The Hawaiian Special Forces

Chapter 57

They sat outside Fribourg, eying the quiet city. ::This is a bad idea,:: Lopaka advised.

::I know,:: Aoloa admitted.

::They're probably watching for us to visit her.::

::I know.::

::You still want to go in.::

Aoloa looked to Hokulani, who said, ::It doesn't matter. It's the right thing to do.::

Lopaka sighed, but stopped arguing. Instead, they waited for darkness to finish settling before they wove their way into the city. When they'd reached the house, Aoloa let them in past the lock, then closed the door behind them. Once they were out of sight of windows, they got on the network. Hokulani and Aoloa registered themselves on the wifi as UPSOutsider98 and UPSInsider98, respectively, and waited for the reaction that would inevitably come.

It didn't take long. Lights suddenly flicked on throughout the house as Franck came storming down the stairs of his home, gun drawn. When he saw ten feline humanoids in his den, most looking bored or grooming themselves, his jaw dropped. "It really is you," he whispered.

"Good to see you again," Aoloa replied.

"But... you said..."

Hokulani stepped forwards. "We couldn't miss the chance to check on you. We were in the area."

His eyes drifted back over the small crowd in his den. "You found them."

"Most of them," Aoloa corrected. "There are a couple that are still held hostage. We need to get them out. The truth is, we're still working on how we'll even get close to them."

"So which one is Increment by J?"

At this question, Lopaka scowled, then stepped forward. "Do you really, REALLY, think that's what it stands for?"

"Pardon?"

"Hex! And you call yourself a hacker."

Franck stopped, thought, then smacked himself on the forehead. "I can't believe none of us noticed that. I think I'll just call you Cheshire from now on."

Lopaka smiled. "The best Cat of all time, to be sure."

Franck paused a moment then realized what he'd forgotten. "Let me get Venessa. She'll kill me if I don't get her down here." With that, he was back upstairs in a flash, knocking on her door. A bit later she came down the narrow stairs and gave Hokulani a huge hug.

"You found them!" Hokulani nodded with a grin. "And you kept him from getting himself killed!"

"Not for lack of trying on his part," she kidded back, eliciting a growl from Aoloa.

"I took calculated risks."

"Whatever. How've you been doing?"

Venessa grinned. "Cooped up, making money, the usual."

"Just remember to treat Franck well. He's being nice to you, after all."

"He gets maid service, not fan service."

Aoloa shook his head in bemusement while Franck looked flustered.

Finally, Aoloa interrupted. "We'll be leaving shortly. I don't know if we're going to pull this one off. Two of our friends are still stuck in Hawaii, and we want to get them out."

Venessa scowled. "That's going to be a lot tougher than springing me out of a simple jail."

Aoloa nodded. "We have to try. They're family."

Venessa nodded in understanding. "Be careful. Let us know if you need help."

"That would be too risky for you. We shouldn't even be here, but we wanted to say goodbye."

"You won't be back, will you?"

"No. We won't. You'll know what happened based on how the news breaks."

She nodded slightly. After that was an awkward silence before the felines slipped back into the darkness and left.

As they reached the edge of the city, Lopaka asked, ::So, how ARE we getting to Hawaii?::

::I hear Vladivostok is lovely this time of year. Surely Russia has something of value to ship to Hawaii.::