Henry motioned for Mercy to follow him as he took his helmet off. The two of them walked toward the table with the other Street Sweepers and Mercy was met with seven pairs of eyes. One set was a pair of emerald green eyes silhouetted against rings of black fur that belonged to a red panda with a shotgun propped up against the wall next to them. Their company jacket was hanging off the back of their seat, and Mercy took extra notice of their exposed arms being quite muscular. They had a small scar on top of their head that seemed like they had been grazed by a bullet a long time ago. Beside them was a pair of reindeer or elk. One was brown while the other was off-white and they both had incredibly muscular bodies, extenuated by their work jackets being sleeveless. The white reindeer seemed like he had a protein shake every day versus the brown one who looked like he had one with each of his meals. 

Like a pair of refrigerators.

Both had icy blue eyes and a small gold chain dangled from each of their necks. They both were missing their antlers, but the pale one seemed to have some form of antenna or similar device installed in their place. Sitting on the table were two holographic creatures like the one from earlier, but Mercy didn’t fully recognize what kind of animals they were. One was some kind of hawk or eagle while the other was some kind of snake. 

On the other side of the table sat what Mercy would describe as an armored anteater with a short, stubby snout. There was a twinkle in their dark, beady eyes. They had short arms that ended in four bulky claws. Their natural claws had been replaced by artificial ones that lit up in striking patterns. The armor plating covering their body also appeared more metallic than what you’d expect from natural armor. They were sporting a graphic T-shirt that seemed to be worn underneath the armor. The words “GOD’S TAXIDERMY” in stylized font, with some image Mercy couldn’t decipher, decorated the front compared to the plain shirts that most of the team were wearing. Complimenting the shirt was a pair of ripped jean shorts over their bulky legs with heavy work boots adorning their feet.

I have to see how they get dressed.

Finally, the last person at the table appeared to be a baboon. Although his facial patterns were a little intimidating, he seemed to be the most relaxed person at the table. A tablet was sitting on his lap and he seemed to be in the middle of some video game. He was looking up at Mercy with brown eyes so bright that they almost appeared orange. He had a bright red band around his arm with a white cross on it. He also wore a graphic T-shirt, but it was a generic series of geometric symbols forming a repeating pattern.

“Henry, I thought you said you were bringing a new teammate, not a supermodel.” The red panda leaned forward with a smug expression on her face. Mercy felt somewhat embarrassed.

“Dibs!” The anteater excitedly chirped.

“Wait a second, you can’t call dibs!” The baboon protested.

“Too late. Dibs!”

“No one calls dibs.” Henry sighed and turned to Mercy. “Alright, quick introductions.” His free hand pointed to the eager anteater. “That troublemaker is Aimee.” She waved her hand, waggling her claws in a flirtatious manner. “She’s the youngest one here.”

“And thus, the least boring.” Henry’s hand redirected to point at the baboon.

“This is Luke” Luke pointed a playful finger gun at Mercy. She noticed there was a metallic pad on his fingertip.

“Sup..” He immediately went back to playing his game.

“The zodiacs here belong to Sasha.” Henry motioned to the pale reindeer. “It’s, uh…”

“Sroczko(sir-roach-co) and Rybko(rib-co).” Despite Sasha having a monotone voice, Mercy could faintly detect a hint of annoyance in having to repeat himself. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she knew what those names meant, but couldn’t bring the thought to fruition.

“Right, thanks.” Sasha looked up from his food and locked eyes with Mercy. His narrow pupils were tracing her face, intensely registering every detail.

God, I hate the way he’s looking at me.

“Do…do I know you?” He stared at her in disbelief, his eyes seeming to ask if she was serious. Mercy could hear him swallowing over the music.

“I…no, I suppose not. Mój błąd(moy blahmf).” 

He definitely knows me. How? Who is he?

Henry motioned to the other reindeer. 

“That’s his brother, Boris.” Boris simply nodded as he continued eating.

I see where his priorities lie…

 “And finally, the team second-in-command, Reggie.” The red panda pretended to curtsy.

“Enchanté, mademoiselle.” Although she was acting sarcastic, Reggie’s tone told Mercy that she was as excited as Aimee to meet her.

Maybe she’s the fun mom of the group?

Realizing the whole group was watching her with anticipation, Mercy felt a bit shy in front of everyone.

“Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you.” Henry turned to her.

“You want to say your name or should I?”

“Oh, right…uh…Mercy. Call me Mercy.” There were approving nods and a few smiles from the group.

“Alright! Another girl on the team!” Aimee pumped her hands in the air. “This team is such a sausage fest.” She excitedly tapped her claws on the table. “Ooh ooh ooh! What should we call the girl team?”

“Does it need a name?” Luke didn’t look up from his game.

“All the cool teams have a name!” Aimee brought a claw to her chin, pondering the options. “Like all the blockbusters have a good one!”

“Speaking of which.” Henry placed his helmet on the table and pulled up a chair to sit down. “Aimee, have you heard from Diego today?” She vigorously shook her head.

“Oh yeah, where is Diego? Just realized that I haven’t heard anything from him either.” Luke looked up. “You guys?” Reggie, Boris and Sasha shook their heads.

“That’s because he quit.” The entire table turned to Henry. Mercy quietly stood and watched. Although he appeared calm, she could see Henry squirm just a little.

He’s nervous. Why is he nervous?

“When?” Reggie dropped the sarcastic act.

“Three days ago. Gerald had assumed he told us.” Henry turned to Aimee. “Did he tell you?” The table turned to her.

“Why are you asking me?” Everyone at the table stared back, completely deadpanned. Mercy couldn’t help but smirk.

Damn, glad that’s not me right now.

“Ugh, no, I mean, not exactly.” She looked down at the table. “After…after the Jeremiah Xing bounty, he was…he was pretty upset.” Mercy was almost expecting Aimee to curl up in a ball with how much she was shying away from Henry. Reggie let out a loud sigh.

“Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.” Mercy watched Reggie lock eyes with Henry. His body was becoming tense. “Henry, we didn’t realize we were spamming you while you were busy. Our bad. Probably should have been a group chat, so our bad.” Boris, Sasha, Luke and Aimee nodded in agreement. “But, when you talked with me earlier, you made it sound like it was going to be a quick thing. And maybe it was supposed to be short, but you could have given us an update. But you didn’t, and that put us in a hard spot between dealing with you and Gerald.” The group sat quietly, waiting for Henry.

“I’m sorry about what I said to you all this morning.” Henry almost sounded like he was about to growl.

Wow, don’t know what he said, but he sounds like he’s ready to pop off again.

“And we know you’re sorry and appreciate the apology.” Reggie picked up the empty bowl in front of her and turned it over to demonstrate its contents had been thoroughly consumed. “But between this and Diego, it’s clear you’ve got too much going on that you aren’t telling us.” She set the bowl down. 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Mercy could hear the rising frustration in his voice.

“It’s not supposed to “mean” anything, Henry.” Reggie took a deep breath. “Henry, we’ve been doing this for a few years now and I don’t think anyone here has heard you say anything about Lily and the kids.” Mercy could see Henry’s fur stand on edge. His eyes were cutting.

“Who’s Lily?!” Aimee was suddenly very interested in a woman’s name being brought up.

“My sister-in-law.” Henry was gritting his teeth. Luke’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t lift his gaze from his tablet.

“You have kids?” He seemed utterly baffled at the concept of Henry being a parent. Mercy continued to smirk, but it was more of an awkward smirk as Henry became increasingly angry.

“Yes.” Henry turned back to Reggie. “I’m very deliberate about what info I do or don’t share.” Henry’s voice rumbled in his throat.

Note to self: captain does not like folks getting in his business.

“And that’s perfectly fine, until it causes problems for us.” Reggie stood up and Mercy was shocked by how short she was. She looked barely taller than a meter. Reggie ended up standing on her chair so she could reach Henry’s hand and take it in her own. “I’m not saying you need to tell us every little thing, but at the very least, when something comes up, please tell me so I can smooth things over. Okay?”

There was an affectionate sincerity in the way Reggie held Henry’s hand that was a bit surprising to Mercy considering they were both bounty hunters. As she studied Henry, Mercy could tell he was frustrated but he calmly sat with his gaze focused on Reggie’s small, scarred fingers. His eyes traced the shape of each finger clasped onto his hand as he appeared to be digesting what Reggie had said to him. 

Are they…?

The group sat in silence waiting for Henry to speak while faint Caribbean music drifted through the air. After a minute or two, Henry took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“Fine, but I want you to promise me that you won’t just spill the details of everything I tell you. Fair?”

“That works for me.” Reggie panned her head to gauge the others’ reactions. Aimee and Sasha nodded in approval while Boris and Luke both gave a thumbs up. 

“Good, now can we move on?”

“Sure thing, captain.” Mercy watched Reggie gently squeeze Henry’s hand and just before she let go, he gently squeezed one of her fingers. 

“Good, cus I was gettin’ tired holdin’ ya food.” Mercy was startled as she watched an arm holding a tray slide past her. “Sorry miss. Jus’ a moment.” With great steadiness, the tray was set on the table that had two bowls of what Mercy would describe as highly fragrant, colorful, steaming hot mush. Mercy’s mouth began watering as she imagined the flavors. She could feel her hearts racing. “Jus’ come to the counter when ya ready.”

“Thanks, Winston.” Henry grabbed one bowl and slid the tray to be beside him. Aimee tapped Luke on the arm.

“Luke, move so Mercy can sit with me.” He was about to protest, but Henry interrupted.

“Actually Luke, switch with Reggie. We’ve gotta do some onboarding with Mercy first.” 

Luke began grumbling when the front door slammed open. Everyone turned to see an incredibly panicked badger standing in the doorway. Although their clothes were worn and had some holes, they didn’t appear injured. They immediately rushed to close the door and began fidgeting with the doorknob.

What in the world are they doing?

“Winston, how do I lock this!?” The woman shouted. Mercy noticed everyone at the table was on alert.

“Woah woah Patricia, what’s wrong?” 

“How do I lock the door!?” She sounded incredibly desperate.

“I…I need to get the keys…” She rushed over to the counter.

“Is there another way out of here?!”

“There’s a door in the kitchen, but we restocked today, so it’s blocked.” Winston grabbed her by the arm. “Patricia, what’s got ya so scared?” She quickly turned to look out the front window.

“This guy’s been chasing me all morning.”

So we’re dealing with a creep?

“I saw him earlier and thought he was just a homeless guy that was stalking me, but I tried to confront him and he…” Everyone froze when they heard a metallic scraping get closer. Patricia’s eyes grew wider with each scrape until a shadowy figure creeped into view of the window. People walking along the street were trying to avoid the individual as they moved past them. They were draped in rags and the scraping sound seemed to happen every time they took a step. 

What the hell are they doing to make that noise?

Mercy felt Henry grab her arm.

“I know your scores sucked, but you grabbed a pistol, right?” 

What do you think, smart guy?

She shook her head, not taking her eyes off the figure. The way they moved was uncanny, as if each motion was done in sequence instead of smooth and cooperative motions between body parts. 

“Patricia! Everyone! Back away from the door, now! We will handle this!” The denizens of the restaurant followed Henry’s orders, with Winston guiding Patricia to the end of the counter. “Reggie, give me your spare!” Mercy could hear a gun being drawn from a holster and then she felt the cold steel being pushed into her free hand. “Line up the three green dots and pull the trigger when the middle one is where you want it.”

“What happened to this being a “no gun” zone?” She could hear Henry put his helmet back on. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue glow light up the area. Most likely it was the zodiacs being activated.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t dissuade folks with ‘em.”  He turned up the volume of his helmet microphone. “No one else shoots until I give the order!”

Everyone in the building watched in silence as the shadowy figure made their way to the front door. Their face was entirely concealed, but it was clear they were looking in, their head jerking around to turn until it lingered, looking to Mercy’s left. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see Patricia had almost made it to the kitchen but now stood trembling as Winston was struggling to get her to move. Looking back to the figure, its head jerked down and the sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard while the doorknob jiggled in the worn door. After an excruciating few seconds of listening to this stranger fidget with the doorknob, the door sporadically creaked open. The metal bells jingled with each jerk of the figure’s arm until it was fully open and they took a lurching step inside.