Two Sides to Every Story
(June 13, 08:30) Standing at the back of the '73 custom restored, candy apple red Camaro, the six foot tall liger looked down at the under sized Kangaroo mouse, "OK, Sisy, I have to um... talk to some people in Midway. I am going to run you up to Hank's. Now Hank is a nice guy, he even saved my life. He'll tell you different, but don't believe anything he says, ok. This is a Blackhawk S.T.R.I.K.E. taser gun, it has a range of 10'. It is fully charged with a detachable cartridge. Once detached the cartridge will continue to shock the target for a full minute. Hank is a good guy and shouldn't give you any trouble, but if you get scared or think he is trying something funny, Shoot him and run. He's a big man and can take a little shock. Here's two extra cartridges, even though you won't need them." Lilliana told the little mouse, handing her the clear plastic pistol like object. Cecily slipped it and the cartridges in the large pocket of the backpack. "Well, let's head out Squeaky, I want to be done in Midway before dark." --- (10:15) Hank lay on the ground holding his crotch as he received an electrical shock every two seconds. After what felt like hours with electricity being pulsed through his genitals, the otter was finally able to remove the contacts. Now able to sit up, still holding his injured member, Hank looked around the small clearing for the mouse. Remembering the sounds from after the attack he began to crawl toward the cabin, several yards away. "Note to self; don't be cute about skinny dipping with the mouse. God, she got me right in the sack, Jesus Christ." He slowly made his way onto the porch, and up to the door. He tried the knob to find it locked as expected. He sat with his back against the door, and knocked over his head with the back of his paw, "Hey... um... Squeaky.. err.. Cecily... um.. I think I deserved that... Not sure about the nut shot, but that's more my fault for standing up." Hank groaned as his testacles still throbbed. "Look, I'm just going to sit here for a bit. Could you hand me something to drink through the window, or something?" He sat and listened to sounds of rummaging coming from the cabin. Just above a whisper he said to himself, "Now there is a good girl." Soon the sounds stopped and he heard as the windows slid open, followed by the sound of a bottle hitting the wood slats of the porch, followed by another, then another. Hank crawled over to the sound, still feeling the sting of the taser. Reaching for the closest bottle, he found an empty Jim Beam. He called into the cabin again, "Um.. this one is empty." He dropped the bottle and reached for the next, finding it in the same condition. "NOOO!!! She was joking I'm sure... STOP!!" His pleas were followed by several more empty bottles falling out the small space in the window. Falling to the floor he said, "Lilly is going to be the death of me." Looking up to the small window from his back, he called into to the cabin, "OK, Cecily, you win. I give up. What do I have to do?" Several minutes passed in silence, the pain from the shot not all but a distant memory. Hank got
up and sat in the handcrafted wooden rocker on the porch. Unsure where the little mouse bandit was in the cabin, and resolved to the fact that no rum or bourbon was left, he started talking, possibly to himself, "You know something? This is the first time in years anyone besides Susan has been up here. She came up .. um.. Tuesday?... And said Lilly was coming back. Well, the thing is, I have no idea what I was thinking at the time. Lilly is a good friend, and we all owe her a lot. But, a long time ago I fucked-up pretty bad. You know I am the reason she got hurt?" He sat for a moment listening for any sign of movement. --- Cecily ran into the cabin, slamming the door behind her. There was no real door knob or lock, just what looked like heavy-duty drawer pulls, and a large wooden plank on a hinge that swung down into a 'u' shaped catch on the opposite side of the door. She slammed the plank down barring the door from the inside. Her heart was racing; she knew she had to find something to calm herself down. What did Lilly tell me to do? Find a safe spot.[/i] She looked around the room. There was a single rocking chair, and several small buckets turned bottom up. Open archways led to other rooms, one being a makeshift kitchen with a wood burning stove and sawhorses with boards across them as counters. In one corner was a large tub filled with pots and pans, next to it was a stack of alcohol bottles. Just as she was getting her heart rate under control there was a knock at the door. A muffled voice called through the door, "Hey... um... Squeaky.. err.. Cecily... um.. I think I deserved that... Not sure about the nut shot, but that's more my fault for standing up." Maybe it was a mistake, he's apologizing. "Look, I'm just going to sit here for a bit. Could you hand me something to drink through the window or something?" He's not trying to get in, he's not mad; he just wants something to drink. Looking around she found Several half empty bottles of randomly selected alcohol. She looked for some place to empty them. Not this time, Lilly said to... so it's not my fault. She found a hole with a large pipe in the floor near the tub full of pans. One by one she emptied each bottle she found, looking for something for him to drink. Never finding anything, she emptied every bottle in the little cabin. The pungent smell of alcohol filled her nostrils; she felt the vomit rise in her throat. Desperately trying to get it way from her, she opened the window wide enough to send each bottle through. As they fell, she heard him cry out, They're all drunks, useless drunks. Lilly, where are you? She pulled a prepaid smartphone out of her backpack, but saw she had no signal. She held it up and walked around the room, trying to find even a single bar, to no avail. Cecily set in for the long haul, in a corner far from the windows and doors. She pulled her knees up to her chest sandwiching her new denim backpack, and wrapped her long tail around herself catching the fuzzy tip in her hand. Unaware of how much time had passed, Cecily scanned the room, counting the empty bottles on the floor. The cabin itself was sparsely furnished, containing only the single rocking chair and a few overturned buckets for seats. From where she sat a pile of blankets could be seen in one room, forming a makeshift bed. There were no wall hangings, shelves, or decorations of any kind. As she looked around the place she started to get a sense of the depression that filled the room. She could see that he was hiding from the world, like she was now, but for a much different reason. After some time, Cecily heard Hank talking outside, not loud enough for her to hear. Her heart had stopped racing and she began to feel a sense of calm and safety in the small cabin. Slowly she moved to the door, where she could hear what he was saying. --- Hank sat in the rocker looking out at the midday sky through the trees. The place really was tranquil and relaxing. As he sobered he listened to the birds in the air. Still unsure, and not really caring if the little mouse was listening, he continued to talk, "We were all soldiers, and every soldier has three orders they should always follow. And there is one, just one that I failed to follow. Because of that Lilly was hurt. 'I will protect everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved. Hell, everything else is pointless if you can follow that simple rule. In the face of life threatening danger, she followed that one order without regard to herself, and what do I do? I run like a bitch. You know Squeaky; she really has no clue what she did for us. She still thinks all she did was shoot an RPG or something. That was no mortar or RPG. It was a MANPAD, a shoulder fired anti-aircraft
missile. If that damned thing had hit us, we would all be six feet under right now. She didn't think about that, she never does think much more than five minute into the future. I saw that damned thing flying down that alley, and the first thing that runs through my mind is 'Save my own ass." "As I dove behind that little structure on the roof that lead to the stairs I hear her fire. After that I saw her fly past me. If I had half the guts she does..." He trailed off looking at his own hands. "... The explosion took out a lot of the enemy fighters. And our extraction team was able to get us out soon after that. She spent three weeks in a coma at BIOP. I was injured by some of the debris from the wall, but they released me that day. They say the cover I took would have done nothing for me if the rocket hit its target. " He started to rock nervously in the chair, "We all stayed at BIOP until she came to. It was touch and go there for a bit. They said the concussion from the blast broke her ribs and right arm. They had her face all bandaged up from the brick chips and shrapnel that hit it. Just seeing her like that made me hate myself. If I had been where I was supposed to be, I would have shielded her from that. Hell, that was my fuckin' job, and what did I do? I piss my pants and hide." Hank buried his face in his hands, tears rolling from his eyes. He took a deep breath, not wanting the kid to hear waver in his voice, "Because of me, Lilly is completely blind in her right eye. You can't tell it to look at her today. She does a good job of hiding it. The surgeons also did an awesome job leaving no scars on her face above the fur. You know what I really hate about the whole thing? Every time she sees me, she thanks me for saving her life." he looked up at the trees and Screamed, "FUCK YOU, SERGENT FARGO!" Dropping to a wavering whisper, "You saved us." He heard the plank bar on the door slide out of it's spot, but made no effort to look at the door. "That's what I can't stand about Lilly, she is always doing the right thing. Forget what she needs. As long as she has food to eat, she has all she needs." he looked over his shoulder and saw Cecily standing in the gap of the door. "She'd even give that damned Camaro away if she thought someone needed it more than her. She almost gave up her life for four of us, and she'd give it up again for you, I'm sure of that." Leaning far back in the rocker Hank asked, "So you ready to give this idiot otter another chance, Squeaky?" "Why doesn't anyone call me Cecily anymore?" She asked in a shy whisper. "Because, you're with Lilly, and she is working hard to keep you with us. That means you're one of us. And if
you're one of us names don't matter." Hank said letting the rocker move on its own. "So, I'm going to call you Squeaky. If I ever call you anything else you can tase me in the junk again." Looking up into the air again, Hank said to himself, "Codename, Squeaky, and the sixth Dark Rider." Leaning out of the chair hand outstretched to Cecily, "Welcome to the team, Squeaky." Hank said with a smile. --- (14:00 hank's Cabin) Cecily sat in a corner of the largest room of the cabin while Hank moved about the room collecting the many discarded bottles. He looked over at the small mouse, who seemed to be diligently scribbling on a book in her lap, and said, "Um.. so... you're not talkative are you? Well, I'm not going to sit here in silence. Once I get this cleaned up, we need to make some chairs to sit in. I was planning on doing it last year, but I never got around to it." Cecily's soft voice came from the corner, "What stopped you?" She asked. Looking over at her with a mock shocked expression, Hank said, "Oh, My God, you can talk?" Cecily giggled quietly at the over acting otter. "Anyway, do you know how to use a table saw?" Cecily shook her head. "Router? Drill? Hammer?" Finally seeing the mouse nod her head in confirmation, "Damn, I don't use nails in my work. I use glue and dovetails. Looks like I am going to have to teach you a thing or two." Walking to the door he said, "Come on, Squeaky, to the workshop so we can make you a bed to sleep in... Still have to get to town to get a mattress though." Cecily followed Hank a short distance into the woods where he stopped at a small stone building, and opened what looked like a cabinet sized door in the side. Cecily watched over his shoulder. In the small compartment was a bank of switches and gages. Once was clearly a fuel gage with an 'F' and 'E' prominently marked at each end. Several others she did not understand covered with numbers and symbols. Hank pushed in a small round button, flipped two toggle switches, and then waited for a red light to go out. Once the light was out he held a spring loaded switch down for a moment, causing an engine in the small brick house to roar to life. He tapped on two of the gages before tapping one more spring loaded switch causing a green light to come on. Looking back at her Hank said, "There, now we have power." Then walked to a much larger building just a bit farther into the trees. Hank slid the large door to the workshop to the
side revealing the large open space within. Work benches lined the walls. To one side was an obvious automotive workspace, equipped with hydraulic lift, acetylene cutting torch, tig, mig, and arc welding machines, and a large standing tool cabinet. An old rusted Chevy Nomad dominated that half of the shop. The remainder was filled with freestanding workbenches and several large machines she did not recognize. Looking down at the kangaroo mouse, Hank said, "First, and most important rule, safety first. Never come in here alone, and always wear your safety gear." Hank pulled open a large standing cabinet and removed some goggles, gloves, and some coveralls. "These are going to be a bit big on you, but we'll fix that when we go to town also." Leading her through the shop,he pointed out and named the pieces of equipment and what they were used for. There were two different table saws; a miter saw, a large machine call a plainer and an abundant supply of clamps, gigs, and wood. Hank stopped at one bench that was clear of all debris, hanging on a peg board behind it was a collection of hand tools for woodworking. He pulled a spiral bound notebook out of a drawer, and flipped it open to a page full of sketches and numbers. "This here is what we will make for you, and one for Lily too. It's a simple platform bed with drawers underneath and a shelf style side beard." Looking her in the eyes, Hank said, "Now let's get you dressed right so we can get started." --- (14:00 Midway) Lilliana sat in the Camaro parked on the street side under a large pine tree. In the passenger seat was a .50 caliber derringer and the Smith & Wesson Bone Collector, alongside a Ka-Bar utility knife, She had been watching the house for an hour, waiting to see if Alex had gotten the correct information. She knew what she was doing was a bad idea, but she had to see things for herself. Alex had told her that the Equine couple that was listed in Cecily's file had split up shortly after the kangaroo mouse was removed from the home. The man had remained out of work, all but falling off the radar. She watched as a large white cargo van pulled into the drive. An equine male stepped out and walked to the house. Lilliana reached into her lap and pulled the thin leather gloves over her paws, before placing both firearms into the shoulder holster and the knife into the slanted back sheath. Sliding on the loose denim jacket, she stepped out of the car and walked to the front door. She straightened the jacket to be sure to conceal the bulge of the oversized firearm as well as she could. The behemoth bone collector was a highly impractical choice for a defense weapon, but was often useful for the intimidation factor. Lilliana had yet to fire the piece off the practice range. On the other hand, the derringer with the .50 cal slugs could make short work of any assailant. She had chosen to keep both pieces handy just in case they were needed. As she knocked on the door, the sound of movement came from the back of the house. Opening the door, the horse stood about a half foot taller than Lilliana, the door stopped abruptly as the flimsy chain lock caught at its full length. "What do you want?" Came the gruff voice of the equine as he eyeballed her. "Hello sir, I am Sargent Fargo, and I would like to talk to you about a foster child you had several years ago." She watched as his eye went wide, telling her volumes. "We are investigating her disappearance and would like to find out if you have seen or heard from her." She watched as he visibly relaxed. "The kid probably got into a car with a stranger and you know where things go from there." He said through the door. "Sir, you don't even know which child I am talking about. According to our records, you and your ex-wife housed three children in your time as foster parents." "Ok, which one?" he asked."Cecily Silvana." With that he slammed the door in her face. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, then raised her leg to kick in the flimsy hollow
cored door. The frame splintered as the chain popped loose. "You just answered all my questions in one shot sir. Now it's my turn to hurt some helpless weak creature." "Get outa' here or I'ma call the cops!" He yelled from what she assumed was the kitchen. Slipping the Ka-Bar from its home, "And do what? Tell them some crazy cat just showed up at your door for no reason and cut the shit out of you?" She stopped in the doorway "Why would they believe that coming from the local drunk, who's also a registered pedophile? They'd think some parent got ahold of you, and might even take their time getting here." He stood with his back to the counter. She looked into his eyes and said, "I just want to be sure the next time you have some helpless weak child in your grasp you remember, there are things out there stronger and scarier than you are...." Lilliana jerked away, sitting in the driver seat of the Camaro, still parked under the tree. The sun must have gone down hours ago; the moon was high in the sky. With her dream fading from her mind, she glanced over at the place she had been watching, she saw nothing had changed. The house was dark and the driveway was empty. She pulled her watch out of her pocket and checked the time, 10:30 pm. She said to herself, "Either the fuck's not coming home, or he doesn't live here anymore. Either way, I better get back to Hank's and check on those two."