They rushed down the road. The streetlights flickering everywhere. A few minutes back, Levy’s demon let loose a roar that shook the neighborhood. Then a pulse of magic released and now a bunch of electronics were going haywire. The streetlights were wavering and the drones in the sky plummeted onto the roads and rooftops. Shaggy even saw an electronic store become a living net of electricity after the wave hit. He had tried to ask Levy what had happened, but with her condition, it was hard for her.

“Slow down.” She whined from his back.

“Just a little further, love. I can see the deli now.”

“Running sucks. You suck.”

“Uh-huh. Or maybe we need to get your stamina up.”

“Stamina sucks. Imma create a flying spell or something.”

Shaggy shook his head as he adjusted his grip on his wife’s legs. She was wrapped around his torso like a koala. With the speed Shaggy had been running, she quickly gave up trying to keep up and instead clung to him. He was sure her stamina was full, and she was merely playing it up. But it was fine. She weighed nothing to him.

Shaggy checked in with his pack. They were there. In the dark. On top of the rooftops and in the alleyways surrounding him. He spread all nine of them out around the deli as Seth stayed huddled inside. Shaggy could see a line of HLO troopers at the end of the street. His deli sat on the corner and Mr. White and his cronies were clearly standing out front. Still screaming.

Ephemara and Rita were at his nine and three o’clock. On the rooftops on either side of the street. Rita was leaping from building to building, rushing toward the deli roof. Vick, Stanley, and Sybil had the ten, eleven and twelve positions. With Stanley coming right up behind the trooper. Tom and the bug brothers swung out wide and were coming even from the one and two o’clock position.

All told, they had Mr. White and his goons surrounded. But Shaggy still reminded his people to be cautious. He wasn’t sure what the corporate stooge was playing at. Though he was sure the speedster hadn’t come to throw his life away. Mr. White had some kind of plan. Shaggy just wasn’t sure what it was yet. But his gamer senses were telling him this was going to be a boss fight.

“Okay, rides over, honey. Time for you to get into position.”

As Shaggy slowed to a stop and started kneeling down, Rita jumped into the street. Levy huffed, but slid off his back with ease. She summoned her staff to her hand and looked at Rita questioningly.

“You and Rita are going to get into position on the Deli’s roof. The rest of the pack is spread out and ready for when shit goes sideways.”

Levy didn’t look too happy with the plan, but she wrapped her arms around Rita’s shoulders. Rita placed an arm around Levy’s waist and rushed toward the nearest building. Shaggy gave them a few seconds to get to the roof before he started walking. He was only a few more buildings away from the deli and he could almost hear Mr. White’s muffled yelling. But mainly he was focused on the white troopers standing in a line.

Their armor shined, even without the flickering light from the streetlamp. They held large rifles, and some had melee weapons on their hips and backs. The standard HLO energy rifle and stun swords seemed to be the flavor of the night. Although a few had more esoteric weapons. A few war hammers and claymores were the standouts, though. Shaggy made it to the corner and listened in to the ramblings of Mr. White. The demonic-looking, white-skinned alien sounded drunk.

“… And progress, Mr. Robertson, is what the HLO stands for! Progress in the face of adversity, exclusion, and mundanity! Progress without the anchors of social niceties or morality weighing it down! Progress for the whole of society! Even when they are too stupid to realize how good they have it!”

Mr. White carried on as Shaggy peered around the corner. Fifty HLO troopers stood at Mr. White’s back. But Shaggy could see something just beyond the small line of them. He checked in with Stanley as he half-listened to Mr. white pontificate.

“What’s that thing in the back, Stanley?”

“Looks like a radar dish or something. It’s on a platform that looks like a flatbed with wheels on it. So they must have brought it here. Otherwise, it’s a square of metal with a terminal embedded in its side. On the top are four radar dish things that I think spin.”

“That sounds helpful, kid. And you say you never got your GED?” Tom snarked.

“Shut it, Tom. You and the kid are in charge of taking that thing out. Whatever it is, I don’t like it. So that’s your priority. The rest of you can handle the troopers. Mr. White is mine.”

“Boss, Levy says there is something up with the soldier’s armor. It’s pinging all kinds of magical to her senses. These troopers may be tougher than the others.”

Shaggy nodded as Mr. White rambled on. “Okay, you all heard Rita. Double up on the soldiers till we know the armor’s limits. Everyone ready?”

“What am I doing again?” Seth asked from his position inside the deli.

“You are plan C, kid. If things turn to shit, you release the Lackeys. Is everyone armed and ready to go?”

“Yeah, they are a little tired and annoyed from building houses all day. But they are waiting.”

“Good. Then you all play defense until Levy or I call.”

“Roger.”

Shaggy checked in one last time with everyone before he rounded the corner. He heard several guns whir to life and his hair stood on end. But he paid no attention to it. Mr. White was still shouting about the HLO’s glorious mission and how Shaggy was a fly that needed to be swatted. It took the white-suited alien another couple of seconds until he realized Shaggy was standing in front of the deli.

All fifty of the troopers had their rifles trained on Shaggy, though. He could see the energy swirling an odd mix of red and blue. That was odd. Most laser weapons only had one color. Something new again. Shaggy pointed it out to everyone in his mind as Mr. white finally zeroed in on him.

Mr. White raised a slim, pale hand and pointed a finger at Shaggy. His eyes were squinting and Shaggy could see deep black veins on Mr. White’s face and neck. He wondered what had happened to the alien in their short time apart. His suit was ruffled, his tie was loose around his neck, and those deep black veins were everywhere on his skin.. Once Shaggy noticed them, he couldn’t not see them.

“YOU!” Mr. White growled.

“Me!” Shaggy smiled, spreading his arms.

The whine of the energy rifles picked up a notch when Shaggy raised his arms. But no one fired. Instead, Mr. White stalked forward on unsteady legs.

“You fucking two-bit criminal. You’ve ruined everything! I was so close. So close to advancement. Gooderman would’ve been swimming in a vat of his own tears if it wasn’t for you fucking things up!”

“First off, Ouch! We both know I am at least a three-bit criminal.” Shaggy chuckled. “Also, who’s Gooderman?”

“Gooderman is a kiss-ass little weasel. One that wouldn’t have had the balls to pull an operation like this. But now ‘the metrics aren’t looking good’ and ‘we’ve had to pivot due to public opinion.’”

“Ah, I see. Gooderman got your job, huh? That’s rough. Even so, why drown your sorrows and come pick a fight? I mean, I know you’re fast. But only an idiot kicks a hornet’s nest.”

“Drown my sorrows? I’m not drunk! No, Shaggy, I’m just working through the side-effects of something.”

Mr. White took a shaky step forward as he sarcastically said Shaggy’s name. With the movement, Shaggy could see the alien’s limbs vibrate and his neck and back twitched. Shaggy took his own tentative step forward, keeping an eye on the strangely behaving Mr. White. Now that he focused, he could see the alien’s eyes were wide and bloodshot. He was clearly on something.

“Must be something good to be having you shake like that.”

Mr. White gave him a fang-filled smile. “Yes, well, the R and D boys love their toys. And you are a dangerous man.”

“Thank you.”

“Not a compliment.”

“Agree to disagree.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“But I think I’ve got a handle on it. So now I can take your head to my superiors. It won’t get me the Academy job back. But it will save me from the doghouse.”

Shaggy shrugged. “You could just go to the doghouse. I don’t see this working out for you.”

Mr. White snorted and took another shaky step forward. “Pfft. Please. You have been studied and prepared for, Mr. Robertson. I might not be in the HLO’s good graces, but I can still procure what is needed to handle you and your pack.”

“That explains the guns and the magical armor. But that will not save you, White. My pack loves ripping open presents. We’ll pull your little tin soldiers from their armor and eat them whole.”

Shaggy spotted several troopers tighten the grips on their weapons. But no one moved yet. Instead, Mr. White raised a slim hand. His slim fingers shook as he pressed his thumb and middle finger together. Shaggy watched the gesture with bemusement as Mr. White snapped his fingers. Then a piercing cry shot through Shaggy’s ears and his entire world exploded in pain.

He covered his ears, but that did nothing. He reached out to his pack, but he couldn’t focus. Screams filled the air, and Shaggy wasn’t surprised to find out they were his own. His whole body was racked with pain and he felt sharp lances hit him from all over. Blearily, he recognized he was being shot. But he couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from or move toward them. His skin felt like it was melting and he couldn’t focus.

Just when Shaggy was sure he was about to get ganked, the pain stopped and his mind was flooded with noise from his pack. They were all screaming internally, but a few were slowly coming back. Shaggy wanted to check in on them, but another lance of pain to his thigh reminded him of the troopers.

Looking around, Shaggy saw he was curled in the fetal position in the road. His jeans and shirt were in tatters as red and blue energy crashed into him. He growled and stood up, searching the street. The line of troopers was all firing on him. But the biggest eye-catcher on the street was the flaming wreckage just behind the line of shooters. Whatever machine that was behind the soldiers was now a flaming wreck. Shaggy thought he could see wisps of purple magic surrounding the wrecked machine.

Searching for Mr. White, Shaggy found him standing on the edge of the deli roof. The alien had a slim hand around Levy’s throat and was lifting her into the air. Levy had clearly just finished casting some spell as her staff flickered. Shaggy was about to rush to help, when there was a flash of silver and Mr. White blurred away. Rita appeared next to Levy, sword in hand.

Mr. White reappeared on the street and Shaggy pounced as he gave everyone the command to attack. He needn’t have bothered, though. Suddenly the streets were full of howls and shouts from everywhere as silver and green wolves rushed the troops. He felt Tom and Rin and Vud rushing into the fray, too. But he focused back on Mr. White as his claws extended and his pounce brought them together.

Shaggy claws slid off Mr. White's suit jacket like they were made of foam. His long claws scrambled for something to cut, but it was useless. Then Mr. White blurred again, the black veins on his face bulging grotesquely. But before the speedster could get away, a blue laser slammed into his right shoulder. Mr. White re-solidified and Shaggy reached out again. This time ditching his claws.

His hands wrapped around the fabric collar of Mr. White’s shirt and he lifted. The alien’s feet left the ground and Shaggy mentally called on Sybil and Vick. The cowboy fired two more times into Mr. White’s back as Sybil only threw one green fireball. But by the sounds of Mr. White’s cry of anguish, the fireball did more damage. Shaggy held on as the slim, pale man tried to wrestle his arms away. But the speedster was too weak to break free. Shaggy was about to call for more from his pack when Mr. White reached into his jacket.

He pulled a vial free and threw it at Shaggy. Expecting an attack, Shaggy let the vial hit him in the waist and raised Mr. White higher. The vial shattered on Shaggy’s hip and a sudden tightness appeared along his waistline. Looking down, Shaggy saw a black mass slowly crawling up his body. No. It was growing.

Shaggy tried to wipe the stuff off with a hand, but it got caught in the muck. The black stuff was sticky and growing fast. Shaggy pulled against it as he held onto Mr. White with one hand. But the wily alien slipped out of his jacket and vanished in a puff of smoke. Vick and Sybil’s fire crashed into the street near Shaggy as he tried to fight out of the still growing mass. But the more he pulled, the more constricting the mass became.

“Sybil! Burn it!” Shaggy ordered as his upper torso was devoured by the black sludge.

It was growing up to Shaggy’s face as a green flash hit him. An acrid and disgusting smell filled Shaggy's nostrils as the black ooze pulled tighter to him. But the green demon fire spread along the mass quickly and soon it was shrinking faster than it had been growing. The sludge became brittle and flaky as Shaggy started to shake it off. Sybil’s fire scorched him a bit, but he didn’t complain as he searched the street for Mr. White again.

Stanley and Cekrass were batting a few of the troopers across the street as they drew the most fire. Tom was appearing here and there amongst the shooters, slitting throats and moving on. Levy was throwing spells from the roof as Rita provided cover. But the armor the troopers were wearing seemed to do more than just protect them. Shaggy saw a soldier whose throat Tom just slit get right back up as his armor glowed ominously. Stanley and Cekrass were having little luck as well. They were bashing the troops into the road, but the bastards kept getting back up.

Levy’s spells seemed to be effective, though. Her purple spears of magic seemed to burn away whatever magic was housed within. Shaggy sent all these observations to his pack as he continued to search for Mr. White. Then Ephemara spoke up in his mind.

“He’s dashed off to the south, boss. Should I follow?”

“No. He’s too fast. You’ll never catch him. Get down here and handle the troops. I’ll sniff him out. Make sure you get one of those guns to Vick, though.”

“Can I help?” said another voice, cutting in.

“Seth?”

“Yeah, I watched him speed away. I don’t know what kind of enhancements he took. But they are bound to run out at some point.”

“Can you keep up with him?”

“Maybe. My stamina is still shit. But if his enhancer peters out, I can get to him.”

“That’s the plan. Pup and I find Mr. White, y’all clean up here. Go. Now!”

A blond-headed streak dashed out of the deli at Shaggy’s words. Kicking up dust as he went. Shaggy gave chase as best he could, but really he had to rely more on his pack link and his sense of smell. He broke past the line of slowly losing troopers and disappeared into the dark alleyways once again. Seth wasn’t as fast as Mr. White, so Shaggy could see a blurry streak off in the distance occasionally. The kid was searching the streets as he moved.

Shaggy took the rooftops as Seth got harder to track with the naked eye. The buildings grew too close together and running around the block would take too long. The view from above was a little better. They traveled like that for two blocks until Shaggy noticed Seth wasn't appearing anymore.

“Kid?”

“Oh yeah, mental talk. He's got me. We’re at an abandoned department store at the edge of Shoal Creek Boulevard.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, he thinks I’m a thief squatting in the store. But hurry. He seems unhinged.”

Shaggy put on another burst of speed and rushed across the rooftops. Once he reached Shoal creek, he turned south and headed for the corner. The streetlamps were still flickering, and he was sure he could hear drones in the air. Cautiously, Shaggy dropped to the streets and shifted into his man-beast form.

Shaggy could see the large entrance to the store on the corner. It had been boarded up, but someone had long since done away with that. Shaggy stretched his claws and readied himself.

“I’m coming in hot, kid. Get out when you can and go to the deli.”

“Roger.”

Shaggy flung himself through the double-doors and charged. Bits of trash and old furniture were strewn about the building. But Shaggy ignored it all and aimed for the bright white man standing a short distance from the defunct registers of the store. A blonde blur shot past Shaggy as he stretched his claws out and slammed into Mr. White. The alien’s shocked face brought a feral smile to Shaggy’s lips. He wrapped his massive clawed hands around Mr. White’s waist and squeezed.

“Argh!” Mr. White screamed in pain and kicked his feet against the tiled floor.

Shaggy lifted the slim alien into the air and continued to squeeze. He was a little disappointed. This boss fight was a huge letdown. Sure, he had to chase the fucker down and if Levy hadn’t dealt with that strange machine, his pack would’ve been screwed. But now, this weak little corporate dog wasn’t even a challenge. He was pretty durable, though.

Shaggy clamped down harder with his hands and he heard a weird metallic squeak come from Mr. White’s clothes. The alien was still alive and trying to kick free, though. Shaggy gave a monstrous sigh and looked for something to impale the annoying alien on. That’s when he noticed it. An orange and black blur zoomed into Shaggy’s vision and something hit him in his chest.

Shaggy winced as he felt some ribs break and Mr. White flew from his hands. Shaggy crashed through some racks and shelves before he managed to right himself. Shaking the blow off, Shaggy growled and looked at his attacker. Ryall, the tiger-shifter, stood over Mr White’s body, glaring at Shaggy.

“This is more like it,” Shaggy thought to himself.

Shaggy stretched his neck out as behind him the sound of the department store doors closing echoed through the store. Mr. White pulled himself to his feet and glared wearily at both shifters. He adjusted his tie and quickly took out an auto-injector with a vial of red liquid. Ryall ignored the smaller man as his gaze stayed glued to Shaggy. Once the alien finished injecting himself, he addressed the tiger in the room.

“Mr. Hob, I thank you for your timely arrival. I will make sure that you are well rewarded for -URK!”

Ryall’s enormous paw backhanded the pale speedster, and Mr. White’s body went sailing into the empty clothing racks. The tiger-shifter growled and roared, displaying his full set of teeth.

“Both of you die tonight.” Ryall’s scratchy, feline voice declared. “The mutt for killing one of my mates and the stooge for demanding that I take the job.”

Mr. White blurred back toward them. This time, he appeared a suitable distance away from both Ryall and Shaggy. The pale alien looked surprised to be on the tiger’s shit-list. But it was all fine with Shaggy. A three-way fight would be one for his bucket list. Mr. White’s black eyes roamed around the store, looking for a way out.

“Don’t bother.” Ryall purred. “My other mates are watching the exits. Along with a few of my more rowdy friends. It’s just the three of us.”

Shaggy gave a chuffing chuckle with his lupine throat. He crouched low and readied his claws. Mr. White seemed to grow paler before he collected himself. After another nervous adjustment of his tie, the pale alien started taking off his suit jacket. Leaving only the white vest and white shirt. Shaggy could see multiple pockets on the vest bulging with things. Mr. White pulled another auto-injector from his coat. This one’s vial had a glowing purple substance in it.

Mr. White sighed before he raised the injector to his neck while glaring at both of them.

“Fine. You animals want to tangle with the HLO. You’ll see what you get.”