Dun, dun, dun....


CHAPTER TWO



Bluez woke up to Alaina getting dressed. She was already in her body suit and was pulling on her gloves when he awoke. She smiled at him, obviously sensing his awakening.
“I’m going out.”
“To?” He groaned, stifling a yawn.
“The nearby bar.”
“Woman, what is wr---“
”To catch up on the latest gossip”, she finished, smiling. He nodded as if that’s what he was going to say before falling back on the pillows.
“Coming?” She asked, pulling the last bit of her gloves on.
“I wasn’t aware I had to go bu—“
“Only if you want to.”
“Only—if—I want to…”, he groaned, rubbing his forehead.
“Mmmhmm.”
”Why not…”
“Get on your clothes then, and let’s go.”
“Right.. no.. problem…” He muttered, stumbling across the room groggily.
Alaina chuckled and pulled the strings on her high-knee, high-heeled boots taut.

---

“Alaina, Alaina!” The bartender shouted from across the room. Heads turned towards her and she laughed and grinned, “Hello, Edmund.”
“Alaina, what can I get you, dear?” The middle-aged bartender was plump, his white shirt was ironed and starched neatly, creased along the arms; his black pants were offset by a black tie at his neck.
“A bit formal, aren’t we?” She chuckled, looking over his garb.
“Aye.”
“Might I ask whyyyy?” She chirped.
“Weddin’.”
“Ahh.”
“You brought a friend?”
“Indeed. Bluez, this is Edmund; Edmund, this is Bluez.”
“Hey”, Bluez said crisply, straightening from Alaina’s shadow.
“We’ll take two of my usual.” Alaina said, plopping down near the bar. Bluez sat directly across from her, fiddling with the leather of his body suit.
“We must look like murders”, Alaina laughed, eyeing the room subtly. Bluez chuckled as a man diverted his stare from Alaina to Bluez, back to Alaina and then to his drink again.
“Here you go, mates.” Edmund crackled, showing a toothy grin and sliding two drinks their way.
“Thanks.” Bluez said, lying a twenty dollar bill out on the counter.
“Aye.”

“So, do you have any idea what we’re going to do from here?” Alaina said, lowering her voice to not be heard by the other men in the room.
“Not really but I can imagine tha—“
“Look!” She nearly shouted, pointing with her finger towards the TV screen, limply hanging over the bar.
“The news…. They never play news he—“
“Look!” She demanded again.

An orange rabbit reported blandly, with no interest, just reading words from a screen:
“A rabbit was found in a field last night. The rabbit who found him, Stinge Right, ran to a phone to dial the police, but when the police arrived, the rabbit was gone. Mr. Right described him as a black rabbit, fur rather matted with mud, and red streaks. He had something that appeared to be metal in his hand, but Mr. Right doesn’t remember exactly what it appeared to be.
The Killer Rabs won 45 to 32 today against the Sli—“

Bluez glanced at Alaina, who was staring blankly at the screen with wide eyes. “It’s him.”
Her voice was so low, it could barely be heard, but he got the feeling he knew who she meant.

---

A tall, slender, grey-furred female trotted down the corridors of a ship. Her brown pants made a woosh-woosh sound as she walked, and her boots made a clonking noise that echoed through the metal walls. Her long black braid was kept firmly behind her by a copper-coloured scarf that was tied around her forehead and then set carefully over her shoulder.

“Any luck?”
”No.”
“Keep searching.”
“Copper…”
“Keep searching, Claw.”
“Right.”
“We have to find that weapon before it kills.” Coppertop whispered to herself, sighing and going back down the corridor.

---

Slayer stumbled around, gritting his teeth; the cut on his face was growing painfully infected. He unclenched his fist to look over at the dirty dog tag that lay in his hand, reading the numbers over and over again in his head:

‘Disassociative, #129-1023-102359’

He traced the name with his fingers and shoved it back into his pocket. Soon.

---