"Don't bother trying to resist. Those blasters aren't for show."

Sasha glanced about, the AIC members congregating around every group. Every exit. Why? Why couldn't they have shown up at another world? Why here? Why now? L Red didn't move, the speaker raising his hands just as all the other smugglers did. Just as both Sasha and Iris did, the former immediately looking to her liaisons.

She'd expected some kind of resistance. Maybe they'd have to sneak past the drones above. Or maybe the Comet Man would have guards they had to ambush to get to him. The AIC had never been a part of the plan. And from the way Mr. Erin stood cursing under his breath, she knew the feeling was mutual with him. Even Iris was quiet, though Sasha knew if anyone had a plan B in mind, it would have been her.

But she wouldn't get the chance to ask her anyhow.

A hole appeared in the center platform, stone tiles destroyed in an instant as dust and rubble flew threw the air. All eyes fell on the spot, including those of Alexander. It was inches from where he stood. Sasha recoiled, instantly recognizing the attack.

"TIGER!"

Her whiskers twitched. Cripes. The shout drew everyone's attention to the one person in the arena who completely disregarded the ambush. The panda that stood with Sledge 2 brandished in hand, a wide grin spread across his face. Alexander raised a brow, looking from the impact spot to Mr. Xan.

"You. Me. Now." The panda growled through his teeth.

That was the only warning he gave.

His flew across the amphitheater, platform caving as the panda came swinging, the short distance cleared in seconds. Faster than anyone could react. Sasha barely saw it herself. The minute he'd jumped, the aisles had given way, the AIC members and smugglers around him falling through the hole. They'd all been unconscious anyhow.

Alexander moved just as quickly. It was a small maneuver. One that made it appear the tiger had been launched skyward. But Sasha saw the split-second leap. The lack of damage. He'd jumped of his own volition, Mr. Xan shouting after him.

"Get back here!"

And launched in his direction, both clearing the amphitheater. Not even seconds after the attack, a wave of inspiration seemed to fall over the crowd.

A blaster fired on an AIC member, one smuggler whipping out a sword while another knocked a member out with a clubbed hand. More and more smugglers leapt into action, the rally descending into an all-out brawl around them. Sasha ducked, blasters and people getting launched over her head. It was a frenzy. She heard Mr. Erin shouting over their shared communicators.

"Xan! Xan, what the heck are you doing?"

No response. She saw L Red disappearing through the hidden room.

"Xan! Xan! Dangit!"

She radioed back.

"Mr. Erin, we can't stay here! We have to go!"

She could see how many other people were using the chaos to run. Iris among them. The wolf made a b-line for the exit, disappearing into light particles again. As much as Sasha wanted to go after her, she also knew better than to leave Mr. Xan in Alexander's hands. But there were two of them. The plan could still work, assuming they both did their share of the work. She quickly relayed a plan B to the weasel.

"We need to find the Comet Man before he leaves," she said. "Everyone's probably headed for the ships. He might be, too. I'll go after Mr. Xan, but I need you to make sure that tail brain stays grounded."

The weasel hesitated. It wasn't lost on her why.

"We'll be fine," she added. "It won't be like last time. I promise."

He looked at her from across the aisles, Sasha giving him a determined nod. He reluctantly nodded back.

"Alright," he said. "But don't delay."

"Never do!"

She yanked herself skyward, ignoring the shouts and blaster shots from below. The few AIC members who recognized the powers of a traitor had their hands full dealing with rowdy smugglers. For the time being, they had become her biggest distractors.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

***

Following the trail of an angry panda wasn't hard.

Mr. Xan wasn't pulling his punches in the slightest, his hammer thrashed about and blowing through roads and buildings alike. Hovercars launched skyward, the fleeing tiger dodging clear without a scratch on him. He landed on the roof of a nearby bakery. One swing of Sledge 2 shattered every window in the place. Thank whatever gods existed the shop was closed. As were most of the buildings around them.

With the rally happening nearby, it seemed the city was practically deserted. Or, at the very least, the people were all in hiding. Still, Sasha winced every time her liaison plowed through public property. She'd never seen him so-

No. She remembered all too well how crazy he'd gotten on Madame Dyre's ship. And that was when he didn't have his hammer attached.

Sasha sped up, field activating for a quick boost. Cripes. Get a hold of yourself, Mr. Xan. She launched herself clear over both their heads, moving high into the sky. We don't have time for this! She dropped down, Mr. Xan seconds from blowing both Alexander and a nearby coffee shop away.

She landed in front of the panda.

"Enough!"

Her staff braced, knowing all too well her words wouldn't reach him in time.

The hammer collided hard with her staff, Sasha's gravity raised several notches to withstand the blow. Yet even then, she was sent dragging backward, feet uprooting pavement as the wind blew against her fur. Like a tornado thrashing at her face. She bit down, digging in as much as she could. The sensation lasted only seconds, but her limbs screamed the entire time. Mr. Xan's anger faded instantly.

"Sasha! Are you- Crap."

She let out a breath, her field falling away as normal gravity returned. It was the first time she'd ever blocked one of his attacks. Usually, she had to dodge or wake up in the Infirmary the next day.

"F-fine," she said.

Alexander's voice came behind her.

"Oh dear. That looked like it hurt."

She flashed the tiger a look, which only seemed to make his smile magnify. He purred, his dagger tapping against his hip.

"So the rumors were true. You are a zombie cat, huh?"

She flashed her teeth. In any other circumstance, she would have been happy to whack him without mercy. But this wasn't just any other circumstance. She could see the several ships taking flight above them. They would miss him their chance if they stayed too long. Miss Iris. Her fur relaxed, Sasha stepping towards Mr. Xan.

"We have to go," she said. "The Comet Man will get away if we waste any more time."

Mr. Xan looked down at her, the anger still clear in his eyes, though it had softened considerably.

"Sasha. I-"

"He's occupied at the moment, I'm afraid," Alexander chimed. "As are you."

As he said those words, a field of black began to rise around them. Sasha glared at it, recognizing the box that he'd trapped her in the first time they'd met. Cripes. This again. The barrier locked in place, blocking them from the outside world. Alexander stood in front of them, his knife twirling as he looked between the two.

"My apologies," he said. "I don't like leaving jobs unfinished. And seeing as how you're both still alive, it's only natural that I kill you all over again."

Mr. Xan bared his teeth, stepping past her.

"Oh, don't you worry, kid. I'll gladly make time for this."

The tiger's grin spread. He drew a line in the road, knife raised high.

"That's just what I was hoping f-"

The last words were cut off as Alexander collapsed, hands and knees forced to the ground.

Mr. Xan blinked. Alexander tried to pick himself up to no avail. Sasha maintained her focus, keeping the signals locked in place for the gravity trap at Alexander's feet.

"Kill each other some other day," the panther said. "Right now, we got a Light Binder to catch."

They both looked at her, Alexander especially, his usual smile nonexistent. He growled, trying to push back her gravity.

"You...When...?"

She responded with a smile, the panther looking to her liaison expectingly.

"Mr. Erin's waiting for us. It's time to go, Mr. Xan."

The realization finally seemed to dawn on him then. His earlier rage dissipated as his gaze fell to his hammer, the panda tilting it towards himself.

"Right. We got a human to catch, don't we?"

Wind gathered around the weapon, Mr. Xan taking a small breath before stepping toward the immobilized tiger. Alexander kept trying to stand up, but Sasha just increased the gravity, forcing him to fall back down. It wasn't something she knew she could do forever. But with someone like Mr. Xan with her, she didn't need to.

The panda pulled back as far as he could, his eyes flashing with intent. Sledge 2 arced through the air, slamming hard on its target. The barrier shattered like glass, the tiger flying through a hole in the box. The rest came crumbling away shortly after.

Sasha relaxed, her field dropping away.

"Hey. Panther."

She looked up, finding Mr. Xan with his head lowered.

"Sorry," he said.

She smiled back at him.

"Just glad you're okay, Mr. Xan."