Guardian Angels
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Upon receiving an coded message from Isan that informed her that Sebastian Stone had kidnapped Gjai, Saipia proceeded to move forward with arresting Sebastian and Ashley. However, she realized that even with the four new recruits, they were still outmatched by the villain. In an effort to not only gain more troops, but also to finally reveal deep secrets about herself, Saipia took Erica around to the homes of thirteen friends. Of them was her ex-girlfriend, Isan and the rest of the Coalition, an African wild dog named Rozzie and a gazelle named Miti who were revealed to be Saipia's real sister and nice, Liv Aston, and a panther named Rex that Saipia used to date. However, upon seeing a prostitute in Rex's home, Saipia became enraged with jealousy, and when she caught Erica eying the rabbit, she gave the leopard a fresh set of scars. As Saipia's rage escaladed, Erica was forced to put the blue canine in handcuffs. Now, stressed out, tired and sore, Erica is eager to learn just what is going on.
Episode 20: "Unravel" Part 2: "The Plan"
Erica leaned forward in a chair as Linda looked at the wounds spralled across her back. "Perhaps, Miss Martin, it wasn't such a good idea to reveal to Saipia that you have synthetic skin," the human woman commented as she dabbed an alcohol soaked rag on the cuts.
"Like I had a choice. If Lyst didn't have that damn barrier around her shop, Saipia would still be non-the-wiser," the leopard replied.
The tiger who was standing nearby scratched the back of her neck innocently. "Yeah, sorry about that. Although, I have no intention of tunring it off. There are a lot of people that come into my shop that wouldn't hesitate to disguise themselves. And with us fifteen normally hiding our true colors, it would be very easy for someone to disguise themselves as one of us. You'd be surprised how many blue wolves I've met over the years."
"Whatever. So, Isan, just what is the plan of Saipia's anyway?" Erica asked.
"Yes. I am curious to know what my daughter as up to, as well. Especially since it caused you all caused me a lot of grief and sweat and did a bucket load of damage to Erica and the rest of her team. Like, do you know how hard it is to create a full prosthetic body for someone who's not actually dead? Granted, you'd think it would be a hell of a lot easier, but the live ones don't move around and complain about the procedures. That and all my procedures are designed for the dead," Linda replied.
"Wait, you're Saipia's mother? I thought Zoyah..." started Jack.
"Zoyah is a very good friend of the family. Saipia and her mother were great friends. When you're as old as Saipia is, it's hard to stay out of the spotlight. So, when Zoyah met Timothy, she and Saipia formed an agreement. She would pose as Saipia and Gjai's mother. Luckily, Peter and Ryan took to those two very well," explained Linda.
"I remember you being pissed about that initially," Zimi said.
The brunette human woman gave the lion a warning glance. "I still am. However, Saipia is far old enough to make her own decisions. And I understand why she did what she did."
"Wait, if you're Saipia's mother, then just how old are you?" James questioned.
"Old enough to not make a second thought on voting for Genoid rights. And old enough to know your mother, James. She laughed her ass off when she told the doctor's face when she told him she was naming you James. I was pretty funny," replied Linda as she took a closer look at the cleaned wounds on Erica's back.
The maned wolf smiled at that as everyone turned their attention to her. "That sounds like my mother."
Kammy casually stood from her seat and walked over to Erica. "Those do look pretty bad. Looks like Saipia intentionally sliced through the synthetic skin and a couple other important fuctions. My word, Miss Martin, there is only one other person I know of that has more prosthetic work than you do."
"Two, actually," Linda corrected. "I don't look this young naturally, you know. Believe it or not, I'm a Genoid myself. I just usually don't wear my fur."
"Well, you do. But your optical camaflouge is a little better than most," said Lyst.
"Showing off your granddaughter's skills isn't very becoming of you, Prophetess," Linda retorted, causing the tiger to blush.
"Anyway. If everyone's done reminising, I'd like my questions answered. By Isan, if she's willing," Erica said.
"Might as well find it out. It'll take me a while to do the repairs that need to be done. And I'll need you to stop by my shop sometime today or tomorrow so I can make sure everything's in order," Linda replied.
"And why Isan? I'm second in command of Saipia's team," commented Liv.
"Yes. That's true. However, just as I'm not the second in command of Angels, she still trusts me more than the others. The same is true about Isan. Why else would she order her to lead her family to piss off someone so powerful like Sebastian. That guy's an idiot, but he still has a lot of power," said Erica.
Isan smiled and stood to that. "Well, there is the fact that she can just spontaneuously turn into a nasty bitch when she wants to. Then again, she is a female wolf. However, are you sure you really want to know her plan?" Erica simply smiled as Linda got out her tools and Kammy ran over to her bag and got tools of her own.
"Let me do this one, Linda. I went to school for six years to get my bio-engineering degree and I hardly ever get to use it. I'm overly grateful for that maid-bot you gave us," the lioness insisted.
"Right. How is she? I've never done a single repair on her. Nor Saipia's but Saipia has similar excuse as you do," Linda said as she took a step back from Erica's back.
"I've increased her productivity and intelligence by nearly five-hundred precent. She's also gotten some security upgrades and now functions as both maid and secuirty officer. Well, she and the sisters I made for her," Kammy replied as she put on leather gloves and goggles.
"Anyway, since you're all here and Saipia is cooling off in her cell, I guess it's safe to tell you everything. But, you're not going to like it. We didn't. The only reason why we follow Saipia's orders is because...well, the original reason was because we felt sorry for what happened to her. But, now, I suppose it's because she family and a great leader. We'd trust her with our lives, and do more than I figured for her. I guess it started a about a few months ago, when Liv first came across him," Isan said.
* * *
Liv Aston busied herself with filling out paperwork. It was important paperwork. It would start the process to close all her illegal brothels and other businesses. It was time for her to start a new life, as a discussion with Saipia not too long before warned her of jail time if she didn't. However, she was understandibly apprehensive about it. She wasn't going to get a lot of money out of it. In fact the only income she'd get was from the buildings. She had already assigned several crews to fix up those buildings she was looking to sell. Everything had to be perfect and clean. She was hoping the amount she was spending on renovations would be made up in sales, but, it wasn't looking promising.
There was a heavy knock on her door, which drew her attention away from her paperwork, causing her to sigh in frustratoin. In the shadows behind her, a young female fox wearing a black qipao and black pants took a couple steps forward before Liv stopped her. "It's alright, Kessa, I need a break, anyway," the black zebra said. Liv waited for Kessa to return to her spot in the shadows before turning to the door. "Please, come in,"
The door opened and Sebastian stepped through with a wicked smiled on his face. "Sorry to disturb you, madam, but I hear you're getting ready to sell a good chunk of your company."
"That's right," Liv said and she could hear her bodyguard shift behind her.
"Well, I would be interested in buying a few of those companies. I can't afford them all, but I can give you more than you're expecting for some of them," said the human man.
"I don't know. I'm mainly looking to close my doors. However, I could use the money. As it stands, right now, I'll have to fire a lot of my staff, simply because I won't be able to afford to keep them on. Most of my staff depends on their jobs to provide for their families," Liv said and thought about the offer for a moment.
"Don't worry. If I get caught, you can have plausable deniablilty," Sebastian commented.
"If you get caught, you're on your own. I cannot be envolved in any of your illegal activities. And I don't even want to know about them," Liv replied. The powerful woman glanced behind to see what Kessa's reaction was. She could sense the vixen was tense and didn't trust this strange human at all, but, despite that, Liv was still seriously considering the offer. "Well, I'll have to think about it. Why don't you give me your card and I'll call you and give you my verdict."
Sebastian smiled at that. Stuffing a grimy hand into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a plan white, unimpressive card that had nothing but his name and phone number on it. That was another red flag to Liv as she, herself had a card like that, but that was when she was just getting into illegal activities. Several of her contacts had similar cards. Many of the names on the cards were fake, though, but not having distinguishing marks or details on your business card redused the risk of being tracked and arrested. Often, like with herself, the numbers were either payphones or dispoable cellphones with the GPS tracker disabled. The latter is what Liv used for a while. "I sure hope we can do business, Miss Aston." said the human who slowly stood to his feet and left the room.
After a moment to make sure Sebastian wasn't going to slip back through the door, Kessa stepped from her spot in the shadows. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she instantly asked. "He smells of death...and stupidity. And it would be the stupidity that I'm most concerned about."
"I am well aware of your opinions, Kessa," Liv replied, merely glancing at the fox before returning her attention to the simple piece of paper in her hand which she held at arms length, as if it would try to attack her if it got too close. "And I do value them. Personally, I completely agree with you. And, under normal circumstances, I would never consider doing business with him, and probably would have banned him from my home and places of business. After all, it is people like him that got me into the mess I'm in to begin with."
Kessa turned slightly towards her boss and looked down on her with a scolding glare. "With all due respect, Madam Aston, your current predicament is your own fault. Granted, the people you did business with didn't help much, but you chose to do business with them. I told you when you started this whole thing NOT to do anything illegal. But, you have a tendancy to completely ignore my advice."
Liv nodded her elongated head. "Right. Because you're supposed to be a bodyguard, not a counselor. Besides, you told me not to more out of fear of Saipia than anything else. Just don't forget I know her better than you ever will."
"So, that's what we are, huh? Simply bodyguards? I could have sworn Saipia told you guys to pick people you trust completely to the point of being considered for a position on your little team. Or did I get this tattoo for nothing," Kessa commented and held up the back of hand on which was tattooed "2½".
Liv sighed and stood to her feet. She lovingly wrapped her arms around her friend and bodyguard. Kessa returned the embrace. After a moment Liv released the fox and gave her an apologetic look. "You know you're more than just a bodyguard. And I'm sorry for not listening to you when I should. However, now is not the time to argue amongst ourselves. I would like to contact Saipia about this newcomer see what she suggests."
Kessa nodded. "Speaking of Saipia, is she ever going to get a bodyguard herself? After all us Fifteen Halfs were her idea. And there only fourteen of us, at the moment."
"Actually, I think she does have someone in mind. However, knowing her, she'll probably make her a full fledged member of the team," Liv answered with a smirk.
The vixen put a hand on her hip. "Of course. I'll make the arrangements for you."
"Great. Thanks Kessa. That'll allow me to finish this paperwork," the black zebra replied.
* * *
It was a couple days later that Live finally got together with the wolf cop at Saipia's favorite restaurant that was the only one in the city that sold raw meet to their Genoid customers upon request. From the moment Saipia first discovered the place, the owners and every employee knew her by name. The white, casually dressed canine was already part of the way through a large stack of raw beef ribs complete with bones. Bones were something Saipia loved but hardly ever ate them publically and NEVER while she was in her blue fur.
As Liv approached, she could hear Saipia's strong, wolf jaws crack into a bone before she pulled it out and set it aside for later. The instant Liv sat down, a waiter was at te table, ready to take her order. "I think I'll go with the acestory bit, as well, and just have a nice salad. Without any dressing please," said Liv.
"Told you guys. I know my friends," Saipia commented after swallowing a chunk of meat.
"I never have understood how you can eat that stuff. And I don't mean that I think it's gross. I mean, aren't you..." Liv remarked with a smile.
"Ah yes. That is something that I cannot thank my mother enough for. Without her smarts, I couldn't enjoy my favortie foods," said Saipia as she cleaned the meat off another rib.
Liv laughed at her slightly younger friend as she leaned back in her bench and watched the wolf devour the meat. Both knew why they were there and Liv knew Saipia wasn't going to take a break from her food, especially when she was wearing her wolf pup bib. "You look absolutely rediculous, Sai. You are aware of that aren't you?"
Saipia nodded emphatically. "That's why I'm in my white fur and casual clothes. Not many people recognize me in both colors."
Liv's laughter just got louder. "Anyway, I got a visit the other day from a very interesting human. Offered to buy some of my businesses.' at this point, Liv produced the business card from the pocket of her business jaacket and set it on the table. "As you may have guessed, Kessa and I are a bit worried about this Sebastian Stone."
Saipia paused in her eating when she saw the card. A bone in one hand she picked up the card with the other, turning it over in her hands. "This card is weird. It's messing with my optics," Saipia commented.
"What? It's embedded?" Liv asked shocked by the news. The fact that someone would go to the trouble of embedding a non-decript white business card with anything was a bit more worrisome than just a plain white card.
"Yeah. With a message to me. All it says is that he knows about the Fifteen and he plans to get revenge us for killing mother, Alicia Stone," Saipia replied.
"Alica Stone? Wasn't she that bitch that tried to kill you way back..." Liv commented as her salad arrived.
"A few years after my little...uh...reappearance. Went off about trying to clense the world of my kind. The only thing was, I seem to remember her being a Genoid," Saipia commented as she toyed with the card a bit more before tossing it on the table and taking a bit from a bone as if it were a carrot.
"Right. A badger if I recall. What in hell? But as far as I could tell, Alicia never had any kids. And if she did, they'd be far older than this kid was. And they'd be Genoids," said Liv.
The wolf shrugged. "Maybe he's like Linda: a Genoid in human skin."
Liv thought about that. "But isn't that little procedure top secret? It's extremely hard to go between human and Genoid bodies. I mean, you should know that."
"I do. And you're right. And, with all things considered, we are going to want to find out a lot more about Sebastian," Saipia replied and took another bike out of a bone, letting the sound of crunching bones fill the restaurant. Something the other patrons didn't much care for.
Liv smiled. "And I suppose you have a plan already, huh?"
"Of course. What we need to do is get someone on the inside. So, you'll call him up and accept his deal, then after he gets established, I'll have Isan and her siblings pose as a notorious gang. Sebastian will get nervous of them, and try to get them to join him. They'll accept and from there, they'll gather the information we need," explained the canine.
"You do know Isan won't be happy with that idea. She's made it missoin not to break the law," Liv replied.
"I know. But she'll do it anyways," said Saipia.
Liv sighed and shook her head. "You're can be a real bitch sometimes, Sai. You should take advantage of her feelings for you like that. If you get her killed because of something like that, Kammy and the others will kick your ass, and the Fourteen of us will turn against you."
Saipia nodded. "I do my best not to take advantage of her feelings. And it's not my intention to do that here. I mean, I know that's why she'll do it, but I will never ask anything of her to take advantage of her. She was my girlfriend once upon a time."
* * *
"...and the rest you know," Isan finished as Erica put on a shirt over the fresh bandages that covered her new scars.
"Yeah. I do unfortunately. I would guess that the Angels battling it out with you guys was also part of her plan, right?" said the leopard. Isan nodded silently.
At that moment, Chief Anderton practically jumped out of his room. "Hey everyone, we found Mayor Ashley. We need to move before she gets away from us. Erica, let Saipia out of her cell, please. And take the new recruits with you. This will be good warm up for Sebastian."
"Yes, sir," Erica replied and quickly went to free her commander as the rest of the Angels got their gear together. "Isan. Why don't you and the rest of the Fifteen meet at Saipia's house. And bring your bodyguards with you. I am interested in meeting everyone and her house is bigger than this place. Just remember to take your shoes off at the door."
"Sounds good," Isan replied as her and Liv the others headed out the door to their respective cars.
* * *
With Saipia back in charge and sufficiently, calmed down, the Angels could once again look ot her for leadership. And, as they approached Ashley's hideout, they were glad. "Alright. Jimmy, what do we know about this place," the blue wolf asked.
"Well, from what I can tell, it's just a simply mansion. Nothing special at all," the border collie replied.
"I don't think she's expecting us," Jack remarked.
"That's good. Last thing we need is gun battle," James added.
Erica was silently glaring at her commander. "Captain Martin, is there something you wish to say to me?"
"Yes, there is, actually. I'm going to recommend you for a psych evaluation when this is all over. You may look like you're calm to everyone else, but I can almost smell your anger. And if an ex-boyfriend from fifty years ago has got you all riled up this much, I have to question your capability as a leader," Erica replied, causing the rest in the van to snap their heads towards the leopard in shock.
Saipia blinked the awe from her own eyes as she determined if Erica was serious. "Erica, you've been..."
"Don't give me that crap. You're forgetting that I'm a profiler. And, as a captain, it is my duty to evaluate and assess the mental state of my superiors. The only problem is, I fear that Jimmy, Bryan and I are the only ones that don't have some mental or emotional issue," Erica interrupted.
Jack scoffed at that. "You've got to be crazy as hell or stupid to be challenging Saipia like that."
"No, Jack. Erica's completely right. My emotions can get the best of me," Saipia said and she shrugged and straightened up as best she could in the little van. "What can I say. I'm old. Sue me." After a moment and a heavy sigh, she looked back at Erica. "Your concerns are noted, Captain and your recommendation is accepted. I suppose you know a good shrink."
"Isn't one of the bodyguards a shrink?" Erica asked.
"A couple of them. And both are very good. But, I think I'll avoid Ginger. Having her shift through my life while I'm getting a counseling session would be a little weird, I think. Anyways, we're here. Now, listen up, Angels. Don't bring any assault rifles or anything like that. Blue Betties and pistols should be plenty. I don't think we're going to encounter much resistance here," ordered the wolf.
"You really think Ashley's going to let her guard down that much?" Jack asked.
Saipia nodded. "What do you think Erica. You think she'll be guarded?"
The feline shook her head. "No. She's pretty cocky and doesn't think you're as smart as you are. In fact, she thinks Genoids in general are just stupid animals."
"Stupid enough to hide herself in her own house," remarked James.
"However. She is trained slightly in sword fighting. Not nearly as much as Saipia herself, but still. She'd be more than a match for a normal intruder. I would also be wary of her maids. Most are Genoids, so they already have more strength than humans, and I know for a fact that a few of them have extensive martial arts training," Erica replied.
Saipia smiled. "But, if you know those one personally, then we don't have to worry, do we?"
"Nope. In fact, I would say we probably won't even see and maids. Especially since I called ahead and told them we were coming. Most of them were more worried about running into you than about Ashley's wrath."
The small group laughed at that. "Yeah. I think we can all relate to that," Jimmy commented.
"Speaking of Saipia. I've been wondering, if you're supposed to be over 70-years-old, then why do you look like you're only 20. All you Fifteen look that way," James asked.
"I'll explain that after we're finished here. Right now, however, it's time to bust this bitch once and for all. We can use her to get a lot more information and dirt on Sebastian," Saipia said as she opened the back doors of the van.
As they stepped out Saipia turned casually towards Erica who quickly spun around to the rest of the group. "Alright, everyone, James and Jack, you two stay here with Bryan and watch the van. Saipia, Jimmy, and I will go inside and bring Ashley out. Keep your comms on, in case we need some backup."
"Wait, who made you second in command?" James asked, her hands quickly going to her hips.
"No one...yet. But, if Erica's going to be my bodyguard, I'll probably make her second in command soon. In fact. There are rumors that I might be up for another promotion. If that happens, I'll probably put Erica up for a promotion as well. Making her a commander," Saipia replied.
"But I've been your second in command for ages," complained the maned wolf.
"And it's that attitude right there that's not going to keep you as my second in command," said Saipia finitely, ending the argument.
As Jimmy, Erica and Saipia casually strolled up to the door in full uniforms, they were surprisingly calm. Although Saipia was tired and entirely ready to end her long day, she more eager to arrest Ashley and get more information from her about Sebastian. Erica was also tired and was looking forward to working on some of the cars in her garage that evening. And Jimmy was used to long, stressful days.
Nonchalantly, Saipia knocked on the door to the mansion. After a moment, a young skunk in a French maid uniform opened the door with a friendly smile. The three cops showed the spotted mephite their badges, and, in the native Spanish of her species home, she let them in and told them where Ashley was was. As the group started up, Erica placed her hand on Saipia's shoulder and pointed to the top of the stairs and a large set of solid oak doors. She then clenched a fist and mocked a stabbing motion with it. Jimmy and Sai nodded in understanding and the small group drew their guns and carefully and quietly made their way up the stairs.
Part way up, Saipia paused and removed her shoes and socks, letting her naturally padded paws mute her footfalls. Erica and Jimmy followed suit. All the while, their ken ears listened to Ashley's breathing behind the door and her hands gripping the hilt of her sword. The carpeted stairs and floors meant Saipia's and Jimmy's unseathable claws couldn't click against the floor and give away their position. Thankful for that, the group eased up the stairs and quickly got into position. Jimmy made his way to the right side of the door while Saipia and Erica moved to the left. Silently, Erica moved until she was directly across from the door. All bodies were tense as the silence set in. The Genoids picked up way more than Ashley could. They knew she was scared and worried. They knew she knew it was over. But, she was certainly going to try and make a last attempt to free herself.
Without a word, Saipia put three fingers in the air as she glanced briefly to the other two cops. Slowly, she dropped a finger. Then another. After the third one fell she spun around towards the door, but didn't count on Ashley's reaction time. As Saipia turned, the door flung open and a sharp sword came down on Saipia's right arm, slicing it off. But, to everyone's amazement, no blood poured out of the wound. Instead, sparks fired off and a purple lubricate oozed out. "Dammit! Do you know how much this body cost? Mom's gonna be pissed," snapped the blue canine.
To Be Continued.
