“Last lot, Belessar,” whistled Dr. Valotti appreciatively. “We have to thank you for your endorsement - we’d never have gotten these many owners in this little time without it.” I shrugged. “Happy to help. Who do we have coming in today?” “Six promising candidates, six kittens left.” I sighed in relief. “That’ll place this lot, then. Are we getting any more animals soon?” “For a while, we’ll be running empty,” said Lara happily. “That’s good, though, it means the animals all have good homes. You’ll hand the kittens out?” I nodded. This was part of the ritual - I’d hand the pets over to the owners with a gentle word about how looking after a pet was a mark of true heroism. Hey, I didn’t write the script. Besides, Lara and Dr. Valotti were good people - I didn’t mind helping them a bit. The first three pets went to couples who all wanted my autograph. The fourth was a teenager with acne who escorted his younger sister to pick up a ‘cute fuzzy kitten’. Two autographs there. The fifth kitten went to a distinguished looking gentleman who turned out to be a retired chiropractor and gave me a ten-minute talk on how I could improve the health of my back. “Last of the day expected shortly,” Lara told me as the gentleman walked off. “She just messaged to say she’s running a few minutes late.” I frowned. “A bit presumptuous that we’d wait on her.” “We’re not all big-time heroes, Belessar,” grinned Dr. Valotti. “Some of us mortals have to wait in line for the patrons to show up.” “Good point,” I smiled back. “I think she’s coming in now,” said Lara, as the sound of a motorbike reached us. I took a look outside the window, to see if I could spot the late arrival. A woman sat on a bike, wearing a helmet and a heavy overcoat, and staring at us from across the street. I frowned. Heavy overcoats in April? Suddenly, alarms began to ring across the building. “Another false alarm?” exclaimed Dr. Valotti. “Who’s been smoking in the building now?” Before anyone could answer, the wall exploded inwards. The force knocked Valotti backwards. He slammed against the wall, unconscious. Flames erupted on all sides of us. Across the walls, the ceiling, the windows…. I had barely a second to think. I grabbed Valotti and the kitten, and yelled at Lara. “Follow me! Fast!” “I can get the extinguisher!” she yelled back. “No! Ultra attack!” And I raced through the flames.