"Guardian Angels"

Guardian Angels

Last Time:

Eager to hunt down the rest of the Genoid Abduction Rings, Saipia and the other Angels were irritated to have Mayor Ashley put them on a babysitting assignment. And What made it worse, was the person they were babysitting was outstanding anti-Genoid activist and comedian Larry Sancheiz. But, when Ashley puts a hit out on Sanzheiz to further distrat the Angels from her illegal activities, Commander Saipia's sister comes to the rescue and Larry's opinion of the Genoids is changed. But, now the Angels have two problems: a mayor who's not afraid to shove her power around to get them out of the way while she commits her crimes, and the Abduction rings which can function freely with the Angels playing errand boys.

Episode 4: "Guardian Angels"

October in Hollywood. Strangely peaceful, yet a little restless at the same time. The boarder between the human city and the Genoid city was deserted, if only due to the relative coldness of the month. Sixty degrees felt a bit chilly when you've gotten used to ninety degree weather. A mother fox and her kits poked around a corner of a building on the human side of the city. The kids were young: the boy was only 4 and his sister was 2, yet, even at that age, both understood how important getting home was.

Although the streets seemed quiet, they never were. It was a guarantee that someone or something was eagerly watching the streets, waiting for a new victim to capture. Oddly enough, it wasn't the human side that the mother was worried about, but the Genoid side.

There had been word that the largest Genoid run abduction ring had moved and was eagerly looking for new merchandise. It had even been rumored that the leader of the abduction rings, Liv Ashton, was doing patrols in person. Of all the Genoids, she was the one you really didn't want to run into. Liv saw the humans as clients and didn't really care what happened to them or what they wanted as long as she got paid. She saw her fellow Genoids as expendable income. In human terms, she would be considered a psychopath, to the Genoids she was more of a supervillain, either way, she wasn't anyone you wanted to run into.

The vixen sniffed the air to see if she could smell any danger. Unfortunately, for her, the heavy scent of decaying leaves, humidity laden air and dilapidated buildings covered any extra scents. Although, she thought she could smell some other Genoids, she wasn't sure. Nonetheless, she had to make this run across the park that laid between the two halves of the city. It was supposed to be a sign of peace when the park was built, but, now, it was just open ground where a lot of Genoids were kidnapped and many rapes were committed on both sides of the boarder. Marianne had no intention of becoming a statistic. She had two young kids to worry about.

Unfortunately, her husband wasn't so lucky. A month prior, he had been on his way home from work when he was kidnapped, never to be seen again. Peter Jones had witnessed the event and informed the vixen of it personally. A couple weeks later, Peter also informed her that Liv had taken a personal liking to her husband and made him her personally slave. Marianne was a little surprised about that, as she had heard that Liv was a lesbian. However, Peter mentioned that she wasn't using him for sex.

Taking a deep breath and a final look around, Marianne lifted her son to her daughter to her shoulder and took her son's hand firmly in hers. The three of them zipped out from their hiding spot. "Come on Max, hurry, hurry," she encouraged in a lively tone. She had learned that her son responded to games better than anything so she treated everything as such.

As she ran, the red and white canine picked up the scent of sex and matted fur. Liv's goons were close, which only made her run faster. She was thankful that her children were oblivious to the full extent of the danger that surrounded them. There were tails of families being abducted from their homes or while on a picnic. The parents were usually trained as slaves and sold off while the kids were conditioned and taught to be slaves from an early age. However, the Jones' Brothers mentioned that Liv only ordered such a kidnapping on demand, but warned that Liv didn't always keep the children. If the black zebra wasn't in the mood, she might kill the children and dump their bodies somewhere public as warning. Other times, a client would request the entire family. Liv usually charged a small fortune for something like that, but the clients that asked for it usually paid their dues.

What made Lady Ashton worse is she didn't simply run one or two of the rings, but all of them in Hollywood and Los Angeles. And she was looking to expand, buying up or taking over other abduction rings in places as far away as Seattle. She stayed beneath the radar of the cops because she tended to sell the mayors of the cities their slaves at a discount. She was a smart businesswoman, with several degrees from Harvard and other prestigious universities. She even, to the surprise of most, practice the concept of "a happy worker is a productive worker" often providing her employees and slaves with great health care at the human hospitals and excellent living conditions. She did her best not to raise her voice and often spoke in a motherly tone to everyone. But, no amount of acting could hide the fact that she was insane.

When the Angels had raided their first abduction ring, Liv actually congratulated them for removing her worst abduction ring. It actually did her a huge favor. It had been a liability, and, with it out of the way, her business began to see a steady increase. But, Liv wasn't dumb enough to meet the Genoid police squad in person, and often used her connections and relationships to get around being caught, as was the case with one of her Genoid run abduction rings. Through her little puppet, Mayor Ashley, she had the Angels looking the other way whilst she moved the hideout. Of course, Liv did that the moment she found out one of her goons had been arrested.

Luckily, Lady Ashton didn't have any orders for children that day, and the three made it safely to the Genoid houses on the other side of the park. Without stopping, Marianne quickly made her way to her house, constantly looking over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She hated working at the human hospital solely because she was so afraid she would be kidnapped and never see her kids again. That was the main reason why she had taken to bringing her children with her everywhere she went.

As soon as they were safely inside the house, she had the kids go off and play while she made dinner for them. Entering the kitchen of their little house, Marianne could sense more than smell watchful eyes on her. It wouldn't be long now. Her number had been drawn and Liv had her spies watching her, waiting to pounce. What broke her heart even more was it was probably her own husband that had suggested his own family for slavery. It was something Liv had learned to do relatively quickly. "Slaves always have the best suggestions," she once told someone.

Max and Lacy were completely unaware of this impending danger. They didn't see their mother cry as she weekly made what was probably one of the last meals she would ever cook. She couldn't take any solace in the fact that her friends would miss her, as all her friends had been abducted. No one at her worked cared about her enough to morn her disappearance. Maybe, just maybe, the Angels would hear of her abduction and shed a tear. This was what the mother fox prayed as she stirred the spaghetti noodles, her tears mixing with the water. Though, she didn't once pray for her own safety. She just wanted her children to be safe. "Father, please send your angels to protect my children. Don't let Max and Lacy become slaves to that witch. Give them hope; give them a future like your book says," she muttered as she wiped tears from her eyes, the dinner ready to be consumed.

The two children came quickly when their mother called them as they always did. Max took a moment to survey his mother in her long yellow dress. The look in her eyes was filled with wishful hope. He knew deep inside him that something was wrong. Lacy, however, was completely oblivious to the despair engraved in her mother's face.

They ate in silence. Marianne not wanting to risk spoiling her final moments with her children. Once everyone was done, the vixen put the plates in the sink, not bothering to even rinse them, nor did she bother to put away the food. She simply turned to her children and beamed. "So, what do you two want to do? Anything you want. Name it and we'll do it." And she kept her word. That evening was spent in pure bliss. Her children were happy, she was happy, and she almost forgot about her fate.

It was nearly two in the morning on Halloween when the three fell asleep in front of the TV, a big tub of ice cream on the table in front of them. The house was now a mess, but no one cared. Ice cream melted over the glass coffee table, some dripped onto the floor, intrenching itself so it would never come completely out. The kitchen looked as if a bomb went off. They had a food fight earlier, and but in the end, Liv wanted her children to be clean if she was taken away, so she gave them baths and got them dressed in pajamas and got their favorite blankets and stuffed animals.

They were fast asleep when their door was kicked in. Marianne woke up slowly. When she saw the masked men, she gave a sigh and gave her children a kiss goodbye before willingly going with the men. But, to her horror, a female black panther slipped by her and picked up Lacy. The feline rushed out the door to a waiting van. When Marianne turned her attention to the door, she was suddenly looking deep into the eyes of Liv Ashton, the black zebra blended well into the night. The horse smiled wickedly at the fox before casually walking around her and lifting Max to her shoulder. "Your little Murry was right, Marianne, you will make a fine slave, I think. As will these two. They are at the perfect age to shape and mold into obedient little whores."

Marianne said nothing out loud, but silently prayed her prayer again. She prayed with every fiber in her being that God would protect her children. "Don't worry, my special little treasures, your guardian angels will protect you," she muttered under her breath as a warm feeling of content washed over her.

Liv laughed. "I always find it so funny when they pray," she commented to her goons as if Marianne couldn't hear. With a gentleness that seemed out of place for the situation, Liv reached out and wrapped a hand around the fox's right breast before giving her a loving kiss. "If there was a God, don't you think He would have sent someone to rescue you by now? But, alas, when I mentioned that I was looking for a new personal little toy, your beloved little husband told me all about you. I just love making love to married women."

Marianne just smiled at her new mistress, causing the older woman to smile. "Come, my little slave, be a good little girl and follow me," Liv said in a gentle tone, that somehow put the fox more at ease, despite her knowing better.

Like a little puppy following it's owner, Marianne did as she was told and followed the zebra out to the waiting van. This was the beginning of a new life for her, and she simply had to accept that. But, something inside her told her that her children were going to be just fine. Which, simply made her smile.

***

It was a long trip, but the children slept the whole way. Wrapped in the arms of the enemy, they slept. "Take good care of them," Marianne half pleaded with Liv and the panther.

The panther glanced at her boss and gave a pleasant smile. "Despite what you might have heard, I would never harm a child. Especially not ones as young as this. They will be taken care of. But, be careful what you wish for, my dear. One of these two might be asked to please one day, and they shall do it without hesitation," the horse informed the mother.

There was honesty in those words. Perhaps Liv wasn't as evil as everyone made her out to be. The way the villain gently petted her son as he slept on her lap put her further at ease. "You know, I was a mother myself once upon a time. Then, I came home one day from work and he was gone. The humans blamed the Genoids and the Genoids blamed the humans. His body was later discovered floating in a river near my house. Apparently the babysitter had taken him for a walk and took her eyes off him for a second. It was a simple accident and everyone used it as an excuse to point fingers. The funeral was covered up and the actual cause of death was denied. They wanted a war, and used my son to get it. That's why I don't care about humans or Genoids. Everyone is expendable to me. But, no matter how hard I try, I still have not been able to harm a hair on a boy's head. They remind me too much of my own son."

'Why did you tell me this?" Marianne asked.

"Because, my dear, I wanted you to know that your son would be safe," Liv replied.

So, the evil villain was simply a mother trying to not only replace the son she had lost, but also seeking revenge on those that used her pain and loss for their own selfish and personal gains. As Marianne sat there, she actually began feeling sorry for herself. But, there was more to Liv's story than that. It wasn't the babysitter who had killed her son, who was birthed through rape. Liv had done it herself. And it wasn't that boys simply reminded her of her son, but they haunted her. She regretted killing her son, but she didn't want to be constantly reminded of how he was created. And when the humans and Genoids took an obvious homicide and turned into an subject of contention, the true evil within her surfaced and she became the deceptive creature she was. However, the story she told Marianne, is the one she believes actually happened.

***

Once they arrived at Liv's mansion, Marianne was allowed to give her children a final farewell before she was lead away to Liv's personal quarters to await further instructions. Once the fox was out of hearing range, Liv turned to her goons. "Put the girl in the nursery. The boy..." the zebra took a long look at the slipping kit. "Take him to the mothers. And if anyone harms him, I'll make sure they die a very horrible death. Understand?"

Three Genoids gave each other puzzling looks. "Umm..." started the panther.

"Do you want me to get my whip, Angelina?" snapped the leader.

The mention of the whip made the younger woman stand up straight, the memory of the sting of the leather against her skin rushing back to her mind. "No, ma'am. It's just that it's not like you to..."

"I know," sighed Liv. "Don't concern yourselves with me, though. I'll be fine. I have a new toy to try out."

As Liv turned and walked off towards her room, the two male goons left the panther by herself. Angelina heaved a heavy sigh. Motioning for a maid to take care of Lacy, she picked up Max and carried him to an isolated part of the mansion on the top floor. As she walked, the boy opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of a strange woman. "Mama?" he cooed tiredly.

"You're mother's fine. She just needed some time to herself for a little bit. Now, go back to sleep," the panther said calmly.

With a big yawn, the boy did as he was told, snuggling deep into the stranger's fur. He popped his thumb in his mouth and sucked on it while he slept. He was in a strange world now, but he could worry about that in the morning.

***

Because the boy had seen her, Angelina was tasked with being his bodyguard. The panther had plenty of combat training, but kids scared her. She briefly considered fighting her boss on the point, but she remembered the punishments Liv usually dished out, and decided it would be wiser to keep her mouth shut and simply do as she was told.

"Who are you?" Max asked of the black panther when he awoke to find himself sitting on her lap.

"My name is Angelina. I'm a friend of your mother's. You'll be staying with me for a few days while your mother's at a conference," replied the panther with a flat tone.

"Oh," the boy said as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. His stomach grumbled it's longing for some food.

Angelina actually smiled at that. "You want some breakfast, huh? Well, I think we can manage that." Setting the boy on the floor of the large open room, the panther took his hand and guided him over to the kitchen of the area. It was empty at the moment, as the boy had completely slept through the usual breakfast time when the other new adopted mothers took their children to eat.

True, it wasn't that uncommon for Liv to show mercy the children, but it was very uncommon for her to take pity on a boy. Opening a cupboard, Angelina let Max pick out his cereal of choice. Taking the chosen cereal and some milk, the two went to the large table where two bowls and two spoons were waiting for them.

Quietly, the two ate their breakfast. Smiles pressed across their faces. Maybe being a mother wasn't so bad. Angelina was actually starting to like this job and was glad that she had a good excuse to avoid the other jobs in the mansion that housed the master abduction ring. This was where all the fresh abductees were conditioned and trained. If the Angels ever found out what was going on in the innocent looking mansion, they would raid the place. Then again, it was where Liv moved one of the Genoid run rings to. Perhaps, it wasn't a good idea in hindsight, but, there was nothing anyone could do about it, now.

After breakfast, Angelina took Max on a tour of all the places he could go. It was a child's dream. Anything he wanted was there. And if it wasn't, all he had to do was ask. "Really? I just ask and you'll get it for me?" he asked the adult.

"Well, I won't, but my boss will. She built this place to give kids anything they could ever want," the panther replied.

"Cool. Will you play with me?" he asked.

"If that's what you want," Angelina said with a smile.

Without another word, the boy dragged his new friend in front of a TV and they began playing video games for a while. Soon he grew tired of the flashing screen and they played around some playground equipment housed thoroughly within the mansion. They had a great time together, and quickly developed a bond. Liv called this play area the "Soul healer." As long as the children had someone to share their enjoyment with, especially an adult, their old family could be almost erased.

The two spent the next three weeks building their bond. By the end of that time, there was a faint memory in the back of Max's mind that he once had a different mother, but he struggled to remember who she was or what she looked like. And it didn't take long for him to give up trying to remember. Especially when Angelina told him stories at bed time. She had, after all, been working on becoming an author before Liv abducted her. Now, once again, she put her talents to good use in making the little boy feel like he was the greatest person in her life, which he was.

Angelina built an incredibly strong attachment to the boy and guarding him became more automatic and less of a chore. She even began enforcing rules on the boy, limiting the time he spent sitting in front of the TV, and encouraging his creativity. She quickly forgot that she was still a member of a sex ring. Until everything when horribly wrong.

One of the clients got drunk and wondered to the mansion in search of some cheap sex. When a maid greeted him, he quickly proceeded to rape her. Two large guards quickly pulled the human off the poor girl who quickly ran for the safety of the Mother's Area. Liv entered the main lobby where all this was taking place in time to see the fat human punch one of the guards in the face and steal his gun before running after the maid. The sadistic bastard stopped when he saw the "mothers" and the children. "You've been holding out on us, Liv," the man called.

"No one in that section of the mansion is for sale. In fact, there's only one floor of this mansion were you can buy slaves. If you'd like, I can take you there," Liv snapped, a personalized ebony and ivory sawed-off shotgun at her side.

Angelina and Max were coloring by themselves in on of the rooms when the man burst through and smiled at the panther. "Yes, you'll do nicely," he said wickedly.

"Excuse you sir, but you appear to be lost," Angelina commented, her combat training kicking in and her motherly instincts filling her body with adrenaline.

He laughed. "Stupid whore. I haven't met a single woman who's beaten me yet." With that, he reached for the panther who easily grabbed his arm and broke it in three places. Unfortunately, it's not wise to do such a move to a man with a gun. Especially a drunk, sex crazed, sexist bastard like him. With a scream of pain, the man pressed the barrel of his gun to Angelina's forehead and pulled the trigger without hesitation, her brains and blood spraying all over Max who was was speechless with horror.

"You fat BASTARD! I really like her. She was even going to be my successor. Killing her was a really big mistake," Liv said as she pulled a whip from a hook.

Behind Liv, Max spotted his real mother wonder around a corner dressed in a cheerleading outfit. When Marianne saw her son, she blindly made a run for him, but Liv stopped her. "Hold it right there, whore. I didn't tell you to leave my room, did I?" snapped the black zebra.

"But, Miss..." Marianne started.

"You don't get back in my room soon, your butt is going to very sore," Liv ordered.

Marianne took one final, sorrowful look at her son and wondered back to Liv's room.

With that out of the way, Liv turned her attention back to the human who had his gun leveled at the Mistress. "If you honestly think you're going to kill me and live, think again."

As the man looked around, he saw Fifty loyal guards surrounding him, guns leveled at him, covering his body with read dots. While his head was turned, Liv snapped her whip, striking him in the neck. It was hard enough to cause his throat to swell and eventually he collapsed to he floor, dead.

Liv took a deep breath before turning to her guards. "Someone clean that bastard up and prepare a funeral service for Angelina. And Max will need a new mother. Just make sure he doesn't get away from you."

Quickly, several humans and Genoids rushed to clean up the mess and try and console Max. The boy was traumatized beyond repair, though. He didn't even recognize Marianne at first. But, as he sat in that room, memories of his mother flooded his mind. Without warning, the boy rushed past the maids and servants to get to his mother, but Liv stopped him. "MOMMY!" he screamed.

"You don't have a mother. Not anymore," Liv said, her heart broken in many peaces. She had loved Angelina. Assigning her to Max was a gift and a way to bring out the kinder side of the panther. But, now that she was dead, Liv was beside herself.

"I want my Mommy!" Max screamed again.

With a sigh and a sniff, Liv picked up the crying boy and carried him to her quarters where Marianne was waiting. "This boy needs a new mother. He seems to have taken a liking to you. Just don't let him get in the way of your other duties," the Lady of the House said and quickly shut the door on the reunited family.

***

The reunion, however, was short lived. The next morning, Liv burst into her room with a sense of urgency. She slid out a suitcase and began packing some clothes. She had her head turned away from Marianne and Max to hide her tears, but she didn't fool the mother fox. "What is wrong, Miss?" Marianne asked.

"Don't worry about that. You and I've got to go. There's a car waiting outside. Don't worry about packing. I have some maids gathering the rest of our things," Liv ordered.

"What about M..." she started.

"NO! The boy can't come with us. Now, GO!" snapped Liv.

Marianne was torn. She wanted to obey her mistress, but she didn't want to leave her son behind. Reluctantly, she stood to her feet and reached for Max.

"I SAID NO!" Liv said and slapped the fox across the face before pulling a gun from beneath the bed. "Don't argue with me on this. Trust me, it's better if he stays here."

After a stunned moment of rubbing her cheek, Marianne noticed the honesty and sorrow in Liv's eyes. With a deep breath she turned to her son and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Remember, Max, your guardian angels are always watching over you. They'll keep you safe," she told him before giving him another kiss and bowing to her Mistress. Silently, Marianne walked out of the room, leaving the boy behind, his spirit completely broken, having lost the two women in his life that meant so much to him in less than two days was hard on him. Even when a maid quickly slipped in and set Lacy on the bed next to him, he didn't care. His eyes were fixed on his mother as she walked out the front door and got in the waiting limo that he could barely make out beyond the front door.

Liv wasn't far behind, throwing her suitcases in the limo before sliding in. The car drove off with sense of urgency. It was time Liv cut her losses. There were a lot of well cared for servants and maids in that house. One of whom, placed a prepared note on the door that read, "Take care of them. It's what Angelina would have wanted."

***

It was about three hours later when the six officers arrived at the mansion, fully armed and ready for a war that was never going to occur. "So, why are we checking out this mansion, again?" James Connell asked having been recruited for the mission upon arriving back from a much needed vacation.

"We had an anonymous call this morning that said we could find a major part of the Genoid abduction rings here," Commander Saipia Jones replied. She was the blue-dyed leader of the marry band of Genoid officers. A group who were becoming superheroes amongst the Genoid communities.

The one thing that made the mansion seem an unlikely spot for any abduction ring activity was that it was deep in human territory and close to a university. It seemed serene and cozy.

James nodded. "I just think this is an odd place for anything illegal."

Saipia shrugged as the van slid to a stop in front of the house. It was quiet, but that meant nothing. Saipia's ears scanned the house, as did her second in command. "I don't ear anything bad," the maned wolf commented to her blue commander.

The wolf gave her friend a confirming look. The others stepped from the van as Saipia wandered up to the door and read the note. "Looks like someone left us a big present."

"Isn't your birthday in April?" James asked.

"Yes. But Christmas is right around the corner," the commander replied as she opened the door casually.

"Speaking of the holidays, Jason wants to know if we can join you and your family for Thanksgiving...and Christmas," the older woman said.

"Of course, James. You're always welcome in my house," Saipia said as the team entered the house and looked around. Several servants were waiting for them. They were given their freedom. There were nearly a thousand slaves and servants in that house and many children.

It was Saipia herself who came upon Max and Lacy. "Well, hello there you two. Don't worry, you're safe now."

"Are you our guardian angel?" asked Max.

Saipia laughed as she picked the male fox up. "Well, not spiritually, but we are the Guardian Angels."

A jaguar by the name of Erica Martin slipped in next to her commanding officer and picked up Lacy. "Looks like there's a group of caretakers here for the other children."

"I would assume, though, that they're mother was taken by the operator of this place," Saipia commented.

"Well, who ever that is, they sure gave us a massive present. Whoever Angelina was, she sure must have been a massive influence," Erica replied.

"Yeah. Anyway, we should get these guys out of here. And don't forget, there are still a lot of rings to destroy. This maybe a huge gift, but it's not the end of the abduction rings. Whoever ran this place escaped, and they took some servants with them. And a place as innocent looking as this mansion means we can't rule any place out as a potential hideout," Saipia said.

"Angel," Max spoke up.

Saipia giggled at the name. "Yes, little one?"

"Please save my momma," the kit pleaded.

With a smile Saipia looked the child in the eyes and said, "I promise I will do everything in my power to reunite you with your mother."

Next Time:

With the team back together and the holidays bearing down on the city, can the Angels make them a time to remember or will Liv's plans make them a time to forget?