Adventures of Black Cat.

Part 5: Taking the opportunity

As Ana Santos wonders what to do next, with Felicia pole-tied behind her and partially subdued internally by the aftermath of the taser strike, she curses herself for sleeping on the job and for not insisting to get back up in trying to cutoff Felicia’s catsuit. She says:

Ana: Você está brincando comigo? Ana? Eu estava recebendo e acabei dormindo! I never do that! I thought the tie was inescapable. (She then turns to Felicia and wipes her leg to see if there was any coating on the catsuit that caused Felicia to slip the ropes. The thing is, Ana has assumed that slipping free was the only strategy Felicia could use!). Should I call Cassidy? No, I think she might get mad if she suspected I was sleeping on the job. Then again, could I propose to Cassidy that we put this garotagato in a cage?

As Ana thinks about how to handle the fallout of Felicia’s attempted escape, Felicia uses her claws to cut the zipties at her wrist and the rope around her waist. Felicia also notices that her legs are strong enough to break the flimsy zipties at her ankles. Before Felicia fully escapes, she baits Ana into coming near to “check her leg because a probe have been left in”. Before Ana can bend down, Felicia uses the ropes and the pole to pick up her legs and squish Ana’s neck between her knees until she passes out.

After Ana passes out, Felicia slips below the ropes and then uses same those ropes and other remnants thereof to tie Ana in a spreadeagle position on a bed in the corner with no mattress that was likely put there to be sold at garage sale or as free furniture on the curb. Felicia takes Ana’s phone as intel, tape gags Ana, and begins to speculate where Cassidy could have put her confiscated gear. She says to herself:

Felicia: Now that I have this guard or…reads name tag…Ana diva tucked into bed so to speak, I have to find my gear to ensure Cassidy can’t blackmail me. The product designer who I bribed to work on the electronics of the gauntlet was in violation of the Defense Production Act that guards unknown customers or non-manufacturing companies like me from receiving component parts from across the border that could threaten national security. Then again, what do blondies like her know about such things? The store opens up at 9 and the time is 7, I will have to be thorough but quick.

Felicia descends to the shopfloor and sees that the storefront windows are closed which allows her to walk around without frightening or amazing any neutrals. The shelves are stocked with pet food and toys in a very narrow layout where big bags and storage bins are easy to notice. She then looks around the cashier desk but doesn’t come across anything that is noticeable of could be concealed.

She then takes a look inside the breakroom at the back of the store but also sees nothing of relevance until something catches her eye: She sees a white board near the fridge that says “Wall of Shame” in the middle and with arrows pointing out from the middle at pictures of petty thieves caught on camera.

Felicia is then enraged to see that her picture will be posted on that wall as it says in the marker-drawn square where her picture would be: “Photo pending (thief turned in-house prisoner)”. Felicia responds by writing over the blank text block “Not for long” after drawing an “X” through the word “pending”.

Felicia than takes out Ana’s cellphone and easily gets Cassidy’s home address by matching her cell number to her whereabouts late at night through GPS. Felicia thinks it is likely that her gear is being held in Cassidy’s apartment. Will Felicia be merciful and reconcile? Will she be diplomatic? Or will she use brute force? The ball is in Felicia’s court, and there is seemingly nothing Cassidy can do.