and forth. "We shouldn't stay in one place too long," he said, rubbing at his chin. "Kinzel said he'd left a few hints, so there's bound to be more around somewhere." He walked back in the direction they'd entered the building from, and Wyldstyle and Unikitty followed him.
The column of smoke rising from the wreckage of the patrol cars was still visible, and from here they had a pretty good view of the projects. They could even see the wall that marked where Bricksburg ended, separating the city from the Forest of Obsolete Products beyond.
Wyldstyle followed his gaze with her own, looking at the wall. "I don't think Kinzel would have taken them out of the city," she said. "That'd be leaving the playing field."
"You're right," Bad Cop replied, narrowing his eyes. "But I think I see something."
Wyldstyle squinted. "Please don't tell me that's what I think it is."
Bad Cop took a small pair of binoculars out of a pouch on his belt and looked through them. "It's what you think it is," he sighed, handing them to her.
She took them and raised them to her eyes. "I didn't think I could hate him any more that I already did," she said, giving the binoculars back.
There was a large yellow happy face spray-painted on the wall in the distance. Underneath it were the words, 'Tick-tock!'
Bad Cop put the binoculars away. "I guess we know where we're going next."