FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cold Snap

We open... in the cold...

"Aaaaah... the holidays... nothing quite like it, huh?"

"Is this your attempt at... small talk...?"

Picture this: snow. _Lots _of snow.

Port Banicker was this town's name. An odd name to have, no? It wasn't the most impressive place a person could come to. A majority of the buildings around were nothing more than business infrastructures. Things like factories for car belts, or package warehouses. You do not live in Port Banicker, you _work _at Port Banicker.

And if you do not live here, or work here, then you were coming for the port itself.

The hardworking town was layered in snow, which cascaded down upon its sidewalks and buildings. The roads had been mostly cleaned, allowing trucks and cars to drive through, though snow was softly falling from he heavens. The air had this gray hue, not made any better by the gray buildings. But if one were to stare out from the boardwalk towards the sea, they'd see nothing but white.

Usually, the boardwalk was filled with workers on break, casually gabbing with one another as they ate their lunch meals. But with the snow and the chilly air, everyone was indoors as to be expected. Everyone... but two.

Two men, two beastkin. One young and spry, with the curliest and brightest blond hair you'd ever see, with these chilling blue eyes. He was handsome... suave, many would say. His features so sleek, with these sharp eyes that could penetrate steel, and this smirk on his lips that could charm demons. Perhaps he was a demon himself, what with his fox ears and tail, which only further increased his charming allure.

But the man beside him was different. The man... the beast at his right was everything this young man was not. He did not have curly blond hair, but instead a flat-top do with jet-black hair. He did not have chilling blue eyes, but these red, reptilian _ones, which seemed to dominate and control those around him. He was not handsome and suave, but instead this terrifying monolith of power. His features matched, being serious and stern, almost _annoyed _with his surroundings and everyone in it... including the young man at his left. He was also not a fox, but instead a reptile... a _crocodile.

Together, the two stood at the edge of the concrete boardwalk, gazing over towards the ocean before them. Their bodies were adorned in heavy jackets to help stave off the cold air, though it seemed like more of a formality for the larger of the two than a necessity. His partner - the sly fox - chuckled as his allies stuffiness, before reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette.

"You're far too stiff, Drake," said the fox as he lit his tobacco, "Fffffuuuuu... haaaah... c'mon, lighten up a bit! It's Christmas! Well... it will be in a couple of weeks! Heh heh heh..."

"There's the boat," muttered the crocodile, ignoring his companions words.

The fox rolled his eyes then looked forward. In the distance one could see the glittering lights of a vehicle... a boat. And a large boat at that. It was a luxury cruise, one with an elegant and streamline hull, though it was nowhere near as large as most luxury liners that travel the world. This one was compact, used more for coastal trips than it was for intercontinental travels. Its coloration was black and gold, which stood out against the whites and grays of the snow-swept ocean, and on the side of the ship, standing proud like a declaration to all those who see it, was the vessel's name.

'QUEEN TOWER' it said.

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner," whispered the fox, "Alright... the show's almost started. Is Jansen in position?"

"He's dealt with the boat's security detail. It has been mostly replaced with our men. Mr. Mayhew is none the wiser."

"And the bombs?"

"Set... and primed."

"Good, good. Then..." he dropped his cigarette then crushed it beneath his heel, "Let's not dally any further, my friend! And try to have fun, ya'know!? Heh heh heh! It's Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year! And we're gonna make this a December to remember! One that... one that..." a grin appeared on his lips as he started walking off, "One that no one will ever forget."

His sinister sounding chuckles filled the air, adding a foreboding twist to this words, while his ally stood behind. Glancing back over towards the boat, the red-eyed crocodile appeared deep in thought for a moment. Then his eyes trailed over towards a building in the distance; the boardwalk's passenger terminal.

Soon, the terminal would be filled with starry-eyed travelers. Soon, that terminal would be filled with victims.

The fox was right; no more dallying...

...

Act 1: The Golden Ticket

"Vivian! Vivian! I need ten pills of amoxicillin, on the double!"

"I'm on it!"

"Vivi! Vivi! I need ten pills of Ibuprofen! 800 milligrams! Stat!"

"I got it!"

"Vivian! Take these files to Dr. Triton! He should be on F Hall!"

"Okay... okay!"

Aaaaah... the holiday rush. Only, here in a hospital, it kind of takes on a different connotation, doesn't it?

Document City had many hospitals. Many good hospitals too. You have Bellview Hospital towards the north, or Berkeley Arms towards the south. In the middle, you even have Green Springs Hospital. And that's not getting into the dozens of private practices that dot the city all around, especially around Principal Park.

So where is this hospital? What is the name of it? And what of the bunny nurse currently running from place to place? Why, this hospital is in the heart of the city, its name is Sacred Hope, and that bunny nurse's name is Vivian. Vivian North.

Cool. That's the word you'd use to describe her. Vivian North was cool. She was a young woman, one in her mid twenties... twenty-six, to be exact. Fair skin, brown eyes, and hair that came in two tones; blonde usually, though black at the tips. From her head came two bunny ears that were coated in white fur, and stood stiff like a pair of horns.

She was a sprightly and slender young woman. These smooth shoulders, this perky chest, a narrow waist, but with wider hips, and somewhat plump thighs as befitting her species... but only 'somewhat'! Her hair, while long, was usually tied up in a up-knot ponytail... such as right now. Her face was framed by two bangs which hung down, and a center bang which just barely came down between her eyes.

Those eyes.

There's a reason why you'd describe her as being cool, and it comes down to her eyes. These sharp and slender brown eyes. Eyes so brown, they could be seen as red in certain lights. And when placed on her face with her pointed nose and typically aloof expressions, you make for a young woman who was almost too cool to approach. With her personality, you'd be forgiven for thinking she was an abrasive sort.

But to those who know Vivian, she is like her family as a whole. Snarky though she may be, there's never been a North who isn't friendly, no matter what they say. Maybe that's why she was in this position; running from place to place like a chicken with her head cut off. She just couldn't say 'no'.

Or - more accurately - she could never not help those in need.

On exhausted feed, Vivian came up to the hospital's cafeteria. After running around for several hours straight with no end in sight, what the bunny needed was a good cup of coffee. Was she annoyed? Yes, especially since old man Carter kept swatting at her ass like it was the 1950s. He should be lucky he suffers from dementia, because she would have slapped him back!

Ugh...

"Hey, Vivi," said Debra, a squirrelwoman who worked in the cafeteria, "You're looking tired. Is everything okay?"

"Tch... I only look tired?" Vivian replied as she eyed the squirrel, before sighing dismissively, "Haaah... I keep thinking the day after Thanksgiving is worse... and yet Sacred Hope finds a way to shock me. Can you past me a cup? I'll pour my coffee myself."

"Heheheheheh! Sure thing, Vivi."

Handed a paper cup, the haughty hare silently thanked Debra, before whisking herself over towards a nearby window-side seat. Sitting into it, Vivian gazed silently out towards Document City, watching as snow gently fell upon the land. From here she could see Principal Park, where there were people enjoying the evening. Families making snowmen, friends fooling around, or solitary people just going on walks. There were even buskers, still trying to make a dollar out there in the cold.

Annoyed though she may be, Vivian couldn't help but to smile at the wayward people as she took sip after sip of her coffee. The Christmas atmosphere had this affect on everyone, Vivian included. Though it was only December 10th, one could feel the holidays surround them, whether it be from the variety of decorations that dotted buildings and city streets, or just the general vibe given off by any number of cheery people.

"Hmm... I should call Nina... see if I can spend Christmas with her," Vivian muttered to herself, before her ears twitched, "Haaaaaah... what do you want, Felix...?"

Vivian turned, her sharp brown eyes falling on a grinning otter who stood behind her. He was a tall man, one with a burly stature despite the goofy expression on his face, and short brown hair. He was also dressed in a uniform... a _police _uniform to be exact.

"Heeeeeey, Vivi!" he said, his tone sly like a hustler... it made the rabbit's ears twitch and her eyes grow sharper.

"I don't remember giving you permission to call me 'Vivi'," she replied, which only made him laugh all the harder.

"Heeeeey! Is that something you should say to you friend?"

"I also don't remember giving you permission to call me your 'friend'," she said, causing him to place his hand on his chest.

"Ahh! Vivian! You wound me!" he said in an acted manner, even swooning like he'd been stricken, "Oh! Oh oh oh! Oh! My chest! My heart! It burns with the pain of this blow!"

"Rrrrgh! What the hell do you want, Felix!?" Vivian snapped, "I just got this break, and the last thing I want to do is get a headache while I'm on it! I already got enough crap to deal with during work, and I don't want to deal with you!"

"Aaaaah... okay! Fine... you nurses are no fun," Felix muttered with a grin, dropping his theatrical actions, "Do you mind if I sit here with you?"

"I _do _mind..." she replied, "But I know you're gonna sit here anyway, so why bother even asking?"

"Heh heh heh! Yeah... you're right!"

To Vivian's chagrin, the grinning otter sat down opposite of her at the table. She leered at him, then took a sip of her coffee... before wondering if she should throw her coffee at him. She came close to doing it too, only stopping because... well... then she'd be out of her coffee! And she quite liked this cup.

"What do you want, Felix?" Vivian asked.

"Aaah...? You think I want something?" he replied, causing her to glare at her, "I'm not that kind of person, Vivi! I don't come to cute girls just because I want something."

"First off, that's a fucking lie. Second, 'cute girls'?" she looked him up and down in an incredulous manner, "Please tell me this isn't your attempt at flirting. Because it's making me gag."

"It's not, it's not!" he said as he shook his hands through the air, "I swear it's not! Ugh! Vivi! You know what? I take it back. It's not nurses who are unfun, it's just _you _who is unfun!"

"Ggggghghh... what. Do. You. Want?"

"Okay, okay! I'll cut to the chase! So... tell me, Vivi..." he leered in, "Are you dating someone?"

For several long moments, Vivian said not a word. In the meantime, she wore a face completely devoid of emotion. And yet her eyes showed _crippling _annoyance. Despite seeing this - despite _knowing _this - Felix continued grinning at the rabbit, waiting for her response.

This annoying, fucking, otter.

"You do know I'm in the medical field, right? I could totally kill you and get away with it," Vivian said flatly. Felix laughed.

"Yeah... I know," he replied, "But, this isn't me trying to flirt. I was just asking a question. Ah-ha! I got it... I guess I'll just show you what I got going on... um..." dropping his hands, he began palming around at his person, "Where is it... where is it... where is... ah! There it is!"

Reaching into his pocket, Felix pulled out a ticket. It was a small little sliver, one primarily black, though the top if it was golden. Gazing at it, Vivian read 'YOU'VE BEEN INVITED TO THE QUEEN TOWER'. Invited to the Queen Tower? What did that mean?

"What... what is this...?" she muttered as her eyes darted up towards Felix.

"It's a ticket!" he replied, garnering another glare from the Vivian.

"I'm not blind, you dipshit," she snarled, "I know this is ticket; I can see that!" her eyes glanced back down, "But... what are you doing with it? And why are you showing it to me? This looks..." she leered in, "This looks expensive."

"It _is _expensive," replied the otter, his face turning pale slightly, "But... I didn't pay for it! So that's good for me! Anyway, this is a ticket to the Queen Tower. You ever heard of it? It's a luxury cruise that sails along the east coast and stops at certain location. Places like Seacrest, Sundown Bay near Concave City, just to name a few. It's really popular for vacations, and it has other boats too from what I've heard."

"Uh-huh... okay..." she leaned back, "So how'd you get this luxury ticket? You're far too damn shrewd to afford something like this."

"Tell me about it," he said while grinning, "But, you see, at the end of the year, every year, the precinct gets together and throws a little party. You know the deal, right? Things like Secret Santa, or just a pizza party. Usually, it's something simple to help bolster morale or whatever you want to call it. And every year at this Christmas party, they usually give a special gift to the top two performing officers of the year. And this time," he pointed at himself with his thumb, "Yours truly was fortunate enough to win a ticket!"

Vivian didn't even flinch.

As Felix stroked his own ego, the blonde bunny again wondered if she should throw her coffee at the otter. And again, she decided against it. For as annoying as Felix is, he's actually a competent police officer. Some would even find his jokey nature quite charming... though she certainly was not one of them.

"Okay, fine. Why are you showing me this?" Vivian muttered, deflating him quickly.

"Uggggh... you really need to learn to lighten up, Vivi," he berated, "So two tickets to Queen Tower was given out. Only thing is..." he smiled in a bashful manner, "I can't actually go. Ooooh, I'd absolutely _love _to go, but it's in the middle of December! I have family members to visit, so I can't go on this boat ride! Which really, really sucks!"

"How long is this boat ride?"

"It's not a long one. Apparently, every year at the end of the year, the Queen Tower hosts a party on it, one that's visited by the owner of the line himself. I think his name is uh... Mayhew? Conrad Mayhew, or something like that?" he chuckled, "What kinda name is Conrad...?"

"My brother's name is Conrad," Vivian answered, causing his laughter to be cut short.

"Oh... um... heh... and it's a really sweet name! Not lame at all! Hah! Uuuuhh..." he looked away, "Anyway, the Queen Tower is supposed to sail from Port Banicker up to Willington, and back again. It's gonna be a twelve hour or so long sail; nothing too extreme. But while you're there, they have an all you can eat buffet, and a bunch of entertainment... or so I've heard. Honestly," he grinned, "I'm pretty sure it's just a boring party where a bunch of rich ass-hats get together and talk about how rich they are. Like..." he put on a mocking pose and shifted his tone, trying to sound like a posh Englishman, "Hello, I just made a million dollars on the stock exchange while golfing the nines. Yes, yes, I am so rich. Life is good!"

That comment actually garnered a chuckle from Vivian, though she was quick to stuff it aside. She could give no victories to Felix, no matter how slight.

Looking back down to the ticket, she tentatively reached out for it, then picked it up and held it in her hands. Odd... this ticket felt good. It was made of some high-quality material, and the golden edges felt like fleece. Her thumbs stroked alongside it, while her eyes read its surface again and again.

'YOU'VE BEEN INVITED TO THE QUEEN TOWER'

"So... what... you're just _giving _me this ticket?" asked Vivian as she looked up at him, to which Felix nodded.

"Yup! I totally am! Cuz I'm such a nice guy!"

His words in addition to his smug face, further caused Vivian to glare at him.

"What do you want in exchange?" she asked, making him shake his head.

"What? Me? No, I don't want anything! Promise!" he replied, "Honestly, you'd be doing me a _favor _taking this ticket off of my hands! I'd really hate for such an expensive gift to go to waste. Remember? I'm frugal! I hate wasting anything!"

"Okay, then..." the bunny leaned in, "Why'd you ask if I was dating anyone? What's your game here, Felix?"

"Again! No game!" he replied, "Buuuuuuuuuut... like... okay... fine... you got me! I kinda got _a _game... but nothing you can't handle!"

"Ggggggh... I knew this was too good and too stupid to be true," Vivian bemoaned, "What's up, Felix?"

"Okay, okay! Okay... okay... haaah... so... like I said, at the end of the year, two _of the best performing officers get gifts from the precinct. I'm one of those performing officers, and the other is this real work of art named Luca. Luca Salem! Like, look, I'm no liar. I'm a good cop, but Luca's a fucking _machine!"

"What... so...? What is this sorta like some... blind date sorta deal?" Vivian asked, to Felix nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! That's it! It's a blind date!" the otter answered, "You go on board this boat with Luca! Have fun, live a little! You're single, Luca's single, so I'm sure you two will have plenty _to talk about. Besides, Luca's _totally _your type! Tall, strong, a big bad _wolf. Ah... you'll love Luca!"

"A wolf...? I..."

Vivian looked away, saving face as a noticeable blush appeared on her cheeks. Again, Felix - for all of his annoying antics - was an actual good cop. He could see through people quite well... which probably added to his charms.

Vivian kinda had an attraction to strong predators. Knowing this Luca was a wolf, and - as Felix put it - a 'fucking machine' at that, did make her at least a little curious. Besides, even if this Luca guy wasn't all he was cracked up to be, a twelve hour long ride on a luxury cruise still sounds like a total steal.

But this is Vivian! She couldn't make it as easy as merely saying 'yes'. Instead he sat there with a pensive, quizzical look on her face, as if seriously giving this gift thought. Even Felix could see through her facade; she was merely trying to look abrasive. It made him chuckle, but she had a question to ask before she took the plunge.

"When is it...?"

"December 17th," Felix answered, "Just head down to Port Banicker and meet up at the maritime terminal. They're gonna have it manned full of people all morning in preparation for the trip, so it shouldn't be too hard to meet up with Luca. Besides, when you see the Queen Tower, you can't miss it!"

December 17th was seven days from now. If she put in word today that she'd be out on that day, they'd probably give it to her due to all the goodwill she's built up since working here. Like, she hasn't taken off one day of work at all; they'd make an excuse for her, right?

Totally...

In reality, Vivian knew she'd probably have to do several favors for someone, making her question if it was even worth it. But a trip away from Document City for twelve hours on board a luxury cruise, with food and entertainment, and probably share that time with some hot, wolf of a man?

Sign her up!

"Sooo... are you up for it...?" Felix asked.

A smirk spread out on Vivian's lips.

...

Port Banicker. Has she ever been to Port Banicker before? Has she ever had a reason to go to Port Banicker before? The answer is no. Simply, no.

A soft wind billowed through the air, causing her two-toned hair to rustle gently. Hands on her hips, Vivian's brown eyes leered out towards the snow-swept ocean. It was so gray out there, like an infinite expanse of nothing. While she wasn't afraid of the ocean, the hare couldn't help but feel little in the face of such greatness.

Gone was her nurse's uniform, instead she had on something she spent the weekend picking out with her friends. This was a blind date, wasn't it? And she was going to be bumping shoulders with a bunch of so-called rich ass-hats? So she better bring her A-game!

Vintage, snuggly, and warm: those are the perfect words to describe what she was wearing. Vivian wore a fuzzy dress that had an aged, lolita style to it, like something you'd see on a wooden doll. It had a slim bodice that covered her chest, and a billowing skirt that came down he knees. Primarily green, it had fuzzy white edges, like at the skirt's end, or at the end of her sleeves and her shawl. Silver buttons ran up the center of the dress, and a cute little bow sat at her stomach. Beneath her skirt Vivian wore tight yet nonrestrictive white leggings which contoured nicely to her body, and brown loafers on her feet.

For as cool and unapproachable as Vivian made herself out to be, deep down inside, she could barely contain her excitement. When she glanced over, she saw the impressive hull of the Queen Tower looking back at her. It was such a large vessel, with a mostly black hull that was gold at the edges... much like the ticket needed to get on board. It took up a wide space, containing a variety of rooms, a grand cafeteria, and - from what the internet told her - a theater room of which they can - and have - performed expensive plays for their guests. And in the center of the boat, standing tall like a tower, was the ship's bridge.

Thus the name 'QUEEN TOWER'.

Vivian had arrived ten minutes ago via a taxi, something that... admittedly took more than just a penny out of her purse. But it was all worth it to be here. Just a few feet shy was the boardwalk's maritime terminal, of which the other passengers were already inside. She'd say to anyone who asked that she didn't go in yet because she didn't want to be surrounded by all those talking people. In reality, she was apprehensive. She wanted to make a good impression for her blind date, after all... whoever he is.

When she did gain the courage to walk inside, she found that not only was the terminal filled with people (almost all of which were richer than her no less), but it was also manned by the Queen Tower's staff. Even here they were walking around, talking with guests, and - more importantly - serving meals and drinks for the morning breakfast. Coffee, tea, crumpets, biscuits; it was all here! And, no, it wasn't that cheap crap you'd find at your everyday gas station or fast food restaurant, but instead expensive meals created by trained chefs.

Put lightly... Vivian felt out of her depth.

But she put on a brave face, walking among all these rich people as if she were one of them. And with her untouchable aura and abrasive expression, not to mention her choice in clothing, she easily fooled the others into thinking she belonged here... even if her vintage dress was 35% polyester, and only 50% cotton. What's the other 15%? Good question...

Strange though; as Vivian looked around, she didn't see any wolves... at least, none who matched Felix's description of who Luca could be. Sure, she saw a wolf or two, but they were rich socialites as opposed to police officers. Should she be able to pick Luca out from a line up? Or had he not arrived yet?

Regardless, Vivian came up to the dining table in the terminal, where her eyes came to its coffee dispenser. Grabbing a cup, the rabbit casually poured herself a cup of hot java, being sure to pour cream and sugar with it and swirl it around. Then her eyes leered back through the drove of people, and she took casual sip after casual sip from her drink.

Minutes later, still no big bad wolf. Huh... crap... she should have asked Felix for a picture or at least a description of Luca. While Vivian enjoyed a good mystery - and this was a blind date - it did make it difficult to know who to look for. And with this being that jokester of an otter, the wolf could have been anyone! Hell, he might not have even been a wolf, but a canine of a different species!

Ooooooh, if he was and Felix made that big a blunder, then Vivian was going to ring his neck dry!

More minutes passed by, and more people came into the terminal, but still no sight of any wolf. Vivian's annoyances continued to balloon, frustrated by what she was seeing... or not seeing, in this case. Was she being impatient? Maybe, but the boat was planning on boarding sometime around eleven, and it was currently 10:30. Where could Luca be?

"Hey, how's the coffee?" the deep voice of a woman echoed at Vivian's side.

"It's not half bad. It's pretty rich though... a bit..." her ears quivered, "Over my pay... check...?"

Vivian looked over. Her eyes befell a wolf... a wolf_ess_. A tall wolfess. A strong wolfess. A big, bad, wolfess.

Tall... she was so damn tall. A towering amazon of a woman. And that's saying something. Vivian's already on the shorter side of things, and this woman made her feel downright puny. Her skin was dark, and her hair was this vibrant red. A shade of red unmatched by anything Vivian had ever seen in her life. Two bangs fell aside her face, the right side being thicker than the left, while the back of her head had been tamed into this long ponytail that fell and fell and fell.

She had this stout figure to her, with this powerful physique. Calling her a 'towering amazon' before was no exaggeration. Her body seemed chiseled from stone by Greek gods with how remarkable it was! Even through her clothing, Vivian could tell this woman could pick her up, twirl her about, and throw her without even breaking a sweet.

Her shoulders were curved, her midsection slim, her hips a bit wide, but not too wide, and her bust... oh... damn... her bust. A woman of her caliber deserved a powerful bust to match, and she had it in spades. This chest that seemed to hold power, all contained in a sleeveless, turtleneck sweater top that not only hugged close to flaunt the curvature of her chest, but also didn't come down to cover her midriff, meaning her stomach - and those abs - were exposed to all.

Matching with her powerful allure, she did not wear a dress, but instead wore this open white dress jacket, with matching white slacks, and black boots. In a way, it kind of reminded Vivian of something an 80s star would wear. Not to say it was old or out of date, but quite the opposite; what she wore was timeless... and oh so cool.

But back up to this wolfess's face. Her cool... suave face. She had a smile on her lips, one that was disarming, while at the same time so damn attractive. But above all, there was her eyes. They were green... green like grass... no... brighter than that. Green like the fields on a hillside that's shining in the sun. Yeah, that kind of green. But, no, simply calling them 'green' wasn't strong enough a word. _Verdant _was better. Yes.

She had _verdant _eyes.

For several long moments, Vivian and this woman looked at one another. The bunny's mouth was slightly agape, while the wolfess looked at her with her head cocked. It took everything in the hare's power to raise her hand and point at the wolfess, because... despite not knowing who she was, she already knew her name.

"Luca...?" said Vivian. The wolfess smirked.

"Ah... well... I usually like to get to know a person first before they call me 'Luca'," the redhead replied, "But I think I'll let this slide once. If you call me 'Luca', then that must make you Vivian? Vivian North, right?" she extended her hand, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Lucretia Salem."

'Luca' was short for 'Lucretia'. Luca was a girl?

MOTHERFUCKING FELIX! HE SET HER UP ON A DATE WITH ANOTHER GIRL!? VIVIAN'S _NOT _INTO GIRLS!!! AND, NO, THAT ONE TIME SHE KISSED JANET DURING THE HALLOWEEN PARTY DOES _NOT _COUNT!!!

Slowly, the rabbit's face twisted into a visage of frustration and anger, one that made Lucretia's head tilt. She wasn't mad at the wolfess; how could she be? Her anger was directed at a certain otter who was no doubt laughing his ass off wherever he was! That fucking dick! The next time she saw her, she really was going to throw some coffee into his face!!!

"Is... everything okay?" Lucretia asked, to which the bunny shook her head.

"Ggghh! N-no! Everything is _not _okay!" Vivian said, before deflating as she released her rage... for now, "S-sorry Luca... I-I mean, Lucretia! Sorry, Lucretia but..." she stuck out her tongue as her eyes glanced to the side, "I don't know what Felix told you, but... I... I'm... I'm not into girls. I... hnnggh... I'm sorry..."

She looked back at Lucretia, expecting to see disappointment with her words, or even annoyance. But instead, the wolfess looked at her in a curious manner... and then smiled this charming smile as she leaned on her fist.

"That's fine... I'm not really into girls either," Lucretia replied, making Vivian cock her head, "I just like my dates to be... cute _little _prey."

"Cute... little... prey...?" repeated Vivian, a bit confused by Luca's words... and yet... they made her blush.

Still, Vivian retained a face of abrasiveness as she looked away. Her hand curling into a fist, she mentally thought about punching Felix in his dumb, grinning face, a gesture that actually made her smile and lighten up... but only a little bit.

"Well... ahem... uh... so..." Vivian shrugged her shoulders, "What now?"

"What now? Well..." Lucretia reached down, grabbing a buttery biscuit, and then tossing it right into her mouth, "Mmmff... crunchy... ah..." she looked over, "I may not be the blind date of your choice, but that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun, Vivian. We have a big boat with an endless buffet on it, and a day's long worth of entertainment before us, so let's have as much fun as we can."

Her charming words and jovial smile caused Vivian to smirk a bit. Lucretia was right; while she may not have been her ideal date under these conditions, no one said they couldn't enjoy their time together.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrn!

The sound of a horn silenced all the conversations in the room, and caused everyone to look over towards the entrance of the boat. There stood a a dog, one dressed like a train conductor. He was flanked on two sides by guards for the Queen Tower, and had a kind smile on his lips.

"This way, everyone, this way," he said with a slightly posh accent, "Please form a line at these two desks. Our men will check your tickets, and once we have that all squared away, we will take you to your rooms."

Vivian reached down into her purse, pulling out her golden ticket. Then she glanced over, her eyes falling on Lucretia. She had her golden ticket between her fingers. Vivian smiled.

"So... is it... Officer Salem? Or Sergeant Salem? Detective Salem?" asked the bunny as she and Lucretia started walking for the tables.

"Who? Me? Heh... no, not yet," replied the wolfess, "Just Officer Salem. I'm... your average, everyday, beat cop."

"Hm... are you sure? You seem a bit... bigger than that."

"A bit... bigger?" Lucretia repeated as she shot Vivian a wry smile, "Should I take that as a compliment or as an insult?"

"A compliment! Really," Vivian answered.

"Heh heh! I'm just teasing; calm down," Luca said, "But uh... size doesn't have anything to do about being a Sergeant or a Detective or anything like that," she cocked her head, "What about you? What are you? Felix didn't tell me much about you, aside from that you were a cute blonde."

"Technically, my hair is blonde _and _black," Vivian said as she gripped one of her bangs and tugged it out, "See? The ends are black. I got that from my father," she then dropped her hair and crossed her arms, before looking over at Lucretia, "But... you... you're a cop, right? And you want to be a sergeant or a detective?"

"Me? A detective."

"Then you should be able to deduce what I am."

"Hmmm... I see... playing hard to get, eh?" Lucretia said as she place her chin into the crux of her thumb and index finger, "Okay... I'll bite. Heh... there's nothing I like more than when my _prey _acts hard to get."

"Acts? H-hard to get...?" repeated Vivian, a telltale blush forming on her cheeks.

"Leeettttsss seeeeee..." Lucretia's verdant eyes leered at her, looking her up and down, "You're a friend of Felix, right?"

"I've _never _called Felix a friend of mine. And I'd say calling him an acquaintance is too kind."

"Heh heh... yeah, that sounds about right. But, still, you know him, and there's only a few ways I can see that as being possible. Option A, you frequent the police department, which I know is not true, because I'd definitely _remember a face like yours going near there. Option B, you go to the same bar as him, which... I don't know..." she shook her head, "That doesn't sound possible either. So there's Option C, which is the only other place I know that Felix frequents outside of his home, and that would be... a _hospital? Specifically... hmmm... Sacred Hope?"

Vivian came to a halt, and no, not just because the line had gotten a bit thick. Her brown eyes grew wide and she looked up at Lucretia, reading the wolfess' face... and the somewhat cocky grin she wore. Her reaction told Luca eeeevveeerrrryyyyttthiiinng she needed to know.

"Tch... lucky guess," muttered Vivian, though the wolfess shook her head.

"Nuh-uh... I'm not done yet! You look to be as old as me, soooo... you can't be a doctor yet. And you're clearly not sick or anything, soooo..." she raised an eyebrow, "You're either a medical student... or a nurse. And if I have to say..."

"Tickets please."

"You must be a nurse."

Lucretia and Vivian looked forward; the wolfess feeling victorious following her accurate deduction, while all the bunny could do was blush. She wasn't used to being so thoroughly picked apart like that. Like, look, for as annoying as he is, Felix is a good cop; no one would tell you otherwise. But Lucretia? She was on a different level.

Fortunately, they had arrived to the boat's ferryman; this jovial, older looking dog who asked so kindly for their tickets. Lucretia offered hers and Vivian did likewise,

"Ah... thank you," said the dog as he tipped off his hat, "Right this way, our esteemed guests! I hope you enjoy your time here on the Queen Tower! We promise you, this will be a December you will remember!"

"Heh... I look forward to it!" Lucretia replied.

"Y-yeah..." Vivian added on, a prominent blush forming on her cheeks.

...

Act 2: Blind Date

"Wow..."

"This room's bigger than my whole apartment."

What did Felix say? That the Queen Tower was used for coastal trips? And that it stopped at certain cities that were popular tourists attractions? If the tourists were traveling around in places like this, it made one wonder; would they even bother leaving the ship if they could stay in a room like this?

To be blunt, it was simply big. A room that was more wide than it was long, it had a wide pair of sliding glass doors that led to the room's balcony, which offered them an amazing view of the surrounding scenery. The bed itself was a Queen sized bed that owned the softest pair of mattresses available, and there was a full on bathroom with a shower stall, but also a bathtub at the back. And tying it all together, this room - like most of the boat - had an opulent gold, black, and white color scheme that helped elevate the décor to something truly regal and majestic. This was one of the more expensive rooms rented out during the Queen Tower's typical cruises. While all the bedrooms were nice, this one was simply glorious.

Walking forward, Vivian turned around a few times... before falling back upon the soft bed. There she sank a few inches, groaning in pleasure. All day she had either been standing, or riding in a taxi car that honestly wasn't too great. So to lay in a bed like this? Oooooh, it was so nice.

"Mmmfff.."

A pleasurable smile spread out over Vivi's lips. Then she heard a...

Fwump!

Looking over her eyes fell on Lucretia's jacket. The wolfess had pulled it off, dropping it on the bed beside the bunny. Briefly Vivian looked over, before bringing her gaze up towards Luca. She stood before the wide windows with her fists on her hips and her posture strong. Without the jacket on, her blind date could get a better view of her body, and the exquisite physique she owned. Her strong shoulders, her trim midsection, her curved hips; Lucretia really did have the 'big bad wolf' vibe down when going by her appearance alone.

Then she'd look over at Vivian, and a smile would spread out on her lips. And that smile? Oh, that smile would make the bunny blush. She'd try to hide it, or, well, _failed _to hide it, causing Lucretia to chuckle... and then turn. And when she turned, Vivi's eyes grew wide for a _different _reason.

Right there, slung on Lucretia's shoulders was a gun strap. It was brown, leather, and holstered right there next to her bust was her pistol. Seeing it caused the bunny to stiffen and lean up.

"You... brought your gun...?" she asked, causing Lucretia to look down.

"Hmm... yeah?" she answered, "Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"I mean... well... I guess it shouldn't," Vivian replied, "You're a cop... you probably go everywhere with your gun. I... just wasn't expecting to see it. Huh..." she closed her eyes, her hand resting on he face, "Aaah... I feel like such a dork even bringing it up."

"Nah... don't be," said Luca, her cool voice reverberating in Vivi's ears as she sat on the edge of the bed beside her, "Guns bring up a variety of different emotions. I'm not blind to that. But..." she then smiled in a hapless manner, her hand rubbing at the back of her head, "I admit... I'm not the smartest when it comes to social environments. I'm used to sitting behind my desk."

"Sounds boring..." Vivi replied, "What? You don't go to parties or clubs often?"

"No, not me," answered Luca, her hapless smile changing into a hapless grin, "I go to bars. There's this nice little bar near my apartment called Jurgen's. But that's about it. I'm either at work, at home... or at one of the many restaurants in Document City. Heh heh... as embarrassing as it is to admit, I've been _banned _from a few all you can eat buffets."

"Why? Don't tell me supercop here got unruly."

"No... it just so happens that 'all you can eat' doesn't actually mean what it says..." she shook her head, "That's what disappoints me most... not the banning, the lie."

"Heh... heh heh... hahahahahahaha!"

Vivian leaned back in her bed, laughing not at Lucretia, but with _her. The idea that this wolfess went into a buffet, expecting she could eat as much as she pleased, only to get banned for her efforts, was just a thought too funny not to laugh at. Who was more at fault here; the restaurant for its lying advertisement, or Lucretia for actually thinking she could eat all the food down? Then again... the idea that the wolfess could eat so much that she got kicked out for her troubles, was actually both horrifying... and _enthralling.

Just how much could the wolfess eat?

"Well... here's to hoping that the buffet on the Queen Tower can fill you," Vivian said, "Though after your story... I doubt it."

"Weeeell... we'll see," Luca said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Bing! Bong!

Hello, our esteemed guests, came a voice over the boat's intercom, This is your captain, Clark Ryker speaking, and I would like to welcome you personally to the Queen Tower. When you have made yourself comfortable within your given rooms, please make your way to the main lobby of our fair vessel. There, Mr. Mayhew himself will visit you, and our personnel will give you a review of today's expected events. Again, I would like to thank you for joining us.

Bong! Bing!

"Our 'esteemed guests'...?" Lucretia repeated as she crossed her arms, "I wonder if he gets tired of saying that."

"You have no idea how tired I get of calling certain patients 'sir' and 'ma'am'," Vivian bemoaned, "Heh... feels nice to be the one with an honorific for a change..." she leaned up, "I guess that means we're going though. The sooner we get to this review or whatever, the sooner you can find your way to the buffet."

"What? You think I'm going to the buffet alone?" Lucretia replied with a wry grin, "C'mon, Vivian! I may not be your ideal date, but there's no way I'm letting this little outing of ours fail. So..." she grabbed her jacket and put it on, "C'mon, let's enjoy ourselves! Besides, I can't imagine a better way to spend my evening than with a cutie like you."

"Glk... a cutie...? I... aah..."

There was something odd about Lucretia. She effortlessly exuded this cool air, what with her sharp verdant eyes and charming smirk. Vivi - for all of her attempts to come off as abrasive - kept finding her defenses being worn down by the wolfess. Maybe Luca was right. Sure, she may not have been a strapping, Adonis of a man, but no one said they couldn't have fun.

So Vivian got up from her bed, huffed a bit, and then join Lucretia at her side.

"Alright then... lead the way, supercop," Vivian said, her fists on her hips.

Lucretia chuckled.

"Alright... cutie... heh..."

...

The lobby of the Queen Tower was befitting of such a boat; royal, majestic, and gold. Its black décor dripped off of the walls and floors, with golden arches and lines. The floors matched it, with squares both gold and black in a pattern that ran up and throughout the halls. The walls meanwhile were adorned with various portraits of scenery depicting places the boat had visited over its long and illustrious career. From the beautiful beaches of Belmond, to the west coast islands like Meridia, and even the elegant city of Schonheit; all were seen here.

The lobby itself was multi-tiered, being three in number. There was the base floor - where a majority of the assembly were now, and where the rooms typically laid - the second floor which contained the ship's entertainment venues, and the third floor which contained all the restaurants and eateries. And they were all connected via a grand and opulent staircase that went up and up and up!

Entering into the royal lobby alongside Lucretia, an audible gasp left Vivi's lips. She had only seen places this glorious from the other side of a screen, or in the pages of a magazine. To be here in the lobby of this grand boat, surrounded by all these rich people, further made the bunny feel out of her depth. She was just some nurse from Document City!

Lucretia - seemingly sensing her apprehension - looked over to the rabbit. For a few moments they stared at one another, Vivian doing a good job of keeping on a brave face, but allowing it to crack here and there. To the untrained eye, it was unnoticeable. But this is Lucretia, a wolfess who could deduce her job just by looking and accurate guessing. She could see what was really going on.

So she reached down, and - much to Vivi's surprise - grabbed her hand. Such a big, strong woman... but such a tender, gentle hold. She clutched her date's hand, holding it soft, and feeling like a boon. If Lucretia was anyone else, Vivian would have no doubt thrown her hand aside. She didn't know the wolfess after all, and had already made it known that she wasn't her first choice in blind date.

But...

Admittedly, there was something charming about Lucretia, and while her gender may not have been right, her..._ everything else_ certainly was. She had the height, the power, even the species. Coupled with her being a cop - and a clearly dedicated one since she was here - and you make for a woman who fired on all of Vivian's cylinders.

In the back of the bunny's head, she could hear her mother warn her about hanging out with predators, especially wolves. Partial teasing, but partial truth, considering their natures. But Lucretia didn't exude danger; she exuded warmth, kindness, charm... protection.

So for this one moment - and this one moment alone! - she'd let Lucretia hold her hand.

But just this once! This... once...

In the lobby, the entire entourage of esteemed guests had finally arrived, filling out the room. Above them were the many associates and workers of the Queen Tower, all wearing uniforms that made them look like servants in a castle; furthering the vessel's charm. At the front of the stairs was the boat's captain; a seagull in a captain's hat. But beside him was the man of the hour; the true owner of the vessel. The one, the only...

"Mr. Conrad Mayhew!"

Applause! Applause? Yes, applause! A majority of the people here were rich socialites who knew Conrad on a personal level, so of course there'd be an applause! And for his workers, they were kind of _required _to applause his appearance. Was it it annoying? You have _no _idea.

Conrad Mayhew was a horse... and a majestic one at that. A strapping older man in his late forties to early fifties, he had a big and broad body as expected of an equine. Physical strength was baked into his firm form, he had long blond hair that flowed in a luxurious mane, and wore black clothing similar to that of a prince.

Step by step he walked down the staircase, coming down to the main floor of the lobby where the applause finally came to a halt.

"Good morning, everyone," he said with an English accent and a smile on his lips, "I'm sure you all are very well aware of what will occur during the day's events, but I still felt the need to reiterate myself, especially for those new here. Firstly... welcome, to the Queen Tower! My family have owned this cruise line for generations, giving tourists a fun adventure through oceans and countries since the time when large vessels were still made of wood! Even now, the Royal Mayhew Luxury Line continues to beguile many with wondrous sights worldwide. And today will be no different. It is only a twelve hour trip, but I assure you, the hours will blend by as you enjoy yourselves. We will be sailing from Port Banicker in about an hour, where we will drift out to sea, and enjoy ourselves in the company of the ocean. As we do, we will make our way slowly up to Document City, which will be the end of our short little trip. But do no fret! For you ticket barriers will be allowed to stay at the Grand Morris Hotel through to the end of the night and tomorrow morning. There, our times with one another will come to an end. Until then, please enjoy the pleasures that the Queen Tower can only give you. Up on the top floor, we have the finest masseuses ready to tend to you, the Queen Tower Museum which holds mementos from our various destinations throughout the years, as well as our on boat casino. On our second floor, we have both a fully stocked buffet, and a gourmet restaurant with more rarer foods. And if you wish only to enjoy the peace of your own being, feel free to enjoy your bedroom, or the deck to your hearts content. Lastly, at seven o'clock tonight, please join us in the Queen Tower's theater room, where we have rising opera star Maria Bianchi, who will put on a performance for you that only we can give. Again, I wish to thank you all for coming and joining us for our end of the year trip. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask any of our staff for aid. And always remember; at Queen Tower--"

"WE'RE _ALL _ROYALTY!!!" announced the workers in a practiced manner.

More applause echoed out, marking the end of Mr. Mayhew's review. While charmed by the horse's eloquent way of speaking, Vivian was still incapable of separating him from the shrewd businessman he no doubt was. At the very least, the hare was looking forward to the things they could do during their time on the Queen Tower. Even more so with this promise of a performance by an opera singer. She's never seen live opera before.

Lucretia however was more... pensive.

Her verdant eyes trailed along the staff looking down from them. And... was it her, or did a good deal of them look really built? Like, yes, Lucretia was expecting the Queen Tower to have security. It's 2023; everyone _has security these days! But for them to be this... _capable, was something else entirely. They didn't look like your typical guards on duty, but instead looked like...

"Military...?"

"Hm? What was that?" Vivi asked as the assembly began to disperse.

"N-nothing..." Lucretia replied, shaking her head, "Sorry... I was just... thinking out loud, I guess. Anyway..." facing the rabbit, she gave her a smile, "How about we head up to that restaurant, eh? I get to eat rare, exotic foods with a cute girl at my side? Hah hah! I could imagine worse ways for my day to go."

"Tch... you think I'm just going to sit there and watch you fill your mouth?" Vivian replied, to which Lucretia grinned even more.

"Of course not... what kind of date would this be if you just watched me ate all day? Not a very fun one. Well... at least for you," the wolfess replied, "_Sooooo... _why don't you tell me a little about yourself while we eat, cutie? I'm sure it'll be a blast."

"Cutie... again...? Mmm..." Vivian shook her head, "You don't have to call me that all the time. You can just call me 'Vivi', if you want. Mostly everyone calls me Vivi anyway."

"Vivi... eh...? Ohohoho... sounds nice but... I don't know..." she shook her head, "I'll call you 'Vivi' when I've _earned _the right to call you that."

"Earned the right...?" Vivian repeated, her ears twitched, "Then... what about you? When can I call you 'Luca'?"

"Heh heh heh... good question. Normally, I'd like to get to know a person before they call me that, buuuut... you're so small and cute, that I think I'll let it past."

"Hnn..."

Dammit, Lucretia. Why did she have to keep calling her cute like that? And with her face, that grin, it only further made it further difficult for Vivian to dislike her. Not that she wanted to dislike her or anything, but damn, this wolfess was speedrunning her way into her heart.

Deep down inside, Vivian wanted to find something - anything - to dislike about Lucretia. The big, strong, cool, charming wolfess, couldn't be this... perfect. No one could be this perfect! But aside from her tendency to call the bunny cute, nothing about Luca was worth disliking... and even those cute remarks drew blushes to Vivi's face.

Ah... dammit...

"So... ready to go?" Lucretia asked.

"Yeah. Let's..."

...

Beautiful... they were beautiful. A necklace of pearls, they glistened under the light which was shining upon them. This ring of perfectly smooth spheres, all colored a reflective and beautiful sky-blue color. It rested on a bust of a woman, and with the glass case surrounding it, she could see her reflection wearing the pear necklace like a ghost.

Pearls From Meridia Beach: 1947, said the plaque beneath the case.

A blissful sigh left Vivian's lips as she looked at the pearl necklace. While far from vain, the hare would be lying if she said she didn't long for the finer things in life. Something simple, ya'know? Like... a nice home on the north end, maybe a penthouse, with a handsome lover... and a private practice to call her own.

One day that would be a reality, wouldn't it? She hoped it would... she _prayed _it would. But here she was, just a nurse at the onset of life. And the person who stood beside her was not a handsome man, but a tall wolfess. Though... would Lucretia _like _being called handsome?

Hmm...

The Queen Tower Museum was an impressive little area, one filled with various trinkets and ornaments from various locations all around the world. While most of it was filled with items such as portraits or models, there were quite a few priceless artifacts among them, like this pearl necklace, or this opulent fan from Belmond. And all of these items dated back decades, even a century for a few of them.

"This ship really gets around," Lucretia commented, "So many items, so many places, so many years. Huh..." she smiled, "I wonder if anyone gets sick of it."

"I wouldn't say so," Vivian replied as she looked over at the wolfess, "Do you ever get sick of being a cop?"

"Hm? Me?" she shook her head, "Heh... no. Never."

"See? It's like what they always say," she looked back at the pearls, "When you do what you love, you never work a day in your life."

"Is that the same for you?" asked Luca, "Do you ever get sick and tired of being a nurse?"

"Weeeeell..."

Vivian looked away, an uncomfortable blush on her cheeks. Was it wrong to long for things? She wondered if that made her sound a bit arrogant or uppity. As a nurse, she helped people, and that's what she wanted to do in life; to help people and improve their health. But that didn't mean she wanted to be a nurse forever.

That word... that title... how she longed for it.

_Doctor _Vivian North.

"Hey? What's this?" said Vivi, shifting the conversation to another display case.

She and Lucretia moved over towards it, their eyes falling on a model of a boat. This one was old however, being a metal boat from the 1920s, going by the plaque at the bottom. King Tower: Circa 1924, it said.

"King Tower...?" Lucretia said aloud, "What is that?"

"That is the ship that started it all," replied a _woman's _voice from behind.

Both Lucretia and Vivian turned around, their eyes falling on a short and petite doe. She had neatly groomed short black hair that fell to her chin, and these square-shaped glasses that sat firm on her face, with thin blue eyes resting behind it. Her nose was pointed, and she had a somewhat angular face, making her look a tad bit older than she really was.

With a soft smile on her lips, this woman exuded an studious air and behavior. She was dressed unlike everyone else, looking like a secretary with her button up blouse and pencil skirt. Clearly she wasn't an 'esteemed guest', but she didn't look exactly like a a member of the ship's staff either.

"Apologies for my sudden interruption," said the doe as she offered her hand, "My name's Diana Marsden. I'm a member of the staff. In a way, you can think of me as the museum's curator."

"Oh... it's nice to meet you, Ms. Marsden," the wolfess replied as she shook her hand, "I'm Lucretia Salem."

Crossing her arms, Vivian wore a face of slight disapproval as her eyes darted between Lucretia and this Diana woman. For some reason, Luca's earlier words were playing in her head.

I just like my dates to be... cute little prey.

Why did she think about that? What? Because this Diana woman was so small, being comparable in height to Vivian herself? And a wolf like Lucretia would clearly see her as being prey... would she see her as being 'cute' as well?

Then Vivian's eyes widened. Why did she care?

"So this ship is called the King Tower?" asked Lucretia as their gazes returned to the model boat.

"Indeed. It was the first metal vessel of this size of the Royal Mayhew Luxury Line," Diana answered, "For years until the creation of it, the luxury line created steam boats that traveled through rivers. But this was its first intercontinental cruise line. It offered many amenities that would become commonplace as the years went on, though at the time they were seen as great luxuries for their guests. It was followed by the King Tower II, and the King Tower III. The current King Tower - King Tower IV - currently has summer plans to sail along the east coast of South America."

"Such an illustrious career," Vivian remarked, her tone somewhat sarcastic.

"Where does the Queen Tower come into play?" asked Lucretia.

"The Queen Tower has typically been the personal ship for the Mayhew family and their friends. It wasn't until recently that the ship started opening its doors for esteemed guests such as yourself."

"Such as myself?" Lucretia commented, "You mean... such as us common folk who happen to have enough luck to appear rich for a couple of hours!"

Lucretia's joke made Diana laugh.

"Well... if you wish to call it that," said the doe, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. Again, Vivian tensed up, shooting the doe a glare... only to grow wide-eyed at herself.

Seriously, why was she doing that?

"It must take a lot of money to keep all of this running," Lucretia said, "I could barely imagine running an entire luxury line."

"Well... over the years, the Mayhew family have amassed quite a fortune," said Diana, "As you can even see by some of the items in our museum here. I'd say that... we are without a doubt the most _affluent _boat in the world. So... while you may see yourself as a... ahem... 'common folk', we the staff see you as our most esteemed guests."

"Heh... I'll keep that in mind."

"Diana!" a voice called from the entrance of the museum, causing them to turn and see a certain horse standing there, "Diana!"

"Oh... I'm coming, Mr. Mayhew!" she answered, walking a few feet, before stopping and facing Lucretia and Vivian, "Please, enjoy your stay upon our ship, our esteemed guests."

Her words were followed by a curtsy, one which brought a smile to Lucretia's face, and a yet another disapproving gaze from Vivian. But the doe did not remain for long, eventually making her leave.

"Well... she's rather perky," Vivian remarked with her arms crossed.

"Hm? You think so?" Lucretia replied, a grin on her lips, "I think if anyone's perky here, it's definitely you."

"Hmph... well... you don't seem to mind," the hare retorted, her eyes closed and nose stuck up.

"I don't..." said the wolfess as she leaned over, "Do you?"

"I...?"

Vivian's eyes reopened. Lucretia was grinning at her in a knowing manner. The way she spoke to Diana... was that purposeful? Was this some sort of bait? Luca could accurately deduce what her occupation was, so was it a stretch of the imagination to say that she could notice Vivi's not so subtle glares at the doe?

Dammit!

"H-hey! You said you wanted to eat and learn a bit about me, right?" said the hare in another attempt to shift the conversation, "So... why don't we head over to the restaurant?"

"Hah hah hah ha! Of course, Vivian. Heh!"

...

At night, when the sun descends and the moon rises, the ocean waves can become... infinite. There are no buildings, no roads, no islands, no structures of any kind out here. It's just seas and skies. And when they meet at the horizon with no discernible line to separate them, one can feel a loss of space. Indeed, only the infinite expanse of outer space could match this feeling.

And then you have the Queen Tower, sailing on these quiet seas. Its black and gold hue stood in stark contrast to the infinite void around it, while the signature tower itself glittered with a variety of sparkling colors. It was both a vessel and a lighthouse to anything and everything around it.

Standing on the Queen Tower's front deck, wind softly blew through Vivian's hair as she watched the horizon come nearer and nearer. All around here was nothing but water. To think that just a few miles away was civilization, and she just couldn't see it. Having never been on a boat like this, the feeling was a bit disquieting.

But she was not alone.

"Nmph... mmmf... nomph... not bad... but... I've had better alligator..."

Vivian looked over, her eyes falling on Lucretia. The wolfess was casually eating these crunchy little balls of meat... alligator meat, going by her comments. Let it be known that Lucretia Salem can eat. She ate at the breakfast table before getting on board, she ate at the upper class restaurant where she and Vivian spoke, and she ate at the all you can eat buffet. Hell, the rabbit was sure she'd _still _be eating there had she not made her desires known to see the ocean.

But Lucretia didn't bemoan her choice or complain. With a smile she acquiesced, and now here they were, watching the ocean go by... together. There was something romantic here, even Vivi would agree. Sitting here with this big, bad wolf of a woman, while the cold winter air blew along them, upon the deck of a boat; it felt like a scene straight out of a movie. And when Lucretia looked at her with that charming smile on her lips, Vivian would blush and look away, a pout on her lips.

"You... really can eat," she said, trying to shift her mind from her thoughts.

"Well... it takes a lot of energy to keep this body of mine going," Lucretia answered, "Being a cop isn't easy, you know. Those movies and TV shows don't lie..." she leaned on the deck's banister, her verdant eyes glancing over towards the hare at her side, "As I'm sure being a nurse isn't easy either. Heh... I don't know how many thanks you get but... I really appreciate the work you and your fellow nurses put in. Speaking from experience here; I've visited my fair share of hospitals in my day."

"Even you? I find that hard to believe for a supercop like you," Vivian retorted, "For you to be one of the department's top performers this year, you must clearly be dedicated and good... then again, Felix won a ticket, so maybe you're all a bunch of lazy goons."

"Ohohohohohohoho! Maybe we are!" Lucretia said with a grin, "Especially with all the donuts and coffee I toss into my mouth on a regular basis. But... hey... for all of the nonsense Felix does, he is a skilled cop, through and through. Heh..."

Growing silent, the two again looked out to the ocean. The Queen Tower cut through the frigid waters like a hot knife through butter, and did it all so quietly as well. It made everything so relaxing... almost too relaxing, Vivian would say.

"So... why do you do it...?" she suddenly asked, making Lucretia's ears twitch.

"Why do I do what...?" she replied.

"Be a cop, ya'know?" Vivian looked over, her brown eyes meeting Luca's verdant ones, "Just got inspired to be a police officer one day, and made that your whole drive in life? Like from a movie or something...?"

"Heh... well... I do love Die Hard, but, no..." Luca shook her head, "It's not anything like that. I'm a Salem. My family has always been very... uh... inclined towards law and order. Very strict family."

"Ah... so... it's biology?"

"Sure, I guess you can say. My father was a detective, my grandfather was also a police officer who turned into a judge. My aunt's a detective, my uncle's a police chief... it just goes on and on and on for generations. Even my sister who's not apart of the law in anyway, works in law as an attorney. So, yeah, I guess you can say it's biology."

"So... it's that simple? It's just... something you want to do because your family does it?"

"Not exactly. Heh... you make it sound like I don't have choice in the matter," Luca replied, "And... sure... I suppose on some level, I am just a slave to my genes... but..." she shook her head, "I... I want to help others. I want to make the city streets safe. I want to bring criminals to justice. My father was my hero... admittedly... I was always a daddy's girl. I want to be a detective like him... someday," she then raised an eyebrow, "What about you, Vivian? What's a cute little bunny like you doing as a nurse?"

"I guess we're not so different, you and I... slave to our genes and all that..." Vivi replied, "I admit... I'm not the softest girl around. I've punched more than a few dickheads in the face in my day. Hell, I'm sure if we grew up around one another, you may have strung me up a couple of times, supercop," she grinned, "I could be a bit of a bossy-bitch in my youth... and a lot of a bully. But... I guess... you know... you grow up and all that. Even as a kid, I couldn't help being nice to others. It's in my family's blood. We Norths are just... always so sweet."

"Heh... sweet, eh? Then..." Lucretia moved in closer, "I guess I wasn't wrong in call you 'cute', huh?"

"Hnn... L... Luca..." Vivian muttered.

She looked at Lucretia and the smirk on her face, causing an embarrassed blush to form on her cheeks. Vivian could feel her body get a tad bit hot beneath her clothes, not made any better by the wolfess' words and charm. The hare wanted to look away - tried _to look away - but she instead felt herself come a bit... _closer.

Their hips touched.

"Ah! More of our esteemed guests!"

The voice came from the side of the deck, drawing Lucretia's eyes over, while Vivian blushed and looked away. It was one of the Queen Tower's staff; a young monkey in uniform.

"The main event for tonight is about to begin!" he said as he walked up towards the two, "Please, follow me to theater so that we can enjoy Maria Bianchi's opera performance!"

"Oh? It's almost seven already?" Lucretia said, before glancing over at Vivian, "Time really flies when you're having fun. So..." she offered the hare her hand, "Care to join me, cutie? I'm sure this'll be fun."

Vivian looked between Lucretia's face and her hand... before grabbing upon it

"Then let's have some fun."

...

Act 3: Die Hard

Is it any surprise that the theater of the Queen Tower is just as glorious as the rest of the ship? Because it is. Oooooh, it is.

It had been a while since Vivian was last in a theater. It happened last when she dated this really awful guy. He brought her there, made a bunch of terrible jokes, tried to get frisky, and well... things did not end up well for him at the end of the night. Still, the show was good.

This theater was more grand than that other one however. This theater was large, being two tiers in fact. Its architecture - much like the rest of the boat - felt very much like a castle's theater, more than it did your typical one. The stage itself grand, with royal red curtains, black and gold sat everywhere, the seats were big and plush, while behind them was the theater's projector room, just in case the Queen Tower wanted to play a movie.

At the edge of the second tier, Vivian and Lucretia could see _everything. _Resting in the chair beneath her, the bunny stared out towards the stage next to the wolfess. Down below, most of the assembly sat together, whispering and murmuring, giggling too. Vivian however would steal glances at Luca every now and then, getting a profile of the wolfess... and occasionally a smirk for her troubles as well.

"I wonder what they're going to perform," Lucretia said, "I haven't been to a play since I was a pup."

"It's not a play, it's an opera," Vivian corrected, "A little same, but different. But from how they made it sound, it's probably just going to be a song performance. I... I'm interested to see what they sing."

"You like opera?" Lucretia said.

"What? Don't take me as an opera type of person?" Vivian replied.

"Heh... being honest? I wouldn't take you for one. But... I quite like that you are. So... have you been to an opera house before?"

Vivian shook her head.

"Not me. I've been to plenty plays at Document City's theater district, but never an opera. And I doubt seeing my sister's college performances count," Vivian replied.

"Heh... well then, this blind date is going great," Lucretia said with a smirk, "I get to take you to your first opera. Heh! I'm getting more and more happy that I was a top performer in my department!"

Vivian pouted, again trying to be abrasive in the face of Lucretia's boisterous charm. But the more and more the wolfess laughed, the harder and harder the bunny found it to keep her face stiff. Thankfully, she didn't... for the lights suddenly dimmed.

All conversations were cut short, and lights began appearing upon the stage. Moments passed before the curtains opened, revealing a stage... and the one woman in the center of it. She was a beautiful woman, tall and curvy, with wide hips and an impressive bust. An avian - a blue jay - going by her elegant cerulean plumage. Dressed in an opulent and royal white dress, she had a wide hat that covered her head. But it did little to block view of her luscious black hair, which fell and fell and fell, all the way to her hips.

This woman - all alone on the stage - walked slowly to the front center, while stage lights from above illuminated her glory for all to see. Behind her, music began to play, starting with violins which set up a somber... almost said and quiet tone.

And Maria Bianchi began to sing.

"Laaaaaaaacriiimmoooooooossaaaaa... diiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeesss iiiiiiillaaaaa..."

Her tone was regal, her voice strong. It reverberated through the theater, bouncing into everyone's ears as if she was singing to them specifically. Slowly, Lucretia leaned back, while Vivian leaned forward; the bunny enthralled, the wolfess curious.

"Qua... reess... urrr... get..... ex.... fa.... viiii.... llaaaaaa..."

But as everyone indoors enjoyed the splendor of Maria's voice, they were completely unaware of what was occurring outside.

Boats. Speedboats. Several speedboats. They zipped through the ocean waves, cutting through water and snow like a bullet. Each one was stocked with men, between four and three each, counting up to sixteen _men in total. These men were adorned in heavy coats to fight off the elements... and were _armed.

"Juuuuuuuddiiiiiiiiiiicaaaaaaannnudduuuuusss hoooooomoooooooo reeeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuusss."

SPEW! SPEW! SPEW!

Upon arriving to the sides of the Queen Tower, the men fired grappling hooks which launched high, and then attached themselves to the boat's handle bars. A few moments later, the group were zipping upwards, and climbing aboard the cruise line.

"Laaaaaaaaacriiimoooooooooooosaa diiiiieeeeesss iiiiiiiiiilaaaaaa."

One of the Queen Tower's staff noticed these men, his feet coming to a halt. Confused, he called out to them...

BANG! BANG!

His answer was a pistol held by the leader; a giant crocodile.

"Quaaaaaaaaaaaa reeuuuuuurgeett eeeeeeeeexxxxx faaaviiiiiiiiilllaaa!"

This unfortunate victim would not be the only casualty. Other staff who heard the gunshot quickly rushed out to check what was happening. They were met with more gunfire, riddling their bodies with holes, and killing them quickly. All the while the 'esteemed guests' within remained blissfully unaware as Maria's performance continued.

"Juuiidiccaannduuuuuuuuuss hoooooooooommmoooooo reeeeeeeeeuuuuuusss."

But not all of the 'staff' were actually apart of the staff. As chaos began running the upper decks, members of the Queen Tower would suddenly reach down, pulling out guns of their own. Pistols and submachine guns; they brandished these weapons, and opened fire upon those not apart of their entourage.

Conrad Mayhew was among them.

"Huuuiiiiiiicc eeeeeeerrgooooooo paaarrrceeeeeee, Deeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuu."

Standing at the top of third floor, he gazed down, watching as his staff and personnel were all gunned down before his very eyes. Mouth agape, the equine could only howl in horror, before quickly looking away.

He had a safe room. He'd run there, call for help, and hopefully hide out until all of this blew over.

Everyone else was on their own.

"Piiiiiieeeeeeeee Jeeeeeeeeesuuuuuuuu Doooooooomiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeee."

Amid the rousing song, Vivian instinctively reached over, her hand falling on Lucretia's hand. Gently, she clutched the wolfess' hand, causing Luca to look over. The haughty hare didn't even realize what she had done. It made Lucretia smile.

She clutched back.

And the music picked up....

"Dooooooooonnaaaaa eeeeeeeeeeiiiiss!"

THWAK!

Suddenly, the door to the projector room was slammed open, stunning the theater's director who pulled back. Looking over, he was greeted by a tall, strong, bear of a man. He leered down upon the director, who opened his mouth wide... only to be silenced as the suppressed barrel of a pistol was aimed towards him.

There was no arguing for his life.

PAP! PAP!

"Rreeeeeeeequuuuiiiiiiieeeeemm!"

Behind the bear, a fox _suddenly walked in. He flashed his compatriot a smile, before readying a _rifle in his hand. Resting his firearm upon the projector's window seal, he peered through his scope, and turned on his rifle's laser point.

A red dot fell right upon Maria's chest.

"Doooonnaaaaaaaa eeeeeeiiiiisssssss reeeequuuiiiiiiiiieeeeeemmm..."

Everyone was enamored. Everyone was enthralled, Maria's musical talent was rousing and beautiful, even if the song carried with it this melancholic feel. And yet, despite everyone's eyes being on Maria, despite the _lights _flashing on Maria, _no one _noticed the red dot on her chest.

No one... except Lucretia. Her eyes wide, she straightened up.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen..."

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" the wolfess shouted.

POW!!!

But it was too late...

"GLAAAK!?"

One bullet. One powerful bullet. It shot through Maria's chest, penetrating her heart, and dropping her almost instantly. She fell back upon the stage, her eyes wide, her hat falling off her head, while blood began pooling around her body. At first, everyone was shocked... and then screams began echoing out.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?" someone shouted.

Confused and curious, the guests all rushed the stage to check up on the opera singer''s body. Lucretia meanwhile looked back, her eyes falling on the window to the projector room. It had been closed.

"What the fuck...?" said Vivian breathlessly as her brown eyes glanced over to Lucretia, "Wh-what's going on!?"

"I don't know," said the wolfess as she opened up her jacket, "But I'm gonna find out. Stay here until I get back."

"N-no... let me come with you," said the hare, "I'm a nurse. Maybe I could do... something."

Lucretia paused for a moment... before nodding. Grabbing each others' hand tightly, the two rushed for the staircase and descended down towards the stage.

"Hey, hey!" Lucretia shouted as she raised her badge, "Get back! I'm Officer Lucretia Salem, let me get to the body!"

The civilians parted under the wolfess, allowing her and Vivian to approach Maria's body. Luca stood by while Vivi got to her knees before her, ignoring the blood that stained her leggings. But... there wasn't much to see. Gently, the nurse touched Maria's body, feeling the warmth of life rapidly leave her.

The blue jay's eyes were still wide open, and her mouth agape... but... there was...

"Oh God..." Vivian whispered as she pulled back, walking away from Maria's body and only stopping when she walked into Lucretia, "I... ghgh...!" her eyes widened, she looked away, "I... I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Vivian..." Lucretia whispered, her tone reassuring... but...

BING! BONG!

The ship's intercom system came on. The sound of it sent a cold chill down everyone's spine, and they all looked to the ceiling together.

Good evening, our... heh... 'esteemed guests'... that voice... was neither the voice of Conrad Mayhew, or the ship's captain, Clark Ryker. This voice belonged to... someone else, I hope you enjoyed Miss Bianchi's final performance. I'm sure it was one to remember for the rest of your days. Now, if you would be so kind, please make your way to the Queen Tower's public lounge. Be sure to move in a orderly manner; we don't want any of you getting hurt. And, oh yes, don't try anything funny, like attempting to call for help with your phones. We've jammed any and all reception to the Queen Tower, and if we see you with your phones out, my men will... well...

THWAK!

The doors to the theater suddenly slammed open. What came in were staff of the Queen Tower. Big, burly staff... staff brandishing automatic rifles. Whatever hope went through everyone when they saw them, was immediately dashed when the men raised their guns, squeezed their triggers, and--

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!!!

Bullets rattled from their muzzles and peppered the ceiling, causing everyone in the room to scream. Everyone... but Lucretia. Keeping her cool, the wolfess quickly wrapped her arm around Vivian's waist, pulling the rabbit off with her. Without a word, the duo rushed to the edges of the stage, vanishing from view, while the gunmen continued shooting their guns.

This went on for several moments before they finally stopped.

As you can tell, my men are very strict, said the voice over the intercom, So unless you wish harm to fall upon yourselves, I recommend you listen to my command and come to the lounge. We have drinks! Promise! Heh heh heh...

Bong! Bing!

If there were any civilians with courage, it was instantly stolen whenever the armed men pointed their barrels at them. While screams and jerks continued rocketing through their person, the assembly were steadily ushered out of the theater... save for a certain wolfess and hare.

Having escaped, Lucretia and Vivian hid themselves in the backstage. The wolfess was naturally pensive, scanning their location for any other armed goons. The hare however... was less steady.

Her eyes wide and pupils small, Vivi looked at her hands as they trembled. Some of Maria's fresh blood was on her fingers after she checked her. How odd... the hare has seen dead bodies before; she works as a nurse in a busy hospital, so it was expected to happen. But... this was different. This wasn't in a controlled environment, with well-trained doctors and physicians around. No, Maria Brianchi - a rising star at the beginning of her career - had her life stolen in an _instant _by a sniper.

This boat - the Queen Tower - was under siege.

"Oh my God... oh my God... oh my God... oh my God..." Vivian said over and over again as she hugged herself, "Oh my god oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God!" and then even faster as her eyes closed and tears began bubbling from her eyes, "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!!!"

"Vivian... Vivian!" a hand fell on her shoulder.

"Ah!?"

Vivi turned around, her eyes falling on Lucretia. Despite everything that was going on, the wolfess was surprisingly calm. Was she used to situations like this? Or was she merely putting on a brave face so that Vivian wouldn't continue freaking out. Regardless, the wolfess was like a beacon of hope, a pillar of strength in this terrifying moment.

Without even hesitating, Vivian moved in, hugging Lucretia close as she pressed her head to her chest. Eyes closed and teeth gritted, the hare did everything in her power to not break out into more tears. Dammit, she should be stronger than this! Don't they say in hostage situations that the most important thing is to be calm? She just couldn't keep her head straight!

"Vivian... hey... Vivian," Lucretia said, her strong hand tenderly stroking along her cheek, "It's gonna be fine, okay? Okay? Relax..."

"Hnnh! Th-that's easy for you to say," the hare replied, "Lucretia... that woman... M-Maria... she--"

THUD!

That sound caused the two to stiffen. Looking over, they saw the shadow of an armed man appear against the wall. Vivian's eyes grew wide, though Lucretia became serious. Without saying a word, she quickly began ushering the hare towards the changing room at the back of the theater. When the armed gunmen finally arrived backstage, he was met with nothing but empty space.

But he would not be deterred.

He was a tall and slender mountain lion, one dressed in the black and gold staff uniform, while armed with a fully-automatic rifle.

"I saw you come back here!" he shouted, "Don't try and hide! Come out, and I promise we won't hurt you!"

His words went unheeded. However, he saw the curtains to the theater's changing room rustle slightly. Running inside, he entered into the area, where he saw that it was sparse and empty. There was nothing and no one in here. But the mountain lion did not leave.

Raising his rifle, he stalked the parlor. To his right there were mirrors. To his left there were closets. Otherwise, there was nothing. Since he didn't see his targets, that meant they could only be one place; the closets.

There were five of them...

WHAK!!!

He struck the first closet, slamming it open. There was nothing.

WHAK!!!

He struck the second closet, slamming it open. There was nothing.

WHAK!!!

He struck the third closet, slamming it open. There was nothing.

WHAK!!!

He struck the fourth closet, slamming it open. There was nothing.

That left only one.

Click!

Switching his gun off of safety, the mountain lion pointed it towards the fifth and final closet.

"No more hiding," he whispered, "Come out now..."

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"GURK!?"

THUD!

Bullet's tore through the soft wood of the closet, each one striking the mountain lion's body. Blood spurted from his fresh wounds and he stumbled back, falling first on the changing room's vanity desk, before collapsing on the ground completely. Seconds ticked on, then the closet opened up, revealing Lucretia and Vivian. The bunny was clinging tight to the wolfess for dear life, while said wolfess' pistol was smoking.

"Gotcha..."

Pulling out of the closet, Lucretia crouched down to the mountain lion's fresh corpse, a pensive look in her verdant eyes. With a few taps she checked his body, confirming that yeah, he was--

"Dead? Is... is he dead...?"

Lucretia looked up at Vivian.

"No... he's just sleeping," she replied sarcastically.

Vivian wanted to yell at Lucretia for her comment... but she didn't. Instead, she hugged herself and closed her eyes, struggling to think of something - anything - that would help calm her down. Lucretia meanwhile checked the rifle the mountain lion had. It was long and black; a deadly weapon that any trained soldier knows how to use. It was also decidedly _not _civilian.

"Lucretia... what's going on?" asked Vivian, "Is... is this some terrorist attack or something?"

"No... it's not," the wolfess answered, "It can't be. You heard that guy's voice on the intercom, right? And this lion's voice too? Their accents are clearly American, like you and me. It's.. it's not..." she shook her head, "This rifle too. It's a Windsor FSU-4. This is a military rifle, and there's no civilian equivalent. And considering this guy's stance..." Lucretia stood up as she took the rifle from the lion's body, "This guy, and those other guys, are military trained. Their soldiers."

"S-soldiers? But... why would they be attacking us?"

"Can't say," Lucretia replied, "But considering how quick they were to start shooting, how they killed Maria, and how this guy's wearing a staff uniform, I think it's clear that whatever they're here for, they're not above killing innocent civilians to get it."

"So... so what do we do? Turn ourselves in? We can't call for help with our phones; you heard what that guy said! They've blocked calls out of the boat."

"We can't do that..." Lucretia whispered, "We need to find a way to get in contact with authorities back in the mainland. We're not too far from the coast, so if we can get some message out... any message, we can get out of here."

"Do you... know how to do that?"

Lucretia didn't answer, not right away. Instead, she checked the rifle she held in her hand, appraising its worth. Kneeling down, she stripped the spare ammunition from off the mountain lion's body.

"Do you trust me...?" she asked of Vivian.

Before the hare could answer, Lucretia looked at her. Despite everything that just happened - despite killing _a man right before her eyes - the wolfess _smiled. It was this _charming _smile as well. Sweet... kind... gentle... and with those verdant eyes glowing, it was a smile that said...

Everything's going to be okay...

"Yeah... yeah, I trust you," Vivian answered.

"Good... stick close to me, Vivi..." she faced the exit, "We need to move quick."

...

The Princess Lounge. Or, well... the 'PRINCESS LOUNGE' declares the sign outside of it. Like all aspects of the Queen Tower, it was an elegant and refined place. Less gold and black like the rest of the boat, more silver and blue, to help match one's gaze of the ocean from outside of the nearby windows. A spacious room, it had various booths, a bar counter, a piano at the back, and glass doors that lead to a balcony. It could easily contain around thirty people. Which is good, because around thirty people were being forced into the room by gun point.

The guests of the Queen Tower came in all different shapes and sizes, ages and races. Men, women, a few children even; none were spared by these vicious killers. Stuffed into the lounge room, they were coerced in a practiced manner towards the booths at the back which surrounded the piano in the room. This way, all the guards could keep their eyes on them, and - more importantly - they could see... them.

At the piano, there stood a man... a crocodile.

He was a beast of being; a towering monolith of power that stood feet above the tallest men in this room. His hair was jet-black and cut in a no-nonsense flat top, his feature were stern and serious, and his red eyes radiated this malicious power that seemed capable of killing those around him with eyesight alone. Dressed in a heavy coat and armed with a rifle more unique than the others, it was clear he held most - if not all - the power in the boat.

But he was not alone, for sitting at the piano - and playing _said piano - was a fox. He was young and spry, with the curliest and brightest blond hair you'd ever see, and these cold yet mesmerizing blue eyes. Handsome and suave, his features were sleek, and on his lips laid this smile that could charm anyone and everyone. He was in stark contrast to the man beside him, yet it was clear they were a duo... a _pair.

A pair of demons. One demon was the kind that tortures you in hell: the crocodile. The other demon was the kind that drives you to do something vile: the fox.

And both demons looked over towards their victims.

"Good evening, our esteemed guests!" said the fox as he rose up to his feet, looking at everyone with this grinning smile on his lips. It was the kind of smile you'd see on the face of a friend, not on the face of a killer, "Apologies for the disorderly approach to getting you all in here. My men are more... soldiers than they are ushers... heh... despite what some of their clothes may imply."

"Wh-who are you!?" shouted one of his hostages, making the fox smile.

"Me?" replied the fox as he placed his hand on his chest, "The name's Pierce. And this..." he tapped the crocodile at his side, "This is Drake. And him..." he pointed to the bear who forced them into the lounge, "That's Marcus. And that guy..." he pointed to the badger next to him, "That's Scott. And I'd get into the rest of my crew, but... ah... they're kind of busy scouting the rest of the boat for anyone else. I'm sure you understand."

"Why are you here!? Why are you doing this!?" someone else shouted, making the fox - Pierce - chuckle.

"That's... none of your concern, so don't worry about it," he replied, "Worry more about yourselves, okay? As you can tell, we are here, we are armed... and... unless you want to be like Miss Bianchi, and many of the staff we've had to do away with, I recommend you behave yourselves. We won't hurt you, unless you give us a _reason _to hurt you. So long as you obey, we'll be out of your hair before you even know it! Now then..." he reached for the surface of his piano, pulling up a clipboard, "I have here a list of names; the names of guests on today's voyage. Treat this like classroom, okay? I'll call names, you say 'here', or 'present' if you're so inclined to. We'll go in alphabetical order by last name! Now then... John Anderson?"

"I... I'm here..."

"Good... okay... Sarah Anderson?"

"H-here..."

"Awesome. Donovan Berkeley?"

"I'm... here..."

"Gotcha. Nikki Berkeley?"

"H... here..."

"Okay, okay... Norman Brandon."

"I'm here."

"Firm voice! I like it! Next is... Katherine Cordial?"

"Here..."

"Uh-huh. Next one is..."

This went on for several moments. Pierce would call out a name, and he'd get a meek response. The tension in the air was thick. No one dared say a word unless their name was called out. All the while, the fox continued acting so... lighthearted. Despite holding everyone at gun point, he had a smile on his face, and he moved with this almost cocky swagger to him. It was like he was in a different place entirely.

But that crocodile beside him, Drake... he was something else entirely. Holding his rifle in hand, he kept his red eyes on the group of people, scanning them, picking them apart, making sure no one even _thought _about attempting anything funny.

And then Pierce called out--

"Vivian? Vivian North?"

And for the first time since he started, he was met with silence.

"Vivian...? Ms. North...?" he called again... but, no... nothing, "Huuuh..."

Looking away from his list of names, his eyes fell upon the people, who also were looking around in a curious manner. No one here knew anyone by the name of Vivian North; even Pierce could see that. Briefly squinting in, he sighed, then continued.

"Ooookaaaaaay... next then is Derek Orval?"

As Pierce continued listing off names, Drake stiffened at his side. He was looking through these people, searching for this 'Vivian North' who failed to answer her name call. The crocodile even raised his rifle, further threatening their hostages. And then Pierce said another name.

"Salem. Lucretia Salem?"

And again, he was met with silence.

Raising an eyebrow, Pierce straightened up. He didn't even bother calling out Lucretia's name again, because he already knew she wasn't here. Laying his list of names flat upon the piano beside him, a playful chuckle left his lips, one that quickly changed into a laugh. He was enjoying himself, though Drake rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"It seems we have two tardy students," said Pierce, "I wonder if they're together? Perhaps they didn't bother seeing Maria's performance. Well... hopefully we'll be able to find them soon."

"HEY PIERCE!!!"

"Oh...?"

Everyone looked at the entrance of the lounge, their eyes falling on another one of Pierce's men. He was a dog of some sort, dressed in a coat, was armed with a rifle, and appeared frantic. His expression immediately alerted Drake, though Pierce remained focused as he looked at him.

"What's wrong, Blaine?" asked the fox in a calm manner.

"It's Jansen... he's dead!"

A series of gasps echoed from the hostages as the canine looked at his leader. Even Drake tensed up as he raised an eyebrow.

"He's... dead...?" Pierce repeated, "Where was he?"

"He was behind the stage... in the changing room," the dog replied, "He'd been shot to death, and whoever killed him took his rifle."

"I see..." Pierce muttered as he palmed his face, "Aaaah... heh... heh heh... heh... hah... hah hah ha! Hahahahahahahahahah! Wow!" dropping his hand, he looked at the hostages and stood up straight, giving them a wide smile, "Well then! It seems we have ourselves a John McClane! And here I was thinking - I guess hoping - that this was going to be easy. A quickie! A one and done! Buuuuuuut, it looks like someone isn't going down without a fight! How fun!" then his face shifted, becoming deadly serious as he leered at his group of hostages, "Give me a second..."

Even his voice shifted, changing from happy and jovial, to deep and malicious in a second.

Reaching down, Pierce lifted a nearby radio. Turning it on, he said,

"Diana... I need you to look up a couple of names for me: Vivian North, and Lucretia Salem. According to my list, they live in Document City. Is there any information you can bring up on them?"

"L-Lucretia...?" a woman's voice echoed on the other end, at first surprised before slipping into something more serious, "Right... give me a second, Pierce."

For a few moments, taps echoed through his radio, while Pierce looked at it in a manner both deadly and annoyed. It didn't take long for him to get an answer.

"I've got nothing on a Vivian North, outside of her Xwitter page, and her Mybook which she hasn't updated in two years," said the voice on the other end of the radio, "From what I can see, she's just a nurse. Lucretia Salem on the other hand... she has neither a Xwitter page or a Mybook, or any social media from what I can tell. However, I have located various news articles reporting of her merits in law and order. She's a police officer... and a good one at that."

"Hmm... I see..."

"Is there any other information you need from me?"

"No... keep doing your job. We just have a little... spanner in our works..."

Placing his radio down, Pierce looked back over to the dog before him. Then he took a deep breath... and placed that smile back on his lips.

"Well... you heard her, Blaine," he said as he sat back down before his piano, "Our little cowgirl's name is Lucretia Salem. Could you take Craig and Dodson with you, and go deal with her? Pretty please? With sugar lumps on top?"

"Got it, Pierce," the dog replied.

Quickly turning, he exited the lounge, while Pierce took in a deep breath. Drake glanced over at him, but the fox shook his head and said,

"There's no need, Drake. I'm sure Blaine, Craig and Dodson can deal with them. If this Lucretia Salem thinks she can fuck up our plans, well..." he shook his head, "She's got another thing coming..." then a smile spread out over his lips and he looked over, "Now then! Does anyone here like Chopin?"

...

Never in Vivian's life did she think she'd be in this area of a boat.

THUGA-THUGA-THUGA-THUGA-THUGA!!!

The hall here were gray and silver, while its walls and ceiling were lined with pipes, wires and air ducts that all went... somewhere. This was a maintenance hall; a place that was only supposed to be seen by workers and staff, not civilians. There was no life here, no style. It was a place for function first and foremost, all as the boat's engine humming through the walls.

Together, Vivian and Lucretia trekked through the maintenance hall. The hare was still shaken up by everything that was going on, while the wolfess remained composed. She was an absolute marvel to witness. She didn't twitch, or buck, or freak out, no, she remained focused. Her green eyes were locked on the distance, and she held her newly acquired rifle firm in her hands.

"Is everything okay back there?" asked Lucretia, making Vivian jolt.

"Y-yeah... everything's fine," she replied as she stuck close to the wolfess, "I'm... I just can't get out my head Maria and that guy you shot. Haaaaah... I'm just..." she crossed her arms, holding herself tight, "I should know death. I should be able to handle death. I've... I've seen more than a few people die in a hospital. And yet..."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Lucretia said as she looked over her shoulder towards Vivian, "This is a stressful situation. Your response is normal."

"I know that, but..." Vivian shook her head, "Wh-what about you? Did they... train you to handle a situation like this?"

"They? You mean the police?" Lucretia replied, "Well... yeah, they trained me to handle shooting a gun, but no one can really train you to kill a person. They try to normalize it. They try to get you into the act of shooting a gun and killing a person. But that's it; they try. Nothing can really prepare you for... taking a life, I guess."

"You didn't even flinch when you killed that guy," Vivian remarked, "You... you've _killed _a person before, haven't you?"

Lucretia didn't answer. Instead she flashed the hare a knowing smile.

"Does it... get easier...?" Vivian asked.

"A lot _quicker _than you think..."

KA-THUNK!

Lucretia and Vivian both looked forward. That was the sound of a door opening in the distance. It was followed by footsteps and voices; people were coming. But the wolfess was quick on her feet, grabbing Vivi's hand, and whisking the both of them through a nearby door.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNN!!!

THUGA-THUGA-THUGA-THUGA-THUGA!!!

The sound of the engines were even louder now... probably because they had entered the engine room. It was a large area, one filled with various machines that hummed and thumped into their ears. Vivian's eyes widened at the sight of all these engines, but Lucretia didn't slow. Still holding tightly upon the hare's hand, he rushed deeper into the room, hiding them behind a large machine. Seconds later...

THWAK!

The doors to the engine room were kicked open.

Entering into the area were three men; two dogs, one feline. Two were armed with rifles, the last with a submachine gun. Making matters worse, these were no common thugs. They scanned the area, searching it for their prey, before the lead dog raised his hand. With silent gestures, he ordered the feline stay put, while he and his fellow canine pushed in deeper. They then parted, separating to cover more distance.

Their heavy boots clanked against the steel floor beneath them, causing Lucretia and Vivian's ears to quiver. The hare held close to the wolfess, her teeth clinched and eyes closed. But Luca remained focused, and readied her rifle in her hands.

"Vivi," she whispered, "I want you to stay close to me, okay?" she then pointed towards a nearby machine just across the lane, "We're heading over there. Keep your head down, got it?"

"Mm-hm!"

"Okay... on three... one... two... three!"

Together they rushed for the console across the lane. Vivian moved first, while Lucretia hung back just enough to--

RATATATATATATATATATA!!!

"GAH!?"

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Lucretia's rifle roared as she and Vivian crossed the lane, raining a spread of bullets upon her stunned assailants. They struck metal and steel, but a few bullets hit an enemy, striking his arm and making him pull back.

"SHE'S OVER THERE!" roared the feline from the room's entrance, "SHE'S MOVING TO THE LEFT! THERE'S TWO OF THEM!!!"

Vivian's back pressed up against a command console, her heart pumping furiously in her chest. Lucretia joined came to her side, her rifle at the ready. Ears twitching, she listened out for her enemies, recognizing one was coming in close. Quickly she popped over the corner, pulled her trigger, and--

RATATATATATATA!!!

Bullets roared from her rifle, but the dog she shot at was smart. Quickly darting to the side, he dove behind machines for cover. Then turned to his feline ally, shouting--

"GIVE ME SOME COVER, CRAIG!!!"

"GOT IT!"

KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!!!

Bullets struck the machine Lucretia and Vivian were using for cover, making the rabbit's ears close in and her eyes close shut. Luca remained focused however, waiting for the gunfire to stop. And when it did...

"MOVE!" she shouted.

Vivian's eyes widened, alerted by Lucretia's shout. She didn't know where they were running, but she trusted her nonetheless. Alongside the wolfess, they darted for another machine, with Luca again firing at their assailants for protection.

They came to a halt at another machine, having been given just a few moments of respite. Lucretia used that time to pull out her now empty magazine, and replace it with a fresh one. Then her eyes glanced over, taking note of Vivian's tense face. The hare was trying so damn hard to be tough! Trying not to freak out and scream, despite that clearly being what she wanted to do. This was frightening; she'd never been in a shootout of any kind before!

That face of hers... that terrified face... Lucretia _never _wanted to see it again.

Now she was focused. Now she would deal with them. These men would pay for what they've done!

Jolting up, Lucretia leaned over the edge of her cover, and took aim towards the feline who stood sentry. There was no warning, no shout, no command to surrender! She just pulled the trigger of her rifle, sending a spread of bullets towards him.

"GAH!? FUCK!"

He shouted, ducking clean of her gunfire. But she never intended on hitting him, only scaring him. This gave Lucretia enough time to dart from her cover, leaving Vivian behind as she pushed towards her enemies.

The dog from before quickly pulled up to fire upon her, but the wolfess remembered his location.

RATATATATATA!!!

"SHIT! SHIT!"

Her bullets forced him back into cover. That gave his ally enough time to spring from his hiding spot. Despite being shot in the arm before, he hadn't been hindered enough to stop another attack. He aimed his rifle at Lucretia, but she was quicker on the draw.

Like a swift red blur, the wolfess twisted towards him, and fired--

RATATATATATATATATATA!!!

"URRK!?"

Bullets tore through his body, riddling him with holes, and dropping him just as quickly. But Lucretia didn't idle for long. Knowing her other enemies would retaliate, she dove behind a machine for cover yet again.

"FUCK! DAMMIT! DODSON!!!" shouted the dog from before, "GHH! YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

Rising up from his cover, he stocked down the lane, looking for Lucretia. Despite her size, she was quick on her feet, and easily able to dart around the machines. He could hear her running around machines, scampering like a little animal! But he couldn't _see _her! How was a woman that tall able to move this fast!?

RATATATATATA!

He fired where he thought she was, but his nothing.

RATATATATATATA!

He fired again, but again, he saw nothing.

Teeth clinched as he seethed with rage, the dog's frustrations continued to build.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATA!

Her feet just kept moving! Bouncing into his ears again and again, but no matter what, he could not find her!

Until...

Click! Click!

"Shit! Craig! Give me cover while I reload!"

"Got it! I'll--"_ RATATATATATATATATATA!!!_ "ACK!?"

A muzzle flash appeared over the surface of a machine, flying up towards feline yet again. But this time, it wasn't to scare him off. This time, she was shooting to kill. Bullets ripped into his body, making it twitch and jerk as blood spurted from his flesh. And then he stumbled... and then he fell...

THUD!

The dog looked over towards his dead ally. Then he turned again, looking forward. Lucretia stood there, the muzzle of her rifle billowing with steam. The dog's mouth was agape as he came face to face with the verdant eyes of the wolfess before him. She was out of ammo, and so was he. It didn't take him long to growl with rage.

"GRRAAAAAA!!!"

Teeth gritted, he bolted for Lucretia at top speed, his hand dropping to his hip and procuring his combat knife. He'd get in, and stab her to death with his knife! There was just one problem.

Lucretia dropped her rifle, and pulled out her pistol.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"AAAH!?"

He didn't even make it half way before his body fell over.

As the sound of the boat's engines continued blaring in her ears, Lucretia let out a deep breath and dropped her arm. There were three men here, and all three now laid dead at her feet. For a few moments, the wolfess remained stern, just in case any more enemies would appear. But after several more moments she fully relaxed.

Or, well, relaxed as much as she could in a situation like this.

"Vivi... Vivi...?" she called as she turned, making way back to the machine she left her at.

The rabbit was still there, still keeping her head and ears down, and her eyes closed. It wasn't until Lucretia's hand fell on her shoulder that she opened her eyes. She moved her mouth to speak, but said nothing. Instead she listened out, realizing that there was no more gunfire.

"Are they...? Did you...?" she said, to which Lucretia nodded and smiled.

"They are, and I did," he answered, "But, c'mon, we need to move before-- nngghh!?"

Lucretia tensed up and fell over, taking a knee before Vivian. Eyes wide, the hare looked her up and down, where she saw blood was streaking down her shoulder. Somewhere during all the gunfire, Lucretia had been injured. Whether she had been shot or merely grazed, she wouldn't know until she got a better look at her.

"Lucretia, are you okay?" she asked, making the wolfess nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, though Vivian shook her head.

"No... like hell you are," she replied, "Lucretia, your arm, it's..." she looked around, "We need to get you looked over."

"I'm fine! We need to keep moving!" the wolfess retorted, though Vivian again shook her head.

"Hey! We can't both _be hardheaded! You're the one who got shot, and I'm the fucking nurse! So let's get you looked over, got it! Then we can keep getting shot at by whoever else comes up! I gotta... I gotta..." her face then shifted into one of concern, "I've gotta make sure you're okay. This this is..." a hapless smile appeared on her lips, "This is our _date, right? Heh... I can't... I can't let you end our date bleeding out. Heh... if I tell my friends, they'll all make fun of me for it."

Her lighthearted comment at first made Lucretia raise an eyebrow... and then made her smile in a mirthful manner. Yeah, Vivian was right; this is their date, and it would suck if one of them ended up bleeding out at the end of it. So she nodded, then reached down and grabbed the rabbit's hand.

"Okay... there should be a medical bay somewhere nearby," Lucretia said, "Let's head there, and you can give me an inspection. Preferably a... full-body one. Heh...!"

Vivian leered up at Lucretia's comment, annoyed by it... but also amused as she smiled. Nodding at one another, they stood up from the machine and began heading for the exit, only for Lucretia to stop. Before leaving their enemies, she scanned their corpses, looking for anything important they may have on their person. Of course there was ammunition, some of which she swiped for her rifle, but one of them - the feline - held a bag. She didn't know what was in the bag, but knew it was important to keep for the time being.

She took both with her, and they left the engine room.

...

"Alright, right here," said Vivian as she pushed open a door.

The wolfess and hare entered into a well-lit and well-furnished medical room, one equivalent to a doctor's hospital in a school, though a little bit bigger. It wasn't uncommon for first time boat-goers to realize they have sea-sickness, motion-sickness, or some other sickness, requiring them to spend a little time in here getting acclimated to sea life. Vivian could only hope they had equipment that could help deal with gunshot wounds.

Ushering Lucretia over towards a nearby gurney, she sat the wolfess upon it and then turned to face the medical bay's shelves.

"Take off your jacket and your shirt," Vivian said as she grabbed at various items inside the shelf, "Let me get a better look at you."

"Well... heh... usually I'd like to take you home first before I start undressing... but I guess I can make a excuse this time," Luca replied lighthearted.

The hare glanced over her shoulder, her eyes falling on Lucretia's back. Doing as she was told, the wolfess removed her jacket, unveiling the upper physique of her body which had been blocked from view. Luca's sleeveless sweater did so very little to cover her figure. If anything, it flaunted her power, flaunted the shape of her shoulders, flaunted her narrow waistline, and flaunted her impressive bust.

But Lucretia wasn't done yet. Reaching down, she pulled off her sweater next. Vivian stiffened.

The wolfess' choice of bra was... purple, and it - like her sweater - exposed so much of her amazonian physique. Those back muscles, that figure, that power; it was all exposed to Vivi... and it was all making her face turn red.

"Is everything okay?" Lucretia asked.

"Y-yeah," replied the hare, "Just sit right there. This is gonna burn a bit."

"I know, I know. This isn't my first rodeo..."

"O... okay..."

Grabbing a rag, Vivian poured rubbing alcohol into it. Then she pressed the rag to Lucretia's body. Naturally, the wolfess tensed up, winced too, but said not a word. Again, she was well aware of this process, and allowed the nurse to do her job

"It looks like it was just grazed," said Vivian, "You got nicked on the shoulder there. Here, hold this rag down and keep applying pressure to the wound. Let me grab some gauze and painkillers."

"Uh-huh..." replied the wolfess as she held down the rag.

Blood was oozing down her shoulder and staining the rag. Not a lot, but enough to give Vivian pause momentarily. Memories of Maria's corpse flashed in her mind, and the blood which pooled around her. But, no, she wouldn't let that stop her, nor slow her! Lucretia was alive, and she needed to make sure she stayed alive.

Rushing back to the cabinet of items, Vivian grabbed gauze and checked for any painkillers. There was nothing here particularly hard hitting; hopefully 800 milligrams of ibuprofen would do the trick!

"Here, take this," Vivian said as she handed her the bottle, "Swallow just one! Got it? I don't want you wobbling around when you have to deal with all these guys."

"Heh heh... I got it, doc..."

"Hmmm..."

Vivian watched as Lucretia swallowed one pill, then moved aside the rag the wolfess had on her wound. Bringing up her gauze, she began wrapping it around Lucretia's shoulder, covering the wound completely.

"You're really good at this," whispered the wolfess as Vivian tended to her wound.

"Well... I do it often," Vivian replied, "I'm used to tending to cuts and bruises. This isn't anything extreme, but..."

Snip... snip...

Cutting the gauze short, Vivi made sure it held firm to Lucretia's body. This was all she could do in this moment in this meager medical bay. And really? That frustrated Vivian. The fact that she couldn't do more annoyed her. Lucretia was fighting for their lives, and all she could do was wrap some bandages around her. Maybe if they had a fully furnished hospital room, she could do more, but...

Lucretia raised her arm, flexed it, then moved it around in circles. While her wound still hurt, it didn't hurt as bad as it did before. It made the wolfess smile, and she continued to smile as she looked at Vivian.

"Thanks, Vivi," she said.

"Hey... you don't have to lie to me," replied the hare, though Lucretia shook her head.

"I'm not lying, I'm being honest. Thanks for this," she said as she reached down and grabbed her sweater, "I've applied gauze to myself before, and it was nowhere near as good as this. Let's just say... there's a reason why I'm a cop, and not a doctor, heh..." she placed her hand on the hare's shoulder, "You're a great physician, Vivi. I'd be in a much worse position without your help."

"I..."

Again Vivian blushed, for again, Lucretia had this flawless ability to warm her heart. Rigid and abrasive though she may be, that didn't stop the wolfess from getting under that exterior. Maybe it was the verdant eyes that glowed even now, or maybe it was her charming smile and voice. They were being held hostage by armed gunmen, but even then, Lucretia's focus was on her.

"Lucretia..." she whispered, "Do... do you think we can do it? Do you think we can get out of this alive?"

"I sure hope so," Luca responded as she slipped her jacket back on, "It's like you said before; this is our date, right? It would kinda suck if one of us ended up dead during it! The department already thinks I'm a machine. I can't risk going down in history as the worse person to date because the person I was dating ended up dead! Hah hah ha! So let's survive this situation, Vivi. Together."

That smile... that damn smile... that cool, charming smile. Trained gunmen were all around them, yet Lucretia could still smile like this. Raising her hand, Vivian gently placed it upon Lucretia's cheek and chin, stroking it softly... and then looking down... and then looking back up with a grin of her own.

"Then let's do it, Luca... together."

Lucretia chuckled then leaped up from the gurney. Reinvigorated, the wolfess reached down into the bag she procured from the feline's body. Opening it up, there were various items inside of it, being more ammo for their guns, and--

"C4?"

"C... 4...?" Vivian repeated, "Like in... kaboom... C4? That kind of C4? The _explosive _type of C4?"

"Yeah... that type of C4..."

Lucretia reached into the bag and pulled it out. The plastic explosives were molded into blocks, and there were about three of them. What the hell were they doing with C4? But before Luca could think about it too long, she noticed something else in the bag.

It was a map, and a highly detailed map at that. It contained various information on the Queen Tower, having been copied over from a genuine map of the boat. But this was different from the maps which lined some of the walls in the boat. This map could only belong to staff working at the Queen Tower. Not only that, but this map had various notes written into it, detailing certain things like escape routes according to certain plans. It also told Lucretia...

"Shit... I fucking knew it..."

"Knew what...?" Vivian asked.

"They never intended on _anyone _surviving this," Lucretia said as she flattened the map upon the gurney, "See this down here? At the lower hull at the walls? They have _bombs _planted here, Vivi!" she shook her head, "Once they get whatever they're here for, they'll blow up the ship."

"But what _are _they here for?" Vivian asked, "They haven't made demands or anything! They even made it impossible to hold us for ransom since we have no contact with the mainland, so..." she looked at Lucretia, "What's your thoughts, supercop?"

"Think about it, Vivi. They have a bunch of rich folks all held hostage on the richest boat in the seven seas," Luca replied, "They want money. I don't know how they're going to get that money, but they're clearly not above killing all of us to get it," she tapped the map, "But... at least this thing told us how they're jamming our connection with the outside world. It's at the top of the Queen Tower. If we can get into the captain's helm, we can break that jammer and call for help."

"So... that's the plan? We get to the captain's helm and destroy their jammer?"

"More or less, but there's still a number of goons out there, and I don't know how many," Luca replied, "And with those guys who came after us, I think whoever's in charge of this operation already knows that we're throwing a wrench in his plans. If he starts killing hostages..." she shook her head, "I... I can't risk that; I can't put any more lives in danger."

"Luca, you can't turn yourself in to them! If you do that, they'll just kill us all; you know that!"

"I know but... fuck..." she looked away, "I have to keep drawing their attention. I have to slow them down. Hm..." she nodded, "And I have to save those hostages. Hm... and I think I know how..."

"You think...?" she replied as she tapped the map.

"Yeah. Here's the plan. We're right here at the lower end, and the captain's helm is all the way over here. We're gonna have to rise up and push through the museum, then head through to the casino. At the base, we should be able to enter the tower. It might be a little difficult, but... heh..." she smiled at Vivian and extended her hand, "C'mon, Vivi! This night's just getting started."

"Then..." she swallowed her spit, and gave Lucretia and affirmative nod, "Let's get going.

Vivian grabbed her hand.

...

Act 4: Cold Snap

"PLEASE! CONRAD! OPEN THE DOOR!"

"YOU KNOW THE RULES, DIANA! WE _DON'T _NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS!!!"

The Mayhew Secret Safe Room. To those aware of the illustrious boating family, there have been no shortage of conversations about the existence of such a room. It is said that on Queen Tower, there lays a hidden room to protect the beloved family from any and all threats that may befall the boat. Some say it's nothing but rumor, others argue it's a carry over from the King Tower, but one thing is for sure. The Mayhew Secret Safe Room - if it is to exist - is impregnable.

It was a small room, smaller than the grand suite of the Queen Tower, but still larger than the basic room offered. In the corner was a bathroom, to the back was a bed, in the other corner was a safe, to the left was a computer monitor and messaging system, and yes, it all was coated in the décor of royalty. Because even here, the Mayhews must remain regal.

On the bed to the back, his eyes darting left and right, was Conrad. He luckily ducked into his safe room before he was seen, and set up all of its defenses. Unfortunately, the horse was trapped here, as his radio system could not break whatever jammer these terrorists had set up. Making matters worse, right outside of his doors was his second-in-command, Diana. And if she didn't move, she'd draw their attentions to him!

"PLEASE, MAYHEW! THEY'RE KILLING PEOPLE OUT HERE!!!" shouted the doe, "OPEN THE DOOR! LET ME HIDE WITH YOU!!!"

"I CAN'T DO THAT!" he shouted back, "THEN WE'D BOTH BE DEAD!"

"YOU CAN OPEN THE DOOR! NO ONE ELSE IS HERE!"

"NOT WITH YOUR YELLING THEY WILL BE!!!"

Was it wrong to leave her to her death? Maybe, but there's no tell if any of them would survive this! And if anyone deserved to live, it was him.

But through these heavily reinforced walls, there stood Diana, and her face was rather... annoyed. Her body language did not show distress, but was more frustrated, what with her crossed arms and slightly leaned stature. Her bespectacled blue eyes leering at a portrait in front of her, she could so perfectly imagine her boss cowering on the bed, no doubt while hugging close his endless wealthy.

"So... do you know how to break through this?" asked the burly feline behind her, to which the doe looked over her shoulder at him.

"No, I'm afraid not," replied Diana with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders, "The code to the Mayhew Secret Safe Room is known only to the Mayhew family. So unless you know a way of getting us in contact with Elizabeth Mayhew, I think it's safe to say we're sticking with Plan A. Oh well..."

Diana Marsden's was a very smart woman. She needed to be in order to help the Queen Tower operate at max efficiency. A woman who was both older than she looks while still being wise beyond her years, there weren't many who would ignore her helpful comments.

Such a shame then that Conrad did. And one time too many at that.

Her arms crossed, Diana walked back towards the armed cat behind her. They were in a seemingly innocuous hall, one resting between the museum and leading to the decks. Right here - resting behind a portrait of the King Tower - was actually a fake wall that could easily be moved aside. Behind it was a large metal door, with a number pad and keycard scanner resting at its side. This was where the Mayhew Secret Safe Room was, and if a person had both the keycard and the code needed to enter, they'd easily open the door.

Unfortunately, Diana had neither. Fortunately, they had planned for this.

"Hey, hey!" a voice came from down the hall, drawing over the attentions of Diana and the man beside her, "Sorry for being late!"

It was another burly appearing canine, one with a jovial look on his face, a rifle in one hand, while he dragged a heavy machine with him on a trolley.

"Where have you been, Trevor?" asked Diana with a pout, making the canine sweat as a hapless grin appeared on his lips.

"S-sorry, Diana! Just a bit late, I swear! Uhh..." he pushed forward the dolly, offering the weird machine on it, "Here's the laser cutter. This baby here'll cut through anything, I promise."

It was a large and bulky machine, one that could pump out plasma at over a thousand degrees Fahrenheit. It could easily cut through metal, and even reinforced steel would be worked open once enough time has passed.

"Right here," said the doe as she pointed at the side of the safe room's door, "Cut through here. The wires that operate the door are behind three inches of reinforced steel. It should take about an hour to cut through. Once we get to the wires, I can use my PDA to hack in through the door. Shouldn't be too hard..." she looked back, "The defense macros of the Queen Tower haven't been updated in twenty years."

"I'm on it, Diana..."

Powering on the laser cutter, the canine got into position and pointed its nozzle towards the steel-plated wall. It would take a few minutes for the machine to get up to max power, but Diana didn't mind the extra wait. In fact, she smiled, allowing this devilish, almost _lurid _grin to spread out on her lips.

"You should have listened to me when I told you something like this would happen, Mr. Mayhew," Diana whispered to herself, "Your laziness and ineptitude was always destined to be your downfall."

THUMPATHUMPATHUMPATHUMPATHUMP!

"Hm?"

Diana, and the cat and dog she was with, all looked down at the end of the hall. In a flash, she saw as three armed allies of theirs rushed towards the distance, making way to the Queen Tower Museum.

"What's going on down there...?" Diana asked.

"It's that woman... I think her name is Lucretia...?" replied the dog at her side.

"Lu... cretia...?" Diana repeated, her eyes widening, "Oh... my word..."

...

RATATATATATATATATATA!!!

KRASH! THRASH! SMASH!

Bullets whizzed through the air, roaring through the museum in a vicious spray. There was no direction, no forethought. The bullets were let loose, crashing into a variety of display cases, and sending glass sprinkling through the air. Where they be scale models and portraits, to priceless artifacts like aged pots and sculpted busts, all were riddled with bullets and shattered. All in an attempt to kill one wolfess.

Her back pressed to the thick stand of a display case, Lucretia kept her rifle readied in hand. She counted three men upon entering this room; two wolves, and one lion. Vivian was next to her, looking over the edge of their cover when the hail of gunfire finally stopped.

"To our right," she whispered, causing the wolfess to pull up and--

RATATATATATATATA!!!

"WHAT!? URRGK!?"

Her retaliation was swift and deadly, roaring through the body of the wolf before them. He fell back like he had tripped and crashed on the floor, while Luca quickly pulled back. The wolfess' movements were as swift as they were deadly, never sticking around for too long. By the time the other wolf had died, she was already hiding behind cover, protecting herself from counterattack of gunfire.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATA!!!

KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!!!

These guys were smarter than the group from before. Recognizing the fact that Lucretia was a threat, they kept their distance as they fired at her. Moreover, they fired at a rhythmic pace: one would fire at her, then the other would fire when their partner needed to reload. Were they wasting time for reinforcements to come? If anymore men came, then this would get even harder.

Fortunately, Luca had a way to weed them out.

"Vivi," she said, "C4, stat!"

"Got it!"

Reaching into their bag of ill-gotten goods, the hare procured a block of C4. Handing it to Lucretia, the wolfess waited for a break in the gunfire; just a second. And when it came--

"HIIYAAAAH!!!"

Lucretia tossed the C4 overhead. Both the lion and wolf watched as the clay square landed harmlessly between them. They looked up, while Lucretia leaned over the corner. Taking aim at the block of C4, she pulled the trigger...

RAT!!!

The bullet struck its target. One second later...

KA-THOOOOM!!!

Lucretia pulled back, her arms clutching Vivian close as a whipping explosion roared from the opposing side of the museum. Glass, flames, and a few random objects were all thrown by the powerful detonation, with the wolfess and hare spared injury by their cover. Their enemies... not so much...

It took several moments for Luca and Vivi to pull back. Glancing over her cover, the wolfess scanned the back of the museum. It was dancing in flames, and the force of the explosion had destroyed quite a few displays and the objects within. More over, it had killed the two men who were gunning at them, and punctured a hole in both the floor and the ceiling. But the explosion hadn't done any structural damage to the boat as a whole, nor the room.

"Well... that's one way to get things done," Vivian remarked, making Luca grin.

"I've never been good at being subtle," she replied as she stood up, "Hopefully that will get the others attentions, so we should keep going."

"H-hopefully?" Vivian repeated as she headed for the distant exit, "Why 'hopefully'."

"I want them here, and as far away from the captain's helm as they can be," Luca replied, "Although..."

Looking down, Lucretia's eyes fell upon the bloodied arm of one of their enemies. Clutched in its fingers was a submachine gun, one she swiped and held in her hand.

Chink!

"Alright, through the main lobby, to the casino. Vivi, I'm gonna need you to ready some C4, pronto."

"I'm right behind you," she said, picking up a cube in her hand.

"Then let's go."

...

KA-THOOOOM!!!

Ding!

"Mmm...?"

From his piano, Pierce stood up, while a series of screams echoed from his hostages. Ignoring them, he looked to the distance as if he could see through walls. Was that an explosion he heard? Was that an explosion he felt? An explosion... no, that happened far too soon!

But, no, it wasn't one of _those _explosions, was it? It must have been Lucretia. Lucretia was using his explosives?

Pierce retained an affable face. He had been playing piano for what felt like forever, while his men continued holding sentry over their hostages. Occasionally he'd laugh, he'd even ask a few questions of their victims, but he mostly played on his piano with effortless skill.

But that explosion... that explosion...

Pierce raised his fist... then brought it down on his keyboard.

BLANG! DING! TANG!

A serious of keys were played in a loud cacophony, which silenced his previously screaming hostages. They all looked up at the fox, who chuckled once or twice, before shaking his head as he gave them a smile.

But he remained there; chuckling and smiling to himself, as if someone had whispered a funny joke into his ear. But Drake shook his head in a no-nonsense manner, and uncrossed his arms. Without a word, the crocodile began marching out of the lounge, pushing through their hostages and past his allies, before exiting the room.

And then Pierce pulled up.

"It would seem as if... ahem... Miss Salem is having a bit too _much fun out there," the fox remarked, "I almost feel bad for keeping you all here. _Almost. But... but..." he started walking away, "It would seem as if I need to get in contact with her. Then... so be it," he started leaving as well, "Marcus... Scott... make sure our esteemed guests are comfortable during my leave..." his eyes furrowed as he looked at the door, "There's a wolf who needs domesticating."

...

"Aaackck!? Gggrrrgk! Gglgggkgkk! Gggghh! Aaaaahahh!?"

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Urk!?"

No matter how many times Vivian watched Lucretia work, she found herself being amazed. It wasn't enough that Lucretia was strong and fast, she was so damn _precise _as well. Her mind must have been working miles a minute, because in split seconds, she often times made _countless _decisions. And each decision ended with the same outcome.

Their enemies would be dead, and they'd be victorious.

The face of the horse in her arms had long since turned purple. And yet, Lucretia still wasn't done. For good measure, she bashed his head into the nearby wall, striking him until his body finally went limp. Then and only then did she drop the equine, as well as the belt she used to strangle him.

"Well now... that was exhausting," Lucretia remarked sarcastically, "Are you okay, Vivi?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, "What about you and your injury?"

"It's okay," the wolfess replied as she wheeled her arm around, "Heheh... let's just keep pushing. The casino's right up this way," she looked down, picking up from off the floor a shotgun their enemy had been carrying, "We're almost out of this."

"Dammit, Lucretia... how are you so cool?" Vivian asked as they pushed forward.

"What? Cool? Me?" Luca replied, before giving the hare a blushing smile, "You think I'm cool? Aww! You sound like my nephews! But... there's nothing 'cool' about me. I'm just doing my job! I don't know many cops who wouldn't do the same if they were in my position."

"Just doing your job...? Wouldn't do the same in your position? Are you insane?" Vivi replied, "There's nothing normal about this shit. But you..." she smiled, "Heh... you're tearing through these guys like they're made of glass," she shrugged her shoulders, "How? How do you do it? There's no amount of training that could prepare a person for something like this."

"Do... what? All of this? What I'm doing is nothing impressive. Heh... honestly, these guys should be lucky I'm not my sister! If she was here, and they took her son's hostage, I tell ya, she would've had this problem finished and done within ten minutes top!"

"You... you're to damn coy about this," Vivi retorted, "No one could do the things you do, Luca. It's just so... ah..."

The two stopped and looked over. Before them was the glittering entrance to a bustling little casino. Queen Tower offered a wide variety activities to entertain its esteemed guests, and none were as extravagant as its on-boat casino.

Entering inside, one could find a plethora of slot machines, all lined up; row, upon row, upon row. To the sides were various tables used for other games, like poker and blackjack. Roulette tables as well could be seen here and there, alongside... _arcade _machines? Yes, even arcade machines were housed in the casino, for it wasn't just a place for adults, but _children _as well. Despite its appearance, the Queen Tower Casino gained no actual money from its guests. It was strictly gambling for tokens which themselves could be traded in for various prizes.

And all of it was being overlooked by a grand and glorious chandelier. It hung overhead, glittering with a variety of golden lights and embers. When staring up at it, you truly felt like you were entering into a casino fit for royalty.

Such a large and glitzy space. Vivian's mouth gaped and an audible gasp of wonder left her lips as she and Lucretia entered inside. Oh, if only they weren't being held hostage by terrorists; she would have loved spending time here with Lucretia beside her.

Huh...

"Right down that way," said Lucretia as she pointed at the far-end of the casino, "Those doors right there are maintenance doors. If we head through there, we can push towards the captain's helm and-- VIVIAN, MOVE!!!"

"What!?"

KERW!

"GUH!?"

It all happened so fast. The glint of a scope, followed by the flash of a muzzle. But even before that, there was the rushing red blur of Lucretia's body, followed by the powerful gasp of her strong hands and arms. Before Vivian knew it, they were darting over towards nearby slot machine, and a bullet hole sat in the ground where they once were.

The hare flinched, the actions all being so fast, it was like she had been slapped by the wind. Looking over, she watched as Lucretia prepared her newly acquired shotgun, slotting in shell after shell into its chamber. Even this - the mere act of reloading her gun - was performed with speed and skill. It wasn't: shell, and then shell, and then shell, and then shell, and the shell, and the shell, and then shell, and then shell. It wasn't even, shell shell shell shell shell shell shell shell. It was...

Shellshellshellshellshellshellshellshell!!!

And then she turned, and--

BOOM! CHA-CHINK!

Retaliating, Lucretia fired a spray of shells which crackled through the air. However, her counterattack struck nothing but slot machine, causing it to break, sputter, and cackle with electricity and steam. In that moment however, the wolfess caught glimpse of her enemy... and he was big. Bigger than her. Bigger than anyone she had faced thus far. But that's all she could see.

"Let's move," she whispered to Vivi.

The blonde nodded, and then the duo began running through the rows of slot machines. They made sure to keep their heads down, keeping out of sight of their assailant. However, Lucretia couldn't catch sight of him either. All she heard was his footsteps... and they were big.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMPTHUMPTHUMP!

"Ah... to our right!" Vivian whispered. Without hesitation, Lucretia leaned over the edge of their cover, and pulled the trigger of her shotgun.

BOOM! CHA-CHINK!

She just barely caught sight of their enemy, sending her spray of shells into more slot machines, and destroying them. But in that moment, she noticed more of his body and frame. It was wide and thick; like a moving wall of flesh... _scaled _flesh. A second later, she watched her opponent quickly dart for more cover, where she saw his red _eyes _glare back at them.

Completely devoid of moral...

Gritting her teeth, Lucretia hid back behind their cover, then scanned their surroundings. She was sure her enemy was on the opposing aisle of slot machines, moving between them to get a better view of the wolfess. However... he was clearly alone. Why? Had she carved through more of their forces than she thought? Or was this reptile challenging her? Did he think this was some sort of game?

KERW!

KRASH!!!

"AAH!?"

Vivian crouched down as the slot they hid behind suddenly exploded. A high-powered bullet tore through it like a hot knife through butter, sending glass and sparks flying above. But Lucretia held firm, leering over the edge their cover to get another glance of her opponent.

"Now!" she whisper-yelled, causing both Vivian and herself to bolt for another lane of slot machines nearby.

Scurrying over, Luca took aim with the distance, and--

BOOM! CHA-CHINK!

BOOM! CHA-CHINK!

The muzzle of Lucretia's shotgun exploded in a howl of gunfire, sending two volleys of shells towards her enemies general direction. They struck slot machines, making them explode, while also forcing her unknown enemy out of from his cover. But he was a quick as he was disciplined, and vanished from view. But now Luca had a better idea of where he was. Quickly she moved upon him, pressing her back to another slot as she loaded shells into her shotgun.

"You're pretty good at this," said her enemy, making her ears twitch.

His voice was strong and powerful, but unlike his allies, there wasn't a hint of apprehension, no matter how slight. There wasn't even a tone of domination, like some of his more power-hungry partners. No, his voice seemed... excited, almost as if he derived joy from the battle itself, more than he did over forcing his dominion over others.

"What can I say?" Lucretia replied before gritting her teeth, "This isn't my first dance..."

Looking over her cover, the wolfess took aim and pulled her trigger...

BOOM!

Then she pulled back and cocked her gun.

CHA-CHINK!

Her shells again struck slot machines, but this time her enemy did not move. He definitely was a cut above the rest.

"You and the rest... you're all military, aren't you? Former soldier boys gone bad?" Lucretia shout, "Let me guess, the army took you in, turned you on, taught you everything you'd need to know to kill a person, then they set you free back in the general populace, but they forgot to turn you off again," she looked over, "Am I right?"

Her response...

"Geh heh heh...!"

Were chuckles.

"Brilliant deduction, detective... but you're ultimately wrong," replied her enemy, "The army didn't turn me on. I had been 'on', for years at that point. They just taught me how to channel that into something more... productive. When they discharged me, I found it... impossible to go back to normal."

KERW! KERW! KERW!

CLASSSHH!!! THRAASH! KRRAASSSHH!!!

He was moving again, but was far more aggressive now than he had been before. His bullets struck slot machine after slot machine, masking his movements while at the same time forcing Lucretia and Vivian to move. But that didn't stop the wolfess from retaliating, blasting off her own shotgun shells at her enemy.

After all this time, after all the gunfire, the once thumping and vibrant slot machines were now nothing more but shattered glass and broken metal. And yet, Lucretia still couldn't get a good view of her enemy. He was just too fast despite his frame, and she was constantly moving as well to get a superior position on him. Should she throw out more C4? No, another explosion would only alert more enemies. And they couldn't make a bolt for the doors at the back, because they were out in the open; they'd be sitting sucks waiting to be shot!

"What's wrong, detective?" echoed the voice of her enemy, "Why haven't you _killed _me yet? Since all the men we've sent towards you have ended up missing for their troubles, I can only assume you killed them. What? Am I harder to take down than three guys alone? I'm... flattered."

"Don't be..." Lucretia replied, "I don't care if you think of yourself as a terrorist, or a soldier, or whatever! A criminal is a criminal, is a criminal! And if there's one thing I'm good at, it's taking down motherfucking criminals!"

BOOM!

Another volley of shells roared towards her enemy, triggering another explosion from another slot machine. His side of the aisle had almost been entirely reduced to nothing. But this time, Lucretia didn't give her enemy the chance to relocate. This time, she rushed towards him.

And in return, he retaliated.

Recognizing that he had nowhere left to hide, her enemy finally revealed himself, taking aim at the wolfess with his rifle in hand. He was a crocodile, with jet-black hair, a burly frame, and these dominating red eyes. But even as he took aim at Lucretia, the wolfess didn't hesitate, nor did she give him the chance to fire.

KICK!

KERW!!!

The barrel of his rifle roared with life, but the bullet he fired only struck the wall. Not giving him the chance to recover, Lucretia quickly aimed down with her shotgun... and yet...

WHAM!

"GUH!?"

She was punched in the side. And then...

KICK!

Her shotgun was knocked clean from her hands! It rolled to a halt some feet away, with Lucretia looking at it only briefly. Bad mistake, one she recognized quick enough. With a sudden duck down, he dodged a punch thrown at her head, and then ducked back, putting distance between herself and her enemy.

Slowly the reptile - the crocodile - got up to his feet. Now, Lucretia is tall and no doubt at the absolute peak of physical performance. But his huge, hulking body, still managed to loom over her by a good foot and a half. His clothing helped to emphasis this fact. On his legs were cargo pants that housed a wide variety of pouches, while at the same time offering him the freedom of movement. Up above was a tactical top which clung close to his chest, flaunting the herculean physique he had beneath. This wide frame, those big arms, those deadly fingers and vicious claws; all of it was on display.

And yet nothing was as terrifying as his face.

His red eyes glowing, the mouth of the crocodile twisted into this gleeful, sadistic grin. His vicious fangs were exposed to Lucretia and Vivian, while hungry drool dripped down his chin. This... this was fun _to him! He was _excited by the prospect of fighting her!

The crocodile parted his legs and extended his hands, taking a powerful and battle ready stance. He wasn't going to run for his gun, nor was he going to give Lucretia a chance to run for hers. They were fighting; right here, right now!

But the wolfess wasn't deterred. If he wanted to brawl, then so be it; she'll show him why she's top performing in her department for several years in a row! Pulling her jacket off her shoulders, Luca casually tossed it aside and then raised her fists, taking a battle-ready stance similar to a kick-boxer. It was trained and tight, showing no flaw in her stance whatsoever. Again, the crocodile chuckled.

This was going to be fun...

"GRAW!!!"

Did he purposefully telegraph his attack? His roar was loud, followed by a sudden lunge. But Lucretia was expecting it, and quickly juked out of the way. But she was right; it was purposefully telegraphed, for the crocodile's tail quickly swung at her feet. But the wolfess - fast on her feet - leaped over his strike and landed safely, while he turned to face her.

The crocodile chuckled, then extended his arms again. His stance was similar to that of a grappler, and with his size and prowess, he'd easily be able to pin her. Lucretia was strong, but she wasn't sure if she was strong enough escape his grasp. So she pulled back, putting distance between herself and him while.

And then she kicked...

"HIYAAAH!"

But she wasn't kicking at him. Instead, Luca struck a chair which had fallen between them, sending it flying towards the crocodile's head. He swiped his arm left, swatting the chair out of the way, but that was never the wolfess' intentions. Following up behind the chair, she swung with a wide kick, striking the crocodile clear across his face with the heal of her boot. He stepped back, stopped, and then - as if ignoring the pain of being kicked - countered with a strike of his own.

"HAAAH!"

His claws tore through the air, and came just shy of lacerating Lucretia. But she had dodged back, avoiding it. Countering, she struck the crocodile in the stomach with her knee, then followed up by bashing her elbow against the top of his head. Even that wasn't enough, for drawing up her leg, she kicked his chest, knocking him back into the slot machine's behind him.

CLANG!!!

The blow was great enough to cause the machine to sputter out useless tokens, as if someone had landed a jackpot. But the crocodile _still _wouldn't be put down, nor would he give Lucretia the chance to duck back. One moment his big body was slamming into a slot machine. The next moment, he was instantly dashing back towards the wolfess, his arms extended out. He gave Lucretia no chance to run, and so she pushed back.

"GAH!"

"GRRRR!"

Their hands slammed on each others' shoulders; two wrestlers vying for domination. Lucretia and this crocodile's faces were just inches shy from one another, while they wore visages of gritted teeth and steeled eyes. The crocodile tried lifting Lucretia up, but the wolfess was too stiff to move; it was like her feet were glued to the floor! But the feeling was mutual; no matter how much she tried to knock the crocodile off his feet, he was just too heavy to even knock off his balance.

Fine then...

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Drawing up her knees, Lucretia struck the crocodile in the chest; again and again and again. Each blow was strong enough to brittle a lesser man, if not completely subjugate them. But this crocodile was no lesser man. He was stronger, faster, and more dedicated than those subordinates beneath him, and he was going to show Lucretia why you _never _get close to a crocodile.

His mouth opened... wider... wider... wiiiddeeerrrr!!! Eyes wide, Lucretia came face to face with his endless rows of teeth, and his drinking wet maw. Remember: a crocodile's bite is the strongest bite in the animal kingdom.

"RAWWWWW!!!"

But it's not the fastest. At least... it's not fast enough to catch her.

Lucretia ducked, causing the crocodile's fangs to snap harmlessly at the air. But she didn't stop there, and dove in to grab her opponent by the waist. Flexing hard, the wolfess put every ounce of her strength to pick the crocodile up form off the floor. This is a woman who could punch the glass off of a windshield in a single blow, a woman who's used her strength to nearly rip a car's door off its hinges to save a civilian trapped inside, a woman who had the power of mountains _fused into her core. And yet picking this crocodile up was single-handedly the most _difficult thing she's ever done strength wise!

But she manged it. Before Vivian's wide eyes of awe, and even the crocodile's eyes of surprise, Lucretia picked him up by the waist, kept him lifted in the air for several seconds... and then dropped him head first into the floor below.

SLAAMM!!!

The ground quaked following the body slam, while the crocodile's body laid flat on the floor. Lucretia pulled back, briefly looking down to his body, and then raised her hand up for her pistol's holster. She had only enough time to touch it's hilt, before feeling something tighten around her ankle. She looked down; it was the crocodile's tail.

"Son of a bi--" Swipe! "Ah!? Oof!"

With a sudden tug of his tail, the crocodile dropped Lucretia down to his level. She fell on her butt, while the reptilian beast quickly turned to face him. The hard drop on the hard floor was not only enough to make it crack, but also drew blood from the crocodile's nose. Coupled with his grin which remained despite the pain, and it transformed him into something truly demonic.

Leaping up, the crocodile pinned Lucretia beneath his big and heavy. His hands slammed down beside the wolfess' head, further forcing her in place, while his drool sprinkled down upon her face. He was still grinning, still indulging in this sadistic fight, while Luca gritted her teeth in response... and then dove her head in.

KRAAACK!!!

In a vicious headbutt, Lucretia struck her forehead against the crocodile. And being the hardheaded, begrudged woman she was, the blow was strong enough to daze the both of them. The crocodile recoiled and Luca pulled back, but quickly used this time to punch him again. Forced back, her enemy gave her enough space to then kick his chest, knocking him fully off of her body, and allowing her to roll back upon her feet.

Blow after blow, strike after strike; no matter what she did, the crocodile just _wouldn't _stop! If anything, the tussle was draining her more than it was draining him! All of the running and fighting was steadily taking its toil on Lucretia's body. For as relentless as she was, she couldn't keep pushing against so many enemies, all at once!

Now blood was streaming from her forehead where she bashed the crocodile. It streamed down her face, and dragging her hand against it only smeared her blood more. The crocodile however had gotten back to his feet, his demented chuckles echoing through the air.

"That's it... you're pretty damn good, detective," he growled, his voice reverberated through the casino, "You would've made one fine soldier. Your drive, your prowess... it's relentless!"

"Thanks! Coming from you, I'll take that as an insult!" Lucretia replied through gritted teeth.

"If only I had known someone of your caliber was on board in the beginning. I would've come after you right away," he tensed up, "This is what I'm looking for; this right here. The money is pointless to me, but the battle? Geh heh heh!"

"The money...? I knew it..."

"Doesn't matter..." the crocodile replied in a dismissive manner, "Focus on the here and now, detective! GRAWWW!!!"

Again he rushed her, but this time, Lucretia rushed back. He threw the first punch, swinging for Luca's face. But she ducked it, then counter with a punch of her own straight to his side. The blow was strong, and it sent a quake through his form, but the crocodile was like living armor. He twisted his foot, then swung with his claw, slashing at Lucretia's turtleneck, and tearing holes in it. But through the shreds he tore, she punched his face. He stepped back; she punched him again. Then she leaped and turned her body around, performing a powerful roundhouse kick that struck the crocodile clear across the face!

The powerful blow sent him tumbling back, and when his feet met fallen tokens, he lost his footing and fell. Slamming against a slot machine behind him, the crocodile used it to keep standing. Through the pain he felt, he looked ahead, where his eyes met the barrel of Lucretia's pistol.

But before she could pull the trigger...

"DRAKE! WE'RE HERE!!!"

A call howled from the entrance of the casino.

Turning her body, Lucretia faced the entrance and pulled the trigger. There were three men; a dog, a cat, and a horse. Her bullet flew out, striking the dog in the head with such pinpoint accuracy, that he dropped dead immediately. Before Lucretia could fire again, the men at the door began firing back, forcing her to retreat. Diving for cover behind slot machines, they exploded as bullets pelted their sides. With her shotgun gone, and her automatic rifle gone too, all Lucretia had was her pistol.

"Luca!"

And Vivian.

The wolfess looked over, her eyes falling on her date. Even with gunfire whizzing over their heads, the bunny bravely reached into their bag, where she pulled out a block of C4. Handing it to Lucretia, the wolfess silently thanked her, then looked up towards the only target that could get them out of this pickle.

The chandelier overhead.

Lucretia was strong. _Damn _strong. Amid all the gunfire, she flung the C4 up towards the chandelier. In that moment, it was like existence all moved in slow motion for her. She watched the C4 reach up towards the chandelier's central hook. And in that moment...

BLAM! BLAM!

She fired.

Zwip!

KA-THOOOOM!!!

A mighty, earth-shaking explosion roared from the heavens, causing the wires and hooks that held the chandelier up to snap and break on the spot. Fire, glass and steel sprinkled down upon those below, while the ceiling gave way from the incredibly explosion. And with the ceiling fell the chandelier, right upon their enemies... and right upon Drake.

He watched as it fell. Watched as all those lights and flames came collapsing right atop him. And all he could do...

"Hah!"

Was laugh.

KRRAAASSSSSHHH!!!

When the chandelier fell, Lucretia dove for Vivian, pinning her beneath his body like a she was a shield. Glass and flames were tossed in their direction, but due to the distance she put between them, they were spared any major injuries. Her eyes closed shut, Vivi clung tight to Lucretia, seeking her safety, while the amazing explosion continued howling through their ears... and then... finally... came to a dying silence.

Flames cackled in the once bustling casino. Their enemies were dead, and no more seemed to be coming. Pulling up together, Luca and Vivi stared at the flames of the fallen chandelier, catching brief glimpses of their enemies' corpse. The hare pulled away, but the wolfess gritted her teeth.

"Ngnghh...! Aaah...!"

"L-Luca..."

"I'm... I'm fine," the wolfess said as she winced through her pain and stood up, "C-c'mon, Vivi. We're not out of the fire yet..." looking up, the doors to the captain's helm were in the distance, "Let's go before... any more of those guys come."

Though worried for Lucretia and her health, Vivian nodded. Together, the duo rushed for the doors at the back of the casino, entering into yet another maintenance hall. This one was less totalitarian than the last however, since it led to a staircase that itself led up and up and up to the captain's helm.

But before they could start climbing said stairs, Lucretia stiffened up. Taking a knee, the wolfess groaned in pain as the blows she suffered during her fight with the crocodile began affecting her. She wanted to keep pushing, but...

"Hey... hey..." Vivian said as she reached into their bag, pulling out a First Aid kit, "Let me look you over while we have a few moments of safety."

Lucretia looked at Vivian, who looked back in a no-nonsense manner. She was the doctor in this situation, and despite her size, she wouldn't take any backtalk of any kind. Luca chuckled, then nodded, before sitting down completely upon the steps beneath them.

"That was... heh... pretty badass how you handled that crocodile," Vivian remarked as she opened up the First Aid kit, "You're like... haah... I can see why Felix spoke so highly of you. He called you a fucking machine, and I can... heh... I can see it. That guy was strong but... you were stronger."

"Thanks," Lucretia whispered, a hapless smile forming on her lips as the hare began applying an antiseptic-drenched cotton swab against her forehead, "Nnnghh...! You know, you're not half bad yourself, Vivi. You're very brave to be sticking through with me all this way. Honestly, I probably should have stowed you in a closet somewhere and told you to be safe."

"As if," Vivian replied as she began wrapping coils around Lucretia's head, covering her forehead wound, "We're sticking through this, so it's not going to be easy getting rid of me. Now then..." she pulled back, checking Luca's gauze, "It looks good. Let's go."

Raising her hand, Lucretia gently dragged her fingers against her bandages, before giving an affirmative nod. They were in the 'tower' of the Queen Tower, climbing up its staircase towards the captain's helm. Vivian could feel hope spurn within her; this nightmare would soon be over! They'd call the authorities, get help out here, and this terrorist or gang or whoever the hell they were, would be dealt with.

She could only pray it would be that easy.

When they entered into the captain's helm, Vivian's eyes widened. It was a large room, one with panoramic windows that offered a full 360 degree view of the oceans around them. In opposition to the rest of the Queen Tower, which exuded the glory and allure of a castle, the captain's helm felt like it came from the future! It was so clean and silver, with all the machine's inside being on the cutting edge of technology.

Outside, the moon was high, the clouds were sparse, and snow was softly billowing through the air. The oceans remained so calm and silent however; almost indifferent to the suffering going on within the luxury cruise itself.

All around them were various machines and consoles, all of which beamed a variety of information that went well over their heads. Unfortunately, neither knew how to operate a boat of this size, not made any better by the fact that the crew weren't here. And by crew... well...

"Oh! Oh my God..."

Laying here on the floor, killed by a single bullet to his head, was a seagull. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape, his face frozen in this visage of shock. One could only imagine what ran through his mind in his final moments of life. It was the ship's captain, Clark Ryker.

Touching him, Vivian felt the cold embrace of death touch back. It made her pull away, her eyes closed and face flinching... before she delved into Luca's body for reassurance. The wolfess, leering at Clark's body, crouched down to his side, and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to make these guys pay," she whispered, "This... this is all so ruthless. And for what? Money? Tch... fucking invest in something if you want money. But to kill? I..."

Lucretia shook her head, dismissing her words. She had already been defiant, but seeing the captain's body only helped to confirm it was the right choice to fight against these invaders. She didn't know how they were going to get the money they were here for, but she was going to make it her mission that they didn't get it!

"Okay, here's the ship's communications system," Lucretia said as she approached a console, "We can use this to call for help," her fingers began tapping at buttons, "I can get us in contact with Document City's police department, but I'm not sure how long it would take."

"So... what do we do?" Vivian asked.

"What I'll do is head down into the ship's hull," Lucretia answered, "With this map I got, I know where the bombs are that they've set up. If I can find them, I can cut the wires tying them together, and make them null. The last thing I want is for these guys to blow up the bombs prematurely."

"What... _you'll _head down into the ship's hull? Wh-what do you mean, Luca?"

The wolfess turned to her, a smile on her lips.

"Vivi... you trust me, right? And I trust you," Luca answered, "I need you to stay here with the communications relay. See if you can get in contact with Document City. Once you do, tell them what's going on, and be sure to tell them that I'm here. They'll believe you, I promise."

"Lucretia... you..." she shook her head, "You can't just leave me here! Didn't we just agree that we're in this together!"

"We are, I know, but..." she shook her head, "I've been an idiot dragging you into this in the first place. You would have been safer being stowed away somewhere while I worked through this. I... I'm ashamed of myself as a cop getting a civilian entangled with all of this..." Punch! "Hm?"

"You... fucking... bitch!" Vivian shouted as she punched Lucretia's shoulder... which honestly, hurt her more than it did the wolfess, "I'm not a fucking civilian! I'm a nurse! Or have you forgotten about the bandages on your arm and head! Aaaaaha...!" her face began to relax, her eyes closed shut as slight tears swelled within them, "I get it... I... I'm not a supercop like you, but we've been working together so far without a hitch. Don't leave me, Luca..."

She stiffened in place, feeling used and belittled by Lucretia's plans. But that didn't stop the wolfess from placing her hand upon Vivian's shoulder. And that touch... that strong, powerful touch... held such a tenderness to it that calmed the hare down. She looked up, her eyes meeting Lucretia's verdant ones, and the smile she wore on her face. That smile... that warm, beaming smile. It so easily quelled Vivian, even though she tried to remain abrasive.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm trusting you," Lucretia said, making her pull back, "Vivi, I need your help if I'm going to do this. I need someone to talk to authorities, but I also have to take care of those bombs. If I don't, and they blow them up, then everything we've done is pointless. I _need _to deal with those bombs, and I need someone to talk to the authorities. I..." she shook her head, her smile becoming more hapless, "I didn't mean for it to come off as an insult. You're a very capable and cute little hare, and I'll punch anyone who'd even _think _about insulting you!"

Lucretia's words tugged at Vivian, made her bit into her bottom lip too. Oh, if only they weren't in a harrowing hostage situation. Perhaps the hare would have been more convinced to let her emotions simmer. But instead she remained abrasive, refusing to let Lucretia see her be vulnerable, even as her finger swiped some tears from her face.

"Fine then... supercop," she whispered, "I'll see what I can do up here. But you... you better not die or get hurt on me. Or else I'll never forgive you."

"Well then... I better make sure I obey," Lucretia replied, "Hopefully I won't be too long. I know exactly what I need to do."

"If that's the case... then I feel sorry for the bad guys. You're gonna rip them apart."

Lucretia and Vivian traded a few glances; these looks of reassurance. For as dangerous as this situation was, so long as the wolfess was here, they could get through it. Vivi believed that with all her heart, even if she still felt a bit disappointed with Luca's choice. But, no, she needed to remind herself that this was equally as important. There was a chance - slim though it may seem - that Lucretia could fail. So long as Vivi got information out to the mainland, then at least she and the other civilians could survive.

"Alright... I'm gonna head out," Lucretia said as she reloaded her pistol, "If you hear anyone come in here, hide. I can't risk you getting hurt on my end."

"Luca... I'll be the first to admit that I've been crying waaaaaay more than I should be, but I'm tougher than I look," Vivian replied, "I can handle myself. Promise."

Lucretia smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for doubting you."

"Hey... Luca... before you leave..." Vivian came closer, "Come here for a moment."

"Hm?"

Lucretia looked down, coming face to face with Vivian. For a few moments, she read a variety of expressions and emotions run along her face. Embarrassment was most prevalent, followed by apprehension, trepidation... and then acceptance. Luca didn't get the chance to speak, before Vivi moved in.

"Mmfff!"

"Hmm?"

Vivian _kissed _her. The luscious lips of the haughty hare, pressed up to the wolfess' lips. Her thin arms too wrapped around Lucretia's neck and shoulders, pulling her deeper into the kiss, and drawing out its length as well. None too shy either, Vivi's tongue slithered into Luca's mouth, briefly teasing one another... before finally pulling back.

For a few moments, they said nothing and just looked at one another. Lucretia was confused obviously, while Vivian appeared more... content. She may have been blushing furiously, may have felt her stomach flip a bit, but never had a kiss felt so _right _before.

"What was that for...?" asked Lucretia.

"For good luck," Vivian answered.

The wolfess chuckled.

"Right... right... good luck," she said whilst straightening up, "As if any of tonight has been lucky. But... heh... meeting you? Yeah... that's been real lucky," she started walking toward the door, "Alright... stay safe, Vivi."

"You too... Luca..."

It was so difficult watching her walk through that door.

...

Fire... dancing, burning, fire. The once glitzy and vibrant casino had been reduced to nothing more than a blazing inferno.

Standing there at the entrance, the fox was reminded of things from his past. Flashbacks from war, explosions, dust, fire, odors; all of it danced in his mind. He sighed, groaned too, then gritted his teeth. It took everything in his power to not throw a tantrum.

Pierce's hand curled into a fist, and his eyes closed shut. Oooooohhh, Lucretia was a wily opponent. He thought his men would have killed her ten times over by now. Clearly, he was completely wrong.

"Diana," said Pierce into his radio, his expression tense and frustrated, "I need an update on that door, stat."

"We're working through it," she replied, "It has seven data locks, I'm working on the fourth. Is... something wrong? I've heard explosions, and you sound rather... tense."

"Lucretia has proven herself a more difficult bug to stomp," the fox answered, "I don't know where she is, and the group I sent to aid Drake have vanished... including Drake himself. Because of that, I'm going to send Trevor and Martin towards the top deck, and have them join up with Handler, Huskers, and Burton. You'll be alone in that hall to work on the final locks. I take it that won't be an issue for you?"

"Not at all. Heh... in fact, I look forward to see Mr. Mayhew's face when he's betrayed by his second-in-command. Besides, if Miss Salem does come my way, I think I can handle her. But... what about you? What are you planning?"

"I'm expediting our plans. The moment you get that money, make way for escape route Delta. We've lost enough men for one evening," he turned towards the fire, "And I fear we may lose more."

"Copy that. I'll contact you when the locks are finished."

Click!

With their radio's shut off, a frustrated Pierce looked back to the blazing casino. He underestimated Lucretia. He should have sent Drake to deal with her the moment she arose as a problem. Maybe then they wouldn't be in this little predicament. Still, time was _not _on Lucretia's side.

Pierce's fingers were itching on his detonators. At any moment, he could flip one switch, and the entire boat would sink to the bottom of the cold, ruthless ocean. He had half a mind to flip that switch too, with no regards to his own life. But...

The flames within the casino began to move. Something was rising from within.

...

Clank! Clang!

"Huh... this place feels more like it..."

Pistol drawn, Lucretia silently stalked down the metal halls of the Queen Tower's hull. She could hear the machines within thump and turn, keeping the luxury cruise afloat. According to this map in her hand, somewhere down here was where the bombs were set. Mentally, she thanked her attackers for being such a well-planned and thorough group. It ironically made it easier for her to ruin their plans.

CLANK!

Pushing through an open door, Lucretia entered into the very bottom of the ship. It was pitch black down here, and when she flicked a light switch, she revealed a cold basin filled with various items and boxes. This appeared to be the Queen Tower's cargo. And going by the dates listed on some of these crates, this area hadn't been used in years.

But...

"Hmm..."

She was not alone. Others had been down here.

The cargo hold went on for almost the entire length of the Queen Tower itself. And attached to its support beams were charges of C4. They were all bound together by wires which extended from each one, and traveled up into the ceilings. With the press of one button, a signal would be sent out from the detonator to the wires, and the wires would send that trigger into the pins of the C4. And those pins would vibrate, triggering an explosion that would rip through the rest of the boat, and sink it down to the icy waters below.

This wasn't some easy plan to execute; this was something these guys had to have planned _months _for. Going by the members who had somehow worked themselves into staff positions, Lucretia deduced that they were the ones who planted these charges. But if they did, how had no one noticed? Was Mayhew that ignorant of his personnel that he didn't notice that they were up to something? She knew he was rich, but come on! How out of touch can a person get?

Whatever...

Lucretia may not be a member of bomb squad, but she knew how to deal with C4 of this caliber. After opening up a nearby tool box and procuring the pliers within, the wolfess shifted her gaze to where the charge wires met. It was a gnarled mess, created by people who knew what they were doing... but were too lazy to do too good a job of it. Luca could easily deal with this, she just needed to focus.

But why? Why were they doing this? A bunch of former soldiers decide to turn to criminals? For what reason? Money? Was it really that simple? They had military grade weapons as well, including charges of C4. Putting it lightly, this went beyond a simple heist. How much money was at stake here for them to so casually kill innocent people? And from the looks of it, blow up the entire boat as a whole?

"Hmm..."

Snip! Snip!

One by one, Lucretia cut the wires, ending any communications between the detonators and the C4. While the charges were still dangerous, they weren't an immediate danger. Now she could focus on her next mission; freeing the hostages within the Princess Lounge.

And she knew exactly how to do it!

...

Act 5: An Ode to Joy

"So did you see her?"

"See... who? The bitch that's been killing our guys?"

"Yeah, have you seen her? Like... what's she supposed to look like?"

"Jeeze, Burton, shut up. It's just one woman."

"Yeah, but that woman's been fighting off everyone and blowing up pieces of the ship. Didn't Drake go after her, and now where is he?"

"Fuck, you too, Martin? Calm down, it's just one wolf. The others were stupid, and Drake's always been cocky. There's five of us and one of her. She should be easy to deal with."

It was cold up here. With snowfall and soft winds, the temperature could easily drop down to the twenties, maybe even the tens of degrees. You'd need to wear a heavy jacket if you intended on standing out here for longer than twenty minutes, less you wanted to catch a cold for your mistakes.

The top deck of the Queen Tower was a unique place. Sparse and empty, it had wood panel floors, a wide open space, various lounging chairs and umbrella stands for those who wanted to spend time under the sun, and a stage in the center for certain shows. Now however, the deck was silent, devoid of joyful party goers and working staff. Replacing them were trained gunmen with simple orders.

Kill on sight.

There were five of them, dressed in heavy coats to fight off the elements, yet still limber enough to not constrict their movements. Armed with rifles, the five-man group stalked the top deck, searching for their enemy who they recognized could be anywhere.

An enemy who was already coming closer and closer...

Pistol armed in her hands, finger disciplined on the trigger, Lucretia rounded the corner of the top deck, then quickly jerked back. Leering over briefly, she counted five men, all armed with rifles. Two wolves, a horse, a lion, and a bear; they moved in tandem with one another, scanning the deck and searching for anything out of place.

Again, these guys were good. They knew what they were doing, treating this situation like a warzone and there was still an enemy unaccounted for. Lucretia was on edge; how was she going to deal with this group? The deck was too open a space for her to logically dart around through, Could she make it to the bar to the left? Perhaps she could use some of the lounge chairs for cover? No, they were too thin. Maybe she should get ballsy and start firing before the men knew what was coming? That seemed like her best choice.

Lucretia was juuuuuuust about ready to do it. Just about ready to rush in, guns blazing. But before she got the chance, something _odd _happened.

Guuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrnnnn!!!

"What the fuck?"

All around the deck, large metal towers began extending from holes in the floors. Everyone stopped, gazing up at the towers which stood tall before them. And then...

GLICK! GLICK! GLICK! GLICK!

"AH!?"

"WHAT THE?"

"THE HELL'S GOING ON!?"

Lights! Bright lights! The towers were lampposts! But in this situation, it was better to call them searchlights! And these searchlights had been cranked up to maximum brightness, where they fell own upon the group of five, blinding them. But it wasn't just that, for rising with the towers were speakers. And these speakers began blaring music!

What music?

VIOLINS! HARPS! HORNS! CHELLOS! ALL SO LOUD, SO RAUCOUS! SO ELEGANT! SO STRONG! A TRUE ODE TO JOY!!!

The music blared into the ears of the guards, and along with the searchlights, it disoriented them. They yelled at one another, shouted commands, but it all fell on deaf ears compared to the great music roaring all around them. Lucretia didn't know what was going on, but she knew who to thank for it.

"Thanks, Vivi," she whispered beneath her lips, before rushing in.

BLAM! BLAM!

"GAH!?"

"WHAT THE FUCK!? B-BRUSKERS!?"

The wolf fell, penetrated by two pin-point bullets which tore through his chest and head. Falling over as nothing more than a corpse, he revealed his attacker; a red wolfess who rushed towards them. But with the lights and the music, she looked less like a mortal, and more like a wraith. Her red hair burned through the snow-swept deck, and her verdant eyes were so bright, it seemed to dominate the whole of her face. They could not make out features, could not see lips, or nose or anything like that! Her enemies only saw the red of her hair, and the burning malice of her verdant eyes.

And then the music picked up.

ROARING SINGERS BOMBARDED THE EARS OF THE GROUP, MASKING THE WOLFESS AS SHE SWEPT IN! PICKING UP A RIFLE FROM BRUSKERS' DEAD BODY, SHE QUICKLY UNLEASHED A TORRENT OF BULLETS UPON HER DAZED ENEMIES.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!!!

Lucretia's onslaught tore towards the air, quickly downing the other wolf, while the others spread out. That was two down, three to go: the horse, the lion, and the bear. By now, that trio recognized they were being attacked, where they stuffed themselves behind any waist-high cover they could find. Tables were kicked over, the lounging chairs were knocked aside, and even the speakers near the stage were used for protection. Luca meanwhile quickly rushed for the bar on the deck, leaping behind its counter while her enemies countered.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATA!!!

KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA!!!

RATATATATATATATATATA!!!

Their bullets punctured holes in the wooden counter, destroying bottles and other such objects. Yet Lucretia was spared, and she took the time to wait for the gunfire to cease. Since the men couldn't easily speak with one another, they couldn't coordinate their attack. It took only a short while for the gunfire to fail, and their once synced motions to die. And once it did, Lucretia popped up from the corner, and-

RATATATATATATATATA!!!

Bullets ripped into the body of the lion, tearing through flesh and dropping him quickly. He fell over the table he used for cover; another corpse among many this night. But before his allies could retaliate, the wrathful wolfess was already on the move, zipping from her cover, and darting through the decks.

Rifle raised, Lucretia took aim with the bear, firing upon him and forcing him to once again duck down. This kept going until her rifle finally let out; it ran out of bullets. Dropping it, she whipped out her pistol, leaped into the air, and--

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

"GAH!?"

Her pistol unleashed upon the horse, pelting and tearing through his body. With the lights flooding his eyes, and the music still roaring in his ears, he didn't have enough time to process what happened. He only had enough time to feel the bullets strike him, to call out in pain, and then fall back down dead.

Lucretia didn't break a sweat. Once she landed, she bolted for the bear in the distance, even reloaded her pistol in a fraction of a second. The bear rose up, just in time to--

KICK!

"NGHH!?"

Feel the swift boot of Lucretia's foot as it slammed against his head.

He was knocked from his cover, along with his rifle, his back slamming against the base of the stage behind him. When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Lucretia as she swung her pistol and leveled it with his chest. But the bear was big, and more importantly, fast. He dove in, knocking Luca's aim up--

BLAM! BLAM!

The bullets pierced the sky, while the two entered a tangle. The bear was bigger than Lucretia, perhaps even stronger, but compared to the wolfess, he lacked in every other aspect. Gripping back, Luca mirrored what she did against the crocodile she faced before, and slammed her knees into the bear's sides and gut. But unlike that crocodile, the bear's strength wasn't up to par. The blows winded him, forced him back, and gave Lucretia enough time to strike him in the face with a mighty punch.

And then another punch, and then another punch!

"ACK!?"

The blows knocked him on the stage of the deck, giving Lucretia enough time to pounce atop him. Again she readied her pistol, and again the bear struck at her, knocking the wolfess off angle. She fired twice more, but her bullets struck the surface of the deck beside him. This gave him enough time to leap to his feet, where he quickly swung at Lucretia. But she dodged his blow, she dodged the next blow as well, and then countered with a right hook.

WHAM!

It struck the bear, knocked him back too, but Lucretia wasn't done yet. Bringing up her leg, she swung with a powerful roundhouse kick that--

THWAK!

"URGK!?"

Struck the bare cross his head, making it twist. He stumbled back, coming to the edge of the stage. Looking forward, his eyes fell upon Lucretia, and the black barrel of her pistol.

BLAM! BLAM!

That's all it took.

He fell over the edge, landing behind the stage... dead. Lucretia let loose a sigh, then holstered her pistol. Looking around, she saw nothing but the corpses she created, and the bright searchlights that illuminated them. So much blood, not just theirs, but the blood of the staff and, and the blood of Maria... and for what? Money?

This farce had gone on for far too long; Lucretia's patience had worn then.

All around her, the searchlights above slowly went dim, no longer being as blinding as they were before. Matching them, the music too died out now that her battle was done. Lucretia looked up, gazing towards the boat's helm. Despite the distance, she could see a certain bunny rabbit look back at her, one with two-toned hair, and an abrasive personality.

Her guardian angel.

A smile spread out on Lucretia's face as their eyes met. Then she raised a hand, and blew a sweet little kiss towards the rabbit. They weren't done yet, but that slight gesture meant more to Vivian than she'd ever admit too.

Now then, the wolfess had hostages to rescue.

Leaping off the deck's stage, Lucretia pulled out the map she had, while at the same time sweeping up an automatic rifle into her hands. Holding it, she checked over her map, reading where the Princess Lounge was. It was to the north-eastern side of the boat, meaning it was right beneath her. Also according to this map, the hostages were held in the relative center of the room, between the piano and the entrance, with two guards standing at the entrance, and someone named Drake standing at the piano.

Wait... Drake? Wasn't that the name those guys called out when they entered the casino? Was Drake the name of the crocodile? She'd already dealt with him, then that means the hostages were only being held by two men, and they were at the back. Perhaps then they relocated to cover more space?

It'd be so easy for Lucretia to leap down to the deck, and fire over the hostages to kill their assailants. But if she did that, there was a high chance the hostages could be injured in the crossfire. She needed to make sure they were fine first. She'd need a distraction.

"Wait..."

Looking over towards the bodies of those she killed, Lucretia realized something about them. They weren't just armed with guns, some of them had been armed with tactical equipment. Quickly patting down their bodies, Luca located--

"Bingo..."

Flash grenades. There were only two, but these two were enough. She'd be a flash of lightning, and her gunfire would be the thunder.

There was a staircase that led from the Princess Lounge's deck, up to the main deck overhead. It made it easier for the Queen Tower's esteemed guests to enjoy all of its festivities, no matter where they may be. In this case, it--

Dick! Dink! Clink!

"What the...? Scott... go check that out real quick!"

Within the Princess Lounge, there was nothing but fear. Fear exuded from the hostages who didn't know what was going on, and even fear from the gunmen, who too were confused. It seemed like forever again that Drake and Pierce left, and they'd gotten no updates from either men. They only heard more explosions, more gunfights, and nothing else. Had their enemy been dealt with? Regardless, they had specific orders to not move from their spots, and they stuck to those orders.

Until that noise came trickling down the staircase outside.

Hesitantly, the badger armed with a submachine gun, walked over towards the glass doors which led to the top deck. Outside was nothing but snow and wood panel floors... oh... and these two black, cylindrical objects that rolled down the stairs and up to the glass doors. He realized too late what they were.

"FLASH BANGS!!!" he shouted, followed by--

BLEAM!!!

"GAH!?"

"AH!?"

Before everyone's eyes, a bright flashing light was emitted from the objects. Not only did it blind them, it _deafened _them with this intense, high-pitch noise which roared through their ears. The hostages screamed as they dove down, while the armed guards could only try to fight through the lights.

They didn't see it as the wolfess casually walked down the staircase. They didn't see it as she rose the rifle in her hand. They didn't hear it as she pulled the trigger. But they felt it. Oooooooh, they felt it!

KRAAAASSSHH!!!

First was the shattering of glass...

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!!!

Next was the hail of gunfire.

Bullets roared from the muzzle of Lucretia's rifle, first tearing through the badger's body. He was knocked back by the bullets, where he fell upon the piano behind him. Then her rifle turned, aiming at the bear in the distance. He too was gunned down by the wolfess' relentless rifle, where he fell back.

It all took, what, only a few seconds? And in that few seconds...

Click!

Lucretia's rifle died, its magazine emptied. Beneath, she could still hear the roaring screams of the hostages, but the wolfess was too focused on her enemies. They were immobile... dead.

Good.

"Hey... HEY!" Lucretia shouted as she stepped into the room proper, "Is everyone alright!?"

Despite the rampant cries of fear from the hostages, Luca's shout echoed over them all. They screams started dying out, and everyone's eyes fell on the wolfess. She was clutching a rifle in one hand, her arm and head adorned with various coils and bandages. And yet, the face she wore was that of safety, of comfort. The situation was still dangerous, but with her hand extended, Lucretia exuded protection. And it wasn't like Pierce, who was vile and playful; hers was genuine and soft.

"My name's Officer Lucretia Salem," she said, "Is everything okay?"

...

This was... unexplored territory for Vivian.

The hare was cool. The hare was snarky. The hare was dedicated to her job. But one thing people didn't know about the hare, was that she wasn't used to being alone. Bunny's have big families, ya'know? She could count on one hand the number of times she's been truly alone in this world. It's one of those things you don't think about until in a life or death situation like this.

Abrasive and tough though her face may be, Vivian was walking around the captain's helm in a jittery manner. She couldn't stand still with all that had happened, and all that was still happening. It was only minutes ago that Lucretia dealt with the men on the deck, with aid from the hare herself. It was a bit awkward fumbling with all the buttons and switches in the captain's helm, but she did one hell of a job! Who knows, maybe if this medical thing didn't work out, she could get a new job being a captain of a boat?

As if!

Unfortunately, even after all the time that had passed since Lucretia's departure, Vivian was yet to get in contact with anyone. The communications display had been beeping for minutes on end, struggling to get a signal out to anyone who'd listen. Were they too far out? Had Lucretia made a mistake? Or was it a matter of time? That was the one thing they didn't have; time!

Time was wearing thin... up until...

Up until...

Click!

Skirrrtttch!

Zip!

Attention, whoever you are, this is the Document City Police Department, said a voice from the boat's communications display, This is a secured frequency for use only by law enforcement officials and first responders, and is used for emergency calls only. Unknown caller, end this frequency immediately.

"Holy shit..." Vivian whispered to herself, before snapping her eyes on the communications display. Rushing towards it, she flipped a switch, allowing her to speak into it as she brought the microphone to her lips.

"Hey! Hey! This is Vivian North, I'm on board the Queen Tower, and it's been taken over by terrorists! They've killed hostages, and they have bombs set up! We need rescue, immediately!"

For a few moments, there was silence on the other end. And then...

Ma'am, this is a secured frequency used only for emergency calls, not prank calls.

"NO FUCKING SHIT, YOU DICKHEAD!!!" Vivian shouted, "DO I SOUND LIKE I'M ORDERING A PIZZA!? LOOK, LUCRETIA SALEM IS FIGHTING HER ASS OFF TO PROTECT EVERYONE, NOW GET OFF OF YOUR LAZY, DONUT EATING ASS AND HELP US!!!"

Lucretia Salem...? said the voice on the other end, followed by a--

THWAK!!!

"AH!?"

Vivian turned and faced the entrance to the captain's helm. The door was shaking, quivering as someone on the other end punched it, again... and again... and again! It was a large, metal door, one reinforced so that no one could easily break into it. Even more so, Vivian had locked it after Lucretia. So... she was safe, right?

Wrong.

THWAK! THWAK! THWAK!

Whoever was on the other end, was stronger than steel.

Again and again they kicked the door, steadily knocking it off of its hinges, much to Vivian's horror. Even more horrifying was who kicked the door open, for once it fell off with a loud--

THUUD!!!

It revealed...

"N-no...! What the fuck!? Th-that's impossible!?"

Vivian's cries fell on deaf ears. Standing before her at the entrance of the captain's helm, was Drake.

The terrifying crocodile slowly walked into the captain's helm. His body was adorned with scorch marks, blood streamed down his face and features, his clothes had been ripped and torn in various places, and shards of glass had even been embedded within his flesh. And yet none of this was enough to stop him. Having a chandelier drop on his head was not enough to stop him!

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...

His heavy footsteps echoed throughout the control center as his red eyes fell on Vivian. So shocked by him, the hare could barely speak. She struggled outright with accepting the fact that he was real! Then she remembered to run! Fuck, she should have been hiding by now just in case something like this happened. Vivian turned, but...

Grab!

"AH!?"

Somehow, Drake was faster.

"No! NO! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" she shouted, but the crocodile was so big and so strong, that he easily held her in one arm. No matter how much Vivian kicked and bucked, even bit at him, nothing stopped him. He began marching away from the captain's helm, exiting it with Vivian in tow.

"I have the rabbit who was with Lucretia," he said into his radio, "I'm coming back now."

"Good... make way for escape route Delta. I'll tell Lucretia that we have her girlfriend. Heh," Pierce's playful voice answered... before slipping into something more annoyed, "This night has gone on for long enough."

"Agreed..."

Flipping his radio off, Drake stared down at Vivian, who stared back with her teeth clinched. For a moment, she stopped struggling, as if his red eyes compelled her to obey. But that's all it was; a moment, before Vivian began kicking and thrashing about once more.

Drake stepped through the door.

...

"Okay, so everyone's fine?"

"Yes, no one was hurt or injured."

"That's good... that's good..."

With Lucretia's appearance, the hostages could all breath a sigh of relief. They weren't out of the fire yet, but the wolfess was like a beacon of hope in this horrifying event. Whispers and murmurs echoed from them all, talking about what had happened, while Luca focused herself. There were still men unaccounted for, first and foremost being the leader of this group. And from what everyone told her, his name was Pierce.

"Do you know where Pierce went," Lucretia asked of one of the hostages, a human man by the name of Donovan.

"No, he left during your... well... everything," he answered, "Around the first explosion, I'd say."

"Around the first explosion... okay..." she started heading towards the door, "I have to go and get someone, so I want everyone to stay put. Be sure to lock the doors, and keep them shut. And if any of you can handle these guns, do so. I'll be back as soon as I--"

Bing! Bong!

"Can?"

Hello, hello... Officer Salem... a cool and suave voice echoed through the intercom... it was Pierce, You've had a merry little evening, haven't you? Running round the boat, shooting my men... quite the olly soiree, wouldn't you agree? Unfortunately, the game's over, and my patience has worn thin. I have your date, Officer Salem. She's with me, as you can clearly hear...

Lucretia's eyes widened, while on the other end of the intercom, everyone could hear shuffling. And then...

LET GO OF ME YOU FUCKING JACKASS!

"Vivian...?" Lucretia whispered aloud, her voice cut short when--

WHAM!

GUH!?

Wow! As you can see, Miss North is one hell of a firecracker. I'd really hate for more pain to befall her.

"I SWEAR, PIERCE! IF YOU HURT HER ANYMORE, I'LL FUCKING SLAUGHTER YOU!!!" Lucretia shouted at the ceiling. He couldn't hear her, and she knew that, but that didn't make her words any less poignant.

Pierce continued.

But in spite of all the pain and misery you've put me through during the evening, I am nothing if not amicable. Besides, it's Christmas! We all love giving gifts every now and then! Soooooo... let's be each other's Secret Santa for a bit. You will go and procure for me the money we came here to get. It shouldn't be too hard. My men had already been working open the locks necessary to get that money. The money's located at Providence Hall. You passed it earlier, in fact... when you blew up the museum. Once you get the money, you will then deliver it to us at the Queen Tower's loading bay. There, you will give it to me, and I will give you your date. Everybody wins. You have fifteen minutes, Officer Salem. Any later, and... well... Drake hasn't had much to eat tonight. And Vivian is such a small hare. I think I've made my point.

Bong! Bing!

Lucretia stood there, her eyes wide and teeth clinched as she replayed in her mind Pierce's words. Her fists clinched, the wolfess visibly shook with rage. She didn't care about the money, no! But she cared about Vivian!

If anyone was going to _eat _her tonight, it was going to be her, dammit!

Fifteen minutes, eh? And the money's at Providence Hall? Lucretia nodded, and then bolted out of the lounge. Rushing through the silent halls of the boat, she made her way for Providence Hall, mentally kicking herself for having ever put Vivian in a position to get kidnapped. She should have brought her along, or something!

Aaah...

But she couldn't beat herself up for too long.

Finally arriving at Providence Hall, Lucretia aimed her pistol down the corridor. She saw no one. No guards, no nothing. Had she killed them already? Had they been relocated? Luca didn't know, but she remained on edge. Slowly she walked down the hall, noticing this strange machine. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was an industrial laser cutter; a tool used for slicing through some of the hardest materials used in construction. But what was it doing here?

Oh... _that's _why it was here.

In front of the laser cutter and in the middle of the hall, the walls had been removed to reveal reinforced steel. It was a large, circular door, looking like an entrance to a military base. It stood out of place compared to the royal halls of the Queen Tower it was located in.

Next to the door, some of the reinforced steel had been melted away, revealing wires, and those wires were connected to a strange machine. It was shaped like one's personal PDA, though its screen buzzed with various information that all went over Luca's mind. She's not really a tech kind of gal.

Shshshh!

But she didn't have time to think long on it. Pointing her pistol towards the end of the hall, she took aim then shouted out--

"Whoever's there, show yourself! Now!"

A few seconds passed... and then a certain doe revealed herself.

It was Diana, shivering in place and clutching against the corner of the hallway, while she wore a face of worry. Her bespectacled eyes darted around the corridor, then focused on the wolfess.

"L-Lucretia...?" said the doe, making her eyes widened.

"Ah! Shit! D-Diana," Luca said as she dropped her pistol at her side, "Sorry... I didn't know you were there! Wait... how'd you escape those guys?"

"When the gunfire started echoing out, I hid in a closet," Diana answered as she ran up to Lucretia, "I thought about coming out earlier, but I kept hearing explosions! I... I... wh-what's going on? Those men... they were shooting everyone!"

"I know... I know," Lucretia said as she shook her head, "But it's okay now. Help is on the way; I know it! But first I..." she closed her eyes, "Did you hear what that guy on the intercom said? He wants me to get the money for them, and that it's somewhere in this hall but..." she turned, facing the door beside them, "I assume it's behind this door, but... I don't even know how to open it, and I only have fifteen minutes!"

"That door..." said Diana, "Ah! That's the door to the safe room! The Mayhew Secret Safe Room!"

"The... Mayhew Secret Safe Room?" Luca repeated.

"It's... well... heh... a secret safe room that only members of the Mayhew family know of. It's heavily reinforced. Only those who know the secret code can get in it, but..." she shook her head, "I don't know it. Even as second-in-command, I don't know the code. It looks like these guys knew that though, and they set up this PDA to help them hack through the door..."

"Man... these guys thought of everything."

"They didn't think about you," Diana retorted, to which Lucretia grinned.

"Well... you got me there. But first things first, can you help me with this? I don't know hacking all too well; I leave that for the cyber-slueths in the department."

"Yes... I can do it," Diana said as she picked up the PDA, "Let me just..."

She began tapping at the screen of the machine, furiously dancing her fingers upon it. Everything she did went well over Lucretia's head... but it was working. Whatever data was going from the PDA into the wall and vice versa, was causing the door to slowly--

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnn!

Open...

"Wow..." Lucretia audibly whispered as the heavy doors were slid open before her.

On the other end of the metal door was a tiny corridor that led up to another door. But this door was simple, this door had a knob. Lucretia walked up to it, twisted the knob, then pushed the door open, entering into...

"HIYAAH!"

Thwak!

A metal pole. _A metal pole that Lucretia easily _caught.

The wolfess looked forward, her anger-filled verdant eyes meeting the shocked face of Condrad Mayhew. The horse stared back, his mouth agape and eyes wide. Twice he tried to rest the pole from Lucretia's hand, and twice he failed. With one yank, Lucretia instead pulled the pole from his hand, causing Conrad to fall back.

"H-how did you get in here?" asked the horse, though Lucretia shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, "I know you heard what that guy on the intercom said, so..." she extended her hand, "The money. I need the money."

"Th-the money...?" repeated Conrad as he moved away, "Heh... wh-what money?"

He was a terrible liar. Didn't matter, because Luca answered with--

"I don't know. Maybe the money in that _safe _over there?" Lucretia answered with a mere gesture of her thumb.

Conrad looked into the distance, and... yeah, there was a black safe in the corner. Seeing it made the horse's eyes widen, then dart back to Lucretia. The wolfess was serious, while Diana's face was indifferent.

"No... no, y-you can't," said Conrad as he shook his head, putting himself between Lucretia and his safe, "We... we don't negotiate with terrorists! It's in our rules!"

"I don't give a fuck what's in your rules," Lucretia replied, "Vivian's in danger, and if these guys want money for her life, then it's worth it!" she pointed at the safe, "Now open it."

"No... I... I won't!" Conrad replied, "That guy... he said you're an officer, right? You're a police officer! I.. I refuse! I won't give them my money!" Grab! "Ah!?"

"You don't have a choice!" Lucretia replied as she grabbed his collar and pulled him close "Open the fucking safe. I only have ten minutes, and if Vivian gets hurt because you want to be a selfish prick, she won't be the only casualty tonight."

"I... I!" he shook against her, "I want your badge! I want your number! I want your department! I want everything!"

"Fine! Then you can have it!" Lucretia shouted back, "Just open the damn safe before I open you!" Click! "Huh?"

"Oh... Lucretia. You should know that only thing a rich man values more than money, is his life," Diana said from behind.

Slowly Lucretia turned, facing the doe at her side.

PEW!

The room was rocked by the sound of a silenced pistol.

Diana was armed.

"GACK!?"

With pinpoint accuracy, Diana shot Conrad in the shoulder, dropping the horse. Before Lucretia knew what was happening, she felt the smoking barrel of the doe's pistol press up to her back. She locked up, then looked over.

Diana was _smirking _at her.

"D-Diana...?" Lucretia whispered.

"I'm sorry, Miss Salem," said the doe, "If it's any consolation, you are one remarkable specimen. You singlehandedly dismantled Pierce's crew. But I'm sorry, the game's over now."

"D... Diana... you're in league with them?" Lucretia asked, to which the doe nodded.

"I'm afraid I am," she answered, "In fact, I'd argue that this little heist could have only progressed this far thanks to me and my input," she looked over, "At least _someone _here had the wisdom to listen to me."

"D-Diaaanaaaaaa!" groaned Conrad as he palmed his gunshot wound, "Whyyyyy?"

"Don't act so ignorant, Mr. Mayhew," she replied, "This day has been a long time coming. I have spent _years _warning you that the Queen Tower's defenses - as well as the defenses of _all _your ships - have been woefully inept. If only you investigated my concerns. Perhaps this could have been avoided."

"That's bullshit," Lucretia retorted, "Even if he did ignore your warnings, that doesn't give you the right to perform all of this! I don't doubt that Conrad's a shitty boss, but that doesn't mean you can be a shitty person! Just get a new job if he sucks that much! You've put people at risk, Diana! People have died! Your co-workers have died!"

"Don't you think I know that, Miss Salem?" she answered, "We've planned this heist for months. I've already made peace with my choices, so please, save your words," her gaze shifted, "Now then, Mr. Mayhew, unless you want me to shoot you again, open the safe."

"I...!"

Ultimately, Diana was right. The only thing a rich man values more than his money, is his own life. Having been shot, Conrad recognized that his former second-in-command was deadly serious. He scrambled for the safe, grabbed its tumbler, and then slowly twisted it. A series of 'Clicks!' echoed out, and then the safe opened.

"Good boy, Mr. Mayhew," Diana said, indulging in the power she held, "Now, Miss Salem..." she dropped a duffle bag on the floor, then kicked it forward, "Could you please stuff the money inside."

"Aaaaaah... fuck..."

With the pistol to her back, and Vivian's life in the distance, Lucretia had no choice but to obey. She walked up to the safe, grabbed the duffle bag, then crouched down. Looking inside, she expected to see wads of cash, and yeah, there were indeed dozens of cash stacks. There was also a few gold bars and diamonds. But what was most shocking, was...

"Bearer bonds...?"

Bewildered by what she was seeing, Lucretia lifted the sliver of paper. Upon its surface, written in bold black letters were the words 'ROYAL MAYHEW BONDS', with a gilded horse on it, and numbers ranging in the six figures!

That's 1,000,00 for those who don't know. Or 1 million dollars if you care to know. And that's not just one bearer bond, but multiple! Multiple bearer bonds that went into the millions of dollars!

"What am I looking at...?" Lucretia whispered.

"That, is the secret fortune of the Mayhew family," Diana answered, "Bearer bonds illegally issued in the nineties when the Royal Mayhew Luxury Line was down on its luck. It was sold to investors, and then - when their fortunes turned up - the Mayhew family spent decades buying the bearer bonds back. That's what you see before you now, Miss Salem. Multiple bearer bonds that, if redeemed, will cost the Royal Mayhew Luxury Line _all _of their fortune. Over night, they'll be put into a poor house. Fufufufufu... how sad."

"Please, Diana, don't do this," said Conrad as he shook his head, "I'll increase your pay! J-just don't take the bearer bonds!"

"Is money really the only thing you can bargain with?" said Diana as she shook her head, "How shameless, Mr. Mayhew. Why would I even bother with having a pay increase, when I can go home tonight with over a _million _dollars in my paycheck? Think about it..."

"I... I!"

"How do you even intend on getting away with this," Lucretia growled as she zipped the duffle bag close, "People will realize something is up when you're the only person who survives tonight's events!"

"Fufufufufufu! How astute of you, Miss Salem," Diana replied, "You're right, people will investigate me if I was the only person who survived tonight. However, they'd only investigate me if they had reason to believe I was actually here. If you had the guest and staff list in hand, you'd learn that I called off for this week. I'm not even here. I'm spending time with family in Oceanside. In fact, I took the plane last night! I even have the ticket to prove it. Perhaps if Mr. Mayhew had paid attention to the staff list, he would have realized this."

"Damn... he really is ignorant," Lucretia remarked, to which Diana giggled.

"Fufufufufufu! Exactly my point. Now then, Miss Salem," she poked her pistol against her back, "I have a boat to catch. Would you be so kind as to lead me to it?"

"Haaah... shit..."

Again, doing as she was told, Lucretia stood up with the duffle bag in hand, where she was ushered towards the exit by the doe behind her. They left shortly after, leaving Conrad behind as he clutched his arm.

Come rain, shine, or snow, his fate had been decided.

...

"Fffffff... haaaaaaa... man... I really needed this."

It was just one cigarette, just the one! And yet the odor of burning tobacco was quick to fill the chamber. Perhaps she wasn't as resilient to cigarette smoke as she once thought.

The air here was cold; far colder than it was anywhere else. Gone were the regal stylings of the Queen Tower, and replacing them was a chamber much like the inner hull of the ship. It was gray and totalitarian here, with a wide open space that would allow items and crates of a large size to easily come in and out without issue. The side of the room was open, allowing the cold air of the night to flow in, while a single speedboat was docked at the corner.

This was the loading bay of the Queen Tower, where various items were loaded in for the luxury cruise's needs. Vivian shivered as she stood here, held hostage by the burly arm of the crocodile behind her. She never thought she'd be in such a compromising position... and yet, it was a smidgen _less _terrifying than being caught by her father while making out with her then boyfriend a decade ago.

Heh...

Just a little joke. Something she told herself in her head to help keep her resilience up. On the outside, she was being a stiff, abrasive hare. On the inside, she needed to keep herself mentally sound, less she use these legs of hers to spring up. And if she did that, well, there was a high chance she'd only end up dead for her problems.

"Times winding down," said Pierce as he looked at Vivian, his cigarette dancing through the air, "I really hope Miss Salem comes. I'd hate for Drake to hurt such a pretty face as yours."

"Go fuck yourself!" Vivian shouted through clinched teeth, "With what you did to Maria, you take pleasure in killing others, you sick fuck!"

"What? Me?" replied the fox in a mocking manner, his hand resting on his chest, "Noooooo... I don't take joy in killing others. Drake might, but I don't. Noooo... killing others is just... a means to an end. I wish I could just talk my way through life, but I'm afraid..." from his coat, he suddenly produced a pistol, and pointed it at Vivian's head, "Some people only obey when their life is on the line. It's such a shame."

"Some people... but not _all _people!" Vivian shouted back.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure Miss Salem has made that really well known," Pierce replied as he dropped his pistol to his side, and then puffed on his cigarette, "Fffff... haaaah... quite the stressful bitch she's been. Maybe it's something in her head? Something that compels her to run towards gunfire as oppose to away from it? Like, heh, I know she's a cop, but come on! Heheheheh... I'm sure Drake had so much fun fighting her."

"Time's waning," said the crocodile, who suddenly jerked Vivian back, "Where's the detective at?"

"I agree... where is she?" Pierce muttered as he faced the door.

Everyone looked at the entrance, waiting for someone - something - to reveal themselves. It had been thirteen, maybe fourteen minutes since his announcement over the intercom. And then they heard...

Tap... tap... tap...

Footsteps.

Everyone's eyes moved towards the entrance together, first seeing an approaching shadow... and then seeing--

"Lucretia!"

Vivian quickly moved, only to be jerked to a halt by Drake behind her. The crocodile growled into her ear, more annoyed than anything, while the bunny begrudgingly came to a halt.

Lucretia entered into the loading bay, her face one of frustration as she held a duffle bag. And behind her - ushering her forward with a pistol to her back - was--

"D-Diana...?" Vivian whispered, "Wh... what the hell is going on here!?"

"It's unfortunate that your date with Miss Salem had to end up this way," replied the doe as she flashed Vivi a coy smirk, "But I'm afraid you two were just... unlucky."

"I'll say," Lucretia groaned, while her eyes focused on Drake, "And you? You're still alive?"

"You don't sound too surprise..." the crocodile replied causing her to shake her head.

"Not really."

"Ah! Lucretia Salem! I finally get to meet the woman responsible for... ah... making this night far more explosive than I had planned!"

That voice... Lucretia recognized that voice.

Her eyes fell on the fox before her, the one with the curly blond hair, the handsome face, and the most chilling blue eyes you'd ever see. Perhaps if she was some normal person, she would have been fooled by his visage. How could this young man be so vile? So evil?

But Lucretia was not normal. She was a police officer, and beyond that, she was a Salem. Staring into this fox's eyes, she saw nothing behind them. It was like gazing into a pit... a void. There was nothing but darkness for as far as the eye could see.

"You... you're Pierce, aren't you?" asked Lucretia, making the fox chuckle and nod.

"Yes, I am," he answered as he walked up to the wolfess, who stiffened up further, "The name's Pierce. Pierce Gaily, to be exact, if you care to remember."

"Oh, I care..."

"Oh-ho! I'm so touched! I get to be remembered by the woman who... who..." his eyes grew sharp, his once jovial expression shifting into a malicious glare, "The woman who so thoroughly dismantled my plan. This was supposed to be quick. We'd come in, get the money, and then we'd leave. No casualties... heh... well... at least on my end."

"You know I couldn't allow that," Lucretia growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh, yes, I know. I most certainly know now," he replied, before stopping to take a puff of his cigarette, "Ffffff... huaaaaa... heh... heh heh... hahahahahahahhaa! I thought... hah... I thought those hero police officers were nothing more than movie magic. I grew up on those kinds of movies. The films where the police officers attempt to stop a heist, or wrangle in some dangerous criminals pulling off a daring crime. My Dad loved them..." he shrugged his shoulders, "Though my Mom... eh... she always thought it was too violent."

"What did you feel?" Lucretia asked, "Though... I have a feeling I already know the answer..."

"Oh? You do...? Ffffffff... huaaaah... 'kay then... tell me, what do you think I felt?"

"You sympathized with the criminals, didn't you?" she answered... only to shake her head, "No... that's not it... you didn't sympathize with them. You can't sympathize with anyone, can you? Nooooo... when you watched those films of the cops and the robbers, you idolized _them, didn't you? No... even that doesn't sound right. You wanted to be _better than them. You wanted to outdo them. Watching those criminals pull off their crimes, you wanted to be the one who got away. Those badguys on the films... they were your outlets."

For a few moments, Pierce said nothing; no one did. The fox just stood there, smirking from cheek to cheek like someone had told him an amusing joke. Was she on the nail? Had she been wrong? Lucretia couldn't tell, not with how _hollow _his eyes were. Instead, Pierce brought up his cigarette... and took a puff of it.

"Fffuuuuu... haaaaaah... heh heh... you're pretty good there, Miss Salem," the fox said, "You take classes in psychology or something?"

"Comes with the territory," she replied, "When you deal with as many criminals as I do on a daily basis, you start to see a thing or two."

"Heheheh! Oh... Ffffuuuuu... haaaahh... I bet..."

"Why though? Why all of this? Why blow of the ship?"

"Heh... why should I tell you? You're smart enough to figure it out."

"Eh... humor me then. You never intended on anyone surviving this, did you? You were going to blow up the ship... and everyone on it."

"Come now, Miss Salem... don't act like that," Pierce replied, "We're professionals, you and I. We do our jobs... and leave no space for any... loose ends. If we just robbed the ship and got off, then everyone will know, wouldn't they? We'd have our faces plastered all across the country before the sun rises. Aaah... but if we blow up the ship, and everyone dies, then..." he shrugged his shoulders, "Who's gonna say we were ever even here? We'll zip off on our boats with all this money in tow. Sure, America might not honor our bearer bonds, but doesn't mean other countries won't, especially if we promise them a share of the pie. Altogether, we're looking at... 1.2 billion dollars in revenue. Heh... I don't think I need to tell you of all people how much money that is."

"No... I'm well aware."

"Exactly. To those in the mainland, the destruction of the Queen Tower will become a national incident. A horrible accident which the government will spend months, no, years trying to decipher what happened. And by the time they do - _if _they do - it'll already be far, far too late. We'll be... enjoying ourselves on some beautiful beach side somewhere. Heh... I hear that Belmond is beautiful all year round. I might buy a mansion there with a fraction of this money."

"Hmm... I doubt it..." Lucretia retorted "A guy like you? Naaawwww... you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor for a year... two years top. Then you'll be scheming your next big score."

"Ha! Hahahahahahahahahah! Maybe you're right, Miss Salem. Though... I'll need to build up a new crew for when I do that. Thanks for that, by the way! Less men means there's less money to divvy up in the end. Ffffffffuuuuu... haaaaaah...!"

With his last puff of his cigarette, Pierce dropped the butt of it to the ground, and then stomped it beneath his foot. Grinding it into the cold, hard surface of the loading bay, he turned away from Lucretia, instead facing Drake and Vivian.

"Goodbye, Miss Salem. It was fun making your acquaintance," Pierce said, before slightly gesturing with his head, "Go ahead, Drake. Release her. Let the two lovebirds have each other."

"Tch... okay..."

Without hesitation, the crocodile released Vivian. And without hesitation, she ran straight towards--

"Luca! Mmff!"

Her head dove into the wolfess' chest, hugging her close as her eyes closed shut. Shit, she hated this! She hated this so much! She hated how vulnerable and terrified she was! And she hated it more how Lucretia's mere presence helped alleviate some of that dread. Hugging the wolfess close, feeling her warmth, hearing the beating of her _calm _heart, it all quelled the hare.

Pulling herself from Luca's bosom, Vivian looked up towards the redhead's verdant eyes... and saw the soft smile she wore on her lips.

"Awww... so sweet," Pierce commented, "But I think it's time this night finally came to an end."

"I agree..." Lucretia replied with a slight growl.

"Come on, Diana... let's get the hell out of here..."

Side by side with Drake, Pierce boarded upon the speedboat that was docked in the loading bay. Slowly, Diana followed behind, grabbing the duffle bag of ill-gotten goods, and taking it along with her. She never stopped pointing her pistol towards Lucretia and Vivian however. If anything, she seemed to _relish _in the power she lorded over them.

"Oh... if only, Miss Salem. If only," Diana remarked as she boarded the speedboat, "Maybe in another life."

"I doubt it..."

The doe didn't seem all too disappointed in Lucretia's response. In fact, she chuckled.

Behind her, Drake manned the speedboat's controls, turning its keys and cranking the vehicle to life. It took a few moments, yet all the while, Diana kept her pistol trained on Luca and Vivi. Seconds later, the vehicle began humming steadily, and Pierce undid the rope which tied them to the landing bay's cleat. Once free...

ZZZOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

Drake pulled off from the boat, tossing up a wave of water in their wake. Eyes wide, Vivian watched as their assailants drove for freedom, zooming towards the horizon in the distance.

"Lucretia!" she shouted as she faced the wolfess, who remained oddly calm, "Wh... what are you doing!? They... they're getting away! And... and they're going to blow up the fucking boat! Shouldn't you do something!? Anything!?"

But Lucretia continued remaining calm. Sure, she did look towards the boat, appear steely-eyed for a few moments as well... but then she leaned back, and a _smile _spread out over her lips. Looking at Vivian, her verdant eyes met the hare's green ones, and she hugged her close by her waist.

"L... Luca..." Vivi whispered, confused by how odd the wolfess was acting.

"Shhhhhhh... the fireworks are going to start soon."

"The... fireworks...?" Vivian repeated, her eyebrow raised.

Luca didn't clarify however, instead pointing towards the speedboat currently zipping towards the horizon. Following her finger, Vivi too looked towards the boat, and...

...

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

Against the night sky, the howl of the speedboat was almost deafening. The nimble little vessel cut through water with grace and ease, all as Drake commanded it with precision. Their destination was both close yet far; they wouldn't be out on this boat for longer than a few hours, two hours top. And while the crocodile may have been a little banged up after having, ya'know, a chandelier fall on his head, it wasn't much a brief stay in a motel couldn't fix.

"Fffffufuuuu... haaaaaa..."

"Must you smoke here?" Diana groaned, a little annoyed by the fox's vices.

"Heh... name a better time for me to smoke than on a speedboat," Pierce replied, "Nmph...! I have to say, of all the things I've done in my life, that was without the most... testing. Lucretia's one hell of a woman."

"I wish I got the chance to fight her again," Drake remarked, garnering quizzical gazes from his allies, "She was a fine opponent. I doubt I'd find many like her for the rest of my days."

"Agreed... fufu... it's a shame we have to condemn such a fine specimen of a wolfess, to such an ignoble death," Diana remarked.

"Oh... well... isn't that nice?" Pierce remarked in a sarcastic manner, "The both of you wish to wrestle Lucretia... just in two completely different _places..." his hand slipped into his coat, "I think we're more than far enough from the Queen Tower. Get ready everyone! The _fireworks are about to start!"

From his coat, Pierce pulled out a small, black black object, one that was no bigger than a remote. Flipping off its top, he revealed a red button in the center of the device. It was the bomb's trigger. Once he pressed that button, Boom! Everything would go up in flames!

His thumb danced along the button, while a sadistic grin appeared on his lips. He didn't press it right away, instead relishing in the power he held for a few seconds. Diana meanwhile, opened up the duffle bag of goods, her eyes running along all the shimmering goods within. The money, the gold bars, the diamonds, the bearer bonds, the multiple blocks of C4, all of it!

Wait... wait...

Wait...

C... 4?

"PIERCE, NO WAIT, STO--"

Click!

...

KAAAA-THOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

"WHAT THE FUCK!?!?"

Before Vivian's eyes, a wicked explosion rocked the once calm ocean waves! Darkness suddenly grew as bright as day, while flames and steel danced in a brilliant menagerie! The force of the explosion was so great, that a quiver was sent pulsing through the ocean, one strong enough to toss some water in the docking bay despite the distance!

In an instant, with seemingly no fanfare, no warning, Pierce, Diana, and Drake, were all reduced to nothing!

Slowly, steel trickled down from the heavens, falling into the ocean. The once gray horizons were now mixing with the black plumes of smoke and fog, while fire danced upon the water's surface. Her mouth agape, all Vivian could do was stare, while her mind struggled to parse what just happened.

"Lu... Luca...?" she whispered as she faced the wolfess.

"Diana was sooooo happy to rub her victory in Conrad's face, that she didn't notice it when I put some C4 into her bag. I removed all the triggers for the explosions... all of them... save for the four pounds of C4 I put into their bag!"

"Glk... f... four pounds...?" Vivian repeated.

"Heh... it was heavy for a reason!"

"Holy shit... so that... you... they're...?"

"Pierce either underestimated me, or overestimated himself. Regardless... I think I made this one December we're gonna remember! Hah! Hahahahah! Hah! Ooooh..." Thud... "Oh shit..."

Laying flat on the cold surface loading bay, Lucretia's chest raised up and down as she took heavy, heaving breaths. Ever since this started, she's been going. Nonstop. Can't stop. _Won't _stop! But now that the Pierce and his goons had all been dealt with, she laid back against the floor, relaxing herself.

Yeeeaaaaah...

"Luca...?" Vivi whispered.

Crawling up to the wolfess, the hare's face hovered just above hers. Maybe it was the way she panted for breath, or maybe she was still thinking about what happened, but regardless, Vivian looked both despondent, and needy. She clutched Lucretia's shoulders, while the wolfess gave her a hapless smile back.

"Luca... thank you..." Vivian whispered, though she shook her head.

"Hey... no need to thank me. It's... all in a day's work! Heh..."

But Vivian shook her head.

How could Luca be so coy? So cool? All in a day's work, eh? As if anyone could do what she did.

Vivi looked down, her eyes closed too... then she moved in and--

Chu...

"Mmm? Hmmm..."

Her lips met Lucretia's. It was so soft... so warm... so tender...

It was the best kiss of their lives.

Up above, one could hear the whirring of helicopters...

...

Act 6: Fade Out

"Vivian... Vivian...! Hey! Vivi!"

"Huh... what?"

Brown eyes gazed forward, leaving the confides of the hare's imagination. Before her were three girls of similar age to her; a bonita fish with purple eyes by the name of Lula, a blonde feline by the name of Felicity, and a black-haired feline with a pixie-cut by the name of Tanner. They were her friends, having taken her out for a fun shopping spree once all of their Christmas bonuses dropped. What day was it, by the way? Oh... right...

December 22nd.

Forrest's Noir was the name of this store, and it was an apparel shop where you could find everything you need. Dresses, suits, undergarments, entire outfits: there seemed to be nothing Forrest didn't provide! Well... outside of a cheap price, that is.

Christmas music played in Vivian's ears as she met the confused and even concerned gazes of her friends. This was, what, the _seventh _time she spaced out on them during their little shopping trip? Not that she didn't mean to, though she was getting a bit tired hearing Felicity complain about her boyfriend for the umpteenth time.

Or... wait... was it ex-boyfriend now? Shit... Vivian really hadn't been paying attention.

"Hey... everything's fine over there, Vivi?" asked Tanner, her cool voice tinged with concern.

"I'm fine," the hare replied dismissively, "Just... keep talking about... whatever we were talking about. Lula was ranting about husband again?"

"Noooooo... jeeze... not _everything _that comes out of my mouth is me complaining about Hector," groaned the bonita in an annoyed manner, "Besides... I already complained about him during the car ride here!"

"Heeey... leave Vivi alone," Felicity said... before a teasing smirk appeared on her lips, "How's she supposed to deal with us normal people after all the excitement she had on that swanky boat!"

"Fuck you, Felicity," growled the hare.

Her friends laughed, all taking joy in her annoyance. Outside, all Vivian could do was mount up a glare at them... but inside, her emotions were a little bit more... conflicted.

It had been five days since everything went down at the Queen Tower. Her call got through to the Document City Police Department. Working in tandem with Port Banicker's police, they were able to send helicopters to the luxury cruise, rescuing everyone. What followed were a loooooot of interviews. Not just with the news, but with the police! Everyone needed to get their statements taken down as the police - and eventually the FBI - all investigated what went down at the Queen Tower that night.

But none were as busy as Lucretia. The wolfess was a police officer, and the hero of the night; her input was the most important of everyone there! The moment Vivian and Luca made it back to solid ground, they were parted from one another. Everyone visited the closest hospital, being tended to for any injuries they may have accrued. During her stay there, the hare saw not ear nor tail of Lucretia.

Lucretia...

That name... that name held so much_ power_ over Vivian.

Following the incident at Queen Tower, the hare found herself suffering nightmares. Honestly, who wouldn't? Outwardly, she was the same cool and snarky girl she's always been. But on the inside, she felt... fragile. Sudden loud noises reminded her of gunfire, smells that made her nose curl reminded her of the odor of death, and the color red... whenever she saw it, she saw the blood that pooled around Maria's body when she was shot dead.

But these nightmares were always fleeting. Whenever Vivian felt like they were growing too constrictive, whenever she imaged Drake standing there with his arm around her neck, that's when _she'd _appear.

Like a blazing valkyrie, Lucretia would completely tear down her attackers. It always happened like this. Vivian would be chased, or shot at, and then the wolfess would wipe all of her enemies away, and she'd always do it so flawlessly. The nightmares would then become blissful dreams.

Blissful dreams of hugging the wolfess... blissful dreams of _kissing _the wolfess...

Would she ever see Lucretia again? Was she childish for even wondering this? She knew it would be easy to find her; all she'd need to do is go to the police department. She had no doubts that if she asked around for Luca, they'd be reunited. But like some bratty teen, Vivian just couldn't muster up the courage to do it. Or... more accurately...

She didn't want to admit to herself how much she longed for Lucretia.

No... no! That night was long over! Besides, what did she expect? That she and Lucretia would fall in love with one another like this was a movie? Get real! Besides, clearly, the wolfess didn't want to see her. If she did, then they would have already met. Luca was a relentless woman. Nothing would stop her from... from...

"Hey, Vivi! We're leaving!"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm coming..." groaned the hare.

Again snapped from her thoughts, Vivian got up from her chair, and followed her friends out of the store. Even today, two days before Christmas Eve, Olympia Mall was filled to the brim with people. They bumped against one, shoulder to shoulder, as last-minute shoppers searched in vain for the perfect gifts... even though they really should have gotten them already!

And yet, Vivian remained so indifferent to it all. It grew so bad, that even the conversation her friends were having were being drowned out. It all was white noise to Vivian... save for the blazing red hair that casually walked by.

Wait... what...?

Vivian stopped, her eyes widened and body shivering. Did she just see who she thought she saw? Looking up, her friends were walking further and further away, but she couldn't care less. Instead she turned, where she saw...

"Lu... ca...?"

To hell with this pussyfooting bullshit!

Gritting her teeth, Vivian pushed through the droves of people behind her, desperately rushing towards the wolfess in the distance. She was so tall, like a beacon! Even if the hare were to stand miles away, she'd be able to pick Lucretia out with ease.

She wouldn't let her slip out of her fingers! She just needed to reach out, and--

Grab!

"Hm?"

"Aah...?"

The wolfess stopped. For Vivian, the rest of the world ceased mattering, even though they were surrounded by hundreds of talking people. Slowly, the redhead turned around... and Vivi's brown eyes met Luca's verdant ones.

It had only been five days since they last saw one another, and yet it felt like an eternity.

"Luca...?" Vivian whispered.

Lucretia smiled.

"Hey, cutie," Hug! "Oh!"

For such a small woman, she had such a powerful grip.

Vivian's arms wrapped tightly around Lucretia's waist, embracing the wolfess as hard and as tight as she possibly could. Her head pressed up against her bosom, while she felt the power and the warmth of her body press back. Vivi didn't want her to slip out of her fingers, not again.

Lucretia didn't budge, allowing the hare to hug her for as long and as hard as she damn-well pleased. And that hug lasted for two whole minutes. Just squeezing, tighter and tighter, while memories of that night replayed in her mind ad naseum.

Until Vivian finally pulled back, where she looked up at Lucretia's face. And for the first time in a long time, the hare allowed herself to show vulnerability. It was fleeting, yeah. She quickly shook her head and put on a cheeky grin. But it was there nonetheless, and Luca saw it.

"So... supercop... what are you doing here?" asked the hare, to which the wolfess looked down.

In both of her hands were shopping bags, each one filled with a variety of toys.

"I've been... kinda busy, as of late," Lucretia answered, "I've had soooooo much paperwork to fill since I was the one who took down Pierce and his crew, and that's not getting into all of the news interviews I've been through... and the many more I have to sit through in the future. Bleh..." she stuck out her tongue, "Buuuuuut, I have family visiting soon, and two rambunctious nephews. So..." she raised her bags, "I'm getting some last-minute shopping done."

"Last-minute shopping? Tch... what the hell, Luca? I didn't take you as the type who procrastinates," Vivian teased... before bashfully twirling some hair around her finger, "But... I dunno... maybe that's is a good thing. Hey... you wouldn't mind having someone like me tag-along, would you?"

"Heheh... are you sure?" Lucretia replied, "Didn't your mother warn cute little prey such as yourself to not hang out with dangerous predators like me. You might get bitten. And I assure you, once my jaws clamp down on your cute little butt, I won't let go."

Vivian's ears twitched. Lucretia's words were more than just a double-entendre; they were a challenge... a promise. Briefly, the hare looked over her shoulder towards the droves of people behind her. She could no longer see her friends in the distance... and honestly, she could care less. They'd see each other soon, no doubt. But the wolfess? Lucretia?

Tonight, Vivi was all hers.

"Fine then, you big, bad wolf," said the haughty hare, "There's no point in even trying to outrun you. You're a cop, and a strong predator. I'll just get caught anyway."

"Heh heh... you don't sound too disappointed, do you?" Luca retorted, though her smile slowly diminished in size, becoming something more hapless, "And... I'm sorry for not... checking up on you before."

"It's... fine... just, uh..." she grabbed Luca's arm, holding it tight, "Don't leave your food again, okay? Less I start... hopping off.."

Lucretia smiled.

"I wouldn't even think about it."

And with that...

We fade out!