Cats Eyes Two : Mendax Strikes Back

“In breaking news tonight” the Caji reporter on the blast pod said, “Casper, the joint leader of Caji and many of his recruits have been murdered in an attack on a busy crater”

Mog felt her eyes swell with tears and her chest tighten. The blast pod had been set up at the sight of the spangle attack for communication purposes, but Mog had excused herself and sat alone in it for several minutes. Only now that Caji reporters had been interviewing witnesses, every station the blast pod could receive was reporting on the attack.

“The attack is almost certainly the work of Mendax, who’s support has risen dramatically in recent months” the newsreader continued, “Caji officials appointed by Casper before his death are beginning an investigation”

Her paw sliding onto the transmition button, Mog cancelled the broadcast abruptly and buried her face in the cushion left on the pod’s seat. The realization that she would never see Casper again hit her, and she began to sob uncontrollably. Her surroundings blurred and her body heaved as images of Casper flooded through her mind. He had been part of her life since she could remember, they had survived Mendax’s dungeons together, and now she was facing life without him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the blast pod and its entrance swung open. Halo’s glossy fur, now caked in mud and matted with blood, shone under the pod’s lights. His furry face was crumpled with the pain of losing his friends, though he attempted a wobbly smile when he caught sight of Mog sobbing and shivering into the cushion.

“Hey” he said softly, “How you doing?”
On receiving no response, he wound his tail around her gently in an attempt to provide comfort.

“Why don’t you head back to the palace” he suggested, “I’ll need to stay here for a while, but I’ll follow you back as soon as I can”

Mog shook her head sadly.

“No” she whispered, “I’m Caji’s leader, I have to be here. Plus, I want to wait for news of Jakob”

Jakob was another heartache. There had been no news of either him or Merlin, and judging by the devastation Mendax and his supporters had caused at the crater, Mog had good reason to worry about their safety. Suddenly she found herself overcome by worry and grief again and collapsed weakly against Halo.

“Shh” he whispered, “Look, I’ll try to get some recruits looking into where Jakob is”
She buried her face in his smoky, mucky fur in an attempt to block out the images filling her mind. She pictured Casper struggling against the flow of the spangle, crying out in pain as its magic devoured him. Images of his skeleton crumbling at the bottom of the crater flashed before her, making her shudder in fear and disgust.

“I’ve got something I think you should keep Mog” Halo said suddenly, “Here”

Reaching into his backpack, he produced a thin, stained and torn black collar. The tag dangling from it was identical to hers, a crown to symbolize rulership over Caji. On it, Casper’s name was engraved into the once shimmering gold. Extending a paw, she took it gently and held it tightly against her heart.

“It would’ve been quick you know” Halo said gently, “He wouldn’t have been in pain”

Mog knew enough about curses to sense that he was lying. Halo’s tail rubbed gently against her ears as the hugged the collar which still smelled of Casper.

“I’ll need to go back out now” Halo said, “I’ll tell you as soon as there’s any news of Jakob”
Giving her a final hug, he slipped out of the blast pod, leaving Mog along and haunted by her thoughts and memories.

Meanwhile, Mendax and his supporters prepared themselves for what they believed would be an easy capture. Confidant following their attack on the crater and filled with glee at the news that Casper was dead, the cats sang as they slipped into the amour they would be wearing for their battle.

“Oh it’s such a wonderful morning” Cosmo screamed tunelessly, “And Jimmy is going to be ours”

Mendax the daisy was fully dressed in minute Caji amour and humming cheerfully with his agents.

“I believe” he said cheerfully, “That victory is almost upon us”

He looked rather comical; a tiny helmet slid carefully over his petals and linked armor protecting his delicate leaves. His face though, which still sported distinctly cat-like features, was set with concentration. Like the other cats, he believed Jakob, or Jimmy was within his grasp. But it was Jakob who had overthrown him and forced him to begin his next life as a daisy. He did not relish the possibility of being turned into something worse, a sneeval for instance.

“Master” Oden said suddenly, “How exactly do you plan to capture Jakob. Haven’t Mog and Casper been training Merlin to protect him?”

Despite his fears, Mendax did not want the agents to be aware of his doubts.

“Nonsense” he said dismissively, “Casper clearly had no idea how to defend himself, never mind anyone else”

He slid from his chair, his roots waggling as he slipped across the smoothness of the base’s floor. Using his roots as feet, he attempted to anchor himself to something, only to be dragged to the ground by the weight of his amour. It was a comical scene, but none of the cats dared laugh. It was clear that even as a daisy, Mendax was still an extremely dangerous individual. His plots, schemes and ability had not vanished with his furry body and the cats were still afraid of him.

From the corner of the base, Billie Joe hauled himself over the edge of the tank. His tail wriggling furiously to keep himself above the water’s surface, he shouted desperately at the group of cats armed to kidnap his son.

“Please” he pleaded, “Please don’t take Jakob. He’s not St Jimmy, I swear he’s not. You’ve killed Casper, isn’t that enough?”

Mendax, forgetting for a moment that he was no longer a cat; hissed furiously at him.

“Silence human” he said threateningly, “I think you and this rather irritating queen-thing will get along well. Neither of you ever stop whining”

Utterly defeated, Billie Joe allowed his body to sink back into the water. Squeezing his eyes tight shut to barricade the tears he felt pulsing in his head, he reached through the wetness for something familiar. He had lost count of the number of times in the last few years that he had reached across his bed, praying that Adrienne would be there. Having never fully accepted her death, he now felt in the water, hoping that her hand would eventually meet with his. He imagined her holding him and telling him that everything would be alright, her voice almost real in the midst of his confusion and despair.

“Right agents” Mendax barked, “It is time to capture St Jimmy…follow me and we shall proceed”

Cosmo, Oden and Felix trouped after their master, the other cats close behind. Each had their fur ruffled in anticipation, strange concoctions clutched in their tails. There were several dozen of them, some with vacant expressions who were clearly being controlled by Mendax. The group walked along the long underground corridors of the base, Mendax leading his supporters out of the darkness and into he harsh bright light of the surrounding fields. Almost as soon as their fur was highlighted in Caji’s blue sun, they were met with the sight of the boy they were determined to capture. Jakob stood, his entire form more surly and strong than Mendax remembered. His hair had grown over his face, muscles developing in his skinny arms, making him appear more menacing. By his side, Merlin stood with his hackles up. At the sight of Mendax and his supporters, his eyes flashed dangerously dark and his claws retracted in an instant.

“You’ll never get to him” he snarled furiously, “I won’t let you lay one of those slimy roots on him Mendax; I’ll fight to the death for Jakob”

Jakob himself appeared slightly dazed by the entire situation, his eyes full of tears and quivering slightly at the sight of the daisy who had murdered his family.

“That can be arranged” Cosmo said calmly, and with a single flick of his tail sent a fizzling yellow liquid careering into Merlin. Instantly he let out a yelp of pain as he was catapulted into the air by a ball of energy. It formed a barrier around his tiny body as he was hurtled further into the sky.

“No” Jakob gasped

Hearing about Casper’s death was a devastating enough experience, but witnessing first hand the attack on a cat he had grown to trust was almost unbearable. He longed to run to Merlin, pick him up and take away the pain of whatever vile substance Cosmo had attacked him with. But he still had the future of Caji, and his Dad’s life to defend.
Attempting to ignore the fact that he was trembling, Jakob searched his brains desperately for something Caser had taught him which might be of some use. He recalled events two years previously, when he had used a tranveerium to overthrow Mendax. Realizing that such a charm would be powerless against an army of cats, his mind rapidly landed on something else. At the time, Casper had also mentioned that Mendax was terrified of water. Jakob assumed he no longer had this problem, since it generally only applied to cats. However, years of assisting Adrienne in the garden had taught him what daisies feared most.

Staring into Mendax’s cold eyes framed by petals, Jakob knew what he had to do. It would be difficult, and very dangerous. Summoning charms had never been his specialty, and they used such copious amounts of energy that individuals who had not practiced often dies while performing them. But surrounded by an army of cats and a daisy intent on capturing him, Jakob knew he had little choice. He could allow himself to be caught; everything Casper had ever being exploited by those responsible for tearing his life apart. Or he could fight to the death courageously, stare into Mendax’s eyes with defiance as Casper and Mog had done their entire lives.

Closing his eyes, Jakob attempted to visualize the object he had to summon. He pictured it sitting in the shed, wincing at the sudden fluorescent brightness of its orange container.

“Hablehash Highhop” he whispered
As soon as the charm escaped his lips, Jakob felt his legs give way beneath him. His mind was strangely cloudy, his entire body pulsing with pain and exhaustion. Somewhere above him, he saw the familiar orange bottle float towards them. It was enormous, perhaps fifty meters tall and sloshing with the vile smelling liquid he recalled so clearly. Only partly conscious, he felt himself seized by strong furry paws. Mendax shouted various orders at his agents as they heaved Jakob across the grass.

“Get him inside now” he shouted, “Quick, move it…don’t give him a chance to attack”
Suddenly, a yelp of panic echoed in everyone’s ears. Forcing himself to look upwards, Jakob witnessed the enormous bottle independently tip its contents onto the group below. Several drops splashed Jakob in his defenseless state, but although he stung the wound on his head from the awkward landing, it was clear it was relatively harmless to him. Beside him though, Mendax writhed and cursed in pain and fury as he read the label printed on the enormous bottle.

“Exterminatus Weed Killer : 100% Weed Destruction”

Jakob lay his head back on the grass as the cats retreated in defeat. Utterly powerless without their master, they backed away from the human who had proven his strength against supposedly the most powerful cat on Caji, twice.

Jakob however, did not feel remotely strong or powerful. Attempting to drag himself towards Merlin, he found he barely had the strength to breath. His entire body felt strangely heavy, drained of energy from the summoning charm. Closing his eyes, he felt the weight lift and the pain cease. All that mattered now was his victory, and he smiled with triumph as he drifted into a deep sleep.

“Wake up Jakob, please” Mog’s voice rang in his ears.

She sounded a million miles away, her voice out of tune and wavering as she watched over him. Prizing open his eyes, Jakob found her only inches away, her paw gently resting on his hand and Casper’s collar still clutched to her chest.

“Hey” she whispered, “You gave us all a fright there Jakob”
He gripped her paw tightly, images of his victory over Mendax flooding back. He remembered the chemicals they had used to attack Merlin, and wondered if it was the same as the spangle used to murder Casper.

“Merlin…” croaked fearfully, “Is he…dead?”

Mog smiled reassuringly.
“No” she said, “He’s alive and conscious and attempting to chat up some nurse. Sailveg can’t wait to get rid of him”

Laughing to himself, Jakob slowly began to make sense of his surroundings. He was floating several inches above the ground on a brightly patterned magic carpet. An assortment of strange machines surrounded him, some whistling, gurgling and emitting strange sparks and stars. Cats in white coats, with complicated instruments dangling from their collars, strolled around. Jakob turned his head finding a cat with a long pink trunk on the carpet beside his.

“I’m in Sailveg?” he asked

Mog nodded.

“So’s Halo” she said, “He’s on the same ward as Merlin, but he’s going to be okay. He just got a couple of drops of spangle on his paws from helping up at the carter”

Attempting to sit up, Jakob felt a lump form in his throat.

“I don’t want to leave” he said, “I can’t go back to Earth now…not when…when they haven’t even found Casper’s body”

Mog nodded again.

“You’re always welcome here” she reassured him, “Your Dad wants to stay to”

Jakob’s mouth fell open in delighted surprise.
“You’ve found my dad?” he asked in disbelief, “And he’s alright and everything?”

With a small smile, Mog nodded. She was still clutching Casper’s collar to her chest, her eyes still wide with grief.

“Halo got him out of Mendax’s base” she said, “He’s in the isolation wing for dark curses, but the effects are begging to wear off. He’ll be out in a couple of weeks”

She paused for a moment, obviously unsure how to share her next piece of news. Her eyes darted from side to side nervously, her heart thudding under Casper’s collar.

“Jakob” she began, “I can’t run Caji alone, not without turning into a monster like Mendax. It’s too much power. And since you’ve been unconscious for a week, I had to appoint someone without you. I’ve asked Halo, I know he’ll do his best for everyone”

Suddenly, without warning, her voice cracked and she fell sobbing into Jakob’s arms. Wordlessly he wrapped his arms around her, her fur tickling his bruised face. Without being
told, he knew what to do.

“Halo will be great” he said, “And maybe we could turn the crater into a sort of…memorial” For Casper and the others in his class who died”

Mog broke away and looked him straight in the eye.

“And Caliban” she said simply.
“No” Jakob gasped, “He worked for Mendax, cats like him are the reason Casper’s dead”

He began to cry, deep hacking sobs that shook his aching body. Tears streamed down his face in anger at the cats responsible for murdering his friend.

“No Jakob” Mog said gently, “He might have been working for Mendax, but he wasn’t doing it willingly. He died so that he could warn us, and it was his own guilt that drove him mad. He didn’t choose to join Mendax; he was being possessed controlled beyond what we’ll ever understand. And everyone deserves to be remembered”

Wiping the last of his tears from his face, Jakob smiled weakly. He was facing life on Caji under constant threat of attack. Yet proud to have freed the cats for the second time in his short life, he reached out for Casper’s collar.