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Chapter 141: Airport Hijinks

Helika's news had dominated Nathanial's thoughts all day to the point Ms. Reed, his Computer Sciences teacher, and Mr. Crosby, his Visual Arts teacher, reprimanded him for his lack of attention. His temper was short enough that he nearly snapped back at them, too. Even Ms. Paul had to tell him to pay attention, though she did it with a worried expression rather than an annoyed one. Still, he made it through the day without causing too much fuss, even if the walk home was oddly quiet. Geoff and Faelen had soccer practice with Ms. Paul, and Liam barely said two words the entire walk.

While trotting up to his gate, Nathanial noticed all of the Spirits were out on the patio by the pool. They had coats and stuff on like they were planning on going somewhere, though Dirk was dressed up in a black suit that looked a lot like the Society's agents'. He opened the gate so they could go through; Liam normally said something along the lines of, 'My thanks,' as he stepped onto the property, but he didn't this time. The Akita ducked his head. "U-Um, L-Liam? Ev-veryone's over by the p-pool." The Rottie nodded sharply and changed course to go around the house. "H-How long are you going to not t-talk to me?"

Liam arched an eyebrow. His tone was stiff with unvented emotion, and each word was clipped sharply at the end. "If you are not going to discuss important matters with me, I see no reason to do so with the minor ones. There is nothing I have to say to you." The silence weighed heavily on Nathanial as they moved to join the Spirits. Once they rounded the privacy fence by the pool, Liam announced, "I am going to kung fu this afternoon. I shall be back around five." Conor's nose twitched and he glanced at the two teens.

Dirk frowned. "You normally stick close by when Nathanial's off somewhere potentially dangerous. Your phone is turned off and in your locker when you train, too."

If Liam's back could stiffen anymore Nathanial was sure it would have. "He, apparently, does not need or desire my assistance any longer."

Lorena flared up. "Gods, Lowell, pull the stick from your ass! You and that bloody wounded formality! What did he do? Go to the bathroom without your permission?"

The Ancient One's eyes blazed in return. "Don't be daft, Lorie! When did I ever overreact about such trivialities?"

Faeden tried to cut in to prevent his grandparents from fighting but Lorie spoke right over him. "You always_had a very odd idea about what was trivial and what wasn't! So he didn't ask your opinion or whatever it was _this time; it doesn't mean he _never_wants it! I remember you acting the same way when Ruarc made a decision without talking to you shortly after Aedan was born. I can't even remember what it was about, but you pouted for days. Even though he didn't ask because you had barely slept that week and you had just managed to curl up for a nap."

"I don't pout!"

His former wife rolled her eyes. Ciaran stood up and walked toward the patio doors.

Aedan raised his voice to make sure his mother couldn't drown him out. "Where are you going, Ciaran? We planned on leaving soon."

The assassin glanced at his scowling father before answering. "To get my kung fu gear. If Da is going to practice, I'll join him. It's been a long time since I was inside a kwoon." Liam's expression softened, probably because of some fond memory.

Eirne's expression did the opposite, and she directed her anger at her husband. "Ciaran, what do you mean you'll go to this kung fu thing? You're a Spirit. You shouldn't be learning Fur things like that. We take pride in being self-taught and acquiring unique styles based on our own strengths. Don't you honour our ancient traditions?"

Ciaran paused at the sliding door. "I'm an O'Conall. I take honour and duty extremely seriously. My duty requires me to adopt a code of honour different than my fellows, but I adhere to it more strictly than almost anyone else in the Clan. Never question my honour again, Eirne." It looked like she wasn't used to be talked to like that, and she didn't care for it one iota.

Aedan slipped in. "This is old news, Eirne. Alphas Ruarc and Luke know all about it; he obtained permission from Alpha Ruarc before it started."

Ainbertach frowned. "It seems being an O'Conall comes with a lot more perks than I knew about. I guess the bodyguards have been taught martial arts? But why Ciaran?"

Faeden shook his head. "Just Ciaran. I'd like to learn, but I don't get enough time away from the Clan to do so. He had the opportunity and the reasons; he dealt with the Monks and other groups after Poppy Lowell had to step back, and it was prudent for him to be able to defend himself without manifesting."

Sorcha shook her head. "And Aedan didn't?" She put her paw on her husband's. "He spent a lot of time in London, too. I worried a lot while he was gone; I saw Lowell return a number of times looking pretty banged up."

Liam sighed. "You probably saw how 'banged up' Aedan got from just trying to ride a horse, too. I taught him how to fence and use a pistol, but after the trouble he had learning how to dance..." He shook his head while Aedan's ears turned beet red. Nathanial was surprised Liam taught anyone how to use a firearm; he thought Liam hated guns. Nonetheless, Nathanial was glad the fighting seemed to be over. Maybe Liam would stop being mad at him, too.

Lorena laughed. "I was afraid my hindpaws would never heal. He definitely inherited my skills in that department."

Conor waved at Ciaran. "Well, go get your gear. We can get Nathanial to drop us off at the kwoon so we can see some of the city. It'll save a long bus ride." That was probably about the only way that many people could get into town without renting several vehicles, if they could rent vehicles without driver's licenses and passports. Ciaran opened the door and slipped inside.

Nathanial saw one of the Agents' scrying spells appear by the pool. "C-Company." Liam's floppy ear twitched toward him, and the Rottie's face became impassive again.

Lorena saw that. "Gods, Lowell, act your age. You aren't fourteen."

Agent Hugh appeared a short distance away. "According to our records, he is fourteen. And his name is Liam Smith, not Lowell, unless there's something we should know, _Healer?"_Nathanial noted the Regional Director had quite a few protective spells going. It'd take a bit to unravel them enough to read them, though.

Liam's expression darkened. "No. There is absolutely nothing that is any of the Society's business, _Agent._I highly recommend you keep that in mind when dealing with me." Hugh seemed to notice the hostility growing amongst the Spirits around the patio, even Eirne and Ainbertach had all of their attention focused on the black-clad Badger.

It was almost time to go. Nathanial took a deep breath. 'Wunderkind. I can do this. I can be brave. Resolute. This is to protect Micah and Nick. To stop a war. I need to keep all those people I love safe.' He looked at Liam facing down the larger Agent Hugh. "Agent." He managed to say it without a quaver. That was a good start. "Harassing Liam like this is in violation of directive HU2011-10-01. Perhaps it would be prudent to pretend you heard nothing, eh?" Maybe that was too oblique of a way to say 'Back the fuck off if you know what's good for you.' Then again, the way the Badger quivered as he struggled to contain his temper said otherwise. Nathanial surreptitiously took deep breaths and chanted, 'Wunderkind,' in his mind.

Agent Hugh turned to directly face Nathanial. He choked out, "Of course, and we have more important matters at paw." He nodded at Dirk and then Nathanial. "Spirit, pup, let's go."

Aedan held up a paw. "We're waiting for one more person, and then Nathanial is dropping us off downtown. It shouldn't be long."

The detritus by the pool edge behind Agent Hugh whirled up like it was caught in a swirl of wind and Ciaran appeared within paw-strike range of the agent. "I'm ready." The Badger jumped and a tiny smile danced at the edge of Liam's muzzle. "I had my gear close by just in case." The dust-coloured Wolf addressed his nephew. "Faeden, if you could close the patio door?" Ciaran suppressed his powers and met the agent's eyes for a split second before walking past him to join his kin. A small duffel bag hung off his shoulder.

Agent Hugh adjusted his dark glasses. "There's a lot of magic coming off that coat of yours, Ciaran. It seems to be an extremely powerful enchanted object." He turned his head a few degrees to glance at Liam.

The Rottie shrugged. "I can make more than grimoires, not that it is your business." The Badger's swallowed a sharp retort.

In hopes of keeping the two cantankerous individuals from pursuing this, Nathanial opened a tiny portal in his normal spot in the kwoon's locker room -- only large enough to cast his senses through -- closed it, and opened a full one in the hallway. He made sure it opened between the Spirits and the agent, so Agent Hugh couldn't look through to see where it was. Nathanial gestured at the open ring and met Conor's eyes. "I'll call you when I'm done."

Faeden and Dirk bowed slightly to each other; Faeden moved to take Dirk's spot and preceded Conor through the portal. Dirk moved to stand by Nathanial. Conor tipped his head to Dirk but addressed Nathanial. "Very good. Take care, and try to keep this from escalating, okay?"

"All right. It's the point of this whole show, anyway."

He was the last Spirit to go through, leaving Nathanial, Dirk, Agent Hugh, and Liam behind. The Ancient One glanced over. His ears twitched, as did his muzzle, and his expression momentarily shifted to one of concern. Liam's paw even began to rise to clap Nathanial on the shoulder or to hug him, but Liam stopped it and dashed through the portal suddenly. He didn't even say good bye.

Nathanial whispered, "Bye, Liam. You're still my first, and best, friend." He closed the portal. It may have been his imagination, but it looked like the Rottie had been about to finally say something to him -- something nice -- just as it winked shut. Nathanial really hoped so. Maybe Liam would say it when they saw each other again. He tried to blink away the burning sensation in his eyes. 'Gods, it's not like we'll never see each other again. It'll be, like, an hour. Two, tops. He'll forgive me when he calms down; it'll just take time. I-I hope.' There were reasons to keep Liam out of this, too, and his mom's boyfriend was a key one. Gary Harper might think Liam was a Monk and friends with him and Geoff, but it sounded like he didn't know how involved Liam was. It'd be best to keep it that way, or Liam's mom might find herself being used as a pawn to get at Nathanial or Geoff through Liam. 'I can't risk that happening, even if it means Liam never talks to me again. I owe him that, at the very least.'

Dirk clapped his paw on Nathanial's shoulder. "Just give them time to calm down, Nathanial. By supper Geoff will have moved on, but it might take longer for Liam-sensei to come to his senses."

Agent Hugh checked his watch. "Time enough for that later. You two have more important things to worry about." He raised his paws and stepped toward them. "Let's get this operation started." The Badger grabbed their arms and a rush of magic whisked the rest of the world away.

The spell was the same teleportation spell Marcia Banks had used to take him to Ottawa, so Nathanial wasn't surprised to find himself far outside of Halifax. His expanded senses picked up the same highway that Sergeant Heimdolf had used to drive him to the airport and Shubenacadie. If he had to guess, Nathanial would wager they were in the village just past the airport.

The interior of the building they stood in was far_more interesting, though. The outside was a fairly ordinary two-storey office strip mall, with signs for businesses over several doors. It was just a shell, though. Inside, there _were offices, but they had far more in common with the ones he saw at the police department than anything else he had experience with. There were also six apartments on the second floor. Dirk quickly moved to stand behind Nathanial's left shoulder, and silently glanced about the room seemingly taking in every detail.

Two agents were in a larger office to their right; they seemed to be trying to track stuff down based on the maps and stuff scattered around. One of them, a black-furred Dormouse, turned from the computer she had been working on with a frustrated grimace. "Hugh, this is... Who are they?"

The second agent, a -- surprise, surprise -- _black-_scaled Iguana, sat at a table with a map laid out in front of him. He held a Priest's medallion in his talons and seemed to be meditating on it, but the conversation roused him. "I'm trying to focus here. Talk somewhere else." The dissipating patterns of magic around him seemed to relate to divination. The road map showed someplace called Enfield, the airport, and a few tiny clusters of houses nearby. "I agree with Emma though, Hugh, why the sudden need to do a level one audit of the Enfield team's jurisdiction? Why are they--?"

Hugh snapped, "Shut it, Agent Pepe! If you have questions about your orders, ask them in private. I may_answer them there. I gave you your orders, and that _should be enough! Stop your whining and get back to work."

Outside, Nathanial sensed Agent Jay pulling into the parking lot. He drove a...black Chevrolet Caprice. It had a strip of lights in the front and back windows, like a police pursuit vehicle, and it was armoured, too. A glance at the engine showed the body wasn't the only part of the car that had been worked on, and his senses showed the work went beyond physical modifications. If he added some of those enchantments to his dad's Porsche... Heheheh.

Hugh stepped back. "What are you grinning about, Nathanial?" The other two agents started and leant away.

Nathanial shook his head. "Agent Jay arrived. The car he's driving is awesome!" The Jackal climbed out of the car and pulled out a suit bag, too. "What do the spells on the engine do?" It seemed there were a couple, most of which were tied to various buttons, knobs, and switches on the dash and steering column. "Ooh! That one looks like it silences the engine! Stealth mode!" That'd be so awesome! Liam said Mr. Doull had something like that on his car. Did he enchant this one, too?

The Iguana, um, Pepe, frowned. "Guys, I'm working here. Get lost." He shot a dirty look at Nathanial. "You must be Nathanial Marks. Kindly don't poke your nose into official business."

Emma shook her head. "Professionalism, Pepe." She turned to her boss. "I think report Halifax-R-0025 _does_gain a bit more credibility after meeting him."

Hugh waved at his guests and walked away while answering her over his shoulder. "He is problematic, and his...abilities pose a risk, but he's helping stop something far worse. There are other reports you haven't seen about him, Emma, and they're the ones I'm inclined to follow. Pepe's right about one thing: shut up and get back to work. I need the status of all Knights in this jurisdiction verified in twenty minutes." Both of his underlings cried out in inarticulate protest.

Jay walked in at that point. "Cheers, bros! What's the news? Oh, hey, Nathanial! Yo, Dirk, where's Conor?" He pulled off his sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket. He glanced at the other two working agents. "Aw, Pepe? Still scrying old school? Man, get with the times. That way takes forever!" He tossed the suit bag onto a table and wandered toward the maps.

Hugh shook his head. "You're on duty, Jay, act like it."

Jay stopped and saluted. "Sir! Yes, sir!" Dirk smiled before he caught himself. Jay winked at him conspiratorially.

Pepe hissed and said the last few words of the _Shield_spell. A purple wall separated the two rooms; Nathanial saw this version was the one that blocked sound, too.

Hugh glared at Jay. "You're early, too. How fast were you driving? You shouldn't have arrived for another ten minutes if you obeyed the speed limit."

The Jackal paused. "Uh..."

"Dammit, Jay! How many times--?" The Badger broke off with an inarticulate growl. "Go to an empty office and scry for any Hunters or Knights between this side of the airport up to Miller Lake. Correlate that with the records we have on file for jobs and residences. When you're done, let Emma know the results -- she's in charge -- but _don't_distract her or Pepe! If you happen to see any Knights gathering or acting suspiciously, let me know immediately."

"What!? Man, I was supposed to be off an hour ago!"

Hugh showed his teeth. "You're also supposed to follow Fur laws -- including the speed limit -- and maintain a professional demeanour at all times, too!"

Jay grumbled as he stomped away. "Bloody jack-ass. Slave driving son of a bitch."

Hugh ignored him and pointed at the bag on the table. "Nathanial, go get changed. I want this over with."

Nathanial timidly reached out for the bag. "U-Um, where? One of the empty apartments?"

The Badger shrugged. "Wherever. There, a bathroom, an unoccupied office, I really don't give a damn. Just do it. If you don't know how to dress yourself, get what's-his-name here to help you." Dirk's drew himself up and looked down his muzzle at the agent.

The Akita smiled timidly. "Um, Dirk. Dirk O'Conall. I-I can put on a suit." Hugh's expression said 'Get on it, then,' so Nathanial scampered off to a nearby room. Dirk followed and stood outside the door while he changed. The suit was a copy of the agents', sized for him. It fit as well as his new school uniform, so he bet someone had the tailors make this based on that pattern. There was even a pair of minimally enchanted glasses in the same style, too. He hung his school uniform on the hangers and zipped the bag back up.

Dirk fell in behind Nathanial once the young Akita left the room and followed silently back to Agent Hugh. Nathanial turned around to show the suit. "Looks okay?"

Hugh frowned. "Looks fine."

"Um, why do I have this?"

"For this charade of yours, of course. Your uniform wouldn't cut it. Normally, we'd dye your fur, but we want you to be recognised."

Dye? Jay was obviously a Jackal, but if black wasn't Ella's normal fur colour, would she be a Jaguar? Her jawline didn't match a Leopard's, so that was probably the case. Of course, Nathanial had heard that 'panther' -- both Fur and feral -- was actually the scientific name for pumas, and that the black cats often called panthers were just jaguars and leopards with a recessive trait that made their fur black. And...agents dyed their fur to...look cool?

The director pointed to the door. "Glasses on. We're leaving. Dirk, keep on as you are. Nathanial, stop stammering and act like an agent. You were doing adequately when I arrived at your place, so emulate that. I'll go over the plan again on the way."

Nathanial slipped the glasses on; normally, glasses had a few ways to stay on, with the most common being small clips to attach to the fur below the wearer's ears, but these used magic. Nathanial nodded curtly. "Very good. Lead the way, Agent." He stepped out of the office and strode purposefully to the waiting car. 'I am the Wunderkind.'

Hugh flipped the lights on as he pulled up to the airport terminal doors, completely ignoring the 'No Parking' signs. Nathanial hopped out of the back seat to precede his companions into the building as he imperiously ignored the stares directed at him. He saw Avery, a CBC cameraman, three RCMP officers, and a security officer standing near a door in the baggage claims area. It led into the airport offices.

Nathanial strode purposefully toward the door, noting the camera operator -- a slight Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever -- turned his machine on and filmed their approach. He also noted a security officer in a different part of the building who saw him on the cameras and called Mr. Hubbard.

Once he met them at the door, he ignored the media and nodded to the officer who seemed in charge. "Officers." He didn't wait for an answer and tipped his head toward the door while looking at the security guard. "If you please."

The guard, a buff Lion, almost scrambled to punch the code in and open the door. "Here, sir. Uh, where are you going? I can escort you, if you need me."

Nathanial motioned for him to go through. "The lockers used by the CATSA personnel."

The guard shook his head. "More trouble? Crap, they need to screen their hires better." Nathanial merely nodded and followed the guard down the carpeted halls and up a flight of stairs. Hugh and Dirk stayed close behind him with the RCMP officers, and then Avery and the cameraman bringing up the rear.

In Mr. Hubbard's office, the Muskrat slammed the receiver down after getting the warning and jumped up from his chair. Nathanial helped it bounce off the shelf behind the desk and roll back into Mr. Hubbard's legs. The Knight stumbled a bit but kept his balance. Figuring the Muskrat would want a gun, Nathanial loosened the screws on the drawer handle. Indeed, Mr. Hubbard yanked on the handle, and it came off in his paw. The Muskrat cursed, tossed it aside, and tried to use his claws to pry the tight fitted drawer open. Nathanial 'encouraged' it to stay shut. The Akita continued to harass the Muskrat, while trying to keep it subtle, as a delaying tactic and to get him so steamed he might do something stupid.

The Knight and Mage (plus others) arrived at the door to the locker room at the same time. Mr. Hubbard was visibly pissed off and snarled at Nathanial. "What the fuck are you planning, mutt?" The cameraman manoeuvred to get a good shot of the two of them.

Nathanial arched an eyebrow. "Planning? I received intel that someone was hiding weapons here, and that the ones found in Gisele Leutzinger's locker -- as well as the other two who stopped the terrorist attack -- were planted. I plan on determining if this is true. Now, we have an investigation to conduct, so kindly step aside, Mr..." He trailed off as if asking this person to identify himself.

The bait worked. "You know damned well who I am!" Nathanial stared at him blankly. "Chris Hubbard, the manager of CATSA here! You snuck into my office to talk to me at noon!"

Nathanial adopted a mildly confused expression. "I've never walked through the doors of this terminal before now. I was at school today, and there are well over a hundred witnesses who can testify to that." The incredulous and very frustrated expression on his prey's face was incredibly satisfying. "However, if you are the manager, you can help us with this investigation. Open the door so we can begin." Avery looked like she found this extremely funny, too.

It took a second for Mr. Hubbard to make his voice work. "What? Why the hell would I help you? Where's your warrant? What authority do you have?"

The RCMP officer presumably in charge, a youngish-looking lady Fox, frowned. "Corporal Evangeline Cartier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We don't need a warrant to enter a public space. The airport is a public space; even the restricted areas are available to us when we're conducting an investigation. Open the door." Mr. Hubbard punched in the code and did so. Corporal Cartier brushed past him before turning to Agent Hugh. "So, which locker?"

Hugh turned to Nathanial. The Akita pulled out his phone and held it up. "I'll know in a second." He held it close so no one else could see the screen and pretended to activate some programs. He cast his altered Mage Light spell to create the fake 'radar screen.'

The weapons were still in Mr. Hubbard's locker, and the cache still lay behind it, so he had two lights point directly at them as well as the pistols strapped to the officers' hips. He pointed the phone toward the locker bank, waved it slowly about -- 'accidentally' letting the camera get a good view of the lights moving -- and stepped up to Mr. Hubbard's locker. "Whose is this?" He rapped his knuckle against the door. Just in case the other lockers were searched later, he opened small portals beneath the weapons in the other lockers and neatly stacked them in the secret cache room.

The Muskrat kept scowling. "You know damned well it's mine."

Corporal Cartier shook her head. "Open it, please."

Mr. Hubbard crossed his arms defiantly. "When you show me your warrant, and after I talk to my lawyer. Yeah, maybe this room is still airport property, but the lockers are private."

The officer stared back at him with as much certainty. "So are suitcases and people's clothes. If a sniffer dog says there are grounds to search someone, we can search them even without a warrant. This is no different. Open the locker or we will, and arrest you for interfering with an investigation."

"I'm calling my lawyer first."

Corporal Cartier turned to the security guard. "Get someone from maintenance up here with a pair of bolt cutters."

Nathanial shook his head. "Unnecessary." He grabbed the lock, making sure it was fully covered by his paw, and channelled some dark energy into the clasp. For a bit of show he took a deep breath. After a second, he yanked down on it and heard a satisfying_ping_ of breaking metal. He tossed the broken lock aside and fished the clasp out of the door. Nathanial had a lot of trouble keeping the smile off his face as everyone, even the Spirits and Mage, stared at him. The door swung open easily.

The Akita stepped aside, and the cameraman shuffled over to shine the bright light inside. The camera would certainly pick up the case of an assault rifle and a few smaller boxes. Nathanial knew these held two grenades, a smoke grenade, and some other..._questionable_objects. His senses noted they were volatile, but he didn't know exactly what they did.

One of the other officers pulled out a digital camera and began taking photos, while the third pulled on gloves and took out some plastic bags. The gloved guy retrieved the case and opened it; the camera got a good view of the gun before the case closed and was placed into a bag. Corporal Cartier tagged it and logged the info into a notebook.

Agent Hugh finally spoke. "It seems you're guilty of the exact same crime those three heroes were charged with. It's quite suspicious they had identical weapons in their lockers when they barely touched the weapons we provided them on that mission." Mr. Hubbard glared fiercely at the director, but he held his tongue.

Nathanial cleared his throat and subtly waited for people to look at him before glancing at his phone. "There are more weapons behind this bank of lockers."

Corporal Cartier held a paw up when Nathanial stepped forward. "You'll have to wait. We have procedures to follow." They were carefully bagging and cataloguing everything in the locker, and not just the weapons. "It'll be several minutes."

A radio crackled to life on Mr. Hubbard's hip. "We need you out here, Chris."

The Muskrat raised it to his mouth. "On my way." Dirk silently stepped in front of the door, and slowly lowered his head to stare down at the smaller person. The point couldn't have been made more clearly. Mr. Hubbard wasn't deterred. "I still have my job to do. You don't have the authority to fire me."

Avery pulled out a blue-tooth earpiece and a tiny camera that attached to it. She leant over to whisper to her cameraman, "Keep rolling here. If they go, I'll follow in case something happens. I'm on channel three." The Dog nodded and fished out his own ear-piece. He had a bit of trouble putting it into place with one paw, but he seemed to have some practice at it. A light flashed on both ear-pieces and the larger camera. "Avery McDougal recording on mini-cam two."

The Retriever gave her a thumbs-up. "Audio and visual coming in five by five."

While that quiet by-play went on, Nathanial checked the airport. There was a large fuss at the security checkpoint. "I'll go with him." He reached past the officers to tap behind the top lip of the locker's door frame. "My readings indicate there should be a release switch somewhere up here, if you finish before I get back." He clicked the two tabs, but nothing happened, so he activated the release on the other side of the wall. The bank of lockers slid out a couple of centimetres on the right side. "Ah, I guess that was it." He could feel the hostility radiating from Mr. Hubbard, but he ignored it and carefully stepped around a few people to try to get to the door.

Agent Hugh's eyes narrowed. "We'll go with you." His expression seemed to indicate he thought this was dumb, but he didn't act on it for some reason. Was he trying to see if Mr. Hubbard would do something idiotic, or was he kind of hoping Nathanial would make some mistake? Maybe he was just deferring to Nathanial because this was 'his' mission. Dirk's ear twitched minutely in annoyance. He disagreed, too.

Corporal Evangeline frowned. "It's on you. If he breaks for it, I'm holding CSIS responsible."

Nathanial nodded over his shoulder. "Even if he tries, he won't get far."

Dirk glanced over at Nathanial, but stepped out of the way. He followed Mr. Hubbard, making sure to remain between the Akita and Muskrat. Agent Hugh brought up the rear.

They soon left the office area and into the security checkpoint. A dozen rows of conveyor belts with CATSA personnel screening passengers and their carry-on luggage lay before him, and a large crowd -- at least a hundred Furs -- stood in queue waiting to pass into the secure area to wait for their flights.

It was obvious why the manager was called, though. Two screening officers stood nearby quietly arguing with a not-so-quiet female Siamese Cat. She appeared to take exception to having her luggage more thoroughly checked.

"I'm Chris Hubbard, the manager here." The Siamese turned to them, and Dirk's eyes narrowed for some reason. The Muskrat put his paw on her elbow and began to lead her to a more open spot. Nathanial followed closely, noting that she didn't object to his touching her. Someone that riled usually would. A quick scan revealed she didn't wear a Knight's amulet. Mr. Hubbard stopped by the windows looking out over the tarmac. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Further examination showed one of the guards that had been with her wore a Knight's medallion and carried one in his pocket. This was a setup. Nathanial frowned, stepping up to just beyond arm's reach. "I think her trouble was my talking to you. You two know each oth--" He leant to the side to avoid a very sudden, and _fast,_punch. Even using telekinesis to help him move wasn't enough. The Muskrat's fist grazed his cheek, and the Knight stepped forward in a fluid motion to slam his elbow into the side of Nathanial's head.

Nathanial saw swirls of light and colour. He collapsed to the ground, dazed. Avery gasped but kept her position in order to film everything, while the Siamese Cat pretended to be afraid and ran back toward the security checkpoint.

Vaguely, he noted Dirk leapt forward. Three blades of bone abruptly jutted out of the Spirit's bracers to extend past the ends of his fists like daggers. In complete silence he slashed at the Knight, forcing Mr. Hubbard to duck aside. Unfortunately, the difference in their training quickly became apparent.

Mr. Hubbard easily dodged each of Dirk's strikes, taking care to not block the much stronger person's attacks, and countered with chi-enhanced kicks and punches. Dirk had no problems deflecting those, but the chi penetrated his bone armour to attack the Spirit's nerves and muscle tissue; without being able to manifest, his regeneration was slowly being overwhelmed. On the other paw, Dirk's reach and bone blades kept Mr. Hubbard far enough back that the chi-adept couldn't strike at anything _but_the Spirit's arms and legs, and both knew that a single hit from Dirk -- even a glancing blow -- would cause serious damage.

Agent Hugh flipped out his 'badge.' "Chris Hubbard, you're under arrest! Striking CSIS agents is a crime!" Neither combatant so much as twitched an ear toward him. The true reason for those words was for the benefit of the crowd and the camera.

Nathanial had a lot of trouble thinking, but he knew he had to somehow level the field. He vaguely recalled he had _something_in his pockets that could help, so he tried to quickly search them. It felt like his paws were pushing through thick mud. The way his magical senses kept jumping around didn't help either. His aunt was at work in her office on the other side of the airfield. The blouse she wore looked quite nice.

'No, I have to help Dirk.' He drew his mind back, but he 'missed' somehow. Several vans and trucks were pulling up to the Knights' hangar down the road. They had several guys already there moving crates of munitions toward the door. *Agent Hugh, the Knights are moving their weapons out of the hangar.*

The Badger's mental voice sounded oddly feminine. *Which one is it?*

He should know that already, but Nathanial didn't have the brainpower to think about it. _*It's the... last one on the street.*_Finally, he got his paw around a small ball of candy. Dirk's punches were coming more slowly; the damage was starting to build up faster than he could heal.

Avery quietly spoke into her Bluetooth device. "I just received word that the terrorists have a hangar on the airport. They're moving weapons out of it right now."

'How did she know that? Gods, the room really needs to stop spinning.'_Nathanial flooded his body with Light energy. He drew the candy out and tried to smash it on the ground, but his paw twitched as he drew it up. Reflexively, he went to catch it telekinetically, but _that wasn't working right either. The small sphere arced toward Mr. Hubbard. The Muskrat leant aside, letting it pass harmlessly. It bounced off the window and came back. Mr. Hubbard sidestepped it, but Dirk lunged forward to spear it with a blade. Mr. Hubbard must've thought Dirk made a reckless slash, because he smiled in triumph and kicked at the Wolf's unprotected side. Even with his head ringing, Nathanial felt the ache in his jaw caused by the amount of chi flowing through the Knight.

The bone blade pierced the candy, and an explosion of fog billowed out. Dirk smiled triumphantly as he manifested. His fur turned black as the white fog passed over him, but he was a shade too slow. The Muskrat's hindpaw caught him in the short ribs, cracking three of them, and the bolt of chi ruptured his left lung. The large Wolf coughed up a glob of blood, but the smile didn't falter. Fully manifested now, his powers swiftly repaired his lung and reabsorbed all the blood. His bones knit themselves back together, too.

Neither combatant could see the other, but Mr. Hubbard could tell where Dirk was through his training. He began silently moving around to strike him from behind. Dirk didn't seem fazed in the slightest. He raised his paws out diagonally in front of him. The blades split into thousands of fine threads and swarmed out in a wide net. They appeared to be too small for the chi-adept to sense. Three struck Mr. Hubbard in the arms in a fraction of a second, piercing through cloth, fur, and tissue. All the other threads altered course to join the first tendrils.

Mr. Hubbard rolled backward, and grabbed at the bone fibres impaling his arms. The threads merely stretched and moved with him; he accomplished nothing but bloodying his paws when the razor thin lines sliced through his pads. The other tendrils merged with the first and flowed down to encase his wrists. In moments the Knight wore ivory coloured manacles binding his paws together.

Dirk announced, "I have him. Throw me a pair of handcuffs." Avery sighed in relief. Agent Hugh drew a pair of cuffs out his empty pocket and threw them into the thick bank of fog.

The Light energy was doing the trick. Nathanial caught the handcuffs as soon as they entered the fog and levitated them to Dirk's waiting paw. He also began to dissipate the fog. Having proven to himself that he was capable of focusing now, he began to channel the Light to the places in his head where it'd do the most good.

The Bone Spirit stepped toward the Knight. "Hold out your paws, Hubbard." His answer was a kick toward the head. Dirk must've sensed Mr. Hubbard moving through the bones manacles because he leant back and used them to throw the Knight into a wall. Mr. Hubbard tried to choke back a cry of pain as the sudden force popped his right shoulder out of its socket. The pain likely amplified tenfold when Dirk dragged him back along the floor by the manacles. "That wasn't very smart. Stay put or you'll hurt yourself even more." Dirk slapped the cuffs on his foe's wrists and drew the bone back to make his blades again. He suppressed his powers and nodded in the rough direction Nathanial lay.

The fog began to quickly spread out over the floor and the warmer surface caused it to evaporate naturally. Agent Hugh still frowned as he strode toward the Knight and Spirit. "If you two are done?" He bent down and grabbed the Muskrat by his bad shoulder and hauled him up. Mr. Hubbard cried out in pain. "Oh, wah. Like I give a damn. You sucker punched Nathanial and used my other colleague as a punching bag."

Behind them Dirk squeezed his forearms and the bone blades slowly retracted; it made it look like they were spring-loaded blades. Once they were fully retracted, he adjusted his cuffs. "They work well, Agent Hugh. I could use a bit more training with them before another field test, though."

A sparkle of approval lit the agent's eyes. "Noted. I'll pass that on."

Dirk gave no other sign that he did anything unusual and knelt by Nathanial. "How are you doing?" The tightness around the Spirit's eyes showed the Light energy bothered him a bit.

Even Nathanial could hear he slurred his answer. "I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"You have a concussion; it takes more than a 'few minutes' to get over those."

Nathanial shrugged. "To completely recover, yeah." He noted he was slurring less already. "But I should be able to get up and move around on my own, soon."

The Spirit leant in and checked Nathanial's eyes. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I thought this might happen, not the concussion but that damned Knight trying something. You shouldn't have let him come out here. I hope you keep the lesson in mind if you're in a similar situation again." Dirk shook his head. "I'm surprised Avery isn't over here giving you grief." He looked around. "Where did she go?"

Nathanial tried to scan for her, but his magic senses began jumping again. Geoff ran around the edge of the soccer pitch at school talking to Faelen. "...Nathanial just run off like that? Didn't he think we'd worry...?"

His senses flicked away, much like the ball from one of those old paddle-ball toys, and about as comfortably. Liam threw a punch at Ciaran in the kwoon; Aedan sat on the edge of the room with the masters watching the match. "...Nathanial can be most infuriating. Would it have hurt to inform us of his plans? I may have disagreed, but..."

Flick. Nick sat by the basement computer with his science textbook in front of him. Micah was on the couch going through his spelling list. Nick sighed heavily. "Nathanial is taking on too much again. Do you think he's...?"

Flick. Helika held a heavy bag while her mother pummelled it. "Nathanial is planning on..."

Flick. Sergeant Heimdolf grumbled as he snubbed out a just-lit cigarette and tossed away the nearly full pack. "... Nathanial. Damned..."

Flick. Ella muttered, "Nathanial..."

Flick. Flick, flick, flick-flick-flick... So many voices!

Nathanial pressed his paws to his head and drew himself in as much as he could. "Quiet! Please, be quiet!" His vision went black and the voices fell silent.

A strong paw grasped his shoulder. He was _fairly_sure it was Dirk's. "Nathanial? Maybe we should get you to Sensei or the hospital after all."

"Nathanial?" Avery's scared whisper broke through the darkness. "Please, tell me you can hear me." Her paws were raised above her head. A Gecko pressed a pistol into her back, nudging her toward the Knight's hangar. The Gecko he'd worked with to stop the plane from getting shot down.

The darkness blocking his vision turned red.