Previously, in Part 1:

“Well what can I do for you two, coming onto my property at this time of night? If I watched the news more, I think I’d be scared of two strangers dressed in black on my property,” he called.

“We’re salesmen specialising in state of the art cages for wild animals, and we heard you might be in the market for a new one,” Dylan replied, which caused Lucas to curse under his breath.

Krauss drew a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the pair. “It’s ok thanks. I already have a cage plenty big enough,” he demanded, flicking the gun.

Getting caught wasn’t part of the plan. Lucas wasn’t really convinced there was a plan in the first place and he blamed himself for allowing himself to go along with the over eager elder-teen.

And now Dylan was giving it all the attitude to Krauss, who had led them into the dining room and gestured for them to sit at the long wooden table. He took a seat opposite them and a burly, suited guard stood by the door way.

“So you found out about the Tiger? That’s unlucky for me,” Krauss said, turning his gun over in his hand playfully.

“We have to give it to you Krauss. You almost got away with it too,” Dylan said.

“I guess my luck ran out. See, I’m bestowed with the gift of luck. It’s on my side, in my favour. But with any good thing, it runs out occasionally. Like, whoops... tonight,” he said throwing his hands up in mock surprise. “But I already feel it coming back.” Dylan and Lucas exchanged glances. “Don’t look so nervous boys, maybe you’ll be lucky tonight too, and not die too painfully. Come, the cat’s out of the bag. Let’s go and see my new prized pussy cat.” And with that he got up quickly and ushered for Lucas and Dylan to do the same. The burly guard offered some quick encouragement too.

They walked through the house and whilst doing so, Lucas was cognitively texting Lieutenant Black for back up.

When they appeared in the garden, Krauss signalled for his guard to stay. “So what was the plan boys? Ask me to hand over the cat? Or steal it back from me?” he asked.

The garden was huge and beautifully landscaped. Just left of the centre was a twenty metre by twenty metre steel cage with a very agitated blue tiger pacing inside. A green glow next to the cage door indicated to Lucas that it was electronically operated. And therefore was manipulatable.

“Well I can see you won’t be requiring our cage services,” mumbled Dylan just loud enough for Krauss to hear. He laughed out loud.

“I won’t lie to you Krauss,” Lucas started to say, feeling it was about time he said something. “We are here for the cat. You can’t have it, it doesn’t belong to you. And besides, the cat is too hot now. It wasn’t difficult to find out you were behind this. People will find out that you have one of the only two blue tigers in the world and no amount of luck will keep you out of the trouble you’ll be in.”

Krauss humoured him and chuckled when he had finished. “That’s all very brave of you but I’m not stupid enough to keep the cat here. Give me some credit please,” he said, turning to the tiger cage. The tiger became more agitated as Krauss got nearer. “See, there’s not even a guarantee that the tiger is worth anything… alive. I’d make a massive fortune selling her for ornamental purposes.”

The tiger roared and gnashed towards Krauss, as if knowing what he was saying and intended.

“You’re a creep!” cried out Dylan. The tiger pounced up on the cage wall but was thrown back in a frenzied panic. The cage was electrified.

“You’re sick!” Lucas snarled in anger. Krauss hadn’t flinched at the tiger’s attempt to rattle the cage wall or its pained reaction at its electrocution.

“No, I’m just bored now. Bored of this pathetic rescue attempt and of this chit chat. I had a whole evening planned. I have a dozen armed guards in that house, and if all else failed, I have a hungry, angry tiger in that cage. It turns out that luck isn’t on your side tonight, my friends.”

He raised his gun.

“NOW!” Dylan called out, kicking the gun out of Krauss’s hand while Lucas ducked and rolled out of the way. The gun fell to the floor, and Krauss yelled out.

“Flip! The guards!” Network hissed, careful to use Dylan’s alias instead.

Flip was attempting to deliver some physical blows at Krauss but he was dodging every single one. “Don’t worry about them, I got it covered!” he shouted back, dodging a knee strike to his leg.

Network glanced over to the house, wondering how it was that he had it covered.

But the roar gave it away.

And the cries and shouts that followed it.

And then the gun shots.

“I’ll explain later!” Flip offered, whilst trying to steal a kick at Krauss, which missed the mark. Network felt a bit helpless. Help Flip, who was a better fighter than he was (normally speaking), go into the house, or stick with the tiger?

“The police should be here, Flip!” Network shouted as he threw a garden chair at an agile Krauss.

“You called them? I had it covered,” Flip replied, creating distance between himself and Krauss for a breather.

“And I said no to the bear!”

“He’s Grizzly George! And we would have had twelve guns on our asses otherwise!”

“What the hell have you done in there?” Krauss yelled, looking at the house in horror, the human cries and the shooting quietening down.

“We just bought a bear with us to this pathetic rescue attempt!” Flip called out. “And I’d say you have less than two minutes before he gets out here. How lucky are you feeling now?” The shooting had stopped from inside and Krauss looked over, not sure what to expect.

A voice from inside the house yelled “NOOOOO! Please don’t hurt me!” and immediately after that, the glass garden doors shattered into thousands of pieces as the man was thrown right through it. Krauss gulped and looked nervously at the house, wondering what was going to happen next. He realised the game was up. In the distance, sirens could be heard approaching.

The bear charged out of the doors on its four legs, not even flinching on the shards of tiny glass. It roared, standing up on its two back legs, announcing its arrival, and a job well done in the house. Network turned to the tiger who had now curiously approached the bars of the cage and watched on with a new found calmness.

The bear returned to its all fours and prowled over to a petrified Ashley Krauss, stopping just two metres in front of him. Krauss stared, and trembled. Network and Flip in comparison were not phased at all.

“Let the tiger go,” the bear instructed in a rather well-spoken accent, which almost sounded British. Krauss stuttered something unrecognisable, but didn’t move. He probably couldn’t move through fear. “Go on, open the cage.”

Krauss scurried to the cage and opened it, scuttling away from the door in case the tiger got too close.

Network gave the tiger a nervous look.

Noticing this, George responded, “Relax, Network. She won’t hurt anyone.” And turning to the tiger, he reassured her. “It’s ok, you can come out. This man isn’t going to hurt you.”

A noise from the house startled the tiger, who had now made it out of the cage. Lieutenant Black was stood over the crumpled heap that was the unconscious man who had been thrown from the house. She had a police ballistic vest under a hooded top and a baseball cap with SFPD across the front.

“Krauss,” Flip said, “go over to the nice police lady with the gun.” He looked around at the sight in front of him and ran eagerly over to Lieutenant Black, preferring the safety of police custody.

“No one go anywhere. I’ll be right back,” she called out, escorting Krauss out back through the house. When she had gone, conversation got heated like a class talking when the teacher leaves the room.

“Dylan?!” Lucas started, accusatory, dropping the aliases.

“What?? I think it’s ‘thank you’ you’re looking for!” he challenged. “George has done us a hundred here by turning up.”

“It was honestly no bother,” George said, humbled.

“Look, I’m sorry George,” Lucas said, turning to the bear. “I had no idea you were coming. I told Dylan not to get you involved…. And why is anyone else not scared about the tiger being out of the cage?” he wondered, stepping aside to show the tiger laying calmly on the grass, as if not a care in the world.

“Bao was incredibly anxious in that harmful prison,” Grizzly George began to explain, “and she wants nothing more than to be free from any confines.” Bao, as if again knowing what was being said, got up and moved towards Grizzly and sat down on her hind legs.

“And you got all that from her since getting here? That’s rad!” exclaimed Dylan.

“Her whole life has been spent cooped up, stared at. Trapped. And despite moving half way across the world, that cycle still has not been broken. Until now.” George explained.

“Well I’m not allowing that tiger to prowl the streets of my city,” Lieutenant Black called out, having crept up on the discussion.

“I’m not suggesting you do, Lieutenant,” shot back George, facing the officer.

“Well then what are you suggesting?”

“That she returns with me and seeks solace and freedom within my team.”

“That tiger is the property of the zoo,” Black argued back.

George shook his head in dismay. “That tiger has a name, and it is Bao. And a zoo is no life for a kind like Bao. No, she will be safe and looked after with us. And she will be free.” The cat’s green eyes looked like they were glowing with agreement. She stretched forward and leaned back as if doing yoga and looked at Lieutenant Black. As did Lucas and Dylan.

“You could just say that she had gone by the time you got back?” suggested Lucas.

“What?! There’s a dozen cops back there waiting until I give them the word. How are you going to get a grizzly bear and a high value stolen tiger past all of them?” Black scoffed.

“I was just thinking we would go over the garden perimeter over there and into the hills where the rest of the Woodland Warriors are waiting,” reasoned George.

Black huffed. “And I assume you’re going with them?” she asked, looking at Dylan and Lucas.

“At least to the rendezvous point.”

Black huffed again and looked back at the house. Turning back to the animals and humans, she had made her decision. “You have two minutes. Go!” she instructed sharply.

Lucas nodded in appreciation and none of them hung around longer than they needed. George led the way, Bao and Dylan running behind and Lucas brought up the rear. What a sight, Lucas thought. Dylan helped Lucas over the garden wall before flipping himself over. The animals made light work of it and into the darkness they went.

***

Lucas and Dylan were at The Facility recounting the weekend’s events to Madam Secretary, Brad and Terri.

Since Black let them escape, Bao was taken in by George, Boy Beaver and Nova back at their woodland base camp called The Lodge. Lieutenant Black had taken some grief for ‘losing’ the tiger, but Madam Secretary had done her bit to clear it up with the Chief.

“Well played though Dylan, good call getting in George,” complimented Brad.

Lucas felt the dig and the absence of compliment his way, but did his best to hide the fact he had. He felt a bit embarrassed about going in to Krauss’s without a plan, for pretty much not being of any use fighting Krauss and his refusal to involve George in the first place. The recall of the weekend Lucas and Dylan had had didn’t really show Lucas in a good light.

But where was Brad’s hate coming from? Lucas thought, thinking that they were supposed to be making an effort with each other.

It wasn’t always like this. They were friends up until what happened two and half years ago. Perhaps they were never going to be able to move on from it.

Next week we finally find out what happened all those years ago between Lucas and Brad to have caused this wedge to be driven between them.

...Find out in Network #4, ‘Quake!’