A can tumbled across the gravel, the dented lettering of M.A.X. Nuclear Waste glistening from its side as it ricocheted off the brick wall and disappeared beneath the dumpster. The alley was poorly lit, the shadows casting long frames, the dark cast hiding their contents as they curved to accompany the evening sun's decline. They buzzing with a hazardous climate, their aura drenched with the sure promise of fates worse than death.
Footsteps echoed in the narrow nooks and crannies, followed by tiptoeing beats as movement stirred the darkness. The shadows seem to split to welcome the two figures waltzing through, their feet marching to the tempo of survival as they maneuvered the space with a practiced air of confidence and calm. The figures moved with their mission, their steps filled with a purpose sending waves of authority through their frames. Even when they stopped they maintained a similar zeal, the shadows stretched around them to accent their strange features.
It soon grew apparent that the man was oddly shaped for a human as he appeared in the light, the contrasts in brightness highlighting the square-rigidness that clung to his features. A hand gripped the can he held tightly, thick fingers marring the metallic lettering glittering from the rounded sides.
The woman behind him strutted with a slight bounce, her cottontail twitching with her nose as she moved. Her bunny ears stood tall, the patchy fur a golden blonde and brown as they strayed from the bun pulling the crimson hair from her face. Blue eyes sharply searched the alleyway with a strange warmth swallowed by the cool of mystery, of a tale that had yet to be told. She eventually relaxed, ears falling to rest by her shoulders as she placed a hand on her hip.
"I don't hear anything," she spoke, her voice a smooth tone that seemed to emphasize audacity too well.
"Hm," the man hummed, raising the can to sip from the contents as he surveyed their surroundings with bored, narrow eyes. He took note of the active police station across the street, watching as officers walked in and out of the building. Knowing what went down with the zoo earlier, he honestly wasn't too surprised at the movements.
Something did not feel right with him, and the station across from them seemed to hit the nail on the head. The alley was oddly close to the department, and the warning bells ringing despite the secrecy the shadows told him that this was a set-up. After all, the location they were sent to was supposed to be an address drop-off for their client to receive details on their next job.
"How long do we wait before we hunt down the boss ourselves, darling?" the woman suddenly purred, and the man looked over at her to glance at the watch she currently had strapped to her wrist.
"A minute. They gave us a time and location. If they can't stick to a schedule, then we leave," he stated simply. The lid he popped into the can rattled at the bottom when he shook it, and he frowned, peering into the can to find a singular red light flashing innocently at him. As he pulled back to look at the overall container, the energy drink seemed to grin mockingly at him, the brown contents dripping onto the gravel beneath his bare feet in a steady, nearly silent drip.
"Shoulda known this was a set-up the momen' Boss told us these coordinates," he finally said and merely tossed the can over his shoulder. It landed in the dumpster behind them, a small flash popping as it hit the garbage. A groan was heard, followed by a steady stream of smoke as it rose from the opening. Noticing slight movement to his right where the brick wall stood after the can exploded, Om pulled the gun clipped to his belt out of its holster and aimed the metallic barrel at the location.
"This is Badass Bessy, asshat. Yeh may have heard about her from yer boss, so you know to drop yer little hidin' game 'fore I make yer head look like the bottom of that can," he vowed, and the wall moved, camouflage glitching to reveal the shorter man Om had aimed at.
The man dropped to the ground, a hand moving to lift the black mask he wore from his face. A grin sheepishly at the duo as he waved a hand frantically, the mask becoming bunched fabric in his other.
"We were announcing our arrival and testing your skills Mister Bessy! That's all there is to it!" the blond was grinning, his hands folding behind his back after pocketing the mask.
"Becksters in the upper right corner, and Ferret is in the dumpster. I'm Warlso Jr. We're part of the Rodent clan," the man chirped, and Om blinked slowly in response, allowing his silence to make Warlso shift with discomfort.
Casanova moved then, taking the quiet as a cue to speak as she bounced over to the dumpster. When she reached into it, she rummaged around, eventually grabbing ahold of a thin, wriggling tail, pulling the large rat out into the open. The rat grumbled to himself, crossing his arms as he dangled upside down.
"I think your little buddy here likes to play hard to get," she murmured. "But I'm the master at that sort of game, so naturally, I won."
"Yeh nearly killed me, sparky, and I let yeh catch meh," he snapped to Om, and the man flicked the rat off.
"Your fault for playing in the trash bin, little guy," Casanova replied smoothly, and Ferret huffed a reply.
"Set meh down, yeh fuckin' hag," Falls retorted, and she dropped him, flipping her red hair over her shoulder before her foot came down upon the rodent's side, pinning him to the ground.
"Well, someone clearly hasn't taught you your manners," she pouted, and Om tsked.
"Cass," he said, and she sighed, releasing the rat. The rat scampered across the gravel, blue eyes watching as the rodent scurried up the pant leg of Warlso before disappearing into a pocket.
Warlso had paled at the interaction, sweat dotting his brow as Om pulled the hammer back on his gun. The double-barrel stood out ominously, the gleam of the carved metal catching the target's eye as he gulped.
"Shoot him, and I shoot your whore," a voice called out, and Om flicked his eyes towards Casanova as a form appeared behind her. A polished helmet concealed the person's face, and a voice-changer added husk and reverb to his natural tone, adding layers to its overall outlook.
"Why does everyone assume me to be a whore? Is it the bunny ears? The tail? The revealing leotard? I swear, men these days have no class whatsoever," the bunny hybrid snarled in response.
In the blink of an eye, she had removed the gun aimed for her head, twisted the arm behind his back, and slammed him into the ground with her foot, the heeled boot digging into his back as she pinned him beneath her.
Warlso audibly gulped at the sudden display of technique, and his left hand twitched. Om merely aimed Bessy upwards towards the right and pulled the trigger, a loud bang echoing in the alley. A resounding clang followed as the bullets intercepted each other and fell to the ground.
A limp form also fell off the roof, landing in a heap beside the dumpster.
The gun once again found itself aiming for the forehead of Warlso, and the bored look remained, not having once changed. The man's eyebrows furrowed downwards in a defiant glare, a knowing look in his eye that told Om that he was expecting to be asked questions.
With a sigh, Om readjusted Bessy's aim with a flick of his waist, the barrel setting its eyes on the armored person Casanova had managed to restrain, and snapped a hand out, grabbing Warlso by the neck of his suit and shoving him against the wall. Gloved hands immediately rose to pull at the wrist, holding the man up, and a pained gasp followed the increase in pressure Om provided in response to the grabbing hands.
"An assassination plan is not a good way to make allies, sweetheart," Casanova's smile was delightful, her lips spreading to reveal pearly teeth. Warlso swallowed again, but this time he held his hands up, placing them flat against the brick wall.
"It w-wasn't my idea! I s-swear!" Warlso managed to choke out, and Om raised an eyebrow.
"I know," he said, and Warlso stiffened, his narrow features pinching to resemble those of a rat's.
"Boss n-needs a job done! A hit on a p-prisoner!" Om tightened his grip, and the hands twitched downwards to the wrist, keeping Warlso against the wall. Om flipped a switch on his gun that made a loud clicking sound, and the hands went back up.
"What job?" Casanova pressed, feigning confusion as her heel digging deeper into the back spine of the armor. A grunt escaped the assassin, and Warlso flinched.
"A s-satyr c-cost Boss several thousand i-in damages, a-and set back his p-plan several w-weeks! The A.T.G. is u-using the bitch's m-mistake-HRRRK!!!" Om cut the man off viciously, lips turning into a sneer.
"That fails to correlate with the message Dr. Ruben sent us, Pipsqueak," he hissed. The man paled.
"B-but Ruben h-hired us?" he gasped, and Om narrowed his eyes.
"Funny, considerin' Dr. Ruben doesn' exist, and you jus' quoted Boss," he said and pulled the trigger. Bessy releasing another screech as the bullet was fired from her chambers. The armored assassin went quiet, falling limp in the tight grip Casanova had him in.
The bunny hybrid said nothing as she released him, moving to grab at the utility belt he had tied around his waist.
"Cass," Om rolled his eyes again before turning Bessy back towards Warlso's face.
"Yeah yeah, I know. No looting from technocrats Rats because they're dumbasses," she groaned and straightened up, moving to stand beside her partner with crossed arms.
"I-I won't answer your questions, you d-damn Hobbers!" he shrieked and fell silent. The body dropped to the ground, the rat in his pocket scurrying away as Om took a step back, casually blowing the smoke drifting from the barrel of the gun.
"Honey, we could've asked him more questions," Casanova said softly as she draped an arm over his shoulders.
"He shoulda had more manners. Besides, I got the info I needed," Om replied. With a sigh, she turned him away from the scene, moving him back towards the shadows of the alley as she took note of the station growing busy across from them.
"What should we do about the rat?" she asked. He shrugged as he pulled another M.A.X. can from his pocket. He popped it open as Bessy returned to her home in her holster.
"Let him run back to where their boss is hiding. I want to stop by to give my condolences eventually," he grunted, and Casanova grinned as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Always such a sweetheart, aren't you?" she giggled, and he rolled his eyes before stopping, turning to look over his shoulder at the seemingly still alley.
"The station is pretty busy, and the pricing of job is expensive so others may be willin' ter blow the whole damn place. We need ter be fast, in and out type shit," he grunted, turning around fully as Casanova moved with him.
"We need to go down, again, don't we?" she asked slowly, and he nodded, pulling out another can of M.A.X. as he motioned towards the grating before them.
"Ladies first," he grinned, and she rolled her eyes as she lifted the metal covering, dropping into the catacombs beneath them easily.
The two disappeared into the sewage, the metal lid sliding back into place as the station across the street exploded with activity, sirens wailing as police cars were filled and cars screeched across gravel and concrete.
. . .