Written by me, with editing and additions done by  Sam Gwosdz

The first ever adventure of Inquisitor as a member of the Bureau of Superheroes, set in 2013, the Inquisitor has to learn to work as a team player to take on a shockingly powerful super villain!


Inquisitor, Franklin Godwyn are © to me
Brier Fox, Brier Bear, and Brier Rabbit are © to  MojoRover
Miracle, Static, Carolina Cougar are © to  Sam Gwosdz
War Wolf, Spectra and Oasis (mentioned) are © to  vivavulpes

Please download to read the full thing as it's sure to get cut off:

    Inquisitor sat in his black and white 55’ Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, one hand on the steering wheel, the other clutched a fresh Tampa Nugget cigar between his pointer and middle finger. He brought the cigar to his mouth and inhaled deeply, the tip lighting up his face in a dull hazy orange. The dark grey and cream colored mountain lion would exhale through his nose, sending twin pillars of tobacco smoke out, and watched it slowly dissipate out the slightly lowered driver’s side window, leaving only the smell of smoke that was so perfect to his senses. He relaxed into the seat and sighed, deciding to finally turn on the police band radio in his car, to listen for any tips an agent like him could be of use too.

It had only been a few months since he officially joined the Bureau of Superheros. At first he was just helping them track down a missing agent named Oasis, mostly cause it’d of been good publicity for his private investigation business, and partly because the idea of a former Inquisitor pulling a cape’s ass out of the fire appealed to him. Unfortunately...or fortunately for her at least, the hero was rescued from the clutches of the villainess Sandstalker before he could track down the ibex. He had no doubt he could have waltzed onto her island and stopped her and any henchmen without taking a scratch, but such was not to be.

With his services no longer needed the detective would have slinked back off to pursue other cases, but out of curiosity, he had a spirit watch Oasis, and her treatment when she was returned to the Bureau. Of course it wasn’t for any concern or anything he’d tell himself, after all, he’d been captured, tortured and did a great deal of torture work for the Inquisition himself, he could handle her ordeal just fine. But the real reason, he was concerned, he knew what kind of mind it took to do that kind of trauma to another living furson. He knew it intimately how someone could be broken to the point of no return by another. It was a side no one outside of the Inquisition could ever know about him though.

As he watched from through invisible spirits, he witnessed the care and support Nia Shasa got. It gave him a first hand experience into the difference of his old life and an idea to pursue another path. Where the Inquisition was cold, beating weakness out of furson, and throwing them away when they could no longer be put back together, there was a warmth to the BOS. Nia Shasa was supported and uplifted instead of berated for her failures, where as the Inquisition probably would have demanded she be retrained and made to self flagellate herself for screwing up and then demoted to serve as an acolyte to another Inquisitor. That’s ‘if’ the Inquisition deemed her worth the resource investment to rescue in the first place.

Seeing that left Kingman Highborn, a silly and very stupid name in his own mind to register and join. As that stupid name was given to him by Inquisitress Kreszentia Kardos, it was legally all he had to work on though, and the Inquisition’s resources had fashioned the name into a legitimate and working id for him. It may have gotten a few chuckles but ‘the Inquisitor’ as he dubbed himself was welcomed with open arms nonetheless.

His training though was a cakewalk compared to the Inquisition’s ‘fail and be punished’ mode of instruction. In fact he was once again surprised to find instructors being helpful, especially in the area of non-lethal maneuvers. Something the Inquisition never put an emphasis on. His screening was a bit more...difficult. The Inquisitor had no past that he could remember, except having his original heart ripped out and waking up in a South American jungle with much darker fur, and he purposely left out some of his darker talents off the registry.

For what the Bureau knows, Kingman Highborn, aka the Inquisitor, can summon spirits, speak with the dead, and use balefire and some necromancy magic. He also registered his magic rosarius and hammer, and his controversial but preferred sidearm in most engagements, his 40mm Denel Y3 Automatic Grenade Launcher. But as to some of his skills, they didn’t need to know. The BOS was getting a ghost detective with knowledge of the occult and packing a wicked hammer and gun. And that’s what he’d be.

“Hey bro, where the hell are you? We’re supposed to patrol out by Berkeley Park.” the voice on the device in his ear pinged, the voice of another mountain lion, and his assigned partner the hero Carolina Cougar. The Inquisitor smirked and tapped his communicator and spoke. “Berkeley Park, man I thought the briefing was for us to patrol Williamsburg Park.” Inquisitor responded while trying not to laugh at the misdirection he was giving, especially as he sat in his car, on Baker St, looking right at the College Football Hall of Fame. He’d make the right hand turn from there onto Marietta, as his partner responded. “Come on bro, I’ll run over there and we can join up, it’s about to rain and that car of yours would be nice to patrol in when the bottom drops out.”

Kingman snickered as he knew the super would surely run south, and not find him there. And if it did rain? Well it wasn’t his fault, his fellow mountain lion was wearing spandex. It also wouldn’t be his fault when he’d be patrolling Berkeley Park by the time Carolina Cougar ran across city traffic, across downtown Atlanta, all the way to the Williamsburg Park, south of the city proper. In fact they’d probably come within just a few streets of each other as CC would likely follow Northside Dr all the way to 85, run with his super speed at up 60 miles with Atlanta traffic and cross 285 to reach the area the Inquisitor said he was at. And all Inquisitor had to do was meander a little around Georgia Tech before taking Northside Dr. north to the Berkeley Park area.

There was a brief moment of guilt in the Inquisitor’s conscious, in letting an assigned partner go off alone, but he didn’t want a partner, he was sure Carolina Cougar was a great guy, but Inquisitor wasn’t really willing to be ‘partner’ material, and working as an equal was not his style. Despite his love of the structure of the BOS his found it difficult to accept someone dressed in spandex and costume masks as his equal, even if his partner did possess super powered claws, superfurson durability and super speed. All things he naturally lacked. Inquisitor drove back onto Northside Dr. when he was sure Carolina Cougar would be well to the south and drove into Berkeley, slowing down to a few miles below the speed limit, he turned down Bellemeade Ave. when the police scanner started going off in codes, and hurredied reports. “Police and Bureau agents we have a 10-65 in progress at the North Berkeley shopping center, please be advised we have a 10-65.” Inquisitor let out a holler of joy. “Hey CeeCee, what’s a 10-65 again?” he said over the communicator, even though he knew the answer. “Armed robbery bro, what’s going on?”

“On it!” Inquisitor responded out loud making the other cougar wince in as the noise carried into his ear. “Hey where is it at bro?” Carolina Cougar stopped running and looked around for police sirens and other signs of a disturbance in the area of North Williamsburg High School. “Say again?” Inquisitor responded. “Where is it at bro?” Carolina Cougar keyed his communicator again. “You’re breaking….up….man…” Inquisitor faked some static noise and keyed off his communicator as he gunned the engine on his Fairlane, setting the classic car into a lurch of forward motion with tires smoking as they grabbed the road. A sharp right hander afterwards he was heading north again on Howell Mill Rd. He turned to the shopping center soon after and immediately saw the police lights and heard the gunshots. “Yes, all mine!” he smirked as he started at high speed into the parking lot.

---

    Three gang members ducked behind the mexican resturant they had just robbed, one wearing a wide sombrero he stole off a waitress’s head. All three were opossums, lanky, but toughened by violence. Part of this mission had of course been a dare by their boss, but if they made it back with cash, that’d be a bonus. If they got caught, then well...prison life had some lessons for them, and they were eager students. “Can we get to the bikes and go now ese?” the sombrero wearing thug asked while peeking around the corner to shoot at the police, keeping their heads down. “What do you think I’m doing homes: waving my dick at them?! We’d be out of here if you idiots hadn’t tossed the gas grenades in first!” the tallest one and de facto leader said. “Hey I wanted to make an entrance.” the last one said as he spun two 9mm handguns around his fingers.

    “Y’all can start practicing on your entrance to prison.” Came a fourth voice, this one feminine and soft, but also full of confidence. All three looked up to see a slim raccoon woman in a green outfit standing on the roof above them. As they looked up each of the guns was swiped out of their hands in a blur by segmented metal whip, cracking knuckles and sending them scattering for cover. “What the hell?” growled the tall opossum as he clutched his broken hand, and watched the whip retract into a staff. All three also got a good look at the woman’s face and looked on shocked that her eyes were completely covered by a green visor. “Shit, super!” the sombrero thug curse as he started to try and pull another gun out of his leather jacket. In a flash, the ring-tailed wonder dropped from the roof and kicked out into the chest of the tall thug, and swung her staff out taking the sombrero thug’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. The third thug without his guns started to flail at the racoon woman, with his shattered hands. “I’ll get you!” he howled in pain as the raccoon woman easily parried his blows and then slapped her staff between his legs, making his voice jump an octave before being knocked out with another swing of the staff.

    The thug that wore the sombrero started to get back up only to catch a rapid roundhouse to the side of his head. He too blacked out, leaving the super heroine alone with the tall thug, gasping on the ground his hands up in surrender. “Who….are...you?” he wheezed. With a smile the raccoon replied. “I’m Miracle….the Ring-Tailed Wonder.”

---

    Inquisitor slowed to a stop as three thugs with their hands zip tied behind their back was being made to march out from behind a Mexican restaurant with a green spandex clad raccoon superheroine. As he turned the car off and hopped out, in full armor, he watched as the thugs gasped. “Madre de Dios” the sombrero opossom gasped as he saw the six foot five dark grey mountain lion approach, his teal eyes narrowed at the raccoon super.

    Miracle had heard the car coming before her other senses registered it’s presence, the rumble of pavement had her aware of its speed, and aware that it was slowing to a stop. She could smell the smoke of the cigar clutched in the mountain lion’s lips, and could hear the heartbeat pick up of the captured thugs, already stepping towards the wall of the restaurant to put her between them and the new comer. And then she could ‘feel’ the air around him, he hadn’t been holding anything but now he clutched a large object in one hand on a staff.

    “I take it you’re an unregistered lady, green bean?” Inquisitor remarked, as he cracked his neck each way as he moved his head and smirked. “That I am...I’m Mira….” she was interrupted as he held up the hand not carrying a lucerne hammer. “That’s nice, and good work and all, but I can take it from here.” He smirked as the police came up, guns drawn, “Miracle! Thank goodness that's over quick.” the lead officer, a short brown and white boxer reached out to shake her hand, ignoring the armored mountain lion. “Oh it’s okay, I was in the area, and couldn’t let these gentlemen have their way.” She smiled as the mountain lion’s jaw slackened. “Well that’s good but now that there’s a BOS agent on the sce…” Inquisitor started to speak but watched as the police took the thugs and ushered them to the police cruisers as Miracle turned back to him. “It’s okay I think they got it.” She responded and reached out to pat his shoulder. “Huh...that’s not steel.” she remarked.

    Inquisitor blinked for a moment, his growing jealousy at having his glory taken from him stopped the moment she mentioned the armor under her palm. “It’s layered, special ceramic plates, for stopping ballistics, the titanium is underneath it, and then a layer of kevlar.” He remarked. “How could you tell it wasn’t metal on the surface?” He added as she took her hand off and chuckled. “It’s a gift.”

He shrugged then and sighed. “I bet.” He looked her over a moment and eyed the visor. “Guess the visor is some sort of super sensor, HUD, targeter, all that goodness?” She immediately shook her head. “Nope, just a visor to hide my identity.” He rose an eyebrow as she made that comment, making him wonder with just who he was dealing with as the visor did her eyes completely. “Well anyway, a moment later and I think you’d of got to of seen the best in the business do his thing.” Inquisitor gloated and pointed his thumb at himself. “But for now…” he murred and looked her up and down. “What’d ya say to a couple a drinks and a movie?” he ventured an offer of a date to her and she laughed. “Aw...I’m flattered but I have a boyfriend.” She started past him and then turned. “I didn’t catch your name though.” He blushed a bit at being shot down so quickly but then gave a good natured shrug and tossed his cigar stub down and put it out with his boot. “I’m the Inquisitor.” She waved back to him as she pulled out a grappling hook from her belt, aimed it at the nearest tall building and smiled. “Nice to meet you Inquisitor, hope to work with you someday.” She then fired it up to the nearest tall building and swooped away as Inquisitor watched her go, admiring the unregistered hero. “Her boyfriend is one lucky son of a mug.” he huffed as a reporter came rushing up to him.

“Hey was that the ring-tailed wonder Miracle!?” the petite fluffy corgi furson asked with a notepad in hand. An AJC badge clipped to the pocket of her button up shirt. “Uh...yeah...she just left...but I’m here now.” He said as he posed with his hammer. “It’s rare for her to be in Atlanta, isn’t it?  Darn, I was hoping to get her autograph after the interview.” the corgi looked down in disappointment. “I’ll give you an autograph.” He remarked as she looked to him in confusion. “Oh...and who are you again?”

The Inquisitor could only groan as the first drops of rain started to fall.

---

Kingman sat alone on a bench in the BOS Atlanta branch’s men’s locker room, stripped down to his boxers and rosarius as he looked up at the t.v. replaying the local events of the day, the report of the armed robbery being mostly a footnote other then a report of a “Miracle sighting” and that she hadn’t been seen in the city, in a few years, making a big name for herself as an unregistered hero in Colmaton, California. The reporter also added with a quip. “And the Bureau of Superheros arrived afterwards to help secure the scene, well after the danger had passed.”

“Oh you don’t know that lady! If they were supers, I’d of had to been pulling a rescue.” he fussed at the tv, more mad that it didn’t mention him, then just the quip at the BOS. His protest at the poor coverage was then interrupted by a sudden angry feline screech of “BRO!”

Kingman rolled off the bench and fell in the floor as the screech startled him and he popped up to stand and look at an absolutely soaked from head to toe Carolina Cougar. His brown hair plastered down as his long feline tail lashed back and forth, slowed only by the water logging it down. “Oh hey man….sorry, it started to rain and once I was done I just came on back.” Kingman laughed and smirked at Carolina Cougar, who was already stomping towards him, not amused at all by the dark grey mountain lion’s antics.

Kingman shrugged a bit. “Hey, man look, I got my map a little screwed up, really didn’t mean to dump you outside the city.” The blue spandex clad mountain lion tugged his domino mask off and toss it on a bench close to his locker. “Oh BULL, bro. I heard the report come through a BOS agent was on scene at a robbery in Berkeley Park, and we were supposed to be the ONLY agents in that area, you not only ditched me bro, you went into a potentially dangerous situation without your partner!!” he growled as he reached up to poke Kingman in the chest with enough force to knock him against the locker.

“Yeah so I did Terry, I didn’t ask for a partner, especially not a Boy Scout kitty, too ‘show me the ropes’.” Kingman huffed, the veneer of his joke over, he was getting upset that Terry Brown Jr., the former Atlanta Falcons defensive end  was making this such a big deal about this. “Oh bro that’s not cool.” he huffed as he was just on the verge of taking a swing at his ‘assigned partner’ “Why don’t you want me as a partner huh? Big tough guy from a secret society too good for the bureau?” he asked, trying to find some reason behind Kingman’s action.

“Dude it’s not like that at all, it’s just if you want to fight beside the best in the business, you can’t be expecting to fight wearing a spandex unitard with a freaking palmetto on it and your initials blazed on your chest like it’s your underwear.” Kingman remarked and circled away from the lockers just in case this got violent between the two, he wanted some space to react. “Oh yeah you’re one to talk, you think you’re some scary shit bro, but everyone here wearing spandex, they ain’t one of us scared of a guy wearing armor with bible verses on his shoulders like he’s trying not to forget his Sunday School lesson. Bro, you want to be some scary hero like some of us actually are, you got to make them scared of you.” Terry growled and closed the distance again to stay in Kingman’s face.

“Yeah Terry Brown….Junior...just like you did to that Packers QB, that’s exactly how you do it, expect you ain’t got the stones to do that kind of stuff anymore.” Kingman smirked with an almost prideful joy at delivering that barb.  

Terry punched the locker behind Kingman and bared his teeth, almost touching noses with him. “That… was… different… and you damn well know it, Highborn....” he hissed. “Do you even know how much that ruined my life then?  DO you?  Do you know how alone I felt?  How much of a freak I thought I was?  A near murderer?!  I was lucky Blake didn’t press charges against me and I thank God he forgave me and is a good friend now!!”

    “Good...for...you…” Kingman hissed back and looked Terry right in the eyes. “I saw what you did, and I know you feel guilty, but it was a clean hit. You should have never let it ruin your life, you should embraced the power you had, and if you had in a few years there'd be bronze bust of your face in Canton.”

Terry just stared at him. “Maybe football really wasn’t meant for me then, huh?  Ever think of that?  I did, and it took me a while to accept it.” Kingman scoffed and shook his head. “You’re a football player, a damn good one, turning your back on that to put on spandex and prance, it’s caging what you really are. And there’s going to come a time, where if you don’t go all out and find that same mentally you had when you hit Blake, you’re going to get an innocent person killed.” Kingman’s eyes fluttered with balefire for a moment. “You’re fortunate enough that this job doesn’t require you to go further, especially if you can’t handle blood on your hands.”
“Well, MAYBE I had to get USED to seeing that much blood in my life!” Carolina shouted. “What was it like for YOU the first time you saw someone nearly bleeding to death?!” Inquisitor shuddered for a moment and patted his body, subconsciously looking for a new cigar. “Terrified me the first time. But he was trying to kill me, and my only memory at the time before that was looking at my own heart while I was strapped to an altar. And then I had that terror beaten out of me by my Inquisitress, till I found I was good at what I did, and I could enjoy hurting bad guys that kill, rape and murder.” He looked Carolina right in the eye again and huffed. “And that’s probably not what you wanted to hear.”

    Carolina just stared at Inquisitor for a second before he briefly nodded. “Well, we’ve all got skeletons in our closet, just… don’t enjoy that too much ‘round here.  Look, that’s what happened to me.  I got scared.  I ran.  My life fell apart because I disappeared a bit, trying to come to grips with what I had done with my powers.  Blake helped me a little; he was one of the few guys I reached out to for a while.  And getting a real job was a step closer, but it wasn’t until Marigold and Brandy invited me to join here that I really began to find myself and come to grips with the consequences of my powers,” Carolina said, thinking about the time that he helped Brier Fox and Brier Bear apprehend an escaping thief.

    “Yeah, I’m hoping to put that darkside stuff behind me too, it’s just what I know. You had the BOS from the get go, I had the Inquisition, and came to my powers in the fire of on the job training and combat.” He held up his palm and let a burst of green fire appear, swirling in his palm. “And that control was learned through pushing everything I could do to the limit.” And then smirked. “And to get rewarded for actually…” he paused, looking for the right word. “...coming to grips with what I could do. It was liberating in a way.” He then let the fire die away and smirked. “So...you actually want to be my partner?”

    The cougar nodded. “Course I do, Kingman.  They thought I could help ya the most.  I may be dumb as a post sometimes, but at least I got common sense,” he said, returning the smirk. Kingman patted him on the shoulder and moved past him. “Maybe they did pick a good partner for me. I have encyclopedic knowledge and everyone says I have no common sense.”

    “Heh, yeah... “ Carolina then looked down at himself. “… and here I am standin’ here soakin’ wet,” he said, then he zipped into the showers to clean and towel up and change into a fresh uniform. “Yeah and I’m just wearing my boxers sooo...I’ll let you get to that.” Kingman waited till Terry was in the shower and grabbed his rosarius to summon his designer gi and dress shoes onto his body. “God I love magic.”

    Moments later, Terry returned with zipping out of the shower to his locker and with KIngman hearing quick slams, a moment later, Terry was standing in front of him fully dressed in sneakers, socks, shorts, a tank top and a Falcons cap. “Been taking advice from Ji-Lin on how to do tasks while goin’ faster.  It ain’t as easy as it looks.” Kingman stretched and popped his joints as he pulled his long hair into a ponytail and tied it up with a bow. “I wouldn’t know about that, I haven’t met her yet.” “Well, when ya do, don’t get frustrated when she talks fast. She ALWAYS does that.”

    “Yeah, I think I can live with that.” The mountain lion chuckled as a siren went off, lights turning the room into a shade of flashing red. “I….take it that’s not good.” Kingman remarked as Carolina Cougar instinctively growled. “Nope.  Supervillain Alert.”

---

    Erin Flaherty was laying in bed in her hotel room, staring at the ceiling as the pitter patter of rain hit the window. Every now and then there would be a low ‘boom’ of thunder. She couldn’t see the lightning with the glass blocking the feel of the electricity in the air, but she didn’t need to. The knowledge of the storm was bringing back bad memories. Memories of being in a meat locker, alone save for the lioness Spectra, at the the mercy of a vixen that had been the ‘source’ of her nightmares the past few months. Sure they had escaped but she could almost hear that vixen whisper behind her. “Hello little one.”

    Erin jutted upright from her bed and looked around again, her breath quickening for a moment until she realized that she was still quite alone. She reached for her room phone, debating as her fingers touched the handle, on whether or not to call her mother Gloria. Deciding not to worry her family she took her hand off the phone and relaxed in bed again. “I’m sure I’m just being paranoid.” she told herself right when the hotel’s power went out. “That….that’s just a coincidence...I hope.” she told herself.

---

    Edward Girault manned the receptionist desk, while the generic lobby music looped over for the fourth time that day, at the Maria Heights Hotel in downtown Atlanta. It was smaller than some of the other hotels nearby but it was ideally located in reasonable walking distance of several venues like the Apex Museum, a major library and Georgia State University, and short commutes to several restaurants.  The skunk yawned as he was utterly bored to death though, as he put on his fake smile and greetings. Couples, singles, families, swipe a credit card for deposit, get the plastic card key, offer the room service menu, list the amenities and send them on the way. Over and over and over again, the skunk did this, 40 hours a week and occasional overtime. He’d sigh when no one was looking, the smile would fade, and his eyes would roll anytime someone brought up his french accent.  Just once the skunk wished something interesting would happen that would break the mind numbing monotony.

    Then Edward couldn’t see his hand in front of his face as the power went out, plunging the room into darkness. There was a moment of confusion, startled voices in the lobby masked by the now very audible peel of thunder. As the first roll of lightning illuminated the lobby though, the skunk’s eyes meet with a smirking vixen in a grey visor. With a flourish she tossed aside the rain coat she’d worn when she stepped in, revealing a blue halter top, pants and boots. But the most striking thing was the color of her fur, bright stunning pink, and magenta colored hair. His breath caught in his throat as she sauntered towards him, and he realized the lightning that had illuminated the lobby, wasn’t coming from outside, it was arcing off the long whip the vixen twirled behind her like a living entity of electricity. “Hello Streaky, I was hoping you and every gentlefur and bitch would kindly hand over their valuables.”

The playful smirk masked the deadly yet alluring body language of the vixen but the sudden crack of her flickering electric whip had men and women in the lobby scatter for the door. The sudden rush and fearful screams was like music to her ears, and yet she had to sigh, as there was work to be done. The first man to the door grabbed the metal bar of the hotel’s front door just as a bolt of electricity struck it. The scream and smell of burning ozone and fur sent shivers up everyone’s spine, though for the villainess known as Static, it was entirely for opposite reasons as everyone else. The handle the man had once grasped was white hot at the center where the bolt struck, going to shades of hot red as it cooled. The man was on the ground, unmoving, save for subtle whimpering of pain as smoke peeled off his burned hands. “Now so I don’t have to repeat myself. My name is Static, and I’m here for anything I want. And if I take it from you, be nice and be glad I didn’t take your life...or try me, then I can have some fun, your choice.” Static giggled darkly and shrugged.

Edward blinked as he watched the scene unfold, his legs shook as he moved to grab the desk phone, and groaned inwardly as he realized with the power cut, they had no connection to the outside world, even the silent alarm buzzer under the desk wouldn’t work without power and his smartphone screen would light up the dark room putting a rather unwanted spotlight on him. Kicking himself mentality for wishing for some excitement, his heart leapt into his throat when Static turned to him and tossed him a bag. “Streaky, be a dear and get collecting.”

“Yes...um...ma’am.” he stammered as he felt pulled by her psychotic charisma and moved out from behind the front desk and approached the crowd with the bag. He flinched when a deep voice called out. “Stop what you’re doing!” the booming voice ordered to Edward and he turned to see the hotel owner approaching, the old pudgy golden retriever moved towards Static. “You villians will never get away with your crimes, assaulting these fine people! I’ve called the Bureau of Superheros on my cell phone and they are going to send their top agents here to….ARrrgh!” the tiger gagged as a bolt of electricity struck him and slammed him against a faux marble statue.

“You did? Oh thank you, more toys for me to break.” Static laughed as she clapped her glowing hands together. She laughed and moved to pat Edward on the shoulder and suddenly he could feel the low voltage passing down his spine, making his muscles waver as he gasped. “Please continue filling up the bag Streaky.” Static murred as she went over to the groaning tiger and kicked him square in the ribs before fishing out the tiger’s phone and keys to the hotel. She moved to a large security pad and with a touch it powered on, her electricity giving it power, she inserted the key, turned and the pad’s lights that read “Open” in bright green, turned to “Armed” in bright red letters. A brief siren sounded as a large metal grate descended down, blocking the doors to the outside, the sound of booming thunder, pointing the exclamation point on the trap being closed. “Now, since I fully expect company, all you have just became my hostages.” Static laughed hysterically and channeled electricity through the tiger’s phone making it pop and burn apart as she tossed it away like a piece of trash.

---

Kingman sat down in the briefing room and sipped on a heavily creamed coffee. He was only member of the Atlanta bureau not in uniform, only because his armor was contained in his rosarius. He had turned the metal folding chair in front of him around to put his feet up on it as Terry sat beside him, in his spare uniform, looking quite grumpy as he’d just changed out of his wet one. “Sorry.” Kingman whispered to Carolina Cougar as an aged common western hare walked in with a stack of briefing notes and set them on the podium. To anyone outside the BOS he was William Henderson, beloved t.v. personality but here, he was the director of the Atlanta BOS and the hero Brier Rabbit. “Alright agents we have a hostage situation at the Maria Heights Hotel. The villainess Static, shown here…” he turned and with a clicker had an image of the villainess appear on the white board behind him.

Inquisitor let out a low whistle as he stared at the brightly colored vixen, appreciating the photo of her standing on top of a squad car with Colmaton markings, laughing maniacally with arcs of electricity sparking from her hands. Her tight blue outfit, making a nice contrast to her body. “Why are all the crazy villain chicks so smoking hot?” he murred as the rabbit’s ears twitched towards him. Carolina Cougar eyed him with a sidelong glance and to other two agents present, both gorgeous ladies in their own rights named Brier Fox and Brier Bear stared at him. They all nearly unanimously spoke out a “What?” at the Inquisitor’s remark. Inquisitor shrugged. “I mean...let’s go stop her...but she is a looker, I mean, just stating the obvious.” the mountain lion remarked as Brier Rabbit rubbed his temples, trying to stop a rising headache, and wondered why he agreed to take on a hero, that didn’t wear a costume or mask and thought psychotic villainesses were hot.

“Moving on…as you can probably tell she’s adept at using electricity, and can change herself into pure electricity and use it to travel in electrical outlets. What we don’t know however is why she apparently activated the metal security doors and then shorted out the building’s electricity to prevent the use of this form of escape, effectively trapping herself in the hotel with the hostages.” Brier Rabbit spoke, occasionally glancing at his notes. “Furthermore the only fire exits on that floor are within line of sight of the lobby, meaning anyone trying to use them, would be in her sights rather quickly.”

“So she’s dug in, when she could have easily walked in, commit a crime and bounce herself out the nearest wall socket.” Inquisitor remarked as he rubbed his chin.

“Appears so. Police have reported two injured fursons in the lobby as well, we need to get them medical attention asap. I’d love to discuss potential reasons and motivations but right now we have to get on the scene. Brier Bear, you have perimeter duty, nothing goes in or out of the building without your permission.  Inquisitor, Carolina Cougar, you two are my blunt instruments, so your task is to engage her directly if possible to apprehend, but distraction is your primary goal. Get her away from the hostages so Brier Fox can teleport in and get them away from that psycho.” The director of the Atlanta BOS looked over the heroes assembled. “Alright, get to it and dismissed.”

Brier Bear looked disappointed, even frustrated by her role, though she gave no outward verbal expression of it. Inquisitor’s eyes fixated on the daisy duke wearing super heroine for a moment, watching her as she watched Brier Rabbit, mention using Carolina Cougar and Inquisitor to take the fight to Static. Brier Fox though looked nervous, hiding it behind a cocky smirk as she patted her ursine friend on the shoulder, getting them both focused on the mission. Inquisitor could certainly respect that look of cockiness while also being supportive. But like Brier Bear’s silence he kept the observation to himself.

“Bro. You going to stare at the wall all day? Come on, You wanted action bro.” Carolina Cougar prodded his partner, getting the dark grey mountain lion to chuckle and give a cocky smirk. “Well let’s go rescue some hostages.”

---

Inquisitor, now dressed in his armor drove out from the hidden BOS car park in his 55’ Fairlane out onto the wet rain soaked streets of Atlanta with Carolina Cougar in the passenger seat. A magnetic red flashing light was attached to the roof of the car above the driver’s side window, letting drivers know a BOS vehicle was on the way to a scene. “Wow bro this car is nice as you said.” the spandex clad mountain lion remarked about the pristine white interior of the classic car, as the Fairlane’s V-8 revved up and the tires barked for traction as Inquisitor accelerated, tossing the two ladies in the backseat around.

“Hey we’re still back here!” Brier Bear cried out, as she was swung against Brier Fox, putting the vixen’s head against the rear seat window when he rounded the curb. “Sorry...the back seats in these old cars don’t have seat belts ladies….so um...hang on.” he looked over to Carolina Cougar, clutching his seat belt in the front seat and caught the devilish smirk on the dark grey mountain lion’s face. “Hang on to whaaaat?” Brier Fox yipped and Carolina’s jaw almost dropped as Inquisitor gave a knowing wink and whipped the car around another corner this time smooshing Brier Fox against Brier Bear, all the while following the quickest route to the hotel, where police, and news vehicles were already amassing outside.

When the black and white Ford drove up behind the police cruisers, Inquisitor was greeted immediately by the officer that met him after he arrived late in Berkeley Park. “Oh hey, you agents got here quickly for once. Mr. Carolina Cougar, Brier Fox, Brier Bear and ummm….” the boxer blinked as he looked at the driver of the car. “...Inquisitor...my name is Inquisitor.” the dark grey mountain lion eyed the officer and he smiled. “Oh quite right...right...well...um, we don’t have any visual contact with the metal security doors down but we catch flashes of electricity every now and then from edges of the door, but so far she hasn’t made contact with us or made any demands.”  

Inquisitor eyed the doors. “Any police rescue attempts yet?” he remarked, as he looked on, trying to formulate a plan with the equipment and supers in the car with him. “Out here in the rain, if she attacked it’d be disastrous, most of the police and news crews are staying in their vehicles so the rubber tires will keep them from being shocked if she goes on the offensive.“ the officer remarked rather matter of factly as if he’d tangled with supers and knew the police’s limitations. Inquisitor shrugged and lit a cigar as he eyed the door. “Alright, looks like old man dust bunny’s plan is solid.” he muttered as the other three occupants of the car caught the scent of the tobacco. “I think that was established already.” Brier Bear remarked as Inquisitor shrugged, and began working his fingers, his words coming slow and coaxing. The three watched as the temperature in the car dropped as the smoke turned a shade of green, and in the swirling fog coalesced a small nearly translucent house cat, its spine was twisted and it walked across the dashboard, disappearing as it simply walked ‘through’ the glass window.

“Brier Fox, can you teleport someone to an exact spot? If you can see it?” He asked with a smirk as his hand started to glow. “Yes I can, but only short distances why?” She answered honestly eyeing the greenish glow in his hands. “Close your eyes and trust me?” Inquisitor spoke and looked to Carolina Cougar who looked on just as confused. “It won’t hurt.” Inquisitor promised, and the vixen not wanting to look afraid nodded. “Okay...closing my eyes.” She then felt his hand touch her forehead.

To Carolina Cougar, and Brier Bear, the glow vanished and then Brier Fox screamed out and her eyes opened, glowing green as she flailed in shock. “What the hell, what the hell?!” she called out in alarm as Brier Bear turned to him and it was Carolina Cougar that voiced her concerned. “What’d you do bro?”

To that Inquisitor smirked. “Little child’s play necromancy...Brier Fox, relax, tell us what you see.” He spoke in a calming voice as Brier Bear was about to interject. “The road...the police officers...why...why am I so short...Why do I have paws!?” she cried out and moved her hands in front of her face, the other three unable to see what she was experiencing. Inquisitor though kept calm and smiled. “This is a shared form of ghost sight, you’re seeing through the eyes of the spirit I summoned to scout the building. As a feral spirit like that can’t talk, I have to either see through its eyes, or sense it’s emotions. Just relax and relay what you see, and look for me and Carolina an egress point to approach Static without her just attacking the hostages in retaliation.

Brier Fox, felt like she was being whisked along, her back felt uncomfortable as though a great weight had hit her. She watched through the spirit’s eyes, exploring towards the hotel, slipping through the glass and then metal doors like they were water. The spirit padded right up to Static’s leg, and then backed up as the evil vixen shuddered, she couldn’t see the translucent ghost but the sudden feeling of cold on her leg made her look around. “Hey Streaky…”

Brier Fox, watched her call out to a suit wearing skunk, the name tag on his jacket was too hard to see from her position but she could tell he was an employee of the hotel and carried a stuffed bag. The skunk was also getting some rather hateful looks from the fursons in the lobby. She couldn’t tell if he was willing in this hostage situation or not, but she watched as Static cuffed him over the ear and growled, making him bolt upright as low voltage passed through him. “This hotel has draft...you actually charge people to stay in a cold hotel?” she stared at the skunk, whose legs shook with fear, and Static seemed to revel in his cowardice. “I’m...so...sorry…madame” he stammered, earning another cuff to the ear. “Sorry doesn’t cut it...I was thinking about leaving your stuff alone, but now...wallet...in the bag.” she ordered and watched the skunk fearfully obey and with trembling hands drop his own wallet, with ids,petty cash and credit cards within.

Satisfied, Static patted his cheek. “Good Streaky, go have a seat with all the others and try not to make me upset again.”

The spirit would then turn from the villainess and explore the lobby, and Brier Fox was along for the ride. The spirit would pass through the receptionist desk, and into the nearby storage closet, and looked around. “What do you see?” Inquisitor asked Brier Fox. “Storage closet, it’s dark in here, but there’s space for people to stand...I think.”

Inquisitor smirked and snapped his fingers, severing the link for her vision and the spirit. “When we get back tell me about all the other stuff you saw, but for now, is that storage closet in your range?” Brier Fox gulped as she had indeed seen more of the world of spirits around the living, but then smirked as well, trying to shake the vision off “Yeah, no sweat.”

“Good teleport CeeCee in first, quietly, and come get me.” Inquisitor somewhat ordered, leaving Carolina to question. “Why am I first?” to which Inquisitor grinned. “Cause if she can’t make it, I don’t want to be stuck in a wall.” Inquisitor chuckled as Brier Fox let out a sharp “Hey!”

---

The power had been out for a few minutes now, and Erin Flaherty could still hear the rain pounding down on the window, the storm worsening by the moment. Even though she couldn’t see anything with the power on anyways, the fact was she felt nervous. She’d hear people exit their rooms, doors opening, doors closing, someone shouting “Elevator’s out!” and someone else responding with a quick “Of course it’s out you idiot, the power’s out!”

There was other rumblings going on as someone mentioned half heartedly trying the stairs and Erin caught the response of “Yeah, going down the ten flights of stairs, in the pitch black dark, no thank you.” The raccoon groaned as she got up, deciding that the rising panic of the guests was getting too much. She got dressed as she continued to hear fursons starting to voice more of their concerns. “Will they send someone up hear to check on us?” came the sound of an elderly woman and an equally elderly man scoffed. “Of course not, it’s just the power hun, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Erin stepped out in the hall and smiled, even though no one could see it. “The gentleman is right, let’s just go back to our rooms and…” There was the sounds of screams, faint enough that only she could hear. Then another scream, and another. “...And what miss?” came the elderly man’s voice and she felt for the door of her room and ducked back in. “...stay in your rooms, I’m sure the power will be back on soon.”

Erin’s fur stood on head as there was more muffled screams of panic, and someone shouting, even with her hearing it wasn’t clear. Still, in the dark she found her costume and gear and began suiting up once again, to become Miracle. And she was going to find out what was going on.

It had been only a few minutes, but the screaming had stopped as she walked out the door, she could tell that some of the fursons had ducked back inside, as she felt her way down the corridor passing within inches of the few outside the hall towards the stairs, with her staff she felt each stair and tapped it, giving her a ‘mind’s eye’ sensation of the staircase, from the vibrations. If she had been going down these stairs as Erin, she’d of tapped, and stepped, over and over again, but as Miracle, she was leaping down them, covering several steps at a time, making good time down the first few floors. By the time she got to the sixth floor though she heard the door to the stairway access open and the heavy breathing of two large fursons. They both carried heavy objects in bags, and while Miracle couldn’t see it, they also had flashlights. The gasp of one, and the words of “Holy Shit it’s a super!” had her on the immediate defensive.

She heard the bags drop, something inside crunch and bang hard on the floor, and felt the first furson swing with his flashlight, using it as an improvise club. Still a step above him, Miracle blocked it with her staff and leapt, kicking him hard in solar plexus. He staggered and fell over the bag, tripping into the second furson. “Shit, she didn’t say there’d be supers ‘in’ the fricken’ building Mack!”

The one on the ground grunted. “Damn it, told you not to use my name.” He’d holler as all symbalance of stealth was wasted now. “Now I got to silence her.” he grunted as he kicked at Miracle’s feet. The ring tailed wonder, vaulted backwards, up the stairs as the second one chucked his flashlight at her head. She dodged that too, leaving both males breathless. The first one tried to get back up and then screamed as Miracle drew and flicked two shurikens into his palms, pinning him to the floor. The second charged towards Miracle, leaping over his partner, head down… ‘He has horns!’ Miracle thought in surprise and again leaped back up the steps and stabbed her staff into the ground, using it as a pole vault to clear over the horns of the deer.

He turned around and Miracle drew her hand back and slugged him in the nose. He staggered back and blindly swung, now unable to see her, but in the dark she had him, her blows struck his neck, stomach, and face, and he tripped and fell back on the steps. He didn’t even see the staff strike him and knock him out. Miracle then whirled on the first male, and shoved her staff against his throat. “I want answers.” she growled in anger.

The furson coughed and groaned. “Go to he...ummmph!” he grunted as she popped him in the nose. “Answers.” she said again, trying to put on her best imitation of War Wolf she could manage. “Okay...okay...doesn’t matter anyway, we’re just taking advantage of a situation...some chick hired us to rob the hotel when the power went out okay…” he groaned. “What’s her name?” Miracle growled.

Her blood nearly froze as he stammered. “Sh...she calls herself Static.” Miracle gasped and he then chuckled. “Yeah...how do you think she’s going to react when you rough up her goons...ack!” he gagged as she jabbed him with her staff, knocking him out. “She probably doesn’t care.” Miracle stated flatly as she drew out her zip ties to secure the hired thugs and then felt around in the bag, sure enough there was tablets, jewelry and even a hotel flat-screen tv, that now as she rubbed her finger down it, realized it had been cracked when dropped. “Hey Mack we’re done here...Mack...the other teams are about to head up the stairway...Mack, you okay? Answer me Mack.” Miracle listened to the noise coming from the small headset communicator in the first male’s ear and as she felt she realize he was a stout rottweiler. Taking the communicator she tapped it several times, and realized it worked just like a BOS communicator. “Mack? Your headsets screwing up again man...I’m coming up to your level.”

---

Inquisitor shuddered as Brier Fox teleported him into the storage closet and knelt beside Carolina Cougar to get his bearings. It’d been the first time someone had teleported him, and the experience left him for a passing second woozy. When he was ready the three heroes leaned against the door, and slowly started to open it to peek out. “Okay Brier Fox...wait for our signal.” Carolina Cougar spoke softly as they peaked out to see the brightly colored vixen talking with a frightened skunk receptionist. “What’s the signal?” Brier Fox asked as Inquisitor stood up, and winked at the young heroine. “When the fireworks start of course.” Inquisitor smirked and Carolina started to speak. “Shouldn’t the signal be...subtle?” Inquisitor just turned to him and winked.

Carolina’s jaw dropped as he watched Inquisitor kick the door open, with such force the door knob on the outside of the closet embedded itself into the hotel’s drywall. Despite the look of stupid bravado Inquisitor showed in the next moment he knew what he was doing. Static hadn’t been expecting the loud noise, distracted as she was by the cowering hostages and lording it over the skunk. She turned to the door and saw the six foot five mountain lion in spiked armor and for a brief moment shuddered, her hands crackled with lightning, but as she was bringing her hand up something sharp dug in at her ankle. Static screamed out loud and looked down to see a haggered bobcat, with most of its right side of its face gone chewing down on her ankle while it growled.

The target of the vixen’s bolts changed to the feral creature and it shrieked when she blasted it with her electricity at point blank range. Much to her surprise, the creature vanished and when she looked up she caught two balls of cold bale fire to her chest knocking her to the ground.

Static’s vision swam as Inquisitor leapt over the desk and approached her groaning form, the vixen’s chest felt cold, but her fur felt like it had been singed, the disappearing cat had also baffled her and the pins and needles pain in her ankle. It hurt, and yet it hurt wonderfully too. Inquisitor was smiling as his hands glowed preparing another volley of balefire, tuned down to stun rather then hit with any lethal force and eyed the skunk who shuddered at the sight of the cat. “Hey we’re here to rescue…” Inquisitor was shocked as the skunk threw his hands up and screamed “I’m sorry! I surrender! I won’t do it again! Don’t incinerate me!” he pleaded, leaving the mountain lion momentarily confused as to why a hostage would say that.

Carolina Cougar stepped out of the closet behind Inquisitor as well, watching as Brier Fox went to work, teleporting beside an elderly mouse woman and teleporting her outside to the waiting police, she did this again, teleporting in and out, taking a hostage to safety at a time. Inquisitor though shook his head. “Um...okay sure I’ll…” he started to speak, the only warning he got was the fur on his arms standing on end and a low growl. Carolina Cougar’s warning of “Watch out!” a second late as bolts of electricity slammed against Inquisitor and knocked him back against the wall. The waves of raw energy briefly brought the lobby’s lights on as she pinned him to the wall, the vixen growling. “Now it’s my turn tin can.”

She turned as Carolina Cougar rushed her, forcing her lightning off Inquisitor, leaving long blackened furrows in the chest plate of his armor, the ceramic working well to dissipate the heat generated by her powers. “Ow...that hurt.” he huffed as his nerves still tingled. ‘Crazy ones...always still the the hottest though.’ he thought to himself as Carolina Cougar dueled her, close in, keeping her from striking him with bolt or whip. Her fighting style was crude as she dodged, but Carolina Cougar was a talent in his own right. And grabbed her arms twisting them down and to the side. Thumbs digging into the pressure points on her wrists. With another howl of pain, the vixen struggled as he spoke. “It’s over, you’re under arrest.”

The look of pain on her face turned to a wicked grin. “It’s over when I say little boy blue.” Carolina then grunted as he felt a sharp pressure to his jewels, his knees buckled inwards as the vixen looked him, expecting his grip to lessen, when it didn’t he huffed. “Really lady? A nut shot?” he gasped. For a normal furson that would have been the end of a fight, but for Carolina Cougar, it hurt, but it wasn’t the worst he’d experienced. Right up until the massive influx of voltage began to pass into his pride.

The blue spandex clad puma yowled as his fur went on end, his muscles spasmed and his grip loosened on her wrists, she slammed her head into his for good measure and grunted as it made her stagger back, droggy from her own blow, while Carolina Cougar fought to regain control of his body. Before she could shock him again though, the Inquisitor was charging her, sending another two globes of balefire at her.

The vixen was ready this time and ducked them as they splashed against the wall of the hotel, blackening but not igniting the fancy wallpaper. “Oh you’re not making this fun tin can cat.” she teased and whirled her electrified whip at him, the smell of ozone and the sound of popping electrical arcs gave him a hint at how much power she was imparting to the weapon as it glowed bright enough to illuminate Brier Fox holding a frightened fox kit. Static didn’t have time to react to the third hero in her midst though as Inquisitor did the only thing he could think of to keep the sadists attention. He snatched the whip bare handed.

The waves of electricity passed into his body, locking up muscles and his heart, the source of his powers thundered in his chest. The yowl of pain, he gave out, nearly made him hoarse as he held on and focused on it, forcing himself to look at the smirking villainess. “That...all you...got...Pinkie Puff?” He taunted as Brier Fox made off with another hostage, and then another. The heroic vixen shuddering as he kept Static’s attention off her. Carolina Cougar watched as well, as Inquisitor dropped to one knee and the arc dulled and faded, leaving Static panting for a moment. “You’re a tough nut to crack...I like that.” Static smirked, and found instead of a fearful look, or even the normal hateful glare a hero gave her the dark grey mountain lion chuckled, and smoke puffed out of his mouth. “Yeah...best e-stim session I’ve ever had.” he shuddered as he then tugged hard on her whip, taking her off her feet to stagger forward into a rising elbow strike to her muzzle.

Static dropped her whip and staggered backwards and then was floored by the sudden tackle of Carolina Cougar from behind, taking her down to the ground. He had put almost all he had into the blow and Static groaned on the ground, her left wrist quickly yanked behind her back and as Carolina Cougar started for her right she brought her hand up to her ear, and pressed a button “Flip the switch!” she screamed.

“Flip the wha?” Carolina Cougar shuddered as Static laughed hysterically. The lights came back on, the sappy lobby music played. Carolina felt Static change, and the way his body shuddered as she started to glow was all the warning he needed to let her go and move away as she turned into pure lightning. In a flash the bolt moved towards the nearest outlet wall and seemed to be ‘sucked’ in. The remaining hostages cheered as they believed the heroes had driven her off. “Way to go fellas!” one cheered before Brier Fox rolled her eyes and teleported him out into the rain, and returned, the damp and tired vixen groaning as she didn’t get to have any of the front line action.

Inquisitor groaned though and Carolina Cougar growled as both realized she’d escaped them, the two looked at each other and Carolina Cougar huffed. “Bro, we got to work on our communication...” Inquisitor shook his head and looked at the bag Static left behind and started to approach it. “Petty robbery seems pretty mundane for such a complicated plan.” Inquisitor remarked as he looked for the skunk. “I’m sure she had help.” Carolina Cougar mused.

“It was the skunk! Where is that bastard!” one of the remaining hostages called out, pointing to the office the skunk had ran into when the fighting started. “He took our stuff and was fawning ove….” he was stopped as Brier Fox, seeing the hostage stomp towards the heroes teleported him out in the rain still ranting, to the now confused cops. “Guess we should say hello?” Inquisitor smirked as he cracked his knuckles. As they started to the office, there was a bright flash of light, the electrified form of Static appeared in a blinding flash, using the momentary blindness of the felines to hit both in the chest with a bolt of electricity, knocking them down before she grabbed the bag and gave a mock salute with her middle finger to the two heros. “This is mine boys, no refunds.” she then started to turn back into energy as Inquisitor tried to hit her with another blast of balefire. Hitting the back wall instead.

“Oh screw you too lady.” Inquisitor huffed. ‘Still hot though’ he thought to himself.

---

When the power came back on Miracle was taken by surprise, it wasn’t so much the return of the light, but the sudden stop in the attacks of the four thugs around her. She had simply never guessed the depth of the operation going on. Already another two thugs was unconscious, knocked out by her staff. In the dark she had went floor by floor, picking them off, listening and finding them in the darkness. All carrying loot bags with whatever valuables they could gather. The contents had been elictic as well, electronics, books, clothes, jewelry, there was no rhyme nor reason behind the thefts, other then with the power off, every door in the hotel was effectively unlocked to prevent locking guests in their room.

The thugs had also been extra careful to avoid rooms that were occupied or at the very least used the cover of darkness to get in and out undetected. But they all had one thing in common, when they saw the flash of green of a vigilante raccoon, it had so far been the last conscious thing they saw. Unfortunately the numbers were starting to catch up to her. She was panting for breath as they renewed their attack. Her senses alerting her to a knife coming towards her. She countered with her forearm, pushing, accepting a small cut to push the knife up with a high block, and kicked the kangaroo thug in his stomach. Needing space she somersaulted over his back. Kicking his fellow roo thug in the jaw as well. Landing on her feet she swept them off their feet, as two rats, lean and armed with brass knuckles came in on her, swinging in pairs they aimed to keep her surrounded. As her tail brushed up against something cold and metal she grinned as she back pedaled and with a flick, turned her staff into a segmented whip.

The rats stopped as they watched this, but laughed as she swung the whip, snapping it past the right one’s head. Thinking she missed the two smirked, but Miracle knew with the dull metallic ring, she’d hit her mark, with a tug, she pulled the ring of the fire extinguisher, sending cold pressurized gas to cascade all over the rodents and struggling to recover roos. The thugs choked and gagged, their numbers turning against them as they stumbled against one another. Quickly she pulled her air filter out of her belt and worked it over her muzzle and dove into the fray. The gas was frigid cold, but her visor protected her blind though still present eyes, and the filter kept the choking gas out as she was once again in control, seeing them, while they couldn’t see her. She used the whip to tug the left rat’s legs out from under him, dropping him muzzle first on the ground and yanked him away from his comrades. He screamed and all three shuddered as they backed out of the gas, still coughing, giving their locations away. The first roo tossed his knife into the foggy gas, hoping to hit the raccoon, but his hope was answered by a whirling bolas that took his legs out, trapping him as he tumbled to the ground. The second roo fared no better as Miracle charged in, and punched him hard, staggering him and then felt her staff hit the side of his head knocking him out. The last thug, the rat, and as far as Miracle knew, the last thug in the building stood against her shaking. “Come on lady...let’s talk about this now...you know who we ah working for...she ain’t going to be too happy you coming through her.” he stammers as he reached into his pocket.

“Drop the gun.” Miracle stated, her voice heavy. Part of her really wanted to avoid facing Static in the lobby, and that part was backed by the reason she put so much effort into taking out her goons, telling herself they needed to be dealt with first. But she was getting tired. Working with War Wolf, Spectra, and others the raccoon could have cleared floor by floor and though reluctant she would have been more confident, and rested, but alone, she feared facing Static more.

The rat though was more afraid of Miracle, and the gun clattered to the floor. “Okay...okay, don’t hurt me lady.” He held his hands up in surrender as a form of bright light formed behind him out of a nearby wall socket. He squeaked as the voice of the light, now forming into a hot pink vixen growled. “What do you think you’re doing?” She hissed to the rat, then noticed all the knocked out thugs in the hall around the green spandex clad raccoon. “Oh hey little one, fancy meeting you here.” she chuckled playfully as her whip started to glow.

“Oh no…” Miracle visibly swallowed and took a step back..

---

Inquisitor realizing the sudden anger in the remaining hostages at the skunk wasn’t going to do anyone any good. Looked to Brier Fox and Carolina Cougar. “Can you make an exit for these fine folks?” He asks Brier Fox. “No problem.” Brier Fox nodded and looked at the now glowing ‘fire exit’ signs at the end of the hallway past the ice machines. The fox started towards the fire exit. “Everyone follow me.” she spoke as she waved. Many of the former hostages were all too glad to follow the nice vixen, except for a few.

“What about my stuff! That skunk helped that crazy woman!” a cobra anthro hissed as he made his way towards Inquisitor and Carolina Cougar. “Why aren’t you arresting him yet?” the snake growled. The two heros shrugged. “We’re going to talk with him, as far as we can tell, he didn’t break the law…” Inquisitor remarked and regretted his former eagerness to talk with skunk.

“Break the law? Break the law?” the snake tried to push his way past the heroes. “I want my watch!”

“Sir, we’re gonna do everything we can to fix things, but right now, ya gotta go with Brier Fox.”

The snake reared back his fist. “I said let me at that…” he was stopped as Brier Fox teleported