Katts and Dawgs by Roberto Sanhueza	Table of Contents Part 1 appears in this issue.
Book II, chapter 11: Rise and Fall part 2 of 2

* * *

Kitti and Adam stand in their cell facing Lucius. The simulacrum has popped inside in his usual manner, only this time he does not look very contented. In fact he seems downright angry, which is quite a feat of emotional display for a simulacrum such as he.

“So your little vermin friends have managed to escape my cells.” In his anger, the simulacrum has switched to Man’s old language, but the Katt girl and the old Ape follow him without difficulty.

“But it’s only a matter of time before my drones catch them. I know they’re hiding in the power pipes and I’ll get them out even if I have to gas the whole compound.” He grins malevolently. “Which I guess you two wouldn’t take very well either...”

Kitti and Adam watch in awe as the furious simulacrum suddenly stops his rambling and seems to focus his eyes in a point beyond the cell’s walls.

His seemingly real persona begins to waver and quiver: he is there one second but not the next. “Stop that, you... you... vermin!” shouts Lucius. And as suddenly as he popped in, he is gone.

“What was that?” asks a bewildered Kitti.

“I have no idea, child, but I would bet my orbital station on that having much to do with our friends.”

“What do we do now?”

“Nothing much we can do; we’re still locked in here. Let’s just sit down and wait. I have all the trust in the world in the mischievous nature of our friends, specially that Katt.”

So they settle in an uneasy waiting.

Suddenly the lights flicker, and for an agonizing second, pitch darkness surrounds them and the whole underground compound grows deadly silent, where moments before the deep rumble of far-away machinery was always in the background.

Soon the lights are back and the eerie bellowing of a siren can be heard in the distance. Kitti and Adam just look at each other. Something is definitely going on.

* * *

It’s been a sleepless night in Kannis. Mayor Rover and the Katt Patriarch have been up nearly all night going around the city, checking on casualties and damage to the structures.

So far the wooden doors to Kannis have taken much battering but still stand. Many of the invading monsters have managed to jump over the walls and there are quite a few injured defenders and, sadly, some dead too. It is a grim comfort, but there are many more monster bodies lying on the ground than there are Katts or Dawgs.

“My scouts are back, Mayor. They’ve flown over the hills and the monsters are still there.”

“So much for hope, Patriarch.”

“We can suppose they’ll be over us again, come dawn.”

“Which will not be much longer, Musstin.”

As on cue with the Mayor’s words, the sun begins to rise, and the terrifying noise of the moving monster army can be heard from the surrounding hills.

“Here they come!”

The second day of the “Bugs war” has begun.

* * *

Thomm and Phydo behold the most amazing sight. Hundreds of scurrying Mysse fill up the pipes carrying the power lines into the compound.

They chew on the odd material the lines are made of, softer than wood, harder than paper.

Every now and then a strong sparkling comes from the line. Mysse shriek and are bodily thrown against the pipe walls, but that does not stop their frenzy. Quite the opposite. Where one Mousse falls, two take his place.

“This is crazy, brother Katt. Lucius will not take this easily.”

“Probably not, but if these little pests hurry up, he won’t be taking anything at all.”

Phydo only sighs and takes nervous glances at the entrances, although he knows too well the simulacrum can appear anywhere he pleases, never minding doors.

* * *

Kitti and Adam bite their apprehensions and watch helplessly as the lights flicker on and off.

Suddenly the door opens with a loud crack.

Kitti does not hesitate. She grabs the old Ape by the collar and jumps for it. They make it out of the cell just as the door closes behind them.

“Whew! That was a close call!”

“Close indeed child! What do we do now?”

“Well, for one thing, it looks like our gear is working again. I can now follow the tracker in my suit, which Thomm is wearing,” says Kitti, looking at a bracelet she has on her arm.

“That way! Let’s find out what’s going on.”

* * *

In Kannis, the battle has begun again with a vengeance.

This time more and more monsters have gone over the walls and everywhere personal combats can be seen, where one or more Dawgs hack over the giant insects.

In the air, the battle is just as hard. Katts on their flyers charge against the flying monstrosities, and the sky over Kannis is now a dark and buzzing cloud.

The doors to the city undergo a specially hard battering. They crack ominously as the wood gives way to the ram-like monsters.

A shower of spears, arrows and any projectile available falls over the intruders but the sheer number of them makes the defense nearly futile.

Kannis still holds on.

* * *

“Stop that!”

The voice of the simulacrum sounds like thunder inside the pipe, and Mysse are thrown away as if an explosion had occurred. Phydo, Thomm and all Mysse find themselves pinned against the floor, unable to move.

Lucius face is a mask of rage and mad laughter. “That does it! I’ve had enough of you all, you pseudo-people! I will just plain destroy all of you right now!”

From the floor, Thomm still finds the strength to ask, “Why then haven’t you done it already? Why bother, now that all those bugs are attacking Kannis?”

Phydo catches on quickly. Any second they can make the simulacrum postpone their destruction can make a difference. “Yes Lucius, why that roundabout way if you have the power and weapons to destroy us any time you like?”

The simulacrum walks slowly over them. “Do you really want to know why, dog?”

He throws his head back and his mad laughter and manic glimmer in his eyes clearly show the friends how insane the simulacrum is. “Because it’s more fun that way, dog! Because I’m bored to death, cat. And I can’t die.

“You have no idea what it is to be left behind by your peers and have only a bunch of talking pets to deal with. I was designed to deal with warfare, and there is no enemy who can equal me!”

“But we nearly made it, did we not, simulacrum?”

Lucius seems to calm down and lowers his head to face Thomm on the floor. “Yes, cat, you were close. Had you severed that power line just a little more, you would have shut me off entirely. But now it’s too late for you all!”

“Is it really, now, monster?”

Lucius roars and quick as lightning he turns to the new voice addressing him from the hatch.

But Kitti has already fired her blaster on the line.

Lucius final scream can be heard in the compound as the lights go off, this time for good.

* * *

“The door is breaking! The door is breaking!”

The cry can be heard over the roar of the battle.

The big oaken doors have in fact given in to the monsters’ relentless efforts, and they break with thunder.

All able Dawgs and Katts run to the entrance where the hordes are already coming inside the city and destroying everything they find.

The Mayor and the Patriarch, standing back to back on the walls’ catwalk, stab and slay whichever insect comes near.

“It looks bad, Rover!”

“Bad indeed, Musstin! Once they are inside the citadel we’re just as good as dead.”

“But look! They’re stopping! They’re not going any farther!”

“You’re right. And not only that, see how they are no longer fighting!”

Strangely enough, The insects seem to have lost all sense of purpose and unity.

They run about blindly and become easy prey to the angry inhabitants in Kannis.

A cry of triumph can be heard over the walls as the ruthless slaughter of the mindless monsters begins. Nobody knows why at the moment, but the Bugs War is suddenly over.

* * *

Slowly and under Mysse guidance, Kitti, Adam, Phydo and Thomm reach the surface, out of the ill-fated tunnels.

The warm sunlight is most welcome after what seemed so long a time underground.

“What do we do now?” asks Thomm.

“Well, I for one, am going to get my shuttle and scram back to our station with Adam. He doesn’t look too well; he needs a thorough medical check-up. We can give you boys a lift to Kannis.”

“What about us Mysse?”

It is Adam who answers. “I think you can keep this compound to yourselves. You have earned it.”

“Do you think there is any chance Lucius might return?” asks Phydo thoughtfully.

“I doubt it,” says Kitti. “My shot completely severed that main power line.”

“And where do you think that line comes from?”

Adam answers, “We can’t know for sure, but a good guess would be a power source well hidden within the mountain. We’re going to have to check on that some time in the near future.”

“And what if there are more Man leftovers than we know about?”

The old Ape lets out a tired smile. “Then we will have to deal with them as they appear, won’t we?”

The moment finally comes to depart, and Thomm, Phydo and Jeri have a last word.

“Well, brother Mousse, It seems we can work together after all.”

Jeri only smiles, for once, openly and not sneering. “As long as our clawed friend here keeps his paws to himself, you will always be welcome in our tribes.”

“Let bygones be bygones, shorty. I will tell all Katts about the heroic deeds of the Mysse today. Your kind will be left in peace.”

Mysse stand on top of the hill and watch as Kitti’s flying carriage takes off, soon fading out of sight beyond the mountains. They shake their heads, sniff in the air and dive back to their holes and their underground life.

Life goes on.

A fortnight after the coming of the monsters, the Bones family is back to put up the farm once again. Phydo sits at the table with his mother, father and sisters. The Bug Wars are but a bad memory, and Phydo means to stay with his family for a while.

Little Belle asks. “How long are you staying with us this time, Bud?”

“For as long as it takes to bring the farm back to the point it was.”

“And what about your friends?” asks Momma Bones.

“Last thing I knew, Thomm and his father were back with all their fellow Katts, putting Kattsville back in shape. Although knowing my friend I’d say he will stay there only as long as strictly necessary. He is a wandering soul.”

Phydo doesn’t feel too good about it, but he doesn’t tell his folks everything. He has never mentioned Adam and Kitti, and he certainly keeps the knowledge about the wonders Man has left behind as a tight secret.

But for now Phydo is happy. Some time soon he’ll be back in Kannis, back to his duties to the Mayor and maybe back to adventures, but today... “Can I have some more meat, mother?”

Today is the time to enjoy family.

Continuation pending.

Copyright © 2005 by Roberto Sanhueza