Author's Note: the title for this chapter is a line from the song "Battery" by Metallica
It wasn’t long after the alarms started blaring that George rushed into the kitchen; In his were-tiger fursona, his uniform in taters as it did not survive the shifting. George stares at the three teenagers as they snarl; looking out the polarized windows to see what may have set off the system.
“You three head upstairs,” George making his presence known; “take the cubs with you. I’ll check out the house.”
“I’m not hiding while something or someone is out there,” Frieda snarling; “I have claws and I’m not afraid of using them.”
“Same here,” Spencer's ears twitching trying to isolate a sound other than the blaring alarm; “but unlike you Frieda, my dad taught me to fight like a marine. Can you shut that dam alarm off,” Spencer growling; “it’s sound is hurting my sensitive hearing.”
Before George or Frieda could shut the alarm off; the power to the house is cut as a couple of loud cracks could be heard.
*****
“Was that necessary,” one man seething; “shooting out the transformer on the pole?”
“It killed the alarm,” the second goon answering; “now let’s get busy with what we came here to do.”
“What if someone heard the shots,” the first goon nearly shouting; “what if some one investigates? Do we even know if this place is empty?”
“If there are people here,” the goon with the gun glaring at the other; “then they better let us take what we want. Or it will be their last day on earth.”
“If the alarm doesn’t bring hell down on us,” the nervous goon muttering; “you most certainly will if you keep waving your heater about.”
“Shut up and help get inside,” the man glaring; “where are the other two men?”
The other two men in question; the ones who got in ahead of the others riding in the Honda Civic circled around to the back entrance of the estate; with a crowbar in hand, one manages to force the back door open and gain entry into the kitchen. Noticing the table and food on it; the men know there were people present. Not knowing that there were three terrified children hiding somewhere and a very pissed off were-tiger butler, along with two were-panthers and a hybrid. All with their fur up and clearly willing to defend their territory and protect their charges. They quietly hide as the two men step further inside while more men from the front manage to break in through the front door.
******
“All units! All units! Please be advise a 10-90* is currently in progress at the Knight Estate. Any available unit nearby is to proceed and investigate.”
Sheriff Cooper hearing the message coming through his radio while sitting outside of Tachibana enterprises head office, shakes his head.
“Good god Benton,” Sheriff sighing; “I hope you are not doing something stupid.”
Sheriff Cooper starts up his cruiser, responding to the call and ordering all available back-up to meet him on route.
*****
The men stumble about in the dark estate, nearly tripping over each other as they meet up in the hallway. Before they could get in; George managed to race towards the room with the electrical panels and ensure the backup generator didn't kick in. Wearing masks and panty hose stalkings to conceal their identity, they start roaming about the place not knowing that they are being stalked. Whispering so low as that only Eric, Frieda and George could hear; Spencer lets them know not to use their claws. With all knowing that any scratch or cut can cause the men roaming about the place will cause them to become weres themselves; all four silently nod that they have to act fast and either knocking them out with being seen in their fursonas, or if worse comes to worse; killing them.
Spencer was the first to strike. Silently stalking a man as he entered the dining room; she placed a paw around the man’s mouth, muffling his shouting and yelling as she placed a couple of furry fingers on his jugular, cutting off the blood flow to the brain and causing the man to pass out. George watching, and looking on silently impressed with what he saw, helps Spencer as they tie the man up and promptly gag him in case he regains consciousness.
A second goon enters Benton’s study. The man wielding the crowbar he used to break into the rear door. He is soon shoved into the room as the door closes behind him. Swinging wildly and missing as the white furred were-panther that is engaging him deftly moves so fast, the man is unable to get a good look in the darkened room thanks to the polarized windows. Eric able to see clearly thanks to his feline like eyes, could tell the man was frightened; smelling his fear as the man continues to swing wildly. Eric know he needs to take this man out quickly before his friends come to investigate the noise he is making.
Grabbing the man’s arm and snapping it, causing the man to scream in pain; Eric quickly reals the man around and punches him square in the chest. The man seeing his assailant for the first time, looks on in horror and pure fear. Unleashing a scream of abject terror his cry is soon cut short as the punch the white furred were-panther levied on him snaps his sternum and the bone pierces the man’s heart and lung, killing him in an instant.
Time moves slowly for Eric as he watches the man’s life fade before his eyes. No stranger to seeing prey die as he hunted it down for sustenance; the sight of this armed man dying because he entered a house to do who knows what, made Eric sick. Eric did what came naturally to those who witness death at their own hands, on in this case paws; he throws up. Yet Eric has no time to rest as he hears the foot steps of two other men race towards the study. Making ready to strike; Eric breathes hard as he bares his teeth ready to pounce and attack if they enter. His ear swivels as he hears Jasper, Yogi and Cindy hiding under Benton’s large desk. Hoping they didn’t witness the young were-panther take a life he refocuses on the door waiting for it to open.
******
As Spencer was busy dispatching the first goon in the dining room; Frieda was upstairs with her cell phone in her paw calling the police.
“Moon Lake Police what is your emergency?”
“Men are in my father’s house,” Frieda answering; “normals who do not know I and my house guests are weres.”
The police office answering the call, pauses for a moment before changing her tone towards the caller. “Do you suspect they might know you are a like-minded individual?”
“No,” Frieda understanding the coded phrase; “but we have young children present and will defend them if required.”
“How many assailants,” the officer understanding what might transpire; and your location?”
“Four from what I can hear,” Frieda listening to the loud footsteps being made; “but I think one of them could already be taken out. We are at the Knight Estate, and my father Benton is not here.”
“Are you and the children in a safe area,” the officer quickly relaying the information to a dispatcher.
“The children are with my mate,” Frieda answering; pausing as she hears a man scream and then silence. “Hurry up,” Frieda growling; “one of them just entered my father’s study and could possibly be dead. That is where the children are hiding!”
“We have police officers already in route,” the officer responding; “make sure if you have to use force you do not draw blood. You know the risks if you do.”
Frieda hangs up, understanding the officer’s warning. Fully aware that she or her mates as well as George could turn the remaining burglars into weres; she snarls as she hears the other two rush towards the study. “They must have heard the scream as well,” Frieda quickly leaving her room. Leaping over the second floor railing and landing on the ground floor. The thirty foot leap and fall would, cause serious injury and possibly death for a normal person; but for a were-panthress such as her, the distance in question was nothing to be concerned with.
Seeing one man armed with a gun in the darkened hallway; Frieda was about to lunge, at the two men; determined to stop them from entering the study, when both George and Spencer strike. Watching George distract and scare the two with a loud roar; the man with the gun fires off a shot in absolute terror in seeing a tiger before him walking upright. The shot missing wildly thankfully; the other assailant was unable to react as Spencer quickly snapped the man’s neck with her paws, while George dispatches the armed man with a few rapid moves that implies the were-tiger himself had prior military training.
“Did you have to kill them,” Frieda looking horrified.
“They saw us,” George staring at the men on the ground dead; “it was that or they tell everyone of our existence. Eric,” George speaking loudly; “it’s safe to open the study door.”
“You know how to fight,” Spencer looking at the were-tiger; “where did you train?”
“Her Majesty's Special Forces,” George answering as Eric opens the door to the study; “protecting the Queen of England and those residing in the house of Windsor. I left shortly after Princess Dianna was tragically killed in her car accident in Paris,“ George and the rest watching as Eric does his best to escort the young were-tiger cubs out and shielding them from seeing the dead assailants; “looks like Eric had to defend with lethal force as well.”
“That’s three dead and one unconscious,” Spencer speaking; also seeing the dead body in the study.
“I had no choice,” Eric shaking; “god I wish I didn’t have to but he was armed with a crowbar and getting desperate.”
“Its justifiable,” George answering as he listens to police sirens coming closer to the estate; “you were protecting cubs and defending yourself. Don’t move the bodies,” George grabbing a robe and putting it on as he defurs to meet the police outside; “the rest of you also shift and make yourself decent. We still have one assailant who is still alive but tied up after all."
“Shouldn’t we cover the dead bodies with a sheet,” Frieda asking; “I’m not keen on seeing dead people in the hallway.”
“Let the police deal with that,” Spencer comforting the distraught were-panthress; sensing Eric’s unease as well, Spencer knew she was going to have a hell of a time calming the two down as well as keep Cindy, Jasper and Yogi calm and quiet as well.
* 10-90 is police code for “Alarm going off / Bank alarm”