Mythlands: THE HEIST

Part Two: Assault on the Castle

The Hare popped his head up out of the hole and looked around. The underground car-park was quiet and deserted.

'There's nobody here! The place is deserted!'

He hauled himself up and turned to help Jessica.

'I don't like this H.'

Goldie came next, her knife clenched between her teeth.

'What!? I told you the old tunnel system led straight into the sub basement and there's no security at this level Jess.'

'That's what I don't like. The Tortoise might have only operated conventional corporate security for The Castle back when this was just the headquarters of MCI, but Zodiac were paranoid Blackwater types even before they launched their coup. You're telling me that five years later, when we're in a post apocalyptic world and this being, what ... like an operations centre for Loki's evil empire ... you're telling me they didn't bother sealing the old tunnels or posting guards!'

The Hare frowned. 'So what you're saying is ...?'

Goldie turned from helping The Gingerbread Man and George out. 'What she's saying ya flamin mong, is that The Mouse got here ahead of us and by now the little rat eared bastard knows who we are and that we're coming.'

Future Hare popped his head out of the manhole. 'Blondie's got it right kid. This here is your classic goddamn trap and we're walking right into it.'

The Gingerbread Man grinned. 'Suits me fine. We'll kill our way to ... where is it we need to be again?'

George pointed at the ceiling. 'Up.'

'But first we make a detour. Those patrolmen we sneaked past mentioned a special prisoner ... The Tortoise is here and I'm not leaving without him!' declared the Hare stubbornly.

Future Hare nodded his agreement. 'Damn straight junior.'

Jessica shook her head in exasperation. 'If SC were here he'd tell you both that rescuing the Tortoise doesn't matter. We need to return to the point of divergence and make a different decision. Then this whole nightmare never gets started.'

Cottontail and Wiley were the last to emerge.

'Jessica, we need to check in with the other group. By now Pegasus would have ferried the Rabbitz, the cats and the Goose to the roof.'

Jessica fished through her bag and pulled out the Magic Mirror. By using his connection with SC, they would be able to communicate without the buildings communications system picking up their conversation.

The Hare was feeling pleased with himself - they had kept to the darkened streets of this part of the city, well away from the fighting and rioting a few miles from here. The rebellion was in full swing and most of the Zodiac's forces had been diverted to quell the uprising that had been waiting for a spark - Rubberduck's people had got the word out and they couldn't have asked for a better distraction ... or so the Hares thought.

Jessica thought otherwise. She believed that the Zodiac and The Mouse wouldn't be so careless as to leave the tunnel system unmonitored and that even the rooftop garden with the large fountains supposedly covering the second group's arrival, was compromised.

Never-the-less she asked Magic to contact SC so that the information which the Golden Goose had for them could be relayed.

*

On the rooftop, an anxious Griffin looked on as the Goose's wing tips played over the laptop that was plugged into an outlet - the hack had taken only a few minutes and the security schematics and camera images of almost the entire building were at his wingtips.

The Goose began to guide the basement group to a service elevator and from there up a few dozen floors, past the few guards that still seemed to be onsite and towards the area marked for detention. The systems showed that only one prisoner was logged in.

'Tell Magic to tell Jessica to tell the Hares ... strange, there seems to be a huge energy build up in the area, could be powered restraints but all internal cameras are offline so I don't have eyes on ...'

*

'It's The Tortoise! It has to be!' declared The Hare as they emerged from the elevator into what appeared to be a deserted corridor. Both Hares took the lead, rushing towards a door that was ... open and unguarded.

'Hares! Wait!' Both Jessica and Cottontail called out a warning, but their respective boyfriends ignored it in their haste to find the Tortoise.

*

On the roof, the moon shone above the Goose's group. The moon's eyes were closed and there were Zees emitting from its mouth. Suddenly the eyes snapped open and the benign sleeping face took on a benevolent look. 'They're in place,' the moon whispered.

Elsewhere The Mouse looked into a bank of screens and wiped his hands together in glee. 'Oh boy oh boy oh boy!' he chortled. 'Bring the ha ha, dampeners offline!'

*

Both Hares stared in amazement at the restrained prisoner. For a moment they thought she was dead, but then slowly the long blonde hair, lank, matted and greasy seemed to stir and the tiny head moved upwards until a face emerged and blazing green eyes stared at them.

The six inch body started to glow with energy and The Hares, Jessica, Cottontail, George and The Gingerbread Man came up short, unable to consider what to ...'

'Cut the damn power!' screamed Goldie.

Wiley pushed past them all and began frantically tapping at a computer bank, twisting levers, pushing buttons in sequence and ... and something was happening. The energy hissed upwards and seemed to dissipate and then the mute coyote was beside the fey, steadying her as the restraints clicked open.

*

Several floors up The Mouse screamed in a rage and turned to the scientist beside him. 'What the ha ha, fuck Victor? You said nothing could ho ho, stop her melting down!'

Doctor Frankenstein was shaking his head in disbelief. 'It can't be ... only a high level astrophysicist with magic energy spatial calculus skills on a near impossible level could possibly have even guessed at the shut down and venting procedure let alone actioned it!'

The Mouse was beside himself. 'We've been leeching her energy for years - that blast was ha ha, supposed to have permanently powered the ho ho, warp and taken those idiots out! Send the ho ho, troops to secure them all.'

*

Down below Ariel lifted her head once more and with all the fury her croaking disused voice could muster, she uttered one single word.

'Vengeance!'