14. P O W E R : Heroes

EPILOGUE

2023

"Sound check, one, two. Can everyone hear me?"

It was a brisk fall night in the Capital City of the Northwest Safe Haven—and it was loud. The sounds of the city were almost deafening: engines roaring, horns honking, people talking—not to mention all the noise the avian and saurian inhabitants were making as they lumbered and flew downtown.

On the roof of a building, two bucks and two does stood with their forms silhouetted against the starry night sky. One buck was tall, orange, and wiry, with a daunting pair of black antlers; the other was small, white, and stocky, his own antlers having just grown in.

Of the does, one was slender, green, and wore a crown of flowers; the other was slight, yellow, and, for some reason, wore a pair of sunglasses.

"We read you, D4," Autumn replied, tapping the roof of the building with his hoof. "Clear for check."

"Alrighty. E-Team, check in."

"This is E1, checking in," Autumn reported.

"E2, checking in," Spring added.

"E3, checking in!" Summer declared.

"E4, checkity-check-checkin' in," Winter said with a grin.

A sigh emanated from the other end. "Can we keep this professional, please?" came the voice of D1, leader of the Protectors' and Secret Peacekeepers' D-Team.

Winter scowled. "Whatever."

"And show some respect," D1 added. Then he said, "D4, brief them."

"Gotchya." D4 cleared his throat and began, "So here's how it's going down. Word on the street is Big Rus and the Top Dogs are moving in on the Black Cats' territory. This obviously isn't to Castello's liking, so both sides are fixin' to throw down in the square.

"When the fireworks start, you four will approach the Dogs from behind while we handle the Cats. Xirxine'll handle the frontal assault and crowd control." D4's voice turned grave as he added, "It's gonna get loud—and messy. So I hope you didn't forget your earplugs, or have a big lunch. You might lose it."

"We also have orders to keep casualties as low as possible," D1 put in. "So do your best to use non-lethal tactics. We'll be doing the same."

"Understood," Autumn answered, looking into the sky where the members of the D-Team circled overhead. "We're ready when you are."

"Stay on your toes, kiddos," D2 piped up, his raspy voice somehow still upbeat. "It might get a little dicey."

"But don't worry! Just stay alert and keep your guard up, and everything'll be peachy-keen! Which reminds me, I just bought some peaches from the orchard, fresh off the trees! You guys should swing by and have some, I've got plenty to spare—"

"Malcom?" D4 interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Codenames, D4," D1 said exasperatedly. "This is a mission, not a hangout."

"Roger that, Stuffy McStuffykins," D4 replied cheekily.

"For crying out loud..."

"Hey, heads up, guys," D2 suddenly broke in. "We've got movement in the square. Commander, you seeing this?"