Amber looked across the desk at Donald Springsteen. She looked back at his résumé and read it over again. "Mister Springsteen, your résumé is amazing. You taught at Laye University right after you graduated high school?"
Donald snorted, "High school, I finished high school when I was a dibbun."
"Remarkable. You have a Ph.D. in Psychology, an IQ of-" Amber blinked. Those numbers didn't make sense. "Mister Springsteen, did you know that you're a genius?"
The ferret smiled, "Of course I did, we geniuses are very aware of our achievements."
The badger reached across the table and shook Donald's paw, "I think this will work out wonderfully. Welcome to the team."
Donald laughed and shook Amber's paw with extra vigor, "You go girl!" The badger looked utterly confused. Donald began to almost argue, with himself. "Puh-leaz. You know I'm the bomb. Like, gag me with a spoon. Don't go there girlfriend."
Amber shrunk back from Donald. This was something he didn't mention on his résumé.
~~~~~~~~~~~
William Fates leaned his paws on his desk, filling the air with the smoke of the long cigar he held in his mouth, "Ahh, nothing like a real Bancu stogie." He puffed the cigar and laughed.
"Mister Fates?" the voice of his secretary came over the intercom. The wolf pressed the button.
"Yes?"
"Christophe Shortclaw here to see you sir."
"Let him in."
The door opened and the badger walked in. William motioned to the chair and opened the box of Bancus, "Care for one?"
Christophe held up his paw, "No thank you sir."
Mr. Fates shrugged and picked up a notepad on his desk, "I have a job for you. One which will certainly keep those checks rolling in."
The badger nodded, "Has to do with Amber Rosé, right?"
The wolf smiled and waved the notepad over Christophe's head, "You want it?"
"Of course." Christophe grabbed the pad and looked at it. Scrawled on it were several strange doodles, a scribbled message and the beginning of a letter. "But you're going to have to tell me what it is."
William puffed on his cigar again, "I want you to do a little undercover investigating of our Miss Rosé."
"Spy on her?"
"If you have to."
"I can't spy on her, that's illegal. I might get arrested, lose my journalist license."
"It's not illegal in the Westlands."
"Still, it is violating her privacy and I wouldn't want someone peering into my personal life."
The wolf raised his voice, "Mister Shortclaw, either you do this or you lose your job and its back to Paladin with you. See if your rich relatives will let you stay with them. I doubt they will after that grossly critical report you did on the royal family of Paladin."
Christophe growled bitterly, but he took the notepad, pointing a claw at the wolf. "One warning: if I get caught, you get the blame."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikolaus Firetail entered the observatory's doors. Once inside, he took quick mental notes of the telescope and the instrument panels below it. He looked around the instrument panels and noted that there were five scientists working them. He waited as he saw the badger coming down the steps.
Amber walked over to Nikolaus and shook his paw, and saluted, not quite sure exactly what to do, "Hello High General, I received the call from the President right after you left."
The fox nodded quickly, "Tall me, Doctar Rosé. Vot capabeelitees does your telescope hoff?"
Amber motioned for the fox to follow her, "Why don't you come see for yourself? We're tracking the comet right now." She stood next to the telescope and pointed to the eyepiece, "Look right in there."
Firetail leaned down and looked in. He saw a brilliant light masked by a dark circle. Around the light were several tiny points of black. "Thot ees the comet?" He asked.
Amber nodded, "That's our comet, pretty as it is, but we know the truth now. We have a countdown clock right there, but it hasn't been started yet. We need your authorization to start it."
Firetail nodded and waved his paw, "Hoff at eet, start your clock to its counting down."
Amber motioned to the scientist sitting by the clock. The raccoon pushed a large reddish button on the panel and the clock started counting down from 1 month, 2 days, 4 hours, and 35 minutes. "We have one month before this comet will come by the moon. Then a few days after that before it will crash into Loamhedge. Armageddon is near. This is the end of the world, High General."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Amber and Firetail walked into the office. She motioned for Firetail to sit down in a chair. "It's a small army to battle this rock, but we can do it."
A sharp knock at the door stopped Amber's train of thought. "Who's there?"
The raccoon's voice came from behind the office door, "It's me, Loris Greentree. I know you're busy but that scientist from Redwall has arrived."
"Let him in."
Loris opened the door and a tall coyote walked in. He reached the desk and bowed slightly, "Miss Rosé, I am Aarin Cordassis."
Amber bowed her head a bit, "Pleased to meet you, this is High General Firetail of the Army of the Vestio Union."
Aarin looked at the decadently decorated General and saluted, "General."
"You're here from Redwall City. Do you know a Marcus Woodclaw?"
"Ahh, Marcus and I went to school together... well, sort of. The Air Force Academy in Redwall. He made Sergeant, I believe. I failed immediately, but became a scientist." The coyote shrugged. "Sort of a happy ending, I suppose."
Amber smiled and looked at the clock on the wall, "I'm sorry, but it's time to lock up. I have a date with my husband. General Firetail, Mister Cordassis, I suppose I will be seeing you both tomorrow."
Firetail got up and kissed Amber's paw, "Hoff the gudd day, Doctar." He turned and headed out the office door. Aarin waved and walked out after the departing fox.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Amber sat across the table from Richerd. The meal for two was finished. Richerd reached for Amber's paw over the table. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I would have been there if it wasn't for my job. I got kept later."
"I forgive you Richerd, but you didn't have to go out and make me this meal all on your own."
Richerd smiled, "I didn't, Andre made it. I made the biscuits though."
Amber laughed and looked at the disc of bread, "This is one of those Surbiply biscuits."
"But I popped the can and put it in the oven all by myself." Amber laughed and Richerd leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. She stopped laughing and held the side of her cheek, which was turning a deep red. She smiled and kissed her husband back. He got up from his seat, went over to the opposite side of the table, and picked his wife up and carried her up the steps for the night.