Cats Eyes

Joey tried to gently nudge Adrienne, a difficult task when you are tied tightly to a chair.
"Mum" he hissed, not wanting to wake Oden
Jakob had been gagged, apparently his crying irritated the cat.He was now asleep, mumbling quietly to himself.
"Mum" Joey said again, "Wake up"
Adrienne's eyes opened a crack.She had a blueish tinge to her pale face, a result of the potion Oden had forced down her throat.Tiny purple lumps had formed all over her body, making it very unpleasant to move around much.
"Joey" she whispered, "It's allright, we're going to be fine"
Joey was old enough to see that everything was not allright.He had understood Oden perfectly well when he'd explained that such a strong potion takes just three days to become fatel.He knew that it would be very difficult for any kind of help to reach them, for the cat had covered the walls and doors with powerful explosives.
"Jakob's asleep" he said, trying to keep Adrienne awake, "Do you want me to wake him up?"
He had decided it was wise to stay alert, in case Oden had anymore surprises up his sleeve.
"No leave him just now" she said weakly, "Just keep an eye on that cat"
Oden showed no signs of moving anywhere.He had made himself at home, and was now curled up peacefully on the sofa.
"Is it real?" Joey asked stupidly.
It seemed like a nightmare.Adrienne wasn't really going to be killed by a cat, was she? Asthough to answer his question, she groaned and closed her eyes again.
Joey sniffed, and tried to wriggle his way out of the ropes.They loosened slightly, to his surprise.He shifted a little more, finding he could stand.If he was careful, he could shuffle into the kitchen and get himself, Jakob and Adrienne something to eat.He would just have to hold the chair up to avoid any noise which might wake Oden.Shaking, he made his way to the kitchen, being careful not to touch any of the wires running down the walls.Deciding that running the tap was too risky, he lifted several bottles of water and bags of crisps from the cupboard.Then he went back into the living room where Jakob was beginning to stir.
"Mum" he wailed, his voice muffled by the gag.
Joey nudged him.
"Shut up" he hissed, "You'll wake that daft cat up"
Jakob sniffed, obviously about to start crying again.
"I want a drink" he moaned.
Joey pulled the gag down from his face.
"Open your mouth then" he instructed, squirting water at his brother's face.
Jakob sniffed again, then changed his mind and laughed.
"Shhhh" Joey warned, wiping his face with a cusion.He picked up the cats walkie talkie and pressed a large green button on it.
"Leave them alone" Billie Joe's voice came over it, "Just let them go"
Joey held the walkie talkie close to his face.
"Dad" he whispered, "Where are you, there's an evil cat in our house, and he's got bombs and-"
"I know" Billie Joe interrupted, "I'm stuck somewhere with a crazy cat called Cosmo"
Joey gulped.
"Is your mum okay" Billie Joe rushed on
Joey didn't know what to say.
"He gave her something Dad" he said truthfully, "She's going to die in three days and-... and I don't know what to do"
Billie Joe didn't know what to say.He felt the world crashing down around him.He couldn't imagine life without Adie.
"Give her something to drink" he said lamely
"I'll try" Joey said, "I'll try.
---------------------------------------------
In the dark, dingy depths of the Caji dungeons, Casper, a brave young prisoner, was scribbling something by candle light.
"So if Adrienne... no, no... how about we-" he was muttering to himself.
The cats in the cells next to him groaned.
"Planning another escape?" his friend Mog asked cheerfully, "That's the ninth this month"
Casper was in no mood for teasing.
"Haven't you heard the news" he said gruffly, "Mendax has made another capture"
Mog yawned.
"What else is new?" she said, "Mendax is always up to something"
"This is different" Casper said sadly, "He's got Green Day, and Billie Joe's family.Old Ernie up on row four told me during kitchen duty "
Mog looked at him in disbelief, her golden, now filthy fur, standing on end.
"He better not hurt them"she said angrily Or I'll break out of here and strangle him myself".
It was common knowledge that Casper and Mog were huge Green Day fans.Before their capture, (they were found guilty of stealing several bottles of milk from Mendax's private fridge), the two had worn smart red collars, with gold hand grenades instead of identity tags.But those had long since been destroyed, for on Caji, the ultimate punishment was to be stripped of your collar.Casper still had a poster left, which he kept beside his bed in the dungeons.
"Let me guess" Mog continued, "You're going to try to save them"
Casper passed his notebook through the bars into Mog's cell.
"Have a look" he said excitedly, "I really think we can do it"
Puzzling over when she had agreed to help, Mog glanced at the plans.
"It looks very complicated" she said doubtfully, "And why does it say 'Castle' everywhere"
Casper grinned.
"That's what we're called" he said, "It stands for Cats Attempting to Save The Lovely Entertainers"
Mog snorted.
"Is that the best you could come up with" she laughed, "And how do you plan on getting all these fire works"
She waved the plans under his nose.
"A simple diversion should suffice" she said, still chuckling, "But what are we going to do once we get out of here, Cosmo, Felix and Oden are very dangerous cats."
Casper had thought of that too.Bribery was always a good place to start.
"I still have some gold from before we were captured" he said, "We could offer it to Cosmo for Billie Joe and he can help us save the others"
Mog frowned.Cosmo was one of the richest cats on Caji, apart from Mendax.And Casper had very little gold left.She doubted it was enough to persued Felix, Cosmo's brother either.But what about Oden.Okay he was rich, but he was stupid, and greedy.The sight of just one piece of gold made him crazy.And he would walk into any trap.
"Oden's had extra training though" Casper remembered, "He's not as daft as he used to be"
Mog thought hard, other tactics might be required.
"We could slip in while he's asleep" she subjected, "And get Billie Joe's family out.But he sometimes puts explosives on the door"
Casper fished around under his bed, until he found a small bronze ring.
"It's a switcher" he said triumphantly, "For making any kind of bomb inactive.I don't know why human policemen don't use them"
Mog smiled, they were back on track.
"Where's Cosmo keeping Billie Joe?" she asked, "And where's Felix keeping Tre and Mike?"
Casper ran a paw across his furry face, denting his whiskers.
"Billie Joe's is being kept in one of Mendax's secret pods.It's directly under the Sherman Star, so it should be easy to find.The password's 'Codswallop'.
"What about Tre and Mike" she asked trembling.
Casper felt his nose twitching.He hadn't felt like that since his first night in the dungeons.
"Tre's dead" he sobbed, "Felix killed him"