The Viridian Gloves: Part Seven

      "The question is, do we try to intercept the package? Do we try to catch him with it? Or do we try to remove it later in the day, after he's skipped town?" Orig continued.

      "The robbery will not occur until between midnight and two, if prior jobs are any indication. Moving on the package too early could tip them off and make them call off the whole thing." Judge Hog leaned on the chair at the head of the table. "We should have time to enter the shop after nightfall. We should have enough Defenders available to cover both the shop and the bank."

      Shalina broke in. "What about the abandoned warehouse that Masila is staging from?"

      "Yes, "Orig mused. "Would it be wiser to catch the Meercas in the act and stop Masila before she even sets out, or try to follow the Meercas to her? Stealthily following them with enough numbers to capture them would be very difficult. But if Masila moves her base of operations, we'll be out of luck."

      Hog nodded at Lightning Lenny, standing quietly in the corner of the room. "Hopefully we have enough manpower to cover all three places. So what do you say Captain K and Lightning Lenny take the warehouse. Orig, take Mammoth and take care of the bomb and then make your way to the bank if you have time, and I'll take Harlath, Shalina, and Blackwing and stake out the bank. We'll try to follow the Meerca Brothers, but if we don't succeed it's better to arrest them than lose them."

      Shalina raised a hand. "If you don't mind, I'd much rather go with Orig. My mother's store is at stake."

      Judge Hog frowned, but finally nodded. "One more thing – if ANYONE sees Harlath leaving the station, word could get out and Masila will realize the jig is up. I'll go ahead to the bank at sunset. Blackwing, bring Harlath half an hour before midnight, under cover of darkness. We've got a long night in front of us, team. But if we succeed, Neopia will be a safer place to live."

      Orig, Mammoth, and Shalina ate a small meal, across the plaza from Algenein's shop and actually facing away from it. The meal was only a placeholder to give them a reason to be there. The sun had set a few minutes ago, and a few minutes later they finished their dinners and slipped into the shadows behind the Plushie Shop. They had to make sure everyone was gone from the plaza before moving, but the earlier they could get started, the better. That afternoon, Mammoth had entered the forest outside of Neopia Central, found a clearing in the trees, and fireproofed it by digging a small moat and watering it. They could bring the explosive device there, and it would be one of the safest possible places to contain the explosion. But it was a few minutes' walk to the clearing, and it would be best to have the dangerous packages safely stored long before the planned distraction occurred.

      Finally, after not seeing anyone moving in the last fifteen minutes, Orig made a hand signal. The three scampered toward the shop, and Shalina unlocked it with the key she had been given just days before upon becoming a full time employee. She imagined that the stockroom would be the most efficient place from which to burn the store down, so she led the way there, expecting to see a closed package like Orig had described.

      What they found was a little different. Certainly, the package she saw matched exactly the Lupe hero's description.

      As did the one beside it.

      And the one adjacent to that. All told, nearly twenty packages sat on the floor. Eyes wide, Orig checked each one individually to find a fuse burning in every single one.

      Shalina cringed. "What do we do?"

      Orig set his jaw. "Judging by the fuses on these compared to the one on the first package I encountered, we have an hour or so. We follow the plan." Taking two boxes, he handed them to Mammoth.

      Mammoth smiled. "Give me more."

      A moment later, they moved quickly from the back door of the shop towards the woods, Mammoth carrying four packages, Orig three, and Shalina two. Moving quickly but carefully so as not to jostle their dangerous cargo, the trio made it to the clearing in about seven minutes. Cautiously unloading the explosives, they sprinted back to the town.

      Two trips and twenty-five minutes later, every box had been transported from the hardware store to the makeshift island. "Do we go to the bank now?" Shalina whispered.

      "No, I don't think we can afford to. With this much power, these boxes are still going to cause damage even out here. I think we're going to have to round up some people to make sure the forest is safe when this goes off," Orig responded. "Better get started."

      It had just reached midnight at the bank when Lightning Lenny crept up to the spot where Judge Hog, Harlath, and Blackwing were hiding. He hissed, "no sign of the wagon. She's moved her base."

      "That means we absolutely have to follow without being seen. Lightning, take Harlath and fall back to the next block. Blackwing and I will follow them. So that we don't attract attention as a group, you guys stay well behind them and just follow us. They can't see someone who's two lines of sight away," Judge Hog decided.

      They got their chance soon. A massive explosion was heard from across the city, coming from the direction of the forest. Almost as soon as it had gone off, two shadowy figures entered the bank. The alarm that should have sounded at the intrusion was silent, a testament to the Meerca Brothers' mastery. Judge Hog didn't even see the thieves emerge, but the sharp eyes of Blackwing caught their movement just in time, as they slipped through an alley and left the city.

      Judge Hog, dressed in black rather than his regular yellow and red, had little trouble tracking the movements of the scoundrels once the city was behind them. He glanced back once or twice trying to spot Harlath and Lightning, but couldn't tell if they had followed. He trusted they had... it would be hard to keep that young Krawk away from the conclusion of this one.

      Hog's heart raced as the brothers slowed at the outskirts of Brightvale. A wagon just like the one Harlath had described sat waiting. As the Meerca brothers reached it, Hog and Blackwing parked themselves behind two adjacent trees and listened.

      "It's done. Not even a hint of trouble," one of the Meerca brothers , Heermeedjet perhaps, was saying.

      "It's all taken care of, hmm? Seems like I've heard that before, and it was somewhat less than true. "Masila pitched her voice low, and her disdain was obvious. "No matter. You're probably right, the frame-up on that meddling kid worked even better than I thought. They decided Neopia was safe again just because I told them so, the fools. Make the exchange fast, we're out of here, and we can all retire and lie low. Load my cut, take yours, and get out of here."

      The Meerca Brothers loaded the wagon very quickly and seemed ready to depart. No sign of Lightning. Hog nodded to Blackwing. They would have to handle all three villains themselves.

      Hog exploded out from behind the tree and tackled Meerouladen straight into the wagon. Blackwing went straight for Masila. The Acara master thief gasped, and then gave a grim hiss. Pulling an object from her cloak, she threw it straight down on the ground and a cloud of smoke exploded in Blackwing's face. He made a grab through the smoke and missed, and Hog saw Masila bolt for the safety of the darkness of the forest. He cringed. All this work and she could still escape!

      Blackwing quickly recovered to knock down the second Meerca Brother, then motioned to Hog to pursue the Acara. Hog burst towards the forest, but knew it was too late. Masila reached the safety of the trees...

      ...then went sprawling as she suddenly tripped over an outstretched leg. Seconds later, she emerged from the forest seething and escorted by the most welcome sight Judge Hog had ever seen – Harlath and Lightning Lenny. In moments, the operation was complete and the Defenders team marched their captives back towards Neopia Central. The venomous look that Masila shot Harlath on the way would have cowed almost anyone, but it only made the young Krawk's smile brighter.

      "No time for visitors now Shalina, we have to be ready for the reopening tomorrow!" Marjolaine called from the stockroom. Harlath almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of the statement, considering who now filled the doorway.

      "If you don't mind, ma'am," Judge Hog called with a grin, "I think we can make your reopening a lot smoother. We're here to help."

      Marjolaine emerged confused to find Judge Hog, Orig, and Mammoth in the entryway of the shop that she now ran. Algenein had been arrested and lost ownership of the hardware store because of his part in the crimes of Masila. The job had passed to his senior employee, Marjolaine. With Shalina and Harlath both now full-time employees, they had spent the last week rearranging the stock and redesigning the décor for a grand reopening. Things weren't on schedule, but judging by the three massive heroes that had just arrived, that was about to change fast.

      "Oh, you really shouldn't!" Marjolaine exclaimed. "Surely the Defenders of Neopia have better things-"

      "Nonsense!" Orig exclaimed. "It's the least we can do, after all the help Shalina and Harlath gave us in bringing peace to Neopia. All the items that were stolen were returned to the lands where they belong, and Masila won't be troubling anyone again for a long time. It's a peaceful day at Headquarters and the paperwork is all caught up on. We would love to help you finish setting up your store!"

      Shalina smiled. "And we'd welcome your help!" She nudged Harlath. "Harlath and I make a pretty good team, but it would be even better to team up with you guys! Hey, you interested in a full time job?"

      All of them laughed and began moving items from the stockroom. All the rest of the day, they shared laughter and tales of the adventure they had just shared – just the first of many to come.

The End