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"Well...got kinda worried when you were runnin' late, so I gave Eri a call," Bryn began, favoring his sister with a serious nod. "She and Alex said you'd taken off a while before...and I figured somethin' might've happened. Walked your normal route home, ran into Mort over at Crowheiser's as he was locking up for the night, and he mentioned that he'd seen you go by a little earlier. Thought it was kinda weird, so he remembered...pointed me in the direction ya went. After that, it was a lot of pokin' around and legwork. Luckily, though, these jokers left that truck we heard about out back at the loading dock...so I figured out ya might just be in here. Turns out I was right."

"Lucky for me," Cody chuckled quietly, knowing that luck indeed had a lot to do with this rescue. To take nothing away from her brother's determined and resourceful efforts; which made up the lion's share of the equation, to be sure.

He nodded, and smiled with brotherly warmth. "Lucky for us both..." The smirk quirked his mouth again, and his ears gave a playful twitch, as he joked, "Could you imagine how ticked Uncle B would be if I lost ya while he was away...?"

But then, the smiles and good feelings faded slightly from the reunited twins' faces, as cold reality crept back in; as they stood bantering from opposite sides of a wall of steely bars. Cody was untied, Bryn was here to help...but she was still locked in the cage. And, judging by the worried look Bryn was giving the bars, he didn't have the key. She was still trapped, no matter how one sliced the issue. Sharing a long, serious look, the twins each set about trying to rectify that situation, without another word.

For Cody's part, she crept around the walls of her prison, tugging and wrenching at the bars, finding them every bit as solid and unyielding as they appeared. Her ears drooped back in dismay at that discovery, the faintly-flaring hope that luck might be on her side yet again and that the cage might have a weak spot vanishing with the suddenness a birthday candle snuffed out by an eager child. She shook her head at Bryn, who was looking toward her with hopeful curiosity from the midst of his own roving search around the cluttered chamber. He looked as frustrated and worried as Cody herself felt.

The stubbornly hopeful catgirl continued to study her steel-strong entrapment, wandering restlessly around the prison like a caged tiger. Every second that ticked past ratcheted her anxiety up another notch, as she became ever-more-certain that the villains would return. If they found her like this - or worse yet, found Bryn - she shuddered to think what might happen. In spite of all his courage and pluck, Bryn wasn't likely to be a match for the horde of goons who would doubtless crash down upon him. At the very least, they would both become prisoners. At worst...

She was shaken from this grim reverie, however, by the sight of her blond-haired opposite number popping back up from behind a stack of crates witha triumphant smile on his face. He hurried over, brandishing the heavy crowbar which he now carried, and let his eyes roam across the cage, looking for the place where the crowbar would do the most good. Choosing quickly, Bryn inserted the pry-bar end in the narrow gap between the cage door and its frame and nodded to Cody, who had positioned herself with her hands firmly grasping the bars of the door, feet planted firmly and body tilted forward to throw her whole body into the effort to ahead. "Piece'a'cake..." Bryn quipped with typically positive humor, and braced himself as well.

Then, with a nod in unison, the twins each began to strive with all their might in the quest to win Cody's freedom. She pushed against the door and he pulled at the lever-bar, both of their faces slowly twisting into grimaces of utter strain, soft growls echoing dully in the crate-filled store-room's silence. The bars and lock of the cage creaked a bit, but held fast as the battle wore on, in defiance of Bryn's optimistic prediction...

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On to "Kitten in a Cage...", pt 5

Description
"Well...got kinda worried when you were runnin' late, so I gave Eri a call," Bryn began, favoring his sister with a serious nod. "She and Alex said you'd taken off a while before...and I figured somethin' might've happened. Walked your normal route home, ran into Mort over at Crowheiser's as he was locking up for the night, and he mentioned that he'd seen you go by a little earlier. Thought it was kinda weird, so he remembered...pointed me in the direction ya went. After that, it was a lot of pokin' around and legwork. Luckily, though, these jokers left that truck we heard about out back at the loading dock...so I figured out ya might just be in here. Turns out I was right."

"Lucky for me," Cody chuckled quietly, knowing that luck indeed had a lot to do with this rescue. To take nothing away from her brother's determined and resourceful efforts; which made up the lion's share of the equation, to be sure.

He nodded, and smiled with brotherly warmth. "Lucky for us both..." The smirk quirked his mouth again, and his ears gave a playful twitch, as he joked, "Could you imagine how ticked Uncle B would be if I lost ya while he was away...?"

But then, the smiles and good feelings faded slightly from the reunited twins' faces, as cold reality crept back in; as they stood bantering from opposite sides of a wall of steely bars. Cody was untied, Bryn was here to help...but she was still locked in the cage. And, judging by the worried look Bryn was giving the bars, he didn't have the key. She was still trapped, no matter how one sliced the issue. Sharing a long, serious look, the twins each set about trying to rectify that situation, without another word.

For Cody's part, she crept around the walls of her prison, tugging and wrenching at the bars, finding them every bit as solid and unyielding as they appeared. Her ears drooped back in dismay at that discovery, the faintly-flaring hope that luck might be on her side yet again and that the cage might have a weak spot vanishing with the suddenness a birthday candle snuffed out by an eager child. She shook her head at Bryn, who was looking toward her with hopeful curiosity from the midst of his own roving search around the cluttered chamber. He looked as frustrated and worried as Cody herself felt.

The stubbornly hopeful catgirl continued to study her steel-strong entrapment, wandering restlessly around the prison like a caged tiger. Every second that ticked past ratcheted her anxiety up another notch, as she became ever-more-certain that the villains would return. If they found her like this - or worse yet, found Bryn - she shuddered to think what might happen. In spite of all his courage and pluck, Bryn wasn't likely to be a match for the horde of goons who would doubtless crash down upon him. At the very least, they would both become prisoners. At worst...

She was shaken from this grim reverie, however, by the sight of her blond-haired opposite number popping back up from behind a stack of crates witha triumphant smile on his face. He hurried over, brandishing the heavy crowbar which he now carried, and let his eyes roam across the cage, looking for the place where the crowbar would do the most good. Choosing quickly, Bryn inserted the pry-bar end in the narrow gap between the cage door and its frame and nodded to Cody, who had positioned herself with her hands firmly grasping the bars of the door, feet planted firmly and body tilted forward to throw her whole body into the effort to ahead. "Piece'a'cake..." Bryn quipped with typically positive humor, and braced himself as well.

Then, with a nod in unison, the twins each began to strive with all their might in the quest to win Cody's freedom. She pushed against the door and he pulled at the lever-bar, both of their faces slowly twisting into grimaces of utter strain, soft growls echoing dully in the crate-filled store-room's silence. The bars and lock of the cage creaked a bit, but held fast as the battle wore on, in defiance of Bryn's optimistic prediction...

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On to "Kitten in a Cage...", pt 5