A Werewolf In Under-Town

Shaggy glared at his target as he soared through the air with his claws outstretched. The hero was almost annoyingly stereotypical looking. Both his target and the woman floating next to his target were wearing blue and white spandex and had pleasant smiles on their faces. Smiles that fell as Shaggy zipped through the air like a missile and slammed into the male hero.

There was a loud thud and Shaggy felt his claws slash through the hero's clothes. But the fabric and the skin underneath gripped his claws like putty. He left some shallow cuts on the hero's chest and sides as they fell back to the ground. The female hero shouted something, but Shaggy was busy pulling his claws back for another attack. The hero was felt dense, which Shaggy assumed meant he was a strength-type hero. His assumption was proven correct when his opponent grabbed his forearms and spun them in midair.

Shaggy's back was to the street now and his arms were practically held in place. So, thinking quickly, Shaggy started to shift into his wolf form. His body and limbs grew out as he heard fighting in the street. A new voice joined the noise as the smell of electricity wafted through the air. The voice was electronically amplified and Shaggy was sure it was the police.

"... Surrounded! Throw down your weapons and—"

Shaggy finished his shift right before he hit the ground and rolled away from the hero. His hold on Shaggy's arm was long broken by the transformation. Shaggy hit the ground with a spin and quickly got to all four legs as his opponent floated down to eye-level. Just beyond, Shaggy could see the female hero fighting Leslie and Chromia. She was floating in the air, throwing moon-shaped blasts of green energy as she waved her arms. Leslie countered the blasts with her electricity, while Chromia did her best to reach the hero.

"Give it up, Villain!" Shaggy's opponent said in a deep, heroic voice. Shaggy was sure the dude was putting on a show. The man made sure he was half-facing the drones buzzing through the air. "Your reign of terror is at an end."

Shaggy tilted his head in confusion as the hero swooped down to deliver a punch. He tried to jump away, but the hero was slightly faster. The punch hit his body and Shaggy grunted. Nothing was broken, but the hero was strong. He could already feel the bruise healing on his side. Shaggy snapped at the hero with his massive jaws, but the broad-shouldered bastard dashed away. The big hero was a lot faster than Shaggy had expected. But that didn't matter, he had an answer for that.

Shaggy started to shift again as the hero took up position above him. He looked prepared to swoop down again when a scream filled the streets. Both Shaggy and the hero looked toward the front of the bank and spotted the other super fight. The cops were currently in a shoot-out with Tom and his people, but Seth had joined Leslie's fight and the female hero was suffering for it. Red energy crackled over the heroine's lithe form as she shuddered in pain. Seth stood just beneath her, a large pistol in his hands. Meanwhile, Chromia had transformed her metal arms into a long spike that pierced her opponent's shoulder. That had been the source of the scream. Shaggy was confused about the red lightning part of things, but just assumed Seth's glowing gun had something to do with it. So did the hero he was fighting as the man bellowed in anger and shot toward the boy. Shaggy gave chase as he sent an order over the pack link.

"Duck!"

Seth hit the floor as the male hero flew over his head. He was spinning to make another pass when a bolt of Leslie's blue electricity hit him in the back. The man seized up for a moment and Shaggy used that opportunity to pounce again. Forgoing the claws this time, Shaggy joined his hands and brought them down on the man's head. The floating hero crashed into the ground as the heroine gave another cry of pain.

Not letting the hero get his bearings, Shaggy landed and then got on top of the hero, punching with his hybrid fists. It felt like punching soft metal to Shaggy, but he kept up the assault as behind him, more gunfire raged in the streets. His opponent defended as best as he could before he reached up and grabbed the fur on Shaggy's chest. With a roar of his own, the hero used one arm to lift Shaggy off of him and shoved him away.

Shaggy stumbled back a step before charging the hero again. The two met on the street, their fists snapping out in powerful punches. Occasionally Shaggy would slash at the hero and leave a long red welt on that portion of his body. But the soul-rending effect of his claws seemed to do nothing. Either the bastard had no soul, or his mental fortitude was enough to ignore the damage. Shaggy growled in anger as he charged in again and slammed a fist into the hero's no-longer smug face. The force of the blow snapped the air and created a loud crack before it hit the hero. His opponent snarled as his head barely shifted from the blow and swung a hook into Shaggy's furry midsection. The meaty thunk of the blow echoed around them as Shaggy responded with his own punch.

The two of them became lost in their own world as they traded blows. Shaggy could still hear the sounds of fighting going on around them. The drones were buzzing; the cops were shouting, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Every part of the atmosphere was intoxicating and for a moment, Shaggy lost himself in it. Until one of the hero's blows actually managed to break one of his ribs. The pain in his side flared up and then vanished as the wound healed itself. But it was enough to draw Shaggy out of his blood haze. He shook himself. He didn't have time to be standing around here trading blows with a Supe.

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Dodging the hero's next haymaker, Shaggy dashed forward and grabbed the hero's ankle. With a yank, he pulled the man off his feet and slammed the man into the pavement. He whipped the man into the ground several times before something solid hit him in the side, making him lose his grip on the hero. A green flash appeared in Shaggy's eyes and another solid missile hit him. Looking around, Shaggy found the female super bloody and panting. She was summoning another moon-shaped attack and Shaggy briefly wondered where his people went when a fist smacked him in the face. The surprise attack flung Shaggy backward and he landed on his side before springing back up again.

The male hero roared before his companion rushed to his side clumsily. "Walter, we need to flee. They are too much for us."

Walter spun on his partner, anger clear in his face before he saw how beat up the woman was. Her spandex was ripped, her hair was smoking, and she was bleeding from several wounds. The hero's face softened before he glared back at Shaggy. The woman began speaking into her wrist as the pair floated away, their eyes still on him.

"Headquarters, this is the Power Couple. Villains at the bank are too much for us. We advise that a higher tier hero be sent out…"

Shaggy missed the rest of the conversation as he turned to find his own people. His senses told him that Seth and Tom were fine, but still fighting. He spotted everyone at the parking lot entrance guarding the vehicles. The cops had pulled out the big guns now and were using laser weaponry to try to damage their escape vehicles. Tom was in his wolf form, blocking shots with his body, while Leslie and her team helped load the last of the money. Seth with returning fire with his weapon and an array of odd grenades that the kid threw with precision and speed.

The cops fortifications were quickly being blasted into smolders as Shaggy pounced on them. After the two heroes, the cops were low-level mobs at best. He swept through them like death incarnate before they turned tail and backed off. Shaggy didn't think for a second that they would not be back, though. Their drones still hovered overhead, and he was sure all their faces were entered into some database. He looked up and flipped the drones the bird before he ran back to the parking lot, dropping his shift.

"Headcount!" Shaggy ordered as he skidded to a stop near their cars.

"All but one," Tom answered immediately.

"Milo." Seth said sadly.

Shaggy nodded. "Good. Let's load up and go. Now!"

"Boss, the cops are retreating and we still have some credits left in the two vaults." Leslie said.

"The cops are leaving because the Supes just called in reinforcements. I don't want to be here when they show up."

"That bitch was a pushover, boss." Chromia argued.

"Her husband wasn't. But that's beside the point. Whoever they send next is going to be tougher and we don't want to deal with that while we have to defend our score. So if you want to break some shit, aim at the drones instead. But we are leaving."

Tom nodded as he waved a hand in the air. "Pack it up!"

"Tom's team, make sure you stay ahead of my van! If any Supes come up from behind us, I'll deal with them."

"What if they come from the front?"

"What if they have guns?"

Shaggy glared at Chromia and Seth in annoyance until the metal woman scoffed and wandered off. Seth looked chagrined, but held out his large pistol. The weapon was all metal and literally hummed with energy. Red lines pulsed down its grip as Shaggy stared at it.

He shook his head. "You keep it, kid. Claws and teeth have served me well enough as it is. I need you in one of Tom's cars working defense. Can you handle that?"

Seth pulled his gun back and met Shaggy's eye. The boy seemed a little shaken, but still ready. "Yeah, I can do that, boss."

Seth rushed off as the parking lot became briefly alive with movement. Chromia and Leslie attacked the drones above with their team as Tom's team loaded up into their cars. Once everyone was situated, Shaggy jumped on top of his large van and stomped his foot. Tom revved the van's engine before blowing the horn. Shaggy rolled his eyes at his pack member's antics and braced himself as the vehicle started moving. Chromia and Leslie joined him as they continued to attack the floating drones.

Fighting on top of a van probably wasn't the best idea. But from up there, Shaggy was the most visible target, and he had a good view of the whole convoy as they drove away. The multi-story bank seemed to shift dangerously as they left the parking lot. Shaggy wasn't sure how the ground was going to handle the extra weight of the massive building. But at least they would not be around to see it.

Chromia patted his arm as Shaggy watched the disappearing building. Leslie was still blasting drones, but Chromia's metal apparently no longer reached. The metal woman held out a candy bar to him, an odd look on her face.

"Eat, mutt. The night's not over."

Shaggy took the candy with a grunt as he nodded in thanks. But Chromia was already walking away. Shaggy chewed as he looked around. The sky was still dark, but dawn wasn't far away. Deep blacks were about to give way into dark blues and then the bright oranges of daybreak. All told, it hadn't been a terrible night. Three vaults looted, two heroes smacked down, and the cops evaded. At least for now.