The Bliss Town Police Station is buzzing with activity despite the late hour. Rain patters against the dirty windows, casting long shadows across the interrogation room where Detective North Nermal hunches over a metal table. Dark circles hang under his eyes, his fur matted from days without proper grooming (and the shootout at the community center isn’t helping his looks). A half-empty cup of coffee—his seventh today—sat cooling beside a manila folder.

  Across from him is Rolland Longstaff, sitting stiffly and glowering straight ahead. The once-young rabbit thug now sported thinning gray fur, wrinkled skin, and arthritic hands that wouldn't stop trembling. His eyes, however, retained their defiant gleam.

  "So, what kind of drugs did you take to make you age forty years in a day, Mr. Rolland Longstaff?" says Nermal.

  “I didn’t take any drugs. I don’t do drugs on a job. My job was to watch that slutty hare’s sister. Shit went down. Cyrus lost his head. Jayson hit me with his stick. Now me, Shae and Dacre are a bunch of old guys. No drugs involved!” says Rolland.

  “Right… Right… Are you sure you don’t want a lawyer? I mean, I know our court system sucks but being found armed and in a building with a lot of dead guys is not a good look,” says Nermal.

  Rolland scoffs and waves his hand dismissively. “Nah, I don’t want one. They’re going to be under Mama Bear’s eye.” He smirks and wags his finger at Nermal. “But you… you’re a clean fellow. I can trust you. And as much as I hate Jayson and his pals for what they did, I’m willing to forgive that to take out Mama Bear and her two fixers.”

  Nermal reclines in his seat, the folder on his lap and his hands balled together. “Interesting. Care to tell me why?”

  “What do you mean why? Look at me! I aged like milk in a furnace!”

  Nermal stares quietly, and Rolland sighs and rubs his boney hands along his face. He finishes with a heavy sigh and locks eyes with Nermal.

  “Look, I know I’m not a good person,” starts Rolland. “I’m a crook. I’m a bad guy. Bad seed from the start. When I signed up to the Mama Bear Syndicate, I was just supposed to be a lowly guy. Deal the drugs, do some side hustle, not whatever the hell this is! Or was. Or still is. I don’t know.

  “Cyrus died, me and my pals aged decades, and week after week after month after month we’ve been dealing with Jayson’s shit and Bazooka Bunny’s shit and that damn eagle’s shit. It’s just shit after shit after shit after shit after shit for shit pay.

  “Did Mama Bear care what we’ve been going through? No. She sent the two lousiest fixers I’ve ever seen. If she had been a good boss then Cyrus would still be here, and I wouldn’t have lost decades in an hour or however long I was out. She don’t give a shit about us, so I don’t give a shit about her. Give me witness protection for me and my boys, and I’ll spill all the beans.”

  Silence comes between them. Normal stares at Rolland with heavy, tired eyes, and Rolland glares back. The steady, faint patter of drizzling rain taps the window, and Nermal exhales slowly through his nose. He pulls out his pen and notepad and slides it to Rolland.

  "Write down everything you know about your safehouse, and I swear to God, I'll get you witness protection,” says Nermal.

  “Don't swear to God. Swear on your life,” says Rolland.

  Nermal narrows his eyes. Rolland does the same. The seconds tick by, and Nermal nods.

  “You have my word. Now write,” says Nermal.

  A little while later, Nermal exits the back of the police station, head held down and vision swimming. His steps sway and he props himself against the old brick wall, rubbing his face and groaning with a mix of weariness and irritation.

  A small beat up, beetle shaped car pulls up next to him. Rain taps its neon green hull and tinted windows. The driver side window rolls down, revealing a seventy-year-old, rough male rabbit. His face is scarred, and his brown and light brown fur has a shade of gray.

  “There you are. I was wondering if you fell asleep inside,” says Peter Piper.

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  “Believe me, I wanted to,” says Nermal. He pushes himself away from the wall and enters the passenger side. “One of Mama Bear's guys gave me a gold mine of info.”

  “Did he now?” says Peter.

  Nermal nods and holds up his notepad as Peter drives away.

  “The safehouse has a secret elevator,” says Nermal.

  “Did he say what was connected to the elevator?” asks Peter.

  “He never went down.”

  “So, he says.”

  “He has no reason to lie.”

  “You're running on fumes. You probably missed a tick or something.”

  “No, this guy really hates Mama Bear. And the Hobo Warrior Bunny. But he hates her more. Blames her for not dealing with the Hobo properly.”

  The mention of the Hobo Warrior Bunny brings Peter to tighten his grip on the steering wheel and clench his jaw.

  “You okay?” asks Nermal.

  “I got a bone to pick with the Hobo, too. He gave me a radio that led to my ass getting kicked around by a crazy fox. And when I see that fox again, I'm going to shoot him,” says Peter.

  “Well, today is your lucky day. The fox works for Mama Bear. He'll be at the safehouse.”

  “Will the rest of the gang be there?”

  “Yeah. Owen is waiting for us at Not the Crystal Plate, Chipper is on his way from Joy City. Bridgette is watching the safe house, and Derrick has the Hobo and Bazooka Bunny with him. A complete convergence on that house is coming.”

  Peter nods, and they drive in silence for a few moments before Peter glances at Nermal out of the corner of his eye.

  “You still trust Derrick?” asks Peter.

  “Of course I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't be near him. Why do you ask?” says Nermal.

  “I never liked him. I think the Toxic War messed him up in more ways than he cares to admit, and it bled into his performance on the police force. There was a reason he couldn’t pass the on-sight training period"

  They pull into the parking lot of Not the Crystal Plate, and park near the exit. Nermal can see Owen Owenheim sitting at a booth, patiently waiting. His patchy brown and black fur and bulbous body is hard to miss.

  The pair get out of the vehicle and quickly walk to the heavy doors of the eatery, with Nermal’s steps still being wonky.

  “Well, in all fairness, you weren't a saint, either,” says Nermal.

  “No, that was Artemis’ role,” says Peter.

  The bell jingles as they enter the warmer building, the mural of the broken plate greeting them and the plain decor providing comfort.

  They sit down across from Owen, who smiles at them, despite the bags under his eyes and the stench of industrial soap clinging to him.

  “The gang’s getting back together. Where's Chipper?” says Owen.

  “He's on his way,” says Nermal.

  “Sorry about your arcade,” says Peter.

  Owen waves dismissively. “Eh, it happens. Insurance covered it and wiped my slate clean of that payment. So, what's going on? You said we were going to take down Mama Bear's operation in Bliss Town.”

  Nermal nods. “We are. Derrick, the Hobo Warrior Bunny, and Bazooka Bunny are going to help us do it.”

  Owen's smile drops. “Oh.”

  Nermal sneers. “What?”

  “The Hobo was a big reason why my arcade was destroyed.”

  “Your arcade was destroyed because that fox threw a car through it.”

  “Yeah, but it was because he was after the Hobo. No, Hobo, no car flying through my property.”

  The bell above the diner door jingles again, drawing their attention. A middle-aged rabbit with immaculately groomed salt and pepper fur steps in, shaking raindrops from his leather jacket. Despite his unremarkable rectangular build, Chipper Chapel's presence still commands attention as he scans the diner, his eyes quickly finding Nermal's table.

  He grins and strolls over to them, taking a seat next to Owen.

  "Well, well. The gang's almost all here. We just need Derrick and Bridget," says Chipper.

  "Glad you could make it, Chipper," says Nermal, extending his paw. “But Derrick is off doing his own thing and Bridgette is watching our target, so they won’t be joining us.”

  Chipper grips it firmly, holding his smile. "I see. Well, when you called about taking down Mama Bear's operation, I couldn't exactly say no. Joy City's starting to get spillovers from her criminal enterprise. I love it there, and I don’t want to see it turn out like Bliss Town, so if I can set her back or stop her all together, I’m all for it."

  "We’re all tired of her. By the way, how's the shop?" asks Peter, now scanning a menu.

  "Thriving. Got three new lifts installed last month, and now my kid is watching it while I’m over here." Chipper's eyes narrow as he studies Nermal's haggard appearance. "You look like shit, Nermal."

  "Been a long few days," says Nermal.

  An unenthusiastic waitress approaches their table, and all of them order simple meals with coffees and waters. After she scribbles her order, she leaves with less enthusiasm.

  "So, what's the plan? You mentioned something about a safehouse on the phone," says Chipper, leaning towards Nermal.

  Nermal puts his notepad on the table. "One of Mama Bear's thugs flipped and gave us entry points and a secret elevator."

  "To where?"

  "He’s not sure, but whatever it is, it's important enough that Mama Bear's has it locked down tight."

  Owen fidgets with his napkin. "And we're working with the Hobo Warrior Bunny? The same one who has a habit of wrecking the town with Bazooka Bunny?"

  "Yes," says Nermal. "Him, Bazooka Bunny, and Derrick. They were already going after Mama Bear, but we’re going to help them. We drive Mama Bear out of Bliss Town, and we sever a major artery for her network."

  The waitress returns with coffees and waters, and packets of sugar and cream. They quietly thank her as she gives them their cups, and after she leaves

  "So, when do we move?" he asked between bites.

  Nermal checked his watch. "Soon. We'll rendezvous Derrick at his place tonight. Then we’ll go to the safehouse and save Bliss Town.”