Justice Has a Name...

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Darkness had only just fallen over the city when a shrouded figure crept forth to survey the night. It was Basil's first test of his new identity, and he wanted to take no chances of missing a suitable crime to foil. Crouched on a first-floor window ledge (that's the second floor to you non-Brits), he merged with the shadows around him, scanning the pavement below.

Drat, were there no criminals about? Perhaps it was too early, or too respectable a neighborhood.

Basil's impatience drove him to seek the seamier sections of the city, leaping easily from ledge to ledge, his natural agility increased tenfold by the unknown energies surging through his lean form.

As he waited, alert for any telltale signs of evildoing, Basil worked at composing a suitable opening remark, something with a bit of dash to it, something memorable...

[Snake Charmer]

As the rodent vigilante waited in the darkness, trying his best to ponder a catchy heroic phrase, something stirred in the shadows of the city below. Either Basil would be too engrossed in his thoughts to notice it, or would be swiftly distracted from said thoughts by the hidden creature.

In a dark alley just below where Basil was perched (or was in the process of leaping off of or onto, if he was still in motion), nearly pitch black thanks to its seclusion and the disappearance of the sun, something was creeping about, unseen - and whatever it was, it surely wasn't human. Due to the darkness it would be difficult to tell just what it was (except, maybe, for an expert mouse detective), but... it seemed as if it was slithering. Winding through the alleys and around trash cans. And it seemed to be incredibly lengthy, if one followed the vague form it cast in the darkness.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Basil's travels took him at last to a blind alley, replete with litter, the dregs of any large city. He stood now upon the pavement, hoping that a closer inspection would provide a clue of some sort.

Alas, it was no use. The entire idea had been a monumental waste of time, a fact which rendered the detective more depressed than ever.

Former detective, he thought to himself bitterly.

Shoulders sagging, heaving a sigh of disappointment, the erstwhile super-hero prepared to admit defeat.

[Snake Charmer]

There would soon be a quick change of luck for the great mouse detective, at that moment - whether it was a change for the better or the worse was questionable, however.

Basil would now catch his first glimpse of the slithering shadow lurking in the alleyways, and as good a glimpse as any. Almost directly in front of him, at the narrow entrance to the alley he stood in, a massive silhouetted form slided on by - granted, Basil was a mouse, but were he even ten times taller, the creature would most likely seem just as intimidating. The first visible part of the creature was its head, making it easily identifiable as a snake - a python, to be exact. It seemed as average a python as any, not adorned with any sort of clothing like many of the animals in this city. It was an exceptionally large specimen, however - it would have taken at least thirteen seconds for the entirety of its body to pass by Basil's line of sight.

The snake, at first, seemed to not notice Basil at all - but, as its tongue flicked in and out of its scaly mouth to 'smell' its surroundings, it was likely that it did, indeed, sense his presence. At any rate, the mouse, which the snake presumed to be an ordinary city rat (it didn't get a look at Basil), was ignored. The serpent was after much larger prey, tonight.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Turning back toward the entrance to the alleyway, Basil caught a glimpse of something, something large...

"Egad, a snake! Python sebae, I believe." Even in cases of extremis, the detective recalled his Latin.

Instinctively, he leapt backward, momentarily forgetting to account for his enhanced abilities and slamming his shoulder painfully into a packing crate.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Justice kept his face toward the monster, mentally calculating his best escape route. He said nothing, for one does not generally address predators.

But what was such a large snake doing roaming the streets of the city?

[Snake Charmer]

As soon as the startled Basil spoke in alarm, the great reptile promptly stopped in its legless tracks - the sound of the mouse colliding with the nearby crate also probably helped in catching its attention. Whereas before, the snake paid no mind to the rodent it sensed, the realization that it could speak seemed to warrant further inspection.

Twisting its lengthy body around, the snake's front half slithered into view until its bright yellow eyes finally caught a glimpse of Basil. Clothes? This was indeed no ordinary rodent. A sly grin curled up across the python's scaly snout, as it slowly and nonchalantly made its way toward the mouse. If this snake did have predatory intentions towards Basil, they were well hidden at this moment.

"Ssssay, now," a smooth, silky voice spoke up, with a hissing lisp. "What have we here?" The snake, too, had the ability to speak, it seems - the voice was relatively masculine, as well, indicating that the snake was male. Stopping shortly in front of Basil to lift his comparatively huge head up off of the ground, the python coolly looked down upon the mouse, and chuckled lightly. "No need to fear me, little mousssse," he attempted to console the frightened rodent with his soothing (if also rather unsettling) voice. "I have no tassste for rodent, this night." It seemed that the serpent was merely trying to strike a friendly conversation, but... there was a certain something about him that seemed to clearly allude to an untrustworthy demeanor hidden beneath that canny grin.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

As the spotted coils undulated more fully into view, Basil could scarcely suppress his amazement. The beast was massive, fully large enough to swallow a human! And Basil had no desire to become its appetizer.

But, suppress it he did, calling upon his considerable acting skills to appear nonchalant. Besides which, that "little mouse" remark got his dander up. Little, indeed!

Drawing himself up to his full three-and-one-eigth-inches, The Midnight Mouse inclined his head formally. "Fear you? You flatter yourself, sir."

Perhaps needlessly antagonizing such a creature was not such a good idea. Alas, too late. "I was mearly making my rounds of the city, making the streets safe for innocents and all that. Permit me to present myself: Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier, at your service." This last was said with a slight flourish of his inky cape.

The snake's oily manners did not for a moment alter Basil's opinion. He trusted no snake on principle, and this one less than most, for he had a distinct air of the confidence trickster about him, far too smooth to be believed.

[Snake Charmer]

As the dapper-looking mouse responded to the python's words, the snake let him speak, gazing down at him from up high with a yellow-eyed stare that could easily be interpreted as condescending, accompanied by an equally smug grin. The mouse had a feisty demeanor about him that the snake quickly picked up, and seemed to find outright amusing - a tiny rodent showing such spunk in the face of the magnificent, powerful Snake Charmer.

The snake's lazy eyelids lifted up in interest as the mouse revealed his alias, and his smirk seemed to stretch as Basil flamboyantly swished his cape. "Jussstice, isss it?" he hissed, his forked tongue flickering out of his lips as he pronounced his "s"es and soft "c"s. It seems the rodent believed himself to be a crimefighter. Theoretically, this should be a problem for the serpent... but, really, how could a mere mouse of all things keep him from getting what he wanted? The snake chuckled once more, clearly unaware that Basil had some powers of his own. "Pleasssed to make your acquaintenccce," he responded to the mouse's introduction with well-disguised mock politeness, complete with a light bow of the head.

"You may call me..." The snake stopped for a moment, as if pondering. Even if it was only a mouse, it would be unwise to share his true alias with him... best to just provide the name that he was given by the zookeepers. "Kaa." The python made a grin that seemed just a bit sheepish, as if hiding something. He seemed prepared to slither away, in fact - he had meals to catch, and couldn't very well chat with this meager morsel all night. But all snakes have amazing patience, and so he waited for the most tactful moment in the conversation to make his leave, leaving the so-called Cloaked Cavalier clueless as to his less-than-admirable intentions.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

What a thoroughly unpleasant creature, thought Basil. His silky voice fell on the ear like icewater down the back of one's collar, forcing the rodent to supress a shiver.

"You may call me...Kaa."

That significant pause was not lost on the Cloaked Cavalier. Clearly, the snake had something to hide if he felt the need to give an alias.

"Well, Mr. Kaa," continued Basil, "I shan't keep you. I'm sure you have as many demands on your time as I. A very good evening to you."

After an icily polite bow, the Midnight Mouse raised his chin high and strode purposefully, yet not hurriedly, out of the alley. Of course, this necessitated passing relatively close to the great coils. But Basil was determined to show nothing that might be interpreted as fear. Even if it was, perhaps, a bit foolhardy.

Beneath his cloak, his long fingers grasped the hilt of his sword, ready at a moment's notice to bring the weapon into play.

[Snake Charmer]

The mouse didn't seem all that receptive of the snake's false politeness. Granted, he was a mouse, a creature that didn't have much reason to show any friendliness towards snake-kind... but it could also be that the mouse managed to see through Kaa's facade. The python was just a bit intrigued by the cold shoulder that the rodent seemed to give him, lightly lifting the eyelids that covered his wide yellow orbs. Maybe even a little offended by such an inferior creature treating him in such a way - but, that didn't show.

Oh, well, no matter. The quicker the mouse went on his own way, the quicker Snake Charmer could resume his own, erm, duties. And if the mouse did suspect something, even then there was nothing to worry about... again, it was no more than a mouse. A mouse that wore clothes and called itself an avenger of justice - but a mouse, none the less.

Kaa once again put on his slimy grin as the mouse began to make his leave. As the tiny creature strode past his side, the huge reptile was briefly tempted to grab him in his coils and "toy" with him a little, perhaps even making him into an appetizer. Kaa controlled his sadistic tendencies this time, however - as enticing as it sounded, he had better things to do than tormenting smaller creatures. He could do that another time.

"Yesss, ssso long, erm..." Kaa struggled to remember the mouse's rather wordy alias. "Missster Cloaked Avenger," he corrected himself with a chuckle. "I wisssh you luck on your patrol. As for me... I have some businessss of my own to attend to." A certain gleeful malice could be hinted at in the python's last words, before he carefully twisted his coils around and began to slither away into the darkness of the city. He seemed to be taking his time as he dragged his great form over the concrete, as if he had all night... allowing the mouse to give careful pursuit, if he so wished.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

"Yesss, ssso long, erm...Missster Cloaked Avenger"

The Mouse of Mystery stiffened momentarily, then continued on his way without either answering or acknowledging the snake further. Humph. Cloaked Cavalier, he retorted huffily in his silent thoughts.

Once out of sight around the corner, Basil sprang into action. Kaa certainly qualified as a suspicious character, and if he was not up to something underhanded now, he most assuredly would be at some future date.

First things first: the detective whipped out a magnifying lens and trained it upon the pavement where the creature had passed. Even a legless animal leaves traces, and a careful examination of the ground revealed the telltale marks. These Basil studied until he was certain he could single out Kaa's trail from among those of other serpents.

Now, he would follow that trail, never needing to draw close enough to be seen or heard, just in case the snake was expecting him.

Hmmm...perhaps 'Cloaked Avenger' would have been a better name after all...

[Snake Charmer]

None the wiser, the incredibly lengthy constrictor slithered along on his merry way through the darkness of Epcot City's alleyways and shady corners, eager to begin his hunting. A sinister grin crept along his snout at the thought of enjoying the tastiest dish he'd ever had the pleasure of consuming - man.

Kaa's trail would have been relatively easy for Basil to track, at first; he simply crawled along the concrete, leaving a trail invisible to most but easily decipherable by a mouse, no less the keenest detective in all of mousedom. However, things were about to become a bit trickier for the Cloaked Cavalier. The trail crept over to the edge of an apartment complex, and simply... stopped, shortly before where the ground met the building's brick wall. Kaa had begun to ascend up the building's wall, more or less perpendicular to the flat ground - a simple task for a snake, although the python's weight made it a bit more difficult than usual. At any rate, the serpent was headed towards one of the apartment's windows, which was dark from the lack of light from within - signifying to the Snake Charmer that his prey was sound asleep.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Moving silently was nothing new to Basil. Flitting from shadow to shadow, he crept along the snake's trail, creating barely a ripple in the stillness.

The traces led to a brick wall, and then vanished. The detective's brow creased in consternation beneath his silken mask. But nowhere in any direction could he pick it up again. Either he sprouted wings and flew away or...

Craning his neck upward, The Midnight Mouse was rewarded with a clue. Out came the ever-ready lens--yes, it was a tiny fragment of snakeskin, scraped off on the rough brickwork.

So, the creature scaled the wall, eh? Quite an accomplishment for one of his bulk. Basil made a mental note: Kaa was more agile than he appeared.

Well, mice could climb quite handily, as every tiny crack served as a suitable foothold. And to The Cloaked Cavalier, with his enhanced agility, the wall would pose no challenge at all.

Squaring his shoulders, the Mouse of Mystery began the ascent, certain that whatever the snake's purpose, it must be of a sinister nature.

[Snake Charmer]

Basil would no doubt be surprised by the reptile's quickness to ascend the perfectly vertical brick wall and reach that particular dark window which he was after. By the time the mouse had tracked Kaa's trail to that very window, he would find that it was open. How a snake could manage to open a closed window was anybody's guess...

Basil might have been able to catch a glimpse of the very end of Kaa's brown splotched tail sliding in through the window - he was so ludicrously long that there was simply no way he could bring all of his scaly person into the room at once. At any rate, the python had soon hauled the entirety of his lengthy form into the dark room, devoid of light. His wide yellow eyes scanned the area, and his red tongue slipped in and out of his lips to try and catch his prey's scent. He had no luck, however - nobody was in this room. The snake seemed somewhat perturbed by this at first, quietly hissing something under his breath, but he quickly reconciled himself. No matter, he thought. If he knew anything about humans, he was certain that somebody would return to this room, eventually - most likely the person who lived here.

And Kaa, being calculatingly patient like all snakes, was more than willing to wait as long as he had to for his quarry to appear. A sinister smirk replaced the bothered scowl on his snout, as he lowered his head to the floor once again, and headed for the darkest, most hard-to-see portion of the room he could find - underneath a bed. It took a while, but he soon managed to bring every inch of his coils into the shadows of that particular spot, and curled them all up into a thick, compact heap. To the untrained eye, he would have looked like no more than a mound of clothes in this darkness - but, in just the right light and angle, the snake's cold yellow eyes might become visible.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

There were precious few indications of Kaa's passing on the face of the building, one other bit of shed skin, then nothing at all. Still, the logical place to search was in the only open window in Basil's path.

Stepping carefully onto the sill, Justice examined it minutely. It was all he could do to refrain from a triumphant cry of 'Aha!' at the telltale signs that something had recently been dragged through the window. Doubtless it was the coils of his quarry.

The mouse crouched there on the threshold for quite some time, listening, peering into the darkened interior, but not a sign did he perceive, even with his enhanced senses. He could make out the outlines of furnishings: bed, chest of drawers, moving-picture machine...plenty of places to hide, even for thirty-odd feet of reptile.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, Justice frowned with distaste at the way the moon must've revealed his outline to any occupant of the room. who happened to be glancing his way. Amateurish, Basil, and frightfully sloppy. But there was no help for it. At least his ears told him that there was no one sleeping within.

The detective slid silently behind the edge of the window drape to wait. He had followed the snake in hopes of preventing some crime, but until said crime was perpetrated, there was nothing for a champion of the law to do.

Well, technically, Kaa was tresspassing, but that was hardly the type of crime to interest The Cloaked Cavalier. Basil mused upon the creature's purpose. Theft? Did snakes have any use for money or jewels in this strange future world? Or was something more violent on its mind?

[Snake Charmer]

Kaa's eyes wandered across the room as he lie in wait, as motionless as a rock - until he saw a distinctive silhouette standing upon the windowsill, clearly outlined by the rising moon.

It couldn't be... it was that mouse! The same oddly-dressed rodent that Kaa had come across back down in the alleys below... The Cloaked Defender, was he called? No matter what his ridiculous name actually was, Kaa thought, he was a terribly foolish mouse to think he could get away with trying to foil his hunting. He would have to pay dearly for even daring to interfere with the great Snake Charmer's plans.

Kaa could have easily revealed himself then and there to confront the mouse, and he would have become an appetizer in no time. But, Kaa had a better plan in mind. One that would require far less chasing... and would be much more enjoyable.

As carefully and silently as he could, Kaa extended his tail from the scaly mass that his bunched-up coils currently formed. The pointed tail, effectively obscured by the darkness of the room and the shadows of whatever was lying about, crept along, taking care not to touch a thing... yet. Once it had gotten close enough to a good-sized cardboard box, it threw all caution into the wind - with a WHAP, the box was sent toppling to the ground, its numerous belongings scattering about. Kaa's tail immediately retreated back to underneath the bed, as the snake waited for the mouse to come in and investigate the sudden noise.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

In the deathly stillness, the sudden clatter of falling objects sounded loud enough to wake the dead.

Oh, this was such an obvious trap. Basil could see the outline of the debris scattered about the floor, but he had no intention of playing that game. Or...

If any eye could have penetrated the darkness that overshadowed the mouse's face, they should've seen a grim smile creep slowly across it. Perhaps he would accept the snake's invitation after all.

Steeling himself for the coming ordeal, Justice leapt from sill to table in one fluid motion, a whisper of moving air the only sign. An instant's pause, then a second leap to an ottoman, thence to the floor, where he crouched silently.

There were three likely hiding places for so large a reptile: under the bed, under the bureau, and inside the open closet. The Mouse of Mystery straightened, a shadow amid the shadows, waiting...

[Snake Charmer]

Kaa grinned darkly as he watched the mouse swiftly approach the box. Looks like the little fool fell for it... or, so the snake thought. At any rate, now was his chance...

With silence that belied his massive size, the python began to unfurl himself from the nondescript mound that his coils had formed in the shadows underneath the bed. The snake was so long, however, that by the time his head had left the darkness beneath the bed, there were still plenty of coils bunched up underneath it. Closer and closer his scaly head crept towards Basil... until, when at just the right position, he made his strike.

Like all snakes, even a serpent as large as Kaa was capable of incredible and sudden bursts of speed when stalking prey. Like a bolt of lightning, he burst forth from the darkness towards Basil. If the mouse was quick enough to react in time, he might have been able to dodge - but if he was just a second too late, he would have instantly become trapped within the confines of the snake's mighty coils. It all depended on the mouse's reflexes, but Kaa took the chance, confident that he would be able to recover and catch the mouse anyway if he missed this first time.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Justice waited in the gloom for the attack.

Indeed, it was not long in coming. With scarcely a sound, his reptillian quarry turned from prey to predator, flinging its coils out of the shadows to ensnare the detective.

It took all the resolve Basil could muster to resist the urge to leap aside. Would he have had the agility to successfully dodge his scaly attacker? Who can say? As it was, the Midnight Mouse barely moved as the coils surrounded him.

It was a horrific experience, one that Basil was not eager to repeat, but he willed himself to remain calm as the spade-shaped head came into view.

"So, you reveal yourself at last. I'll have you know that the citizens of this city are now under the protection of Justice, the Cloaked Cavalier. And I have no intention of allowing the innocent to be snatched from their beds to satisfy your villainous appetite."

Enough witty repartee; time for action. Basil would give Kaa cause to remember this night.

Before the python could crush the breath from his body, Justice tensed, concentrated, and sent a blast of energy radiating in all directions. He was at full strength, not having expended any energy for some time, and the blast crackled against the snake's coils with a hearty ZZZRAPP!

Basil doubted that he could kill such a large creature with his energy powers, but then, they were largely untested and he still did not know his own limits. Still, the result must be supremely painful to his foe.

[Snake Charmer]

In response to Basil's confident banter, Kaa simply grinned with smug confidence that greatly outweighed even Basil's. No matter what the mouse said and how tough he tried to make himself out to be... to Kaa, he was only dinner, and would soon become such in only a few seconds.

Kaa chuckled in a condescending manner. "Ssssay whatever you like, Jusssticcce," he hissed out the mouse's alias mockingly. "You have made a sssseriousss missstake following me here, and your fate is now sssealed..." Kaa's wide yellow eyes narrowed menacingly, as his scaly head drew closer to the trapped mouse. Basil would have been able to feel his body slowly become numb as the great serpent's coils tightened their grasp around him. However, this phenomena was promptly interrupted by a sudden surge of pain jolting through the snake's veins.

The fearsome python let out a pitiful yelp out of sheer pain. What was that?! Whatever it was, it was startling and vexatious enough to cause Kaa's coils to rapidly loosen their grip on Basil, becoming almost limp - the mouse would have his chance to escape, now, as Kaa attempted to recuperate from the confusion and pain of the attack. The powerful energy emitted by Basil's attack had surged right up into Kaa's head, giving him quite an ache. "Ooogh, my sssinusses..." he moaned.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

As anticipated, the snake's coils loosened nicely, and Justice, utilizing his super-rodent agility, leapt upward and out of their deadly embrace, turned a somersault that surprised even Basil, and landed easily several feet across the darkened room.

Drawing his rapier, the mouse pointed its sharpened blade meaningly at his scaly foe. "That was but a taste of my uncanny energy powers. Now unless you wish to dine on my trusty blade, you will stand down, villain!"

[Snake Charmer]

Kaa shook his weary head to clear it of any dizziness, and then looked down to see that dratted mouse standing before him, drawing a miniature sword. The little fool wanted to fight, did he? It seemed he had powers of his own... Kaa glared sourly at Basil from across the room, tongue flickering with discontent... until an idea occurred to him. An idea that would require little to no fighting at all...

Slowly, that smug grin crept across the snake's snout once again. "Oh... very well." His wide yellow eyes looked upward in faux innocence as he seemingly complied with Basil's threats. He sat comfortably within his coils, head raised, as if he had no problems at all with giving in. "I'm sssimply no match for your astounding powers, Masssked Avenger," he coyly hissed out the mouse's alias - yet again misnaming it - and now had an almost exaggerated-looking frown on his muzzle. As if he were slumping downward in defeat, Kaa allowed his head to sink lower and lower until it was rested neatly upon his coils. "Do as you wisssh with me, o noble hero." He gave Basil a seemingly depressed-looking, half-lidded gaze, struggling to resist the urge to grin slyly and give away his act.

He very well couldn't come towards the mouse, as he wielded that blade... but if the mouse came to him, then all would go accordingly.

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

Basil's keen eye took in all the necessary details, docketing them for future use. He had hurt the snake, as expected, but had not, so far as he could tell, injured it. Which meant that the creature was still frightfully dangerous, despite its fawning flattery.

Justice's half-lidded gaze reeked of suspicion. 'Do as you wish with me, o noble hero?' That was a bit thick.

"In that case, take yourself out of this flat at once." And then what? He couldn't very well arrest a snake, not even in this higgeldy-piggeldy world. Or could he?

An idea suddenly occurred to Basil, and quite a good one, if he did think so himself.

Pointing his rapier directly at the scaly face, he continued sternly, "Out the window. March--er, slither."

[Snake Charmer]

Kaa couldn't hold back a disappointed grimace - tch, so much for luring the mouse towards him. Oh well... that was not enough to hamper Kaa's cunning plan. It could work just as well - perhaps even better - if it was he who came towards the mouse.

"Alright, then, Jussstice," he seemingly obliged, slowly unwinding himself from the tangled mess of coils that he was seated in and creeping over towards what appeared to be the opened window. He slithered within no more than a foot from Basil, and as he did, his crawl seemed to grow slower and slower. His head lifted off of the ground, and it now seemed to become apparent that he, in fact, had very different plans from exiting the room without a final say.

"... You know, little moussse..." he began, that sly smirk creeping across his face again, as he slowly turned to glower down at Basil. "You really should have thought twiccce about following me in here." A delighted chuckle escaped the snake's throat just after saying this, and his scaly head began to loom closer and closer to Basil. Before the mouse could react to either the snake's words or his sudden movement, he would most likely be distracted by a very unusual change in the serpent's eyes.

Even in the darkness of this empty room, Kaa's eyes were large, bright and noticeable - but all of the sudden, they appeared to outright glow fluorescently, and widened to the shape of almost perfectly circular spheres. Bright and bulging, the eyes began to change color - but not just to one color at once. In a dizzying, almost kaleidoscopic effect, rings of bright blue, green, and the same yellow that normally colored his eyes grew and shrunk in alternating patterns. Kaa's colorful lookers stared straight into Basil's eyes, mere inches away from them and coldly unblinking. The great mouse detective would have felt an odd sensation... a soothing sensation, urging him to relax all of his senses and to lower his mental activity.

It was hypnotism - Kaa's trump card, the very "charming" power that the Snake Charmer named and prided himself for. "Now... go to sssleep..."

[Justice, The Cloaked Cavalier]

"... You know, little moussse, you really should have thought twiccce about following me in here."

Threats didn't frighten Justice. His rapier pointed directly at the snake would hurl a bolt of energy right into its scaly face at a moment's notice if necessary. Alert to any sign of treachery, Basil watched the creature closely.

Rather too closely, as it turned out.

Kaa's huge eyes seemed almost to glow in the dim half-light of the darkened room, pulsating with ever-changing colours. The effect was...surprisingly...soothing...

Something in Basil's brain screamed at him to flee, or look away, or do something, but, alas, too late. The face behind the mask went blank, his posture lost its razor-sharpness, every muscle slackened at the monster's command.

"I..." was all he managed to say before all power of speech was lost.

Was this to be the end of Justice? Was his career, so lately begun, to end at the bottom of a python's gullet? It seemed that only a miracle could save him now.