Once More Into The Breach (1/3) by Cousin Tok & Cousin Tser, with input from Michelle and Maria and permission from all involved immediately following "Confusion Is A Many Splendored Thing" evening of Thursday, July 5th, 2001 "You gotta listen to the broadcast. The General is channeling Screed!" Cousin Tserisa heard the pounding on her door, but she was already listening. She felt it was her Cousinly duty to listen to every broadcast that the General issued... and it was a Cousinly delight at that. Usually. Cousin Tok swung open her door and looked at Tser, who was sitting stiffly in her chair near her radio. "Circum-- wuhhh?" she said, swaying slightly, before turning to Tok with a look of utter confusion written across her face. "Is this a joke?" she asked her fellow leader, running her hand through her short, purple and black hair. "If it is, I'm not in on it," Tok said, anxiety creasing her brow. "Maybe we should talk to him." Tser swallowed. "I suppose that would be a... good? Idea," she said slowly and stood up. The two heads of Cerberus made their way towards the Broadcasting Booth, but hesitated in the lobby. The Ever-Squeeky Jess, who was acting as Cousinly Receptionist, was clutching her Spooky Squeeky Toy [TM] with patented Holy Squeek Technology, and staring in utter fascination across the lobby. With dread the two Cousins followed her gaze, to see LaCroix draped over a chaise lounge in his immaculate Armani suit, his fangs buried in the body of a glowing pink rat. "Oh... my," Tser muttered, her eyes wide. "'Ey, tha' rilly 'its th' spot," the General intoned in his smooth voice. "S-s-sir?" Tok queried, eyes locked on the bedraggled pink body, which LaCroix carelessly tossed aside. Gandalf slinked forward to sniff at the carcass, before turning and raising an eyewhisker at Cousin Tok. "Kin Oi git a few more o' these luverly pink squeakers?" LaCroix asked, swinging his legs off the lounge and standing up. "Oi think Oi saw th' little ratsies skitterin' down ta there...." The General was eyeing the oaken door which led to the dungeons. The mortal Cousinly kitties decided discretion was the better part of valor and ran back to Tok's office. "Tser... we gotta call the Cousins," Tok hissed under her breath. "Roight. Er, right...." Tser said, rubbing her temples, and sped off to her office. "Gandalf, keep an eye on him, alright?" Tok gestured helplessly at the oaken door, which had already started to swing closed. The grey vamp-kitty nodded and followed at a discreet distance. "Jess!" Tok waved a hand in front of the Cousinly Receptionist. "You should have a list of in-house extensions there somewhere. See if you can track down Bob, and I think Stan is around here too. They might be down in the GSS part of the dungeon." Without looking to see if she complied, Tok ran back to her own office to start making calls. * * * * * "Ring ... ring." Michelle picked up the phone. "Hello?" She listened to Tok's voice on the other end of the line, "What?!? No way! Uh,huh. Flight 645," she said, writing on a notepad,"On my way." Michelle grabbed a large duffle and began to throw stuff in. "Clothes, Grateful Dead CDs, discman, books for the flight...now where did I put it? Oh, here it is." Throwing in her Crow T. Robot shirt with the phrase "Bite Me" emblazoned on the front, Michelle got into her car and headed for the airport. ~Cousin Michelle * * * * * "Tick! Tick!" There it was again, that annoyingly persistent electronic ticking, nagging on the edge of awareness. Somehow it didn't fit with the seabirds, gentle waves and the kids playing on the sandy beach where she was lazily lounging in the shade under an umbrella. "Tick, tick!" "The phone!" her notebook and pen flying off her lap when she dug into her bag, almost spilling its contents into the sand, and got the cellphone just in time before the automatic answering service kicked in. "Yea, Maria here!" she almost barked in her hurry to answer. "Hi Tser, what's up?" "There's a war in Toronto, we need you. Can you come?" "Sure, I'll be right over," Maria said smiling. "There's nothing like a good war to get a vacation started!" The smile on Maria's face faded slightly when she realized that the hard earned tan she'd been working on the last few days would soon fade. This should teach me that I shouldn't go against my track record as the only one who can spend a week at the beach without getting one. Oh well, maybe the long flight over the Atlantic would make her as pale and hollow eyed as it used to. Flights; she wondered if there were any direct flights from Göteborg to Toronto, or if she'd have to go over Paris like last time. Already calling the travel agent, Maria rushed towards her car. In her mind she was already going over the necessities. "Where did I put my passport? I need more anti sneeze meds and loads of tissue, Tser's bringing the critters. There were much to do, but now she was on her way... Cousin Tok and the Cousinly kitties tokaara@mindspring.com / AIM Tokaara / ICQ 46441308