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I leaned out just past the corner of the building to get a look down the dark alleyway. At the end of it was the familiar 4-story building, Brad's apartment. I checked my watch, the same cheap plastic one I got for Christmas at the orphanage all those years ago. It was 1:15 in the morning. Like Mr. Hattori said might be the case, the coast looked clear, for now. In the distance I heard echoing pops that I knew weren't the sounds of engine trouble.

I strode across the street, walking like I owned the place. I figured it looked less suspicious than sprinting to the apartment building door, as was my first instinct. I opened the ground level door quietly and headed for the stairs. When I started climbing them I realized something I hadn't the other night: they sounded different than they had years ago. They were less creaky. Huh? I knew I hadn't lost any weight since then. It took me a flight or two to figure out that the quieter noises were from me taking my steps close to the wall instead of in the middle of the steps. My training was invading parts of my life I never thought it would.

Finally, the darkened, worn door was in front of me. I was about to knock when I noticed it was open just a crack. A chill ran down my spine. Brad would never leave his door open at night like this. I heard a faint rustle. A light footfall followed. Was he getting robbed?

I slid my _hanbo_cane from its loops across my back and gripped it firmly in both paws. As much as I hated drawing attention to my vigilante-like activities, I had to do something. If The Pack found some sort of evidence of my presence there last night, it could jeopardize my entire plan to get Brad and his loved ones out of the city. I put the butt of my cane to the door and pushed slowly. Firmly. One inch at a time. Peeking inside the growing crack.

Something light-brown snaked out from behind the door and attached itself to the end of my cane. My eyes opened wide as I found my arms being yanked forward by the stick, and the rest of my body following right behind. The door disappeared and I fell and landed face first on the floor. I stifled a scream as two strong paws grabbed my large ears and dragged me into the room by them. I heard the door slam shut behind me. There was no escape.

My instincts kicked in and I swung for the paws at my ears with my hanbo. I heard a solid_thwack_, a gasp, and the viselike grip suddenly disappeared. I put my knees to my chest and kicked up and out, letting the rest of my body follow their arc and landing me solidly on my feet. I cocked my cane back, as if to make a baseball swing, and spun around to face my attacker.

A few feet from me stood a slender caramel fox gripping her right paw in pain. She looked at me with light gray eyes peeking out from behind her blue hair. It took a second for things to click into place in my head. "Lynn?"

"Who are you?" she growled. "What do you want?" Though she appeared hurt, there was still plenty of fight in her eyes. Our little skirmish proved she couldn't be called incompetent in hand-to-hand combat, for sure. Her legs were squared up in a stiff fighting stance. Her right paw, though injured, was nevertheless curled in a tight fist. And the fake-looking rings on her fingers looked like they'd pack an extra punch. Mr. Hattori's words of warning came back to me: The cornered rat bites the cat. In my case, it was a bit more literal.

I lowered my hanbo. "It's me, Tyrus. Brad's friend."

"Never heard of you. You a squadmate?"

"No," I said, my ears drooping. "We've met a few times at The Doghouse about a year ago, remember?... No? Brad's never told you about me?"

"Nope. Nor would I care. Now what do you want?"

I slid my cane back into place and held my paws up to try to show I meant her no harm. "I'm just trying to find Brad. Judging by your greeting I take it you were expecting someone with a darker motive. Trust me, I'm not here to rob you or anything. I'm not with The Pack at all. Hell, just look at me. Look at you. We're both non-canines. Outsiders. I'm trying to help you guys out."

No reaction. "You still haven't told me why you want Brad," she said.

I sighed. "Fine. I wanted to discuss this with him first, but I want to get you, Brad and Audrey out of the city."

_That_got a response. Her eyes widened and I saw hope flash briefly across her face but it was just as soon covered up once more. She considered me closely. "How the hell do you know about Audrey?"

"Brad told me. Now will you relax? I'm not going to hurt you." I went over and sat in one of the creaky lawn chairs. She remained standing with her arms crossed. "Look, Brad and I have been friends since we can remember. We were at the same orphanage and everything. We were separated a while ago by... well, complicated events, but last night we finally met up again. He's definitely changed since I knew him, but he's still my friend. I care about him and those close to him. That means you and little Audrey, too. Now, I really need to know where he is so we can figure out these plans."

Lynn shrugged. "I don't know where he is. Even if I did I probably wouldn't tell you."

Suspicious to a fault, I thought. But growing up in a city like this, it was probably for the best. "Fine. Can you at least tell me when and where you last saw him?"

"He was upstairs in the casino talking with The Boss."

_Oh no..._I felt queasy. "The Boss? The two of them were talking together?"

"Yep. Couldn't hear what they were talking about, but knowing His reputation..."

I nodded. "Can't be anything good. And that's why I need to find him. The longer you guys stay in the city the less likely you're going to be able to leave in one piece."

The caramel vixen sighed. "Even if you found him, we still wouldn't be able to get Audrey out from wherever she is. If I act up, they'll kill her. And if you drag my Brad into whatever crazy plan you've got in your head, they'll probably kill me, too."

"I know. I've already thought of that. And I'm not going to allow either of those things to happen."

"Why do you care so much?" she asked. "What's in it for you?"

I was taken aback. "I... I dunno. Nothing, I guess."

"Only an idiot would think of trying something this dangerous without getting anything in return."

"Then I'm an idiot," I said. "My whole life I've grown up in New Lou. I don't know if it was really any better back when I was a kid, or if I was just too sheltered to understand, but I know things can be better again. And if I can be a part of that change, then I say it's worth the risk."

Lynn cocked her head to the side and scrutinized my face. "Y'know, I thought your species had all but died out here."

"What, leopards?"

"Optimists." She strode to the cracked window, which overlooked the darkened street. Her tail flicked back and forth, agitated. "I think I used to be like you, once. Hoping the whole 'Pack' thing would blow over and we could be like a normal city again. Some cities have gang violence, racial tension, discrimination, you name it. But they always seem to bounce back after a few years. Things always get better. But not here. I haven't felt safe here in years."

"Do Pack members mistreat you?"

She pursed her lips. "Not any more than is expected of my profession. I think because foxes and canines aren't that drastically different, they tolerate me. Technically speaking, they're not supposed to discriminate against fellow Pack members, but they really treat us foxes like second-class citizens. I don't have any particular loyalties to them. If The Boss didn't have such a chokehold on everything around here I'd leave. But..."

"But they've got Audrey."

"Right." She turned to me. Her entire demeanor had changed since our little scuffle. She looked frail, defeated. But I could still detect the fire in those gray eyes. "If you're actually going through with this crazy plan of yours, I want you to get her out of this hellhole. If your plan includes getting just Audrey, Brad and I out of the city, and nobody else, make her your top priority. Brad would agree, too. She's under guard in one of the orphanages on the north side of town, but they never tell me which one."

"Well, at least it narrows it down. And I'll get little Audrey out, no matter what. I promise." I stood up. I'd already been here longer than I'd intended, considering Brad wasn't around. It was time I made my way back. I headed for the door. "Will you let Brad know I want to talk? We had a bit of a rough reunion the other night, but I want to make it up to him."

"Yeah," Lynn said after a pause. "I'll do that. Stay safe out there."

* * *

"You let him go??"

Brad had just gotten back from The Doghouse. The cheap booze had helped his sulky mood from earlier, but coming back home to hear that Lynn had ran into Tyrus, the very person he was supposed to track down, soured his mood once more. Even worse, instead of holding him in the apartment (either by conversation or by force), she let him go.

"He'll be back!" she entreated. "I'm sure of it! He said he wanted to talk!"

"About what?"

"Something about getting you, me and Audrey out of the city."

Brad scrunched up his nose. "He must have been hit in the head harder than I thought. He should know just how messy that can of worms is. Dumbass cat." He realized the drink was probably making him say things he didn't really mean, but right now he didn't care. "Any why is your wrist all wrapped up? Did he do that to you?"

"I sprained my wrist at work," she said. "Now what do you mean, 'hit in the head'?"

"Just forget it," Brad snarled. "That cat's brought me nothing but trouble since he showed back up. The sooner I get to him the better."

"So you're not still friends?"

"Friends?" The lab shook his head. "Yeah, we were once. I guess. But life has been so simple without him over the last year or so. Since I've been with you. Okay, maybe not simple, but I like it a hell of a lot better than how we were living before. No job, no income, had to fish our food out of dumpsters, always planning how to inconvenience a large number of people... And it looks like he hasn't changed since then."

Brad pointed a finger at Lynn. "And now he's trying to drag you into all this. And Audrey. He's gonna get someone killed if he's not careful. I'm not gonna let that happen."

The vixen crossed her arms. "So what are you gonna do, huh? Shoot him?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet." The lab started pacing the length of the room, which was only about three strides in each direction. "He says he wants to meet up, right? And he said something to you about busting out Audrey? He's probably gonna be looking around for that orphanage. Which one is it, again?"

"I don't know," Lynn said, fidgeting with the costume jewlery rings adorning her fingers. "They never told me. You know what The Pack is like. But whenever I get to see her the transfer vehicle always comes from the north."

Brad nodded. "Alright. So that narrows it down to, what, five or so? If he's not looking to go through with whatever crazy plan he has in his head tonight, then it could very well be tomorrow night. At least I hope. If I don't find him before the week is out..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Mind your own damn business." Brad shuffled over to the fridge and pulled out a Dos Equis.

"Speaking of business," Lynn said, her eyes softening a bit, "what were you doing in The Boss' office earlier?"

"Just having a talk. Man to man."

"What did he say? He sending you out to kill someone? That's often what talks in his office are about."

"Nothing like that, sweetie." Brad popped the lid and took a swig. "He just wants me to introduce him to someone."

"Huh. Lemme guess. Your feline friend?"

"I told you, we're not exactly friends."

"Oh, I see." The vixen's eyes narrowed. "I think I'm starting to see the whole situation. You and your 'acquaintance' haven't been getting along lately, so you decide to have a chat to have him bumped off, is that right? What's one less non-canine in the city, right? I can't believe you sometimes."

"Dammit, Lynn, it's nothing like that."

"Prove me wrong! What did this 'Tyrus' guy ever do that was so wrong?"

"Jeez, no need to get so riled up. But to answer the question, he..." Brad glanced at the door to make sure nobody was on the other side listening. "Last year... You know when someone tried to kill The Boss?"

"Yeah? I heard they dumped his body off the top of the Casino. Are they related or something?"

"No. That... that was Tyrus."

Lynn looked dumbstruck. "But he... no way."

"Way."

"That's crazy... But wait. I'd always heard they were looking for co-conspirators. They thought he might have been working with one or two other people. Do you mean...?"

"Yes, hon." The beer bottle hung loosely from one paw while the other ran through the hair at the back of his neck. "I used to be one of those crazy anti-Pack people. I was young, and a complete idiot. I've since learned to stay on the safe side." A growl started rising from the back of his throat. "And just when I start feeling secure in where I am with The Pack, Tyrus just has to come back from the dead with a head full of vengeance. He could make me look like an anti-Pack loon. I can't let that happen."

"Wow... So you're turning him in to preserve your petty image, then?"

"God dammit, Lynn, stop patronizing me. It's not just my own safety I have in mind."

The vixen strode over to him, arms crossed. "If you really cared about your friends, you wouldn't be conspiring with The Boss like some... henchman."

"I was talking with him because I love and care for those closest to me." He shot her a meaningful look. "Now, I don't wanna hear another word about Tyrus or The Boss."

"But babe, we need to talk about this," she pleaded. "This is the only chance we might have of actually being able to live the life we've always wanted. We could live together happily, just the three of us. Audrey could go to school and--"

"I said I don't wanna hear about it," he growled. "You're just fantasizing now. He's filled your head with all sorts of crazy ideas that are going to end up getting us both killed. I'm not gonna let that happen to you."

"To be perfectly honest, I'd rather die than keep having to do what I do for the rest of my life," she said. "Ever think about that?"

"I've told you before, I'm gonna find a different job for you. If I talk to The Boss again sometime, I'll ask him if you can be something other than one of his... well, entertainers."

She snorted. "Somehow I don't see that working out the way you think it will."

"I can say the exact same about this whole damn plan with Tyrus," Brad shot back. He took a big gulp of beer.

"Brad," Lynn said, "I think you've had enough for the night."

"Don't tell me how much I've had," the lab replied, and held the bottle away from her grasping hands.

"Brad. Put that bottle back in the fridge and come to bed with me. You've already had a long day." She lunged again.

"All the more reason to drink." Brad held the bottle higher and higher to keep it out of reach. "Lynn, stop!"

"You're acting like a child. Give it."

"No! Get your own!"

"I don't want one."

"Stop! Get off me!"

"Bradley if you don't--"

"I SAID STOP!" The lab braced his knees and gave her a firm shove. Her arms flailed uselessly as she tripped over a lawn chair and ended up in a heap on the floor. Lynn cried out in pain and held her arm close to her chest. She looked up at him with watery eyes.

The lab's own eyes widened. "Oh my god, no, babe I'm so sor--"

"Get out."

"Huh?"

"Out!"

"I didn't mean--"

"I SAID GET! OUT!" she yelled. "NOW!"

"But... babe..." The fog of alcohol had lifted momentarily to let him see what he'd just done. He was horrified. He'd never do such a thing to Lynn. Yet there she was, sitting on the ground, glaring daggers at him. He couldn't take it back. The deed was done.

He tightened his grip on the bottle and headed for the door. The next few seconds were a blur and soon he found himself outside on the sidewalk. He breathed heavily. How could I do such a thing? He'd never hit her or pushed her around before. It all happened so fast. He sat down on the curb and put his head in his hands, feeling a headache coming on. The glass bottle still felt cool to the touch. He pressed it against his temple to try to mitigate the coming pain.

He craned his neck and looked up at the sky. There were no clouds, no moon. With most of the streetlights burned out, he could see a lot more stars than he was used to. They looked so peaceful, just twinkling high up there. But they were so far away. How could they possibly care what happened to the mortals below?

He knew he didn't deserve Lynn. She deserved someone who would actually stand up for her, defend her dignity. Someone who would put her above his own needs. Someone like Tyrus? The contents of his stomach threatened to come back up just thinking it.

He could see why she felt the way she did about Tyrus' plan. A small part of him still believed that it would all work out, that they could actually get away from the city and escape The Boss' wrath. But he'd never been past the outskirts before. He didn't know just how far away that bulldog's iron fist could strike, and he wasn't in any rush to find out. And what if we get out of here, but find ourselves in a city just like this one?

To tell the truth, he was actually terrified. Terrified of what would happen if either_plan failed _or succeeded. Tyrus' plan promised greater rewards, but there was a lot bigger chance of all four of them getting killed in the process. The Boss' ultimatum sounded a lot safer and easier, but it wouldn't change their situation much in the long run. And, he'd have Tyrus' death on his conscience.

Either way, he had a sinking feeling somebody wasn't going to survive the coming week.

Brad stood up. He stared at the empty bottle in his paw for a second, then crooked his arm back and hurled it into the ground. It shattered into a million pieces, echoing through the empty streets. The tiny shards stung against his lower legs, left unprotected by his shorts, but after what he'd done to Lynn he felt he deserved the pain. He could feel hot pricks of blood start to pop up on his skin and mat down his fur. He didn't care.

He turned on his heel and started walking.

And walking.