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Sahara Square - Northern Sand Dunes - Three Miles Northwest of the Oasis Hotel & Casino Friday - 9:13 AM - Sunny, Clear Skies / Light Winds

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Max Thrash awoke with a start. There was some rough clanging echoing throughout his bed chamber. He was situated separately from the rest of the orphans who were kidnapped this past Tuesday. Don Karnage was rather keen on keeping him isolated since he was influential in Murana's escape. He had simply followed instructions to infiltrate the command deck and shift course of the entire airship. It wasn't exactly his fault the crew members up there were uncooperative with Murana's order.

Then he got caught on his way to the rendezvous with her. She was acting a bit more weird than usual, but Murana was Murana and he was willing to help. Granted, they did not leave on great terms back at Tail Hollow, but he was happy to see her again on this strange ship full of angry and upset, old pirates. With the crashing of the whole place, he was locked away for the entire duration of their grounding, with only a few visits for stale bread and water to keep him alive.

He leapt back off the metal bed, which was bolted into the wall, as the door banged open, causing him to cringe at the loud reverberation of it. A rather large grey bulldog pirate with a ridiculous black top hat garnished with a purple feather came barging in. He was wearing rugged jeans, no doubt stolen, with a faded, tawny vest. Around his neck was a gaudy teal scarf that was haphazardly tied off at his left shoulder.

"You, kid! The boss says you gotta see him now! Get up outta ya bed, you lazy filth and follow me!" He barked.

This was Dumptruck. Max gathered his name from the 'affectionate' way the Don addressed him as such. Whether it was a compliment or an insult was left up to guessing, but he didn't seem to mind being called that. Max also figured he wasn't exactly bright either. He was smart enough to be aware of his surroundings and couldn't be snuck up on easily, and his skill with a musket or gun was actually quite scary to watch. One poor kid tried to escape and he nailed him dead from nearly 25 meters away on short notice.

"Come on, hurry up!" He bellowed again, making a fist and threatening with it.

"I would work a lot better if I was treated nicer." Max said plainly. He was never one to mince words with anyone, be it another peer or an adult.

"You'll be treated how we say so!" Dumptruck swatted Max's rear hard as he motioned him out the door, lingering just a hair's breadth longer to give it a small squeeze.

Max stumbled forward, shooting back daggers at the overgrown oaf, rubbing his rump at the painful slap. That was another thing of note about this minion of the Don's, he had very unique and young tastes. While most of the crew presided over and worked the other kits and cubs as manual slave labor, Dumptruck had other ideas in mind. Since their capture, he had taken two unfortunate cubs into his private quarters; they were not seen since.

With gun in hand, he escorted Max through the cramped corridors of the Iron Vulture. Max only heard the name once from another crew member, but it somehow stuck in his mind. It was even laid out in a fashion that resembled the interior of a bird. They went through an elongated porthole divider, which Dumptruck had to duck to fit through, and it opened out into what Max thought the 'belly' of the bird would be; the hangar bay.

There were massive girders set at intervals stretching across the expanse of the ceiling, holding up the framework of the entire structure. The far end of the bay ended in a point where the 'mouth' of the ship was, which could be opened for on and offloading of goods and materials. The bulk of the main deck was taken up by rows upon rows of crates and boxes, all tied down and securely fastened to the metal lining hooks all across the floor.

Looking down, there were dozens of other orphans like Max ordered in single file lines up and down the cargo bay. Each one was being tasked to gather valuables and other pieces of loot and pack them neatly into the opened containers. It wasn't just meaningless jewels or money, but also machine parts, screws, panels and other specialized electronics that Max couldn't fathom. These pirates were after more than just simple plunder.

"Get a move on!" Dumptruck drawled, butting the end of his musket into Max's back due to his stalling, making him stumble forward.

In a flash, Max used the forward momentum to fall through the opening in the catwalk railing, gripping the slotted walkway panels to swing underneath and up the other side. Twirling through the air, he pushed off with his paws from the opposite railing's handlebar and flew hind paw first into Dumptruck's face. He somersaulted ass over tail, dropping and clattering his gun down onto the main deck far below.

"You're gonna to pay for that, ya little runt!" He roared, rolling up a sleeve as he staggered up and began advancing on the indifferent Max, who was looking past him at someone else.

"Halt! Do not harm the child!" A boisterous voice rang out in the gloom. All ears recognized the voice and every eye went skyward to look at the Don. He was clucking his tongue, waggling a finger at the cheeky raccoon that had taken down his biggest officer. "This! This is why I still keep you alive, my little friend! Pure, raw potential!"

Karnage had not aged well between the time of capturing all the orphans and destroying Tail Hollow to now. He was showing signs of extreme aging, with wisps of white peppering his face and tail. A few unsightly wrinkles were visible along his snout, but he still filled out the frame of his swashbuckling outfit well. The only reason Dumptruck looked any better was because he recently had his 'fix.'

"But Boss..." A whining voice emanating from behind Karnage's form squeaked out, "Aren't you going to punish this whelp for insulting one of your men?"

A weasel-looking, brown dog with a crooked nose peeked out from behind the Don. He had a set of grimy goggles strapped to his head, its lenses fogged and cracked beyond repair. He wore a set of baggy work leggings and an open-front blue vest with interior velvet trim. Most concerning were the spiked gauntlets on each forearm that could do grave damage to any poor fool who got hit with them. Despite all this, he still looked emaciated, weak, and overall, not that threatening.

"Nonsense!" Karnage scoffed, drawing a dumbfounded look from both Mad Dog and Dumptruck. "May it be a lesson for this idiot in getting better at doing his job! Come now, Max!" He sauntered up beside the raccoon and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Walk with me, I wish to speak with you."

"Why haven't you killed me?" Max asked bluntly, allowing the Don to gently push him forcefully along beside him as they walked the length of the catwalk to the Captain's quarters at the back end of the Iron Vulture.

"Yeah, Boss! Why haven't you killed him? Can I take his soul? Please? Can I?" The screeching whine to Mad Dog's voice would make anyone's toes curl with its irritating nature.

"You will shut your puny, little mouth now, Mad Dog! I am speaking!" Karnage rounded on his runt of an officer. Satisfied that he had cowed his subordinate, he replaced his paw on Max's shoulder and continued as if nothing had occurred. "Straight and to the point, eh? You amuse me, Max. That is all. You have the potential to be a great pirate, fearless and cunning! You even have superb fighting prowess. Your form is flawless!" He reached up his other paw as if grasping for the heavens.

"Only because I'm using it to fighting others. I got beat up all the time back in the orphanage." Max flicked his tail, wondering when the Don would get to the point.

Stopping abruptly, causing Dumptruck to flop over onto Mad Dog in an angry mess of limbs and curses, Karnage went to a knee, flicking out a small dagger from his belt and glided it gently across Max's face. The cold metal did not cut the skin, but it was not comfortable to have it pressed so firmly into his face.

"Tell me, my little Max, are you afraid of death?" After some silence, he asked again, "Are you afraid of me? Of what I could do to you?"

Max shrugged, "I know you could kill me at any point. I know I am outmatched here. I will do what I can to stay alive, but I won't stop figuring out a way to escape from you. Murana would have wanted that." His eyes were steeled, staring down the Don with little emotion.

After a few moments, Karnage chortled a hearty guffaw, causing Mad Dog to laugh nervously, completely unsure of what the humor was. "Completely fearless! Ah, what a unique child you are, Max. Yes, Murana...one of my most prized possessions. Lost her twice now, I did. No thanks to you, Max." He leered as he bopped the raccoon on the nose with the handle of the dagger before sheathing it away into his belt and rising back up.

"So now will you punish him!?" Mad Dog skirled, wringing his paws in anticipation.

With a vexed look, Karnage took off one of his gloves and whapped the imbecile on the head furiously, punctuating each slap with a word. "Would you have patience, you idiot!?" Feeling a lot better after that outburst, Karnage casually slipped the glove back on as Mad Dog faltered and fell back a few paces, only to be caught by Dumptruck before he fell onto his backside.

Max knew those two, in fact many of the pirates on board were too small-minded to properly organize a mutiny against their captain, despite how much he mistreated them. The amount of pillaging and raiding he allowed them to do negated all thoughts of rebellion, distracting them from their overall living conditions.

"Now then, where was I?" Karnage mused, snapping his fingers. "Ah yes, Murana. Obviously, I have to make an example out of someone for this inexcusable lapse in security! I've already seen to your friends who assisted you in helping her escape. Dumptruck and Mad Dog attended to that."

Both of them sniggered at his words. Dumptruck began to reminisce fondly, "He was a squirmer and now I feels like a young pup again!" To try and irritate Max more, he puffed up his youthful cheeks with his paws. It didn't work.

"Now then," Karnage maintained, firmly prodding Max to follow him to his quarters at the far end. "I could make an example out of you, but I feel you have too much potential to be squandered just like that! Oh no! You might become just as precious to me as Murana was. She was brilliant and showed true aptitude for our craft when we kidnapped her so many moons ago!"

Opening the door with a flourish, the Don pushed Max inside, causing him to nearly trip over the lip of the doorframe. Inside the room was a very elegant bedroom boudoir. Opposite the four poster bed with violet drapery was an intricate navigator's desk, complete with a globe of the world, various sextants and other plotting equipment. The bed was located in the center of the room, underneath an extravagant chandelier that appeared procured from somewhere else and probably wasn't built for the Iron Vulture in mind. Port holes along the back wall let the early morning light into the dim room, which was lit by candles.

Cuffed in shackles and chained to one of the posts at the foot of the bed was a whimpering young wolf cub. He had been one of the three to assist Max in getting Murana off the Iron Vulture. Each one had a role to play and they were all supposed to rendezvous with her at their exit point; none of them made it except her. His clothes were ripped and his body oozed from various cuts on his body. He had been punished severely.

"Oh-ho-ho, you recognize him, don't you, Max?" Karnage strode over to the cowering pup and gripped a full fist of head fur, yanking him up to look at Max. "I find it...funny that she was able to convince four defenseless whelps to mastermind such a clever plan to not just attempt an escape, but to completely down my entire, beautiful airship! Let it be known that there is a price to pay for such insolence under my roof."

Dropping the wolf's head unceremoniously, Karnage reached into a side pouch on his belt opposite his dagger side and pulled out a small wooden fragment with an encrusted ruby carved into the center of it. Max had observed that every single pirate had a similar-looking utility pouch affixed to their bodies somewhere. Even Dumptruck and Mad Dog had one. This was the first time he had seen what was inside of them.

Twirling it between his fingers, Karnage promenaded back towards the terrified wolf cub, his eyes never leaving Max's. "There is a cost to being a hero, Max. May you watch and learn well!"

At this, he signaled his two minions to grab and hold Max in place. They each surged in and grabbed an arm and a leg, forcing him to watch what was to happen. It was useless to struggle and he did little to resist them, instead letting them hold him up for the macabre spectacle that was to occur.

Working the twisting ends of the wooden fragment, he then placed the glowing ruby on the child's forehead. It was so subtle at first, but a rising wail began to echo forth from the cub's throat. Continuing to hold the fragment up against his face, the Don leaned forward, kneeling as he did so. A sudden convulsion shook the entire wolf's frame as his chest puffed out, his head thrown back in a silent scream.

"This is what's going to happen to you, if you're not careful!" Mad Dog sneered, whispering malice into Max's ear.

It was faint at first, but Max could visibly see several wisps of a ghostly apparition rising from the cub's throat. His eyes rolled back into his head as his entire body trembled and shook violently, as if forcibly struggling against this invasive violation. More and more appeared before his face, coming out of his nostrils, eyes, ears and mouth. Every orifice was pouring out this undulating glimmer of a spirit.

With rising glee, the smoke-like form began flowing into Karnage's mouth, sucking it almost directly from the child. The wail turned into a squeal, rising louder and louder, his entire body contorted into some form of demonic possession, bound only by the chains that held his limbs. Then suddenly, it was over. The last tendrils of smoke left his mouth and the cub buckled to the floor like a wilted flower, his eyes vacant and unseeing.

"That feels absolutely marvelous!" The Don crooned, standing up and stretching, feeling like a new fox. The grey in his fur was gone and his face looked decades younger as his body reverted to that of a pirate in his prime. "And with that, gentlemen, his remaining years are all mine!" He cackled with maniacal perversion, inspiring his minions to follow suit.

For once during his entire time here in the Iron Vulture, Max was afraid. He stared down at the lifeless husk of a wolf cub. Whatever afterlife he might have believed in was forever gone. The wolf's soul was now annihilated and used to further the life of Don Karnage. How many people had these pirates ripped the lives from, denying them from eternal existence? This was truly a fate worse than death and Max was terrified.

Noting the raccoon's expression, Karnage pocketed the fragment back into his pouch and walked over to lounge in his captain's chair overlooking the entire room. "I see that I've finally gotten through to you, my young visitor." He enjoyed his small victory over Max, having now gotten him to emote something other than indifference. "As you can plainly see, I, the great pirate, Don Karnage, am immortal. We have lived for so long...decades, centuries, what does it matter? With every new generation comes new fodder for us to prolong our lives."

"You are our new treasures now!" Mad Dog squeezed Max's arm for emphasis.

"Our toys to play with!" Dumptruck whooped, letting his paws wander, causing Max to writhe.

Completely unconcerned with revealing anything to Max, Karnage prattled on, admiring his trophies and valuables scattered through his quarters. "We were always after treasure and wealth, but we stumbled across a most ingenious artifact, one that a certain, wretched bear was delivering. Stealing it, we figured we could hawk it for money, but we ended up finding a better use for it."

Resituating himself to sit more properly in his chair to better face Max, he expounded, "This totem was worth far more than just simple plunder, it could harness souls and extend one's lifespans at the expense of another! Over time, we realized that life and the thrill of the raid was far more important than any one piece of booty. The only way for us to enjoy that permanently was to take the lives of others. Our new mission became then to seek out those who could give us the biggest return for our investment."

"That's where yous comes in!" Dumptruck chuckled, gripping tightly.

"Kids, orphans, little whelps that wouldn't be missed." Karnage clarified. "You were the perfect vessels to gather and keep on retainer for when we needed you. With the many years ahead of your life left to live, we could steal them all and enjoy a new lease on living!" His elated expression soured. "And then you had to ruin it all by concocting this imbecilic plan to escape and waste three of our precious resources." He tapped his fingers on his armrest.

At a motion from the Don, both Dumptruck and Mad Dog dropped Max to the floor. It was sudden, but he managed to catch himself before stumbling over onto all fours. He stood up tall, but it was clear to everyone in the room that he was finally shaken. Karnage recognized Max for being a unique kit, one that seemingly had no fear. He couldn't really figure out why, but he was glad he had finally broken through his armored exterior at last.

Shaking a finger in the air as if an idea just came to him, Karnage smirked, "You asked why I don't kill you right away, yes, Max?" He rose up and walked over to the raccoon, looking down upon him as he gripped his cheeks between his fingers. "You are also leverage. I saw how Murana looked at you when I went to kill you that night. Others might see it as coincidence and she wanted to spare more children from being hurt, but I know her better. She reacted specifically to you. I'm going to use this connection, whatever it may be, to my advantage."

Letting go of Max's face and instead dragging him along by the ear back to his throne, he continued, "For now, you will be my protégé and pet. You will remain by my side at all times and do everything I tell you to do without question." He jerked Max's ear down hard, forcing him to sit beside him. "Is that clear?"

"Yes...Karnage." Max didn't bother to look at him, instead focusing on the dead wolf.

A harsh cuff against the head caught his attention. "You will acknowledge me when I speak to you and you will refer to me as Don Karnage!" Seeing as he would receive no more defiance from Max, he turned to his two lackeys, leaning back comfortably in his chair. "Now, since we are dead in the sand, as it were..." He chuckled at his joke, "We now have to change our plans and leave Zootopia as expediently as possible!"

"Uh...sir? What does expedee...dee...ently mean?" Dumptruck was concentrating really hard.

"It means 'fast,' you moron!" Karnage snarled. He turned to Mad Dog, "Now report! How goes the repairs on my precious Iron Vulture?"

Mad Dog looked a bit embarrassed and groveled before the Don in a very un-masculine way, "The entire engine is shut down, sir. We don't have enough required parts to fix it. The only thing working is the field generator."

Karnage groaned as he brought a paw to his temple, rubbing out his rising headache. He raised a leg and propped it up on Max's back, suddenly forcing him to be an ottoman without asking. "And we have nothing in our entire cargo bay that could be used to replace them?"

"No, sir..." Mad Dog sniveled, wringing his paws again. "We need to head out into this city to go find the necessary parts to fix the engines."

"And just where are we going to find these parts? Do we even know what they even are?" Karnage's tone was getting heated. Max kept quiet and listened to their conversation intently.

At this question, Mad Dog's face did brighten. "Oh yes, sir! I've been working all night on this!" He dug around in his back pocket and pulled out a crude collection of metal pieces and circuit boards, all attached to a rudimentary screen that had the green hue of a sonar display. Unimpressed with his achievement, Karnage gave him a look to explain himself. "This is an alloy detector to help track down the pieces we need. All parts have...um, tungsten in them, and this will guide us to what we could need."

"And you are sure that it works?" Karnage asked skeptically.

Mad Dog turned it on and flipped it around to show the Don. There were a few small blips on a circular display, one of which was not even that far to the northwest. "There are already a few tungsten hits in the city. We could send out a search party and gather them for you, sir!"

"Nonsense, I will lead the party myself!" He rose, buttoning up the top button of his vest coat, which was undone previously. "I can hardly trust you idiots with handling a bunch of kids from escaping, So, I will oversee this mission to retrieve the components!"

"Sir, what are compoo...poo..." Dumptruck began.

"Never you mind!" Karnage waved him off with a paw. "Max, come with me. Mad Dog, bring yourself and that device with you."

"What about me?" Dumptruck resembled his namesake with the look on his face.

"You?" Karnage regarded him for a moment, "Keep watch over the kids and ensure the rest of the crew doesn't let up on their discipline. We need to let these whelps know what it means to cross pirates. You have my permission to kill one," He raised one finger, "Only one kid, to ensure cooperation of our prisoners."

With a lopsided salute that Karnage promptly ignored, Dumptruck barked back happily, "Yes, sir!"

Snapping his fingers for Max to follow, he walked with purpose out of his room and down the catwalk, sidestepping to the stairs leading down to the main deck. "Mad Dog, bring some of my best men with us. We will need to create a diversion for those pesky people gawking at our ship. Do you think you have something to distract their attention while we head north to our first target?"

"Of course sir, I'm right on it." His nasally voice grated on the ears the happier it got. The lanky dog was off like a shot, yelling and raving at kids and fellow crew members like he owned the place.

Not even looking back, Karnage started talking to no one in particular, but Max knew it was for his ears only as he followed. "This was meant to be such a simple raid. Stay for a few days under cloud cover, steal a couple dozen kids to stock up and move on to the next town. You and Murana put quite a kink in my plans. But ah, such is life!"

Max trailed silently, looking all around him. The fellow orphans who were kidnapped with him and those from other places stopped and stared at them. Some moved back in fear while others were petrified to the spot as the Don passed by. Some caught eyes with Max and gave him dirty looks. It was because of him, they believed, that their friends who agreed to Murana's plan were no longer living.

It seemed like a very logical plan to Max. Murana went to sabotage the engines with some lookouts while he steered the Vulture off course with the help of another, hopefully passing it low enough for them to meet up and hop off out of one of the airlocks onto one of the great barrier walls bordering Sahara Square. However, one of the kits snitched, being afraid for his own life that they'd get caught and wanting some semblance of mercy or even reward from the pirates. He now lay dead at the foot of Karnage's bed, his soul gone.

The Don stood at the control panel adjacent to the main hangar doors, shaped to look like the interior of a vulture's beak. Pegged into the side by rusty nails was a hook row of goggles. He took down two and handed one to Max to put on. Without questioning it, Max put it over his head, moving his ears around so they'd be comfortable with the tight strap bordering his head. He rubbed out the lenses. It looked like they hadn't been cleaned in ages, and they casted a dusty sepia pall over all he looked at.

They both looked up at the rattling of the railing above as Mad Dog came down with two other cohorts. Karnage gave Max a sidelong glance as he softly spoke with underlying menace. "You are a smart lad. I like you, but make no mistake. If I sense even a hint of you trying to escape or foil my plans, I will kill you."

Max understood the threat was not at all bluster. The fox captain meant business and it was evident in the posture he took, standing alongside him waiting for his crew to catch up to them at the door.

Without waiting for a response, Karnage recollected, "You remind me of another promising protégé, one who could have had it all and would have surpassed me as captain of the Iron Vulture. Kit Cloudkicker, I think his name was. It's been so long ago, I can barely remember names anymore unless they were extraordinary." He sniffed without remorse, "His soul became mine too. Those days of looking for an heir are over now that I have the totem."

"We're ready boss! We can fire on your signal." Mad Dog grinned.

"Ready, men? Let us away!" He hollered, yanking the lever down as the entire structure rumbled with the opening of the door maw.

All the men in the hangar howled together in unison as static electricity rolled through the air, causing Max's fur to stand on end. A low grumbling was heard above their heads as arcs of light flashed through the air in front of them. They looked upon the vast expanse of Sahara Square. They could see the row of police cars and news station trucks lined up along the distant roadway, reporting on the new event happening with the Iron Vulture.

"Everyone, on me. To the mule!" Karnage commanded.

They leapt onto a tan, four-wheel utility truck that had no cover. It had room just for four passengers and had massive headlamps on the front for night excursions. There were no seatbelts, and the cushioned seats were deflated and ripped due to neglect and misuse. A rather stout pirate with an oddly shaped, horned helmet lifted Max up and tossed him in the back, sandwiched between him and another large pirate. The Don and Mad Dog were sitting up front.

Pressing a button on the front console to the right of the steering wheel, Karnage shouted into the intercom, "At my mark, fire into that crowd there so we can get through the field!"

"Roger!" A gravelly voice came back through.

With a single rev of the engines, they peeled out of the open bay door. Max turned around to see it slowly rising up after they had passed the tip. The speed at which they traveled was whipping up quite a lot of sand as the heavy-duty tires kicked it up. It was a good thing they had the goggles now. They were almost to the edge of the field, heading towards the great barrier wall when Karnage pressed the intercom again.

"Fire now!" He shouted.

The entire electric field disappeared for a brief moment as they barreled through where the malevolent barrier once was. Max noticed a lightning rod affixed to the top of the Iron Vulture behind them with a large radar dish. Arcing light flashed and sparked dangerously for a few seconds as a concussive boom was heard, and a streak of lightning blasted an entire contingent of police cars high into the air. Just like that, the barrier was reinstated as if nothing had happened, but what was left was the screaming of the crowds and a few mangled wrecks of cars on fire.

"Silly civilians!" Karnage laughed, causing all the rest to laugh with him as they drove onwards to the barrier wall, aiming for a tunnel.

The only one who wasn't laughing was Max.

Savannah Central - The Fox Den on Roaring St. - Against the Tundratown Border Wall Friday - 10:48 AM - Sunny, Clear Skies / Light Winds

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Bystanders screamed and dove for cover as the mule roared down the street, Karnage not even bothering to care about whoever was in the way. Mad Dog skirled for the Don to stop as his device was blaring like crazy, the beeping at a fever pitch. Drifting into a sidelong park, completely blocking the entire road, they dusted off their coats and looked up at the squat, brick and mortar building butted up against the gigantic border wall with the visible, rising frost from Tundratown beyond.

"Doesn't look like much." Karnage commented, hopping over the door, not bothering to open it.

"It looks more like a dance club." Sadie inspected the sign, its neon light off during non-business hours.

Sadie was a round, squat pirate with a mustache that looked like a bushy science experiment gone wrong. He had a signature helmet with horns curving upwards from either side of it, which would have given him a menacing figure if he wasn't so ridiculous-looking. Despite being all gruff on the exterior, Max could tell he was highly insecure of himself and barked louder than he could bite to compensate.

"I know what it is!" Karnage snapped, not even giving Sadie the courtesy of looking at him. It was clear that he had no idea what a dance club was, but Max kept this to himself. "So are you sure what we need is in there?"

"I'm positive something with tungsten is in there, sir!" Mad Dog replied.

Karnage rolled his eyes before waving a paw to follow him, "Come on, we got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of daylight! Let's vamoose!"

"Excuse me?" A tart voice demanded their attention. Standing in the road, just outside her car was an ornery porcupine with paws on her hips, shooting daggers at them. "You're parked illegally! You need to move out of the road, now!" She huffed.

Without blinking an eye, Karnage whipped out his pistol and blew her several feet off the ground, her body skidding past her vehicle upon landing. "Thank you, madam, for that lovely public service announcement! Now it is you who is also blocking the road!" He chuckled, causing the others to follow suit as he holstered his weapon and proceeded inside.

"Get a move on!" Mad Dog cuffed Max as he pushed him along behind the Don.

Max's gaze lingered on the dying porcupine, gasping her last breaths as she clutched her chest where the bullet had pierced her lung. Max knew Karnage was a better shot than that and he could have blown her head off without even looking, however he wanted her to suffer for her impertinence at accosting them. It would probably be several dozen minutes before she finally enjoyed the sweet release of death.

They surged into the structure, busting down the door with a nicely placed explosive. The knob zinged off from the eruption and crashed through a window across the street in an apartment complex opposite the club. Ignoring the gawking onlookers, the pirates fanned out and began searching the entire area, including the side tables covered by curtains.

As Karnage was observing his crew pillage the place, he wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, what is that awful stench?"

Max began to sniff as well. There appeared to be a slight haze to the entire dance floor, smelling suspiciously like skunk. Multiple stains of blood, vomit and other excrements littered the floor before them. It appeared that there was a huge scuffle here recently and the entire establishment looked closed for renovations as a result of whatever happened.

"At least the booze is still good!" Karnage brightened, padding over to the bar and swiping a few bottles for himself, pouring a few shot glasses full of amber liquid.

Seeing as he wasn't being stringently watched, Max began to wander around as well. The more he breathed in the putrid odor, the more it seemed familiar to him. He could recall a hint of it being on Murana, but he couldn't be certain. Could this scent be connected to her somehow?

With renewed determination, he began to break out two different scents within that musk. He was getting excited with the prospect that Murana could have potentially been here when he was bumped harshly to the floor by Mad Dog. He seemed to be intently monitoring his device to figure out where it was picking up the tungsten signature.

"Watch it, you little twerp." The gangly dog growled at him, raising his hand to strike him again.

"I'd watch that temper of yours." Max reminded, revealing a small smirk. "I do believe I remember hearing Don Karnage wanting to keep me unspoiled." He got up, rubbing his backside where he fell.

The fact that Max was not meeting his gaze was infuriating Mad Dog. He jabbed a clawed finger at the cheeky raccoon. "Just because you're the current favorite of the captain doesn't make you anything special. What were you before we picked you up? A good-for-nothing orphan, right? Lonely, pitiful orphan. Now you're the darling pet of the Captain and have his favor for the moment. Only I think you're still just a lowly trash panda, a lamb in a den of wolves."

Mad Dog leaned down until his nose was almost touching Max's, "Well, I'm his first mate and this is my operation. I don't like the way you've looked down on me ever since you stepped aboard. I'm above you. Better than. I'm a pirate, see? Roots in the crew since we were first founded by our great Captain, and you're just a pitiful kit scrounging for scraps."

With arms crossed, Max continued to talk to the pirate's ear. "The way I see it, if both of us were to fall overboard, I know someone would care about me. How about you? Based on what I've seen from how the Captain treats you, I think you wouldn't be missed one bit."

Mad Dog's eyes swelled as his pupils narrowed to slits. With spittle flying, he grappled Max's neck, slamming him to the floor as he ripped out his small totem fragment from his vest pouch and shoving it upon the raccoon's forehead. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You little twerp!" He snarled.

It was a bone-chilling experience, shocking Max to his very core. His entire body went icy cold as a swelling tug began flowing up from his fingertips, gathering into his chest and expanding up and out his throat. Stabbing daggers of pain punctuated every nerve ending in his body as pieces of his soul clung for dear life, his entire essence being forcibly removed by some unnatural power invasively reaching into his body and violating his personal space.

His whining cry was reaching a piercing wail as his fingers and toes lost all feeling when Karnage rounded the corner and kicked his first mate to the floor. Just like that, the entire effect lifted and a soothing warmth flushed back into his paws and limbs, like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. Max lay shaken and gasping for air as his entire body was trembling with some existential dread.

"You stupid fool!" Karnage began smacking Mad Dog. "We need this boy for leverage when we find Murana again! He is not to be harmed unless I say so!" Getting his boot off the moaning dog's chest, he straightened up. "Unbelievable! I'm surrounded by idiots!" He paced over and jerked Max back up onto his feet. "Come with me. You are not to leave my side, pet! Did I not instruct you already on this? Kids these days!" He shook his head in disbelief.

As he was being dragged along by the paw behind the Don, Max finally made eye contact with Mad Dog for just the briefest of moments. The shared look conveyed only one meaning between the two: Max had won the argument. This caused the dog to seethe and grind his teeth as he watched the flippant raccoon trail after the Captain, acting all high and mighty as if he was the new favorite.

"I catch you wandering off like that again, Max, I won't stop him next time." Karnage looked at him with seriousness.

It unnerved Max a bit, since it seemed to be the first bit of concern for him at all since he was kidnapped. He wasn't sure if it was because he was a useful tool for Karnage and didn't want to lose his one bargaining chip in getting Murana to comply again, or that he was interested in keeping him as a promising pupil and pet. Given the idiocy of his crew, it was probably both.

"Men! To me!" He hollered from behind the wet bar.

"What you got, boss?" The tall, overly fat cat pirate boomed, lumbering over to peek over the counter.

"Something of great interest!" He crowed, kicking aside the standing mat behind the beer tap. Beneath it was a trap door that led deeper into the ground. Taking one last shot from the tequila bottle, he waved his crew on through. "You four take point and scout it out!"

Karnage brought up the rear as he nudged Max onward to follow Sadie down the dark tunnel. The obese cat took the lead and was bumbling along, speaking nonsense to himself as he admired the intricately carved corridor, seemingly cut directly out of the stone. The rest of the pirates seemed to ignore his rambling, evidently all used to this sort of thing with him.

"I wonder what tools they used to create this immaculate detail. Clearly something high powered with 5mm point precision to work the stone to this - HURK!!!" All eyes turned to the cat as his sentence got cut short.

"Hal!" Sadie cried out. "No! He hasn't had his fix yet!"

The plump pirate feline was impaled through the stomach. His eyes stared vacantly at the ground as he slumped over the battering ram of a rod that had seemingly swung down from the ceiling after he tripped through a wire bordering the entrance into the main cavern. It had gutted clear through him, bursting out the other side, shattering his spine. A slow trickle of blood began to drip onto the cold stone beneath their paws as smoke filled the air.

"We're not alone! Everyone, up against the walls!" Karnage spat.

Mad Dog had to grab Sadie by the collar as the poor guy wept over his fallen comrade. Slapping him up against the wall beside him, he looked out into the pervading gloom. He could barely make out a boat and some stairs leading down to it, but the overall cloud of smoke was getting thicker by the second.

A voice cried out in the pale cloud diffusing down past them through the hallway. "Drop your weapons and retreat back to where you came from! We have you surrounded and we won't hesitate to kill you all!"

"What are we gonna do, Boss?" Mad Dog yowled. "They got us surrounded!"

Karnage was sniffing the air diligently. "Silence, you idiot!" He took a few more puffs, before nodding to himself. "He's bluffing. There is only one of him and three of us."

"Four." Max reminded, his eyes glued to the draping form of Hal on the spike log.

Karnage looked down irritably at Max, "Very well then, pet. You go on out there and see if you can find us a safe passage down to that boat." He tossed Max the small dagger from his belt and then booted him forward, causing him to slip on the puddle gathering beneath the cat.

"I guess I will." Max said with some determination. He knew that whoever was hiding in this fog was no friend of Karnage and might even provide an opportunity to escape.

Karnage, keeping a keen eye on Max, aimed his musket at the raccoon while the others kept theirs pointing out towards the main opening. Shaking off the blood from his hind paw, Max stepped out into the pall and tentatively took his first steps towards the stairs. He could see a large shape resembling some sort of shack at the foot of the stairs and the boat moored on what sounded like an underground river, but everything else was hard to make out. It was deathly silent as he quietly made his way down the first ramp of steps.

"You better duck, kid!" A voice in front of him shook Max.

Seeing a rather large tube with an open barrel pointing directly at him, Max leapt to the side as the white fox pressed a button and launched a small rocket towards the entrance to his workspace. Cries from the pirates rang out as they dove into the cave, narrowly avoiding the blazing missile as it struck dead Hal straight in the face, exploding mercilessly and rocking the entire cavern to its foundation. Several chunks of ceiling began raining down and blocked off their avenue of escape.

"Fan out! Get this asshole!" Karnage boomed.

Max skittered after the silver tail of the fox scampering down the remaining stairs as gun shots rang out in the grotto. Pings could be heard ricocheting off the boat siding, and splinters of wooden railing spiraled up into the air next to his head as bullets found their mark around him. The pirates raised their battle cry as they thundered down the steps after them, blasting off rounds into the smoke, not caring who they hit.

"You have a death wish, kid?" The fox asked curtly.

Taking the cue, Max suddenly swapped directions and began fleeing towards the boat. The fox fired a net from the doorframe of his shack, snagging Mad Dog square in the face with it. The ball bearings wrapped around the blubbering pirate as he tipped over and crashed down onto the hard boardwalk beneath, cursing as he did so.

"Alright then, you sneaky rat." Karnage sneered as he sidestepped the next net. It sailed past him, landing harmlessly onto the boarded steps. "Let's see you try this on for size."

Dislodging a small, round object from his belt, he nicked it with his teeth, igniting the fuse before tossing it in the general direction of where he had seen the net launch from. He could tell he had the intended effect as he heard a small yelp and the pitter-patter of feet running. Closing his eyes and relying on sound alone, he aimed his musket and fired off two rounds. The second found its home as he heard a small yip.

Max was peeking over the edge of the boat he had hopped into right as the bomb went off. The entire shack blew outwards, causing millions of shards of burning debris to rain down onto the deck and penetrate the metal siding. Weaving back and forth to avoid the hail of death, Max raised his dagger in warning as the white fox in question flipped over the railing and landed onto the deck with him.

Coolly aiming a gun at Max's head, the fox calmly queried, "Are you with them or not?"

Knowing the time to speak was small at best, Max blurted, "I'm with nobody."

After a few seconds, the fox nodded, "Fair enough." Turning his attention to his burning workshop, he grimaced, "You better grab yourself a life preserver or something quick, because I'm not about to let them get my ship."

Max finally was able to look him directly in the eye to ask, "What do you mean?"

Without a word, the fox pressed a button on what looked like a detonator. "See you around, kid. Best of luck to you." Satisfied that the raccoon was going to do as he said, he turned back to the raging pyre and sighed, "Dammit, wish I could have finished that one last piece for Murana."

Max was already snatching up a preserver when his ears perked up at the name. Backtracking slightly, he called out, "Did you say Murana?"

The fox gave him a long stare. He went to say something, but Karnage had just finished crossing the plank up onto his boat and was taking aim at the fox. "Get out of here! Now!" The fox pushed Max away as he dove behind a roped-down set of cargo crates. Bullet trails followed, missing his hind paws by millimeters.

"Nah-ah-ah! You are a naughty, little fox to elude the great Don Karnage!" The captain cawed, flashing his pearly whites as he took great enjoyment in this game of cat and mouse. "If you come out now, I promise not to torture you...much, yes?"

Max heard a splash on the starboard side, the white flash of tail being the last remnants of the fox who helped him escape. Eye widening as the entire ship shook, Max took the preserver and heaved his whole body through it as he tumbled into the river below. Several mini-explosions could be heard within the boat as the entire riverway pounded with concussive force. More powerful detonations began to tear the ship apart.

The last thing Max could see before being swept with the current, around the bend and out of sight, was Karnage and his lackeys diving over the ship into the water. Whether they would catch up with him or not was debatable, but Max was now at the mercy of the currents and wherever the river would take him.