EPTInside, five men sat around a pool table, playing poker. The stakes were high, and stacks of bills changed hands regularly. The body language of four of the men suggested that the fifth man was their leader. He wasn't the tallest of men, but he was large and looked like he had been in more than his share of fights before. A cigar rolled in his thick lips flared briefly as he puffed contemplatively, considering his cards. Prophecy_ shoved all his money to the centre of the table, gruffly announcing, "All in."
A tentative knock on the door brought an abrupt halt to the game. "Whaddaya want?" growled prophecy_ impatiently. A stooping man with round eyeglasses crept into the room. "Sorry, boss, jus-jus-just thought I'd s-s-s-"
"Spit it out, KazeHydra!"
"The papers have been printed, everyone thinks the Su-Su-Stealth Bunnies tried to pay off S-S-SniperTerran, and that Kourage Krew is no more."
"Good. The pigs will try shut them down before they get too powerful, and when we're ready, we'll take control back. But before the papers come out tomorrow, let's weaken the Bunnies, or else they could take over. Saddle up, boys."
The others stood up from the table. Sentenal, a tall, gaunt man with shadowed eyes, pulled out a long barrelled pistol from his jacket. SniperTerran moved towards his Upotte 441 rifle leaning against the wall, but tripped over, shouting "UEEEEEE" as he fell. Nagisama shook his head in laughter as he picked up his double barrelled shotgun off the floor. Shuruken, a muscular oriental man with tattoos curling about his wrists and around his neck, didn't blink an eye as two blades suddenly appeared from his sleeves. And prophecy_ had grabbed a tommy gun from who-knows-where.
The men strode past KazeHydra the printer, who was wondering just how many more names he would have to put into the obituary column of his newspaper, the Drankston Herald. He heard two engines rumble to life, and then saw the cars roar past the window on their way to the slums.
As the two cars approached their destination, the men inside prepared their weapons.
"YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWWW" shouted Nagisama as they approached the building known as the Rodent Club, where the Stealth Bunnies family operated from. prophecy_ opened fire with his tommy gun, smashing the windows of the imposing front of the club. SniperTerran started firing wildly into the air, screaming "UGUUUUUU" as he did so. The cars skidded to a halt and everyone leaped out, ready to do battle with the awoken Bunnies...
But silence reigned over the courtyard. In the distance a dog could be heard barking but nothing moved except a little smoke inside the ruined parlour of the club.
"This don't feel right, boss," muttered Sentenal, as he looked around uneasily. But still nothing moved inside the building. No return fire, nothing...
And then a voice shouted out from behind them.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here, boys. Like rats inna trap! Looks like yer courage got the best of you, prophecy_. Ain't no one who makes a mess of me parlour who doesn't end up regrettin' it."
The Kourage Krew spun around and ran to hide behind the cover of their cars. They could see Birdie standing in the street behind them, wearing a long overcoat and holding a newspaper in his hands. He puffed on his cigarette briefly before looking up at them.
"Sez here that your boyo SniperTerran done got some cabbage given to him in return for services rendered...some greenbacks, as it were. The media always gets it wrong...it was that kid Nagisama. Did us a good service, warnin' us that there might be an...incident at the club tonight. Thankee kindly, Nagisama."
Nagisama shuddered and his face went white as the rest of the Krew stared at him furiously. "Is it true?" Sentenal hissed at him. "N-n-no, he's la-la-lying!" Nagisama croaked in fear. Suddenly a blade appeared in his chest, as Shuruken moved closer behind him. A gurgle came out of his mouth, and he slumped down onto the ground. "Better safe than sorry," said Shuruken, who looked a little drunk. "What did you drink at that party, Shuruken? Birdie could have been lying!"
BANG
The gunshot reminded them of their current dilemma. Looking over the bonnet of the vintage car, he could now see more people gathered there. Smoke curled from what looked like a hunting rifle, which LCC held lovingly in his arms.
"You done goofed, prophecy_! Your reign in this town is over! We know all the dirty cops, all the people you've paid off, all your safe houses...there's nowhere to run."
SniperTerran suddenly burst out of cover and sprinted towards the nearby abandoned warehouse, but he slipped on a patch of oil and fell to the ground. LCC quickly shot him in the skirt and then in the head.
"And then there were three..."
But a moan came from just behind Birdie. TheMarine slumped to the ground, his throat slit by Shuruken, who had managed to sneak over to the Bunnies while they were distracted. But before he could attack anyone else, the ever-watchful icedraco stabbed him with his metal claws that he had surgically added to his knuckles. Shuruken nearly stabbed back but icedraco continued to slice and stab him until he could breathe no longer.
"One, two, FIVE!" yelled Sentenal, as he threw a grenade over the cars. However, it merely rolled to a stop, the pin clearly still in the grenade. "This is why you need to study Biblical hermeneutics more, Sentenal!" roared prophecy_, as he started firing his tommy gun at the Bunnies. But he only managed a few shots before the clip was empty, all his ammunition previously wasted on the building behind him. Arca fired a rocket launcher at the cars, resulting in a massive explosion and the death of Sentenal, who was crushed by the Miller automobile. Dazed by the explosion, prophecy_ tried to get to his knees, tried to fight.
"I...still have...balls...I still have... courage!" he gasped. Two boots crunched the broken glass in front of him, and a gloved hand lifted his chin. He stared into the eyes of Death, and had only time to shudder once before Birdie shot him between the eyes.
"A new day dawns for the people of Drankston! Now there is a new family in town, one which will not be as foolish and simple-minded as this...Kourage Krew. Be afraid, citizens. Be very afraid. The Stealth Bunnies are here, and here to stay."
+ Show Spoiler +
The D Ranks Team League final is between Team Stealth Bunnies and the defending champions, Team Courage, it is happening tonight, and will be cast on Thursday by L_Master, at http://www.twitch.tv/L_Master
