“Seriously, Mister Robertson, this type of raid was something you were supposed to do with oversight. With real cops. Not with a bunch of kids.” Xelthub said, heatedly.

Shaggy shrugged his shoulders as he tested the cuffs around his wrists. “What can I say? I’m an overachiever.”

Xelthub already sour look deepened. “You don’t understand the repercussions of such an attack. The Wild Bunch will not take this sitting down. They will find you and make you pay. The entire department is going to be working overtime just to process the lab you found.”

“Yeah, what the hell was all that? Looked like animals in jars to me.”

Shaggy twisted his wrists in the cuffs as more cops continued to arrive. After he had dealt with the downstairs lab, Shaggy had returned to fake guarding the door his wife was resting behind. Once she was well rested, his pack went through an entire pantomime of discovering a wrecked lab. They oohed and ahh’d appropriately at the destruction they all know Shaggy had wrought. Once they got their reactions on camera, they proceeded to take stock of the laboratory Shaggy had wrecked up in his werewolf form.

It was a massive room full of lab tables and large cylindrical containers. Each carrying a different type of animal. As near as Levy and Shaggy could tell, George’s gang had been growing different variations of animals. Bears, lions, snakes, and so many others were all encased behind strong glass walls. They had been about to break open one and take a better look when Xelthub and the APD turned up. The cavalry, late to the party and swinging their weapons around.

Shaggy and his pack were handcuffed and brought back out to the streets. Where it was an outright circus. Cop cars were everywhere, drones flying overhead, the odd civilian sticking their nose around the cops guarding the perimeter. Shaggy even thought he saw a few news vans, but no one seemed to be giving interviews.

“They were chimeras.” Xelthub sighed. “The Wild Bunch genetically alters animals and uses them as attack dogs.”

Levy mumbled something around the gag they placed around her mouth. Apparently magic-users were gagged as a matter of course. Xelthub though, seemed to parse what she was asking.

“We don’t know how they are getting the tech or even how they know how to use it. Besides, that shouldn’t be your concern right now. What should concern you is how you are going to answer for a major attack to one of the biggest players in this portion of Austin.”

“Well, for one thing, I am going to say you’re welcome.” Shaggy started. Seeing the annoyed look on Xelthub’s face, he continued.

“What? We took out a major warehouse from one of the biggest gangs. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Xelthub rubbed a hand down his face. “No, what we wanted was a controlled assault on the minor dealers in the area. Then once we had enough of them behind bars, we’d go after the suppliers. The Wild Bunch barely deals in drugs. All you lot have done is kicked a hornet’s nest while endangering a bunch of teenagers.”

Shaggy tried to wave the comment away, but the cuffs made the gesture awkward. They were made of some pretty heavy metal. Although Shaggy reasoned, he probably rated a heftier restraint.

“Please, the kids did alright for themselves. I even had them take the back entrance. Just to keep them safe.”

“You aren’t supposed to be encouraging their criminal behavior.”

“Uh, Boss-man. You do realize we are criminals. There’s no two-ways about that. Now we have no problem helping you out with this. But you do need to acknowledge who you got into bed with.”

Xelthub straightened up and glared at Shaggy. “Believe me, I have been made well aware of that. In fact, it has been proposed that we send the lot of you back to prison.”

“But you are not going to because…”

“Because all your criminal activity thus far has been relegated to a certain underground location. A Location that certain members of government don’t want to admit exist. All we have on you is an attack on a known gang hideout. Which looks like a legitimate police raid with you wearing and using our equipment.”

Shaggy grinned at the taller red demon and glanced down at his restraints. “I’m sure it doesn’t now. With us cuffed out here on the streets. So what’s the police angle gonna be on this one?”

Xelthub huffed angrily, small black flames shooting from between his pointed teeth. “I don’t know. I have to run all of this up the damn chain. For all I know, the brass is going to love all of this shit. But for now, you and your lot are to be confined in the safe house. All joint operations are to cease and we will reevaluate our partnership.”

“Perfectly reasonable and understandable. We will happily remain under house arrest. Although we might send out for a couple of things. You know we had to redecorate since moving in.”

Xelthub huffed again but said nothing as he gripped Shaggy’s arm and dragged/walked him toward a car. Rita, Sybil and Levy were all marched with him and packed into the backseat. Xelthub got into the passenger seat as another cop got behind the wheel. Once Xelthub gave the directions, they rode in silence all the back toward the apartment building. Except once they arrived, Shaggy had to suppress a laugh.

Several cops and Luis’ gang of teens were all standing in front of the apartment building, looking lost. Xelthub sucked in a breath at the sight and had their driver pull over. The large red demon seemed to forget about them as he marched out of the car. He had a heated discussion with one cop standing on the sidewalk before he marched back.

Once he was at the car, he wrenched the back door open and almost lifted Shaggy out of the back. Shaggy felt his entire pack tense. Even Vick, Cekrass and Tom. Who he felt was all in the building somewhere, probably watching the show. Shaggy sent them calming vibes as Xelthub’s sulfur-smelling breath washed over his face.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

“Where the hell is the building!? What did you do to it?!”

“Hehehe. Wow. I’m glad you think so much of me. But I can’t hide an entire building. I ain’t that good.”

“ARGH! Maybe not you, but one of your little gang did! Bring it back! That is a government owned building! You can’t just ward it without the correct permits!”

Levy began mumbling something around her gag. Shaggy had to catch himself as he was summarily dropped as Xelthub reached into the backseat again. Levy came out next and the large demon gently pried the gag out of Levy’s mouth.

“Thank you. Now, as for what you claimed, any citizen can ward their domicile if enough members of that domicile agree to it. Many people in the building were concerned with the increased crime rate in the area and asked my compatriots to hide the building for them. We may be a bit late with getting the paperwork done. But we are well within our rights to do the work.”

Xelthub screamed as he pointed at the building. Which he apparently could not see. “THAT BUILDING HOUSES A POLICE SAFE HOUSE! You can’t just go hiding it.”

Levy shrugged. “Well, I apologize, but that was hardly public knowledge, now was it?”

“It is now.” Rita remarked dryly.

Xelthub huffed as he looked around. Besides the cops and teens, they were all drawing an enormous crowd. More and more people seemed to realize that where there was once a large apartment building was now nothing. At least that’s what Shaggy thought they were seeing. To him, the building appeared to still be there.

Xelthub sputtered for a few more seconds before his colossal frame deflated. He rubbed a hand up toward his black hair and horns. The demon massaged his temples a few times before he spun Levy around and unlocked her cuffs. He did the same to Rita and Sybil’s cuffs after he dragged them from the car. Shaggy presented his own cuffed hands as Xelthub numbly walked over.

“You lot just get back inside. You’ve caused me enough of a headache today. We’ll get this situation sorted later. Now git.”

Shaggy nodded and tried to say something. But Xelthub raised a large red palm.

“NO! Just… no. Go inside.”

Xelthub trudged around the car and back to the passenger seat as Shaggy smiled at him. Xelthub talked into the car’s radio for a few beats before the car rolled away. Shaggy turned back to his pack and smiled. Sybil and Levy returned the smile as Rita snorted.

“Great first day on the job, boss.”

“Wasn’t it?” Shaggy said happily.

Rita slapped a hand on her forehead and marched to the building. Sybil and Levy followed as Shaggy asked.

“What?! We did good.”

Rita merely grumbled as she moved to the front of the building. As she did, Luis and Mariposa’s group angled to join them. Before any of the teens could ask anything, though, Levy waved a hand and put a finger to her lips. Once she was sure everyone got her message, she gripped Mariposa’s arm and led her into the building. Luis gave a loud gasp as the smaller girl was marched into the building. But Shaggy gripped the boy’s arm and did the same for him.

It took a bit of time, but between the four of them, they got all the kids in. Just inside the door, Vick and Tom were waiting. Each grinned as Shaggy waved at them.

“Job’s done boss.” Tom said jauntily.

Rita and Sybil both suddenly hushed the short man. Sybil waved a hand over her body. The tac-vest was still operating as normal. Tom seemed to realize his mistake and nodded slowly before he mimed zipping his lips. Shaggy rolled his eyes and marched all the kids and his pack back up the stairs.

Once they arrived, Mike and Luis had a bit of a stare down. But some quick smacks from Levy and Mariposa respectively, and they all quietly marched onto the floor. Luis and his friends spread out along the floor as Shaggy and his troop marched back to the supposed police safe house. Once everything was packed away into the police container and Levy and her mages made sure it was warded up again, they talked.

“We capped that old fool, boss!” Tom said as soon as they were sure the cops couldn’t overhear.

“Did you abduct him first? That was the job, y’know.” Shaggy said as they moved away from the container.

“Yep. Grabbed him in full view of his guards and a few onlookers. We had a scuffle with one of his guards, but we handled it.” Vick explained.

“Where’s Cekrass then?”

Both Tom and Vick coughed awkwardly, and Shaggy feared he had lost the big lizard. But the tug on his mental link brought him around to the door. Cekrass’ large frame filled, and he was smiling toothily as he leaned against the door frame. His arm was in a sling and his normally green skin was purple in places. Whatever happened to the big lizard had wrecked him up pretty bad. Shaggy was about to ask when a woman’s voice interrupted him.

“What the hell are you doing out of bed?! Get back in that room and lie down. I don’t care if you have some fast healing ability. You need rest.” Cirillia said.

The alien woman was glaring daggers up at the taller lizard-man. She even tried to physically push him out of the room. Once Shaggy gave him the go ahead, Cekrass allowed himself to be shepherded away. Shaggy raised an eyebrow in question at Vick and Tom.

“One of the guards was enhanced. Tossed the big guy like a rag-doll and beat the crap out of him.” Tom said, almost gleefully.

Vick took up the conversation as Rita and Sybil’s glares silenced Tom. “Big guy gave as good as he got. But we had to turn around and help. It wasn’t until that magic woman jammed lightning into the guard’s face that we could get away.”

“Well damn. At least you got away clean. Any trouble getting rid of the body?”

Both men shivered as Shaggy asked the question. Tom and Vick shared a haunted look before they looked back and Shaggy and shook their heads. Shaggy remembered that the plan had been to melt the body of Grant Yel’nix’int. Apparently, the process had been unpleasant to watch. Levy sighed and stretched as she nodded.

“Well… it sounds like it was a good night all around. We are all going to want to keep our heads down for a while. Once the police decide what they want to do, we can plan our response.”

“What about this… Wild Bunch? Are we going to keep hitting them?” Sybil asked.

“Sure. We need to grow up here and this is as good a place to start as any. We just need to fight the nearest entrance to Under-Town and maybe set up a second base,” Shaggy said.

“You don’t think you’re taking on too much?” Levy asked.

Shaggy shrugged. “Sure, we could probably take it easy. But where’s the fun in that? Besides that, Blood God wants me to move against Cog. I would like to do so from a stable base topside. Mostly because that’s where that old bastard is.”

“That reminds me, I have to get on the forums and form a raiding party.” Levy sighed.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should wait till we actually find Cog.”

“I can get some feelers out at least. You can’t share the quest, really. But maybe people will join up just to hit a well-known villain. We’ll get Supes and Villains in on this. It’ll be great.”

Shaggy chuckled at his wife’s enthusiasm and nodded. “Fine. You do your thing. I’m going to keep going with things here.”

“And the police?” Rita asked.

“We’ll take that line as far as they’ll let us. But if they get cagey, we’ll cut ties and set up somewhere else. We are going to need other hideouts while we are up here.”

“I know a few places.” A female voice spoke from the doorway.

Shaggy and his pack turned to find Mariposa in the doorway. Luis grasping her arm.

“I am so sorry about her, man. We’ll get out of your hair.”

But Mariposa paid Luis no mind as she ripped her arm out of his grasp. “There are a few warehouses and abandoned buildings you guys could set up in. But how are you going to avoid the cops?”

Shaggy grinned at the young girl’s moxie as he crossed his arms in thought. The only plan he could come up with was sneaking around at night and doing their best to be stealthy about things. But that was really not his style. The quiet snorts and glancing he got from his pack signaled their agreement with his train of thought.

“What do you suggest?” Shaggy said, offering the young girl a chance to prove herself.

Mariposa grinned as she asked. “Have any of y’all been to the basement?”