*Hey guys, I'm back with another episode. This is going to be long episodes since there are so many plot points and turns that I can't explain. LOL! This is published on April 23, 2020. The next part will come out today while the next episode will come out next week. I hope you guys are safe and sound. Have a blessed day!*

Michael was bandaged up from the early fight he had with the farmers. He seemed to be deep in thought while sitting on the barstool at the bar just nearby the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S. precinct. Goat wasn't with him for now because he's getting lectured from the Big Man for his actions earlier today. Of course, the fox didn't think it's wrong. If it wasn't for Goat stepping in, he would've been blacked out...or he would've been injured severely worst than what he had already been through.

Michael gazed into his empty shot glass while Jean sat next to his elbow.

"What are you thinking about, mon ami?" Jean asked the fox, his brow raised.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "About today...it was--intense."

"Really intense," Jean concurred with Michael. He noticed the fox's bandages. "Goat did a good job with the bandages."

"Yeah, he did," Michael responded, unaware of his smile growing wide with a light blush. He quickly shook it off. "I mean if he wasn't there...I don't know what would happen to me...I don't know what would happen to you."

Jean twisted his mouth while gazing up at the cups and glasses placed in a cupboard in front of them. "Well...he's having the talk with the Big Man...let's just hope that he won't get suspended or fired."

"Yeah...that would suck," Michael replied with a sigh at the end of his sentence. He began to think about what happened at the chicken coop. He was hoping to see Sandra again so that he could work out whatever was causing their break-up but, at the same time, he already got his answer when she looked at him with absolute disgust. Was he that unlovable? He's been told he's stupid and maybe he was but that shouldn't be why he's unlovable...right?

His heart shattered when thinking about it too deeply, raising some concern for Jean.

"Michael?"

Michael snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

Jean gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't tell me you're thinking about what Sandra said?"

"Yeah...and the criminal we turned in said," Michael answered sorrowfully. "I don't know his name personally...but I do know him from a long time ago. He was addicted to eggs...like me. And...well, I guess he thought I was stupid for falling in love with a chicken. Do you think it's stupid?"

"A little. I mean, give or take the situation. You eat eggs and...that's okay. You guys weren't the right fit. It takes time to find your soulmate," Jean comforted. "But, hey, people do stupid things all the time. It's part of living, right?"

Michael smiled a bit. "Right."

Both of the animals heard hooves clattering on the floor as Goat hopped on the barstool next to Michael.

Michael turned to Goat. "So...how did your meeting with the Big Man go?"

"Eh, he yelled at me and scolded me for taking the shots. The usual," Goat responded with a shrug like it's not a big deal.

Michael began to become concerned. "You could've lost your job, man."

"Wouldn't be the first time losing a job," Goat answered abrasively but then was taken back by his words. "Although...to be honest. I like this job. Probably better than the ones I had to do for certain crime folks."

"Yeah, I like this job too," Michael agreed with Goat but then he frowned. "Thank you."

"Hm?" Goat turned his head to look at Michael. "For what?"

"For standing up for me...I don't get people standing up for me often...they took one look at me and thought of me as a monster. Or just some stupid fox orphan who would do anything just to get somewhere. Anywhere, really. If you weren't there today...I-um-probably would've gotten hurt a lot worst than right now."

"Uh-uh, y-you're welcome. Have they ever told you that?"

"What?"

"That you're a stupid fox?"

"Yeah."

"Oh...I thought that they were from your thoughts."

"No, I've been told that by more than a couple of farmers. Even the cops were stereotyping me."

"Oh, well...nevermind."

There's a brief silence among both of them.

"This was back before I even met Guy and got into this whole Ghost situation," Michael explained softly. "For once, after I met Guy's family and friends, I felt like I belong there and that's the first time I had this feeling."

"I guess it's the first time for both of us," Goat responded while smiling softly at Michael.

They both exchanged warm smiles at each other. Jean glanced at his friends with a raised brow. Goat was the first one who shook it off.

"Well, I turned in the criminal fox we caught earlier today," Goat skipped towards another subject.

"Really? Did you get a name out of him?" Michael questioned Goat.

"Dylan. That's his name. He had that nice-looking tattoo on his paw," Goat informed plainly.

"What tattoo?" Jean stepped into the conversation.

Goat pondered up an image of the tattoo. "It looked too familiar. It's a circle with two snakes making an X mark."

"Why does it looked familiar?" Michael inquired, paying attention to Goat.

"I don't know. It's almost like I saw it before," Goat answered with a shrug.

Jean smiled a bit at both of his animal friends. "Well...we solved this case. We're getting pretty good at this."

"I don't think we completely solved the case, amigo," Goat uttered. "That tattoo couldn't just be random...right?"

Michael pondered for a moment. "Well...we caught the person who caused all the havoc on the farms. Maybe we'll have to find more eggs soon."

"Maybe. I do have a feeling he's working for somebody though. Somebody higher up than him," Goat replied while receiving a shot glass of whiskey.

The bartender poured whiskey into another shot glass and slid it down to Michael. Michael took a shot from it. "What makes you think of that?"

"Well...he doesn't seem to be independent...I don't know. Maybe he's doing it for the brunkels. I know I've been there before," Goat answered Michael's question while he took his shot.

Jean glanced at the whiskey and the shot glasses. "You do realize that one of you has to drive, right?"

"I feel like drowning my sorrows," Michael replied with a small sad chuckle. He frowned after he said this while gazing deep into his empty shot glass.

Goat twisted his mouth while glancing down at the glass and pushing it away. "I'll drive then. If that makes you feel any better, Jean."

Jean smiled a bit. "That would make the situation a bit better."

Michael still stared at the shot glass sorrowfully, getting a little light-headed from the drink. "Am I--that unlovable?" He muttered that question to himself but he didn't think Goat and Jean heard.

"What makes you say that?" Goat asked softly to his friend.

"I-I just saw Sandra again. I was going to talk things out with her...find out what the reason was for the break-up and...well, she said that I was stupid and incompetent. Not only that...it's because I'm a fox." Michael looked at his reflection in the cup, his ears drooping down.

Goat furrowed his brows while processing what had been said to him. He sighed deeply. "She's not worth it, Michael."

Michael raised his brow and then tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Goat softly glanced over at the fox with a soft gaze. "She's not worth your time, zorro. If you want to find someone out there who loves you for you, despite your flaws, you know that you found the right person. On top of that, they're worth it. You'll find somebody out there who will love you for you. You'll see."

"But--Goat--" Michael bit his bottom lip while shaking his head.

"Yes?"

Michael sighed deeply. "Nevermind. It's going to sound...I don't know, stupid."

Goat leaned a bit to listen. "I'm all ears."

"Well...I was going to ask...how will I know if someone will love me for me? How will they ever love someone like me?"

Jean leaned in closer to the conversation, watching the talk proceeding.

Goat paused while twisting his mouth to think for a second. "Someone will. I know someone out there will fall in love with you for you."

"No, they won't. Believe me...I tried," Michael responded with his voice croaked.

Goat softly gazed at Michael. "Maybe you tried it with the wrong kind of a person."

Both of them exchanged brief glances at each other, silence emerging. They quickly change their sights to somewhere else.

"Well...I-um-I--" Michael noticed the bartender pouring whiskey into his glass. He quickly took a shot and bolted for the bathroom.

Goat seemed genuinely confused for a moment, almost tempted to chase after the fox to ask him what's wrong. Did he say something stupid? No, he's saying the right stuff, right? He rolled his eyes at himself with a grunt and gestured the bartender to leave the whiskey with them. He figured Michael was going through something that he won't understand unless the fox was willing to talk about it with him. When he glanced over at Jean, the mouse appeared to be baffled.

"What?" Goat questioned, going back to his usual harsh tone.

Jean twitched his brow. "Um...I've never seen you giving such heart-warming advice before. Or look and speak to someone softly."

"Excuse me? I've done this with Guy before. It's not different," Goat responded, a bit defensive.

"Yeah but you don't always do that when you're around Guy...do you?" Jean questioned, his brow raising higher.

"What are you getting at, amigo?"

"What do you think I'm getting at, monsieur?"

There's a brief awkward pause between them.

"Seriously, amigo, what are you getting at?" Goat broke the silence with a groan.

Jean tilted his head. "Well...for one, you were not always nice to everyone."

"Yeah...and your point?"

"But you're always nice to Michael. I mean, you shot a fox today because they were hurting him."

"That's different. They were hurting him--"

"And offered to bandage up his wounds--"

"That's something that you do for friends--"

"And when that fox criminal was insulting him, you used a pistol to get him to shut up."

"I do that with you too--"

"No...when someone insulted me, you just tell them to 'shut up' and move on. With Michael, you take extreme measures to get someone to actually shut their mouths or move away from Michael."

"I do this with everyone, amigo. Remember, after the Ghosts hurt E.B when they kidnapped her, I shot all of those sons of yips down? I don't do this 'nice stuff' with just one person if that's what you're getting at."

Jean furrowed his brow and cleared his throat. "And the way you let him pounce on top of you while we're chasing the fox criminal. And that smile..."

"You know what? What Michael did was pure accident. End of story," Goat stated out the facts with a little growl in irritation.

"And now you're defending him," Jean pointed out while Goat slammed his head against the wooden counter, growling while blushing madly. The mouse patted on the goat's shoulder. "There. There. I can keep it a secret for you if you want to--."

"Shut...your...face," Goat snarled a bit while lifting his head to look at Jean with a death stare. "If you're implying what I think you're implying than you're wrong, zorro."

"Zorro...you never call me that...?"

Goat suddenly realized his mistake with a groan while blushing madly. He glanced around him rapidly and quickly took the whiskey bottle. He drank it like he's never going to have it again.

Jean raised his brow while twitching his whiskers. "Okay, now you're acting immature."

Goat slammed the bottle down, leaving the bottom half of the whiskey in the bottle. His head pounded onto the counter with a sigh. "The bottom half was for Michael if he wants any."

Jean twitched his ears while sighing deeply. "Welp, guess I'll call my wife and kid and tell them that I'm not going to be home."

Jean scurried away towards the nearest phone booth while Goat groaned to himself in the bar.

~.~

Gluntz entered the office belonging to the Big Man, which in reality he's a short red-furred man with a tie and suit standing on his wooden desk.

"You need me, boss?" Gluntz asked while closing the door behind her.

"Yes, Agent Gluntz. There's a prison escape," The Big Man informed immediately, looking out of the window while having his back turned to Gluntz.

Gluntz widened her eyes and then narrowed her focus in determination. "Who escaped?"

"Hervnick Z. Snerz. I'm sure you've heard of him," The Big Man answered, shifting his attention to Gluntz while turning to face her.

Gluntz had her eyes bulged out. "The ex-owner of Snerzco?"

"Yep. Your job is to hunt him down," The Big Man instructed with his arms crossed.

She nodded her head while about to step out of the door.

"I also want your advice," The Big Man spoke up before she could exit his office.

She turned her head to look at him. "Advice on what, sir?"

He lowered his gaze down on the desk he's standing on, biting his lips. "There's been a mass murder going on. A dangerous man known as the Biologist."

Gluntz had the urge to laugh. What's so scary about the Biologist? She had no idea. She pulled herself together while clearing your throat. "B-Biologist, sir."

"Yes, and it's no laughing matter. He killed Knox's and animals alike. We don't know who he is or where he came from. We knew that he was the one who had been murdering people left and right. I don't know who to send for that case because...it appeared to be hard to tackle. Do you know any recruits who could handle this type of case, Agent Gluntz?"

Gluntz pondered for a moment while having a bright smile as if she's got an idea. "Sir, I know just the right men for the job."

~.~

Meanwhile, Goat and Michael were staring into space at the weird-looking painting while country music was playing in the background. One bottle of whiskey was empty but there's another one that was half-empty. Jean sat there, unamused by his drunken friends' lack of maturity.

"I spy with my little eye something...blue," Michael spoke up, his words slurred.

Goat squinted. "Uh...sky?"

"Ah, dang it."

Jean rolled his eyes at his friends while being the only one who's not drinking that vile liquid. At least, that's what he considered vile. It hurt his stomach if he could even drink one shot of it. He heard the bell ringing, indicating that someone just walked into the bar. He slightly turned his head to look who's coming in the bar. His eyes widened immediately when he saw a hooded figure strolling through the bar in the shadows. Of course, the figure didn't notice the mouse but the mouse noticed him.

"Sacrebleu! The Ghost!" Jean cursed underneath his breath while raising his paw up to hide face and looked away immediately. He took deep heavy breaths while peeking a look to notice the assassin approaching the man with a pink colored fur and a fedora. Jean put his paw down and watched them carefully as the assassin waited for the man to stand up. The mouse observed them interacting with each other and strolling towards the door off to the side. Jean shifted his gaze at Goat and Michael, who were still playing that 'I Spy' game with a few drunken laughs and chuckles. The mouse twitched his brow and then determined himself to follow after the stranger and the assassin.

~.~

Jean entered through the vent while following the two strangers' voices that trailed down the hallway next to the vent. The mouse perked his ears up to listen to their conversation.

"What's the next mission?" He heard one voice asking the question.

"Wait till we get into the Red Room. Then, you can ask your question," Jean heard another voice answering the question, almost whispering.

"Red Room?" Jean questioned himself as he noticed a red light shining ahead of him to his left. The mouse turned left in the vent and then stopped when he encountered the vent door. As if it's on cue, The assassin and the man entered the room. The red light was switched back onto the normally brightened light. Jean glanced around the room to see all the photographs were hung on the line to dry.

"Did you erase all evidence of those robots?" The man inquired of the assassin, grabbing Jean's attention back at the two of them.

"As soon as the assassination was done," The assassin answered plainly.

"Excellent. Did you learn anything from it?"

Silence emerged from the room, causing Jean's heart to beat rapidly in anxiety.

"No. I don't pity the man. He's done horrible things. He deserved to die," The assassin responded coldly.

Jean squinted through the lens of the vent door, trying to see who the person was but couldn't since the assassin had his hood on.

"Indeed he does. Did you kill him out of vengeance or just following orders?"

"Why does it matter?"

The man sighed deeply. "You wanted to do this for a while. You've trained your whole life for that moment and you accomplished it. Tell me, don't you feel empty inside now?"

"Can we get straight to the point?" The assassin growled a bit. "You called me down here for a favor."

"Yes, did you know that the man you killed had a partner?"

"Partner?"

"How do you think he could make those bombs?"

Jean didn't know what they were talking about. What was he getting himself into? The mouse noticed a vent door on the other side so that he could see the face of the assassin better. Jean quickly scurried around the room while listening to the conversation still.

"You want me to kill his partner?" The assassin responded to the man's question.

"Not just his partner...every person his partner hired. Every person who shared a business affair with him. Every person in the world...starting...with Snerz."

"Snerz? Why would he be working for a cruel man like Jeckles's partner?"

Jean had his eyes bulged when he heard that name. He reached to the vent on the other side and was able to see the assassin's face...well not exactly. The assassin had a black bandana covering his mouth and nose and his eyes were hidden under the hood.

"Snerz had his cronies who he competed over who was better. Such childish games for a middle-aged man. But, it makes good business for Jeckles. He sent his former employee to get that endangered species...uh, what was it? A chickeraffe? However his former employee--"

"Sam," The assassin uttered softly.

Jean widened his eyes in complete shock. How would this stranger know Sam's name?

"What?" the man inquired.

"Sam I Am. He used to work for Jeckles," The assassin informed. "He double-crossed both Snerz and Jeckles."

"You know him?"

Again, the silence emerged from the room.

"Yes," The assassin finally answered.

Jean blinked his eyes while raising his brow.

"You know, we're in the safe room and I already know who you are. You might as well take off the bandana and hood. It's getting hot in here," The man pointed out while flapping his shirt from the heat.

Jean could feel his brows sweating and his paws clammy from the heat as well.

"You made a good point," The assassin stated as he took off the bandana and then...the hood.

That's when Jean had his eyes bulged out even more. He had the urge to squeak a curse word from the shock he's going through right now. The mouse saw the familiar blue-furred man with fluffy cheeks staring at the other man with a soft gaze.

"L-Louis?" Jean squeaked while stepping back slowly.

"How long are you going to keep playing that detective card?" The man asked Louis.

Louis gave a deadpanned stare. "As long as I can. You know that, Murray."

"I know that...but you can't play detective forever," The man countered back while sighing.

Jean felt nothing but rage at this point, enraged with the fact that he's been lied to. "WHAT THE F---?!"

Louis and the stranger he's with heard a loud squeaking sound from the vent door.

"YOU MOTHER--!!"

Both Louis and Murray continued to hear squeaky noises from the vent door with Louis understanding every word of it while Murray just looked at the vent door confused.

"Is that a mouse in there?" Murray whispered to Louis.

"Yep...I know who it is," Louis replied with a hushed tone. He quickly opened the vent door and grabbed Jean out of the vent. Jean scurried around Louis's hand, biting his hand but soon realized that he's wearing gloves.

Louis set Jean down on the wooden table. Jean was squeaking and cursing like a sailor while pumping his fists in the air.

"YOU FAT LIAR! WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ANY OF US?!? WHO ARE YOU REALLY?!?!?" Jean screamed at Louis.

"Jean, calm down," Louis soothed the mouse but the mouse wouldn't listen.

"YOU LIED TO ME. YOU LIED TO MY FAMILY--MY FRIENDS---EVEN YOUR OWN FATHER!!!" Jean continued to scream at Louis.

"Actually, my father knew," Louis uttered.

"WHAT?!?" Jean screeched while taking deep breaths.

Louis sighed deeply. "Jean, you can't tell anyone about this."

"What-?!"

"Listen to me...if they knew...something bad was going to happen."

"What do you mean--?!?"

"Listen to me, Jean. Can you listen to me?"

Jean growled and crossed his arms with a pout.

"There's a reason behind why I haven't told any of you about this."

"And why's that?" Jean growled a bit.

Louis pondered about what to say while staring softly at Jean. "Because you all didn't need to be involved between me and those horrible men who took my mother. And yet...here you all are."

"What does that suppose to mean?" Jean asked with a raised brow.

Louis sighed deeply. "You're all connected to what's going on. Sam used to work for Jeckles Abbot, who's partnered with someone unknown. Snerz was part of the operation just to compete with his cronies. Guy befriended Sam...Michellee was in a relationship with Guy. Gluntz was partnered with my father. Goat was traumatized by past experiences with Jeckles Abbot. Michael...I don't know about him except he befriended Guy and Sam as you did. You get the picture. We're all connected to this one giant mess of the situation and it brought us together."

"What on earth are you saying?" Jean interrogated while twitching his round ears in irritation.

"I'm saying that you guys knowing about me...being an assassin will only create more conflict. You're all connected but you wouldn't be at risk if you didn't know about me. More people will die if I don't stop those men from killing them. If you knew about me being an assassin...you would die. I can't risk that...for you or anyone else."

"Then, how come your father knew about you being an assassin?"

"Because...he's-he's the one who trained me to become an assassin."

Jean had his eyes bulged out in shock some more. 

To Be Continued...