Derrick settles into position on the western ridge, the cold ground beneath his feathers and his eyes perfectly observing the safe house's back entrance. He sets his rifle on a small bipod, scope focused on the rear entrance of the safe house. From this angle, he can see two coyote guards smoking by the back door, rifles slung casually over their shoulders.

  “Amateurs,” grumbles Derrick. He clicks his radio. “I have visual.”

  "Copy that," crackles Bridgette's voice crackles through his radio. "I have eyes on the front gate. Four yotes visible. Nutsy Buttwrinkle, Stinky, and Patchy are on the move.”

  “Use my proper code name,” says Nermal over the radio.

  “Denied,” says Bridgette.

  Derrick can hear the smile in her voice, and through his scope, he can see Peter, Owen, and Chipper making a steady, stealthy approach to the house. The two guards are still talking, but one's smile fades and he unslings his rifle. Thankfully the three rabbits stopped moving, too.

  Derrick puts his crosshairs over the alert guard’s chest, just above the collar of his vest.

  “Sky Eye, I'm taking the shots. Three. Two. One.”

  Derrick pulls the trigger, knocking the guard off his feet. The coyote slumps down, leaving a streak of blood on the wall, and Derrick pulls his trigger again, striking the other guard in the head while they made a break for the door. That bullet not only destroyed their skull, but shattered the glass of the backdoor.

  “Two down. Make it quick,” says Derrick.

  “Targets down. Team Sky Eye is moving in,” says Bridgette.

  “This ain't a competition.”

  “Says you.”

  Despite the banter, Derrick keeps a close eye on Peter's group, watching them move forward, with Owen not surprisingly being the last. But Chipper outpaces Peter and slides to the back door, hopping in his spot and clutching his rifle tight.

  *****

  At the front of the house, Jayson, Lexia, and Nermal reach the front door, where four dead coyotes lay. Their blood is splattered on the wall and door and more has spread across the ground.

  Jayson grimaces and avoids the blood while Lexia carelessly leaves bloody footprints in her wake. Nermal stops by the front door, wielding a large drum fed shotgun. He tests the doorknob, finding it locked, so he steps back.

  “Sky Eye, work your magic on the doorknob,” says Nermal.

  A single shot rings out, and the lock explodes in a shower of metal fragments. Nermal kicks the door open, and immediately there are shouts and the blasts of gunfire echo from inside like a hellish thunderstorm.

  Bullet holes pop through the wall near Jayson's head, making him flinch, and Lexia rushes inside, holding her bazooka.

  “DIE FIENDS!” yells Lexia.

  “Lexia, no!” shouts Nermal.

  The house shakes from the explosion, and dust rolls out from the doorway.

  Jayson slides in, clutching his weapon tight and eyes scanning the smoke filled room. Nermal, Owen, Peter, and Chipper are coughing, and Lexia is reloading her bazooka.

  The doorway to the kitchen has been obliterated and a few coyotes laid sprawled out, completely motionless.

  “What the hell is your problem!” yells Peter.

  “My problem is you guys are too slow,” says Lexia.

  She snaps around and launches another rocket, this time up the stairs. The explosion flings shattered wood and torn carpet towards the ceiling, and the dust rolls down the mangled stairs.

  Then a coyote lands on his face in front of Lexia, smoking and twitching.

  “Ah, look at that. My girl power saved my male gendered companions yet again,” says Lexia with a smile.

  “You're definitely Artemis' daughter,” says Peter.

  “Yes, I am!” says Lexia proudly.

  Jayson coughs and waves his hand in front of his face to break apart the lingering cloud of dust.

  "Was that really necessary? We're trying to find Ramsey, not demolish the entire house,” says Jayson.

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  "It was one hundred percent necessary," says Lexia. "Besides, the faster we clear this place, the faster we can get to the real target."

  Nermal signals for them to spread out as he scans the wreckage around them. "Rolland said there was a secret elevator in the living room. Which means the control panel is hiding somewhere around here."

  As the group moves through the ruined first floor, Jayson kicks through the remaining debris, searching the intact wall for any sign of a hidden mechanism.

  "This is a waste of time," Lexia growls, shoving a broken chair out of her way. "I say we blow the floor and make our own entrance."

  "That’s stupid. We don’t even know where the elevator is," says Jayson, walking around the room, searching for anything abnormal.

  "I'm just being efficient," says Lexia. "Besides, I’m not the one who got incomplete information. So, don't get mad at me for wanting to improvise.”

  As Jayson walks around, his foot catches on something, sending him stumbling into the wall. His hand shoots out to steady himself, grabbing onto a framed picture of a serene mountain landscape. The frame slides under his weight, tilting at an odd angle.

  "What the heck?” says Jayson. He gives the pictures few more test slides, hearing hinges squeaking and noticing how it never comes loose.

  He moves the picture further away from its resting spot on the wall, revealing a small metal panel with a lever marked “UP” and “DOWN”.

  "You've got to be kidding me," says Jayson.

  The group crowds around Jayson, getting as close as possible to look at the incredibly simple control panel.

  "Well, I'll be damned. You found it," says Nermal.

  Jayson stares at the control panel in disbelief. "This is extremely disappointing. Like immeasurably disappointing.”

  "See?" says Lexia smugly. "The universe rewards my destruction. Your clumsiness wouldn't have happened if I hadn't created all this chaos."

  “But this is so dumb though!”

  “Maybe its a fake?” suggests Owen.

  “Give it a good tug and see what happens,” says Chipper.

  “No! What if it is fake and explodes on me?” says Jayson.

  “Even more reason for you to pull it,” says Peter.

  Jayson glares at Peter. "We need something to pull it from a distance. I'm not pulling that thing directly."

  Lexia rolls her eyes. "Don't be such a baby."

  Jayson turns his glare to Lexia. “Then you pull it.”

  “… No.”

  "The Hobo's right," says Nermal, scanning the room. "If it's a trap, we don't want to be standing right on top of it."

  Chipper nods toward a set of heavy drapes hanging beside the shattered windows. "Those curtains look sturdy enough. We make a rope, the around the lever, give it a pull, and we're safe from any explosive detonation.”

  Owen yanks down the dusty curtains with a single powerful tug, sending the curtain rod clattering to the floor.

  The group quickly fashions a makeshift rope from the thick fabric, twisting and knotting it into a sturdy length. Jayson secures one end around the lever while the others back away to the perimeter of the room, each taking hold of the fabric rope.

  "On three," says Nermal, gripping the makeshift rope tight. "One... two... three!"

  They yank the curtain rope. The lever slides downward with a satisfying mechanical click.

  For a moment, nothing happens.

  Then the floor rumbles.

  "Take cover!" Peter shouts as the floorboards in the center of the room start to separate.

  The group scrambles for cover, and a square section of the floor slides away. From beneath comes a platform, a mechanical whirr accompanying it's ascension. Vibrant purple and blue smoke billows from its edges, enveloping the room in a sweet-smelling haze. As the elevator platform reaches floor level, hidden strobe lights activate from its base, sending disorienting flashes of neon colors across the walls.

  "What the hell?" Jayson coughs, waving away the smoke.

  The final insult to their tactical approach comes in the form of pulsing techno music that blasts from hidden speakers, the heavy bass making the remaining intact windows vibrate.

  Lexia doubles over laughing. "Oh my God, this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!"

  "This has to be a joke," says Nermal, shotgun raised defensively at the garish elevator.

  The platform completes its ascent, revealing a simple control panel with just two buttons labeled “SAFE HOUSE” and "LAB."

  "I take it back," says Jayson, staring at the absurd spectacle. "This is way more disappointing than I imagined."

  Chipper peers down at the pulsing lights. "Is anyone else concerned about how... inviting this is?”

  "This is definitely some kind of trap," says Owen, taking a hesitant step toward the gaudy elevator platform.

  Nermal pulls out his radio, pressing the transmit button while keeping his shotgun trained on the elevator. "Nasty Butler, Sky Eye, we found the secret elevator. It's... unconventional."

  "Define unconventional," crackles Derrick's voice through the radio.

  "Strobe lights, techno music, and colored smoke," replies Nermal flatly. "Looks like something from a nightclub, not a criminal operation. We're heading down to investigate. You two maintain positions and keep the perimeter secure.”

  “Copy that. Stay alert down there,” says Derrick.

  "Will do. Nuke Baron out." Nermal quiets his radio and addresses the group. "Alright, let's move. Weapons ready."

  The group files in, weapons raised and backs pressed against each other for maximum coverage. Nermal reaches for the control panel, his finger hovering over the "LAB" button.

  "Everyone ready?" asks Nermal.

  A chorus of tense affirmations follows, and Nermal presses the button. The elevator shudders, the music intensifies, and they begin their descent into the unknown.

  As they sink below floor level, the opening above them closes, sealing them in darkness broken only by the rhythmic flashing of neon lights and techno music.

  "Who designs an elevator like this?" shouts Jayson over the pounding techno bass.

  "Someone with terrible taste!" Lexia shouts back, bobbing her head slightly to the beat despite herself.

  The walls of the shaft flash past them, revealing glimpses of concrete reinforced with metal beams. The descent continues for what feels like too long, suggesting they're going much deeper than expected.

  "This place must be built like a bunker," says Owen. "We're going way too deep for a standard basement."

  "Makes sense," says Nermal. "The perfect place to hide a lab. Underground, secure, off the grid."

  As they descend deeper, the music gradually shifts from pulsing techno to a slow, steady beat with discordant notes that set their very bones on edge. The colorful lights dim, replaced by a steady red glow that casts long shadows across their faces.

  "That's more like it," says Peter, even though he is tightening his grip on his weapon.

  And with that, the group falls silent in the dim red lights, letting the elevator take them deeper into the heart of the Mama Bear Syndicate’s Bliss County operations.

  The battle is nearing its close, and yet Jayson is too tense to breathe. Despite victory being in their grasps, he has an uneasy feeling in his gut. The final stretch may very well be the most dangerous thing he and Lexia have done., and there's no turning back now.