Cat Got Your Throat

POV Amy :

The first thing she notices upon getting back home and ambling to her room is not the scent of books, the sterile-smelling perfume she occasionally used, or even the smell of discarded, forgotten, and unwashed clothes covering the floor... No, what greeted her immediately as she stepped passed the door was the metallic tang of blood.

Blinking, she looks around and would've screamed at the presence of an intruder were it not for the hand now cupping her mouth and face.

"Shh! It's me, Amy! Kieu!" the intruder hurriedly whispers, just in time to stop her from reactively shutting down all major organs in his body...

"Mmph!?" she gives a muffled retort before attempting to pry his hand away, the familiar smell of blood almost overwhelming her senses at this point. Once he finally let go she stepped forward and turned, seeing his completely blood-covered form shut the door to her room.

"W-what happened!?" she angrily says, barely keeping enough composure to not shout.

"What's it look like?" he retorts, going to sit on her bed only for her to let out a peculiar noise...

"You aren't sitting anywhere like that! I'd throw you in the river if I could you mangy cat! Why are you covered in blood!? And why come here!?" she asks shortly.

He sighs and shrugs his shoulders, "The ABB collapsed and I'm taking my freedom. Some of them didn't like that." he blandly says, gesturing down at the blood-splattered hospital gown, with only a bedsheet to hide his modesty.

Peculiarly, her eyes drifted from the blood to his other appendages, the tail and ears that quirked an interest in not just her power, but herself as well. Like, did he have a set of human ears with the feline ones? How much control did he have over his tail? Were his senses also enhanced?

She shakes the thoughts from her head and shoots him a glare, wondering how this cute boy playing guitar on the curb had turned into... This! "Did you have to kill them!? Surely you could have run? And what about your mom!?"

"Yes, probably, and that's what I'm here for, in that order. Can you get your sister here? Quietly?"

"No-no-no, we're not skipping the fact you murdered a bunch of people! Even if they have your mom hostage you could have let the police or PRT handle it!"

His expression drops into a scowl, "And if they were holding Vicky hostage? Using her as a prostitute? Would you think the same?" he retorts and nods at the stifled look of rage that flashes on her features. "That's what I thought. I need your sister here because the PRT has her, and I'm not letting those smug assholes do what they like with her."

"B-but she's safe with them! Safer than wherever else you could take her! You're a known murderer and ABB cape, where else could you go? I think you should hand yourself in and explain everything!"

A snort leaves him before he can purposely give one, "Fat chance! I wouldn't trust those cunts to run a bath, let alone protect my mom, someone who'll be targetted by Lung and Oni Lee after they hear of my betrayal." he locks eyes with her, "If they were so competent they would have captured those fucking rapists years ago!"

"Amy! The hospital's on the phone!" Brandish, or Carol Dallon, calls while audibly making her way upstairs.

"Shit." he grunts before moving to the window, "I've said my piece, ask Vicky where the PRT is holding the ABB hostages. She's got my number." he states before leaping out the window and landing on the ground in his cat form.

"Y-you can't just drop this on me!" she quietly shouts at him, not sure what do to in this situation. She knew Vicky would likely help, which would mean literally betraying the PRT to a known villain. "Why's it always me!?"

*Click!*

The door opens and Carol steps in with her usual neutral countenance, "Did you say something?... It smells in here, did you shower before your last shift?"

"UUuuughhhhhh..."

--------------------------

POV Kieu :

While my talk with Panacea wasn't as productive as I'd have liked, I was pretty sure she'd eventually get Vicky around to me. I wasn't risking contacting her directly with all the shit going down. I had no doubt the PRT was keeping a close watch on their personnel after what happened with Canary.

With that done, I clamber up a rooftop and smash my elbow into a marked brick, revealing a secret cubby where I'd hidden my bugout supplies. I couldn't leave all my important shit in my apartment for obvious reasons, and I'd always been planning to leave, regardless of how it happened.

Pulling out my spare phone I call the next person I was sure could help me... If he was still alive, that is.

"Giji, it's Kaibyo." I immediately say as the call goes through, hoping my fanboy would know where Nishihara had sequestered himself and the other upper management of the ABB.

"K-Kaibyo! You're alive! B-but they said you betrayed us!" he squeaks in a quiet tone, sounding both alarmed and fearful.

"It's Nishhara that betrayed me. He tried to have my surgery sabotaged but one of the doctors disobeyed. I know he's plotting to kill everyone else who might threaten his position... That means your parents too, so if you know where he is you need to tell me now!" I quickly spout, injecting as much urgency into my tone as possible.

Did I feel bad for taking advantage of the kid? No. 'Cuz fuck the ABB and everyone in it.

"R-really! W-we're all here with him now!" he all but yelps and I could hear him start to hyperventilate. "W-w-what should I do!?"

"Tell me where you are and get you and your parents out. Nishihara'll throw you lot to the wolves if it buys him some extra seconds."

"W-we're in a bunker under Kodusai Noodles, the one two blocks from the dojo. But there's lots of people here, you won't make it through the door!"

I wet my lips in anticipation, "Did you forget who I am? I'll be fine, you worry about yourself. Remember what I said and get out, quickly."

"O-okay! And thank you, really!"

*Beep!*

I tuck the bugout bag back into the cubby and seal it back up. No way was I taking my supplies into what would most certainly be a firefight. That said, I do take a Glock and three magazines with me.

"Clean your neck for me, Nishihara."

------------------

"You know, Mei, to me I feel this whole thing's over..." Tobe, an ABB grunt guarding the door to the bunker below sighs.

"'This whole thing'? You mean the mad cat, or the shit with that meinu Canary?"

Tobe shakes his head, dropping the submachine gun onto his shoulder. "I mean the gang. Half our turf is gone, the nazis are banging at our doors, and the PRT is daring to send their little Ward boys and girls near us... Lee's injured and Lung can't be in four places at once!"

"Shh!" Mei holds a finger over her lips, "You want the boss to hear you talking like that? Shit, we just saw Ichi get executed for saying that Kaibyo had was mastered and that we should be go non-lethal!"

"He probably is mastered though!" Tobe mutters, "We gonna ignore that half the gang was also mastered? Why are we going all in on killing one of our only capes?... You saw the boss same as I did, I think Nishihara-sama is losing it."

"The ABB is all I got," she scowls, "I ain't going back to whoring myself for those fucking nazis." she growls, shutting Tobe up.

...

Tobe notices Mei jump slightly and look down at her legs, "A cat...?"

Mei shrugs, "Surprised it wasn't scared away by the army of goons outside..." She bends down and scratches the back of the cat's ear, drawing a purr from it. "She's beautiful though, white hair and yellow eyes... It kinda reminds me of..." she pauses, "Kaibyo...?"

Tobe blinks and chews his lip, quickly noting the resemblance. The black tuft of fur at its tail and within its inner ear. "Errr-," he starts, but doesn't finish as the cat hops through Mei's leg and a squelch sounds out.

Looking back up Tobe's shocked to see Mei's head snapped backwards, her neck completely broken by the cat-turned-boy behind her.

"NO-"

*SLIK!*

Tobe drops his weapon as two claws penetrate his throat and tear it apart like rotten celery, revealing the spinal cord within.

-----------------------------

After dispatching the guards at the doors, I collect the two submachine guns before turning back into a cat and sneaking inside. Honestly, thank god I hadn't revealed my Changer powers, otherwise this would've been far, far harder.

At least, that was my thought until I made it down the stairs to the bunker and into a hallway where a small army of armed grunts awaited me. I dodge behind the corner as they open fire, wondering if they had a hidden camera at the entrance or if they'd just been told to shoot at anything that enters.

Whatever, the jig's up.

Transforming back into a human I raise the submachine guns as if I was Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein and return fire. I keep my head moving against the barrage of bullets, but still end up taking a shitload of damage. Thankfully, none of it was Tinkertech, allowing my regeneration to brute force through it.

Seriously though, taking enough lead to the chest to poison the city's water supply was almost the worst, barring the strings of flesh my arm was hanging on by. The couple bullets I took to the head scrambled my thoughts for a moment, but I managed, and by the time I was done, I looked like a zombie.

Regardless, I dropped the submachine guns and ran at the remaining gangsters who were desperately trying to reload. Barely anyone had anything better than pistols, the best of which was a submachine gun similar to what I'd stolen. Thank you again, PRT, for heavily regulating the weapons trade!

With a strangled roar I leap into the crowd with claws bared, red in my vision from the pain I was experiencing. The amount of damage I'd taken would've killed an average Brute, let alone a regular human...

Sparda descendants were overpowered...

Soon there was no one standing, and the new influx of blood gave me the second wind I'd needed. Extracting my teeth from a corpse's jugular, I crack my neck and glance to the CCTV camera blinking with red light.

"Like the show? Just wait for the finale." I chuckle grimly and stomp towards the door at the end of the hallway, my Glock in my blood-slicked hand.

Without another moment's wait I slam my foot into the door, kicking it straight off of it's hinges and revealing the large room behind them. Many folding chairs had been set up and upturned, sat in front of a stage and projector. It'd already been abandoned, but I quickly caught the scent of those expensive cigars Nishihara liked to smoke with his buddies...

Ignoring the sounds of panic in the nearby rooms I moved to the stage and gave the hardwood plinth a kick, knocking it off of some hidden metal tracks and revealing a trap door.

This is some Resident Evil-level tomfuckery, all for a shitty escape hatch...

Cracking it open and climbing down, I find myself standing before a heavy tungsten door. A panic room from what I could tell.

Yeah, no chance I was getting through this way... I glance at the tiny air vent on the wall. Luckily, Nishihara likely hadn't cat-proofed it. If some random house cats could wedge themselves in glasses and vases, I could definitely squeeze my ass through this thing.