Both cats eyes went wide, staring out at the screaming mass of humanity in front of them. Behind them, a New York brass section
and a Blues guitarist warmed up.
"You said you were going to get us out of this…" Muttered Thunderwolf, staring daggers into the back of the hani's head.
Helpless, Nakur could only shrug. He'd always been helpless in the face of famous people, and Mr. Goodman and Mr. Ackaroid defiantly
qualified.
"And I am." Stage whispered the hani back, taking a moment to nod to Donald "Duck" Dunn and "Bones" Malone. "One quick song, we shake a
few hands, and we're outta here."
The saborlion grabbed the hani by the shoulder and spun him face to face. "I don't KNOW any of their fucking songs, cockbreath!"
"Then just pretend you're with Shark….FAKE it!" The hani shot back, as the opening bars sounded from the bass guitar. "Security gets one
look at the face under that hat and we'll be tossed out of here." If looks could kill, the hani would have dropped dead on the spot.
Thunderwolf dropped back into the shadows and waited, pissed off, but now sucked in for the whole thing. "Remember, I give you your
cue, you cartwheel on stage. Don't blow this or we're never going to see the wine angels.
"Oh, you'll be seeing angels, one way or another…."
"Shut up!" and with that, the hani spun, turned his back to the audience as the spotlight hit him and the guitar moved into a
thumping base backbeat under the hani's low growl.
"Gooooooood evening, Ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Mandaly Bay resort and Casino. Here it is, the late 70's going on 2005 and
the music we listen to is rap and electronic disco. You never get the chance to hear master blues men practice their craft anymore. In
fact, the music known as the blues will soon only be found in the classical records department in your local public library, So, for
tonight let's sit back and listen to the masters of their craft, from Rock Island, Illinois. Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues….The BLUES
BROTHERS!" And with that, the hani spun around in place, microphone in hand, to show the audience a black hat pulled low over his head
as the thunder lion cartwheeled in. Or rather, tried to, tripping over a mike cord and nearly falling off the stage. "Jake" however,
took it all in stride, turning to the band…
"A one, a two, one, two, three four!" and with a Blast of trumpets launched into his next monolog as the lion pulled himself back up
behind the grinning hani.
"Again it's wonderful to see all you fine ladies and gentlemen who have chosen to join us in the House of Blues tonight!" Jake/Nakur
then threw a quick look at the assembling security officers gathering on the fringes of the screaming crowd. Gulp! "And we'd
especially like to welcome all the members of the Las Vegas law enforcement community who have chosen to join us here tonight!" With
that, Thunderwolf nearly swallowed his harmonica. "No matter what, or who, you take away from the concert tonight, remember that we're
all the same! You, me, him, her.." The hani shoots a glance at the assembled manpower before him. "Them…. Anybody…anybody….EVERYBODY!"
And with that, the hani launched into song.
*********************************************************************
The set was going well. Thunderwolf had discovered one of the great secrets of playing a blues harmonica: as long as the mouth harp is
tuned in the right key, no matter how bad you blow, you still sound pretty good. Nakur on the other paw was almost sung to the point of
exultation, the 45 minute set going much longer then he'd anticipated. The trouble was, every time the pair made a move for
the edge of the stage, so did all the cops. Nakur had shot a couple of worried glances to his lead guitar, and with that "Moses"
pointed to a trap door behind the drummer's platform with a wink and nod as the Band launched into an extended riff. The hani, being the
only one of the two who knew the story, grinned and took the lion by the shoulder, pretending to do an extended cakewalk as the pair
disappeared. Behind the band. The crowd continued chanting and rocking with the band as the cats slipped down through the bowels of
the resort to arrive at the loading docks.
"What now?" Whispered Nakur. "We can't just walk out the back door of this place. It's crawling with cops."
"Relax hani… I got a plan."
"Isn't that what got us here in the first place?" Grumbled the hani, eyes searching the dock.
"That was your plan… you just had to see the wine angels." Shot back Thunderwolf…."Now shut up and …there….there's our ticket out."
Nakur followed where the lion was pointing. "No way. Uh uh."
"Come on! What better way to slip out, right under their noses?"
"In a fucking COP car?"
"Yeah! It's got cop tires, cop brakes, a cop engine, a cage in the back for you…"
Nakur glared back at the lion. "You'll pay for that one."
"Not in this lifetime, loser. Besides, you see any other cars out there. We get out of here, it's their word against ours…. We were
never here."
Nakur gulped and decided against reveling the flaw in the Saborlion's thinking. After all, it's possible that none of the 3000
cameras in there got a clear shot of their faces, right? The pair scrambled off the dock and tossed the black fedoras off into the
bushes and broke for the car.
"You know how to hotwire a car, right Thunderwolf.? "Nakur asked. As the lion slid into the driver's seat and reached for the visor.
"Sure I do." And with that, a set of keys fell into the cat's lap. "But it takes too fucking long" The lion stabbed the keys in,
gunned the motor and burned rubber out of the lot.
"Gods in Feathers, asshole!" Nakur screamed as he was pressed into the seat and then the passenger side door. "You'd think they noticed
that?"
"They still think we're inside the House….." Thunderwolf paused, eyes watching the rearview mirror. "Wow those damn hotels are big.
The lights don't look like they're getting any dimmer…" Nakur spun around in his seat and had a look.
"Newsflash, moron. That's an awfully red and blue color scheme! I
told you they'd be after us!"
Thunderwolf turned full around and had a look himself. The hani gulped, the car he was riding in was traveling at 90 miles an hour
while the driver was staring BACKWARD. "Goddamn! They can't be that smart…. How the fuck did they…"
"Global Positioning, you idiot!" Chanur screamed as the lion drove onto the sidewalk, scattering a group of singing nuns and a high
school age choir. "They knew it the moment you grabbed this thing.!"
Thunderwolf thought quick, "Cut the power to the unit. Pull the fuse, Chanur."
"Where is it?"
"Fuse panel! Center of the driver's console, below the dash!" Nakur stared.
"You mean…."
Goddamn it, hani!" The saborlion grabbed Nakur by the neck and shoved him down his legs, head between the lion's knees under the
dash. Unfortunately, under the dash wasn't the only thing the hani was seeing….
"I'm going BLIND!"
"Shut the fuck up and pull the fuses unless you want to be in a hole in the desert!" Screamed back the lion. "Those assholes are getting
closer."
The hani ripped open the fuse panel and stopped short. There were over thirty multicolored fuses in there.
"Which one?"
"How would I know?" Shot back Thunderwolf, as he ran over the curb, thumping the hani's head under the dash. "Start pulling!" He yelled
as the car rebounded back into the street. Nakur panicked and grabbed for the anything to hang onto, trying to avoid being pitched
back into the foot well. The hani grabbed the first ones.
"How's that?"
"Fine if you want foreplay!" Screamed the Saborlion. "Get your Goddamn hand out of my crotch!" Nakur winced and went back to
pulling fuses. If they lived this would make one hell of a story….
Then the airbags exploded, slamming the lion back into the seat with enough force to drive the hani's head into the feline's crotch. The
hani moaned in pain… the lion just moaned as the chasing cop cars closed behind them.