All eyes turned towards the newcomers. Goldie had her knife ready in a flash and The Gingerbread Man quietly slipped on his knuckle duster.
But before anything could happen, Griffin sprang up and cried out. 'SC! What are you doing here?'
The mysterious cat stepped forward, flanked by George. 'Hello my young friend. I am where I am meant to be and now is the time that I meet The Hare and you others.'
Goldie sat down again. 'Well pull up a pew why don'cha mate. We've heard of you from Griff and George here so if you've got something to say, say it. We've got a pool to bomb out of existence.'
SC settled himself. 'There are some very good reasons why that can't happen. Firstly Moriarty has stationed Cosmo Cat by the portal to Charn. You won't get that bomb within ten feet before he either blasts you apart with his energy vision or if he is the mood for entertainment, he might decide to pull your limbs off one by one as easily as you might pluck the leafs of a plant.'
'And the second?' The Hare wanted to know.
SC turned to face him. 'Hello Hare. I wonder if you realise how pivotal to this affair, you really are. But to answer your question, let me first assure you that my primary concern is to avert the coming doom forseen by The Magic Mirror and Professor Licken ... Miss Bunny, would you care to verify my words?'
Momentarily startled, Jessica took out her compact and pointed it towards SC. 'Magic?'
The Magic Mirror concentrated. 'It was hard for me to manifest here, outside of our reality, but I still possess enough of my ability to sense that this cat is sincere. He speaks the truth and his heart is pure. You may trust him Jessica.'
Jessica turned to The Hare. 'If its good enough for Magic, then I'm inclined to believe this cat is on our side.'
There was a brief discussion. Griffin assented eagerly and both The Hare and Golden Goose were content to agree with the Magic Mirror. Goldie shrugged and said she didn't care as long as she got paid and the Gingerbread Man didn't give a damn either way.
'Ok, go on,' prompted The Hare.
SC did so. 'The Mirror and Professor Licken saw the big picture but they aren't aware of all the fine details, the permutations if you will. Acting too soon will bring certain disaster and perhaps make things even worse.'
'Worse?' snorted The Hare! 'How could the end of the world get worse?'
'The Mythlands will not end. Armageddon does not necessarily mean the end of everything. There will always be good people who stand against evil but if they fall, who will remain to fight the darkness? I am here because I know things and I know that you are in danger of treading the wrong path. Without knowledge your internal compasses will steer you wrong. Use that device and you will die. Attempt to interfere with the course of events up to the breaching of the vault and you will die. The Heist must occur or our worst fears will be realised.'
'And you know this how?' The Hare remained suspicious.
'Because I have seen it ... more times than I care to remember.' Something about the aching tone of sadness in SC's voice made their own hearts ache in sympathy. Even The Gingerbread Man felt a twinge.
SC continued. 'We have reached a crossroads my friends and I can show you that path. Then you will know I speak the truth and together we may walk the path that will I hope, lead to averting the worst scenarios before us. Loki and his ilk must be stopped and that can only be done by all concerned uniting and trusting each other. And on that note, I call for calm as I introduce you to our most important ally.'
Then the flap of the tent opened once more and in he strode.
'Hello my friends,' said The Glass Cat.
PART ONE OF THE HEIST CONCLUDES. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR PART TWO - THE HARE: ARMAGEDDON.