“Damn, woman, you did a hell of number on this suit. I don’t know how I’m going to fix this up. I mean, it’s mangled beyond belief. Just look at it.” Walter held the purple skin suit up to my face, wiggling it around to get his point across.

  His gravelly voice was reassuring to hear. It felt good to be with the crew. I thought I would never see them again, never getting a chance to say goodbye. I couldn’t help but smile at the old man.

  “What are you smiling about? This is expensive stuff. I don’t have the means to fix this.” Walter paced back in forth, looking at the suit, pulling on his frizzy hair, “You’re gonna make me completely bald with this. Not to mention the power gauntlets, which there is only one of…”

  “I’m gd to see you too, Walter.” I sat back in my chair. The room was abuzz with Meowtws. They operated computers, hovered over maps, talking to others over the phone. It looked more like a military field office now. No more warehouse filled with crates of supplies. Just a cement room, thick metal doors, and a fury of angry anthros ready to blow the Gellys sky high.

  Walter paused, his shoulders sagged, “It’s good to see you to, girl. We saw that missile hit and we all… well, you know how we were. You should have seen Mama. She was going to rip this whole moon apart.”

  “And I almost did.”

  I whipped around at the sound of the big bears voice, “I’m very fttered.”

  “Oh, please, girly, you know I’d do it for any one of you.” Mama strode over to me with a tray full of food and drinks, “We all need to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. The Gellys aren’t pying fair. We can’t be walking into anymore traps.” She set the tray down next to me and patted my head, “Now, eat up deary, you need your strength to get back to the fight.”

  I stared down at the perfectly cut sandwiches and tea. My stomach rumbled. I wanted to rip into the food instantly, but I held back to save face. Ego is a hell of a thing. “So, how’s the fight going?”

  Walter grabbed a chair and spun it around, eyeing my food with a drooling mouth, “Poorly.” He tossed the skin suit to the ground, “Just as poorly as your suit is. You’re gonna have to get something else to wear around now. It’s fucked.”

  “Language, dear.” Mama’s tone was sweet with a hint of death behind it.

  Walter held up his hands innocently, “You can still use your other gauntlet, but I doubt this rock has the things we need to repair it all. I don’t think you’ll ever financially recover from this.” Walter reached out for my sandwich halve.

  I grabbed the sandwich, swatting away his hand. “My bad, but I really didn’t have a choice. I was lucky to be alive.” I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth, savoring the tasty fvors. It was the best damn sandwich I ever had. It felt like an orgasm in my mouth.

  “What Walter means is, we hit them hard at the bst zone, but they still have the city on lockdown. They cut off power to the hospitals, and other sectors to send a message to not resist and turn in the perpetrators.” She folded her rge arms, “I think we need to punish them for naughty behavior.”

  The Brazilian roll of honey spoke out from the dark corner, “Strange behavior is more like it.”

  I jumped in my seat, not knowing the Speck was hanging around. I half turned to see him, a small bit of sandwich still sticking out of my mouth. “Good to see you, Speck.” I didn’t really mean it, but formalities never hurt, especially to a killer like him.

  He grunted back at me, ignoring the comment. “They’re avoiding an all-out attack. If it were me just invading, I would have cut off the power first, hit hard and loot ter.” He stepped out into the light, blood stained his clothes and fur, “They must be looking for something specific to warrant their behaviors. When prey act strange, something is amiss.”

  I downed my tea. It was sweet, with hints of floral notes. Speck was right, I hated to admit it, but he was right in the Gellys usually just go scorched earth on everypce they go to. Them not wanting to level an anthro colony means there was something else going on here.

  “Oh, ssy, goo’ to see ya up ‘n ‘bout.” I smiled as Redwood came waddling in, his eyes scanning the room like always, “Ugh, terrible, jus’ terrible… but, uh, Sucka, she be flightin through them files she pulled from the Gellys. She’ll find it out, oh, I bet she ‘ill.”

  The thought of Sucker stealing the Gellical Collective’s data was a scary thought indeed. Who knew what kind of secrets she would have unearthed in that treasure trove. If they found out about the leak, they wouldn’t sit back and take it lightly. They would go scorched earth over their secrets.

  “No time to chat, ssy, goot a meeting in the war room.” He waved at me and kept waddling onward.

  It was good to see the crew getting their bearings and holding up our end of the deal. The Meowtws better be paying out big time for this.

  “Vixie!” I heard a high-pitched squeal. The footsteps came at me too quickly for me to react. Soft, warm arms wrapped around me by the shoulders, squeezing tight. “I thought we lost you!” She started crying, sobbing for attention was more like it.

  Ash swooped around me into my p, knocking the empty tray down, and kissing me right on the lips before I could do anything to stop her.

  “Alright, enough mushy gushy crap, I’m gonna see what crap we got lying around for your next outfit. I doubt you’re gonna sit around here on your ass this whole war.” Walter stood, “Good day, and,” He looked at Mama, “Good day, Big Mama.” He strode off into the room somewhere, disappearing behind a door.

  Speck was gone now. Disappeared without a sound. Scary. Shivers raced down my spine.

  Ash stared into my eyes, “I can’t thank you enough. You saved my life, the life of my brother, and so many others back there. You are an honest to God hero around here now. Believe it!” She grabbed my arm and tugged me, “Come, meet my brother! He must leave soon.”

  “Give the woman some space, deary.” Mama grabbed Ash by the scruff and lifted her with ease. “We’re all excited here, but she needs her rest to recover. Especially since she needs to go do a checkup with Slizz ter to be okayed for action.”

  “Ugh, no. Not again.” My body sagged to the floor as I spilled from my chair. “I’m not strong enough to do it.”

  Mama pced her hands on her hips, “Then you’re not strong enough for duty. I’ll just let the Captain know…”

  “Fine, I’ll do it. Just this once. Where’s Slizz at?” I hadn’t had much time to familiarize myself with the new hideout. It was a maze of halls and rooms, somewhere hidden, probably underground.

  “Ash, would you be a dear and take Vixie to the med bay?”

  Ash jumped with glee, cpping her hands, “You betcha!” She grabbed my hand and started tugging me up to my feet, “Come on, zy bones, let’s get you ready for action.”

  I stared at Mama with a burning gaze that spoke, ‘How dare you betray me like this, I thought we were friends.’

  Her gaze spoke louder, ‘Because I’m in charge and you’re not.’

  Before I was drug around the corner, I flipped the bird at Mama, sticking my tongue out as I did so.

  Soon, I’d be in the jaw of the snake. A pce I didn’t like to be. Oh well, I had to go anyway. Might as well get this over fast.

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