Mythlands: THE HEIST

Operation Scarab

The desert had given way, first to a dense forest and then to lush green countryside. The latter marked the southernmost borders of the Domain of the Mythical Creatures, just north of the Magic Forrest.

From up here in the sky, Mr Toad could make out the country roads that he habitually tore along in his roadster, at maddeningly breakneck speeds. A splash of silvery blue marked the river and Toad wondered what his old friends Mole and Ratty were up to.

'I say Babar, have a look. I think ... no can't quite see Toad Hall from here but there's the woods ...'

As Mr Toad babbled on, The Hare tried to shut out his words. The closer they came to the city, the more his anxieties were growing.

Just as the Domain was simply The Domain, the city hadn't a specific name either, though it was generally called Domain City and referred to as DC.

DC, like most other cities in the Mythlands, was somewhat smaller than cities in the mortal realm, mostly because even the biggest ones were populated by only a few hundred thousand inhabitants. You could easily drive across DC in a half hour ... if the roads were clear, which they never were.

Instead the streets were usually packed with foot traffic, horses, carriages and the like. Many streets were narrow and warren-like, often packed with market stalls. Cars were still a relatively rare sight, though the corporate government utilised a few.

Right in the centre, the thorough fares were wider and there was more greenery. Directly north of the centre was the long tree lined avenue that led to the outer gates of The Castle, the corporate HQ of MCI, which stretched for a few miles to either side and ended at the northernmost part of the city.

The Castle ... at least it's inner centre was a curious mixture of white walled, black towered stone in the high German fashion that was so popular in the Magic Forrest, married with modern towering glass skyscrapers.

The voice of the grown up Little Boy Blue cut into The Hare's thoughts.

'This is Captain Blue. We will be descending into DCA in twenty minutes. Thank you for flying Hare Force One gentlemen, a motor vehicle will be waiting to take you to your destination. Thank you.'

A short while later, The Hare found himself disembarking, along with Mr Toad, Babar and Pompadour. Jessica, still in her stewardess guise told him to have a nice day, but her eyes gave another message - 'Remember what we discussed.'

Their limo was being driven by Scorpio of the Zodiac and the crab headed Cancer stood by the door. The Hare shivered at the sight of the black suited being. The crab head was bad enough, but generally the Zodiac gave him the creeps. They were the personal security enforcers of MCI, answering only to Big Bruin and The Tortoise himself.

Cancer spoke in to his earpiece as they approached. 'Water1 to Fire detail, we are on site. Prepping to transfer execs to the inner citadel.'

'Copy that Water1,' came the voice of Aries. 'Earth detail and Water3 are covering the route. Should be routine but The Tortoise wants all eyes on. Out.'

They boarded the limo and began the drive up the long road to the castle. The Hare sank back into his seat and contemplated the task ahead.

'I want to talk to you about Loki's task,' she had said.

'Jessica!!?? You ... you're working for them!!??' he had replied.

'There you go again, making assumptions,' she had answered. 'Then again, that's a really bad habit of yours.'

'Wh what do you mean?'

'I want you to consider something. You're doing this 'favour' because you lost the golden apple Loki wanted, right?'

'Um, yes.'

'Think about it for a minute. Why would Loki, an immortal god of Asgard, want a golden apple of immortality? Ask yourself if that makes any sense at all!'

The Hare's world had been rocked, especially as Jessica went on to tell him what she had discovered these last months.

Now he was thinking about the task ahead. Even Jessica didn't know what the endgame was for Loki, though she said she had sources working on it. He had asked her what he should do and they'd talked it through. The Hare had to go ahead with Operation Scarab ... they couldn't see a way he could fake out the Trickster, so that meant he actually had to break into The Tortoise's office and download the Scarab file.

'After all,' Jessica had told him. 'Just because you have it, doesn't mean that it will inevitably end up in Loki's possession. This will give us time and you'll be able to make a copy, so my people can see what we're dealing with and hopefully use that knowledge to stop whatever the God of Evil is intending.'

The Hare had agreed and though his nerves remained, he was glad Jessica was there to help with the burden.

***

Rose Red and Jessica walked down the ramp holding their flight bags. Rose stretched and grinned at Jessica. 'Well I don't know about you honey, but I'm for sleep, food and a hot tub. Wanna meet at the bar for cocktails after I've crashed a few hours?'

'Thanks Rose, can I call you later? I'm not heading straight for the hotel, seeing a friend in town first.'

'Sure and thanks again for stepping in last minute.' Rose went to hail a carriage to the DC Hilton, while Jessica headed into the main terminal building.

Behind them, The Glass Cat exited Hare Force One and headed ... who knows where.