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Chapter Text

Nova was on the run. After all, why wouldn't she be? Cyanide had warned her to be careful about the plan. Ah yes, the plan. It had been to simply steal a necklace and some chemicals for Cyanide. However, just as she had slipped the last of the chemicals into the duffle bag, who should appear but the Sentinel? That concussive energy beam was still as annoying as ever, not to mention the flames. Sure, she had slowed him down by hitting his armor with an electric net, but she still had to flee. As she ducked into the alley, she heard something that stopped her cold.

A high voice like ice cracking rang out saying, "Bone? How did a human find us?" She blinked, wondering where the voice had come from. She didn't see anyone else in the alley with her, nor did she see anyone on the rooftops.

As Nova stood there, confused as to who had spoken, another voice broke the silence, the tone low and gravelly, "I don't know, Scourge. Perhaps we should drive it away."

As she looked closer, Nova saw something that stunned her. Two cats were perched on top of the only dumpster. One of them was a large black and white tom. The other was a small black cat with icy blue eyes and one white forepaw. As she looked closer, Nightmare realized that not only did the cats have collars but the collars had what looked like, was that dog teeth, embedded in them.

The smaller one looked up at her metal face mask and then said the same cold voice, "No, Bone. We will not drive the Twoleg away. She looks useful. Perhaps we could help her, assuming that she will help us."

Nova took a deep breath, then contacted Cyanide with the communicator in her ear. "Cyanide?" Nova said, wincing slightly at the crackle that filled her eardrums as the communicator flared to life.

 "Yes, Nightmare?" Cyanide asked over the communicator.

"Who are the cats?" Nova responded, her tone a touch concerned.

"What cats are you talking about? The only cat that you've mentioned to us is that orange tabby, Firestar, who joined your team because of a decision made by the Renegade Council." Cyanide replied.

"I see these two cats with spiked collars just staring at me. One of the cats is large with white and black markings. The other is a small black cat with one white forepaw. " Nova said.

Phobia cut in, his voice cold as he spoke. "Those cats are the founders of BloodClan. I believe that the larger one is named Bone. About the other-"

Honey Harper interjected, "Nightmare, what's going on?"

Phobia snarled back, "Don't interrupt me, Queen Bee! The smaller one's name is Scourge."

"Okay, now that I know their names, what do you suggest I do with them?" Nova replied, her voice tense with worry.

Leroy pondered for a bit then replied, "They could make useful allies in our cause."

"Okay, I'll see what the cats want." With that, Nova turned off the communicator and turned back towards the cats.

As she approached the dumpster again, she saw a swarm of monarch butterflies approaching. Before she could react, Nova felt a rush of wind go past her and by the time she had turned around, she saw the two collared cats casually cleaning themselves in the middle of what she could only guess was around thirty dead monarch butterflies. Nova was stunned. How had they moved so fast?

Upon seeing her confused expression, Scourge said, "We have to be fast in order to survive among the alleys of Gatlon City."

Nova asked Scourge, "Can you read my mind?"

Scourge replied, "Yes, I can, but not very well. Now how about you help BloodClan and in return, BloodClan will help you and the rest of the Anarchists achieve victory against the Renegades."

Nova considered Scourge's proposal for a minute. If she did help Scourge with his goal, what's to keep Scourge from not upholding this deal? On the other hand, if she didn't help Scourge, then her plan to take out the Renegades and get revenge on them for breaking their promise to her family might be jeopardized.

"What do you have in mind?" Nova queried. She wasn't expecting Scourge to answer her right away.

"We need you to bring a cat known as Tigerstar to me alone. If you can do that, then we will help in your battle against the Renegades." Scourge said.

"And where might I find this Tigerstar?" Nova asked Scourge, her eyebrow lifting behind the metal face mask.

"Last I heard, he was with a Renegade team lead by Frostbite. However, it has been a long time since BloodClan has held a meeting, so I'm not too sure how accurate that report is. Another cat to watch out for is a bright orange tabby." Scourge replied, his voice chilling Nova to her core.

"You mean Firestar?" Nova responded.

"That's the one." Scourge said. "How do you know about Firestar?"

"He joined with Sketch's team - my team - about the time that I joined." Nova replied.

"This is good. Very good." Scourge said. With that, Scourge and Bone headed back towards the dumpster.

"Wait," Nova called out, "How will I find you two again?"

Scourge simply laughed, causing a chill to run down Nova's spine, before replying, "You won't find us, Insomnia, we'll find you!"

With that, Scourge and Bone melded into the shadows of the alleyway, leaving Nova very confused. 

How had Scourge figured out her Renegade identity? Nova thought to herself.

Well, that was a question that she would have to answer later. For now, she still had a mission to complete. But even as Nightmare sped off towards Wallow Ridge, her thoughts kept coming back to what Scourge had said. Then it hit her like a sack of bricks. Nova realized that she'd called Sketch's team her team, which meant that if Scourge had been at the tryouts, then he would've heard what her Renegade name was.

As Nova entered the house on Wallow Ridge where she and the rest of the Anarchists lived, with the exception of The Puppeteer and Ace Anarchy, Honey and Leroy called out to her, asking how the mission had gone. Nova ignored Leroy's and Honey's questions, threw the necklace and chemicals onto the table, sat down in a nearby chair and thought about what had happened earlier that night.

Chapter Text

Adrian Everhart was heading back towards his family mansion that he shared with his dads, Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden. As he was still trying to be cautious to not reveal the fact that he was the Sentinel, Adrian was walking at a rather brisk pace, but not brisk enough that he left his feline companion lagging behind him. As the stars slowly filled the clear sky of Gatlon City, Adrian thought about his most recent struggle with Nightmare.

He had been helping with the preparations for Dana's birthday when the call had come in. He had recognized the name of the store, Cash Jewelers, from a recent magazine article about how the store was showing off a rare diamond. Fearing that the diamond was going to be stolen, Adrian excused himself for the preparations and after making sure that no one was watching, he pulled down the zipper tattoo on his chest and transformed into the Sentinel. When Adrian arrived at the store, the first thing he saw was that door was cracked open and the light was on. Odd, Adrian thought. The store should be closed this time of night. As he pushed the door open, he saw her looting one of the display cases. Adrian's breath caught in his throat as he realized who the culprit was by the light that glinted off of that signature metal face mask. Nightmare!

Without thinking, Adrian powered up the tattoo of the laser cannon on his right arm and fired it at Nightmare. Even as the bolt of energy was on its way, Adrian powered up the flame tattoo etched into his left palm. Nightmare ducked and the shot flew over her head and struck the display case behind her, shattering it with a resounding crash, sending the diamond necklaces that were inside flying out in all directions.

As Adrian charged forward trying to close the distance, something whistled by his head! Turning to look at what it was, he received a boot to the face, causing him to stagger back and crash into a cabinet holding some diamond rings. As he shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears, he saw what had whistled past his head. One of Nightmare's signature throwing stars, which had fortunately gotten lodged in the wall, but even so that had been close. As he got to his feet, he saw Nightmare collect the star and then start heading toward the exit.

Thinking fast, Adrian fired his flames, not at Nightmare, but towards the door. Within seconds, the entryway was engulfed by flames. "Nowhere to run now, Nightmare." Adrian growled, unable to mask the loathing that he felt for the villain.

Nightmare simply replied, "What makes you say that, Sentinel? Lost your touch or are you just cocky?"

Adrian growled, "We'll see about that, Nightmare." With that, he launched himself towards Nightmare, firing another beam at her. Unfortunately for Adrian, Nightmare rolled underneath him and pulled out one of her guns from her belt. As Adrian tried to prepare another beam, Nightmare fired the gun at him. Before he could dodge, Adrian was caught in a net. Growling, he tried to activate the flame tattoo to burn up the net, but then felt a sharp surge of pain as the net crackled with electricity. She has shock nets now? Adrian thought as he grimaced from the sudden shock.

As he collapsed to his knees, he saw Nightmare leave out the back door. Adrian felt furious that he still couldn't catch Nightmare. How could Nightmare keep beating him like this? Adrian thought bitterly as he struggled to disentangle himself from the net. Her power worked via skin-to-skin contact, and yet, she still managed to keep outmaneuvering him. One of these days, he was going to find out what she knew about his mother's murder. After finally ridding himself of the net, Adrian left before the paparazzi could show up. He didn't want the Sentinel's name to be dragged through the mud anymore than it already was.

As soon as he entered headquarters, after making sure that he wasn't wearing the Sentinel's armor, the bright orange tabby known as Firestar made his way towards Adrian. "Hey, Firestar," Adrian said. "How have you been?"

Firestar replied, "I've been good, Sketch. You look shaken. What happened?"

Adrian was about to tell him when he heard a snide voice behind him. "Would you look at that? It seems Sketch is a bit moody! What happened, got stuck in a cage of your own making or have you gone insane in thinking that cats can talk to you?"

As Adrian turned toward the voice, he already guessed who it belonged to. Once he saw who it was, he knew that his guess was right on the money. Frostbite. Adrian took a breath, pushed up his glasses, and replied, "I'm not moody, Frostbite. I'm just trying to comprehend why you think you're better than me. Is there even some warmth in that heart of yours, or is it as cold as you?"

Frostbite replied, "Why do you care? Anyway, I was just leaving to go on patrol. Good day."

As Frostbite left, Adrian turned back towards Firestar and continued what he had been about to say before Frostbite had interrupted him, "I was getting ready for Dana's birthday when I got a notice that Cash Jewelers was being robbed. When I arrived, Nightmare was already there, stealing a necklace. We fought for a bit, in fact, I thought I had trapped her, but then she trapped me in an electrified net. I should've dodged."

Firestar replied, "That must have been a harrowing experience. I would love to give Nightmare a piece of my mind, or perhaps, a couple of scratches."

"I know how you feel, Firestar, but you have to remember that Nightmare can put others to sleep with a single touch." Adrian responded, his voice morose as he said those words.

"I forgot about that," replied Firestar. "However, you seem to have forgotten that I have a power."

Adrian blinked. "Could you remind me what it is?"

Firestar replied confidently, "Yes, I can. I can cloak myself in a fiery aura which will protect me from physical contact, unless that contact comes from another cat, in which case, my ability is useless."

Relieved by the refresher, Adrian said to the orange tabby, "Come on, Firestar. I want to show you my home."

"What are we waiting for, Adrian? Let's go!" Firestar said, his voice excited.

As Adrian and Firestar crossed the threshold of the Everhart manor house, he was thinking about what Firestar had said when they first met over a month ago. Watch out for collared cats. Adrian was just as confused now as when he had first heard the line. What had Firestar meant by that?

As Adrian greeted his dads, he looked back and saw a flash of blue and white. As he tried to get a closer look, he realized that whatever it was had either super-speed, the ability to blur themselves, or that it was just a figment of his imagination. Even as he tried to wrap his head around what he'd just seen, he heard Firestar hiss beside him, "That sneaky mange-pelt. How did he get here?"

"Who are you talking about?" Adrian asked, perturbed.

"Unless my guess is incorrect, and I hope that it's incorrect, that blur was Ice, a member of BloodClan." Firestar said, gravely.

Adrian felt a sense of dread as he turned back towards the mansion. Was BloodClan working with the Anarchists? As he started to tell his dads about the surprise party for Dana, Adrian was thinking about what he would do when he next met Nightmare.

Chapter Text

The night air was always cold and pleasant this time of year. After the discussion with Nightmare, Scourge turned towards Bone. "What do you think about Nightmare?" Scourge asked his deputy.

"She seems like a powerful ally for BloodClan." Bone replied.

"Glad to see that we're on the same page." As Scourge spoke those words, he saw Firestar walking down the sidewalk with Adrian Everhart?!  Scourge couldn't believe his eyes! All of BloodClan knew how famous Adrian Everhart was, and as Scourge watched Adrian and Firestar turn the corner, he suddenly got an idea. "Wait here, Bone. I'm going to follow Firestar and the Everhart boy."

Bone nodded, "Be careful, Scourge."

Scourge quietly leapt down from the dumpster and started to follow his quarry. After some time, Scourge saw a giant mansion come into view and recognized it as the Everhart mansion. As Scourge padded across the freshly trimmed lawn, he heard Adrian talking to someone. As Scourge was about to move closer to try and catch what was being said, he realized that he was a bit too close to the doorway. Cursing inwardly, Scourge dashed off, not realizing that when he did, Adrian had seen him run.

As he fled from the mansion, he realized that he should probably pay a visit to his new allies. As his paws turned toward the direction of Wallow Ridge, Scourge calmed himself with the fact that his power was useful. Well, one of his two powers, anyways. Scourge's first power, which he had since birth, was to move as fast as a speeding motorcycle for about twenty seconds. Scourge's second power on the other hand, was still a mystery even to himself.

Sometimes, it would allow Scourge to heal quickly, other times it let Scourge get glimpses of future events, in fact one time, he had accidentally frozen Rusty while they were training. Scourge didn't really understand why his secondary power was always random, but he had gotten better at using it ever since he had started accessorizing his collar with teeth. But even as he continued towards Wallow Ridge, Scourge heard a loud crack coming from outside one of the houses. Approaching the source of the disturbance, Scourge saw a large man aiming a gun at a small child. Letting rage take over him, Scourge leapt at the man, his claws swiping furiously. As the man turned towards Scourge, startled by the dark cat's appearance, Scourge swiped at the man's arm with his white forepaw. Even though the claws were nowhere near the man's arm, the resulting gashes that covered the arm suggested otherwise. The gashes had cut deep into the man's arm and Scourge's eyes lit up when he saw the blood pouring from the cuts. As the man ran off, holding his arm and cursing underneath his breath about how Gatlon City was going to be overrun by cats soon, Scourge continued on his way towards Wallow Ridge.

Once he got to the house where Nova lived, Scourge simply pawed a bit at the door. When no one answered, Scourge unsheathed his claws and scratched at the doorpost. He had only intended to make a small scratch in the wood, but was both pleased and shocked to see a ten-inch gash instead. What he wasn't as pleased about was the fact that it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Even so, Scourge thought, that was bound to get the Anarchists' attention.

As the door opened just a crack, Scourge saw his chance and dashed inside, almost tripping Leroy as he was trying to peer outside, looking for the cause of the sound. As Scourge entered the hallway, his cold, blue eyes found Nova. As Nova started in surprise, Scourge said to her, "I have some information to share with you, Nightmare, along with a request to make."

Nova sat back and replied, "What is it, Scourge?"

"I saw Adrian taking Firestar back to his mansion, and I would like you to show me Renegade HQ." Scourge remarked in his drawling, icy voice.

Nova thought about the offer then said, "I'll see what I can do."

As Scourge turned to leave, he saw Phobia hovering at the top the stairs. As Scourge looked closer at the cowled figure, Phobia suddenly vanished and in his place, was Tigerstar! Even though Scourge knew about Phobia's ability, seeing Tigerstar appear out of thin air still scared him a little. As Scourge made his way back to Bone, he knew that sooner or later, he would teach Tigerstar a lesson. One that the striped tabby would never forget.

Chapter Text

Renegade HQ was buzzing with excitement and concern. Excitement because it was Dana's birthday. Concern because Cash Jewelers, the prestigious diamond store, had been robbed. Even though the person who had robbed the famous jewelry store was still at large, the excitement outweighed the concern. As the festivities were getting underway, there were only a few people missing. Those people happened to be Firestar, Adrian, and Nova. Inside one of the recreation rooms, Firestar and Adrian were listening to Nova's proposal. "So," Nova said, "I was wondering if I could bring in another member to help us." Firestar and Adrian looked at each other.

Finally Firestar spoke, "Who is this new member?"

"Come in!" Nova called towards the door. As Firestar turned towards the door, expecting to see another Twoleg, all that he saw was a rather small, black cat.

"Are you the new recruit?" Firestar asked the cat.

"Yes, I am," the newcomer said, his voice sounding like splintering ice, "my name is Tiny. As for what I can do, I can move quickly."

"That's an interesting ability." Adrian mused.

Before Tiny could offer a demonstration, Firestar cut in, "How do you know Nova?"

"Oh, I saw her at the trials, and after she had left, I decided to become her friend." Tiny responded.

"Well, Tiny, I would like to see what you can do, as would Adrian." Firestar replied.

With that, Tiny took a deep breath and then in the blink of an eye, took off so fast that by the time Firestar had registered that Tiny had left the spot where he'd previously been sitting, Tiny was back in that spot, only this time with a nice piece of salmon and something long and white in his claws.

"Wow! That is fast." Firestar exclaimed. "Welcome to the team, Tiny."

As Firestar offered his paw towards his new team member, he heard Adrian exclaim, "I'm missing a shoelace! How did that happen?"

Firestar took a closer look at the long, white thing and realized that it was in fact a shoelace. "Okay, you definitely belong on this team, Tiny."

"By the way, Firestar, what's your ability?" Tiny asked, while biting into the salmon.

"I can coat myself in a fiery aura that protects me from some powers. Sadly, it won't protect me from Nightmare's power, or from the powers of other cats." Firestar replied, although he was rather cautious about revealing the fact that his power didn't keep him protected from Nightmare's terrifying ability.

"Wow! I wish I had your power, also, who's Nightmare?" Tiny asked.

"Nightmare is an Anarchist whose power puts other people to sleep with one touch." Firestar replied, although when he said Anarchist, he sounded like he was going to cough up a hairball.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Tiny replied.

"Trust me, it's so annoying." Firestar huffed.

"Uh, Tiny?" Adrian cut in. "Could I have my shoelace back?"

"Sure." In another blink, Adrian's shoelace was back where it belonged.

"Well, I hope that you like it here at Renegade HQ, Tiny." Firestar commented.

"Thanks!" Tiny said, before turning to leave with Nova. After Tiny and Nova had left, Firestar turned back towards Adrian. "What do you think about Tiny?"

"I think that he could be of use to the team." Adrian commented.

"I was thinking that as well, however, something concerns me about Tiny." Firestar replied.

"What's that?" Adrian queried.

"Tiny looked kind of familiar to me." Firestar said, after a pause.

"What!?" Adrian gasped, unable to hide his shock.

"He looked almost exactly like a rogue that I've heard about, a rogue by the name of... Scourge." Firestar mewed, his tone betraying his frustration that he hadn't been able to stop the BloodClan leader's reign of terror.

At the mention of the BloodClan leader, Adrian's blood ran cold. "What do you mean, Firestar?"

"I mean that Scourge's ability is quick movement, plus there's the fact that Tiny and Scourge have the same fur color." Firestar spat.

"Even so, Scourge not only has reinforced claws, but he also has a dog-tooth studded collar, neither of which Tiny had when we saw him in action." Adrian commented, remembering what the Renegade database said about the ruthless leader of BloodClan.

"True, Tiny didn't have a collar or rather sharp claws, but Tiny looks almost exactly like Scourge." Firestar said, exasperatedly.

"But even so, isn't Scourge described as ruthless and power hungry in the Renegade Database? Tiny seems rather tame in comparison." Adrian countered.

Upon hearing Adrian come to Tiny's defense, Firestar relented. "Fine. Tiny might not be Scourge, however, we should still keep an eye on him just in case."

"Okay, Firestar." Adrian agreed as he and Firestar left the recreation room to go join the festivities and get some punch. But even as Firestar was lapping up the punch, he still had his doubts about Tiny.

Chapter Text

Nova had to hold in her laughter when she saw that Scourge had stolen Adrian's shoelace from right under Adrian's nose. As she and Scourge left the room and once they were out of earshot, Nova just started laughing. As Scourge turned towards her with a puzzled look on his face, Nova said, "That was amazing, Tiny! I knew that you could move fast, but I didn't know that you could move that fast."

Scourge looked up at Nova and said, "I'm glad that both you and Firestar are impressed at my speed, but in case you've forgotten, Insomnia, we still have some work to do, or have you gone complacent and forgotten our deal?"

As Nova's laughter subsided, she turned back towards her furry companion and said, "Of course not. I'll make sure that you get your revenge on Tigerstar, and in return, you'll help me take out the Renegades."

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." Scourge said.

Even as Nova straightened up, she could feel that the air temperature had dropped significantly. As Nova surveyed the scene, her gaze quickly fell onto Frostbite and her cronies, Gargoyle, Aftershock, Stingray, and of course, Tigerstar. As she looked at the large tabby, she saw Scourge preparing to leap forwards at Tigerstar, a glint in Scourge's eye suggesting that Scourge was going to kill Tigerstar right there. "Not yet, Tiny." Nova hissed.

Begrudgingly, Scourge calmed down. After Frostbite and her team left, Scourge turned towards Nova, a cold fury burning in those icy-blue eyes as he asked her, "Why did you stop me, Nova? I could've taken him out right there!"

"Had you done so, you would've blown not only your cover, but you might've also blown my cover as well." Nova said.

"Okay, I'll try to have some more patience." Scourge acquiesed.

As Nova and Scourge started to make their way towards where the refreshments were, a voice called out to them, causing them both to stop. "Insomnia! Who's your companion?"

As Nova and Scourge turned around, they were met with the jovial faces of Oscar and Ruby! Nova quickly replied, "Oh, hello Smokescreen, Red Assassin, this is our newest member, Tiny!"

"Wait a minute" Oscar said. "We now have another cat on our team? How cool is that?"

"Pretty cool, so Tiny, what's your power?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, you want to know what my power is?" Scourge replied. "I guess I can show you."

In the blink of an eye, Scourge was sitting in front of Oscar and Ruby, quietly sipping on some punch, while resting on a wire and a long stick. Oscar and Ruby were taken aback.

"How?" Oscar gasped.

"What just happened?" Ruby inquired.

"My ability is that I can move very fast. Adrian and Firestar both know about my ability, because I showed them what I could do earlier."

Nova just let out a sheepish grin, then turned to Scourge and said, "Tiny, could you give them their stuff back?"

"Certainly." Scourge said, although every syllable was coated with icy disdain.

In a flash, Oscar had his cane and Ruby had her bloodstone. As Oscar and Ruby left to go mingle with the other Renegades, Nova heard a booming voice coming from behind her, "Nova, I heard that you've found another member for your team!"

Turning towards the sound, Nova's gaze fell upon the immaculate figure of Captain Chromium. "Yes, I did."

"So, what can your new member do?" Captain Chromium asked Nova.

"I'll let Tiny show you." Even as Nova said those words, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scourge roll his eyes, like he was getting a bit annoyed that he had to keep showing off his ability, but Nova could tell that, secretly, Scourge loved showing off what he could do.

In a flash, Scourge was sitting on top of the captain's head, wrapped up in the captain's cape. "Okay, Tiny, I must admit, that's pretty impressive. Now could you please get off of my head?" Captain Chromium asked.

"Certainly, Captain!" Scourge said.

In another flash, Scourge was sitting on Nova's shoulder, Captain Chromium's cape back around his shoulders.

"That gives me an idea," Captain Chromium said. "Nova, I'd like you and the rest of your team to stakeout the docks. Word on the street is that there's a drug deal going down tonight. Take your new recruit with you."

Nova smiled at the Captain. "Sure. I'll go notify Sketch."

As Nova searched for Adrian to tell him about their next mission, Scourge whispered in her ear, "I hope that this stakeout will help us get closer to crushing the Renegades."

"I hope so too, but for right now, we need to act like we support the Renegades, Tiny. Otherwise, what's the point of infiltrating their ranks?"

"Fair enough." Scourge replied.

After a few minutes, Nova saw Adrian and Firestar over by the punch and went over to them. "Adrian! Captain Chromium gave us an assignment!" Nova called out.

"What assignment?" Adrian asked.

"He wants our team to stakeout the docks in order to stop a drug deal." Nova replied, her tone excited

"That's great, Nova! When should we head out?" Adrian asked.

As Nova was about to respond, Scourge stepped in and answered Adrian question, "Now." With that, Adrian notified the rest of his team and they headed out towards the docks.

Arriving at a warehouse that had a clear view of the docks, Nova, Adrian, Ruby, Oscar, Dana, Firestar, and Scourge settled in to wait for the exchange to happen. It had only been a few minutes before Oscar spoke up. "So, does anybody want some snacks?"

Dana, Ruby, and Adrian raised their hands. Nova wasn't surprised. Even though Nova wanted to try Oscar's snacks, the mission came first. So she sat over by the sole window overlooking the docks with Firestar and Scourge.

As Nova was relaxing, Firestar came up to her. "What do you want, Firestar?" Nova asked, annoyed.

"I want to know a bit more about you, Insomnia, if that's alright with you." Firestar responded.

"What do you want to know, Firestar?" Nova responded.

"I want to know what you did before you joined the Renegades, Insomnia." Firestar said.

Nova reply was ingrained into her. "I worked over at Cosmopolis Park as a ride attendant. I lived with my uncle, Peter McLain, who herds bees for a living. I had thoughts about what it would be like to be a Renegade." Lies, all of it was lies. Nova thought to herself

"That's pretty cool, Insomnia! So, what about you, Tiny? What did you do?" Nova shot a glance at Scourge, wondering what he'd say.

"I was part of a loving family, with two brothers and a sister, but after an accident and a near-death experience, I had to leave my family in order to protect them." Scourge replied, leaving Nova wondering if what Scourge had just told Firestar the truth.

"That's harsh, Tiny. Hey, when this mission is over, would you like a place in ThunderClan?" Firestar asked.

"Sure, Firestar. I would love to be a part of your Clan." Nova heard Scourge remark.

"Then I suppose I should make you a warrior then, seeing how you have quite a bit of experience and you're too old to be an apprentice, but too young to be an elder. Tiny, do you promise to faithfully serve ThunderClan?"

"Yes," Nova heard Scourge say with just a hint of ice in his voice. "I promise."

"Then from this moment, Tiny, you will be known as Tinyfrost." Firestar declared proudly.

"Thank you for this honor, Firestar." Scourge, no, Tinyfrost, mewed in reply.

As Nova turned back towards the window, something strange caught her eye. "Adrian, I see a possible prodigy."

As Adrian approached, Nova heard the sound of glass breaking. Sweet rot, the cats had jumped out of the window, Nova realized. As Nova took out her binoculars, she saw Firestar and Scourge already on the ground, along with two other cats who were accompanied by a shadowy figure. Nova recognized the other two cats as Blackfoot and Sasha. Two of Tigerstar's lackeys. 

As Nova watched, Firestar and Scourge worked well together, making sure to cover each other, while also keeping the other cats back. Eventually, Blackfoot and Sasha fled, leaving Firestar and Scourge to head back to their comrades. However, that was when the prodigy struck. There was a loud noise like thunder, then Nova saw Firestar and Scourge hit the door of the warehouse. As Nova dashed out, ready to confront the prodigy, she saw no sign of them. Nova turned towards Firestar and Scourge, worried about them.

As Nova approached, she saw what appeared to be shallow wounds scoring Firestar's and Scourge's flanks. "Come on, you two, let's get you guys to the healers." Nova said.

But even as Nova started making her way back towards Renegade HQ, she was worried about what ability that prodigy had. Whatever that ability was, it was dangerous, and Nova needed to be prepared for it, should she come face to face with the user in the future.

Chapter Text

Adrian dashed into Renegade headquarters, worried about his teammates who'd been injured during his last mission. As Adrian made his way towards the infirmary, he was still thinking about what he could've done differently. Maybe if I'd realized that there was a prodigy, then I might've been able to draw something that could've protected Firestar and Tiny. As Adrian continued onwards, lost in thought, he bumped into Nova. "Watch where you're going, Sketch!" Nova huffed, obviously annoyed at him.

"I'm so sorry, Insomnia, I was just lost in thought." Adrian responded. When Nova didn't reply, Adrian asked, "How are they? Firestar and Tinyfrost, I mean."

Nova looked up at him, then averted her gaze and said, "They're going to be fine. Turns out that their wounds were just superficial."

Upon hearing the good news, Adrian let out a sigh of relief. "That's great! I was just on my way to visit them."

"Okay, Sketch, however, I should warn you though, there's a rather overbearing person in there with them." Nova warned.

"Who?" Adrian wondered.

"Some black cat by the name of Yellowfang. Just because she's a healer doesn't mean that she's kind." Nova commented.

"Okay, I guess that means that I'll just keep my distance then."

As Nova walked off, Adrian resumed his journey towards the medicine wing. Once Adrian got there, he was tackled by Firestar and Tinyfrost. Worried that they'd scratch him, Adrian called out, "Whoa, I get that you're excited to see me, but I'm not a scratching post!"

As Firestar and Tinyfrost calmed down, Adrian heard a gruff voice saying, "You two better be grateful that I healed you! I swear, if you keep on getting injured, Firestar, one of these days, I'm not going to heal you."

"Got it, Yellowfang!" Firestar replied.

As Adrian, Tinyfrost, and Firestar walked away from the infirmary, Adrian asked his two companions, "Would you guys like to meet the final member of our team?"

"Sure!" Firestar said.

"What's this final member like?" Tinyfrost queried.

Upon hearing Tinyfrost's question, Adrian paused mid-stride. "Let's just say that he's a bit unique. It's better if he explains it. Ah, yes, here we are."

Adrian, Firestar, and Tinyfrost stopped in front of a door that lead to a corridor made out of glass, with several white suits lining the walls. At the end of the corridor, there was a door that lead to a large glass room, although there was space to walk around the room if one so desired.

"Max! Max, I have some more people for you to meet!" Adrian called out. No response.

"Max," Adrian shouted, "I brought you some more members of our team for you to meet!"

At those words, a small, frizzy-haired boy suddenly appeared inside of the glass room. "What in the name of StarClan?" Firestar gasped, obviously shocked by Max's sudden appearance.

"Hello, Max, my name is Tinyfrost. It's a pleasure to meet you." Tinyfrost purred at the exact same time.

"Hello, Tinyfrost and, who's the other cat?" Max said.

Adrian quickly intervened. "Max, Firestar. Firestar, Max. I probably should've warned you guys about what Max can do."

"So, what can you do, Max?" Firestar asked.

"What I can do is I can turn invisible, I can fuse things together, manipulate metals, bring drawings to life (even if they don't live for that long), and I also have telepathy." Max boasted.

"That's amazing!" Firestar and Tinyfrost mewed at the same time.

"It's nothing really." Max blushed. "So, what can you guys do?"

Both Tinyfrost and Firestar glared at each other, then at last, Firestar spoke up. "I can cloak myself in a fiery aura that will protect me from some prodigy abilities." Max looked at Firestar with a puzzled expression before turning his gaze towards Tinyfrost.

"I can move quickly." Tinyfrost said, "Watch!" After saying that, Tinyfrost vanished in a blur of motion, only to reappear just as quickly with a marker, a pen, and a piece of chalk lying on the ground in front of him. Max's eyes went wide at the sight of Tinyfrost's power.

Adrian started to move his hand towards where he kept his chalk hidden, only to see the pocket that he'd made for the chalk was slashed. Stunned and furious, Adrian rounded on Tinyfrost, realizing what the small, black tom had done. When Adrian spoke, his tone indicated how annoyed he was with Tinyfrost. "Tinyfrost! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Tinyfrost looked a bit sheepish, then replied, "Don't worry, Adrian. I'll fix everything." In another blink, everything was fixed and Tinyfrost was curled up next to Firestar, a needle and thread beside him.

Adrian was once again awestruck at Tinyfrost's speed, then collected himself and turned back towards Max. "So, Max, what do you think of our newest members?"

"They are amazing!" Max blurted. "I've never seen such speed, although the aura sounds really cool. You know, Tinyfrost, I think that you could possibly be faster than the Sentinel."

At the mention of the name of his alter-ego, Adrian flinched. Adrian knew that as the Sentinel, he could travel great distances by using the springs that he'd tattooed onto the soles of his feet, but just the thought that Tinyfrost, the latest recruit to his team, could be faster than his alter-ego scared Adrian to his core. Even thinking about how fast Tinyfrost was scared Adrian a bit.

It was bad enough that he was still searching for Nightmare after she'd humiliated him during the parade and there were also rumors going around about a group of cats lead by a ruthless leader known only as Scourge. Scourge's power was listed in the Renegade database as hyper movement, but even that estimate was just speculation. Adrian had never fought Scourge, so he couldn't say if the Renegade database was accurate. If Tinyfrost was Scourge, that would undoubtedly be horrific, although Adrian had only ever heard rumors about Scourge's speed, so maybe, just maybe, Tinyfrost and Scourge were different people.

Little did Adrian know, but Tinyfrost and Scourge were one and the same.

Chapter Text

Scourge knew that he was taking a huge risk joining the Renegades. The biggest risk to joining the Renegades was that they could figure out that he was actually Scourge, the leader of BloodClan, rather than Tinyfrost, warrior under Firestar's command. Still, joining the Renegades would work out in the end, especially with Nova's help. Even as Scourge was musing about how to take out the Renegades, he bumped into Dana. "I'm so sorry, Dana. I should've looked where I was going." Scourge said quickly.

"That's okay, Tinyfrost. Just try not to do it again." Dana said, before dispersing into a cloud of monarch butterflies and flying off. Scourge watched the swarm leave Renegade HQ, then started heading in the direction of Wallowridge to meet up with Nova and the rest of the Anarchists.

While making his way to the house where Nova and most of the Anarchists were staying, Scourge heard two familiar voices talking above him. Looking up, he saw a portal to another world open in the sky. Deciding to take a quick detour, Scourge jumped through the portal, arriving in a white wonderland. As Scourge looked around at this wonderland, he saw Bluefur talking with a cat that looked nearly identical to himself, with the only difference being that this cat had a blue collar rather than a purple one.

As he approached, he heard Bluefur say to his other self, "Scourge, the members of StarClan, including myself, have a very pressing matter to deal with. The Dark Forest has sent Tigerstar back in time to eliminate the clans before they're founded. We've tried eight separate times to defeat them, and we've failed eight times. You are our last hope, Scourge. If you can stop Tigerstar from changing the past, then the members of StarClan will give you the nine lives of a leader and accept BloodClan as a legitimate clan of the forest."

Seeing the look of confusion on his other self, Scourge decided to cut in, "Hello, Bluestar. Long time no see." Seeing Bluestar spin around with a look of horror on her face as she heard him speak caused a malevolent grin to dance on Scourge's face. As Bluestar was about to speak, Scourge motioned with his tail for her to follow him.

After they got out of earshot of the other Scourge, Bluestar hissed at him furiously, her face livid with rage and confusion, "How in the name of StarClan did you get into this place, Scourge? I thought that you'd perished when you got sent back to deal with Tigerstar in the past. Actually, no, that's not right. I saw Tigerstar kill you in the past! Also, how in the name of StarClan did you figure out that I'm now Bluestar?"

Scourge met Bluestar furious gaze with his own chilling stare as he replied, "To answer your question, Bluestar, I didn't perish when I got sent back. I got flung into another universe along with Tigerstar, or at least a version of him that I never killed. Anyways, it looks like you have your paws full at the moment, so I'll leave you with this piece of advice: Try not to be to hard on this version of Scourge. After all, the Scourge who tried before me ended up dying to Tall Shadow because he couldn't handle the pressure." As Bluestar was about to respond, Scourge said, "I really have to get back to my world now, Bluestar. Just remember what I told you." As Scourge leapt back through the portal, landing lightly on the sidewalk, he looked back up and saw Bluestar nod at him before the portal closed in front of his eyes.

Even as Scourge arrived outside of the house that Nova was living at, his thoughts drifted back to his adventure to save the clans. As the sounds of battle raged throughout the night only broken up by the occasional crack of thunder on the horizon, Scourge looked around for his Clan mates, Gray Wing, Thunder, and Tall Shadow. Eventually, he saw them locked in combat with a figure that he recognized even through the pouring rain: Tigerstar.

Letting out a roar that reverberated across the moorland, Scourge charged towards Tigerstar, his eyes blazing with malice as he swung a paw towards his oppressor, seeking to replicate the exact maneuver that had taken the tabby's nine lives the last time that they'd faced off. Unfortunately for Scourge, Tigerstar dodged his swipe while countering with a swipe of his own, his long claws striking Scourge across his flank, sending him reeling. As he fell to the ground, he saw Tigerstar lift one of his massive paws, prepared to end Scourge's life in the exact same way that Scourge had ended Tigerstar's own life. As Tigerstar's paw approached, Scourge swung his own paw up in desperation. As Scourge felt his paw connect with Tigerstar's throat, Tigerstar's paw connected with Scourge's throat at the same time.

"Time for you to perish, Scourge. Not even StarClan can help you here!" Tigerstar roared into Scourge's ear, his voice deafening.

"True, but the same goes for your allies in the Dark Forest, Tigerstar." Scourge replied, his icy voice as cold as ever.

"You don't understand, Scourge. The Dark Forest will always have use for me, but StarClan won't always have a use for you or your talents." Tigerstar hissed back.

"No matter how many times it takes, Tigerstar, I will end your sorry excuse of a life." Scourge replied even as his vision started to fade to black.

Scourge shuddered as he remembered how he'd nearly died to Tigerstar, then once again fixed his icy gaze on Nova's current residence. Approaching the door, Scourge called out, "Nova, are you ready?"

Nova opened the door and replied tersely, "Ready for what, Scourge?"

Scourge's eyes light up with excitement as he replied, "For a heist of course."

At the mention of the word heist, Nova's eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean by heist, Scourge?" Nova replied, puzzled by Scourge's statement.

"What I mean by heist is that I'd like to try and collect some rare gemstones from Cash Jewelers." Scourge replied, his voice cold as he spoke.

"When are we leaving, Scourge?" Nova asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she replied.

Scourge's reply was short. "Tonight."

The light of the moon shone down onto the streets of Gatlon City, illuminating the pavement with its brilliant radiance. As the sound of the clock tower rang out 8 times, Scourge and Nightmare emerged from the darkened alleyway in front of Cash Jewelers. Checking their surroundings to make sure that they were alone, Scourge and Nightmare approached the lone entrance to the jewelry store. As Nightmare picked the lock on the front door, Scourge surveyed the surrounding rooftops, eyes and ears searching for any other form of life. 

As Nightmare slowly opened the door, Scourge took a cursory glance inside before stalking forwards towards the large diamond that was enshrined in the center of the room. As Scourge approached, Nightmare called out to him, her voice a whisper, "Be careful, Scourge."

Turning back towards his companion, Scourge chuckled, "I will be, Nightmare."

As Scourge approached the large diamond, a gruff voice rang out, "I knew that you'd return here, Nightmare. For your crimes against Gatlon City, you will be brought to justice!"

Before Scourge could react, the lights in the jewelry shop blazed to life revealing the armored figure of the Sentinel standing next to a cat that Scourge recognized on sight.

"Well, well, well, Firestar. How has life with the Renegades been treating you, brother?" Scourge purred.

Firestar's face, once set with determined conviction to fight Scourge and Nightmare, turned into a look of abject horror as he recoiled at the phrase that Scourge had spoken. "Wait, but that's impossible! My only brother died in a fire. I saw him die, so how can you be my brother?" Firestar responded, still trying to comprehend what he'd heard.

"That fire was caused by the vigilante known as the Sentinel while he was fighting Nightmare during the Hero's Day Parade. As for how I survived that fire, it was my ability of quick movement that allowed me to escape. So, tell me, Firestar, how can you help the very person who took your family away from you?" Scourge replied, coldly.

Firestar turned towards the Sentinel, a look of disbelief on his face. "Is it true? Did you make me an orphan that day?" Firestar asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Firestar, I will explain everything to you after we've stopped this theft, alright?" replied the Sentinel, his gaze fixed on Scourge and Nightmare.

"I'll trust you for now, Sentinel." Firestar replied, his emerald eyes meeting Scourge's icy blue ones as the Sentinel's gaze met Nightmare's.

As Firestar and the Sentinel charged forwards, Scourge and Nightmare leapt to meet them, Nightmare's signature throwing stars heading towards the Sentinel, even as the Sentinel's energy beam powered on, a blast already heading in Nightmare's direction. Even as Scourge and Firestar started slashing at each other with their claws, Scourge saw Nightmare unhook a gun from her belt and aim it at the Sentinel. As Scourge continued his duel with Firestar, he saw the Sentinel blasted off his feet by some unexplained force.

As Scourge whistled with admiration, he felt Firestar's claw scratch his muzzle and hissed with pain. As Scourge retaliated with a slash across Firestar's muzzle, he saw the Sentinel firing another beam at Nightmare. "Nightmare, trade with me!" Scourge called out. As Nightmare lunged towards Firestar, Scourge turned his icy gaze upon the Sentinel, who froze for a brief second before firing a beam towards Scourge. Scourge dodged the projectile and moved forwards towards the Sentinel, his claws slashing with precision at the Sentinel's armored legs. As the Sentinel backpedaled away from Scourge's slashes, Scourge said, "Too late, Sentinel. I'm afraid that your armor won't hold up against me."

The Sentinel replied smugly, "You missed me, Scourge. we at Renegade HQ know all about your ability of quick movement. So I'm afraid that your last attack was useless."

"Was it really useless, Sentinel, or is your precious Renegade HQ database out of date?" Scourge replied, frostily. "I would think that someone who has as many abilities as you would realize that there was more to my attack than just going after your balance."

As the Sentinel wondered what Scourge meant, he felt a cold breeze come out of nowhere. As he turned, his eyes widened behind the helmet as he saw the four long gashes in the wall exposing the light of the moon. Turning back to face Scourge, the Sentinel's next words were filled with shock. "How did you do that? I've never seen anything like that happen before."

Scourge let out a cackle as he replied, "I'd tell you, but then again, I doubt that you'd understand what I'm talking about. Now, perish!" With that, Scourge lunged again towards the Sentinel, his quick movement allowing him to run rings around the Sentinel as the Sentinel tried to aim his energy beam at Scourge. Scourge wasn't going to give the Sentinel any time to fire the beam as he leapt towards the Sentinel's arm, his front teeth elongating as he closed his mouth down onto the Sentinel's wrist. 

As the Sentinel staggered backwards, arm going upwards as he tried to dislodge Scourge, Scourge hung on to the Sentinel's wrist, his tongue savoring the taste of the Sentinel's blood. Releasing his grip as the Sentinel's arm went down, Scourge landed lightly on his paws, then turned towards Nightmare who was busy securing the diamond, Firestar's sleeping form on the ground next to her. As Scourge saw Nightmare start to head for the exit, he turned back towards the Sentinel, who was slowly struggling to his feet.

Scourge approached the Sentinel and said, "I don't know who you are or why you have some sort of grudge against Nightmare but I will tell you this: Try to stop me, and Captain Chromium dies. You've seen what my claws did to your armor and that's only scratching the surface of my abilities. I have yet to test my claws against the supposedly invincible Captain Chromium, but after seeing what they did to your armor, I feel that they could pierce through even the captain's supposed invincibility. I do have one more ability that I want to show you before I leave you to ponder about what I've said." Once Scourge finished speaking, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt his second ability start to take hold. As Scourge exhaled, his eyes opened and he pointed his tail towards one of the display cases.

As both Nightmare and the Sentinel looked at Scourge with shock and amazement, the various necklaces that were in the display case glowed brightly, then vanished with a loud crack, reappearing on Scourge's tail, only smaller. As Scourge beckoned with his tail towards the front door, Nightmare shook herself out of her stupor and followed Scourge out into the brisk night air of Gatlon City.