Chapter 7 - Meeting Ally Kat

I believe it was at this point that Walter decided that I needed a codename. I couldn't use my real name, nor could I use the name of my disguise, which is what everyone else knew me as. I needed to make another name for myself that everyone would fear, as my codename would be associated with criminals. I overheard some people talking about how much they hated cats. I had always thought they were just cute and cuddly. But then as I watched one run down an ally, I realized they were more than that. Their cuteness was just a cover. When they went out at night, that was who they really were. They were hunters. And so was I. Who am I? I am Ally Kat.

~*~AK~*~

“You're late,” Ally Kat said.

Blake just stood there, shocked. Not because Ally Kat was there, but because of what she was doing. She was lying on her stomach on his countertop, eating a salmon sandwich.

“You're also out of pickles. Oh, and I used up the last of your mayonnaise to make my sandwich.” She licked the crumbs off of her lips and then rolled off the counter. “I was going to make you one, but I didn't realize you were almost out of mayo. You really need to go shopping.”

“You're... eating my food.”

“Well, of course. When I said I was coming, naturally, I expected to be served dinner. But when I came in and found you weren't even here waiting for me, I figured I would just have to make my own dinner.” She smiled a cheesy smile and then stuffed the rest of her sandwich in her mouth. Her voice had a very clear, vibrant sound to it, and Blake could tell it was her natural voice. She wore the same outfit as the one in her picture: a black skort, and a multicolored denim shirt. She wore the same bells in her hair and the one around her neck. As he looked her over, she cocked one head to the side in a curious manner, the bells ringing at her movement.

“Don't those get annoying?”

“These? Oh, they're just a trademark. They also make things more fun. It's boring to just catch criminals. I like to catch them when they're fighting back, or else running. Otherwise there's no challenge in it. Even as it is, there's not much for me to do. That is, until you came along.”

She yawned and stretched her arms in the air, then shook herself. “I finally have an opponent that might actually give me a tough time! Even though your organization is called “the Organization” it really isn't very organized, is it? I mean, you have a head, but nobody knows who the head is, and you have the upper and lower organizations, but all the upper organization does is tell the lower organization what to do. They say that the upper organization goes after the big fish, but they don't really. They just hand those over to your area. If anyone has a right to run the organization, it's you. You do most of the work. The upper organization just sits around and laughs at you working so hard for so little pay.”

She cartwheeled and flipped onto the table and pointed out the window. “Did you know that you have a girl that spies on you from across the street? She's been there for a long time now. I got all my information about you from her. You really should fix those curtains. I tried to close them, but they don't seem to turn anymore.”

She looked down at Blake who was just standing there, wondering how in the world this girl could be so happy and hyper and still be intelligent. Then, seeming to read his mind, she knelt down, pulled on his tie so that they were face to face and all Blake could see were her green and blue eyes, and said, “You doubt my intelligence. You shouldn't do that. It'll be bad for your health. I hear you play chess. Apparently no one has been able to beat you yet. But I promise you, if you and I were to call off this ever present war between us and to bet everything on a chess game, the organization would come crashing down at the resounding, ‘Check mate!’” She let go of Blake's tie and Blake took a quick step away from her.

“You got any milk? I haven't had anything to drink all day.” Blake went to the fridge and brought out the milk bottle and was about to get a glass to pour it into, but she grabbed the bottle out of his hands and gulped the whole thing down. “Ah! Thanks! That was much needed.” She wiped her mouth with her hand and handed him the empty bottle. Then she smiled at him. “You have a question you're just itching to ask me. Well, go on and ask me! I'm all ears.”

“Why?”

“Well, now that's pretty vague. Do you mind clarifying? Why what?”

“Why are you rescuing criminals? And why are they all afraid of you?”

“Oh, you don't know? When I capture a criminal, I lock him up. Unfortunately I can't afford a very good jail, and I can't always be in my natural state. I have to put my disguise on every once in a while so my disguise won't be missed. So when I leave they break loose and I have to go capture them again. I don't torture them. It's just that for the ones who get out over and over have kind of created a bad idea about my bells. Every time I come, they hear my bells and it drives them crazy to be able to hear me and not see me. It's quite fun, really.”

“But that doesn't explain why.”

“Oh, that, well, of course I can't tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Well, don't you see that would ruin the whole fun of it? The fun part is running around and around in circles until the person you're running around gets dizzy and falls over. See, watch!” She started running around Blake, but Blake grabbed her shoulders and said, “Hey, cut that out! Now look here. Either you're just plain dumb, or else you're a super genius that's just acting to throw me off. You do realize that I could bring you in right at this very moment? It would be so easy to just tie you up and drive you over to the organization right now.”

Ally Kat put her arms around his neck. “Blake, I told you that if you assume me to be unintelligent, it would be bad for your health. There's a bomb set to go off in here after I leave. If I were to leave without any trouble, I would be able to turn it off, since I'm the only one who can run fast enough to get to it in time.”

“You're forgetting about Pepper.”

“You're forgetting that she has to use magic to run that fast. My partner in your organization has created a device that can nullify any magic and any other devices, including cars, so that everything is based on normal abilities and skills. It works at a 5 mile radius.”

“You talk so freely of your partner. Just who is he?”

“Well, I can't tell you that! That's not information for me to give. I can tell you as much as I want about myself, but if you want to know about him, you'll have to find him and ask him yourself.”

“You've really got this all down pat, haven't you?”

Ally Kat spoke just above a whisper as she said, “There's only one thing I want in this whole world, and that's to get my full memories back. And when I do, I'm going to tear the head of that organization limb from limb....” Then she suddenly jumped back from him and said aloud, “Then I'll have a nice, big bowl of ice cream. Ah! Well, if that clock's right, I better run!” Here she ran and perched on the sill of a window which was opened. “If nothing happens in 10 minutes, you'll know I got there in time. Ta ta!” Then she jumped out the window and Blake hurried and looked out to see her run as fast as any cheetah in the northern direction.

He hurried out the door and went to the first floor where he examined the ground, but the place under the window was concrete and she didn't leave any prints. He knew there was no point trying to catch up with her. He looked up at the window she jumped from. How she managed it without hurting herself, he didn't know, but she had.

Blake returned to his room. The ten minutes went by slowly. He just sat and stared out the window. He had confidence that she would turn it off in time. She would never sacrifice any innocent people just for the sake of blowing up a room that he wouldn't even have been in had he tried taking her off somewhere.... That's right... she wouldn't. Blake laughed at himself for being so dumb. “That girl is an excellent actress,” he said to himself. “She was just putting me on. There is no bomb. She only said it to get away. She wouldn't risk another person's life just to make life difficult for me. I must remember that next time. Next time, she wont get away.” Blake didn't bother waiting for the ten minutes to be up. Instead, he went to bed and fell sound asleep.