The Ticking Contingent: The Countdown vo.2

Where there's smoke, there's fire

San and several of the patrons decided to gather a few things to make a map of Juniper City for Po's reference since he had never been there before and a bit had changed since Zhen had left. Po was just glad that the fighting had stopped and he could finally get a chance to scarf down some food. When San was ready, the Dragon Warrior brought over his order of food and sat down to be briefed on what was going on.

"You'll need to get a couple of reports from some of the other thugs and thieving dens," San explained to him. "We and the locals ain't the only ones who have to deal with her."

"They come on Thursdays and Saturdays to the tavern if you want to wait until then," one patron offered. "Going through the city under Chameleon's thumb will be difficult."

"Wouldn't be my first time," Po assured her. "I'm guessing she has thugs or body guards?"

"Komodos," everyone answered almost simultaneously.

"Came 'bout six years ago, couple months after you and yer little clan ducked out of the city," San told Zhen. "Chameleon was always trouble on her own, but these lot are another level of vicious. They stuck to their own kind for a year, but now they serve the dictator with extreme loyalties. Even looking at them wrong gets you broken bones and maybe even a hospital visit."

Zhen's eyes widened in shock and slight fear, but she took a breath and said, "Well, good thing I've picked up a trick or two recently."

"Let's not let Chameleon know we're here," Po warned quickly. "The more we can sneak around and find out without tipping her off, the easier it'll be to take her out."

Zhen and San gave Po a weird look. Po frowned. "I'm a lot better at stealth mode than I look," he promised. "It just doesn't involve nimbly jumping into pots and onto rooftops."

San snorted. "Okay, this I gotta' see," he said.

"Does Chameleon have a hiding spot or does she just spring out of nowhere?" Po asked, switching subjects.

"Spring," Zhen answered immediately. "She's hard to spot so you have to be extra cautious and stay on your toes."

"Actually no," a tall boar corrected. He ate and swallowed a bite of food before adding, "She has a fortress now."

Zhen looked confused. "What?" she exclaimed. "Since when?"

"You know that old palace that the fifth prince was s'posed to use during the winter months?" a bunny patron added. "And never did?"

"Yeah. I know it," Zhen told her. Her eyes widened in realization. "Ohhhhhhhh no......"

"Yep. Moved in about four years ago. She doesn't roam the streets shadows anymore."

Zhen still looked surprised and slightly intimidated. She was quick to regain composure though and said, "Well, it's one less thing to worry about. I can handle a few thugs."

San snorted. "Sure," he mocked. "Let's throw you together with one and see how you do."

"Sure. We can all play mahjong together and get into a fight over you being a sore loser."

San colored. "You cheat, you little-!"

"Guys!" Po interrupted. "Kick Chameleon's butt now, argue over mahjong games later!"

"Right," Zhen conceded. "I have a city to get reacquainted with."

The next day, San, Zhen, and Po made their way to Juniper City with plans to sneak around the komodos, determine Chameleon's plan, and even figure out how they were going to break into the palatial fortress that she now inhabited. Getting into the city wasn't much of a problem. It was incredibly crowded and the komodos weren't anywhere to be seen, so Zhen and San had no problem with finding a good place to sneak around and duck underneath and away from prying eyes. Po however was much taller and less slim, and stood out a lot among the bears, gazelles, armadillos, mice, and other creatures in the city. So he was quick to make his way over to a nearby stand and put together a quick dancer costume to go walking through the city, complete with a fun mask to hide his face. Normally this would stand out like a sore thumb, but since Po was a fairly lively person anyway, no one took much notice and even clapped when he started dancing along to some local music that was playing down the road.