An Exotic Encounter: Prologue

Sebastian Doran sat at a little table in a seedy pub, tail flicking impatiently. The rat was used to having to wait around a lot, though this did nothing to curb his annoyance. He kept glancing at the door, waiting for his contact to come in with news about the client in India he was supposed to see, but the chap in question was a no show. The marksrat was a stickler for punctuality, and he was getting increasingly angry, and increasingly more dangerous. When the door finally did open, the blond rat drew a revolver.

"I think I made meself perfectly clear when I said we was meetin' at five, mate." He growled, baring his sharp needle-like teeth. "D'you know wot time it is now?" The contact in question was yet another rat, dark furred and wearing a dark brown coat with a red cravat. He drew forth a pocket-watch and clicked it open.

"Put it away, Sebastian. I won't have guns drawn in here." He replied airily. "And it is five minutes to six." Doran lowered the revolver, a smile playing on his face.

"Cheers, Professor. Wot brings ye down to the filth an' grime o' Piccadilly?" The rat that called himself the Professor slunk over to the table and sat across from the captain, smiling back.

"Don't think for a second that I have forgotten where I came from." The Professor replied. "Piccadilly was and always shall be my home." He cleared his throat delicately, pulling out two boat tickets. "Now, onto business." Doran lifted an eyebrow.

"Business? I ain't got time fer no business. I'm waitin' fer that contact wot I'm s'posed to meet, and 'e ain't shown up yet!" The Professor waved a paw.

"Oh, there's no need for him. I got the information you needed and took care of him for you. You would have been waiting here another hour before that idiot grew a spine." Doran growled to himself.

"You cheated me outta me fun, Ratigan." Doran accused. "I wouldn't have made it so quick." The darker rat shrugged.

"Your thirst for bloodshed is bound to get you into trouble one of these days, Doran." Ratigan replied, retrieving a long gold cigarette holder from his pocket. "Besides, you wouldn't be able to really savor the moment. It so happens that we're going to be taking a little trip." Doran raised an eyebrow.

"Wot's this we business? I 'ave a job waitin' for me in India." The blond rat said, his ears flicking back. Ratigan's unnerving green and gold eyes looked even more sinister when smoke was curling around his head.

"That can wait. For now, the two of us shall be heading to Bangladesh." The darker rat said around his holder. Doran lifted an angular eyebrow.

"Wot we gotta head there for?" He asked, leaning forward. "You got us a job to pull together?" Ratigan nodded.

"Oh yes. A client of mine is having troubles with a rival. My assistance was asked for and I want to take you along as insurance." Doran blinked.

"Insurance?" Ratigan shrugged and smiled.

"Wouldn't you feel safer with an expert marksrat as your escort? Besides," he grinned. "It could be fun and beneficial to us here. I'm running out of mob dealers to rip off, and this client is just what I need. He runs an escort service with ties all around the world, even here in London to be exact. If I were to infiltrate his business, and steal the fortune he's made then our little family will start growing and growing. Soon enough, we'll attract more attention from more organizations, and we'll infiltrate those as well. Once we have enough support and a good system running, we'll finally lay claim to the city which rightfully belongs to us." Doran grinned and chuckled wickedly.

"Always been the clever one, haven't ya James? Right, I s'pose I'm up for a little adventurin'. I think me aim's been sufferin' from all the quiet." Ratigan shrugged.

"Let's hope not, my friend. I'll need all the help I can get to pull this off. We'll take what we can,"

"And we'll give nothin' back!" Doran finished. The two rats grinned and clunked mugs.