A Werewolf In Under-Town

Slink waited behind a prefab stone wall on the first floor. The last step of the building's renovations appeared to be to place the furniture. But the workers hadn't quite finished yet. Plastic-wrapped desks and chair sat on pallets in separate rooms waiting to be placed. His Lackeys were sprawled across the floor waiting for their intruders. Slink had Larry and Curly slithering toward the front door while Moe sat primed in his forearm. The enormous snake's weight was noticeable. But Slink alien physiology meant that Moe was basically in a pocket dimension within him and the weight was simple in his mind.

Not that it didn't give him comfort. Moe was a beast now and from what he looked up, would only get bigger. Larry and Curly were also about to grow new abilities soon, if he was lucky. He didn't know how they would grow, as that was based on his play-style. But he had some suspicions. Larry was starting to look pale. His green coloration fading out to a sickly green. Meanwhile, Curly was doing the opposite. His scales were growing darker and were almost to a full black. Even Moe seemed to be growing reddish-orange horns on top of his eyes.

Slink was drawn from his thoughts by a sharp beep in his ear. That was Gossamer's signal that he was in position. Slink beeped back twice, telling the stealthy assassin to hold. Their guest hadn't arrived yet. Which was odd. Dropping into his snake's point of view, Slink spotted the group of so-called civilians waiting outside their building door. Larry and Curly were hugging the sidewalk and staying in the shadows a short distance away. But Slink could still hear the group's conversation.

"I'm telling you, there are more now. I can't pinpoint them with any accuracy. But the heat signature in the building grew," said a man in a polo shirt. Slink could make out some kind of wrist computer on the man's arm.

"So that means there are either more people in there or…?" A woman in jeans and a cropped tee asked.

"Or it's a generator or something. But no generator I know about runs at this temperature," the man answered.

"So? We're going in, right?" asked a second, shorter woman.

In response, the second man of the group answered in a deep voice. "Not until we have their numbers. There are only four of us."

"Four highly trained professionals against a bunch of vagrants! Come on, sarge. This shits a joke. Let's just get in there and bust them up before the bigwigs finish their meeting."

The two men and two women look amongst themselves for a brief period before the guy in the polo nodded at the second man. Slink noted that the second man seemed to be in charge. Both women were waiting eagerly for his words as the other man went back to his wrist computer. Eventually, the man nodded and reached into his jacket. A flash of light blinded Larry for a few seconds, but Curly spotted the familiar frame of an energy weapon. The faces of all four people turned into scowls and they each pulled a similar weapon.

With a final nod at each other, they each raced into the building and started shouting. Slink's ears rang as he got the audio three times over. One for each snake and then again with his own ears. He had Larry and Curly guard the door as he pulled his mind back into his body. Moe shivered within him, ready to spring forth and eat. The team of people were ordering all squatters to reveal themselves and not run away. Slink's people had orders to wait until the group of people were in the middle of the floor before they rushed out. The front of the building was obviously a lobby with offices and a common room toward the back. Slink was waiting in a room just on the other side of the front desk.

He tapped his comm, giving Gossamer the signal just as the group of people moved past the front desk in two-by-two formation. They were covering each other's area of fire with well-practiced ease and Slink winced as he realized his folks were going to take some shots. Few of the lackeys bothered with upgrading their equipment. In truth, most spent their guild points on affectations and niceties. It was only the smart ones that thought to buy new gear.

The bigger man was pulling alongside Slink's room when the Lackeys hiding in the lobby's front desk booth sprung out. Their shouts of surprise and anger roused the rest of the floor and Slink's people fell on the group of intruders. Laser fire exploded all around and Slink added his own blasts to the cacophony. He aimed for the leader, but the big man moved like water as he casually back-stepped toward the door. Meanwhile, the two women activated something on their belts and a blue shimmer encapsulated all four people. The Lackey's laser fire was stopped cold by the shimmer as their quarry returned fire and backed toward the front door.

Slink swore to himself as their energy weapons were nullified completely. Moe hissed in his metaphysical home and Slink found himself getting to his feet and charging. With a roar reverberating from deep within his gut, Slink rushed the leader of the four people. To his surprise, his charge was joined by other Lackeys as they raced to catch up to him. With their long ranged weapons useless, it was time to get personal.

The four-person squad stepped up their own rate of fire as Slink and the lackeys rushed across the floor. Several Lackeys went down with burning holes in their heads as Slink bobbed and weaved his way closer. Once Slink was in range of the leader, he flung his right arm forward just as his target turned his gun on Slink. He saw the blue glow shining from deep within the barrel before Moe launched himself out of his arm and slammed into the human. Moe's tail flailed wildly, knocking into the shorter of the two women.

Their firing positions compromised the Lackeys pushed forward until the gunfight became a melee. Moe was wrestling the leader as Slink shifted to the taller woman and stepped closer. Once he was in range, Slink instinctually opened his mouth and let fly with his venom. A green stream arced through the air and hit the woman on the side of the face.

"ARGHHHHHH!" she screamed as her face started to swell and turn purple.

"Martha!" the man with the wrist computer shouted as he broke a Lackey's arm and shoved him to the ground.

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The two remaining team members were acquitting themselves very well against the Lackeys. Slink could see the value of proper training, as his people were relying on sheer numbers to flood the highly trained team. Slink's shoulder was grabbed, and he was spun around, bringing him face to face with the team leader. Moe was wrapped around the man like a toga, biting him repeatedly on the shoulder. But the team leader ignored the snake as he lifted Slink off the ground and shook him.

"Who are you people?! What did you do to Martha!?" He ordered as he shook Slink.

"This!" Slink spat again, feeling his supply of venom go dry as a smaller stream struck the team leader in the eyes.

Slink heard something in his shoulder crunch and pain flared across his mind as he was dropped to the floor. He threw himself away from the fighting as he lost control of his right arm. Moe pulled the screaming team leader to the ground and coiled tighter in revenge for his host. Meanwhile, the Lackey were still getting taken apart by the two remaining members. The man and woman worked seamlessly together to protect themselves from being completely overwhelmed. They were making their way toward the door slowly as Slink's people went at them with bats and pipes.

Finally, one lucky Lackey struck home with a sword slash to the computer guy's thigh. The man shouted in pain and wrenched the sword away from his attacker. But the distraction was enough to pull him away from his partner. The short woman was quickly tackled to the ground and beaten with bats. Amid her cries of pain, she shouted for the last member to run. Which he did with alacrity.

The man bolted for the door, using his body to shield himself from the blows of his attackers. The Lackeys gave chase as Slink pulled himself to his feet.

"Finish off the others first!" He ordered as he hobbled toward the front door.

He still had Larry and Curly by the door, and they were ready to attack. His Minions went to work quickly and started putting down the remaining intruders. Slink moved to the front desk and gave the mental order for his snakes to attack. The escaping man flung open the door and hobbled outside, only for Larry and Curly to attack him from both ends. Larry dropped from above the door and bit into his head as Curly wrapped around his leg and sunk his teeth into the man's shin. Both snakes released their venom at the same time and Slink watched the man's back as he shouted in surprise/pain and then froze up.

Slink slowly rounded the front desk and approached the door as the man tried to fight against the venom flowing through his veins. He clawed at Larry with his fingernails as the snake tried to wrap his head up. Both snakes hissed and bit down repeatedly until Slink grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him back into the building. A wave of Lackeys fell on them both as the front door was closed and Slink's snakes slithered away.

The harsh thudding sounds of the last member being beaten filled Slink's ears. Pain flared across his shoulder again as he laid in the building's foyer, gathering his wits.

"That was a complete shitshow. We need to step up the training of the Lackeys. Hell, I could do with some lessons."

A remorseful hiss filled Slink's ears as he turned his head on the floor. Larry and Curly were licking the air around his head, sending comforting thoughts. Slink smiled at them as he called them back to his body. Moe was still enjoying his meal, swallowing the leader of the bunch whole. Which made Slink groan in realization.

"Check them from trackers! Quickly!" he ordered from the floor.

He heard the flurry of movement as everyone still capable in the room went to work. A short while later, a voice from across the hallway spoke up worriedly.

"Uh… Boss?"

"Let him have it. No sense trying to take Moe's food away from him. Especially when it's halfway down his damn throat." Slink shouted in response.

He knew that the one most likely to have something of value would be the leader. But what was done was done. Moe wasn't about to give up his meal, no matter what Slink ordered. Reaching up with his good arm, Slink tapped his comm unit and checked in with Gossamer.

"How did you do?"

"Boss? Really? Have you no faith in me?"

"Not in the mood, Goss. One of these bastards broke my damn shoulder."

"Right. Sorry, boss. I scanned the scout. But they are just a bunch of hired guns. Ordered to provide security while a certain HVP is visiting the Exchange. Their company is well-known and highly skilled."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yup. From Chicago. But they were called on request from their leader's friend."

"Who's the friend?"

"Don't know. Their leader was tight-lipped about it. Maybe one of yours knows."

Slink groaned as he tried to look around. The Lackeys were going through the bodies of their enemies carefully and as a group. They were placing noteworthy loot aside as they shared stories about the fight. Slink could already hear them exaggerating about things as he turned his attention back to Gossamer.

"No one here is going to be talking… ever."

"Hmm… Maybe they have something on them?"

"I'll check after I've rested. My arm fucking hurts. Did we bring a healer?"

"Peize can knit bone back together, I think." Gossamer said.

Slink brought his attention back to the room and looked around. He tried to remember each of the Lackeys' profiles. But the pain in his arm pushed any other thoughts away. Eventually, he went with the easier option.

"PEIZE!" he shouted once.

A few Lackeys turned his way before looking about the room. It was another minute before someone shouted back.

"I think she's upstairs, boss."

"My fucking luck." Slink groaned as he pulled himself to his feet.

He was halfway straightened when Moe's giant body placed itself against his side. The big orange snake let Slink use him to get fully to his feet. The horns on his eyelids were bigger now and Slink was sure Moe was practically humming. He rubbed the orange scales of his snake while he hobbled back toward the stairs. He was not even a few steps away when another Lackey shouted in triumph.

"Ha! Got it off! Finally!"

Slink turned to see the Lackey holding the last mercenary's wrist computer. There was a little blood on it and Slink was sure the lackey had to cut it off. But the most alarming thing was that it was beeping. Slink's world slowed down as the wrist computer turned orange and then red. The color change was accompanied by a screeching sound as the device exploded outward in a ball of fire. He saw the nearest Lackeys get engulfed in flames before disintegrating completely. Then the wave of flames came for him. His vision went orange and then completely black as pain exploded across his body. Screams and shouts rose and were quickly silenced. Slink's world went dark as his body succumbed to the pain completely and he passed out. A soft hissing audible in his ears.