Ever-Increasing Darkness: Eighteen

Closer and closer drew the ghastly thing. From a distance, it had seemed almost human, but as it drew closer, all appearance of humanity fled from it. The girls trembled, as it screamed over and over. The Grey Tabby laughed with triumph, as they shrank from its foul breath.

"The Green Man was in London last night!" Ms. Madison cried out. "Surely you don't really think he could be here now?"

"Stranger things have happened," the Grey Tabby told her. "And if he lives, then he will try to rescue you. I know the Green Man, and he's as predictable as the weather in this part of the world. At least, as predictable as it was."

"You have to be mad!" Lady Sylvia gasped, as the creature moved towards her. "Utterly mad!"

"This is revenge, my dear," he told her, "but I am as mad as you are. The Green Man is the one great obstacle to my plans. When he comes here, then at once the neural net that surrounds this place will be activated. The electicity from the net will literally tear his brain apart. Of course, it will also slay you."

"And if you're still here," Ms. Madison pointed out, "then your brain's going to fry as well."

"No," the Grey Tabby drawled urbanely. "You see, I have invented a device that will keep that from happening. My men and I are protected.

"From that, perhaps," a voice came from the shadows. "But there is no protection against the vengeance of the Green Man."

"The Green Man." The Grey Tabby stepped forward, smiling. "I knew you'd come. Be ready to protect your beautiful friends. How do you do it?"

"That's a trade secret," the Green Man replied. "Now, let us discard all talk of neural mets and such." He drew his gun. "This ends now, Tabby. Let the girls go, it's me you want."

After Lady Sylvia foiled by plan for the Republic of London?" the Grey Tabby shook his head. "Oh no, it's all of you."

He pressed a button. Lady Sylvia screamed, as the world seemed to tear itself apart.