“I still want everything checked.” Vlad said into the back of the van.

He and Dave had apparently cut a square hole between the front seat and the back of their new surveillance van. They said it was so everyone could talk, but Shaggy thought it was more so Ren wouldn’t die of heat exposure. The poor Perinadon was stuffed into the back with Slink and with all the gear and equipment back there, it was a tight fit. Although the large stoic player took it all in stride.

They were back at the Barton Estates. On the man-made hiking trail, just waiting. The sun was setting, and they still wanted to wait a few hours after nightfall to launch their raids. The van had been repainted and now looked more like a regular unmarked work van. Vlad had said they could grab various decals to put on the van later. So they could masquerade as various types of workers. It was a good idea, although Shaggy questioned getting rid of the Park Restoration sign on the side.

“We get it, Vlad.” Slink called from the back. “But there’s only so much we can do. I really don’t know how some of this stuff works. So finding whatever bugs the cops put on the equipment they gave Shags is going to take a while.”

“But you’re sure there were no audio bugs.”

Ren sighed loudly as Slink answered. “YES, Vlad! I told you we checked and whatever type of bugs they have on these vests, they are not auditory. My guess is they are more concerned with tracking us.”

“But you just said…”

“Damn it Vlad! Do you want to check?! Cause you can walk your pale ass back here and go over this damn manual yourself!” Slink shouted, annoyed.

Vlad looked ready to say something, but Shaggy put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Alright. The conversation about our new tac-vests is done. We have done what we can and we can check them over again later. For now, let’s focus on what we are doing tonight.”

Vlad sighed. “Fine. But I still don’t trust it.”

“None of us do, dude.” Ren said from the back. “But we can only do what we can do. Besides, you heard Shaggy. He and his pack will handle all that stuff.”

Shaggy nodded as he gazed down at the darkening estates. “Yeah, the cops actually set us up with several safe-houses and dead-drop locations. So we can bounce around as we please. Of course, those are all probably bugged to hell too, but that’s something for the pack.”

“And you really want to run around busting drug dealers? For the COPS?!” Vlad asked, annoyed.

“It’s a good side-business. They are going to pay us to take out this Glow operation. We can take what we want from the dealers and we’ll get in good with the cops topside.”

“Just be careful. That’s a fine line to walk, especially for someone as impulsive as you.” Ren said.

A sleeping Dave shifted in the driver's seat as Shaggy turned to the opening in the van’s cab.

“I’m NOT impulsive. I just prefer to simplify my problems. You see a wall, you go through the wall. No need to go looking for a bunch of tools or something.”

“Some people would call that stubborn.” Vlad muttered.

Shaggy waved them off and addressed Slink. “Hows that photo still doing on the net?”

“They keep taking it down, but people are still circulating it. Not just me either. It is a huge thing right now.”

The photo of Melanie leaving Drew Spiegal’s house had caught on like wildfire. Of course, both camps claimed the visit was innocent. She was supposedly over to talk about a new deal with the DAD. But few people believed that. People were more inclined to believe that the two wealthy people were up to no good. Given the fact that Drew was known for his sexual proclivities and that Melanie was the wife of a well-known member of the DAD board, it seemed likely that something hinky was going on.

They had their defenders. Who Shaggy was sure were all paid off by either the DAD or Drew and Melanie themselves. But for the most part, the Net was roasting the pair alive. New photos even cropped up. The pair out at dinner, at the movies, walking closely while Melanie’s husband was right in front of them. It seemed that the three had been close at one point. Although Melanie’s husband, Sheldon, hadn’t released a statement yet.

The first thing their group had done when they parked the van here was listen in on an angry Drew. Drew was absolutely livid and blamed the entire thing on the Estates’ security. The guards informed the irate man-child that they were understaffed and it wasn’t their job to monitor for photographers. Just to keep people out of the gated community. What followed was an intense series of screaming, inventive cursing, and even some pleading as Drew tried to call in every favor he could.

But it was all for naught. The man was essentially persona non grata with everyone he knew. Shaggy suspected that the DAD was behind some of it. A good deal of people weren’t even taking the man’s holo-calls. Instead, he left screaming messages. Yelling about how the person owed him and he needed help. The few people that answered spent their time berating Drew. Not on what he did, but on the fact that he had gotten caught. After a few back-and-forth conversations, Drew finally stopped trying and started drinking and snorting every drug he had in his office. Fairly quickly, the man fell into a drug-induced sleep that Shaggy wasn’t sure he would wake up from. But it made their job easier.

Vlad stretched his arms forward as he sighed. “And the other guy?”

“Teo’s still not doing anything. He was sunning himself, but as the sun went down, he moved inside and cooked himself dinner. Now he’s relaxing on his couch and watch the news.” Slink said.

The sounds of the surveillance equipment filled Shaggy’s ears as Slink worked the various machines. They had left a couple of drones on Drew, but after he passed out, they focused on Teo. The crime lord was disturbingly mundane. Aside from a few calls where he checked in on his people, the man went about his day like a wealthy businessman without a care in the world.

“I don’t trust it,” Shaggy said.

“Yeah, the man’s too nonchalant.” Vlad agreed.

A loud snort emanated from the back of the van. “How nervous are you in your own home?”

Shaggy nodded. “Fair point.”

“Still don’t like it, though. Should we just hit Drew tonight?”

“It will be fine.” Slink said. “He’s just cocky, remember? He doesn’t think anyone knows he’s here. That’s why he let his guards loose in the city.”

Dave snorted again as Shaggy shared a look with Vlad. The pale vampire just shrugged and Shaggy snorted.

“Whatever you say, boss-man.”

Slink chuckled, but said nothing. The group fell into idle chit-chat about their day. Shaggy still had to calm Vlad’s fears about the new deal with the Austin cops, but for the most part, the vampire seemed mollified. Shaggy knew it was going to be his ass in the fire, anyway. Well, his and his pack’s and maybe Ephemara if he could convince her to come topside. He wondered about adding her to the pack, which made him open his pack tab.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

* Cekrass Sslrisses

* Varanoid – Level 9

* Personality – Dimwitted

* Loyalty – 98/100

* Pack Bond Increase 5%

* Rita Crawford

* Human – Level 8

* Personality – Motherly

* Loyalty 88/100

* Pack Bond Increase 5%

* Tom Fash

* Human – Level 6

* Personality – Jabberjaw

* Loyalty – 75/100

* Pack Bond Increase 5%

* Sybil D

* Deighen – Level 7

* Personality – Stoic

* Loyalty – 80/100

* Pack Bond Increase 5%

* Vick Nash

* Human – Level 7

* Personality – Combative

* Loyalty – 72/100

* Pack Bond Increase 5%

Surprisingly, his loyalty numbers had gone up. Apparently, leaving the kids alone to play made him more trustworthy for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that he trusted them to watch over things in his absence. Unfortunately, he was still limited to only five pack members because he was still a ‘young’ Werewolf. He really hoped that was a time-based thing. Next he moved over to his lackey page, which was filled with the fifty-something men and woman that their little legion had picked up. But moving over to Henchman, he saw Ephemara was still listed as his number one.

* Ephemara Naluc (Number One Henchman)

* Stafintom – Level 12

* Personality – Chaotic

* Loyalty – 70/100

It looked like his pack was in excellent hands and they were probably more than ready to leave the dreary Under-Town behind and hunt in the city for a change. Shaggy could feel his blood boiling at the thought. Just him and his pack out hunting. Fun times. Dave jolting awake next to him snapped him out of his daydreaming.

“Huh… wha… snort… are we there yet… dude?”

Shaggy chuckled as he patted Dave’s shoulder. “Almost, Dave. We are just waiting for it to get a little darker out.”

“Actually, we can probably go now. We still have to search Drew’s place. Which shouldn’t be that hard with him in a drug coma.” Slink said.

Shaggy glanced between Vlad and a sleepy-eyed Dave. They both gave him nods, and they started getting out of the van. Which shifted as Ren and Slink jumped out of the back. They all took some time to stretch and mentally prepare themselves. But once everyone was ready, Ren hoisted Slink onto his back and put a finger up to his lips. The large gray alien took off toward the wall as the others all followed as quickly and quietly as they could.

They had played with the idea of just flying the van into the gated community, but the limited Sky-lanes and the van’s federal origins made that tricky. They didn’t want to risk someone getting the van’s code and breaking away from a sky-lane was a sure way to get pinged by someone. So once that was out, Shaggy suggested jumping the fence. Which, besides from being a sturdy and large brick fence, didn’t seem to have any other security measures besides the cameras dotted around. Which were easy to avoid. Ren was sure there were some other defenses, but one Dave-test later, they discovered it was just a plain brick fence.

Of course, Ren and Vlad chastised Dave. But Shaggy thought it was funny as hell. The blue-armored crazy man just jumped back and forth over the fence a few times until he was satisfied. The cameras whirred back and forth on a timer that was easy to move between. So they agreed to jump the fence and deal with the consequences. Which meant that Slink would have to be carried and Ren was the only one big enough for the job. Shaggy and Vlad were sure they could carry the kid too, but not while jumping a fence.

Dave’s blue armored form shot past Shaggy as they approached the fence. Shaggy sped up as well as the sound of the whirring cameras filled the night. He saw two up ahead along the wall whirring back and forth slowly. Dave seemed familiar with the timing, so Shaggy fell into a lope beside the man as Vlad’s smoky form zipped ahead of them both. Soon Vlad’s form hit the wall and then climbed up and over. With a mechanical sounding grunt, Dave also left the ground. Which Shaggy took as his cue to leap as well. He and Dave soared through the air, the iron spikes above the brick fence just missing their legs.

With a grunt and a roll, Shaggy caught himself in the grass just beyond the fence. Vlad was standing nearby, waiting. Dave was excitedly jumping from foot to foot, also watching the fence. Ren had assured them he could clear the fence, but they were all mildly concerned considering the large alien’s massive body. But apparently, their worries were unfounded. Shaggy whistled softly as the massive rhino-man’s form sailed up and over the white brick fence. Slink was hanging on for dear life as they easily cleared the spike and landed just beyond the wall with a loud thud. Shaggy grit his teeth and looked at Vlad and Dave. Vlad was already gone, but Dave’s blue-masked face was unreadable. Sighing, Shaggy took off at a lope. Following his vampire friend.

Soon he saw the black misty form of his friend zooming across street-lamp-lit streets. Shaggy stuck to the shadows as much as possible as he ran for Drew Spiegal’s house. Thankfully, the man’s home was only a few blocks from the wall. The evening air whipped by as Shaggy ran through a few people’s yards and in-between their large mansions. Vlad’s form whizzed over every obstacle in his way, and the thudding sounds of Dave’s armored form and Ren’s massive feet sounded behind him.

Finally, Shaggy skidded to a stop in Drew’s yard, right next to Vlad. Standing, Shaggy grinned at his friend and they both walked toward the front door. A hissing noise brought them up short and Shaggy noticed a small green snake right in front of the door. Soon, the hissing was joined by the thudding sound of Dave and Ren. Both slowed to a stop and Slink slid from Ren’s back, rapidly waving at Shaggy and Vlad. Shaggy shrugged and moved over to Slink, who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house.

“What?! Were you two just going to use the front door?” Slink hissed in a whisper.

Shaggy and Vlad share a look before they both nodded. Slink slapped himself in the face before he pointed toward the door. Vlad hissed in realization, but it took Shaggy a few extra seconds. There was a small camera built just above the door. Ren looked at both of them sadly and shook his head. Shaggy sighed and turned back to Slink.

“Okay. So what’s the plan?”

Slink squinted his eyes and muttered. “Give me a second.”

Shaggy wasn’t sure what the kid was doing until he saw movement near the front door. Two green snakes were slithering their way into the house. Shaggy nodded as he realized what the kid was doing. He and the others waited, each full of adrenaline and ready to begin. Dave and Shaggy jumped on the balls of their feet as Ren and Vlad shifted excitedly. Soon Slink hissed and came out of his trance-like state.

“Go go go,” he whispered as he rushed for the door.

Shaggy and the others followed, rushing across the manicured lawn. He was sure he heard a loud beep as they got close to the door. Slink was already there and pushing his way inside as the others each followed, one after the other. Shaggy noticed Larry and Curly curled around an electronic keypad on the wall. He wasn’t sure if they had shorted it or inputted the numbers, but with Slink’s snakes, it could’ve been either.

“Okay, split up. Shags, you follow me upstairs. You restrain Drew while I poke around up there. The rest of you search down here. Quietly.” Slink ordered.

Shaggy and the others looked at each, but they all shrugged and followed the kid’s orders. He followed Slink up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall. Drew had collapsed in his office, so that was their first stop. As they entered, Slink threw Shaggy a soft bit of black cloth. Confused, Shaggy lifted it up in question, but Slink was already searching the office. It took a second, but soon Shaggy understood that the black cloth was a hood. Something to cover Drew’s head.

Shaggy moved over to the large man passed out in his office chair. Drew’s chest was raising and falling slowly, signifying that the drugged out business owner wasn't dead. Shaggy wondered what the guy’s tolerance level was for him to not be outright dead. But he quickly shook it off and threw the black hood over the man’s head and started searching for something to tie him up with. Shaggy grimaced as he found a drawer full of whips, chains, leather cuffs, and even a ball-gag. He lifted the black and red ball gag as Slink tossed the office.

“Think this is for him or her?” Shaggy asked.

Slink turned and looked. It took the kid a few seconds to decipher what he was seeing. But as soon as he did, he shook his head and continued his search. Shaggy chuckled softly and used the cuffs to secure Drew to the office chair. If they were lucky, the drugged-out asshole would think he had passed out while getting lucky.

“Jackpot.” Slink whispered, drawing Shaggy’s attention.

The boy was crouched low on the floor next to the wooden panel of the wall. He had somehow pushed a piece of the lower wall aside. On the other side was a small metal safe. Shaggy moved over to help as Slink looked over the keypad and knob on the safe. Shaggy crouched down to his knees and asked.

“We getting the snakes or you want me to see if I can cut it?”

Slink bit his lip before he answered. “Think you can cut it?”

Shaggy shifted his right hand into his claws and pushed one through the seam in the safe. He felt the metal of the lock fight him for a few seconds and he had to push, but soon he was through. The safe’s keypad sparked slightly and Shaggy and Slink held their collective breaths. After a few seconds of nothing happening, they both exhaled and Slink pulled the safe door open. Inside were more drugs and a few data-slates covered in multi-colored crystals from the few drug vials that had spilled over. Slink sighed and pulled the data-slates out, leaving the drugs. Shaggy shrugged and waited. Slink swiped his finger along the slates until he saw something and grinned.

“Okay, this will do. Let’s go.”

“Sure we don’t want to search the rest of this floor? Could be more stuff to steal.”

Slink shook his head. “No, we still have to hit Teo, remember? I don’t want to do that while carrying a bunch of stuff.”

“We could run it back to the van,” Shaggy said.

Slink shrugged and got up from the floor. A snort from the unconscious Drew brought their attention around, but soon the man mumbled incoherently and settled back down. Shaggy followed Slink out of the room and back downstairs. Ren and the others were still turning over the living room and the kitchen, but Slink waved silently for attention. Once he had it, he pointed to the two data-slates he had and gave the okay signal. Dave returned the okay sign as Vlad and Ren walked over.

“Is that it?” Vlad asked.

Slink nodded as Shaggy said. “All we need.”

“On to the next one,” said Ren.

Dave’s armored footsteps clanked along the floor as they marched toward the front door. Soon enough, they were back outside and Shaggy saw Slink place the slates behind his back and into his pants. He was sure there was a better place for those, but the boy took off toward Teo Santos house before Shaggy could say anything. He shared a look with the others, but soon they were all jogging toward their next destination. Shaggy wondered if this next stop would be as easy, but something in his gut told him it wouldn’t be.

Teo’s mansion was a neo-modern nightmare of steel and glass. It was built into a small hill and had a large glass patio with a pool. Steel girders held the pool up over the slope of the hill. Glass windows over-looked everything and the faux wood roof was some weird dark and gray lumber. They all took a few seconds as they stood out in front of Teo’s house. Shaggy could see Slink clenching and opening his fist. The boy was obviously spoiling for a fight.

“How we doing this?” Ren asked.

“Loud in, loud out?”

Slink shook his head at Shaggy. “Quiet as we can. If we have to go loud, we go loud. But if we go loud, someone has to get back to the van. We don’t want to lose it.”

“On it.” Vlad said.

The others agreed, as the vampire was the fastest of them. Plan made, they marched toward the front door. Larry and Curly slithering their way in and opening the door for them. The cool air conditioning hit their faces as they entered a small foyer. Large archways flanked the doorway on either side, and Shaggy instinctively took the right one. He heard the others follow and soon they were in Teo's wide living room. The kitchen was visible just beyond.

Shaggy went to move, but a bright light suddenly assaulted his eyes and he heard the others scream in shock. Blinking away the spots as fast as he could, Shaggy figured out that someone had turned on the lights and was giving them the chance to see again. Once the others collected themselves, a man stepped out of the kitchen. Teo smiled benignly at them as he took in their faces.

“You know, you do this job long enough and you get a sense of when you are being watched. It is a skill that has served me well in all my years of doing business.”

Shaggy growled, but didn’t shift yet. No sense in showing his hand. The others spread out around the living room, looking to encircle Teo. Teo grinned at them again.

“Would you mind telling you who you are before I capture you?”

Dave’s armored form shuffle excitedly from foot to foot as he adopted his hero persona.

“Never evil-doer! You shall face the wrath of JUSTICE!”

Teo shook his head and sighed. “Vigilantes…”

Turning slightly, Teo snapped his fingers and the space between the kitchen and living was filled with a bright light. A white oblong winked into existence and four people stepped out of it. A green alien man in leather armor, a human woman in a blouse and jeans, a short brown-skinned man in some sort of jumpsuit, and light blue androgynous alien. They all grinned happily at Shaggy and his friends.

“Ohhh, boss, what little fishes have you caught?” The woman purred, glancing at all of them.

“Perinadon.” The green alien said, simply squaring up across from Ren.

“Couple muties too.” Said the squat man across from Shaggy.

Shaggy growled again and crouched low. Whatever was about to happen was going to be a pain in the ass. Slink and the others squared up with their targets. Leaving Dave looking at Teo, his armor face plate turned to Slink, and the boy gave the excitable man a nod.

“Koan, take care of Teo. We got the others!” Slink shouted, using Dave’s hero name.

“WOOOOOOOOOO!” Dave shouted, launching forward.

Then all hell broke loose.