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                                Horse Shadows

                        As scribed by Charles Duncan
                       
                         Book 1: Lengthening Shadows
        For the reader's varied queries as to what the story's about
        and to give them enlightenment in decisions of purchasing it,
        thus giving the book clerks food on their tables for one more day

Prologue

EDITORS NOTE: The time of this story takes place during one of Gazlennia's
first vacations so she missed out on this whole affair. Considering what the
Incorporateds had to go through, she was lucky to take it when she did.


First good came into being, made by skilled, loving workers named hope
and honor and love. Built as solid as a rock even when doubt termites
started pecking away at the wood, death struck a tree like lightning and
oh yes, even floods.

Evil made itself. It had no truck with good, it used foreign parts and
kept breaking down at the first sign even IT was getting out of control.
And good was all that really bothered to keep it in control, for evil
was too busy being itself most of the time to do so for itself.

This left chaos, which always was.... and resented the neighbors moving
in on its racket..... their wild parties... their teasing and
bickering... and then it got a headache when it was ultimately rejected
by ALL parties.....

Somewhere, you know there's gonna be a fight brewing eventually......

Chapter Zero "Ultimate Prelude"

For Three million years, there was this utterly misguided group of mandrills
called the SCE and they personally were in their confusion as their emperor
dictated to act evil inconsiably in his name. And they were still around due to
their emperor's insistance to just not stay dead after their misguided lives
were done. At times, few forces of good could keep the SCE in check, and
those times were rare. But the time that the SCE would begin fading into history was
was finally coming in the late 1970's when an mostly-earth based threat came to
head it off. It was one of the smallest armies to face the SCE ever known, but
since it was non-sexist and non-military and even non-tights wearing it was
the most capable of making the SCE's future quite bleak in the evil empire
business.
But this group was put in peril by the past of one of its former leaders. For
a father who tried to crush his daughter's soul by seperating her from the one
person who really was a father for her was haunting its leader. That and the one
who served this father who was not good at all for his daughter or his
community.
The one who served this daughter's father, would have found it hard to promote
its anger as was having just been broken. But it knew it could repair itself.
All it needed in lieu of Nails and Boards was Misery and Chaos, and It knew
exactly how to get BOTH.....

Chapter 1 "Renegade's gone done himself in! oh YES!"

Renegade's untimely death from stubborness within the very mind of Speedster
himself (though not Speedster's fault but the guy who made the thing that
Renegade used was at fault, apparently not telling Renegade reality wasn't the
same in a mind as OUTSIDE it with the device on line did all the harm.)
And nobody in the SCE mourned when they heard it told to their world from the
Incorporateds themselves. In fact, they cheered and had celebrations lasting
way beyond any civilized lifetime...

For Renegade, during his long existence, had been just as abusive towards
fellow villians as well as the heroes. Not one gorilla, mandrill or chimpanzee
had escaped the fear and violence that he spread, even though his origional
targets were occasionally innocent bystanders. His plowing through SCE troops,
at times like they were only fog and sometimes something even less
substantial, to get at the SCE's enemies, was not really appreciated by anyone
that served near his activities. Or sometimes far.... 

The immortal Emperor of the SCE, Kingston, had even himself been involved in
Renegades' most recent attempt to perish heroism. But, he could only view the
galactic feast of delight with disdain. "For someone my vile subjects should
have been inspired by, should be looking up to, to be cheering, can he truly
be recieving this? This is a sad state of affairs! Stop this revelry and get
back to Looting, Killing, Conquering and Pillaging, Now. " said Kingston at a
state-of-the-empire address soon after Reng's reported death. Apparently it fell
on deaf and sarcastic ears for a ton of Ethivision pirate-rigged sets had
tomatos thrown through the ether screens that day of his announcement..

For a while, it looked as if though there would be no end to this revelry, but
unbelievably, in time, it all simmered down as the SCEs decided to take a
vacation somewhere peaceful and free of police interference. Mostly out of
relief. But a Cornball did not feel relieved but elated strangely through the
whole ordeal. He never grinned more that day Speedster admitted Renegade tried
to leave through his skull and tore his dream-body to thought-pattern shreds...

It was obvious that Renegade was dead and gone, for one thing.

But what would happen, though, if Renegade came back?

In an universe where damnnation was no longer forever due to cloning and
spiritual retrieval, Many an SCE cheated death and justice in due time. Without
lady SCE's to marry and mate with, Cloning was the only way for SCE's to come
into the world. And it was one way even a nasty like Renegade could come back,
though being a ghost, a specter and often a vampire were decent alternatives....

During this time, Cornball was asked once or twice about why Renegade was gone
soon after Renegade had seized one of his personal inventions for personal use.
Cornball looked sheepish but said blame could not be placed on him, it must have
been some faulty wiring or something like that, not the fact that dreams can't
expect to come real out of a body through the skull. Physics may have been
stretched with speeds of transmission pushed way beyond light, but some things
like dreams coming out of people (alive, anyway) were just something the
Universe could not let happen. Tragic.

Of course, not everyone believed Cornball was free of blame...
but that one believer had a few other fish to fry first for appetizers. Cornball
was to be the Dessert!

Chapter 2 "Heroes don't all wear tights unless exercise videos are ON!"

There were heroes, those who wore masks and capes, who hid their identities to
protect their families, flew in the sky and were nearly as tall as the
villains they fought, and then there were the Incorporateds. Heroic, yes. Tall 
or having a tights fetish, NOT. But, while many heroes concentrated on
stopping the SCE's many-leveled villainies with flair and quality, these
animals preferred quantity. Not one was truly human, not all had fifteen
amazing, callable powers, but they sure made do with what they had and 31
planets formerly under SCE's chokeholds were free now and maybe forever so...

As for the Incorporateds themselves, they were, as follows....

Casey was the interim leader of the Incorporateds, as Speedster wasn't ready for
the job just yet and Wilson wasn't having the job anymore. A splotchy
monochromatic feline seemingly overweight but more muscle and health than
advertised, he was a brawler and a wrestler first and foremost with little
compassion for the villany imposed on the universe by Kingston, emperor of
the SCE. Some intelligence ran this engine of destruction and
even in a storm of dismay and misguidedness pea-soup-thick Casey kept
his temper calm. Violence was something Casey would perfer not to do, but Casey
could never stand to see suffering go unpunished, having lived in misery as an
alley cat before his exposure to toxic waste. Much more substance than style,
you could say of the life he lived. 

Speedster was a nearly complete opposite of Casey, yet was his closest
friend. He too had compassion for those in peril, but there was litte
similarity hence. He was a short, hyperactive little poodle who was very
bright, but didn't act snobby. He was a lot quicker to anger or glee, well
just plain quicker. His power of speed enhancement he used on himself did
wierd things to his mind; thinking faster gave him little time to rationalize
what he did and he just did it. His berserker rages did much damage whenever
he unleashed them on the SCE's nastiest scum, seemingly uncontrolled. But, in
truth, each high-speed move was calculated to do certain kinds of harm, to
seek out weaknesses and exploit them rather than sheer beating. Capable of
stopping on a dime if told and if necessary. He didn't spend much on conscious 
thought, keeping his personality rather immature. Yet, despite being nearly
nervous all the time, it was not to rudeness or total seriousness. He had looks
and charm and strength and sensitivity sometimes, too. And wisdom was key, for
in all of his high-speed running even though his healing capacity negated any
fast aging such running could do, he would have to watch out for brick walls.

To keep the rate of Wisdom slow so his friends wouldn't be left far behind,
Soap operas were Speedster's main point of life. But it wasn't his total life,
after all, when Speedster was called to action thank the great Lamar, the great
god-spirit of the Catican people, Speedster even figured out the EVCR.
He was willing to risk life and limb and a delayed showing of his shows
to see good and justice prevail even if it cost him a life and a limb (And
sometimes, evil would try to take limbs but Speedster was sure his healing
ability could easily replace them....

And then, there was Halifax, a powerful Catican who was not immortal or
seemingly invulnerable but just plain lucky. Blessed dually was he with
personality and the power to cause earthquakes with techno-enhanced
mining gloves whose outer appearance reminded one of the noble samurai's
gauntlets of ancient Japan. Where Casey remained calm and Speedster
went berzerk at times, you could not always be certain with Halifax as he was
more balanced emotionally. He kept things stable in dire situations and comedic
situations alike. Oh, I haven't mentioned Halifax had the minor living capacity
of dimension-faxing parts of himself elsewhere, did I....
Did I say MINOR? How about AWESOME?.....

Halifax, by the way, got these strange fathers by being born to his father, the
ancient and now silly-not-senile Longneck, a being who like Wilson once did,
was a bounty hunter himself but not quite with the compassion or immortality.
He was sent once to capture two morons and they ended up not being so moronish
after all, so Longneck finally gave up the business and used his new Toonesque
capacitys of being unbelievably malleable and elastic and stretchable and able
to survive being crushed by heavy things for doing free, more truly just things
in his life and getting to know his son Halifax as a son instead as a nobody
once more. And to make his new Incorporated friends laugh once in a while...

Finally, the last of these Intriguing characters was the feline/canine hybrid
Wislaun (Wilson was as close to his name as a person could get to in English,
and the rest called him this because it was a lot more cheerful), former
leader of the Incorporateds. He was actually the oldest, if not in actual
years, of them all. Longneck may have been a century old but he felt young,
while Wilson was not only three centuries older but feeling it as well.
He'd lived nearly Four hundred years fighting the SCE Mon in all its forms
(his particular monicer for the SCE's forces as a whole) and hadn't seen them
attempt to get any nicer, just nastier and more powerful, dying again and
again to become alive and fresh as before, while he inperceptibally became
older. And he had the biggest grudge, though Halifax's Quad-Decade
Slumber (trapped in suspended animation), Casey's Sentinization and
Speedster's Mutation via Sangurian Machinations came pretty close to
unforgivability.

For he'd lost not only his ferality, but also his left arm, all because of a
series of practical jokes that ended in a tragic amputation when he was working
on a ground car's engine and his arm was reaching inside the open hood of
the car when it was shut on it too damn quickly for Wilson to get out. And any
kind of joke, if carried on long enough, can surely lose its humor
and cause scars, especially when Wilson dragged himself to the nearest hospital
and fell asleep during an emergency tranfusion just as he watched from his
emergency room window that Cornball, deranged as ever, was trying to cut off the
severed arm with the car hood again and again though once was plenty....

A former bounty hunter, he did things not for the money now, he had enough of
that to keep him alive for a very long time. Considering how long he didn't
know that time would be, of course, he never really figured how long he
would'nt STOP living, and he still wasn't sure. For some reason, he'd managed
to get his own brand of immortality just as he was in his golden years and
getting ready to retire from his danger-filled life. His only consolation as
he saved worlds all across the galaxy nowadays was that he'd manage to get
himself killed in action and finally die properly with honor, rather than
slowly, slowly die on the inside since the outside just was too stubborn to...

Two weeks after Reng's death and Wilson's resignation and the surprise arrival
of Longneck into the Incorporateds organization and Casey's stepping up as its
leader, Wilson was still nursing those most recent mental scars he got from
failing to save Reng from his own foolishness....

On the skycraft NeverRest, near the Neutered region between the SCE and the
Catican Frontier, Wilson fretted and stewed as new thoughts entered his ancient
head. A feeling of misery that not even the silliest of his former employees
(now his employERS) could shake and make go away. For Wilson seemed to know
secretly that like VERY few of his enemies party-hardying elsewhere in the
infinite cosmos felt that Renegade's death might not be pernament, and he
couldn't stop remembering how Renegade cursed his name just before Wilson had to
leave the exploding blood clot before the brain damage claimed Wilson as well,
and that anything that'd happen to Renegade would prevent Reng from coming back
one day to resume making the lives of Wilson and his friends extremely
miserable. Such was the cause of Wilson's growing concern and worry, and
being out of action due to the sudden SCE holiday the Emperor didn't order
wasn't helping.

His cyborg arm detached from its bio-feedback sleeve to rest Wilson's weary
shoulder blade, Wilson sulked in the Kitchen and drank some strong Ckefden, a
beverage designed to calm emotional dismay and perfectly as legal as coffee,
with his still-attached, living left arm. For a moment, as a conference call
came in from the main hall for him, he seemed to feel a little more cheerful,
partially from the drink. At least fighting for truth made him feel useful.
But, if he knew what was going to happen within the next few days, without
knowing what new goof was inevitably going to come from it, his newfound
source of dismay would prove to be a lot stronger, as strong and painful as
what could be caused by a elephant stepping on your foot would be like, to
say, a flea... 

Chapter 3 "To tell it to allkind we were here on this miserable world!"

Terzel Xerkes was a young, bright colonial world, a light-century away as far
as light could manage to travel from the green shores of Earth proper.
Only 115 years ago, the planet was a ordinary, lifeless world,
some 600 million Terran miles from its sun, but the super-scientific power
of Catican Frontier technology had changed all of that. Terraformed now, it
was green, bright, and clean on both its new continents, simply because it
never had been dirtied in the first place. Except, of course, in one place.

The single city, named Terzel Yang, had in just 15 brief Terran Years, turned
freshly-sculpted and pure rivers into a nightmare of pollutants, turned grass
barely set out upon the world yellow, and was ripping a hole in the ozone
layer that had'nt really been there long enough to protect the world from
harmful ANYTHING. Somehow, for a fauna of beings that'd never heard of smog,
they'd managed to create it perfectly, and even managed to give it a origional 
vile flavor setinents on other planets couldn't touch with a ten-foot Rod of
solid Fleurocarbons. Being human, it probably was in their nature anyway.
Actually, it wasn't, but one person didn't believe in nature, period. Either
way you'd take it. 

Their leader was Kannel Catwind, who'd organized over a miserable century of his
life (made longer by stretches of suspended animation which gave him a quirky
thrill now and, and, and, and then) the creation of this most unmodel
community of 200,000 souls and 210,000 actual bodies. He let things really go
bad in his sole city. He never, for one, allowed police or so-called heroes to 
interfere in the proper activities of the criminal element, for one thing. He
also hated seeing people ask for relief and also be allowed to get it. But
that was not all the bad he did, for he also did things the people WOULD
despise if they only heard of it. 

While many of his people toiled in mines and in industry thinking they were
doing good for fleet, planets, and Lamar, chief deity of the Catican Frontier,
they were being sold out to the SCE, as half of all their industry was being
funneled to either side in the galactic struggle. He didn't really care who
paid him, just as long as he got paid. And not only that, he'd gave both enemy
and ally (dependent on who was paying him the most at the heat of the moment)
land to set up their varied projects in. But, for all these divided loyalties
and compassionateless activity, the people still couldn't have him ejected.
Not that they didn't want to, but because they were too ashamed to.

as he looked from the tallest building in the sole city, Kannel saw the
multitudes of cloaked people, looking down to avoid his gaze. How they fear
me, he wondered. Is it because of my ill manner, my iron fist? My wishing I
could swat some of them like flies just because they look like flies from this 
height? Or is it because, I put ninety percent of the people working for me
now in cheap Stasis tubes on the journey here, while I and my daughter got
only the best, and a result of that is that they and their children are
forever hyper-photosensitive to this sun's actually nice cool light, and must
forever wear several layers of clothing just to keep from roasting alive?

NNNNAAAAAHHHHH.

And so, Kannel watched the thronging crowds below for a while, when his
daughter entered. She fortuitously had managed to lose every ounce of Disdain
for people she was born with, but she still kind of loathed her dad, and could
always talk to him unlike several thousand of her fellow people. Except, of
course, when it came to making the world a better place, she couldn't talk to
him about that because he just didn't listen at all. And this last night, the
last of several thousand nights in the fifteen years she'd been awake, was no
exeption. 

He listened pretendingly intently while Carol told him of a riot at the
city's border. How people weren't actually starved, weren't complaining about
the water (They'd bought at great expense Home Water Filtration units for
that), but were complaining anyway, because there was a lack of privacy. A
roving band of Sangurians were simply walking through houses in broad daylight 
and taking televisions and radios left and right, and the people who were
SUPPOSED to be POLICE was actually trying to supervise their looting sprees.
And several victims started the riot in an weak attempt to get them to stop
helping the Mon, JUST for that purpose, but apparently one or two of the more
industrious gorilla guerillas got involved in helping the Cops overcome the
riots, and all hell broke loose. Each word Carol said, Kennel made sure to nod
to at least keep her from thinking he DIDN'T care. Pure Truth. He didn't pay a
bit of attention to what she said, and when he casually looked at the burning
area of the city some five miles away from his offices, thinking he'd gotten
her to feel he was a caring man.. Finally.. He had the nerve to say, "Nice
Barbecue they're holding out there. Am I Invited, and can I bring as a Civic
Duty, the ..." The next word was kind of foreign and new to him, a bizzare
concept considering where and WHEN he'd origionally came from, "Chips?" 

"That's it", she said with a due burst of anger, having heard this sort of
thing for the past fifteen years since she left stasis, "I've had it. If you
don't care anything for this world we live in, then for heaven's sake, I know
someone who does.. ME! I'm leaving! And don't do anything to stop me! I'm
going to shatter that fog you're living in, no matter what it takes!" And she
strolled out the auto-opening doors fuming and plotting.....

"Have a NNNIIIICCCCEEE day", said Kannel, and watched her leave, not caring
one bit that she could be somehow be planning his downfall. He just was glad
to have her leave, after all, she did clash with the decor. Still, it did irk
his curiousity as to what she could do to him. And he prefered to do, the
well, doing to people... 

For the next few nights at about the planet's midnight, he looked down at his
people, and just plain watched them. Occasionally, some vile creature who was
his business associate would come in and deal with him, some person who'd
caused too much trouble was dragged in to be tortured, and sometimes, a vile
creature and business associate would come in with a person who'd caused too
much trouble. But still, not much tore him away from his hobby of watching the 
people down in his streets, in his city and world... 

Chapter 4 "Mystery guest stars come out on this special night!!!

Until one fortnight after his daughter walked out on him. A SCE scientist,
name of TernBrek, had come in most upset. Not only did he try to wave several
documents of raids by girl unknown on several illegal activities in front of
Kannel's face, but apparently Brek was already steamed by a raid on his own
SCE-run scientific base deep in a swamp a hundred miles away, by a mere slip
of a little masked teenage (as much as apparent from the 'guise) girl who'd
been packing for bear with a stun gun, alone and angered. He was just going to
report this act of APPARENT heroism when one of Kannel's cloaked secretaries
passed this massive pile of reports into Brek's surprised hands, each one not
only describing the perpetrator as the same masked girl, but each single event
having had happened really quickly after his own base's rather embarrasing
experience. He looked nearly as miffed as Carol had ever been, but this time
Kannel listened to the chimpanzee's ravings. as said earlier, he didn't like
people up to lots of good, and hearing THIS rather than anything else caught
his attention. For once, too late. 

"A girl, you say, has been causing all sorts of ruckus with these raids", said
Kannel. 

"No", said Brek, "These PAPERS do. They may not have a voice, but they say in
written words what's going on. Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Mandrills, they're
saying in the streets that they're getting delayed getting stunned all the
time. One minute they're getting someone's paycheck out of his or her grimy
fingers, then after a thirty-minute nap the check and their victims are gone.
It's really upsetting. Cops say so, too, as they missed their monthly kickback
time for bringing innocent citizens in for resisting being robbed. They look
forward to meeting their quotas."

"Does she do any of the thieving herself?"

"Not that I know of. Furthermore. We don't know where she got the stun gun,
most of the setinents can carry and purchase them for self-protection, it is
legal. Maybe not on this world, but on several others. She probably got that
and the costume off-world as well, because too many of the people living on
your world could wear anything so light and so fancy, otherwise they'd get
burned, literally." 

"Then, What was she wearing?"

"We have video tape of her actions at the base. I brought it along with me,
and this also says much about the nature of this fiend. You got a wall viewer, 
Kannel? Then you will know why we are so upset." 

"Right over there", said Kannel, pointing to a dusty screen not far from the
door, apparently unused since the building was built some 14 years hence,
watching the people suffer below was apparently more of an engrossing show for
Kannel than anything the Television could provide him. 

"You know, Kannel", said Brek, "You'd probably enjoy viewing this tape, with
some popcorn or something. People like you, well, watch this stuff all the
time on one of the planets I've been.... stationed on, devouring corn like
crazy, and well, Maybe I could have some sent over...." 

"What's pop...corn?"

"Oh, I forget. You've been out of touch with what's going on your home world
since you LEFT, huh?" 

Of course, everyone was out of touch since they all 'left', thought Kannel. It
has been over three hundred years since we 'left' our home world, to start MY
vile lifestyle over again. I have rather enjoyed the fact not anybody has
learned about such things as true 'democracy', civil rights or seperation of,
well, criminals and policemen, Even though they seem to caught on to things
like VideoVision, CedRom Movies and Radio, they still haven't got the knack of 
seeing that real justice was going on...

And now, (as he watched the video of the raid, how do they get moving images
of all those creatures on the wall so fast, he still couldn't help wonder),
Someone is working against those I've harbored and nurtured all my life.
Someone who's concealing her identity, to the point I really couldn't tell
anything other than that she's obviously a girl, and hurting guilty people
left and right? Watching out my window was interesting, but this really grabs
my attention... Nice cartwheels she does, by the way, and how nicely she
knocks gorillas off their feet. Didn't my daughter use to do that a lot when
she was very young... as the raid processed, and the girl showed off with some
acrobatic moves as well to dodge many an attempt by the gorillas in the midst
of the action to stop her cold, he was obviously not just getting interested,
but getting interested in having her stopped at all costs. 

Kannel said eventually, during a few minutes in which the masked raider shot
still a whole group of orangs who were torturing someone for lunch money in
their midst, "Brek, Is there any way to track this little beast to her lair
and dispose of her? I'm beginning to think " (A stretch for a mind that
otherwise thought of nothing but watching people suffer) "she might pop in MY
office and do some damage to ME. You wouldn't like me gone, would you?" And he 
slumped down, exhausted from the effort, and stared through Brek with a cold
stare that just begged for an answer. 

"No", Brek quickly added. Kannel was good for crime in his world because he
never called anyone in to, well, stop it, and anyone else might just do that.
Unlike Kannel, Brek realized that according to the rules that keep OTHER
colonies safe, the minute a leader of a world in the Catican Frontier, even if
he's involved from a distance in a world's dismay, makes anything known
something's wrong with the world, then he is temporarily dismissed and a load
of soldiers comes and attacks the planet, making sure everyone who's been done 
'wrong' is taken far away, often after admitting all painfully, and throwing
them all in 'prision' for a month at least. That was a pretty nasty detterent
to crime, all right. Brek knew what 'prison' was like, at least the kind
where you're relocated as far from your friends and... family, given a new
name and identity, guarded all the time against any retribution. It was
terrible, especially if you weren't the one being put in such a prison, but
the one who'd done the crime against him and hated knowing the victim still
knew where you've been, wanting to crush the man or woman who could squeal on
you and never getting a chance to vent your frustrations on them... 

"It is my discretion, " Kannel finally said. "Everyone who you're used to rob,
cheat and mistreat would be taken away, and kept a good distance away from
you. No one to conduct freakish medical experiments on, no one to pillage, no
one. I would be inevitably returned to my post to start my bland designs all
over again, but your emperor wouldn't like you being anywhere where you
weren't doing much of anything, would he?" 

"And you'd do that to all those innocent people.. throw them in anynomity? No,
Kannel, I would not like that. " 

"Then make sure she doesn't inevitably disturb ME. Find a way to stop her,
silence her. Make sure she lives, though. I want her to live to regret this..
and knowing where she might HAVE come from, that's gonna be a LONG time. Brek
almost left then, but said, "You did want her tracked down, didn't you? First
of all? And, I assume, you'd like to know who she really is? Aren't you
curious at all, because she sure makes me curious." 

"Make sure she is, Brek. Find the BEST tracker, and have HIM brought to me. He 
really knows me WELL." 

"Not him!", said Brek. "Not W...Gulp! I hate that cyborg whatever-it-is even in
this most current LIFETIME!!!!"

"Yes, him. In his day, he was one of the best bounty hunters. He probably,
thanks to me, STILL is. So, you find some way to contact him, make sure he
comes to me. I don't think he's aware of what's going on this world, I can
make up some story. And, I'll try my best to dispose of him after he brings
the girl out into the open. I guarantee it."

"Uh.. Kannel.. I think....."

"You, Brek, are wasting my time. Especially when you THINK, especially here.
Leave my office, and take these MISERABLE reports with you. I don't like
them, and I don't want to get TOO many more, do I?" said Kannel, and turned
around to watch the people again just as the video of the raid ended.

Brek wanted to say more, but he couldn't, not when he was like that. Brek then
left the building and went back to his own lair some miles away from the city, 
upset anyone would call HIM to take care of anyone. He knew very well who "Not 
W...Gulp" was, that he was still alive, and he had a very good memory. And
someone like him calling one of the good guys to take care of problems he and
Kannel was facing.. "Not W..Gulp" was never really pleased whenever he found
out he'd been conned. Especially now that he had several friends also standing 
behind him 100% of the way.. and especially, if you personally knew who his
friends were. Compared to his friends, the unnamed, unfaced girl was quite
pleasant company.

He would have wished he stayed to talk some more, though. For as he left, a
shadow came in and shook Kannel's hand firmly, and left, laughing with glee as
to what suddenly good for the particular shadow had just come up... Something
Brek should have wished for, and acted on. And to the shadow, Brek would have
thought if he'd stayed longer, "Not W...Gulp"'s friends were REALLY PLEasANT,
WONDERFUL COMPANY as that particular girl was to them...

Chapter 5 "Wilson's Woes come blooming forth in Droves!"

"Wilson", called Speedster's nearly maniac voice over the speakers in Wilson's 
'bedroom'. Although he really was in where the kitchen was in the starship
NeverRest, it was his bedroom as far as the rest of the Incorporateds were
concerned. Since Wilson was part cat, he rarely needed sleep as much as anyone
else, and sometimes he just sat there and closed his eyes for a minute since
cats rarely slept at night. The dog in him, however, rarely slept at day, and
the two combined never really got any sleep at all. But he did eat every four
hours on schedule, alternatively eating healthy food and junk food, dependent
on which part of him was up at the time. "Wilson, could you come down here,
please", said Halifax's deep voice, filled with concern. So he'd gravitated
there when he wasn't fighting for justice nearly all the time. From nearly
vanished memories of when, perhaps, he was just this happy alien domesticated
creature who was somewhere between a terran cat and an terran dog, he felt safer
Not now, though. Not much solace, with his thoughts of Renegade's
insulting him, his intelligence, and finally, his life. And his promise of
retribution that Wilson couldn't shake off. "Wilson, You stop this immature
self pity, and move your tail down here before I drag you down here!", said
the toonish Longneck, finally coming in when nobody was bringing back the
cooked popcorn for viewing the latest episode of "Dog Years", a
dogelian-produced soap opera based vertabim on the lives of these two feuding
dogelian families of which one family was born without jawbones due to genetic
tampering from the other who did it because the first family got too close to a
mining property. And to also say someone was crank-calling Wilson for the past
five minutes as well about this distant planet in distress.

Well, enough self doubt and worry, as Wilson left his 'bedroom' and went to the
main hall, where all the Incorporateds met. It was also, occasionally, living
room, training room, swimming pool, even a stockade when they carried alien
cows due to the hall's vast pre-designed mutability. But, for all intents and
purposes, as it was the only really big portion of the ship where they all had
room to sit down in, the main hall. And in this hall, somehow, a familar face
loomed down that they all new. 

"Tell me. He is.. Here, isn't he", said the gorilla's mug on the Ten-foot-tall
image suspended in air and projected onto a thick haze between two attennas
known as an Ethisvision TV. He faked a lot of concern, knowing what laid in
store for him inevitably (NOT quite all of it, though), but for
then, he'd better act well, buy as much time for his own sake. Brek hated
silence most of all, and having to hear that sort of thing even WHEN SILENCE
WasN'T AROUND didn't make Brek feel very good.

Casey then said, "Well, he IS coming. You've really chosen a bad day to call
us, considering WHO YOU ARE! Wilson's not feeling well, you understand. One of 
his best Fiends just passed away in anger, and I guess he's still in shock.
I'd be, too! Knowing how you'd even DARE... but I digress. You say a WHOLE
PLANET'S in danger?" 

"Shock or no, Please come. It's not uh, me, who's in trouble or for that
matter, CAUSING Most of the trouble. It's a OLD friend of Wilson's. An OLD,
OLD friend." 

Speedster said to the face, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" but before the
face of the gorilla could spell out anything, Wilson came in and recognized
the intruder, yelling out "TERNBREK!" with newfound anger. He almost went to
disrupt the image with his now-reattached bionic arm's-mounted sonic cannon,
but Longneck pounced on him and warned Wilson, "Let's listen to this person
before you deafen him for life, shall we? Then, we can knock him as SILLY as
we please. Be patient, old man!". Wilson was persuaded to sit down, but he
still shook with anger. He didn't like Brek. He really didn't like Brek. But
the dog, the willynilly dog in him, had to give way to the sensibility of the
cat in him, mostly because the cat had much sharper claws... 

"This is very important. Thank a load, Longneck. Thanks for the interference
in keeping me from doing someting foolish. Impressive you haven't dropped the
popcorn bowl you were carrying."
"Funny, I thought I did." And Longneck looked at his annoyed son with the
popcorn bowl on his head and the popcorn dumped on his lap. "Heh.", apologized
Longneck to Halifax as Halifax fumed and Brek resumed his ramblings.
"Anyway, It isn't me who's causing trouble on this planet. There's a certain
girl bandit who's been raiding ...Innocents, and lots of them, whoo, here's
another one on the radio! "as he quickly turned on the radio, and by chance
got a police report on the raid somehow in progress. Brek was surprised at
this, but kept his head enough to turn the radio off just before the police
were about to comment how close they THEMSELVES came to helping the criminals
being put to sleep before they, too were stunned. 

Brek resumed..." ...here on his planet. And the leader has the nerve to
contact ME, one of his most hated FOES, to alert you to this danger. We're not 
doing as much damage as you think he'd mind, but she's DOING plenty. The
Planet, by the way, is Terzel Xerkes, which I'm sure you, W..." 

"Terzel Xerkes... OF ALL THE AWFUL THINGS, YOU... " For a moment, the dog put
the cat in the bag in Wilson, and Wilson cocked his gun again at the image
reflected on the peacefully rising fog, making a deep, savage growl
as he raised the arm slowly.

Brek resumed, "Gulp.. You don't like seeing criminals hurting innocents. "
which Brek knew was a total lie, actually what the girl was doing was the
perfect opposite, but he didn't want Wilson any ANGRIER. Brek knew when to say 
when. He also knew when to say Mercy, and Uncle, though that probably wouldn't 
stop Wilson when.. "So, come to Xerkes, please. Just stop the girl, have her
cornered, call the Justiceers of Dogelia or someone to take her away. Even our 
LOYAL cops who police the streets, who are getting themselves kicked as well.
That's all I gotta say, Please don't hurt me, OUT." Brek quickly finished his
sentence as Wilson raised his arm again to blast, and Brek's fading image was
washed out by the soundwave from Wilson's sound cannon going through it.

Speedster had something to say on all this, as Halifax, Speedster and Casey made
a joint effort to clean the mess while Longneck bounded off to make more popcorn
and to call their temp Larisann (Ann for short) knowing for sure this new threat
(which Speedster was assuming was really the SCE being that close to Catica) was
going to be extra painful for them all.

"This guy's got a lot of nerve. A bad gorilla, calling on our private line to
talk about something bad He wasn't doing, but what someone else was doing bad?
That's awful unusual! And to think we got this call, just as we'd finally
figure out, who made Janzeni Steeljaw seem dead for a year after faking her
death in an bridge accident, while she was still in the car and somehow
allowed her to live! I'm going to figure out how to tape those Soap Operas on
this EthisVision someday!" Speedster then had the origional mess of popcorn now
picked up and thrown again by a Casey desperate to defuse the building tension
just as Speedster started to speak, jumped onto the couch twelve feet away,
and jumped back quietly to his seat just as Speedster finished talking, with
offending and quickly discarded bowl in hand, only briefly. And now Halifax,
decided a little levity was in order, faxed forth a pillow from his room and
began tossing it around at Speedster's long-eared head.

"What? What!" Said Speedster, surprised at Halifax's sudden attack.
course, it was made a litte more surprising because he thought Halifax was only
to get mad, not actually even. Speedster went to throw it back and exchanges of
pillows with feathers flying came forth for a few minutes before Casey decided
enough was enough.

Casey said then, "Hal, Enough. Speedster, ENOUGH! Wilson, I'm surprised at
you. I haven't seen such strong emotion, and even though you're angry, at
least you've shook off your blue funk. I guess that's comma!" The look
of disdain on his face that he made some sore of obviously stupid statement
himself again said it all. 

"But what made you seem really goofy there for a while?", said Casey.

Speedster then added, "Yeah. Uh.. I barely noticed this myself, but Wilson
seemed to think Feral for a while. What's eating him?" Wilson then walked
over and brought a chair to sit in front of the Ethisvision, knowing this was
best to ensure all would hear him. He sat there alone for a minute or two,
returning to his normal state of shock. Then, with quiet menace, Wilson
started to talk to himself, though seemingly, he managed to include the rest
of the Incorporateds in his conversation. The emotional release had really
gotten to him, and now he was almost tired enough to sleep. But not quite.
Never, Never, QUITE. 

"It didn't make me as mad, knowing someone like Brek would manage to contact
me on this ship, and knowing he had the gall enough to do so. But hearing what 
planet he called from angered me a lot more than WHY Brek was calling. The man
who got some SCE creep to contact me, instead of calling me in person, caused
me a lot of pain a LONG time ago. More than Brek could ever do. Renegade may
have been a thorn in my side, I must admit, but he didn't use honor against me 
like a weapon, we fought with honor, or at least, Reng did ONCE. The man who
probably rules Xerkes now, he never did anything honorably..." 

"OH, NUTS!, said the returning Longneck, " He's going into his Flashback Mode
AGAIN! We'd better get more popcorn and Carb-colas in for when Ann comes in a
hour or so from now! It's going to be one of THOSE nights! AAAGHH!" And, with
that, he tiptoed quietly away at one hundred miles per hour off back
towards the kitchen, this time sucessfully flinging and landing the popcorn in
its bowl and in Halifax's lap as he sat without the bowl landing on his head
this time. Halifax was relieved.

Casey then said, "Whatever you say. Anyone who'd top someone as Vile as Reng
has got to be worth hearing about... Longneck, where are you going now?
Longneck?"

"One of those nights. Uhhhhh!", said Longneck as he briefly stuck his big head
out for a second, and then stuck it back in.

A few minutes later, Halifax added as he and Speedster dragged off the last of
the spilled popcorn into a handy molek-recycler, "Speedster, you aren't mad
about the pillow, aren't you? You do get out of hand sometimes, and I'm just
trying.. to keep you... on.. an... even.."

A pillow bounced then off Halifax's head.

Chapter 6 "Breking my Mind piece by piece!"

Brek had finished his collect call to the EthisVision, and was glad the video
operator didn't refuse the reversal of charges, although Casey, probably
leading the Incorporateds now that Wilson was emotionally disturbed, would
certainly do so with his tail right through the bill. This was in part to a
load of fake blackmail he'd given her when he was invited to this Criminal
paradise (nee Hellhole to its proper citizens), but still he was glad. Not for
the fact Wilson was coming to end this mess. For the fact Brek was still among
the Hearing-unimpared. He'd have to thank Longneck properly, he gave W...Gulp!
the peace of mind in his own bizarre way. Perhaps with a bomb implanted in
Longneck's next popcorn bowl...

Brek had troubles of his own, certainly from his early, brutal experiences
with Wilson, because he no longer could say Wilson's name all the time, even
in his own language, without pronouncing whatever the 'W''s equivalent was in
Sangurian or English, followed by a loud Gulp. Even in thinking. But, compared 
to a lack of proper victims for genetic garbaging, Wilson was not much of a
bother. He'd managed once today, though, to say Wilson's name in full despite
his fear and felt a little better. That feeling quickly went as he suddenly
saw a strange shadow, which he thought was his car's as the sun rose in, for
this particular planet's orientation, must be North. It stretched to the south 
from him as he drove on the distant, still virgin and unpolluted plains-hugged
highway 50 miles west of the city. A shadow that started out looking like a
nice, clean shadow of a car's shape. But, was now growing a horse's head, and
sharp teeth. 

Brek hit the brakes, and stopped the car. He looked at the shadow the minute
the engine stopped nuclear reacting, and his car's shadow very quickly
reverted to a mere image of the car he was in. He thought it illusion, and
started up the car again. The shadow came back even quicker than Brek took to
go from 0 to 99 kilometers a second, and looked even more menacing. And Brek
could hear a faint snarl on the wind. 

So, Brek stopped the car once more. The shadow reverted real quickly, and this 
time, Brek got out of his car once again. This was a little unnerving, and
Brek didn't like his nerves played with. He saw carefully there was no device
on the hood that came up and looked like a peeved demonic horse from the dead,
and thought, I must be imagining things, still. Still. And with that, he went
back to the car, and
gunned her. 

This time, the shadow came back uglier than ever, and animated, and hissing
audibly. Brek's eyes opened wide, and he hit the brakes. 

Tried to. It felt now, as if his hind hands on the 'gas pedal', an archaic
term for what truly powered cars like him in the galactic society his kind and 
the good guys fought for, would not budge, and had a heavy weight on it. And
this time, he heard laughter, distant super-bass humorless laughter, and this
time, Brek removed his hands off the steering yoke which weren't being stuck,
stopping the car once again, but this time with a massive skid mark as the
computer's auto-righting sensors took control, although not too brightly. 

He looked at the car's shadow, and this time, it took a while to slow down its 
return to normal shape, although the rising sun's angle didn't make it as long
as it origionally started, or should have. It still looked too long to him.
His 'foot' was free off the pedal, though, and somehow, Brek was grateful.

For a moment, Brek started to mumble to himself, and then, after a promise
never to drink anything that would affect his mental health EVER AGAIN, even
positively, he grabbed the pedal and slowly pressed down. He drove slowly back 
to the road, and although he pushed the yoke straight forward, he kept his
eyes on the shadow. For a moment, he thought he was safe, but after that brief
collection of just 10 seconds, his 'foot' was suddenly slammed against the
'gas pedal' and the car started resuming his speed. And, the car's shadow got
a horse's head, and it was laughing very audibly now. Brek looked on in terror
as he again removed his hands, but this time, the car would not stop. He even
took off the brakes, and the car would not stop, as the shadow reared up into
itself, and grew hands which pounded on itself. Brek was in a real state of
panic now, as he was truly sure the shadow wasn't a ILLUSION. Someone was now
obviously taking control of the car, and doing the driving, AND also making a
dent in Brek's car's roof though he wasn't actually THERE. It was getting
stronger, too. And Brek didn't like that much as the laughter and now the
pounding continued, mile and kilometer after kilometer and mile. 

Finally, he yelled defeatedly..."OKAY!! .. You win. What do you want?" Then,
the car stopped suddenly, and Brek was thrown forward despite having a seat
belt on, and the fact the car was built to keep inertia from throwing its
occupants forward in case of sudden stops. But the shadow refused to dissolve
this time. In fact, it looked more arrogant and terrifying than ever, and it
seemed to be staring at him even though the presumably evil, nay, EVILER,
shadow was facing ninety degrees away from Brek. And this time, it spoke,
robbing Brek of more and more dignity and calm, what little was already left,
with every bass syllable, though no speaker seemed physically there. A second
before he spoke, though, the radio imploded on itself, to even further make
its horrendous points... 

"I WANT REVENGE. YOUR HELP. YOUR TIME, AND YOUR EARS. GIVE THEM TO ME, OR I
WILL CRUSH YOU IN YOUR OWN CAR, AND WORSE. NOW. NOW! NOW!! NOW!!! NOW!!!!....

"Alright, alright! But Please, let ME do the driving, okay? Whatever you are,
that's All I ask! It's bad enough to have W...Gulp! and Kannel ruining my vile
little livelihood, but why do you have to ruin it, too? Just let me have
control of my car, and I'll even dance on my head for you, as asinine as it
sounds! Just let me driiivvee!", screamed brek in pain and in tears now. 

"Please??"

For a moment, Brek stood there in silence, then with the last of his bravery,
started up his car again. Nobody interfered with his driving now, but Brek
didn't dare stop, least until he knew he was in his swamp base, in his office.
He may have known when to say when as far as Wilson was concerned, but at
lease Wilson was still alive. This shadow that was following him, that stayed
on his roof grinning all the remaining 110 miles to the base, apparently
didn't know or care when to stop. as tears flowed freely down the broken Mon's
cheeks, the voice started up again. 

"NOW, THIS IS BETTER. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU, CONCERNING THE EVENTS
GOING ON HERE. I MYSELF HAVE BEEN... OUT OF TOUCH FOR A WHILE, BUT I'M GOING
TO BE INTERESTED MYSELF IN WHAT CONCERNS YOU.. AND THAT IGNORAMUS KANNEL.. AND 
WILSON. I MAY CAUSE YOU A LOT A GRIEF, BUT I BELIEVE I HAVE A WAY TO CAUSE
WILSON EVEN MORE. IF I CAN HAVE YOUR HELP, I MIGHT LET YOU NOT DIE, BECAUSE I
CAN REALLY HARRasS YOU IF that HAPPENS. LISTEN, AND LISTEN GOOD.

Brek's car, and definently not its shadow, disappeared from the plains into
the forested region, as the shadow told the car's occupant a lot of things its
occupant really didn't want to hear... 

Chapter 7 "That Age and Time would destroy..."

Wilson told his tale of the past, surrounded by his four friends after they
cleaned the mess up. Wilson looked like he'd just seen a ghost, and felt
like it too, but told them anyway of why hearing of the planet Xerkes made him 
so upset, the silence disturbed only on occasion by Longneck's and Speedster's
pathethic attempts to hold onto the huge popcorn bowl long enough to actually
get more than a stomachfull, and Casey nursing his own bowl which wasn't
nearly as big, but still worth guarding from his friend's rampant runaway
metabolisms. "It was One-hundred and fifteen years ago, when I first heard
of Kannel Catwind and his followers, and the trouble he caused not only
everybody plus them as well. Apparently, he'd had his start on earth, starting
up a crooked company that ferreted illegal goods between what You, Casey, will
have known as Crime-Colony Australia according to your planet's history, and
the far east itself. From Earth..."

"Earth... You mean, a human being? and One Hundred Years AGO?", said Casey,
surprised and shocked. "But if that was true.. It couldn't, well, because..
for one thing, he'd be ancient by now! And I know for a fact, if he started on 
Earth, People there certainly didn't have the technology to go in Space. Much
less even in The AIR! Anyone who tried, in fact, was burned as abominations,
because the people there simply didn't believe that anyone flying in the sky
wasn't out to do people harm! "

"Yes, indeed. But, Kannel did not have any access to technology as advanced as
the galactic societies have, much less near what people on Earth I've noticed
have. Nevertheless, with what he had, only sailing vessels and written ledgers 
and mere cannons and cutlasses, he managed to carve out.. a smuggling empire.
The largest in the colonies. But, as you may imagine, not recorded by your
world's history, because of the empire's equally impressive secrecy. 

"In that era, its size was in a scope that, although galactic history would
consider it to be a mere gang, compared to the size of some of those that have 
gone and come, was impressive on a relative scale. It was two hundred thousand
people strong, believe it or not, in people all across the Pacific ocean.
Ocean, somehow involved in his operation at all levels. Two-Month Delays
between updates, thanks to the slow moving of the vessels between the
continent's, didn't deter him from his building of an empire in earth's past.
And, they nearly could have become powerful enough... to smite your growing
America country if they wanted."

"And they did not?", said Speedster, who was beginning to wonder, in the week
back in '74 after his mutation he spent reading all of Earth's published
history his home town's city library had to offer and informing himself of his 
importance, if during that time he'd missed a volume or two, after all, he was
covering pages a hundred a minute even then. But, no, he kept track of them in 
his head very well. He just figured, if he did miss anything, it must have
been the fault of the writers and not his. Apparently, he'd been right all
along. 

Wilson continued, "Well, someone, apparently did. His own baby daughter,
apparently three years old at the time, spilled the beans for him. She'd been
drawing with, I guess, Quills as much as Kannel once revealed in an interview
with the SCE's media of the day, on the wall, and she'd gotten tired of that.
She wanted to draw on paper, so with Quill in hand and ink blotter in the
other, she sauntered over to his table, the big one with all his criminal
trade routes of smuggling across the entire pacific mapped out clearly... and
scribbled stick figures over it. She felt herself so impressed with her
sketches, she took it into the living room, where her father was being
interviewed by local constables, as one of his employees felt he was so
underpaid that the only way to put food on the table was to squeal on his
employer to get the reward."

"Could he have been... A pirate?" Longneck gleefuly realized, getting the
gist of where all of this was leading, and looked for the bowl he'd swiped
from Speedster thirty seconds ago. It was now in Speedster's lap ten seconds
ago, and its contents devoured seven seconds ago. Longneck reached from afar the
pillow and prepared to drop it from eleven feet high as if it were an anvil,
but Speedster was already noticing it and gone to make more popcorn for himself
before it even dropped to the couch.

"Well, Yes, this employee was a Pirate. A admitted, dirty pirate. And a vile,
cruel employer too. Kannel thought that he had the constables right in his
hand, when his sweet little daughter came into the room and showed them the
map, saying, 'Look what I Drew!!! Isn't it preety!'. And they looked, alright. 
Beyond the sketches. To the words, 'Smuggling routes of Kannel's Smuggling
Empire, All Hell his Royal Majesty. Enn- Yahh." 

"Well, after that, all the secrets came out. Every single one. Maps,
Schedules, phony inventories, Everything was then and there was confiscated by
Aussie stables and soldiers alike, as massive amounts of employees, pirates,
even innocent people who'd never realized who they worked for, were hauled in.
Even before a Royal Order from the home office in England could be proclaimed
and sent, half of his Empire collapsed and fell, and when the King found out
all this was going on.. Well, the other half faded even faster. Kannel was in
jail, his daughter on a ship to this english orphanage even though her Father
was still alive, and the King's Men tried to patch things up by eradicating
traces of what went on, mainly because it was an embarrasment and also the
King didn't think of it first.

"Also, it seemed to be out of place such a large criminal empire, that he
somehow claimed his actions to the Royal Courts of Sydney, he was a
visionary, a man of the future. Such a large operation meant he thought
himself a man of beyond his time, he claimed to the court. Unfortunately,
people didn't take too kindly to the future. So, he was scheduled to be
prisoned along with his followers, for a very long time. as big a scale as a
Empire like his was created, so would be the prison, was the final, royal
proclamation. And not just the continent that was ALREADY considered a prison in
itself, MIND YOU. Anyway, it could have ended there....."

Brek was busy driving, and trying to not stop, for fear of pain as he answered
all sorts of questions the shadow was asking now. Questions of personal
nature, too, not just those about Kannel's plans, but also about the girl who
raided the bases, what he knew about her. For example, who were his close
personal friends and enemies. Personal desires, and times when Brek found
himself wishing he could use the emperor himself for one of his experiments,
as well as the operator who he blackmailed himself. And, as much he tried, the
shadow kept asking more and more, mile per mile, as Brek's personal demons
(for Brek did lack a ethical soul) found themselves in an odd position. Of
sinking into the setting sun and into the quagmire, never again... 

Chapter 8 "When the horse came calling from the pits of misery..."

"And, Did it end there? ", said Casey, who couldn't begin to imagine the size
of the prison that'd have to be built, where it would be built in such a small 
region of land where he knew kangaroos and wallabies and other marsupials lived
but not pirates as he originally assumed.

"Actually, No. About the same time of history, the Sangurians started getting
interested in Earth. They'd decided any civilization that learned to cross
oceans would soon learn to cross planets, then stars. Only a thousand years of 
technological evolution, when they got over the fact the planet's deities
were'nt going to strike down people who had innovative streaks in their heads, 
would have given any society that capability. And one thing the Sangurians
didn't like was competition, at least when it didn't help them fill their
bankbooks. 

"Even though Earth didn't have any other communication other than the written
and spoken word, The Sangurians used their technology to keep track of what
was going on. A nice, massive operation, even more secret than the one Kannel
pulled on both the Colonies and Britten. Ethmetic scanners, projected in the
subspace that existed between the molecules of every building, gave them the
news of the day infinently faster than the people could themselves. And the
first thing that really got their interest was Kannel's Empire.

"When his Empire folded, Kannel was approached in his cell by none other than
Reng, who was evil even then, but noble. Reng dived deep in his mind, got all
of Kannel's information on the 200,000 people or so who worked for him, and
gave him a choice. Freedom and a chance to work again, but beyond the confines 
of Earth's sky, on a scale he couldn't imagine, at his empire. All Kannel had
to listen to was his promise of freedom from his cell, which disturbed Kannel
because he couldn't bear being parted from seeing the sky. Or, to put it more
truthfully, people suffering and him getting rich. So, Reng helped Kannel in a 
way that was most disturbing. For every one of Kannel's men and women, and
child, by having the mental knoledge of his or her name alone, was
instantaneously accosted, and given an disease that made them seem and act
dead." 

"Two Hundred Thousand People at ONCE?" Casey said increduously. "Someone
should have noticed by then! Dying on that scale, it must have been like an
Atomic Firecracker going off! And they still didn't record that in the history 
Me and Speedster know?" 

"Well, it was a shock, but with incredible speed, that too was soon covered up
by royal Proclamation. And so, 200,000 people were buried at once, in unmarked 
graves, and Kannel's Empire was buried six feet under... or so it was said.
But, this massive operation the SCE did was not over by apparent death of all
those people at once, simulaneously. Those 'graves' were robbed by megaporter,
the victims cured by psycisians on one giant ship, and spirited away. All of
it secret and unimaginably expensive and complicated to access. But it
nevertheless it was DONE.

"They, origionally, would have like others abducted by UFOs as humans have
referred SCE Vulture-Ships as, been made slaves, and would have been
forgotten. But Kannel's mind would have been useful, and Kingston would have
used his vast capability for criminal activity to expand his own base. But, It
was something I did that changed everything."

as Wilson finished his story of Kannel's already turbulent life, Brek was
having plenty of problems with that shadow. It was delighted that Wilson was
coming here, after hearing Brek's confession of all what was transpiring, and
would gladly help not only eliminate Wilson as a threat but also take care of
Kannel's problems, as it said. Glad to hear Kannel was still as criminal and
duplicious as ever, by the way.

And Brek would get all the credit for ending the girl's reign of terror at the 
cost of Brek's sanity, a very cheap price compared to, say, his life. THAT was
only the cost of failure. Brek agreed to help him out, shaking madly his head, 
UNDERSTAMDING everything. Finally, as soon as Brek reached his Base of
Inoperation, The shadow let him stop driving, and with the warning "DON'T
DISAPPOINT ME. I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE. FACE IT, I KNOW EVERYTHING NOW..." the
shadow of his car finally reverted to what was normally generated by any light
source on the other side, with only the additions of fist impressions pushing
in the hood of the car in slightly. He wasn't relieved very much, though.
Since, not soon after he entered the base and had his car concealed by the
all-concealing swamp, his own shadow turned and made a horse-with-fangs
impression of its own, as he staggered inside tired from his impossibly long
day and his great feeling of guilt ,banging to a silent melody from the
humorless laughter he could hear only, now and he feared, Forever. And it was
only Ten in the morning of that particular Xerkian day. 

Chapter 9 "When Wilson met Carol Catwind"

"You tried to stop this.. Horror..? " said Halifax "If Reng was involved, I'd
doubt you'd have survived that." 

"I didn't know about it, but I found out, by accident. I was returning to
Catica from my own visit to investigate SCE dealings in the western reaches of
the American continent, flying out of subspace, but as soon as I did, I noticed
the huge starcraft Kannel was on coming out of warp. And, not knowing what was
going on, I boarded it by my lonesome, eager to stop this travesty whatever
it was."

"After a week of attriting the ships's forces by varied means, I'd managed to
get them off the ship entirely, taking advantage of varied alarms to scare
them off, fighting several gangs and debilitating their hearing enough to make
them to leave. I even scared off Reng, as hard as it was, and I took control
of the situation, landing the massive ship in Catica's bright ocean
safe and sound, with no one of Kannel's disturbed from the massive holding
pens the Mon'd put them into." 

"I didn't know about what Kannel'd done, but apparently he, as far as I could
obtain from the many people who waded up to the shores of Tasa Bay, led all
these people I'd saved. He was exasperated he wasn't exactly in the safe hands
of the SCE as Reng'd promised, and for a fortnight didn't even realize he
wasn't on earth anymore. When I explained at length to him for a week or two,
giving him a crash course in astronomy, Science and Spatial Relationships in
part of the talk I had, He looked pretty amazed. Kannel said to me, ''And to
think the Sun doesnt' revolve around the Earth. And we aren't the only world.
What true opportunities this is giving me! '' And, as he sat back in his
chair, annoyed by the fact that despite all his daughter had gone through in
barely half a human year of human history, was still drawing on the wall in a
safehouse the Catican Government constructed for what they thought was mere
Refugees. ''Help me, wise being, to take advantage of this vast, new world, so
that my Industry can benefit all these Millions...'' 

"'Not Millions, but a Million of Millions. A Trillion people live beyond his
world.' I said to him then, and he looked up in glee. 'Tril Lions of people.
My world may be lost to me, but not these new ones. It is all I ask, for
saving my people from the fate the villains would have planned for me.' And
so, I helped organize for his people an industry. I never asked Kannel who he
called villians. I never realized what he called villians, was not really the
SCE which he later on welcomed with open hands into his organization, but the
people who'd he'd bilked through illicit trade over the years he'd lived. I
never knew..." And Wilson's voice trailed off into the darkness. 

"Wilson".. Halifax said after a minute of quiet, "I never knew what'd gone on,
but you were as much an innocent as anyone on the Backwater Earth ever was
that'd suffered for Kannel's Ill deeds. You couldn't have know what Kannel Had 
done, you'd never been to Earth before then. I don't know what Speedster or
Casey might think, but It's not bad for what went wrong."

"Well, you may think bad of me. You only know"... as he saw Casey and
Speedster both look dumbfounded at the beans Wilson was spilling , he paused,
but only briefly"... Half the story. But, let's inform Kannel we ARE coming.
Not in person, because that's not nearly enough for what Kannel deserves for
all his crimes and lying against Sentinentity. It is only, as much as I can
do, and will do. I, unfortunately, do owe him at least a visit, as he once
saved my life a long time ago. And, despite what Kannel would have others
believe of himself, I do honor all I pledge to do..." 

Kannel was resting in his office high above the city he treated so cruelly. It
was unlike the city he'd lived in origionally by at least three hundred years
difference, and outfitted with technology that was unlike his origional home
city by a hundred thousand. But, it was home to him. And he wouldn't have it
any other way... 

Then, He was disturbed. Brek called Kannel on his VideoVision wall, with a
maniac look in his eyes, and in Kannel's mind, a suddenly familar, friendly
shadow not Brek's standing right behind him, giving him the thumbs down sign.
Brek had just found out several more raids on the city had not only occured
since his most awful drive home, but Wilson was just paging him to announce
his... and his friends... arrival on the world proper. He looked Upset, but
pleased his troubles would soon be over, and seeing the gleeing shadow behind
Brek was positive enough news that his plans, though given substance by the
presence of a rather unexpected OLD friend, were proceeding nicely... Kannel
went to sleep in his chair, relaxed fully. It was turning out to be a good day
after all. 

For Kannel's daughter, it was an active night, full of experiences she'd
didn't expect to happen, but full of happiness that she'd somehow managed to
survive it all. She looked at the window that'd been broken into and out of
during the last night, and felt glad despite the apparent fact someone tried
going into her appartment last night. It was okay, it was HER BEST FRIEND that
did the damage, certainly not the daughter of the most vilelest creature on
the planet. At least, she'd tell the police that, if they ever got the time to
ask her when they weren't busy thieving.

And despite her bruises and nearly being exhausted from that night's work, She 
felt as light as a feather, as bright as the rising sun, because she finally
was doing the one thing her father never did: stopping Kannel's reign of
terror. In her way. She'd never been this happy since she drew on her daddy's
pretty little maps so, so long ago. And so, the apparent youth danced onto the 
streets, occasionally doing cartwheels, into the bright sun that burned
everyone else... Carol Catwind felt like she'd been reborn. Well. For the
SECOND time in her life. 

All through that bright day, there was laughter in the Base of Inoperations.
And all the recovering victims of that strange girl's attack started to hear
it, and felt new twinges as pain as something got into the base, something
that was improving and outdoing every evil thing they were trying to do...
with a wicked smile. Not that they didn't prepare for something like this,
they did keep their heads together as Brek had instructed them. Nothing this
strong, however, or inevitable they'd prepared for.... 

Chapter 10 "There's something foul in the air!"

The planet of Terzel Xerkes opened up in front of them still distant, but now
an identifiable, large blue dot in the main viewscreen of the helm of the
Neverest, as the starcraft jumped out of tangential warp back fully into
reality. Wilson put the starcraft on automatic, and returned to the main hall
to continue his story of what was going on with him and Kannel. At least, Brek
seemed less personable, and simply said he would relay the message. Nothing
disturbing in itself, but the shadow behind him didn't exactly look like he'd
expect Brek's shadow to look like, which was, exactly like Brek. But it wasn't
disturbing his mental dismay enough to unsettle him, because he simply didn't
pay any attention to details during the brief two-way transmission. Later on,
he'd regret doing so.. 

Casey was busy bringing the Rustbucket, the official van that the
Incorporateds used, out of its storage place somewhere within the computer's
memory in the Neverrest. It materialized seemingly first like crystal, then
rapidly declined downhill as it fully materialized. For a brief moment, it
looked like it was golden, but the gold faded to bronze as the van's atoms
fully materialized, revealing it as, well, a rustbucket. It really didn't have
a very nice existence as a transport vehicle, being exposed to countless
blasts from cannons, storms of acid rain, varied knuckle sandwiches of all
sorts of shapes and size, and even being stepped on a couple of times. But,
under the visible layers of rust and the scrapes, there was a very high
starcraft-quality armor that Wilson'd put in nearly a year ago that wasn't
damaged or all, and an engine that could service itself, and often had to. One 
you felt proud to drive despite its awful look, whether into battle or even
into the nearest planetary commisary. Because you were safe in it, no matter
what, even if it looked like junk, it was better than you YOURSELF being
junked. 

Casey wondered why the area of space the computer used to store things could
even be called 'computer memory'. Long ago, disk drives, optical media and
other forms of data storage, including the memory chips, had long been
replaced by a supercompressed, highly solid subdimension pulled from a black
hole's innards, stuffed with air and a small tile surface, and phased with
part of the actual computer. With the computer in link with this subdimension, 
it had instant access to not only data (which was bizzarely laid on the walls
like very awful-feeling, vibrating formica) but to anything material that
could be teleported inside and kept in storage. And this subdimension could
store a lot. Even people and this was important, their souls inside their
bodies stayed there. Casey was surprised every time they used this computer as
a transmission device to be teleported to planet surfaces, because usually
when he briefly saw the innards of this strange subdimension, he expected to
be made of those bizarre 'formica' walls when he left. And was surprised when
he was still made of flesh and bone. Something about that subdimension
unnerved him, but as long as he never heard about one of these subdimensions
blowing up when installed in a starcraft, he was relieved. They had yet to
blow up, strangely, and none EVER HAD in fourty thousand years of use on a
starcraft. Maybe one was about due... Nah.

Casey, satisfied that the Rustbucket wasn't damaged at all, and even was
relieved the pattern of dirt and grease managed to be meticulously regenerated
on the dashboard just as he looked back. Proof positive the computer was working
irrationally as usual, because rational beings would have preferred to have
the dust removed. as soon as the mini-ship was fully materialized, Casey had it
relocated to the garage hanger below him, using the remote vocal feedback
reciever he held in his hand, and watched it slowly dissolve back into the
air. And then, Casey smelled a awful stench in the air....

The stench associated with rotting horse, and it surrounded him. Casey kept
sniffing in the air and tried to find out where it came from, and sure enough, 
he found out. Everywhere. as quickly as it came, the smell left him, leaving a
slight chill in the air. Casey, confused as to where this attack of D.H.O.
came from, nevertheless went back to the kitchen, where Wilson was planning on
meeting him. At the same time, Speedster was already in the kitchen, and Ann
too, as Wilson came in to talk some more. Wilson was already pulling up a
chair when Casey came in, looking slightly bewildered. Nevertheless, Wilson
started talking again about Kannel's experiences after his rescue, having
backtracked a bit to let Ann know more about the situation that had just come
up.

"After just three years, Kannel started up this trading company. He was a fast
learner, figuring out him totally alien tounges and customs at a surprising
rate. Although the seas his ships crossed were now the seas of ether between
the particles, and he had to figure out subjects like computers to keep track
of his employees, who he rather suspiciously also trained quickly to survive
in an intergalactic society, as well as learn how starcraft were supposed to
fly so he could plan effective trade routes, like those apparently for seas,
but these seas had depths and heights you could travel through, too, if
needed. But, he quickly adapted, and three years more after his start in the
trade, he'd managed to conquer the industry. Kannel claimed that on Earth, he
gained control of the shipping industry a little slower due to the lesser
technology, and sighed often on how he wished Earth could be having this
technology he now had, how much easier could things go for people if only it
was so.

"Meanwhile, his child, whom I've never really asked her name of her, never
crossed my mind, blossomed slowly from a child into a full-grown girl, and was
rapidly approaching womanhood. She, for a while, started showing traces of
snobbery as her father grew richer. Nevertheless, we became fast friends, as I
kept visiting her on occasion, to check up on the family's growing grasp of
galactic-level business and sucess. And I tried my best to keep her believing
that people are equal, no matter what their 'Worth.' 

"She learned new skills that females of her time would never dare learn, for
fear of being stockaded, and although she was bashful at first, she soon
caught on and started to enjoy such things as exercise and self-reliance. She
even dreamed of one day, performing gymnastics in the professional levels as
she turned away from private schools and to the public ones. I admit I helped
her in this matter, since I couldn't stand it when the school her father,
Kannel, had her in was training snobby lady assassins and I, along with
several honest police who I contacted with the bad news, took the place out of
the picture. I didn't believe"... Wilson paused for a minute... "That anyone
should go through life genteel, not caring, prissy and above all, be able to
throw knives in innocent people's backs. I told Kannel this, and after a
thoughtful pause, decided to mainstream his girl in public schools. I was
pretty relieved of all this, that the rot of disdain was removed from her soul
becaue of my actions. But I believe that Kannel was somehow ticked, because
from then on, he resented me coming over to check up on his business. And, for 
the first time, I stopped thinking so kindly of him. 

"Inevitably, the girl got interested in gymnastic movement, and trained hard
to learn grace and self-defense, as well as to get, shall you say, a life that a
primitive girl living close to the australian outback could never have."

"But, while she prospered socially with everyone who knew her, poor and rich
alike as I tried to teach her, Her father grew worse, I thought. His business
which had grown during seven straight years began to crumble, as it was
finally revealed by the Emperor, silent all this time, revealed bit by bit of
Kannel's past, from Reng's scan of Kannel's very brain. It grew harder and
harder for him to make seem legit his very businesses, and I found out he was
ending up causing more and more frauds, bringing in illegal goods across the
galactic seas just like he used to do so on those of his planet, that'd he
revealed to nobody. Apparently, Kingston wanted Kannel to work for him and him 
alone, but got really upset when corrupt officers of either side started,
under Kannel's watchful eye, to work TOGETHER." 

"If anything makes Kingston happy, it seems, it is to make him mad, especially 
when sworn enemies share and share alike, and backstab their friends instead
of only their sworn foes as both sides seem to do, even TODAY. Even the
Commander of the Catican Frontier, who started the long slide into
unrespectability the fleet's ideals (that the current Commander,
still enforces today) thought it was a bad idea for evil beings on good and
evil sides to get along. 

"And so both leaders, ironically, decided at the same time to start massive
investigations of Kannel's new empire, to take it down just as the men of the
King of Britain did just fifteen years earlier. Even I wanted to get involved
at the end, because I'd finally realized just how nasty Kannel was. But,
unfortunately, thanks to Reng's machinations, Kannel managed to escape justice 
fully this time. And I never even knew how and why... until it was too late."

A dozen simians were at work now in the depths of the Base of Inoperations
now, repairing the bases' various spots of damage in the raid. Half of the
blasts that'd tried to nail the guilty party of one missed and hit equipment,
various rooms, walls, ceilings, etc. and left gaping holes just about
everywhere. Apparently a blaster set on kill right here, for example, killed
all right, but what it killed was a vacant broom closet. Pools of cleaning
solvent and mop parts were scattered all over the place, making Brek feel very 
ill while he gaped at the 'gruesome' sight. What did these poor cleaning
utensils, he thought, do to deserve this? And all because she had to duck at
the last second, at a lot of the last seconds, in fact, these mop's
integrities were taken away from them. "That's usefulness for you. One minute
you're cleaning a mess, the next, you're toothpicks and yarn." 

Ternbrek's shadow, apparently possessed by some vile force best left
undiscovered, didn't have time for this. It wanted certain things done so
Wilson would suffer, and then quickly die. And then, suffer some more. Brek
suddenley felt his whole body being pulled away from the sight as several
gorillas, along with their servants, came down to clean up the mess. Or, in
this particular case, perhaps dirty it over, since it was apparent the
shattered closet was clean beyond all hope of getting any cleaner...

Brek said, "They will be coming here, the Incorporateds. All of them. What are 
you going to do to them...uh, whatever you are?" as he walked stiffly down the
hall to his office. 

"IN DUE TIME, I WILL DEAL WITH THEM, as I DEAL WITH YOU. AND THEY'LL JUST HAVE
TO FIGURE OUT FOR THEMSELVES WHAT I Was.. BEFORE. MY STRENGTH COMES FROM
SUFFERING AND DISMAY NOW, AND I INTEND TO MAKE THEM ALL SUFFER. THE MORE THEY
DO SO, THE MORE POWER I'LL HAVE... WHEN I HELP KANNEL FINISH OFF HIS PROBLEMS
WITH THAT RAIDING GIRL AND MINE WITH THE INCORPORATEDS." 

"You don't know where they're going to land? I..I.. could send some apes over
to ambush them when they do." 

"I KNOW WHERE THEY WILL CRasH. FIRST, I WANT THEM TO KNOW WHAT IT IS TO FALL
FOR A LONG TIME AND THEN TO HIT THE BOTTOM. THEN WHEN THEY GET THEIR PIECES
PUT TOGETHER, THEY'LL PUT OTHERS IN THEIR RIGHT PLACES, TOO. AND WHEN THE
PUZZLE IS FINISHED... THEY'LL, HAVE, ME. ME, DESTROYING THEM FROM OUT OF
NOWHERE, as INESCAPABLE as ONE'S SHADOW. UNTIL THEN, I WILL HELP YOU FIGURE
OUT HOW TO DISPOSE OF THAT GIRL YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH." 

Brek heard the laughter off in the distance, and felt he was beginning to lose
his mind. Several other simians thought he certainly was, and would have told
him so, that nobody, not even a mad scientist, should be talking to himself,
especially if he doesn't at least try to include himself in the conversation.
But, they just didn't have the heart to do so, being heartless thugs of varied 
occupations. And the shadow that wasn't Brek's, that Brek was trying to outrun
but he just couldn't, was somehow in their minds, though the shadow WasN'T
talking to them at the moment, making doubly sure they didn't tell. 

Chapter 11 "The dishonorable acts you've pulled..."

"It was the spring of the 15th year after I'd 'rescued' his craft when Kannel
indepted me, as I tried to investigate Reng's appearance at a starcraft port
planet called Cydullen, as far from this world as Xerkes is from Earth.
I wanted to confront him as to why he was leading Catican Frontier forces
toward's Kannel's base not far from the port, and well, it got ugly, as Reng
got the best of me. I never figured how he was managing to cream me, but I
suspected he was figuring out for the first time in his life, that he could
cheat and probably win too. He could have tried temporarily transmuting the
bones in his hand to lead, after all he was a truly powerful shapeshifer even
then and could do nearly anything with his body. But soon, I laid on the roof, 
about to fall off the tall building as Reng started to push me off. I was
broken and quite bruised, and my right arm was broken. My artificial left was
shattered as well (Not the advanced model I have now, though, one of the
earlier models) and I thought I'd be dead. Dead on the ground. 

"But then, Kannel came out, and told Reng to leave me alone as I supposedly
still was a friend of Kannel's. He claimed to Reng that I had a right to be
here, and that Reng had better leave or he'd call MORE guards, for Kannel
brought out 12 tough security guards already, each armed with guns definently
not set on stun.

"I didn't know what Kannel was trying to pull, since Reng'd probably transform
into an animal, pass through the laser blasts while his atoms refabricated
themselves into the shape of the beast he wanted to become, and rear up at
each and everyone of the guards and Kannel as well before they had time to
shoot again. But, apparently his bluff worked, for Reng jumped off the
building, and turned into a vulture and winged away from the area. 

"Kannel then helped me off the ground, and said, 'I heard what was going on
downstairs. You are LUCKY'... ' That I came with my guards as fast as I did.
And I have saved your life, it seems.' 

"I hated to admit it, but it was true. Kannel did save my fat from the fire
that day, and I hated to admit it. According to the code of honor I live by,
if someone saves your life you're forever loyal to the one that saves you, and 
in turn, you must help him if he or his friends are in trouble. And I've
always thought it would have been better to have fallen, than to be saved by
such a despicable cur such as Kannel. And, rather begrudgingly, I accepted his
help, and vowed mine much to my dismay. I started hoping, as I recuperated
over the next fortnight, that I wouldn't live long enough to forfill my
pledge, because I was finally growing old. I was physically about
sixty-five then, finally facing my rapidly declining years that'd been somehow
delayed by a slow aging process I already had inside of me, and I knew my
chances were good, that I would not oblidge honor with such a disreputable man.

"But, that's not the worst of it. Kannel was still launching his latest plan
to insure his victory, and its results were coming to fruition at that
spaceport on Cydullen. A space Ark he'd constructed on the planet's surface,
as big as an asteroid, was being put together as part of his most cruel plan
to escape to date. Well, It was an asteroid, but Kannel's mastery of
technology, or at least those nowathens of those who knew and studied it, It
was planted on the planet's surface and being mined and outfitted, so his
business could be carried in It as I found out later. And all now 210,000
people who worked for him, would go on this planetoid to the soon-to-be
terraformed world of Terzel Xerkes. According to the media as I read it back
then, It would be launched from Cydullen in the intent of colonizing a new
world, just as his forebears colonized a new land. And there, his business
would once again prosper in a new era, where his ideas for business and
industry would make the planet prosper just as he'd brought most of the
galaxy. And, apparently, Kannel was trying to rush its construction and
completion, so before anybody got really wise, he'd play dead and escape
justice one more time, and only I felt that I could stop it. For, in trying to 
escape justice, He was playing with my sense of honor to keep me from dealing
some justice of my own. And when you use honor as a shield to protect yourself
when you've committed dishonor, you have done something nobody can forgive.
Even those setinents who once called you a friend." 

Although the shadow that was haunting Brek didn't quite leave him, that shadow
was also busy elsewhere. Shadows in the Incorporated's own starcraft seemed to
be taking on horse-like shapes of their own. Each of them laughing inaudibly,
and each of them tapping on varied parts of the interior of the ship where
varied objects of the ship. Except in the kitchen, where Wilson was spinning
his yarn. If anyone else had been a member of the Incorporateds, or at least
not on vacation at the time, they would have been very disturbed and probably
went to the kitchen, saying the whole ship was haunted. In its way, it was.
But for now, the shadow was only testing the various levels of power it could
use, like even DJ's at dance parties do before they perform, only varied
mumblings and not very loud. The trouble would begin soon enough, when the
music started playing... the music of shadow destruction... 

Chapter 12 "Bye Bye, sweet Carol, sleep well"

"I suspected he was trying to escape to this new world to lay low for a while,
and for how long, I figured out quickly. The drives he installed, I recognized 
as old, primitive ones, designed only for slightly above light-speed travel.
And, at that rate, he'd be gone for a century, unreachable in subether by the
authorities, and I'd never live long enough to see him brought to justice.
And, so, on that day of their launching to Xerkes, although I was still
injured in my left arm and it was still in a sling, I'd bought a new, right
state-of-the art cybernetic limb that wouldn't be prone to breakage as the old
one, and I was going to confront Kannel one last time before he left my
rapidly ebbing life behind him." 

Anyway, I soon found him, at a Launching party on top of
a walkway leading to t he asteroid's cavernous bulk. It was like one of those
royal balls he had, but they were playing songs from Catica and Dogelia
instead of the ballets I'm sure they played back in Bretann at the time, and
the people were dressed in the overalls they presumably would wear.. in the
stasis machines they'd go into for presumably such a long trip.

"It seemed pretty dignified, but I knew when it was over, 210,000 people would
vanish into that asteroid and I would never see them or Kannel again, and
they'd lose that dignity encased in tubes for decades and wrapped in foil to
preserve their freshness, as much as I could figure out what 'stasis tubes' or
'suspended animation' really meant, that kind of subject was never really a
strong point for me. 

"So, I sneaked into that party of a thousand or so, an act which I may never
stop regretting, and tried my darndest to stop those 'employees' of his from
being consumed by Kannel's whims. But, none would listen to me, and I soon
stopped trying. For half of the dancing people there were found out to be, as
the latest investigation of Kannel's new, corrupt empire had just come out, to 
be pirates who aided in Kannel's "enterprises." I'd read about and met them
during the fifteen years I tolerated Kannel's shenanigans. And I felt, that I
couldn't talk about anything to that kind of thug... 

"Only one person was there I could talk to. And, it was Kannel's daughter, now
a beautiful young woman, crying sadly under a table. For Kannel didn't
like parting with his sole child then and there, and Kannel saved her life,
too, when a horrendous dragonoid from Meconia tried to kidnap her, while she
was seeing her dad off, and drop her to the ground. But, Kannel flew one of
his skycraft to intercept the dragonoid and rescued her, she said while she
sobbed quietly. And, unfortunately, got indepted into taking the ride with the 
rest of Kannel's still loyal, if somewhat older, crew. She didn't want to go,
but like me, she had learned much from me, including my code of honor I live
by. And, It was breaking her heart to do so.

"But, it was one moment soon after I tried to console her, that drinks were
passed around to the crew, to the very multitudes of people destined to go
with him. Everyone took and drank it in praise of their benefactor, who was
taking them to a bright new world where they would find true happiness in the
distant future. He wished them, and even me, long life on the other side when
they reached there, in his own toast to them.

"I realized, then, that I had one last chance to confront Kannel, and after
begging his daughter that whatever happened, she'd never let her father rest
in peace whenever she and Kannel and all his followers (for now I realized
many of them were something more than employees). as she took her drink and
silently wished him ill, for even she supposedly was trying to expose her dad
for his wrongdoings when she'd been indepted, I noticed he was standing in
front a giant bowl where the beverage she and two hundred thousand souls was
being slowly being poured out of, glass by glass.

"I walked up to where he stood, trying to get close so I'd get some last words
in about how Kannel was up to his neck in crime, to try to ruin things so
perhaps this great disappearance of both innocent lives and criminal ones from 
the galactic scene would not occur. But, before I could reach him, several of
the pirates closest to me, ran over and grabbed me, and threw me up with
surprisingly newfound strength I'd never imagined Humans to be capable of, up
and over into the bowl, and climbed up on the table to try to drown me. 

"I kept gasping and swallowing much of that liquid, and for a moment I tried
to stop, because I realized what It was all those two thousand people would be
drinking, and I was trying in vain to stop because I knew what it could do.
The horror it bestowed. And the terror people would be placed in for the rest
of their lives, because anyone who drank it would never know death, so legends 
said. And, I wanted to die before I had to do anything for Kannel and fufill
my debt to him. But the pirates were too strong for me, and for a couple of
minutes I was passing out from drowning in the liquid, gulping for life-giving
air and instead swallowing what must have been gallons of that alchemical
monster's brew. 

"Then, before things went to purple and I blacked out, the pirates raised my
head above the liquid, but my exposure did not stop there, as I was still
immersed in it and it started creeping into my every pore, changing me
fundamentally somehow.. and giving me the cruel gift of REAL immortality,
not the slow aging I had origionallY. I felt then that I was cursed to
never seemingly die, to never stop growing slowly older and weaker, to be
denied death.. Of all the things I've believed in my life, even to this day,
is that when one's time comes to die, it is for the best, since he'll be
spared the pain he would have felt if he still lived on, and those who's pain
he caused should pass on, too. But I've been denied death. And I fear,
personally, that all this pain I've had in my life, all the sorrows and
tragedies I've lived... will never end. And that's why I get so riled when I
hear Xerkes or Kannel's names mentioned, for I'll never forget and I'll never
forgive becoming what I am today. And never, I am still finding out even as I
speak and you breathe, is still a very long time." 

Brek was busy now in his laboratory, sketching up plans to dispose of Kannel's
great source of grief, which, from the pirate/police band on his portable
EtheRadio, was venting even more and more grievances. A number of parcels of
mail, to be sent offshore from Xerkes to friends and companies elsewhere, was
saved from slow attrition by the girl's raid on the post office, catching
several uncloaked postal guards by surprise as they were kicking around a vase
in its container, once a gift for a long-forgotten friend's family somewhere,
but now just shards, conventiently wrapped. as the package sailed behind a row
of boxes that looked remotely like a field goal, the guards were hit with pure 
stunning energy, and fell unconscious to the ground even before the package
crashed yet again to the cold hard floor. Although Brek couldn't see what was
going on because he was watching the radio, his imagination, made razor-sharp
by a dark presence more attached to him than glue could ever manage, gave him
a surprisingly clear picture. 

And, if her actions weren't giving corrupt officials and ordinary criminals
enough trouble, then her words did. She said "I'm going to give you a
warning". (as much as Brek could make out, because the mask that she was
probably wearing to this particular raid covered her face and made her seem,
faceless, muffled her voice a bit) "Either these packages get sent on time, or 
I'll have you gift wrapped and sent down the river. You wouldn't like what's
already in the river..." and with a brief pause, time enough to say something
clever, "But the garbage there your friends in industry are dumping might like 
the company." Two of three guards who'd been lightly stunned and awake to hear 
all this groaned , saying they understood. All too well. Then, a cop came in,
apparently lured by the fact someone was injured in the game, and he had to
sub. He tried pointing his, well, whatever weapon he might be carrying at the
time, of course, and asked a question of the intruder, out of sheer curiosity
by the fact if he'd seen her, she obviously wasn't a cheerleader.

"Who are you", he asked of her. "At least tell us who you are, don't we
deserve that? You've been going around belting guilty criminals all night and
day, without them knowing who you are or what your intentions are. And us
crooked cops, too. So, what's your name, because we'd love to arrest you, and
take pretty pictures of you, and... 

"No.", she said, and with a rush proceeded to disarm the cop, who soon made a
dropping noise on the floor. Brek picked up the radio to his ear with one hand 
as he punched up chemical formulas on his desk's side-mounted computer, his
mind working rapidly. 

"My response to that, creep, is No. No Way. No How. Uh, Uh. " Another brief
pause, then a satisified, if muffled, sigh of pleasure. "IXNAY. If anyone asks
you if you know who's been spreading chaos all across this city, who's out to
see all the corruption flushed, then you just tell them IXNAY. Tell everyone
that asks you, or I'll come back here... and package you up well." Brek turned
off the radio quickly as he left his seat to contact Kannel. Now, Brek
thought, though he wasn't sure by now that he wasn't the one doing the
thinking but his accursed shadow, We have a name, soon we will find a face.
And that face will be brought here, to pull it until it can't speak anymore or 
do anything more about its just quest. And, if Wilson figures out what is
going on, it will be too late because he will be busy at the end just trying
to save mimself. And we will eat, him, alive. 

"Can't you ever leave me alone? First you control my car, then my feet, and
now my head!", Brek said as a test to see if he was getting any more under the
shadow's relentless influence. 

"I DID PROMISE YOU'D LOSE YOUR SANITY. IN FIVE MINUTES, MY NEW LIFE WILL BEGIN 
AGAIN. YOUR DREAMS AND HOPES WILL DIE SOON AFTER, as I'LL USE YOU as JUST A
PAWN. TO BE SACRIFICED, TO GET THE KING TAKEN OUT. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, I
WILL LIVE ONCE MORE.. AND WILSON WILL BE THE ONE WHO'S DEAD." Apparently, the
shadow passed the test.. But now, Brek felt like he was going to fail...

Brek then felt himself losing consciousness, though his hands weren't losing
any speed on the keyboard and his eyes were'nt getting droopy. His whole mind
was now being shadowed by this mysterious influence, and everything Brek saw
was getting darker and darker. Before it was pitch black and Brek would be
immersed in oblivion, Brek thought to himself as his mind sank under the
waves, "Why didn't I just get out and walk when I had a chance, and I knew I
was having problems with my car..."

Somehow, Brek's body did'nt slump at all, but kept on its work. Although a
little clumsy, though catching on fast, it kept on as it got its orders from a
brain that didn't even have to be in its body. Apparently it was much faster
than just terrorizing alone to get someone to help you in your filthy work.
Some of the others building and constructing in the lab tried to get the
courage to ask the body of Brek if it was all right. All they got was
laughter, now in that Shadow's voice. A voice, though having much more bass
and distortion than before, they all recognized and feared. 

Nevertheless, they pressed on the evil plot that Brek'd started and this
shadow was finishing. And they worked harder than ever, trying to work hard
enough, perhaps to convince the shadow not to take control and make them work
too hard. And a sky of gloom, both in the minds of its occupants and over the
base proper, began to descend...

Carol Catwind came back to her apartment at noon, in order to prepare for the
Afternoon and the Evening's activities. She didn't care that both her BEST
FRIEND, who she'd refer to as Ixnay now, good thing she got the idea because
her BEST FRIEND could get her into trouble if her BEST FRIEND used her own
name, now could she? 

But, she wasn't thinking of getting into trouble, even though she nearly got
into it several times today. It was trouble, she prefered, to get other people
into... She didn't know that dark forces were trying get involved in the act,
though, or were totally against her and were inevitably on the lookout for her 
and her BEST FRIEND. Or Care. For she was having the time of her life with her
new hobby of serving Justice. And she wasn't about to stop now, not with a
whole day's end to contemplate and act on what she'd get her BEST FRIEND to
do... 

Chapter 13 "At what cost Immortality?"

Unaware, too, of what was coming for him and all the players in this shadow's
particularly bizarre quest for life renewed, Wilson finished up his story,
despite Speedster's and Longneck's joint, quiet snoring. Despite this, Wilson
knew this odd couple of fighters were listening perfectly with their ears. He
just hoped they were listening with their minds, too... 

"Kannel looked at me a couple of times, and I could see his daughter rush by
with tears past the bowl and the pirates, wishing she probably was gonna drown
herself, but I knew she probably wouldn't die, even from drowning. Probably
not even age, never to grow old. And Kannel just laughed as if it all was a
cruel joke. Pandemonium broke out all across the news media present there as
they were carried off by the pirates that remain, keeping them as far from the
massive sky arc while the thousands drank and entered. He then looked at me,
and said the cruelest thing he could ever say to me, which not just revealed
all, but told me the last thing I ever wanted to hear."

"'Wilson', he said. 'I guess you know everything by now. I wanted it this way, 
to insure me and my followers life nearly eternal, so even if these ''stasis
chambers'' or whatever you call these new-fangled graves failed ANY TIME
during the trip to Xerkes, They'd still live long enough to make the trip. I
don't trust the chambers much, after all I did buy them extra cheap. But I,
and those among my followers who aren't so innocent in following me, will live 
on when all the people who want me brought to justice will be long dead. 

"'And those that do live long enough( so they say they can,), well, they will
slowly forget about all the evil that I have done, what has been leaked out
will become footnoted to nothing long enough to make me seem anything but what 
others elsewhere think of me. A good, decent businessman, and an lie to be
perpetuated beyond my departure. 

"'I've used a lot of people, Wilson. You as well. All to benefit me and me
only. It is a shame, thanks to you being thrown into this bowl of Immortality
Elixir I've nearly bankrupted myself and my company gathering together, that
you'll definently be alive whenever I return to my wicked ways. But, In the
future, I'll have enough from sheer interest alone to restart it all over
again, and one day, I'll break free and resume my illegal trading just like
before. And you'll never be able to stop me from reviving my empire in
whatever fashion I will be able to.

"'Farewell. I only wish my good friend, Reng, who saved my neck from justice
last time and helped plan all this.. Yes, he even arranged your 'tragedy'.. He
helped me stage it all. as the curtain falls, Wilson, I'll leave it to Reng to
try to dispose of you, though your inability to die will surely drive HIM to
madness. So keep well, Wilson. Because I will be back someday to make life
miserable for you, someday, someday." 

"And with that, he joined the crowd. I found myself gaining some youth back
from my exposure to the Elixir, but I knew better than those who exposed me to 
this nightmare I was still sixty-five on the inside and slowly, slowly wearing
thin. And I struggled out of the fluid, but my attempts were still feeble
because nearly drowning in what supposedly gives you eternal life, takes much
out of a person. Finally, I crawled out and left the platform, ashamed of my
failure, of my weakness, and my losing my mortality. My fellow friends, some
of you fear losing your ferality to the processes that had nearly made you
human, just as some humans might fear losing their humanity. But, when you
lose your mortality the moment you know you're going to die, then you truly
have something to fear. Believe it, or not." 

"After the arc left on its secret voyage, I tried to pick up the pieces of my
life, and lived on, and on, and on. But still, whenever I can't help it and
the canine in me gets riled, I think of what Kannel has done to his world, and
later his galaxy and live for the day I can bring him to justice, once and for 
ALL. " 

Meanwhile, something lived, or something wanted to live, but for all intents
of purposes it lived, for the day it could finish Wilson off. ONLY A FEW MORE
MOMENTS, AND IT BEGINS. I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MYSELF... COME TO THINK OF IT,
NOTHING CAN CONTAIN me anymorrrrreee!". And with its laughter, it cocked its
fists in some fashion, somewhere that may not actually be there, but would be
definently in the real world when they were launched and when they
connected... 

If you know by now who the shadow really is, better call the Incorporateds
quick and tell Wilson to start looking for funny, horse-like shadows. An old
fiend of his is coming to visit, and he didn't even invite himself in... 

Chapter 14 "If you hear the horse kicking your door down it's too late to run!"

Casey broke the silence that ensued, and scraped a charged tail across the
backs of his now-sleeping companions Longneck and Speedster, who somehow'd
gotten bored to sleep over his long story, losing interest when their extreme
metabolisms simultaneously needed a quick recharge and they'd forgotten to get 
it just as the story had its wicked little twist at the end. The two of them
woke up, muttering incomprehensibly, but eventually became alert enough.
Nevertheless, in their nap, they still got everything Wilson had said. Casey
did, too, and he didn't even try for a catnap himself. Ann then chose to
respond to this unbelievable story.

"Wilson, I never knew anything about Kannel, but in the 30 or so minutes
you've spent telling the story over a two-day period, I already HATE his guts! 
And, I just got to know him. I'll go with you to help you keep your honor.
I vow to nail the guy to the wall and let the police cart him off, if he
pulls any revenge on you. I promise." 

"And I, Halifax..." Halifax was at a pretty sticky situation and he just
had to say something for appearances, then remembering his own experience with 
Reng, "Promise myself to help you knock that Kannel dweeb silly! If he had the 
gall to use a former enemy of mine just for profit's sake, then, I'm in this
too. Put me down for two knuckle sandwiches in his soul, and a side order of
pursuing justice to go." 

"Me too!", said Longneck, "More quantity time with my son!"
"Dad, please calm down", said Halifax. "And that's quality, not quantity."
"Whatever!"

"Yeah", said Speedster, "I'll help you in your mission to stop what's going on
at Xerkes. I'll miss a lotta EthisVision and Soap Operas if I have to, but If
it'll give you peace you don't seem to be finding, then I'm all for it. "

"Say, Wilson, what ever happened to that girl who's this dweeb's daughter",
piped in Ann. "You ever get to talk to Her? Perhaps she's out of suspended
animation now, and living her life trying to see your enemy 'Nell removed from 
his affairs. " 

"No, Ann... " Wilson replied. "I cut off all ties to Catwind and his
followers when they left some 100 years ago. But, you are right, she may well
be out of suspended animation herself, if we've been getting reports of him in 
trouble, then perhaps she's more than alright. But I think, I will get a
chance to talk to her, when I'm not putting down this scourge Kannel's so
afraid of..." 

"THE ONLY SCOURGE THAT GETS PUT DOWN, FOOLS... IS YOU."

"Casey, you didn't say that, did you?" said Ann.

"No.. Why?", said Casey.

"Don't look at me, I failed Ventriloquism...", said Longneck.

All of a sudden, a massive blow came from the Roof of the Neverest,
reverbrating through its structure. The whole ship quaked fron the first as a
second, then a third, then more, kept pounding on the hull. All through the
ship, lamps started to fall off their pedestals, chairs were being tipped, and 
heroes out of their chairs. For a minute, this went on, then suddenly, the
ship somehow was grabbed, and the beating on the hull stop. And nearly every
soul on the ship, felt just like a twig stuck in a paper airplane, or at least
somehow, was suddenly feeling like one.

Speedster looked up at the ceiling as he picked himself off the floor, with
the rest of the Incorporateds struggling to get up, and had only time to say
"No thanks, we don't want any..." before the Neverest was tossed out of its
orbit and flung to the ground below some hundreds of miles away...

Whoever was doing this, Speedster thought as Wilson went into a trance and Ann
tried dragging the old cat/dog to the control room in an attempt to hopefully
try to crash not too badly, really has it in for us...

"YOU'RE SO RIGHT. "

"What?" said one of the small chimpanzes that was fitting tubing from a
storage container in Brek's office, Right from the labs and right to the
basement, where Brek, as far as his fellow employees were caring to consider
him as, was very deep below, in an nearly inaccessible area of the Base of
Inoperations. For a very, very good reason, and probably worse, an
exceptionally bad one... 

"SHUT UP, AND FINISH YOUR WORK. I'M busy.. TAKING THE PLUNGE."

"Oh, okay... You sure you're feeling alright?" 

"I HAVE NEVER FELT BETTER. HEH, HEH, HEH!"

"Well, Brek, I'll just finish up here, and leave, screaming for my life." 

"GOOD. CAN I WATCH?"

"Uh... Please, no.."

"FINE! HAVE IT your WAY. NOW GET BACK TO WORK!!!" 

The chimpanzee thought, Surely this guy's lost his mind. He's talking funny,
he's actually cheerful, and he's actually involved in his work. Brek would
never do that, unless something were eating him. And probably, something was.
Well, I'm not going to stand for this. 

Then, the chimpanzee was thrown to the ground very quickly, and nearly broke
his back doing so. 

Well... Maybe I should stand for it, after all...

He got back up and decided to resume his work, egged on by one more thing the
shadow, speaking through Brek's mouth and vocal cords, said. 

"GOOD IDEA. A REALLY, REALLY great IDEA..."

It's at times like this, when the Neverest is falling down to the planet
below, and Carol Catwind was unaware of what was going to be done to her in
the next day, and Brek's no longer sane enough to even think, so someone's
trying to do the thinking for him and making a few beings miserable at once
without even so much as a sweat, that cliffhangers tend to happen. A common
thing that happens everytime something bad is about to happen to the good
guys, thanks to the bad guys, mostly. 

And, unfortunately, there's really one cure for this malady... 

Having something fortuitous, or tragic, happen next...

End of Book I

Book II: Devouring Shadows

For the reader's ultimate delight taken from great dismay
and to reveal who the hecc the 'Shadow' really is, for the loud-out crying,
huh, huh and huh is the all-consuming query...

Prologue 2

Inside Wilson's mind, there was nothing but darkness. Not even a glimmer of
light did he see, as he began running wildly, wondering where he was. For what
seemed like an eternity, he tried to find escape, but none revealed itself to
him. And it was sending Wilson back into despair, and would have claimed him.
Wilson, however, was not about to give up that easily. Wilson span about,
staring as hard as he could, and then found a tiny patch of light in the
distance, behind him. Wilson, thinking that the light might lead to the exit,
ran after it quickly, and came out into a memory instead.

Of every bad time he'd ever had when dealing with Renegade...

What must have broken his spirit in three was the fact he felt like he couldn't
lead the Incorporateds anymore. With him in charge, Renegade died senselessly
and needlessly.
For, his code of honor had that rather nasty subclause, that you
always try to save everyone, even your enemies. And, failing that, made him feel
less of both a dog and also a cat, paradoxically as that may sound. So, he'd
passed on the torch to Casey, the most sensible of all the Incorporateds, and
started to drown in his sorrows.
But, Wilson thought as the memory ended and the darkness tried to claim his
thoughts again, he thought he felt a glimmer of recognization of what the
shadow was up to. He would need a lot more evidence to find out what this shadow
who'd took over the ship, and made Wilson black out just before he felt he was
finally regaining control. Wilson felt, somehow, that he might have a second
chance to save Reng and bring him to Justice even though quite obviously Reng
was dead. And he wasn't going to be so slow in stopping the chaos, whether Reng was
the cause of the chaos or not, and retain his lost honor...
Wilson then pushed as hard as he possibly could, against the devouring darkness
in his mind. He stamped with his mind's feet, his mind's arms, and whipped his
mind's tail all around him, gathering more and more will power to gain
consciousness once more. He kept his thoughts of Kannel, of his daughter, of
Reng, and of the threesome somewhere on the ship, who's lives were in his hands.
And used it as a weapon against the darkness, forcing it to flee far off towards
its lair somewhere in reality, in perhaps now chaos itself...
as Wilson came to, he hoped that he'd regained control. That he'd be able to
make the ship fly back to orbit, and that the Incorporateds were all right. That
his ship was whole and so were they. as he saw fuzzily the cracks in the
windshield, and the pain in his left arm, and the instrumentation and controls
partially in shambles, that brief hope began to turn to despair. But then, hope
returned as Ann picked him off the floor, having managed to land the ship
herself without atomizing it (barely).
"It's good we have you around when we need you, Ann", said Wilson. "I don't
think I could have landed this ship alone."
"We didn't exactly land. But thanks for the compliment", returned Ann as she
dragged the apparently injured Wilson off to safety.

Carol Catwind, perhaps AKA Ixnay, because if you'd ever heard the message of
civic duty 'You are your own BEST FRIEND' and you knew how Carol was taking
things literally more now these years, because she'd seen her father do and say
some things that couldn't be taken anyway else too much, was waking up from her
brief nap. Although still groggy, she managed to leap out of bed, anxious for
the night's planned, most pleasing events.
For a moment, she looked out her window, and saw what few other innocents and
criminals did that day... the arrival of the Incorporateds. Although the ship
Neverrest, though it belonged to Wilson starting some years ago was arriving
apparently on fire and was busy crashing some dozens of miles off despite even
noble Ann's attempts to land it with Wilson in a haze, it was coming
nevertheless. And maybe the crooked former pirate cops and the SCE's thugs saw
it too, for in the streets all of a sudden, outside her apartment window (She
would NEVER consent to live in that dammed penthouse her father skulked from
these past 14 years, no matter how little she'd either have to pay or how much
she'd be PAID to live there), they seemed to mobilize hurriedly and nervously.
Although she was a little miffed that Wilson would take the past 100 years to
come to her aid, she still liked the tall cat (or perhaps dog) and kept his
memory sacred. And anyway, what with the expanded struggles she'd get involved
in the next few hours, she could use the extra help, and hopefully, sooner, get
some extra sleep that being a rogue hero of the night rarely gets....

She assumed that the craft landed safetly, and dressed in a set of clothing only
slightly less revealing and in definently different places than what she'd worn
in Australian as a child some 100 years ago, and sneaked out to await the night
and Wilson's proper entry into the city. She turned away before the explosion of
the crash turned the dusk right back into day only temporarily, and left the
building filled with more hope and cheer than she'd ever known in 100 years of
just being, well, HERSELF.

ChapteR 16 "Waking up in the GrowINg DarkNesS":

Wilson saw his ship cracked up in several places, and with Ann's help surveyed
the immense damage his ship encountered. His despair tried to
claim him as he saw clearly now the mess the ship was in, the wreckage.
He got up slowly, grabbing his organic right with his inorganic left arm,
wincing heavily in pain as he felt broken bones underneath his highly defined
muscles. Staggering perilously on his own two feet, Wilson lurched towards the
hall and feared the worst, that his friends were dead, the ship was on fire
and would REALLY explode before he and Ann could get out....Å

Å By the way, that blast that Carol saw so far away from the city, was really
the starcraft's pure force jets impacting into the ground when the Neverrest
crashed, and the blast was really disharmonized reality brewing out of the
outtakes of the starcraft in an unbelievably fast rush of speed, not soon after
the jets went into automatic shutdown upon the quite sudden contact
with the ground, to prevent the craft from not only crashing once, but from
bouncing up again due to the momentum those massive force jets provided and
crashing over, over and over again. Wilson thought this was a strange
feature and effect to have on a Starcraft when he'd bought it a few centuries
ago, but having it did save him a lot of money and a lot of grief, for at least
when you had the feature on line, you were assured you'd only crash once and
probably get a few
injuries, rather than crash a few times and get everyone on board dead and
dying from a LOT of injuries...

Okay, so Wilson managed to make it. I hope you are relieved now, dear reader.
Because when you read on, you may just lose that good feeling of relief....

ChapTer 17 "The Hangover"

Wilson, staggered into the main hallway punch-drunk from the crash, and fell
dazed in the middle of the entrance despite Ann's help.
Wilson moaned when he saw that the starcraft was nearly broken in two,
busted wide open from its attempt to shoulder all of the blow that impact had
given it. New tears of grief were about to flow, but just then, he saw under a
pile of wreckage from the ceiling, Halifax's fist coming up from beneath.
And sending what was underneath it, flying twelve feet up into the air and away
from him. Apparently, Halifax, though scarred slightly fron the broken glass's
attempts to puncture his head as it fell, wasn't bleeding at all; apparently, it
would take stuff far sharper than glass, maybe not even the sharpest cutlass or
laser beam, to make even small dents in Halifax's body. Perhaps Halifax had
invulnerability as well as two dang powerful mining gloves and fax capacity,
too. But, who knew? as Halifax carefully faxed up Casey and a disgustingly
injured Speedster , Wilson looked upon them and was relieved to see them
actually quite unhurt, even though he had a twinge of dismay when he saw
Speedster more closely, his right eye swelled shut and stained with bright
orange , and holding a smeared piece of glass in his left hand, which his
still-undamaged left eye was gaping at.
Ann further dismayed Wilson when he said, instead of saying 'Thank Lamar we're
safe', or, 'Good lord, what happened to the ship? Why'd we crash?', said instead
"Eyuuhhh! Speedster, get rid of that blood-stained piece of glass! You're making
me as Ill as any Feline can possibly get! That's making me lose
my lunch, and though it was bad enough I'd lose it, all I'd have to lose is all
that corn-stuff we all had last night! And that's even MORE Revolting when it
gets stuck in your teeth...."
"Okay, Okay, Ann. Calm Down", said Speedster, who VERY rarely practiced what
he preached, ableit only as it pertained to being calm, "I'll put it back IN if
it'll make you happy..."
"NO! Just put it in the Garbage. Not back in your eye, what's LEFT of it.
Please...?"
"Allright. Geez, what a mess. It's a good thing noone was hurt really badly in
this crash. Oh, Hello, Wilson. Okay? Good. It's even better we crashed, don't you think?
Otherwise, we probably would not have stopped. Too bad, though. Nice Ride....",
said Casey.
Casey, just then, made the most disdainful look on his face, his sign someonce
once again, whether it was him or not, had said something that really wasn't
meant to be taken WELL...
Speedster looked back at Casey, anticipating this, and said, "C'mon, Casey. I
only said this because things are pretty bad, and I'm trying to cheer things up.
I mean, having my eye put out won't make me half blind, I'll grow it back manana
and see from it again not soon after, after all, I don't have the power of
speeding up my healing for just FUN."
"I'm just trying to keep from crying on the inside, by making laughter on the
outside."
"Oh, well, Speedster," Casey said, "I'm sure you can laugh off the ship in
ruins, we're crashed on this planet who knows where, You're half blind, A shadow
is trying to ruin our lives, and it'd take a miracle to get us out of this
predicament.."
"But, Casey, might I add, we're still alive, despite all this. And, thanks in
part to Wilson. Speaking of which, Ann, I don't know how you managed to gain
control enough to get the nose up at the last second, but thanks."
"They have black-out simulations on the flying simulators I work on a lot.",
said Ann. Speedster then said,
"Oh, I forgot. You've been banged up, haven't ya? Well, Wilson, I'll go and fix
us up. Then, " Speedster briefly paused, "We'll see just how close to partial
this good ol' ship's been totalled, huh?"
It didn't surprise Wilson that Speedster said what they did. All animals, even
those made Setinent by extreme exposure to certain chemicals, retain some
telepathy. But, he was surprised, that Wilson was expecting worse and didn't get
it. Maybe someone there still likes me, he thought brightly. Or, as darkly and
suddenly as he thought brightly, is just saving me for something worse than this
mess I'm in....
Wilson then replied to Speedster, "Yes, we'd better get enough of this mess
cleared to leave this place. I doubt it's in any condition to do us any good.
So, go ahead and use your powers to cure any of the injuries we've got, and be
grateful we're alive. But..." and with a pause that indicated somehow to the
threesome Incorporateds that he was regaining his anger, a good sign he was
taking things well, "Leave the arm broken for a while.
. If I'm right on this, on who's causing this
and why, there's a certain pair of persons We might know who'd see the arm and
need their memories refreshed. Because, when all this is over and I've found out
how much of the reason why we're here now is a honorable one, NOT, I'm going to
make sure they never forget, because I'm gonna use this broken arm, and stuff it
where the sun rarely shines!"
"Speaking of which", Halifax piped in, "That sun's going to bed, though it's
morning for US. We've better get a move on if we're going to meet this Kannel,
before he goes to sleep and gets really cranky... On second thought, let him get
cranky,
 I have a feeling he may be behind this, and I'm not so sure he deserves
sleep after letting us just FALL like that..."
"Yeah." said Wilson. " I still have to forfill my debt to him first, of course,
but once that's over, Kannel's gonna be prison bait. I've lived 100 years
worrying about when that Kannel would call my debt in, but I'm sure a few extra
MINUTES taking to get to wherever on the planet he is suffering under his
'scourge' won't bother me much more, than it ALREADY has..."
Later, they found Longneck wandering off a mile from the impact site.
He was alright, but apparently in a couple of good and tough knots that gave
Halifax a Fit to undo....

Catwind wasn't out on the town, wearing what was in fashion (cloaks and hoods and
heavily overlaid masks of nylon covering the face) for the day, or the night.
Definently not what the people of her origional time wore. But, what she was
wearing was the kind of costume that made people feel like making differences
each time they wore it, free and fancy. And, as long as nobody could be exactly
sure that it was her under that costume, she felt like the evil part of the
world she was gonna fight now didn't stand a chance.

Brek suddenly snapped back to consciousness, thrown out of oblivion as violently
as the crash the Neverrest had with the ground of Terzel Xerkes. With everything
brightened up for him and the first feelings coming back to him, he looked
around him with a lot of worry on his face, wondering what the shadow had just
made him do. The shadow, which too seemed to have suffered
from the blow and was now giving a water dispenser not far from a slip tube just
recently installed horrendous nightmares, was shaking its head, as if it jsut
had a hangover.
Despite all he wanted to say in disrespect and for a sheer need to extreme
swear, Brek asked of it, "Are you Okay" as if it was a friend. Perhaps, once it
was a friend. Perhaps, again. For in that brief instant where the shadow'd lost
control of his mind, Brek felt its anger. Of how it was feeding on all the grief
it would cause with the crash, and somehow being denied it. Brek, being a evil
being himself, sympathized bizzarely with it now.
"NO, I AM NOT. i Was ABOUT TO DINE ON THE DISMAY LIKE i HAVE NEVER IMAGINED, AND
JUST WHEN I COULD HAVE DONE THEM THE WORST HARM, WILSON WENT AND USED HIS AWFUL
Immortality and manaGED WHILE UNCONSCIOUS TO OVERRIDE MY CONTROL ENOUGH TO
NOT crash!!!, JUST Crash. AND HE RUINED THE TasTE OF MY MEAL. I DON'T LIKE
HAVING MY MEAL RUINED FOR ME.. NOT EVER." Apparently, this shadow didn't account
for Ann's help, being a sexist shadow as well as a frightening one....
"Well, he is here. W...Gulp is here, isn't he? On the world, at any rate? At
least let me get some sleep, please. It's getting late, and I've had a bad day.
Can't you postpone your revenge, until I get some sleep? Maybe.. Maybe in the
morning, I'll be nice and rested so you could take me.. me.. over ... again.
Please?"
For a terrible moment, there was silence. Then, the laughter came in again, but
this time it began to fade out.
"ALL RIGHT, GO TO BED. BUT FINISH UP WHAT I'VE DONE, THERE'S ENOUGH MATERIALS
AND INSTRUCTIONS YOU CAN COMPLETE MY REVENGE PLANS FOR YOU, KANNEL... AND
ULTIMATELY, FOR ME. BUT YOU'LL STILL BE NEEDED LATER, FOR THE FINAL ACT OF MY
PAINFUL PLAN. JUST A FEW MORE DAYS, AND IF YOU DO WELL, PERHAPS I'LL LET YOU GO
ONLY partially out of your mind. Good night...."
Too late for JUST that, Brek thought as he looked over his computer displays,
and started thinking frantically of the solution to all the formulae and
scheming that the shadow'd put down in Brek's desktop terminal, fighting now not
a demonic shadow, but the rather pleasing darkness now of ordinary sleep. I've
already lost it for the entire afternoon, and though I've found it, I'll only
lose it again. I feel sorry for him, though, and I don't like that. What could
have made whatever the shadow was what it is now, that it'd mistreat both the
GOOD and the EVIL persons of this universe equally? I hope that never happens to
me. I have enough trouble with Good people breathing as it is, without being
upset by my fellow villians doing the same as well, though for much more
lecherous reasons...
That night, both of them slept, the shadow and its latest thrall. Rather
pleasantly, considering what both of them had gone through in the past 13
hours...

Editor's Note

I didn't mention Xerkian days were 25 hours long, did I, when I started
transcribing this for you? Oh, well...

ChaPter 18 "Getting Out"

The Incorporateds 'picked' their way through the partial wreckage of the
Neverrest, each one trying very hard to figure out what had just transpired as
they clawed down the lifts to the garage below, quickly and quietly. Wilson, of
course, had the most trouble with that broken left arm, but still insisted to
Speedster that nothing but nature should be done with it. Still, he did have
one of the five remaining working synthesizers create a cast and a sling for it,
to keep it set and from breaking further. Speedster's right eye'd been covered
with a single band of nutrient-soaked cloth that wrapped around his head,
keeping it sanitary, but managed despite the blindness to climb down the ladder
with ease. Casey and Halifax just jumped down, Casey using his tail in its
prehensive mode like a short bungee cord to slow down his fall, and Halifax just
jumping and plummeting to the ground, and not suffering from the blow much to
his surprise. Ann and Longneck took the stairs instead and had the easier
time.....
"Wilson", Halifax shouted up at the still-climbing cat/dog, as he saw him
stumble for a moment upon seeing Hal plummet like that, "You allright up there?"
"Uh...Sure I am. Just had a bad feeling back there for a moment."
"You still thinking about Reng's death, aren't you?"
"It hasn't quite been easy on my mind."
"Then take it easy, then."
Speedster knew something was wrong still with Wilson. But, the poodle couldn't
put his thick fingers on it, just yet. Still, something about all this seemed
familiar, the way things usually went...
Casey was surprised when they got to the garage that the Rustbucket's hull had
only one nasty crack on the side, but everything else within had'nt even been
scratched at all. No matter how you managed to damage the outside of it, and
it'd been damaged plenty, it still looked as pristine and dusty within as ever.
Casey often wondered if, but once, you could store the origional of something
inside the 'AR Chamber', his catchword for the subdimension within the
Neverrest's computer which stored all its data, and bring it back whole by
copying the fresh image over the damaged one. But, unfortunately, nobody had
really figured the megaporter out just yet, on how to do that. So, Casey just
settled for the large transport as is.
Wilson went to the panel on the wall to open the garage doors, but apparently
the touch-sensitive panel wasn't working. Halifax noticed his trouble as Wilson
tried then the emergency switch below, and then the emergency release below
that, to no avail. Halifax then went over to the door, and said to Wilson, "Can
I have a go of it? I think it needs my personal touch, here." Wilson was
regretting whatever Hal was going to be up to, but Wilson neverless agreed.
Then Fax jumped back some distance away from the door. Then, with barely a
squint of concentration on his face, he jumped straight up, turned to hit the
wall with his feet, channeled the force of the blow through him and
fell quickly to the ground. He tried this once more after asorbing the
embarrasment. Then, he ran back once more, jumped and bounced off the floor,
and screamed "AAAAAAAA", as he rocketed now back to the door, with
his head turning so his scalp faced it, at now a very fast speed.
It was almost too quick to describe.
With the blow's impact, Halifax ripped the entire garage door out and sent it
flying half a mile away from the crash site, with the hinges falling to the
ground below. Halifax jumped off and landed at his feet, somehow surprised by
his sudden catching the indestructible bug.
"Not even a headache. Wow! " He said to the onlooking animals above.
"What a showoff", said Wilson, as he walked back to the Rustbucket, a little
dismayed neither of them thought to try the emergency door handle on the door
first, but otherwise satisfied. There was no doubt now, not for anyone present,
that the door was REALLY open this time...
Apparently, with a couple of quick bounds and one weak jump, Halifax suddenly
stood next to him without a single gate necessary. and joined him as Casey loaded
up the Rustbucket with supplies for the few days they'd be staying there. Speedster
already dashed off to look for more goods, such as microwavable entrees, A
portable EthisVision to contact others with in the field, and a few personal
effects. Ann, noting that due to her haste of arrival, simply borrowed some of
Casey's huge inventory of same-style T-shirts upon Casey's approval as they
were more than big enough to fit her and could be worn almost dress-style due to
the extra length needed to cover Casey's huge stomach. Casey was too busy to
disagree, seeing how Speedster and Longneck managed to sneak along with the
Ethisvision a number of "Dog Years" videos to watch at night when his back was
turned.
Speedster grudgingly  the tapes back, but before he dashed off at near-sonic
speeds, "Try to keep some record of HISTORY with you, and everyone blows a
gasket at ya...".
Then, with the group inside the van, the van was powered off, going from 0
to 90 in a second, and leaving the slightly cavernous garage in four. For a
moment, Speedster was about to mention the fact the ramp hadn't been put down
yet, but Halifax, somehow having gained a measure of joviality he'd been sorely
missing, said quickly, "We don't need any odorous ramp".
"Must be the brain damage from the crash", said Longneck surprisingly.
"It figures", said Wilson, suddenly feeling miserable all over again...

As soon as the van left the garage, the van's own miniature force jets powered
up, its hind axles turned over and extended wings, and the van was quickly
airborne, flying much like a plane as it lunged into the Xerkian skies towards
an incontemplatable destiny, but let's do contemplate a destiny for them. It
mostly involves darkness and a load of morphing activity and the last person
they'd expected to either be against them....and certainly, the absolute LAST
person they'd be expected to defend.

While Casey concentrated on the driving and anticipating meeting human beings
once again, since beyond earth very few had ever evolved, Wilson, Ann, and
Speedster, though getting only half the picture, enjoyed the newly formed
landscape of Xerkes' desert at nighttime, perhaps the first beings
from earth to see it without being heavily covered in tarp and having their
vision blurred by light-dimming Nylon...
And, it was beautiful, similar at first to the desert of the outback, where
Speedster had been once on earth, and was sorry that he was seeing it only with
his left eye. Longneck and Wilson, having rarely seen desert during their long
careers, were amazed to see Cacti and grass taking root here and there, and
seeing that things could live in such an arid environment.
Then, Wilson looked down there, at a small pack of animals running fast. They
looked a little like cats, but they had really big ears and they seemed pretty
skittish, aka small. The animals were running to find small things for them to
eat, across the cooling land. Wilson was surprised anything that small was alive
and kicking, and looked at Speedster as his face was alight with sudden
recognization.
"Those look a lot like ocelots, Wilson. How could those animals exist
here? I don't think they were discovered just yet, by the people living
back on Earth back then. You seem to be an authority on why these animals are
here, so far from home.", said Speedster.
Halifax, surprisingly, was so. "I have never heard of the word ocelot, but
whenever a colony's been made, from memory and from the past year's
the new era I've caught up to, when the Catican Frontier has a planet
experiences, they always try to get as much of the fauna of the world the
colonists origionally came from transferred soon after the new planet
proves life-sustaining. And, apparently, Kannel did come from Earth."
"About the time I was born Kannel left", Longneck mused.
"I'm getting to THAT", Halifax said and then continued.
"Ethics seem to not have a voice in the matter, for it's those few
good soul's beliefs in the fleet that to keep an eco-system healthy when
it's been regenerated for certain clients, the animals and also the plants
there must be there to help it along, and to benefit the people living there.
Their existence makes the world seem healtier somehow, and brighter to
be in. I know for a fact without those animals running down there and the
rooted sagebrush, healthy and fit, the planet would probably soon
lose its vitality, and inevitably lead itself right back to barren rock and
non-existent atmosphere. Despite the fact it wasn't nature who made the world
able to support life in the first place."
Speedster suddenly gulped, because that sort of thing was going on when he left
Earth some 4 years ago that earth animals and plants were being mistreated and
overexploited to no truly good means. For a moment, Speedster felt
a pang of worry that, if Earth lost too many animals and plants that kept the
planet's ecosphere going, they all might be lost and even the humans who wasted
them to oblivion. And that worry was now etched slightly on his face.
"Halifax, Don't worry me like this."
"Yeah, save your ecological lessons for after the mission, will you? Worry an
old man like me with STUFF like that!", said Longneck.
"You did ask, Speedster. And all I'm doing is saying the truth. It's true
everywhere you go. You mess with the world, you're going to mess with yourself.
Just a fact that's been kept known for more millenia than you could live
through, even those who're here for only 30 of them at a time, if they're
really lucky."
"You know people who live 30 millenia long", said Ann, surprised at Halifax's
knowledge.
"A long time ago, from legend. But they seem to have been written out of the
plans of the Universe. Years before even Wilson was born."

Wilson then turned, temporarily distracted by the rolling landscape below them,
as the airborne van flew suprisingly slow (about 100 KPH or so per hour, Casey
really didn't believe in Speeding when there wasn't a hurry, even though quite
obviously he wasn't even driving on a ROAD), and said to Halifax what was on
his mind as he saw several more packs of those little cats down there, who were
acting lionish due to the fact the lions were'nt around to make the ocelots
feel, well, preyish.
"Speedster, Ann  ... Have you noticed there's an awful lot of those...
ocelots down there?"
"Yes, I believe we both have.", said Ann.
"Then why is it upsetting me so?"
Neither of them could give him a satisfactory explanation for this, but Wilson
had a bad feeling, perhaps a reverse memory he hadn't experienced yet, that
would certainly involve the little running cat relatives and someone who quite
by chance, had nearly the same name as they did...

CHapteR 19 "Arrival"

Two hours later, Casey was the first among the Incorporateds to see the city of
Terzel Yang. A few minutes before, Casey felt he was finally getting towards
civilization proper, because the grassy hill country that bordered the desert
regions of Terzel Xerkes that they were travelling over now, seemed less green
and started shifting slowly to yellow. as the guidance headlights cris-crossed
the region, Casey saw the edge of all the miasma than Kannel was putting his new
found world through. Soon, Casey saw a dirt road, edged with yellow and dying
grass, and decided to land the van so he'd drive the rest of the way. Quickly,
he told the van's guidance system the code words to turn its hind wheels over,
and the van touched down smoothly, barely breaking its stride and speed (though
a piece of outer hull chose then to fall off with a clang), as it turned from a
semi-aircraft to a normal, if dilapidated, van. Casey didn't even do anything
differently, it seemed, as he drived the van towards what he hoped was the city.
The same yoke that he used to fly with, he proved equally capable using it to
drive with, too.
Then, all of the sudden, Casey smelled that awful, all-pervading stench again.
Perhaps of dead  horse, though if he'd ever smelled a real one, he might have
had smelled much better. And, in its bizarre way, Casey'd probably had been
right. Casey didn't like that smell, much. He smelled it on the Neverrest once
while he'd been transferring the van from its data-storage within the
Neverrest's "AR Chamber", and during the plummet to the ground from the
Neverrest's high place some 200 miles above the surface, he'd smelled it, too.
And again, he was smelling it. And, it was moving from place to place within the
van, approaching from a distance each of Casey's seated friends, but not quite
touching. as if it was looking at them, though Casey wondered, how could a smell
LOOK? Then, as the dirt road ended and a true strip of concrete began, starting
off with a bridge over a wide river below and stretching out towards the still
distant and darkened city, the smell slowly left, seemingly satisfied in a
bizarre way...
Wilson, for a moment, didn't smell the evil trespassing on the van all of a
sudden, but saw it, for a brief second, as a shadow. A shadow that was
horse-like, and had teeth, and was rising up on the
seat in front of him. And, quickly, it reared up, as if to bite him though it
was not even facing him the right way. And, even more quickly, it left.
Halifax must have seen it, too. For suddenly, he too, felt an urge to cuss and
kick, to throw knuckles at the shadow. He almost recognized the shadow, found
out its true nature. And this was a little upsetting, but he felt relieved that
he could soon be sure what the shadow was. And he knew that shadow, if his
hunches and beliefs proved correct, wanted a fight. The problem was, Halifax
liked fighting healthily, too...
Speedster didn't see the shadow or smelled it, when it approached him. He was
watching with interest the slowly fading world outside, as the further towards
the city, the more polluted the sky and the land seemed to be, and he recalled
Halifax's speech about how important it was to keep the land clean. as the van
passed over the wide river below, seeing it so discolored and full of
floating cans, bottles and dead fish floating among the living fish below made
his heart sink a little.
And he thought to himself, If we ever get off this activity Wilson's been
cornered into, I'm not gonna just fight criminals, I'm gonna try to stop the
people who are polluting their worlds, too. Because when you see all those dying
fish like I am now, you've got to be seeing something truly criminal going on
now...
A crime against nature...
Nevertheless, the shadow was there. But, it stayed well away enough from
Speedster's seat to keep the benighted poodle from noticing it, and drank
heartily of Speedster's own dismay, somehow growing stronger than even Wilson's.
And, the shadow seemed curious, as to why someone not even born when Wilson had
his honor provoked would feel more sorrow-filled than Wilson did...
as the bridge was crossed, the shadow retreated away as Casey stopped for a
moment to pick up cans like he used to back on earth, saying "Oh, this takes me
back! Poisoned rivers, littered riversides, It feels like Seattle after those
protest rallies near the bay to stop pollution!"
"Funny, I had a different feeling!", said Wilson as he slumped to his seat.

Soon, that shadow (OKAY, iT Was RENEGADE, NO SENSE IN lEAVING YOU GUESSING, BUT
YOU NEED THE SUSPENSE A LOT LESS THAN THOSE INCORPORATEDS DO!) would allow
itself to be whole, maybe just for a little while, and have definition as well.
But, it needed more power from the dismay of others still,
and it knew ways of getting it, as the shadow went back to its bed near the water cooler
at the Base of Inoperations, to return to sleep comfortably...

And to dream sweet dreams of dismay, death and destruction...

Terzel Yang reminded Casey much of Los Angels, Terra Firma, but in a very, very
small scale. The city, perhaps, but not the clouds of smog that occasionally
floated over the city. Casey was quite surprised that such a small city, having
been in existence for really only 15 years, could have declined so quickly after
it was built. Ann was especially surprised. She'd thought a city would have to
have 100,000,000 people, be bigger than Maine on Earth to be so foul and
polluted. Seeing Yang told her otherwise.

as the Incorporateds scanned from a distance with Ethiscanners, they could see
many of the buildings were seventy, eighty stories tall, but very thin and
rectangular. Smoke billowed out of the tops of several buildings like a furnace,
as if each building seemed to have its own internal fire. Many windows had been
punched out apparently, as smaller rivulets of smoke twisted out. And always
there were Sangurians, living amongst the filth and causing it.
Casey thought, as the Rustbucket drove over many a crack in the large, nearly
empty freeway as they passed through marginal suburbian areas to the city
proper,"This is a bad shape for just one city to be in. Why doesn't Kannel give
a damn?"
"I think Kannel is damned.", said Halifax. "This whole city is a nightmare."
"And we have come to end it", said Speedster. "Say, Wilson, how do we tell the
pirates apart from the people and the SCE's?"
"Easy. They're clean-shaven and they have badgers now.", mumbled Wilson.
"Badgers? Don't you mean badges?", said Halifax.
"No, Bad isn't bad enough to describe the bad things these pirates may be
doing.", said Wilson who dozed off again.
"At least he still has his humor", said Ann.
"If little else."

There was little doubt the smoke was affecting the world about it, as
the grassy hillsides of the freeway they now drove on seemed completely dead,
and partially broken. Casey seemed upset, but not as upset as Speedster seemed
to be as he complained constantly about how the whole mess, and swore the minute
he got his hands on just one mop....

At last, the Rustbucket was downtown, and so was its occupants. And Casey
suddenly realized, as he saw perhaps clearly enough for the first time, why
quite a few of the buildings seemed to have their own internal fires...
Because those few were actually ON fire.

CHApter 20 "The Meeting Begins"

The Rustbucket pulled over by the curb near the tallest building (Wilson said
once that Kannel had heard you could build buildings higher than three stories
and not be struck down by the Great Lamar, and the minute he did so, in his
origional base of operations at the long-deserted Bucanir Building in what could
only be called the Stomach of Tasa-se, he'd had built a hundred-story tower and
put his entire business in there) and was parked rather nervously by Casey, who
didn't like the looks of that tower. Casey wasn't afraid of heights, but seeing
a building two hundred stories tall loom over others content of being only
seventy or eighty wasn't so thrilling to have to be in. as the Incorporateds
walked with recovering health and spirits despite the occasional SCE who tried
to provoke a fight and getting it back in his face, Wilson looked on tiredly as
if the weight of a world combined with the weight of his ghostly enemy was on
him.
"This, " said Wilson, "Seems to be like the Bucanir again. All mean and
soulless, but much higher. When I started putting two and two together about
Kannel's true intentions, I found out that part of Kannel's frustrations was due
to the fact no matter how high he built a building, It'd never match the highest
one in town.
Before he'd get his own building up a few dozen more towers,
the government of Catica would widen the already humongous Tasa Tower up another
half mile or so. And, because as expected the Tasa tower keeps on growing due to
the massive amount of contacts Catica and the Catican Frontier seems to have
more of each year, any attempt by any outsider to outbuild the thousand-story,
four-mile high tower would inevitably be moot, because by the time they'd built
their buildings to the thousand-story height, the Tasa tower would probably be
two thousand stories high. as they walked up to the door, Wilson looked straight
up as he could without snapping his neck, and talked some more about his
impressions of the messed-up city Kannel seemed to have under his thumb.
"Kannel, perhaps when he moved here, wanted to start his own city and make his
building the tallest, perhaps because of his frustration over Tasa. After Kannel
left for Terzel Xerkes, I examined some of his files he'd sloppily left on line
on the EtharSystem (one of the miracles of galactic technology he'd never really
got a hang of, he might have discovered the existence of shredders and furnaces,
but he'll never discover how to disrupt sub-space ether, ever.) and found out
several items of interest.
"Catica opened its heart out to what was basically, compared to the civilization
he'd come from, a barbarian, and he tried quite a lot to cut it out and make it
his own. First of foremost, I felt that was the first and foremost thing about
Kannel that was despicable, I having spent much of my free time in Catica's vast
expanses, but there was something about him that proved truly despicable.
"Kannel had this bizarre hobby he'd picked up after discovering
skyscrapers, that never developed in the primitive, low-level cities of the terran
Colonies. He would stay up in the Bucanir all night long, and watched much like
a vulture at many of the people that walked to and from his building, and revel
in the miserable work conditions they had to endure. Not his pirates, of
course, who were now evolving quite gracefully into lawyers and security guards
on the take, but those ordinary people who did bookkeeping, grew food for his
fleets of smugglers, built his boats and tried their best to do good work for
what they fought was a good thing. He never paid them very much during the 30
years those poor 200,000 souls worked for him, and denied them enough to get by very well or paid
for medical bills, insurance, or even for them to get 'horseless carriages',
something I'm sure he never heard of back on earth. He wanted them to stay
hungry and fearful of him, so they'd never keep the courage to find out more
about his dealings.
"Kannel must have set his city much like a little version of Tasa, but instead,
Kannel probably made his own building the tallest. It is only a hunch, but if we
go in and nobody can tell us Kannel ISN'T in this building, that hunch may grow
more into fact and truth.
"It may have been fortunate that Kannel tried to keep some of his notes in
Etheric storage, for when some three years to the date after Kannel left and I went back to
his origional building, (Kannel left the building some two years previous to
when he'd left the galactic scene), I came in to the deserted building. Nobody
seemed to mind me coming in there, after all, I'd come in once or twice to meet
the daughter of Kannel while she was there trying to visit her
ever-so-more-so-reclusive dad. And I was certainly, seemingly, welcome there.
"But, before I could go up the stairways of that building, I must have triggered
an alarm or something, left there by Kannel in case anyone tried to find any
secrets of his. The building began to fall in on itself, and I barely got out of
there as the inside fell into itself, story by story by story, until the
building was no more than a facade. "
"For a couple of hours, fire engulfed what wasn't crushed already inside that
building. And, when I came back later in the 10-day week, all I could find was
burnt, scalded rubble, and burnt paper. I never quite figured out why one should
still cut down slowly-renewable trees when his peers in the parts of the industry
not involved in such waste or criminal activity, long ago, preferred nearly infinite, ever-growing
Ether as a material to record information on."
"Kannel tried his best to cover his tracks as pertains to something solid the
policebeings of Catica and the Justiceers of Dogelia could grab on and use
against him. But, one thing he did keep secret was
exactly in which direction from Cydullen his ship would go to. In many
directions, there were dozens of planets within the 100-light year sphere
scheduled for terra forming. And I couldn't myself try flying in that sub-ether
space at random, to try to hit the Arc, because the resultant explosion would
doom all of the Arc's passengers and me as well to physical, eternal
non-physical existence.
I may have had a grudge against Kannel, but certainly not for his daughter
or his poor co-workers, and only barely against myself forletting Kannel do all the harm he's done. And, even though the knowledge of
Kannel's acts still exists in the sub-ether now and my head, I forgot over time
when to start looking for Kannel again. Seeing Brek mutter what he did brought
all that dismay back in a massive rush, which I kept inside for some 100 years,
perhaps 15 of them more than I should have..."
"Anyway, enough of that. I think I have kept Kannel Waiting long enough."
Halifax and Longneck looked up, too, at the building as the dawn began creeping
up on the world of Terzel, and thought for a moment that part of the darkness
enveloping the massive building wasn't supposed to be there. Wilson had gotten
to the door access panel rather than simply opening the door for his powerful
co-workers, not quite sure what would be in store for the Incorporateds that
Kannel had planned.
Wilson wasn't at all surprised his own private code he used on the long-deserted
building, the Bucanir, worked on the new and apparently improved model...

Through the darkened building, lights slowly came on, though rather dimly, and
windows opened to make way for the coming sun a hour or so away. as the team
walked in the doors, they looked behind as slowly Terzel Yang came to life.
Several hooded, seemingly faceless persons came into the building, walking
slowly and wincing every now and then. Wilson noted he couldn't see much of
their faces, what wasn't already wrapped heavily in nylon, but it looked like
they definently would have given anything not to have been moved from their
former homes, at least once in their lives if definently not TWO. Not all of
them, though, some seemed to have masked smiles on their faces like the canary
who just swallowed the kitten...
Or perhaps at least, a bunch of canaries who'd watched one canary have cat
chow...
Speedster and Casey both thought that this must have been something out of the
Spanas Inquesition, but as the growing walked into various offices, up flights
of stairs, and took seats in the main hall, the two of them realized that they
`probably were just going to work.
Wilson couldn't make much of the garbed workers in Kannel's new building, but if
they had to wear such garb just to do office work, it would fit in with Kannel's
style. He didn't know (at least, not until later, though the discussions his
colleagues were having as they walked to the stairs were giving him clues)
that many of those 210,000 storage units those people were in so many years
weren't as high quality as the ones he persumably rode in, leaving them much
like rump roasts, leaving what was on the inside still viable, but the outside
horribly freezer burnt and turning to mush whenever you tried warming it, in a
horrifying similar way...
"These people must not like bright light", Ann said. "I don't think with the
moderate temperature outside they'd need so much protection otherwise. Are they
afraid of melting, Speedster?"
"I know I'd be, if I knew I could melt. I've seen vampire movies, and mole
movies, and I know pretty well that they sure didn't like the light very well.
Hid underground, laid in coffins, wrapped themselves in bandages, etc.. Anything
to not go blind, or perhaps... Dust."
"Speedster, I actually think you watch too much Ethis-vision sometimes", said
Ann.
"Perhaps the people here have some sort of insensitivity to the sun, like all
people occasionally have, that prevents them from going out casually dressed
in the world just like my people do on Jasaya.", said Halifax unnervedly
remembering his unpleasant experience there with his head falling off every time
he got a whiff of the tainted air.
"Maybe they ARE vampires", said Longneck unsucessfully as he tried to lighten
the mood. "Hey, anyone serve some STAKE around here?", he said and when he
realized noone was laughing, swallowed nervously and audibly.
"Funny, I thought nature couldn't make the world half as unlivable as Setinents
could.", Ann said to Casey who followed behind still awestruck at the ceiling 50
stories away.
Casey replied then as they started climbing the stairways (Apparently Kannel had
not much use for elevators, there was only one but it was already going up
and down, and waiting for it would take too much time as it was) "I doubt it. If
they went on the trip with Kannel I doubt they had such disorders before,
especially on Terra of the 1800's. "
"Then perhaps they caught chill while they were coming here." Halifax replied
then. "Wilson said Kannel was a cheapskate. I know all too well about 'suspended
animation', and I do know that some of the risks of being frozen deeply would be
light-sensitive skin and eyes, and perhaps tastes as well. I must have caught
part of that chill syndrome, because I couldn't taste things strongly after I was
freed until.. well, before Reng blew up."
"Hence, your desire for thinking tasteless popcorn is the best treat in the
world." Casey commented, as his face quickly soured through saying something
so... well, flat.
"Usually, sucessful, high-quality SA chambers can keep intact many a being who
is encased in one. But, if someone splurges here and there on its construction,
the Chill comes right in and wrecks the skin of the passenger within, perhaps
pernamently if he or she is kept in too many years, perhaps 1 or 2 at the most.
I do have my sense of taste back, but I doubt these people could ever get the
ability to simply walk out into the sun uncovered within their lifetimes,
if indeed they have the Chill."

Inevitably, they got up to the top floor where Kannel was preparing to go to
bed. The sun of the morning gaped in through those damnable windows where
Kannel, vulturelike as ever, watched his people go to work while he slept, and
in the few offices on the floor as several recently-arrived, presumably
secretaries were busy at work keeping the complaints of the people from reaching
his ears. And boy, did it seem very busy, as many a muffled feminine voice kept
blabbing on, sorry he can't be bothered, not now, not ever. Some of course, said
"Oh. You do what sort of CRIME? We'll schedule you here on the world this
evening", as much as Speedster's highly sensitive ears could pick up. But many
more good people were being turned away..
And, some one hundred years to the fact, Kannel stepped out in the latest
fashion of pajamas, exposing his head, hands and feet to the coming sunshine,
and greeted Wilson with open arms, just as Wilson tried, tiredly, to lunge at
his throat...
And fell asleep from a bad case of near-demonic horse possession.

chaptER 21 "The Meeting Proper"

Longneck slapped Wilson awake as the Incorporateds walked about the room, never
feeling any need for a group battle stance since they weren't that ridiculous
or corny a group. Wilson then sat in front of Kannel, alert once more and
wishing his honor didn't demand that caution be used in dealing with an
dishonorable fiend like Kannel.
"Nice place you've got here", said Casey, ", I like the decor. as black as your
soul.", whispered Casey into Kannel's ear. "Burrrrrppppp!", said Longneck into
the other one.
Ignoring Casey's remarks, shaken by Longneck's short and brief dance with
rudeness, and looking at the annoyed Wilson, Kannel said,
"Welcome, Wilson. I KNOW you got my message. But, I didn't know you weren't
into doing things... alone anymore. You must have so many questions to ask me,
how my people and I have fared these decades." Wilson then said what was on
his mind, with as little menace as he could keep out of his voice, trying his
best to be civil...
"I'd rather, just now, shoot than ask questions later, and not just shoot, not
yet. I can't properly express my disgust for you, your world, and the apparent
conditions you've put your people through, if anything my coworkers here have
anything to say about it. But I will fufill your request. And then, I'll gladly
take you down, if I can. Think yourself awfully lucky, because I'll make sure
your luck runs out."
"ask him if he has werewolves working for him too!", said Longneck as he looked
at all the pictures of SCE dignitaries on the walls. He was rather expecting his
mortal and now-normal intelligenced foes Daftec and Uglixor painted there,
considering how much grief their initial run for chaos caused. "Oh, sorry,
Kannel. Guess I'm Kinda knew at this living thing, old man." And with that,
Longneck grinned in Kannel's face enough to make Kannel back off a bit.
"Oh... those things out in the hall. No, they aren't vampires or
werewolves, just CAN'T TAKE THE RATHER PLEasANT SUNSHINE CAN YOU
UNDERPAID PEONS?". Longneck then stuck his neck close and willingly BURPED
in Kannel's ears for his misaligned ways.
"Anyhow, maybe I'll look into their situation. It's been rough adjusting to the
idiosyncracies of a new world. Worth it to me."
"Yes, I'm sure it Was. TO YOU! Now, you can tell me, and my colleagues, what
in Lamar do you want out of me."
"Are you sure I can't just let your friends stand still?" Kannel had never
really heard of the Incorporateds, but just one look at Longneck and Ann and all
the rest made Kannel unnerved like anything.
"No, let them mill around. You see, we're kind of a company, nowadays, and we
tend to prefer not to stand at attention like we were some cornball super group
who just stands still to flex their muscles and look cute."
"These beings I work with have Incorporated their talents against the evil this
galaxy's still suffering from. And I refuse to have any of them stand still,
considering whatever you've got to say to me's so important that they'd get dragged
to this dismal city, nearly get killed in a great big fall, and suffer having to
see all this mess you've wrought in this world."

Kannel felt quite agitated considering the company he was keeping. Casey kept
his silence, thinking hard about the past few day's events and looked like he'd
hurt Kannel anytime he chose, and everyone else was milling about.
Speedster and Halifax were looking at the TV while Wilson kept
laying greviances upon Kannel, and were trying to fix it so "Dog Years" could
come on the rather primitive Stereo-surround 2-D 50-inch TV Kannel used as a
monitor for incoming calls. Ann was busy borrying Speedster's legendary plunger
to use for its intended purpose in the huge bathroom Kannel had to the right of
his office. And flushing the handle almost every time Kannel tried to deny one
of Wilson's complaints. Longneck was painting pictures of mustaches on the
Sangurians he once hunted for money but still hated their guts even though he
pursued them for the fun of it now. And this was all unnerving Kannel with this
cruel mental warfare he was facing. Kannel felt, in fact,  like he was in a
cave with roaming, hungry lions. Lions and wild dogs, in fact, wanting justice
instead of food, but Kannel didn't feel any easier.
"I've tried my best to run this world like my businesses some centuries ago. And
Wilson should know, I have tried to do little good in my life. If it wasn't as
great as the evil I have done in my life, It's only my fault, certainly not the
fault of my captors who brought me beyond the veil of the Earth. But, at least
both the good and the bad seem to work together now, keeping things pretty
neutral... Until..."
"You ruined my life, for the Second time in a whole century.", Wilson nagged.
"In an nutshell, yes. But, I know this for a fact, your crashing was not MY
fault. If I want to kill you, and still sometimes, I'd like to see your head on
a platter, I certainly would find some more... terrifying... way for you to die.
"Or, at least," Kannel said with a laugh at his returning memories of that
distant day Wilson nearly fell to his doom, and that time on his own, "more
origional."
"But, that is SO small. The smoothness of my operation has been disrupted in
the past few days. Someone, so small and distant, has come forth and attacked
several thriving businesses, several agencies, a laundry (Certainly I had
nothing to do with the high prices for washing people's clothes, and just forget
the discount for guards and cutthroats, I would have shut it down earlier if I'd
heard of it.) All in a few nights, and don't ask what I feel is a She could do if
given this evening to do work. Ordinary things people depend on, disrupted."
"I could swear, It unnerves me. Even the police are worried, and believe me,
they're pouring out their hearts to help stop this fiend. And therein lies my
need for you. You've got to go and find... Ixnay."
All of the Incorporateds, except Ann, Longneck, and Halifax to some degree,
understood what Ixnay stood for.. NO. NIX. Nay. Hal had learned only enough
of this rather alien, Terran variety of language, just enough to communicate
well, and slang wasn't Hal's strong point. But, It seemed to be pretty
negative to him.
"That is a very odd name, for someone so involved in terror to have.", said
Wilson after a brief silence.
"Apparently, she just made it up not long after her spree of mayhem began. And
I'll just ask you to... stop and reveal herself and her plans. That's all I
should ask of you, more than I certainly deserve. Then, our dept in my mind
will be settled, and I'm sure you can do with me as you will. If you can."
"That's all you ask of me? Why not ask me to jump off a cliff, walk across
spiked deserts and drink hot lava as well? I KNOW you don't like me very well."
"Because that would be going... rather EasY on you. I think this may involve my
daughter, though I have little clues to the effect. And you enjoy her company,
after all, you taught her all she knows about being independent rather than meek
and humble like the women of Earth back when I... left there. And, if you deal
with her, you may find yourself in worse trouble than what I could certainly put
you through. "
"Then I WILL GO. But, in the meantime, I and my companions will leave here. Go
to bed, you WILL need the sleep... If I..and my companions.. find out all the
|bad things you're involved in here!" And then, Wilson turned to Longneck
looking expectantly.
"Oh", Longneck said, looking at his hand like he actually HAD a watch on there.
"Look at the time. We'd better get going. I'm sure we kept you waiting, Long
enough. Well, Good Ridd...I mean, good bye. I hope you have pleasant
nig...Daydreams. Especially with the Vampires and the Werewolves downstairs!"
"I don't have vampires!", said Kannel with a dislike for all the Incorporateds.

And with that, Longneck exited stage outside as Wilson, Speedster and
Finally, Halifax, who said "Do you think we could repel down instead of
taking the stairs" as they left the office. A groan, almost a noisy animalistic
joint growl, was the last thing Kannel heard of the Incorporateds, at least
while they were on the same floor with him that day, came from the threesome,
especially mostly from the strange little dog with the covered eye....
Kannel thought, It is strange, surely I would think Wilson would be the first to
leave, perhaps whoever the crowd it is that he goes he Isn't leader of as I
first thought of? Well, whatever, I should go to bed now. I've got a busy night
of watching the poor pigeons below suffer...
Casey was the last to leave, and left with this... "Oh, by the way, Kannel. I'm
the one who's responsible for these people, and If you can ignore the sadness
your people feel as well as you tried to ignore me, You'll go far. Down." And
with that, Casey exited the door with "Trust me on this one."

And then, the shadow made its appearance, as it crawled out of the desk where it
hid all along. Apparently, it was PEEVED!
"YOU DID NOT TELL THEM THAT EVERYTHING THE GIRL Has ATTACKED TO DATE Has BEEN
HIGHLY CORRUPTED, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT SHE ALSO DISRUPTED A SANGURIAN BasE
WHICH WOULD ENDEAR HER CAUSE TO THOSE WHO JUST LEFT!"
"I didn't think of that, oh well. Certainly they'll suffer all the more, but at
least you'll have your revenge and I'll have quiet and peace again."
"OH. ALRIGHT." Then, the shadow calmed down, almost certain Casey was still
around looking around for him.
"THEN, WE BOTH WILL PROSPER. SOON, THIS FORM I HAVE I WILL NOT NEED TO MAINTAIN
as MUCH, AND I WILL FULLY BE ALIVE AGAIN. AND WILSON AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM
WILL KNOW MY NAME... AND MY PAIN. I PROBABLY GUESS YOU FIGURED OUT MINE?"
"My lips are sealed. I guess I should thank you for that little ride they took.
I almost wish I could have been there, but I probably wouldn't have exactly
lived through it."
"I CARED LITTLE FOR THEIR LIVES. BUT I KNOW YOU NEED THEM, TOO, AND I CERTAINLY
WOULD BE PLEasED TO SHARE THEIR DEFEAT WITH YOU. YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THOSE WHO
FOLLOW HIM ARE, DO YOU?"
"All I could tell was that they'd incorporated their talents, they never claimed
to have a name of a group while they visited with me.... Uh, Oh..."
"WHAT IS IT?"
"I think one of them is coming back up the stairs. Could you come back in a
little while?"
"I WON'T HAVE TO EVEN LEAVE."

And, as the shadow slunk back into the desk, Wilson returned to the office,
apparently embarrased about something.
"Uh... Can I ask..."
"Oh, I suppose you want to talk to my daughter. Well, she lives half a mile from
here, in the Bugden Apartment complex , but I don't know what good that'd do
you. She doesn't seem to care much about me, though, and she never bothered to
tell me what apartment number. She, for some reason, doesn't like her old man
very much, and she just never liked living with me, up here."
"I can imagine", was perhaps the greatest understatement Wilson would ever say
in his long, immortal life. And, who knows how many centuries, perhaps even
millenia (though years seems more likely) that could extend further?

After Wilson left, the shadow returned.
"YOU DON'T KNOW THE INCORPORATEDS MUCH, DO YOU?"
"I don't concern myself much, with what goes on beyond this world nowadays.
Only money, and lurking from above, seem to be the real thrills in my life. I
presume you know well about Wilson's new friends, do you?
"ALL TOO WELL. DO NOT WORRY YOURSELF FURTHER. TWO DAYS FROM NOW YOUR PAIN AND
MINE WILL HAVE VANISHED. NOW, PERHAPS YOU WILL GET SOME SLEEP, KNOWING i AM
HELPING YOU IN THIS ENDEAVOR OF YOURS AND BREK'S?"
"I believe I can. Thanks."
"YOU ARE WELCOME...MORE THAN YOU KNOW..."
Kannel departed to his bed chambers, and pulled over the sheets, and fell to
sleep soundly, dreaming of past crimes and escapades, culminating in a pleasing
dream which now not only included a certain dog/cat hybrid's stomped fingers,
but the fingers of his colleagues as well...
"OR, MAYBE NOT SO WELCOME. heh."

The looks on many of the faces of the cops who'd been dismayed that night, was
more than enough, in the meantime, to give Carol dreams as well as she went
to sled with the rising of the sun. Only this time, It was her and Wilson,
both of them as happy as larks, leading dozens of casual-dressed people in
a revolt against kannel, each of them packing a mysterious ocelot      ,
purring and howling and caterwauling across the world, and towards a group of
huge Wilsons. But not all of them were Wilsons at the end, but different heroes
she always had strange dreams about. And then, just as a Giant Cornball in her
dream appeared to bowl everything over, Something even bigger came and devoured
the scenery and strangest of all.... Both Carol and Cornball, somewhere distant,
ended up waking and screaming at the same time. Seemingly a coincidence... or
perhaps, PLANNED...

Carol's morning was not a pleasant one as she made her bed and noticed the
shadows quickly left faster than usual in her sun-facing apartment.
She wasn't too tragically concerned of why it left, but as day was coming, she
thought it might be fun to ... well, you know... in the daylight, too.
Despite the danger she'd faced briefly in which running during a dark
shadow-covered alley she came out with her left eyeball totally torn out
and needing surgery at the all-night clinic to cover the hole with cloned skin
the missing eyeball, she felt her secret life she had now was still the best way
to get Kannel to go to jail.

But before she left, she had a sudden urge to draw on paper and did so,
remembering what she saw. And somehow, it was coming to look just like the
Incorporateds, a rather pleasant scene that only had one clue to the true danger
the world and they were in. Specifically, a giant sangurian being chased in a
one-horse stampede in the distant mountains and screaming....

Well, you're getting it now. I'm really sure you're getting it NOW. If not, you
WILL....

Meantime, back at the Bucanir...

"What did you go back for", Casey said of Wilson, as Wilson charged down the
steps of the long stairs three at a time, to make up for the lost time he'd
spent.
"Just curious about an old friend, that's all."
"Must have been special."
"Special... Isn't the word for it. I just wanted to ensure the one I loved
wasn't drowned in any floods engineered by Kannel or assassinated by Kannel
or..." And with that, Wilson saw his shadow laugh briefly when it was apparent
Wilson wasn't the being who was laughing just then.
The Incorporateds, with Speedster racing, Halifax bounding, Longneck boucing,
Casey repelling, Ann sliding down the railing and Wilson rushing down
the stairs for a while, left the top floors on their way out... but somehow
subconsciously vowing to return.....

And then, elsewhere in that big, mean world...

Brek was flabbergasted the shadow would try to ruin his life some more. His
construct and the chemicals needed were assembled for the task the shadow was
conjoling through violence to do. But still, the shadow demanded a Ocelot to
make the plan full.
"You're Insane! What does a ocelot have to do with Catwind?"
"YES, I AM. AND WHAT GOOD IS THE ABILITY TO MORPH OTHERS WITHOUT SOMETHING TO
MORPH INTO?"
"You want to turn her into..."
"YES! an ANIMAL!!!!" the shadow screamed for what seemed like forever as Brek
rushed out quickly. Hey, he had to get an animal, why just sit there and let the
rest of his sanity go with that terrible and gleeful screaming?

ChaPTER 22 "Watch and Learn"

Outside the Bucanir some blocks off, the Incorporateds could see the world
Kannel had created. A world filled with corrupt cops and... Sangurians!
And they were coming forth at once, charged with many a varied and frightening
biogenetic energy. And many were warlords and recognizable ones at that.
But these didn't care about the Incorporateds, they had a mission to protect
some pirate policemen Speedster was all too disappointed to see weren't wearing
parrots. Somehow, Wilson wasn't relieved their target WASN'T intentionally the
Incorporateds...
As Casey ordered his Incorporateds to follow and take cover near the
disturbance, Casey could see they were headed for the police station well in the
process of being wrecked by something inside that was winning even from a
half-mile away. And when the Incorporateds did take cover, Casey could see and
almost feel (not being empathic anymore, it took a lot for Casey to feel wierd
stuff) that the object inside was what Kannel was worked up about and was
actually winning the battle as Sangurians kept coming in conscious and were
kicked out unconscious.
Already, Casey and Wilson (both from their chosen vantage point behind a police
barricade) knew the doctors were coming too but not to fight, just to drag
away both primates and cops to the nearest hospital for observation not long
into the battle. Wilson could almost see some of his skills in the lady
fighter's activities when he saw her throw through a window a very idiotic
warlord. He wondered if he should have asked that warlord whom that person was
that hit the warlord with a truck but Wilson knew undoubtedly somehow the lady
was Ixnay. As if the all-concealing dark costume didn't give Wilson a clue....

The reason why she'd visited that seediest part of town soon became apparent
when sangurians, crooked cops, and now even a few stupid Frontiersmen got the
boot as falsely imprisoned citizens began running out of the building.
Wilson knew now what the true reason the SCE and the frontier and the pirates
were here. This whole city must be a resort of criminality for all three maniac
groups, nair looked over by true Justiceers Fleet, and no doubt the SCE and the
frontiersmen were in collusion now, especially in getting their butts kicked out
the police station being ruined to its foundation by a surprising number of
missed laser blasts occasionally ripping the roof and the ceiling.....

Wilson did hear the muffled voice of Ixnay from afar cheering the freed
prisoners as night enveloped the world, and Wilson could clearly hear her say,
"Nobody's going to put you away for resisting robberies, as long as
Ixnay Lives!" to the crowds gathering near as the still-garbed-total citizens
ran off home to happy reunions. And then Wilson did something stupid as Ixnay
left, knowing well her job was done for the whole day she was there messing the
station up. Wilson felt the need to find her to end his pledge to help Kannel
and then he could properly kick Kannel's rear down all those stairs, five by
five....
Casey had a feeling about Ixnay, too, but Wilson held Casey back as he alone
looked inside the ruined station to see what all those Sangurians had tried to
do to the mysterious Ixnay..... and did to the station instead. Ixnay went back
in to the remaining station to make sure no others were held there illegally....
and somehow, even to the ends of this world, Casey knew Wilson was destined to
follow...

Speedster and Longneck watched from afar, too, and had heard more than seen the
carnage going on. Then, as the last few guerneys moved off towards the hospital,
Longneck from his vantage point behind a building corner pointed down the street
and Speedster saw two pirate-cops driving in too late to battle with Ixnay.
Longneck pointed to the car and Speedster knew it was time to act on this.
Speedster quickly then charged rapidly right in front of the car, forcing
the pirates to brake really quickly, not perhaps to keep from running down
the poodle, but to keep their car from being run down BY THE POODLE!
Besides, someone would have to swab the car if it got dirty.
The policemen didn't seem much like pirates, definently not in their talk as
Speedster sped around to the front door, and looked at them with his one good
eye. "We do beg your pardon", was as much as they'd care to say, since things
like "Ar, Matey's" really didn't go well with the people they lied about
protecting. They got a lot of rolling-pin-induced headaches that way.
"I'd like to ask you something. Do you fine people know the words to "Deadman's
Chest?" And, with a surprising boost of sarcasm, he started giggling at an
attempt to test the police, to see if what the costumed lady was doing was right
in any way. Longneck crawled towards the car, sensing Speedster's oncoming
methods would bring some enlightenment and perhaps unwary cops to make see the
light....
"NO! We certainly do not listen to such RUBBISH. ", said the driver of the car,
who thought for a moment he saw something familar about how the eye of Speedster
was covered up, and also thought strange thoughts as to why a poodle should be
talking and standing on their hind legs, but seeing for 15 of those 30 years
cats and dogs talking and standing on their hind legs didn't make much of the
poodle's unusual condition.
"Do you have any identification, then? Perhaps a peg leg or eye patch? Oh, I
know! Do you have any intimate relationships with a bird called Polly?", added
Longneck from behind to help out.
"I do not wish to comment. We have business to do, seeing how our fine station
has been unduly wrecked, and we must effect repairs. So, leave us alone." His
partner was too busy to comment, half drunk from the grog he was pouring from
his thermos, but he was having second thoughts about drinking such stuff to the
point he saw and heard little talking dogs.
"Good, good. Say, have you watched the most recent edition of "Top ten Seamen's
Chanteys? I heard that...."
"I have NO comments to give to you, stranger. If you do not leave immediately,
we have guns in the car, and we will use them on you. (Imagine, singing
something like "Deadman's Chest" in this day and age. Really, Lieutenant, we
have got to get back to the classical music of our origional era. ) Do you wish
to get us angered by delaying us further?"
"I had a bird once", said his partner quietly and unsurely, "But he kept burying
valuables in my backyard. Well, he thought GUANO was valuable!"

His partner was about to punch him in the arm to keep him quiet, but Speedster
heard that and decided to give them the surprise, as he motioned Longneck with
a telepathic thought to get ready. Longneck bounded a few yards away from in
front of the car, and his eyes began to grow larger than unusual for a massive
earth-quake making take that would bring the cops down... Not in Laughter, just
down on the ground!
"Alright, go. But let this be known. If your partner keeps drinking what he is
(and believe it, I can SMELL these things, I have been among humans before), I
think his liver's gonna go, and turn the color of... " and, while fighting back
the giggles valiantly" ...Oh, Lilies? Heh."
"Lily-livers! Lily livers!" squawked Longneck in gleeful sarcasm.

Apparently, the cops grew tired of this very personal line of questioning,
then deciding as one since the other was too drunk to think of very much now
that finding a plank to throw this dog off or shooting him with a
micro-cannon wasn't worth the effort, and it was time to put the oars ...
pedal to the medal. For at least five seconds, they drove towards the dog in an
attempt to run him down, but Longneck had other Ideas. Ten seconds later, the
car was stopped quite abruptly and its occupants thrown hard against
the quite fancy air bags opening up, mostly because the car had to go up against
a purposedly surprised toon-being named Longneck who's now massive head acted
as the biggest air bag of all, stopping the car in its tracks as Longneck's
Mallability and thoughtlessness of eating things like a goat. A large,
big-eyed, wide-grinned goat who ate popcorn mostly these days but thought a car
might just be tasty.
Perhaps, it would be nice if it was mentioned he had to chew through
the car hood and the axles of the front steering wheels to get through the
engine, first of all, but it wasn't so nice to those crooked cops within, who
saw the cartoon cat then pick his huge white, now neigh-indestructible dentures
clean with part of a broken off ehti-radio dish he just ripped off, smiling
pleasantly as his head returned to twice normal for any setinent.
"Enough over-the-top, Longneck. So, I guess you cops do remember your old days
of smuggling goods, huh? I think they hung the lot of you who didn't die with
your boss the first time around, but I'm sure real police will at least give
you a trial, when they get around to it. Say, Wilson told me a story once
about how you helped ol' Kan once. Care to tell me how you are helping him
now, or should I just get you to tell it... to my friend who hasn't had
anything to eat since we fell out of orbit yesterdayish?"
"Yes. This metal stuff actually tastes good to me", said Longneck still muching
on a piece of car hood. "Can I have some more?", he then said as he began to
bite once more.
The twosome looked first, slowly, at the poodle, then quickly at the toon.
Especially at the toon. The one drinking threw his bottle out of the
partially cracked side window, swearing off grog forever.
They didn't exactly need to talk. Speedster was telepathic to some degree. But
even if he wasn't, as far as Speedster was concerned, he could still read the
faces of those two former smugglers and what they wrote was more than worth the
team effort.
Then, the two Incorporateds at the car saw the back sliding door of the police
station fall off, and the perpetrator of all the mayhem came running out, still
toting the stun gun and on the run. But before she ran off into the dark, gloomy
back alleys, she must have seen Longneck's and Speedster's forthcoming talks
with the two officers, and gave her approval with her thumb raised high in
the air. Then, she started running away to the muffled cheers of the crowd
as she ran into the distance, followed in pursuit not by policemen, who'd
been taught plenty of lessons in hand-to-foot combat already, nor by SCE or
Fleet personnel, but cautiously by Casey and Wilson, who, when she started away
from the station, decided to see her handiwork a bit closer. And apparently
curious as to how such a small lady could do such great damage.
Casey was not very upset at seeing such crooked cops in such a state, and
neither was Wilson, but the wreck of the car was not only not a concern of the
police in the area, apparently. A few tried coming close, but quickly turned and
walked away as Longneck bared a gleaming grey smile at them full of motor oil
and wiring sticking out of his teeth. The Incorporateds, sans Halifax and Ann
who were watching the car and making sure no vengeful SCEs were going to strip
it for parts, took their opportunity to talk about the devastation they'd just
seen from the mysteriously GARBED young woman in the station.
"I suppose you saw pretty much what she did in there", said Wilson who stood his
ground as the crowds dispersed to their homes, hopefully getting back in time to
eat before the afternoon's events to cheer Ixnay on. "She didn't attack any
innocents at all, did she?" He paused for a moment and continued as Longneck
made the cops keep back with his threats to eat their cars.
"If you'd call former pirates who I remember from 100 years ago, several simians
I know from wanted posters all across the galaxy, and Fleet officers who've I've
seen in the papers having nearly been charged for being on the take...
Innocents, then I'd say yes. Otherwise, NO. Actually, she seemed to be helping
some of the people in there, if there were really people within those cloaks,
escape. I saw wanted posters in that station of people wearing cloaks, not
wanted for crimes but for trying to STOP crimes from occuring. I don't think
that's what policebeings are for." Casey added as he went back to his van to get
out an ethis-monitor to show what he'd found earlier before the stakeout began.
Casey added, "I don't think, either.... I mean, about policemen putting
concerned citizens behind bars. Anyway, It seems to me Ixnay's starting up some problems
for Kannel, and apparently she's becoming more agressive. I've looked briefly
through some of the files they have on line (still surprises me they actually'd
master computers). This wasn't the first time she'd been wrecking the town,
she'd also been earlier out against a postal office, a guarded telelink station
closed to the public, and get this.. She actually hit a Sangurian base, single
handed. "
"Single handed? " said Ann. "Are you sure? I am impressed!"
"Single Handed. But not quite as much damage, relatively, as the police station.
Apparently she was just seeing how powerful she could be in bringing her father,
his cronies, and the SCE's he's harboring and not arresting down at first. Now
that she knows her own strength, she's using it more fully now."
Wilson replied, "She's made of quite tough stuff, Casey. I taught her so and
I'm glad she's not taking after her father. Though taking a fist after her
father's chin should be done, and no doubt she'll do that. Do you think after
she's suceeded, we could ask her to join us? We certainly could do better than
the foes we fight having her as a alley, she could even put MY skills to shame."
Casey said to Wilson, "Maybe you could ask her yourself if you find her.
You've trained her well. Say, did you smell something bad back there?"
"I smell rotting food, but it probably was just a plate of dog food the cops
dined on. Perhaps it was.... Horsemeat?", said Longneck who felt good he saw the
cops and the SCE's were backing off from their little group.
"If you people can go on without me, I'm going to go ahead and find Kannel's
daughter, and talk to her. Find out why she's acting this way, and try to keep
her out of harm. For I have this feeling, that if the same shadow that tried
making my starcraft do the suan dive is getting involved in all this, I doubt
Ixnay could even with twenty hands keep it from doing to her...
what it nearly did to us. Casey..."
"Go ahead, and have your reunion, Wilson. I'm not going to stop you from
delaying your meeting any longer."
"Thanks, friend. I owe you one."
"You don't know how many you owe me, Wilson.", Casey shouted as Wilson walked
down into the dark alleys himself, showing much concern. Then, Casey surveyed
the situation that the cops had gotten themselves into, and said to the two who
still were keeping the car and the crooked cops from going anywhere,
"as for what you, Speedster, and you, Longneck, are going to do with these two
'cops', I'm not going to argue. I guess you can go ahead and take them back to
the Neverrest, and let them do their singing there. If any of its self-repair
systems have got enough of the starcraft on line, I'm sure a stay within the
AR chamber...umm... Brig... will help sweeten their sounds. In the meantime,
I'm going to take a good look at these files I've logged off the Xerkes
Internet. I've got feelings of my own about that particular SCE base that'd
been raided. Ann, Halifax, you kids smell that fish odor?"
"No, we don't. Though I could swear, those shadows in the alley Wilson and Ixnay
just went down seem to be moving...", said Halifax as he watched Wilson go off.
Casey turned around, though he now couldn't make out any change in the shadows.
Perhaps his extrasensory perception all cats, and dogs have to some degree,
worked differently than even his friend's. But, he had other matters on his
mind."
"You two go on ahead, and take these cops to the Neverrest."
"In what?", said Speedster, "Will you need to be alone?"
"Go figure. I'll meet you by the hospital, where I'm going to drive by and read
the files in quiet. The hospital, I'm sure, where all these criminals are going
to be treated from Longneck's shocking them. In the meantime you get these two's
involvements in Kannel's latest 'enterprise', I've got some digging to do.
Halifax, send your dad and Speedster and those two unnerved pirate-cops in that
car over there back to the Neverrest, then you and Ann can come with me."
"Sounds like a plan", said Halifax as he did so.
And with that, the threesome journeyed back to look over the truth...

Inside the Neverrest, the crooks and heroes resumed to a scene of a mending
ship. Longneck used his elastic, uncuttable arms to tie the two pirates and
asked them if they were all right from the trip.
"No, we'll never be okay. Not ever again. Just don't get WILSON near us, will
you????, moaned the two shocked pirates, having never been prepared for the
shock they recieved by avoiding saturday morning cartoons in their pirate lives.
"Or that guy with that humongous MOUTH of his!!!", added the more frightened
one.
"Fine with me. Let's go with you to what you can call.... the brig.", said
Longneck as he dragged the two to the AR chamber across miles of open
grasslands...

The shadow looked on as Ixnay and Wilson seemed headed towards different
directions to the same destiny and destination. And this was a HE shadow, we
can now tell you (though being a SHE was now becoming an option). With his
crazed, split mind he formed now to house his spirit, he could follow easily
both of them, Carol to a point and Wilson to an even farther one. It didn't
bother following Carol as hard, it was apparent Wilson knew most of all where
Carol in her guise might be headed.
"NOT TOO MUCH LONGER. SOON, WILSON AND IXNAY, YOU TWO THROUGH YOUR FRIGHT I'LL
GIVE YOU LATER TODAY, WILL GIVE ME JUST ENOUGH PAIN FOR ME TO BE FULLY ALIVE.
IN MORE THAN ENOUGH OF A SENSE TO MORE THAN DO. AND I SHALL END THIS IN
THE SWAMP FOR THE BOTH OF YOU. AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS as WELL! NO MATTER
WHAT YOU DO, YOU WON'T HELP SAVE Carol FROM HER TRUE FATE I'VE GOTTEN
BREK TO PROVIDE FOR ME. NOT EVER!!!!"
And with that, the shadow left, his etheral mind contemplating its next move as
it leaped back to the base to check up on Brek's progress, then to confront once
again his second oldest enemy...

chaPTER 23 "The Reunion Starts, and so does the Revelations..."

Nobody could say Wilson was not a determined soul. He wasn't going to waste any
more time finding that daughter of Kannel's, and asked around half the city
about her after definently getting a long-ago-since-moved notice from
the caretaker of the BugDen apartments. From the managers of other buildings,
people in the streets and several passing Sangurians who had to be partially
deafened before they could stop and let Wilson know a thing,
he'd gotten muffled sayings more about Ixnay's deeds than Kannel's Daughter.
Apparently, any subject even remotely related to Kannel other than seeing him
stop being a vulture in human form was foreign to the people of Terzel Xerkes
and Terzel Yang. But, though there were still a dozen or so apartments in the
city left as well as miles of suburbs and isolated homes out in the grasslands
left to search, so
Wilson pressed on, worried sick about Kannel's nameless daughter. However,
Carol Catwind didn't think of herself as nameless, in fact she had one extra,
really good one to her credit...
It was early in the afternoon in Terzel Yang, and Wilson was getting tired
having not gone to bed yet. Cats, however their size or height up the
evolutionary ladder, do not need much rest to recover, but they still do. And
Wilson would soon need to rest. But, something tapped him on the shoulder that
made him feel awake all of the sudden as he stood on the steps of the 15th
apartment building he roamed near that day.
Wilson turned around and saw Carol Catwind for the second time in 100 years, as
far as he was sure. This time, however, they greeted each other warmly.
"Hello, kid. Been a while. I'm glad to see you again."
Catwind said, "Well, I guess I am, too. You do remember me, after all these..
well, years?"
"Decades. What are Decades between friends?" They better not be much, Wilson
thought. "We've got to talk. I have so much to tell you about, as well as I can
condense for you. I don't know where to begin..."
"Let's begin like, when, over Lunch. I've had a busy morning. "
"I'm sure you..."
"Oh, THAT", she said, as if not quite sure Wilson knew about Ixnay, not having
seen very much of him from his vantage point near the station. "Listen, I'm
serious over this Lunch thing. I've got something to tell you, too, Wilson."
"Is there anything I don't know already?"
"Perhaps. I'm so glad you finally found me. Maybe I can finally sleep at night,
knowing you still thought of me after all these years. It has been tough without
you both in stasis and also being here on this lonely world, and I'm sure with
you things will get better."
"Yes, I'm sure you will. Uh... you don't mind me still calling you 'kid', do
you? I never did find out your name all this time I knew you. Would 'lady' be
more appropriate, considering how much time has passed?"
"I guess 'lady' will do. But I should sooner or later let you know. Y'know, my
dad's not the best being in the world, we both know. Do you know once, in an
attempt to appease me when I woke from stasis, he tried naming a bunch of
big-eared little cats after me? I certainly think, that if I EVER DIE, I'd like to be
remembered... for not having big ears and being short."
"Wind Cats. Hmmn."
"Let's go. I know a pretty good spot that doesn't serve policemen, sangurians,
soldiers or anyone involved with my dad's dirty life... hopefully, not yet."
Wilson thought, do I already know what her name could be, or is? Then, for a
moment, Carol seemed to be in a fog, as she seemed to be seeing something that
shouldn't be there. Her hand clutched once, and then Carol shrugged it off,
quickly dismissing the sudden bad feeling. Wilson got worried again, and already
was beginning to regret having tried to contact her, but still hoped for a
pleasant time to talk to her for the first time in way, way, way too long.
The two went off hand in hand, off towards the suburbs where the pollution still
wasn't as evil or as pervasive, and perhaps, out of the shadow of the midday
sun...
Wilson was so glad he hardly mentioned her left eye was missing. Much like
Speedster's was gone for what Wilson knew wasn't going to be gone forever...

Casey didn't have much quiet, especially at the small hospital's parking
lot. Several SCE vulture-ships parked there certainly didn't make him feel much
better. He felt certainly out of place there, his vehicle a small flash of light
in a region of darkness.
Casey's intent was twofold. One would be to read the files from the police
station on some of the illegal activity, two would be to go visit some of those
responsible in the fight, and confirm his suspicions.
Casey pulled out his small terminal he carried in the car, and downloaded a
dozen files a minute. He peered over the details of each file as it became
available for him to read, and he didn't like what he was reading very much.
More than anything, it annoyed him that Kannel was still up to what Wilson said
he was all too good at. Kannel had created, in the pit of misery he usually put
forth on his employees, a virtual paradise for criminal scum. People to annoy
and rob from, and no worries about being arrested. No limits on polluting the
air even though the people would prefer to breathe, which many a illegally
cheap and non-environmentally-sound business enjoyed. Free food, even though
people who sold it would rather prefer for people to pay. Record after record of
sorrow building on building. And Ixnay had lived with 15 years of this as he
clicked the advance button on the pad in his lap, time and time again, as he now
grew more curious and accessed Kannel's own databases within the Bucanir's
computers itself. Casey felt a little worried that the police might try to catch
on, maybe even Kannel himself, but he felt that with the police in disarray and
half a dozen warlords he probably could handle that didn't care much anyway, he
probably wouldn't have much to worry about. Still, he couldn't help but smell
the stench of rotting fish now and then...
What he read wasn't getting any better, especially with some of the scanned
records he was getting to now. Casey was still amazed at how anything could
be put in a computer, especially text and paper, without the paper actually
being inside the computer. He had some trouble believing that, and more so
when he'd not only been introduced to computer technology but also the
sub-dimension that stored the data that the computer accessed. One thing
that amazed him more, though, was also what had been before his time,
to the era of Kannel's early life in which Wilson played a part to its
tragic end, and even before Kannel left earth.
A scrap of map, the origional drawings probably dust by now, was the last of
a final series of documents, perhaps siezed by the SCE in the abduction of
Kannel, digitizied and megaported back in bulk before the locals of the
time could even suspect anything. Probably, Casey thought, they would have
thought it was magic that would cause them to appear here, but until 4
years ago, I thought computers were only capable of storing data, certainly
not pictures and inevitably and temporarily, people. Amazing. And, as he
briefly glanced at sea routes on an old digitized map, he thought he'd
seen something more sore unlikely to be put on them other than directions for
kicking the butts of whales with a harpoon.
For one thing, a map that was cutely scribbled by a young daughter of Kannel
Catwind, signed Carol by a scribbling pen, showed what had detailed in the
first place Kannel's Downfall, Number one. It clearly showed the popular routes
of trading ships that carried goods from england and back, and soldiers and
people hoping to find a better world on the other side of the ocean. Though a
hundred years later, they'd sure have to fight for it, and now perhaps against
their government, slowly but surely, were still fighting to be free of crime,
of corruption and pain... And, on the map, cruel curses about the throne of
Englann, taunting them because they never managed to make it quite to where all
the nasty stuff that made the world shake back then. Stolen goods. Stolen
people. And, stolen lives. Nobody ever knew or cared for Stolen People, but
goods were very important to both those in the colonies and in Englann. Two more
things about the map, one of the drawing and a file preceding it, detailing what
was scanned from the back of the map, made Casey understand at last what Kannel
was doing that he deserved Ixnay's fury.
The picture was that of a burning ship, at closer detail. Stick figures were
jumping off it, vaguely detailed but there all the same. In that same space, was
written, Nearly was discovered by ship with X, HMS Bizanmast ,but engaged and sank her, here.
Hell to the King. It was right off where Cape Kanned was marked on the map
where not only a X symbol was drawn, but Carol's little picture as well. as
Casey closed his eyes, he saw in his mind perhaps a little better than what
Wilson had heard. Perhaps, his sympathy allowed his telepathy to bridge between
his and Ixnay's mind, and he saw what she'd remembered, childlike but amazingly
free of fog. Or hers. Who'd know?

She must have been playing in the streets, the little child, and she perhaps was
with her father. Two ships were entering port, One that Kannel Catwind liked and the
other definently not so, for one was smuggling rare spices that would cause
pleasure then pain, and the other was carrying what marked it as a royal ship.
Then, Casey saw in his mind's eye the ships fighting, and the royal ship was
losing, almost a blur of activity. And people were leaping off into the waters.
Perhaps he, and perhaps through her, he felt their pain though so distantly
echoed.
Then, perhaps through extrapolation and perhaps not, he saw Kannel loom
giantlike to the little girl, and take her by the hand, perhaps threatingly. And
his words seemed horrible, not as much as that shadow or Renegade ever did (I
hope he's alive, thought Casey, I'd hate to think all of the possibilities
that could ensue if he wasn't ... and why am I thinking this...?).
"' This is your legacy, child. Remember this day, and well, for you will have a
brighter, richer future. Just do not make me angered by telling anyone, or you
won't have a future. ' Then Casey, and perhaps 'Carol' did then, felt her hand
being squeezed slightly, more and more until they both could only feel pain...
And, then, the pain stopped. And though Casey could swear his own hand hadn't
been in pain from an shocked and slowly growing desperate father, it still
smarted as he turned over the map, by scrawling with an unsteady claw the turn
command that would get his laptop to give him the bad news.
And, there it was, scrolled with a drying single quill, more and more ragged as
Reng's plot to seemingly have Kannel and all who worked for him in a state of
stasis, perhaps not really distinguishable from proper death thanks to the rather
inaccurate medical practices of the time.

"'My daughter, I told her not to let on what I was doing. But she resented the
future I promised her, and bit from my own hand as her bewitched hand drew the
terrors I tried envoking to save my own skin. She may not know it, being so
young, but she hates me. And now, I must stop loving her, and hope to keep her
from the day she knows all about me and truly finishes me off. The guards let me
keep the map as a mockery of all the evil I did, after throwing me here. But
where I go, to the heavens, those guards of kind hearts will not be able to
touch me and do me In. A demon with the shape of a beastly horse, has come to
offer me a way of cheating death, so in the heavens I can begin anew with all those who
I grind into the ground still able and not imprisoned. I have accepted this
fate, and feel myself and surely my servants of my vile enterprise die by the
minute. I do not fear burial, for know even those who would protect my daughter
can't protect her from death. And, in another world, I shall live, starting off
seemingly gentle, but I shall come to sneak and hide again. And my daughter will
then have no one to protect her, as I will seek out her destruction, and an end
to mine... My life grows weak. None shall find this and know.. until it is too
late... fare..well...

Carolllll Catwiinnnnnnnnn....'"

And, at the end, was a smudge. That not of a dying man, but of one being put
into stasis and being thought of dead. Casey stood there in silence, and
realized much of Carol's life was bent on having her father stop trying not
only to hurt her and others. No wonder Wilson and Carol took to each other, he
must have understood back then what the child had gone through to have ended up
some 4 years that it took light to travel away, and she'd never even believed
that the earth wasn't truly the center of the universe. Wilson must have taken
pity on her and must have been like a real father to her, not distant and cold
and hurting. Wilson tried his best to counteract all the evil Kannel was trying to
put in Carol, an explanation of why he was so willing to teach her reliance, to
teach her to fight and to stand up for herself, and although Wilson didn't know
fully then, Wilson wanted the kid to stop her father from causing more of this.
It probably broke Wilson's heart to see this happen again when he sent his
people in stasis to Terzel Xerkes. Perhaps, he'd chosen the odd solar system
with the unusal name to remind his daughter of the X on the ancient map of
Terra, that doomed him to his escape in the first place. And, because Wilson
interfered, he probably wanted him in in a way on his plan as well, surprising
him with a bath in the fluids equivalent quite believably to the fountain from
Youth. Wilson's heart must have broken that day the Arc left on its long
journey, and no wonder why Wilson was so upset at hearing the word Terzel
Xerkes after so many years.
"I promised to help you, Wilson, in your endeavor. I don't know what you're
going through now, but I do perhaps know what your 'child' has gone through. And
I'm not gonna rest until both of you are safe and sound, no matter what Kannel
could ever claim he has in store for you now..."
"Well, glad to see you're up, Casey!", said Halifax. "I thought you had snoozed
off again."
"I had a vision, Halifax. Someone around here has psychic powers to a limited
degree and sent it to me. as a warning."
"A warning you need to sleep less when you have work to do, Casey", said Ann.
"We do have kind of a job to accomplish here.", Casey said. "But what the job
is for us to do... may be only decided by destiny's dark shadow."
"Yeah, Right!", Halifax said as he laid back in his seat and wondered if his dad
was okay with those pirates in tow. Would have been more realistic for him to
worry about the pirates instead...

With that, Casey looked up into the sky from his window in the car, and if he'd
only had his empathy still, surely he'd had noticed the horse shadow on the
ground sneaking past him below out of sight. And, the shadow crawled past the
car, joined with the building, and knocked hard on the door. Then, again, Casey
smelled the horse-stench and realized some of the true threat he and his friends
and the world were now up against as Casey then saw the horse-shadow climb into
the darkened sky, barely brighter than the night sky as its prescence
chilled Casey to the bone, and with it came the deep voice of someone most
familar but DEAD-ish now....
"COME."
"You didn't say anything, Halifax", said Ann, seeing the darkness come forth and
feeling her hair stand on end.
"No, I believe THAT was talking to us!" Halifax said as he stared at the
shadow's prescence a little worried himself. And considering what great powers
Halifax possessed himself, worry was hard to come by.

With that knocking, it was apparently making whoever was in the hospital
once again bold enough to step out and face the world, wearing on their mandril
faces see-through skin grafts far more capable of healing than terran bandaids,
and each someone was one of the SCE warlords who'd been just perhaps woken up
from being stunned, with a bad temper. And one of them shouted in the air,
"What the... Casey? Oh no, Come quick! It's Casey!"
Others shouted... "No, not Casey! We've already tangled with one hero today!"
"It's just Casey, it's not that skin-suit wearing slip of the girl who bit us
today with venom! His pain's only as strong as a weak snake in your shoe a'
biting, surely we can vent our frustration on him, Come! COME!"
"I think I sure miss my empathy power right now."
"And what was your first clue?", said Ann.
And, although a little nervously at first, they started to COME, just like that
horse-shadow did. Although his mind didn't quite picture the shadow's true
shape, Casey really could smell the stink now, perhaps not quite of fish, but perhaps of
burning.. horse. Longneck really did smell that, too!
"Isn't it my luck, just as I'm getting into something I find interesting, that someone
tries to interrupt me."
"We'd better be prepared for a fight", said Ann, noticing many ground cars run
by SCEs were coming forth to ruin their lives.

It was mid-afternoon when Brek finally finished the massive planning for
Carol's unfortunate fall from... well, to not put it too bluntly, humanity.
And, perhaps, life. His prize, the final component, had its head shaved
partially, and the hair was now being tipped carefully into a cylinder not far
from where the drop would occur. It was skittish as heck, but force fields kept
it from hiding.
The shadow came forth at the wild-eyed Brek at the same time it was going to try
annoying Casey, a proof of its growing schizophrenic state. And, he seemed
pleased that the animal had been handled just the way it was supposed to be.
Its 'Life' was good. as hopefully full of lies as a short sentence could ever
hope to be...

chaPTEr 24 "The truth be known..."

Wilson had walked a couple of miles, down several city blocks with the excited
young lady known perhaps not to him in name, but perhaps in friendship. Carol
Catwind had found an takeaway not far from the city limits, and perhaps to Wilson
it seemed to be a lot cleaner. Still, though, many of its patrons at the outside
tables were still cloaked, but at least their mouths were'nt covered up and
hiding their expressions, rather, they were eating the food. Wilson didn't
think much of the meat and foodstuffs being served. But, there was looks, actual
smiles now, perhaps not seen before and not just because they'd been masked with
nylon. Apparently Ixnay was the topic of the day as they seemed to be getting
behind her. Wilson wasn't going to let his caution down because he was in
somewhat friendly surroundings, and made sure the shadows stayed put.
Wilson, for a few minutes, briefly covered his years of life without Carol,
some good years and some bad years. A few of his loves and his journeys all
across the galaxy. All of them missing something, something that couldn't be
touched because where it was, was according to the people of the world they came
from, apparently not even there... Finally, Wilson got to the serious topic,
feeling he'd best explain why it was so long in discovering this world and the
lady he helped grow up once again.
"It took me a while to find you, not just because of my shame. Terzel Xerkes
was'nt even truly charted on the stellar 3-d maps of the time, and I couldn't
just go after a nothing. Even when I was sure I would be able to find you, the
world was still uncharted and vague, and searching 100 light years in a sphere
would take a long time, time I never had due to all the clashes the SCE's
cronies kept trying to involve me in. At least, knowing you are here even
though You... Well.... makes me feel a little better. At least, now, my honor is
clear and I can take down that Kannel.", said Wilson in a quiet tone of voice as
he picked at his meat, and scooped heartily the green boiled plants onto his
fork.
"Well, I guess you do know all too well. My dad, when he and I and all those
came here, claimed he'd make up for everyone but me and a dozen of his
'constables in the new world' being suddenly hyper-sensitive to light by making
himself their leader high above, in a new, greater tower.
There isn't a day I don't hear those early cries as they stepped out into the light
and retreated feeling much pain, echoing sometimes in my mind, and nothing he
has done since has even begun to make up for it.
"So, you went out and..."
"Tried one more time, to make him see the light. But all he did was just joke
about the situation and then he told me to leave.
Like every single time the past 15 years I've tried talking him out of
making the people suffer, letting the bad people have their way, choking out the
sky. And I saw much before that night.
"When I got to this world, three years into my coming here, Renegade visited
Kannel just as I was about to leave. The two of them laughed at me as I left,
and I had no other choice to leave, not being able to cry or have the courage to
face them then. And, as I heard behind the door, the two chatted on as though no
time had passed, and laughed at my coming in. That hurt, especially when they
claimed if ever I tried to get out of hand, Kannel and Renegade would both try
to have me wiped out for disrupting his 'empire for the third time.
No, Matter, What...." And that's
when I started preparing again.
"as time passed for me and I didn't get any older, as I found out that about
myself too hard, I grew more and more resentful, and I would not kowtow to my
dad, much less live with or near him. What he promised I would not ever accept,
because it means pain and suffering to too many people. I do not like to suffer.
"I remembered you that night long ago, when you looked up at the ship and you
couldn't stop it. From where you looked up, I looked down. And every second I
was in stasis, I cried in my dreams. Eventually, I found myself incapable of
crying any more, and decided to immerse myself in the training to attempt to
comfort myself.
"That night he just joled was when I decided it wasn't really time to talk to
him anyword. So, I decided to act. It took me a long time to get the courage,
having been what I been through... " She hesitated for a moment, as if unsure
someone was watching them. Or some thing... "To do what I've done already."
"To act the way you've did today?"
"Exactly."
"To dress... well... and to..."
"Exactly." She looked at him like her heart was finally going to mend.
"But why, would you go and hide yourself in that fashion? And I don't think
blackness was destined to be your favorite color. But then, what do I know?"
"For once, I didn't want my dad to know what I was doing. I didn't want him to
know until he saw me, bringing the real police here, to take him away, and me
revealing myself as quickly and shockingly as dad revealed to me one night that
because he didn't sic that monster that had me for dead, he'd make me go with
him again, and I lost my mortality. The night before I left with him."
"Renegade was that monstrous shadow, wasn't He?", Wilson guessed correctly.
" I may not be right, maybe more wrong than right, but I'm beginning to
think somehow that cretin may have it in for us. He said to you that no
matter what, he'd get after you one day and I don't just mean KANNEL?"
"I don't care about what either of THEM can do to me alive," Carol said almost
mockingly.
"What he can do alive isn't as worrysome as what he might do now. He's dead.
Dead of an accidental misreading of some very small print not warning him of the
danger the power to escape in reality would work disastrously in FANTASY."
"But if he's dead, he can't do much of anything. Not to me, not anymore. I'm not
worried."
"Lady, I AM. I fear, if anything I feel and see, and I did see with my own eyes,
is true, Renegade may have found a way to escape death, just like his ally
Kannel did before. Or, perhaps used death to his advantage. And I don't know if
there's any way I, or you can tangle with something dead."
"I can't give this hiding up just yet. I will see Kannel soon, perhaps tonight,
and have him brought to justice. No matter what the cost. It wouldn't be very
honorable to let him continue to make people suffer anymore. "
"Neither can I. But, please, be careful. I care very much for you, Lady. And if
anything happens to you, I am afraid I will not have a heart left to shatter any more."
"By the way, did you see the crowd there today, cheering me on? They believe in
what I do. Do you think they'll stop believing my dad, and leave him to fate?"
"I stopped believing him this morning. Let's go... Uh.. Who's gonna pay?"
"I think they still accept plastic after all this time. "
"Good, because neither of us will have time, to accept doing dishes..."
Only slightly cheerfully because they both couldn't help being somehow
under watch by that shadow, they paid and left, though the sight of Wilson and
Carol together could have more than paid for enough food for the world to be
satisfied forever, as far as the patrons of the takeaway were concerned....

Speedster and Longneck watched on the Ethis-vision those pirate-cops as they
wandered within the uncertainty of the AR chamber, now fully on line as the
last of several cracks in the ship seemed to heal themselves. Speedster used
only a modicum of his speeding powers to advance the process, because his mind
was concerned about the shadow as well, especially since it took out his eye.
Longneck, though, wanted to finish the car and make the pirates watch him eat
every tasteful bite, but Speedster wanted it left for evidence to the day when
Kannel would fall. And besides, letting the pirates blab on about all the
things Kannel ordered them to do, nay, let them do, and try in vain to relieve
the tension by trying to remember the chanty "Dead man's Chest" after nearly a
tenth of a millenia while the unpleasantness of a randomly generated AR
chamber's actual, dimensionally- compressed reality was fun.
Speedster wondered how Casey, Wilson and perhaps, surprisingly to him, Ixnay
was doing. It was as if she was destined to help them, so many of the things she
fought for seemed to parallel the Incorporateds's own fight against the corrupt
authority of the SCE. Often he tried to contact them with his mind, but he got
little but static interference. Even, to his further surprise, the faceless name
and the nameless face behind Ixnay. But, all he could think of were horses, dead
and rotting horses.
"I know this EV tube is supposed to be cloudy between the attenas so we can see
the picture, but it's cloudier than usual almost to the point of rain! Are you
sure we don't have some vampire putting a hex on this place?"
"Maybe you need to adjust the reception, friend. Works for me when I've had to
make a crook or two see the light."
"But how do you adjust friends like Casey and Wilson? You can't, not just like
they'd have rabbit ears, since they don't. I keep feeling that somehow, the
space beween us is full of technical difficulties. And I'm not liking much
standing by."
Then, without a gap in time, Speedster talked to the pirates again, as he
remembered from a random Ethinet surfing expedition some of the crimes that
villainy was responsible for in the past century.
"Do you pirates know how Kannel allowed a ton of Caffligian Mind Burst
go through undetected through customs, some 9 terran years ago, and he didn't
even get BUSTED from the act? Tell me how, or I'll just go and order that AR
chamber.. um, brig... put you in parrot nature films for hours and you can get
happy just feeding them crackers and have them sing the popular chanty, "Pieces
of Crate, Pieces of Crate, Rark... for your pleasure."
"H..H... He transformed it using a megaporter slightly, to make it seem to be
harmless rose stem cuttings after smuggling on disk all the molecules needed to
make the burst mind-bending again, in a different shipment, and... Would you
just let us out of here? We'd like to really take care of fixing the station."
"How did he know THAT? We didn't even tell KANNEL we were the ones doing the
actual de-transforming!)", his partner said as suddenly Longneck vented his
outrage at the two for what they did.
"No, just give the details into the speaker I've put into the wall. And go ahead
and try to sing the details for the police, we've got all day."
Then, Speedster went back to Longneck, who was more than used to Speedster's
rapid shifts in conversation by now having had two weeks of practice.
"Longneck, what did you see in that shadow that's been ANNOYING US? I'd like to
hear your views on it."
"I didn't see any shadows, I smelled it. Smelled like someone left a dead horse
around here."
"That's not very clever."
"That what we may be dealing with... is someone very, very ticked off at us, and
especially at Wilson for some reason. Perhaps it's not at all there. Could it
have something to do, perhaps, not only with Wilson's story but what
Renegade tried to do in your mind? You know, make part of your mind like a bomb
with a blood clot and Reng wouldn't leave when you were taken to a safer part of
your mind no matter what Wilson wanted and Reng went up and went BOOMM!!!"
And with that, Longneck jumped up and bounced off the ceiling.
"Perhaps. And I think it's getting ready to let us in on why all this is
happening. It all almost fits, and if we were all together, I'm sure we'd be
well within hitting definite. Surely all of our experiences will add up to
one..."
"Maybe that Renegade's already back.", Longneck suddenly realized.
"One perhaps dead, and ANNOYED, Renegade. One who might not be limited by
physicality or stability as before. One who probably might not use this 'shadow'
gimmick to frighten people, but could also probably use his shapeshifting gifts
from his previous life as an added benefit when he sells pain to unwanting
customers. Though to what still remains a mystery beyond what could happen to Wilson...
"And, perhaps, to the Ixnay person Kannel wanted Wilson to contact?"
"That, too. I must hand this to Casey. I was a little upset about being
separated, but Casey must have sent us back here to try to keep Reng stretched
out too far and to let us figure it out. I think Casey may have just saved the
day."
"You could also hand it out to Reng, too. Perhaps he wants us to know, just to
gloat when his plans may yet come to fruition."
"Well, I don't want him gloating very much. Not over this, when Wilson and Ixnay
could be quite in danger. I think Casey's probably through looking over those
police files he was so curious about, and he's got his portion ready and cooked
for serving. He may need us now."
"Let's go then, before curiousity kills at least one cat."
"Okay. One more thing I have to do. These Pirates we captured, they'll keep, but
I don't want them to stop revealing all the wrongs that the world's gonna hear
about soon enough. Or finding the way out of the AR chamber too soon!", said
Longneck.
"And even if you didn't turn on the recorder, Which you did turn on?"
"They'll just repeat what they have to say to dozens of DA's galaxywide. I do
know they hate being reminded of their pirate pasts, when the Das interrogate
them I'll just let them know what really ticks these pirates off."
"Just leave them there. I don't think they'll be finding their way out of a
subdimension any time soon. When we get back, they'll be put in police custody's
hands and they can sing to them for a while."
"Can't. They might get out." And hearing all this, the pirates began looking for
the switch.
"hmmmm...", said Longneck as he stretched, knowing this time he had the plan for
keeping those pirates inside.

"Do you fools outside this brig think you can just leave us here! You did say
there is a way out", said one of the soberer pirates, "And we will find it,
scurvy beings!"
"Dogs. Don't you remember, Dogs!"
"One of them is a cat. I think."
Ignoring the pirates, Longneck used what little seriousness he had left to make
his plan come to fruition.
"This ship is mending itself with its own technology? Doesn't look like one of
the older models to me.", said Longneck.
"Wilson had kept it customized to keep up at least technologically with the
newer ones if not in design. Any way we can actually override the override we
have in the AR chamber before those pirates figure out, blabbermouth?", said
Speedster.
"There is a way, Speedster. We can force the over-ride of the AR chamber's
override one way and one way only. These ships with auto-repair use the most
recent design they have in memory to restore the ship back to its pre-crash
formation and every subsystem's override is overriden during that."
"So, how can we keep the override overridden itself long enough to keep those
pirates in for a while longer? This ship's nearly fixed itself up and
spaceworthy."
"Look and learn, Speedster. We can always upload the latest design over the
new one and force this ship to totally repair itself not as its old self which
won't be much more but two hours more. And the AR chamber won't let its
captives out at all during the re-repair.
"Sounds like Change is finally gonna come to even this old skyship."
"Change ain't bad, thats for sure. Cured my senility."
"Sounds like a plan! Let's program this old junky ship and bring forth the New
Neverrest and keep these pirates really busy for a while."
"Can we get out if we do?"
"Sure. The roof's still broken."
"And if it isn't?"
"We don't have to have it broken for long."
The two did so and left the now-changing Neverrest as it downloaded the new
design specs from the Ethinet and made the pirates suddenly feel concerned.
And indeed, the pirates were, for suddenly finding a panel that could be pressed
for escape ordinarily hidden from those who'd want to for the wrong reasons by
the fact they weren't told and then having it vanish as the world suddenly began
changing would unnerve anybody. Even 150 year-old scalawags- turned - corrupt
cops.....

And with that, the twosome left the ship at the highest speeds they could
manage, being at least a mile away in a matter of seconds. Leaving the pirates
alone with the reality of the AR chamber sorely tested by the massive renovation
it was finally undergoing decades late but catching up quickly.
"Hey, what is going on? Are you out there? Speak, or I'll make this plank twelve
dozen miles long into a sea of stars and I'll make you just flat out walk it! Please?"
"I've had enough of that today. Can you please keep quiet and let me recover
from my grog hangover?", said his companion.
"No, I'll just continue blabbing on things about our boss Kannel, without that
scalawag. I didn't like it much you being drunk and not shooting that poodle
through the gizzard when you had the chance. Anyway, you like pirate stories?
Here's one in which I and Kannel personally..."
Alone, the pirate did pretty well without Speedster doing the interrogating, his
mind in such a tither over all the day's events. And he even got the varied
piratical references right as well. Much to the pain of his soon-to-be-former
fellow officer of anything but the law, who swore he'd found Grogaholics
Anonymous just as soon as he got far, far away out of this bizarre hold that
really wasn't, at least as much as the swirling lines of data he swore existed
before the hold formed itself magically could tell him....
Longneck was annoyed. "Hard to believe Kannel was ever involved in such crimes
and Wilson didn't bother."
"It was a broken heart that makes people forget what their real priorities
are.", Speedster said. "Hopefully, with Carol back in Wilson's life Wilson will
remember what they truly are. Come, let's go see how Casey's doing."
"Fine with me. Not so fine for those pirates, I hope."

Wilson and Carol both made it home just before the evening began to run late.
Wilson didn't at all mind that Carol perhaps was really Ixnay, but all that
remained was to wear the costume and do some damage to Kannel's business that
would clinch things for Wilson to see that Carol was truly not the villian
Kannel made her out to be. He didn't mind this strange duality existence
that Carol was living with, having to wear a costume to get the strength up
to take on Kannel. But, Wilson was behind her nevertheless. He always was.

Perhaps, once, Wilson's caution was being thrown to the wind. Just the burst of
misery Renegade could take advantage of and gain a solid form once more. It
would be a shock for Carol to vanish in plain view of Wilson. But then, once
Carol was finished Renegade knew all too well the time was coming to destroy
his real target, which was already destined to come to him.
So good was Reng feeling, he even let his cronie Brek, nearly enslaved by the
will of the shadow form, get some sleep for a while. Real, quiet, dreamless
and of course, horseless sleep...

CHAPTer 25 "Coming together"

Somewhere in the Universe, Cornball felt himself at this time suddenly feeling a
need to be elsewhere. It was bizarre but he felt it was time for an vacation
elsewhere so this recently reincarnated teenaged creep that wasn't taking
advantage of his wisdom from his former life as the youth of his current one
completely overrode it. He was being led astray then and took a vacation to
Terzel Xerxes, suddenly possessed with the need to be there. He couldn't
imagine why. Perhaps a gruntled customer of his wares who just used things
without knowing that the way in was the only way out and having the wares blow
up in the customer's face.... NAH!
Of course, things might have been simpler if he was the only one coming to that
darkening world, for others Cornball saw in his rear view scanner were coming
too off their beaten paths and were trying to follow him. Cornball couldn't
IMAGINE why they were coming but suspicion tried its hardest to give him a clue
before it was too late...

Casey wasn't really looking forward to having to face those powerful warlords
coming out of the hospital, he felt whatever got them out might just be more
powerful, than what was out there, namely himself. With the Van reeking of not
just dead horse, but more than likely UNdead horse now, Casey was feeling ill at
ease. But not so ill he couldn't open a window and let things air out. Especially
his tail.
The moment he shoved the pointed end at the crowd, it exploded just like a flash
of lightning, and shot out at the group readying their own powers for a fight.
When it hit the warlords jockeying for position near the sidewalk, they yelped
in pain as if they were hit in the chest with a fist, but wrong limb. Before
they could begin lauching blasts of energy at Casey, (which would not have any
of an effect on Casey being safely within the Rustbucket, and would not effect
the Rustbucket relatively much), sone of them crumpled as Casey's tail, still
transmuted into pure force, began the work of self-defense Casey'd need soon, to
be followed by the rest of him as he opened the door and used it for cover.
Casey, thankfully, had not lost his control of that tail when his empathy went
offline pernamently. Especially the Warlords who could have gotten a lot worse
from Casey's attack if Casey lost his control.....
After five of the warlords leaving the hospital got enough incentive to go back,
the others considered keeping their distance and let several idiots come out to
do their dirty work, they didn't need reminding of the day's struggle at the
police station, not just yet. Halifax and Ann went to work on the Idiots as Ann
with mortal martial artistry implanted in her mind forcefully but nevertheless
welcome and Halifax with his unbelievable teleportation capacity spoke their
minds with their skills.
Casey just leaped from behind his place at the coming crowds, his tail now
solidified and not as long. But Casey didn't need to waste such power on such
low-grade soldiers who relied on gunplay and fisticuffs to try to stay out of
restitution. Casey wasn't into just using that tail, he used other kinds of
tatics against his enemies. Some you'd find what he was doing in a
textbook on wrestling, but Casey took his enemies seriously enough not to go by
any script. As he barely dodged a couple of random blasts, he grabbed the
biggest one behind the back and used his momentum and strength to throw the
larger gorilla straight into the lawn. Two giant mandrills were about to get the
jump on him, but Casey ducked at the last minute, and as they fell to the
ground Casey pushed their heads together, and let a third mandrill finish the
work of putting the SCE's to bed by Casey's jumping away before the mandrill
could sit on Casey. The mandrill, huger than Casey had ever seen, sat on them
and it was lights out for the two.
Several more, still hearing that super-deep 'COME' in their heads, went out to
look for something to try to tie Casey up. But Casey then jumped behind the van,
jumped high in the air and landed next to the still-surprised mandrill with a
knee sandwich to the chin, and one more leap to piledrive the guy only gently
enough to cause disorientation into the ground.
Still more came out, but perhaps too late. And, for a good reason. For, just
as Casey felt more challenged, two blurs came from out of the grasslands, coming
fast. One was Speedster's and one was Longneck's, as the twosome ran and bounded
to the scene of the fighting. All of the SCE's representatives present in the
hospital saw and gasped as one, and didn't have very much time to do even that
before the two joined the fight that Ann and Halifax and Casey were already
beginning to get an edge in. And half of them didn't expect to be scared by
their coming, but many were scared AFTER Longneck's coming and Speedster's
coming, especially when Longneck made faces at the Sangurians and they ran back
to the hospital more afraid of Longneck than of the Renegade in the air.
Few of those gorillas could even begin to come near Speedster's well, speed and
whatever that Longneck was insanely capable of. Even the warlords didn't like
fighting them. But the rest of the gorillas at the hospital were just too
stupid to know when a losing cause was coming even when they were the ones doing
the outnumbering so they paid the price, especially when Halifax came up and
and came down with a fist on the ground, rocking all those SCE's standing too
close with the gloves amplifying the force of Halifax's blow to earthquake
levels.
Speedster, doing the noble thing, carried with his strength gained from a few
escapes he had to pull to survive or at least to stay the same size and on his
back any SCE's who did not or weren't conscious enough to go back on their own
power. Within a few minutes, the SCE's inside widely barricaded the door from
within and tended to their own, and Longneck scared them back to keep them from
thinking not even once about leaving until the Incorporateds did the same.
As Casey used his tail's mutability to restrain the mandrill he'd been working
over, he exclaimed, "It was about time you two came back. We were beginning to
have difficulty with those monkeys in there."
"We figured you might need your help. What happened here?"
"I was just looking at the files, and found out something pretty awful. You've
got to know about Kannel by now, don't you? Well, Kannel isn't as nice as you
might have figured. Nor is his daughter as 'guilty' as Kannel makes her out to
be. Kannel's tried hurting his daughter in an attempt to get her to follow in
his footsteps, and the daughter's been upset all her life over it. She's been
trying since she was a baby to stop his doings."
"And we have definently heard of what was going on, " said Longneck as he found
a piece of wreckage to bar the door for a while, not to keep in perhaps the
decent orderlies within, but instead to ensure both sides of the door were
equally barricaded to keep those spiritually misguided SCE soldiers one more
reason not to follow the Incorporateds right away. But, of course, it wasn't
wreckage until Longneck had it in his teeth...

He tore it off and stretched it out to thinness and length, then threw it to
Speedster who instantly grabbed and slam-dunked it between the door handles
only seconds after the last few Sangurians broke the windows of the hospital to
crawl inside and hide.
One of the voices from within cried, "Not my skyship ramming beak! I just had
the thing polished! No!" and was never heard again from ANYBODY....
"Oh, by the way," said Speedster, "did you smell something awful, Casey?"
"Something may not have smelled, but something we saw stank up reality anyway,
and it got those gorillas out here to try to put a dent in my skull.
And my van as well. "
"Speedster says it's our old friend Renegade out to do us damage, and Wilson as
well. Even Ixnay.", Longneck gaped as he looked longer than usual at the
grinning, darkening skyline. Longneck grinned back out of spite with a growl
and the shadow cleared off so fast the sky actually was clear for a while as day.
Until night fell proper, that is.
"And Kannel's daughter. Car.. Carol. I'm not exactly sure how it's spelled.
Trust me on this, I saw it scrawled on one of the digitized files, the very map
she'd drawn on as Wilson said she did. She did that, and her scribblings,
because she began to hate her father, for something quite bad he did, which was
sinking a ship filled with people of authority without concern for their well
belong, and his threats of bodily harm if she told gave her little other
choice."
Then Ann looked back from the sky, and had a thought or two. "Perhaps we're
not dealing with two people. Just one. Would Carol find a way, now, of dealing
with her father's twisted ways by 'making up' an Ixnay, to thwart Kannel as she
did before?"
"Perhaps", said Casey. "But until we contact Wilson, since he was going to meet
Carol today, we won't know for sure."
"I figured out that much.", said Speedster. "And, speaking of which, we'd better
go and find Wilson, and hope that whoever's with him is the Carol/Ixnay
Kannel's been looking for. I don't know Kannel's schedules for her and Wilson's
fate, but if it is true and Renegade is back to haunt us, I am afraid what may
happen is cancellation for the both of them."
"All right, then. " Casey said as the more industrious of the SCE simians within
the hospital started to push the doors through and start up their battle again.
"But what do we do with the Mandrill I've got pinned?"
"Just leave him there. We haven't got much time."
Casey looked at the struggling SCE goon below him, and let the large squatter
leave. Just as soon as Casey used his tail to lift him high off the ground and
set the mandrill on top of the hospital. Some five stories high. Then, the
group went back to the hardly scarred Rustbucket, in the hopes that
the group wouldn't end up any smaller....

It was somewhere in the Suburbs that Wilson came to the current residence of
Carol Catwind, though little much in the way of actual names gave him any clue.
It was the way in which Carol cheerfully put her hand on the door and it
opened without even so much as a whoot, much less than the bevy of alarms Wilson
knew came out of most alarm systems even of the past 100 years. This apartment
building wasn't very big, and it was at least four miles from the city proper.
But it was an apartment building, nevertheless, and it seemed otherwise cheerful
looking to
Wilson, though he felt that even this tenement wasn't far enough for Carol to
be from her father as it was already posted "Moving out, available soon" on a
post outside.
In a room on the fourth floor was Carol's room, and going in Wilson felt a
little awful for in several places, there were varied drawings of Wilson hung in
the walls. Varied shrines to the memory of a distant friend, kept here at least
these past 15 years due to the faded papers within, though there was not a bit
of dust on any of the frames or the glass encasing them. While Wilson only had
memories and mostly distant ones, Carol was keeping hers fresh while her
sanity was being stripped away, each picture a testament to the good times the
two of them had together, living and learning.
"Kannel didn't let me even bring me pictures of us when we were coming here for
all those years. But he didn't, as much as he didn't care for me, remove my
hands or my brain, and when I first stormed out of the newly-constructed
'Bucanir II' as he calls his perch high in the sky, I started doing these
drawings," said Carol as she was busy looking for something within the top
floor's small but comfortable room where she was currently living her life.
"What those photos we took of ourselves showed to the world, I tried my best to
put on paper. I wish I could have done them better. But my true skills seem to
lie elsewhere in this world, as you know all too well. "
Wilson was surprised. Mostly, because of the few drawn things he'd ever seen,
those were surprisingly well-detailed. He was surprised that anyone who wasn't
among the best drawing talents in the galaxy could have done them. But what was
the most surprising was the rest of them.
Only a few of those drawings didn't feature Carol, but they did feature
Wilson. And, they featured, times in his life of the past 15 years, some of the
early ones fuzzy, but each newer one got clearer and better defined. "Even though
the lady has never been here", thought Wilson, "she has managed to put down what
I've been through. Wierd. Could there be something more to the lady than I could
have Imagined?" Maybe something much more than that, for there was a final
picture on the lampstand near her bed that really unnerved him. An exact drawing
of all three Incorporateds other than himself,
and Carol without the Ixnay costume Wilson was sure she was going to wear
that night. Speedster wasn't, oddly, without
the covering over his eye he was wearing currently, but he still seemed to have
both eyes fully healed, only one seemed to be lighter than the other, especially
the one Wilson knew got put out by the crashing of the Neverrest. as if
something were up inside him as well, as only Speedster might know.
Perhaps, Carol as Ixnay had telepathy in some form, like Wilson, Casey, and
Speedster to some degree had. But, much more than for only casual conversation.
She almost seemed to have the ability, if she was only several shades more
powerful, to actually get in a way inside one's mind. No wonder she had it so
easy against all those Sangurians she fought, she probably had used her mind to
see inside theirs, and used it to her advantage. And she must have also have
seen inside the Incorporated's heads as well, though how would remain a mystery.
Carol continued as she looked under the bed, and saw Wilson's look at the
final drawing.
"These are my friends. The Incorporateds. I made an alliance with the poodle and
the cat, to stop the SCE when it seemed I could no longer handle the
organization by myself anymore. And the big one, the poodle helped its name be
cleared. You never have seen these friends of mine?"
"Only in a dream, this morning. Ah, here it is!" And with that, she hesitated
for just a moment, and pulled out the garment that was essentially Ixnay. "I
have never met them in my life, yet when I look at them, I feel like I belong in
that picture. as if I should live my life to help them. And I don't think I even
know why."
"Maybe you do.", replied Wilson. But something was disturbing him about the
picture, for in the background there were cats. Inside the foreground,
there were cats as well. Slighly erased was the head of a cat, behind that of
Carol's own head, and Carol wasn't wearing the garb of Ixnay she was putting
on now. What, then, would it have meant? "Just maybe..."
Carol was losing herself in the Ixnay persona, as she pulled on over her
street clothing the faceless skinsuit. Wilson didn't worry much about Ixnay
being Carol or vice versa now, but he suddenly remembered that monstrous
shadow, and wondered if in his introspection he'd forgotten to check the
shadows....
And then, someone tried to reach for him. Wilson, at least, knew what this was.
Casey was trying to use his own telepathy to contact Wilson, just to let him
know he was in danger. And Wilson couldn't help but know it as the sun was
setting far off...
Finally, Carol was about to cover her head over, but remained transfixed as
Wilson prepared for the worst. Carol was feeling too well what was going to
happen, as if destiny was going to grab her. She reached out as she wasn't sure
she was preparing to face Kannel, now... or worse.
"What ever happens, Wilson, we're going to finally be together. Maybe it was
meant to be, and Kannel got in the way. I hope this is the last time he does
so."
"Or whoever is doing the getting in the way for him...."
"Goodbye to the real me", she said rather ceremonially like she had done for the
past few days, as she pulled the head covering over, but she managed to get a
new ending out, just before... "and hello to Ixnay...", as both of
them held hands.
At that moment, Wilson saw Carol's shadow waver, and turn into the form of a
horse Wilson somehow knew, deep down, they both were fearing. And the
horse-shadow reared up, and for a brief moment, Carol/Ixnay tried to fight,
with Wilson's strength somehow trying to help. And then, she seemed to melt
she was absorbed into the shadow, both seeming to dissolve as Wilson could hear
nothing but laughter in that apartment...
Alone.

Except, perhaps, for a tail currently formed completely of force barreling down
the door, much to the chagrin of a cloaked landlord who wouldd have had all it
could stand, had it not been moved in much the same manner to the top of a
mountain a thousand miles away before Wilson even got near the apartment
building...

CHAPTer 26 "Last Chances..."

Casey, Speedster and Longneck  who was using the window, came into the room at
nearly the same time, only to see Wilson stare into the emptiness that only
recently held the one Wilson'd really cared about.
Wilson looked at Speedster first of all, and through the forging of many
thoughts it had all come together, how Renegade was definently coming back from
the grave to annoy them all. "We had no doubt whatsoever where you were, when
Casey sent his warnings, but we proved too late, apparently. What happened to
Ixnay?"
"Or, Carol? Were they here?", said Ann.
"Yes.", said Wilson, finally. "Both of them. Ixnay and ... who's Carol?"
"Catwind's Daughter. The one you said you never knew the name of. "
"Now I do, Don't I. Too late again.. Too Late. " And with that, Wilson wasn't
about to go berzerk with rage as before. He was almost about to cry, something
he hadn't done in 65 years.
Casey then said, "Wilson, get a grip, 'Cause I sure don't want Longneck TO."
"Watch it, Casey!", said Longneck, who began to tear bedsheets to find the
missing Carol. Ann came in and joined in the search but more sensibly.
"I still don't think we'll EXACTLY be too late. You still have a chance to be
wherever she is now, don't let your emotions run away with you."
"Ren..Ren...Renegade sure ran with Carol..", Wilson sighed, sure as they all
were now that all the evidence had been passed among the Incorporateds through
their telepathic bonds they had he was back and he was behind all of this.
"Wilson. I really have felt something when I was reading those files on Kannel.
Do you have that feeling, Is Carol trying to contact you?"
"I can't feel her now, not very well. Not very well at all."
"We'll go and follow it, until it grows strong and you not only feel her,
you see her. It's her last chance, Wilson, for you. Perhaps, for yourself. You
and Carol must have thought of all this when Reng died, and your actions was
part of your subconscious mind's attempts to stop him before he could get his
revenge. "
"That must have been it,", Wilson said as he shrugged to leave the room with his
friends. "I said I would not fail her, after all. And Renegade's coming to make
a liar out of me, must be part of the pain he's putting me through. I wish you
didn't have to go with me, but you did promise to see this through. " For a
minute, the old, more confident Wilson seemed to come through. "It's time to go
save one of our own", he said as they started down the stairs, with Longneck and
Ann coming out after a hasty minute or so inside with a fast-packed suitcase.
"If this Carol ends up being one of the Incorporateds after all and I share her
room with her during my occasional visits, At least I can help her move!", said
Ann after the van began flying again.
Casey signed. This pyschic business that Carol was in was hard to understand.

As Wilson got into the driver's seat and Casey encouraged, "Don't worry about
where you're going. Just follow your feelings...", Longneck said to
Speedster, "Funny thing, but we never actually did ask Ixnay or Carol
to be a member of our... company, did me?"
"I'm not going to argue with Wilson," Speedster replied. "So, Carol is indeed,
one of us now..."
"Funny, how her psychic powers have made us friends as if we've known her all
her lives.", said Ann.
"Got us to get her things for her", said Longneck.

And as Wilson followed his feelings right out of the city, out into the distant
countryside and toward a distant swamp, driving rather recklessly at times
because shadows on the windshield kept laughing at him (causing his teammates a
whole lot of concern), Kannel Catwind felt for the first time in his life sudden
happiness and bliss. About the only one of two in that small world, however,
who had any happiness that fateful night (three if you counted Wilson, who was
looking forward to a renewed battle), for all the souls, cloaked, heroic and
even now, the villanic, suddenly noticed their shadows becoming horselike.
And really toothy.
Would it be a good time now to mention Speedster's destroyed right eye suddenly
started scratching and Speedster was too busy holding on for dear life in his
seat to notice?
Things like this ought to be noticed. There might be a pop quiz later.

Kannel, of course, was not really blissful until Reng appeared in the room, his
taunting dark shadow apparently roaming about. "Any good news today, old
friend?", said Kannel anxiously.
"YES", said Renegade. "I've FoUND THE PErsoN whO's BEEn trying to annihilATE
your RuLE over THis WOrld. And iT IS... YouR Own DauGHTer. I wilL DisPOSE of HEr
now, as WelL as WiLSON, And I SHALl EnsURE yoU'LL SeE it ALl. PleasED?"
"I've always been pleased with your work for me. I shall watch it with glee."
Though a little shocked that it was really his own daughter, still, Kannel knew
one of these days, Carol'd go off the deep end and need her head wiped. His
own mind had done that long ago."
"JUSt One More ThinG. When I have DonE WiTh theM, WiLL ThEre be AnyThiNG ElSE?"
"Yes. Get me the Universe."
"BEliEVE ME, WhEN I HavE ExacTED OUr MUTual RevENGE, I ShalL BE SO PoweRFUL
NoTHING will BE BEYONd My Grasp. Even YoU. FareWEll."
"Fare..." .... "Well?" Said Kannel, Finally. "What do you mean ME being in...
Oh, great. This is not my day."
Kannel, for a moment, had a thought that disturbed him, surprising especially
since his mind was usually so filled with thoughts of disturbing such
necessarily interruptible things as other being's financial security,
breathing and at some times, their continued possession of their soul for
leniency in judgement, that none of fear could possibly fit. But, one did. And
slowly but surely, more were well on their way to fitting in that crowed brain.
This time, Kannel expected the shadow to leave him. Not to seemingly have more
company...

ChapTER 27 "COMING In"

It was nearly midnight when the Incorporateds as a whole came to the hidden
base, the worse for wear since no one was apparently getting any sleep, not
since each time one of them tried to get any sleep, Renegade's shadow bit them.
Casey, of course, was the most resilent since he rarely needed any sleep, and he
was the first to spot the base among the dismal trees. Of course, being three
stories tall above the short canopy made it a little easier.
At first, Casey thought Wilson had intentionally stopped, but in fact a half
mile before they reached the base Wilson became too scared to drive and simply
let go of the thrust panel on the control yoke of the van. Casey tried to shake
Wilson out of his stupor, but all that the Mighty Wilson could say, in a very
soft and weak voice, "Carr..ool.. Commmingg..." And behind him, where his shadow
was, Renegade's followed like a curse. Casey used his tail to jab at it a few
times, but all he got was a few more potholes in the floor as the shadow smiled.
"Whoops, he's gone", said Halifax, who noticed this sickening drain of Wilson's
spirit, but neither Casey nor Speedster were going to stop their assault on the
base for THIS. They unhitched Wilson's seat belt, then dragged him out of the
van and watched.
The base, rather calm-looking without Renegade's presence, was especially evil
now, draped in evil looking shadows and drenched in gnarled vines, pulsating
softly with a dark silver sheen. Longneck got out and began to corkscrew his
tail to jump up the wall when Speedster took his eyepatch.
Speedster then looked up, scratched around the area where his eye used to be,
and then muttered to himself as his eye had healed "Well, We are here! Now
what?"
A barrage of varied beams of power answered his blast, and Speedster ducked
behind a tree as they made a really nice pothole in the ground where he stood.
Casey quickly snuck behind the same tree, quietly and stealthily, as Speedster
watched the show for a minute or two (dragging an unalert Wilson all the while.)
Casey then said to Speedster, "One of these days, you've got to learn
tact." But Speedster apparently wasn't paying attention to him, although he
heard plenty and understood, for something was not suddenly right.
Speedster replied, "In which lifetime... Should we schedule the lessons?",
as he pointed slowly to the clouds above. And, above the base, a slow-moving
funnel of clouds formed and slowly swirled, each cloud becoming horselike and
mean, and now possessing eyes which glowed with inner hatred. The ones on the
left side especially, and much enlarged and distorted.
Halifax then noted as he faxed in back of his fellow teammates, being noble by
helping Ann get out of the way, and said, "What say we go in and stop this
mess? We do need our beauty sleep."
Longneck then helped Speedster cart off Wilson from the laser fire, then
carried him towards the vile base without saying any other words.
"Who are we to argue?", said Speedster, as the two jumped from behind and
tackled the base head on.
The front wall of the base was no challenge to the advancing Incorporateds,
though The renewed assault of the SCE soldiers armed with differing powers
from their hands was. Speedster had enough of that in just two seconds, for
he raised his plunger up in the air, and the glowing field around this
implement exploded in a outward spotlight of brightness, quickly passing
through the first few SCE's firing off their varied powers and putting them
into stasis. A yellow field enveloped them now as Longneck helped Wilson up
followed by Ann for which Longneck gave a helping hand and safely brought her
without even one singed hair. Then Casey began his approach with his tail as
It turned to light and hit the top of the wall, then resumed its
flesh and blood existence as it held fast in the brick, as Casey repelled up the
wall with every intention to keep doing so (in another use of the word 'repel')
once he got up there, and quickly. Speedster just stepped back and charged up
the building at a third of the speed of sound, and just got there as not only
more SCE soldiers came to assist their frozen co-guerillas, but the few frozen
by Speedster's initial assault regained motion. Not much help, as Casey nailed
the first two peering over the edge with his knuckles, sending them quickly to
the land of slumber. Halifax apparently, instead of faxing, was actually trying
to jump up so Speedster gave Halifax an opportunity to make it by his own fight
with the SCE to land a few blows of his own. At about 175 miles a
hour, with his fists going at least 200. Although Speedster was hardly the
strongest of the incorporateds, the cumulative effect of his weak blows sent at
such high speeds had the same stopping power of a brick. After a proper overdose
of this speed-enhanced attack (two seconds with speedster was like thirty rounds
with any ordinary undisputed heavyweight champion, except of course it was never
stretched out so long), they were dazed, and as the lot went into the building
proper through an open gateway, several of the more resilent SCE's started to
get up and tried to blast them in the back. A big mistake, for Halifax came
over the edge, his fist headed for the rooftop to impact with a loud thud.
Immediately, although Halifax's feet hit the rooftop and not the SCE soldiers
nearby, the aftershock proved so great that the building shook and so did the
SCE's. To the ground they slipped quickly, losing the last of their balance
and alertness in the process, and Halifax used his new invulnerability to
protect his friends from the rear as they advanced downstairs.
When he got his feet in the door (as a few SCE's tried to slam it shut) Halifax
simply used his fax power to hobble for a moment as his foot gated and he began
slapping silly the SCE's coming forth with his foot in his hand.
"That one's for you, Wilson", Said Halifax as he dealt with the door once and
for all pushed it forward and knocked silly those SCE soldiers trying in
vain to keep the company from entering the base proper. "Guh.... Caroll."
Said Wilson, as the Incorporateds used Wilson to make it through the
two or three remaining conscious SCE members in their way.
Casey was fighting with all of his skill, while Speedster simply fought with his
plunger at high velocity, and through the hallways the twosome tangled. An
occasional shake of the building assured them that Hal wasn't far behind. And
everywhere a shadow loomed, laughing and very dark....

Finally, Casey found Carol in one of the large laboratories. So did the rest
of the Incorporateds. And to tell the truth, they were regretting it as they saw
Renegade for the first time since his death.

CHAPTER 30 "GOING TO the Cats!"

And Renegade looked absolutely horrid when he wasn't a shadow. Come to think of
it, Renegade was horrid to begin with. He was your basic shapeshifter who always
stayed in the form of his alleged spirit animal which was a horse with cow horns
and fang-like teeth. He was no cute stallion but a mean, muscular  brute who
acted as he looked. And death did not do him any better as this ripped area
around his left eye exposed the muscles and bone underneath his skin and it
wasn't scabbing or healing or even being treated with salve in particular. And
his eyes were somehow reversed in color, with black irises and white pupils as
if something evil was going on underneath the skin. And it was.... Renegade Back
from his temporary bout with death, almost zombielike but with full mental
capacities. Of course, Renegade didn't let the Incorporateds see the left eye
as scarred as it was. It would ruin the moment.
Wilson was unconscious this close to Renegade and slumped to the ground as
Ternbrek was ordered to drag him close to where Carol was straight-jacketed
upside down in this escape tube that the lab had. The Incorporateds stood there
and wondered how Renegade could possibly come back like this, but almost felt
afraid of coming too close because the shadows coming from Renegade were
snapping their horse jaws at his heels.
"Renegade.", Wilson muttered grogily as Reng let him awake. "What have you done
to yourself?"
"You just asked me to leave and didn't even try to SAVE me by dragging me off,
did you, Wilson? Just LET me die like I intended to do when I knew my hope was
gone? Well, Wilson, I may be only a ghost now, but in a way I still live on this
plane of existence! And in a way that Is going to make all you miserable."
"How could you have come back? You made yourself merely one of Speedster's
Nightmares!"
"I fed off all your worry and concern you had about my failing to survive so I
could come back. I'm now stronger and meaner and clever as ever, Wilson. And
your friends worrying about you only made me stronger! But they will fall soon
after I kill you... And treat your step-Child Carol to a real awful fate."
"What could that be, your bad breath?"
And Renegade breathed on them all, the rotting HORSE carcass breath untreatable
with any breath mint that existed or will exist. "I don't need to breathe being
a ghost but when I do it is bad. It may have been a bad habit that let you moron
heroes on to me that subconsciously I breathe. But who do you care? You're all
gonna be ghosts yourself too. For not only do I have some supernatural powers to
crush you fools...."
"Don't ask about where the rest of his bad smells comes from", whispered
Longneck to Ann nervously as the evil shadows kept the Incorporateds from
reaching and saving Wilson and Carol just then.
"I can STILL become virtually anything I please. Not just male beings anymore
but female beings, too." And then, Renegade morphed into an image of Carol,
still taunting Wilson as male cacophonic voice sounded more like female sweet
harmonies, but with the same meanness as ever."
"There are no limits to my power as a dead being. And before I destroy Carol
utterly and grant her a fate worse than the one old Cornball first handed you
when he poisoned you and made you humanoid, Say goodbye to your step-child. Go!"
Ternbrek carried the helpless-to-move Wilson to where Carol was.
"If only I knew that this could have fallen on your head...", said Wilson to
Carol.
"I wish I'd known it sooner", said Carol, still upside down. "Just promise me
whatever happens to me, Kannel is going to get what he deserves
for the wrong he's done."
"Okay", said Reng who then morphed into Cornball for a while.
"Not you. I was talking to Wilson!", said Carol.
"It doesn't matter. Your dad is going down, too! as well as all good and, why
not, evil that dares make me know of them! But now face your fate like a woman,
Carol, and say Goodbye to Wilson before I get REALLy PEEVed!"
Wilson then said, "Did Cornball say 'You won't get away with this' to you once?"
"I don't do comedians.". And with that, Renegade, now morphing into
Daftec, threw Wilson through the glass ceiling and into the sky. "Not yet,
anyway!", he added hesitantly.
"You're sick! I didn't get to say goodbye to Wilson! I sometimes think of him as
a better father than my Dad and I love Wilson More! How could you?", said Carol.
"Don't worry, Wilson will still say goodbye to you. ", said Reng as he morphed
into Wilson. "Goodbye, Carol." And with one blast, the tether holding Carol
aloft from the bottom of the escape chute broke free.
"You're NUTS!", said Halifax as his fax powers went crazy as half of him gated
away to retrieve Wilson from the high attitude he was going to before he came
back to the ground. Then Renegade used his powers to morph into Halifax just to
bring out of hiding a drum of something poisonous marked Toxic Waste, then he
grabbed and tossed its contents into the chute which Carol was falling into.
"I know you are but what am I!" Renegade shouted as he vanished, his work done
there but not elsewhere as now Kannel was going to be brought down.
Longneck then said as he peered down the escape chute, "First poor Carol and now
Kannel? I think since Renegade had his comeback special he's proving to be
CRAZY!"
Wilson, now safely back on the ground and not flying up in the air, moaned due
to the massive injuries Renegade pulled on him. "Renegade's won again. I hate
myself. To think what he plans for this whole world with all these new powers of
his that I could have avoided.... And poor Carol.... Why me?"
"Rest now, Wilson. We still have time to save Carol from her lousy fate."
"Don't we have to stop Renegade from making this world suffer for Wilson's
mistake?", said Halifax.
"We have to save Carol from what's happening to her now.", said Casey. "Forget
the world for once. We have to go and save one of our own." And with that, they
all faxed out of there, to wherever the escape tube led.... and its end. The
end of Carol and Wilson world, perhaps.... and the beginning of Renegade's.

End of Book II

Book III: Plunged into Darkness

The fate of Carol, the fate of all, and the fate of Kannel
in a continuing story of bizarre plot twists and horror and humor now and then
that actually makes the reader scared to stop reading.... NOT!
And a lot of SCE guest stars come out for this one, for those who complain they
had no roles in the previous two parts, so there!

Chapter 31 "The plot thickens with cream pie filling and tragedy of violence!"

Rumors that Renegade had come back were now being to settle in the SCE conscious
like the hangover over two hundred thousand soulless fiends were having. From
the instant Renegade's ghostly shadow was seen hovering over the skies of
Xerxes, The SCE found out thanks in part to the coincidental vacationing of the
Death Press'es' own Jhof, who was far from the scene of Carol/Ixnay's good and
just doings but came fast off his vacation. This was news to him and he lived
for the news. Also, for beating up those he interviewed who wouldn't choke up
the info. Of course, some came when Reng's supernatural spirit called for them
from far off, but even that carrion call of Reng's wasn't nearly as strong as
the darned Death Press's reports!
Along for the vacation was Srig, bartender and royal SCE cynic for the entire
Empire, who was busy serving actual alchohol instead of crystalized caffiene for
the first time and was enjoying the tips he got while working at a SCE hideout
at the time. Srig followed Jhof nervously as Jhof got the news while kicking the
pirates once again for losing and for not responding to his questions. And
nearly to apparent deaf, too!
Srig tried to keep Jhof from beating the evil people instead of the good as his
faulty karma forced him to. "Leave them alone. Those Incorporateds have made
those yo-ho-ho'ers suffer enough!"
"They aren't responding to my serious and thoughtful questions as to how
Renegade's return to life without the SCE reincarnating him is gonna affect all
of the vile community!"
"Can't answer if they're unconscious or DEAD, now can they?"
"I just write down 'No comment' in my notepad if they do! Now, dead.. um... dear
sir, how does the fact that the Incorporateds are kicking your rear make you
feel? Worse than THIS!" And Jhof began to stomp on the harmed pirate-cop once
more. "Oh, yes, that must have HURT!"
"Jhof, we need to talk. Someone get the camera off the pirate and get someone
on someone who is gonna say what is going on!", said Srig, concerned that the
Incorporateds might come back and beat them up, too.
"How dare you turn the camera off the Interviewee!", said Jhof who swung at Srig
but Srig, despite years of sedentary work as a barkeep, still managed to stop
him from making Srig an interviewee and a victim as well.
"Use some sense. We can't get anything out of the Pirates, they seem to have
their own problems with someone else!"
"Who could give pirate-cops worse problems than the Incorporateds give US?"
"This lady named Ixnay. She started beating up the cops long before she Wrecked
the SCE base out of town. I heard it from someone the other day while filling in
as a temp for this pirate who had a double shift the other night. She's as fast
as Wilson and more powerful and more armed and MORE MYSTERIOUS than Wilson ever
was!"
"Mystery. That might get up some ratings! All right, Srig. I'll go interview
some of the SCE witnesses, but I won't beat them up for news of the
Incorporateds or Renegade. I'll get after them for this Ixnay who beat up all
the sexist criminal males around here! Good thing I have you to tag along on
this vacation!"
"It's nasty you know how to properly redirect your anger, Jhof. Those people who
have experienced this Ixnay's wrath won't dare let you beat them up after what
they went through with Ixnay."
"I hope they dare. Then my vacation really WILL BE FUN!!!!"

However, by the time Jhof was reporting the news of Ixnay to the SCE version of
the Internet, all mystery of her existence was going along perhaps with her
setinence. Casey knew and Speedster knew and Wilson knew and even old Longneck
knew all too well what that stuff seemed to be. It was written on the label
"Anti-consalanium", for one, dummy. But what really got them rushing to retrieve
Carol from taking a bath in it was the "Anti-" part. Consalanium was the
mutagenic byproduct of Tangentium that caused transformations in one that merged
one's body with the animal spirit within and could have the upsetting side
effect of making the animal a lot more erect, setinent, and a lot more to think
about in order to survive. Assuming that "Anti-" was the reverse of "Pro-", they
knew as a group that an Anti-consalanium would probably devolve one into the
spirit animal guarding their spirits. They weren't too crazy seeing that happen
to anyone soon.
It was almost too late when Speedster and the whole group saw Carol struggling
behind the closed door to the escape chute, writhing in pain from the chemical's
effects were starting to do their transformative work. Wilson rushed first to
free Carol from the locked escape chute door and softly blasted much of
the chemical off her, and expected the worse.
"Too late", said Wilson as he looked into the shocked eyes of Carol, unsure what
exactly what was happening to her but Wilson was pretty sure it was reverse
Evolution which was rather awful. They all looked stunned save one who wasn't
about to let Renegade get his way anymore for Wilson's sake.
"It's not too late, not if I can help it!", said Halifax who gated the whole
party back to the Neverrest. Clearly, a shower was needed rather quickly....

During the hour when the Incorporateds went to the base to free Carol from her
fate, Cornball himself came to Terzel and its sole city to check on what was
calling and hearing somehow that Wilson arrived, still was confused to WHAT else
wanted him around! Cornball felt bad someone wanted his prey Wilson for some
reason and though of this while touring the police station ruins as then Jhof
jumped him from behind.
"Leave that moron behind! Do you know that's Cornball, the silliest non-crowned
Warlord to ever exist!", said a surprised Srig.
"Yes. I can smack him around for some information!"
"NO YOU DON'T SMACK CORNBALL! NOBODY IN THE DEATH PRESS SMACKS CORNBALL!"
"What is he gonna do, the fool! Can you tell me, Cornball,", said Jhof as he
punched Cornball's back, "What are your plans to retribute against the dashing
and insane leader of the Death press, Jhof? Can you respond and not with silly
cream pies and massive robot crows that FAIL? HUM?"
Srig struggled to get Jhof off Cornball and Cornball got up groggily.
"Forget retribution against my OWN evil people! Where do you people get tomatoes
and eggs to make us crazed comedians suffer for our art?", said Cornball to Jhof
who was being restrained in the ruined station. "You claim to be the press? For
the press, you're crazed and DE-PRESSING, OLD MAN!" And then Cornball giggled.
"I don't care. I have an Interview to conduct..." Splat! went one of Cornball's
concealed pies which calmed Jhof to sleep and he fell to the floor through its
creamy sleeping gas flavoring and also a pan containing it full of a nastier
flavor within known as lead.....
"No, you don't conduct interviews like that with FISTS! Tell him when he wakes
to conduct an Orchestra instead of an interview. At least the orchestra has a
chance when a violent Mon like Jhof goes beating them up so they know they
aren't REALLY playing his SONG!"
"Yes, Mister Cornball."
"That's Cornball to you, barkeep! I don't deserve the respect of Mister, I have
dark Comedy to wreak!" And with that, Cornball pointed a fake laser gun that
wasn't so fake.... its pole with the "Zap" flag was long enough to jab Jhof in
the ribs. And partially arouse him.
"What did this 'Death press' person want and why is he Here?", said Cornball.
"And don't YOU worry. I ask a question and I may be a corny fool but I don't
kick the rears of those WHOM I asK QUESTIONS OF!"
"He just wanted to know about this Ixnay who was going about beating up the
pirate cop clans and the SCE's around town."
"Pirate cops? Sounds Corny! Good that I'm here! I could go and drop this hero
for them!"
"Actually, it was one of those Skin-Tights, faceless-masked Heroines who hurt us
and Kannel down here... but then, the Incorporateds came forth and....."
"The WHAT? Oh, cream pie! Not those noble, TOO SERIOUS CREEPS!"
"Believe it or not, they came, saw, and took two of the cops themselves just to
see Ixnay leave. Jhof talked to someone and beat him up before you and he
said Wilson was Involved on the news, otherwise you wouldn't be here! I
personally think Ixnay and Wilson might be in cahoots, but Jhof keeps pounding
away at interviewees before they can even Talk!"
"This world seems to have an Evil influence on people, Srig.... is it? Much
better for us to be here. Especially Wilson and ME once again close to each
other. That's WONDROUSLY FOOLISH of him! Oh, yes!"
"There's worse. Renegade's back and he inticed a bunch of SCE's recovering from
Ixnay's last attack into fighting the Incorporateds Needlessly."
"He sent the SCEs... after the Incorporateds?"
"And I think Renegade sent those soldiers into a losing cause on PURPOSE."
"Wow. Renegade's back.... NUTS! I thought he'd stay dead after...."
"Well, death isn't keeping him from wrecking us. Any personal reasons for coming
here."
"Yes. I hate his guts to no end.", Cornball said as he then ran over Srig with
his feet, to get away from Srig who seemed to be becoming... inquisitive
himself.
"Good Reason", Srig said.
Jhof awoke fully and wiped sleeping cream off his face. He heard most of
this while he was mostly out. Enough to make a conclusion.
"Remind me never to interview Cornball....", said Jhof as Cornball ran off.
"A wise decision, fiend Jhof..."
"Without a crowbar."

Carol's mutation was stopped by the bath but not the loss of consciousness as
she fell asleep. At least, apparently, but Wilson was hoping personally Carol's
own immune system, as supercharged by the Immortality virus she drank one time,
could save her from becoming a cat. Or a ocelot, anyway. Wilson was down in
the dumps but tried in vain to shake it due to the fear that fear would only
make his nemesis Renegade more powerful than he already Was.
Wilson sat down in the room that he was sure was once a broom closet before the
Neverrest repaired itself loads better than ever, seemingly as it was always the
latest model to begin with. Chewing out Speedster and Longneck for making the
ship upgrade itself without his permission was not important (Especially since
they were Casey's responsibility now.) Carol was everything to Wilson. He sat on
his chair at Carol's bedside to sleep now and wait to see if his beloved Carol
would become an animal just like he used to be.... only more so...
"Please don't change. Please come back so we don't let Kannel and Reng have fun
at our expense any more. For me. For us...." and finally, Wilson went to sleep,
exhausted from too much worry that Renegade made him feel. Carol, still
unconscious, reached out with her hand which hadn't mutated yet and touched
Wilson's shoulder out of love.
Meanwhile, Casey was busy trying his hardest to get used to the ways of the
new-and-improved Neverrest while he looked in on Wilson and Carol, then
proceeded to the AR chamber to insure the pirates were still arguing to
themselves and not out stalking the Incorporateds. Ann joined him in looking
on.
"They must really love each other like father and Daughter."
"Luckily Carol had Wilson as a foster father when Kannel wouldn't be a good one.
She could have turned out as Nasty as Kannel If Wilson hadn't Intervened. I hate
to see Carol suffer from all this Renegade business."
"You're becoming fast friends with her, too?"
"She's psychic, a little emphatic, charismatic and caring. Who wouldn't care for
her?"
"There's Renegade for one. He's just as mean to you all in death as well as
life."
"She's lucky we Incorporateds all cared for her. Let's leave them."
And so they did, not knowing what would happen... but no doubt, the
Incorporateds were going to have to face it. More than a world was a stake. A
single life had been so.

Chapter 32 "Renegade Interlude"

Kannel was not too pleased Renegade was going to make his life miserable now
that Reng was so kind to remerge from eternity to do his daughter in, now
missing and presumably some sort of ocelot or maybe just plain cat, after all,
Ternbrek may have known science and chemistry but Animals weren't his thing.
"You have some nerve trying to wipe me as well. I'M EVIL INCARNATE."
"Actually, I've decided in my short time in this new Afterlife I'm NOT living
now to try Nihilism, Kannel. Don't care about noone but myself. After all, I'm
not really alive and I don't need money to eat because I'm dead. So why kowtow
to evil or good people who pay me to be miserable to one side or the other? I
can be miserable to BOTH! Destroy everything I can for the fun of it!"
"I don't believe this. How could you turn on me?"
"Hey, Carol said to in my presence before I made her a cute little animal. How
can I resist someone who's about to become a cute little animal?"
"I see your point of view. However, I don't like the fact you want me out of the
picture and those SCE's and my loyal bands of pirates who work as security now
for me as well."
"Don't have but one week to like it, because You'll be in my possession and
destroyed By then."
"Get out!"
"Why? I don't need the sun to give me a tan anymore, I'm dead, remember? I can
go as I PLEasE and don't you forget it! My power can also change you as well....
perhaps into a Vulture by week's end!"
"Why, I can tell you why! Your rebirth has gotten the SCE in an uproar. You've
defied the incarceration for your wrongdoing in the heck you've made for
yourself. You can get the SCE to follow you and make you bigger than me. But you
can't do it up here where none can hear you. Do it down there and out of my
office. Please!" Kannel was beginning to worry.
"Only because you worry and feed my strength for it, Kannel. And Kannel, if you
start picking feathers out of your hair, remember I made it so. Like Father,
like Daughter! Both losing THEIR SETINENCE!!!! HA!" Renegade then left.
Kannel put his head down. His rule wasn't over yet, but he knew it would be so.
When he started squawking so noone could understand him, anyways....
Renegade's shadows started to take the tower and work their magic on the
helpless Kannel Inside....

A few minutes later the rapildy mutating Kannel tried to hold his head up high
... But there, of course, was this crick in it that suddenly developed. Ouch!

Chapter 33 "I wrote this twice and the power failed on me!"
        or "Carol's Awakening"

Casey ventured outside at the crack of dawn to see the sun rise over Terzel
Xerkes and wondered whether Speedster had made it back yet from his own personal
mission to retrieve the Rustbucket from any fleeing vandals. He felt miserable
that Renegade would get involved in the affairs of Wilson so soon after his
untimely and needless psychic death. It was miserable enough if Wilson, while
hunting Ixnay down, had found out he was actually hunting down Carol, his best
friend, of whom was born by Kannel. It would make Wilson already angry and
miserable but Renegade had to be there to augment Wilson's misery and make
things far more complicated. What was really annoying Casey was that Renegade
was now doing all this craziness for the sake of satisfying his own vile hunger
so he could haunt the living as one of the semi-undead. Casey, responsible now
for the lives of the Incorporateds (and now Carol's as well), felt that Renegade
had to be stopped somehow before more lives were unnecessarily ruined, because
before even Wilson was born Renegade was already ruining lives. How many more
lives could Renegade ruin if allowed to feed off more misery?
Casey was thinking of how best to stop Renegade and send him packing back to the
heck reserved for the vile shape-shifting horse-man when Speedster returned with
the Rustbucket clearly wrecked by vandals and thieves. Still, he was amazed it
was able to fly back so well, apparently when it was being beat up noone thought
that amputating the tires would TRULY ground the air-worthy van. Still, Casey
was glad to see Speedster back in one piece and amazed Speedster knew how to fly
aircraft-van combos.
Speedster gave his story on what happened when he got back to the base and it
was short. Basically, Speedster came to the van, felt the base was deserted now
and left, but not without noticing that no rotting horse meat smell was in the
air anymore as its purpose was done. Apparently Renegade had other fish to fry
and he'd made those SCE's leave the base as well, because countless tracks in a
straight line to the city proper were seen and smelled by Speedster and they
looked very hurried.
"Who'd blame them?", sighed Casey as he grew annoyed any of the SCE's would
try to exact revenge in this manner upon the head of the noble van. Bad enough
with Renegade in charge they were making Carol into a animal, but did they
have to leave in an animalistic manner.
"You hear anything from how Carol's turning out yet, Casey?"
"So far I haven't been to Wilson's room, such as he's declared. I know when I
became humanized I didn't think of myself as pleasant to look upon. I'm almost
afraid to go in there and look because she may be fully animal by now."
"Or partially so", said Speedster. "We did remove most of the Consalanium off
her person. Perhaps she'll only partially become cat."
"Like we partially became humans? I'm not too crazy about that happening even to
a human."
"Still, being only half human isn't so bad. I can actually understand what
people say on those soap operas now and you know how to cook your meals now
instead of risking eating them raw. "
"So what's your point?"
"Renegade seems to make himself stronger when we feel bad about the situations
Wilson and Carol are living through. In simple terms, he feeds off fear and to
keep him weak we have to starve him through making Wilson and Carol brave
again."
"Sounds like a plan. I'm beginning to wonder, Speedster...."
"About when are we going to make the plan a sucess and give this world to the
ordinary people who live on it rather than the cops and the SCEs who rule it
with an iron fist?"
"No. Why Wilson never named you leader instead of me. You seem to have a lot of
the skills and talents I possess. You can reason things out better than me and
you not only have youth on your side, but can also gain wisdom faster than
anyone else while you still are young and able to use it wisely."
"Simple. I watch too much Ethisvision for my own good."
"And that small defect can't make you a good leader, Speedster? If you watched
the news more than the soaps, I'd bet you be aware enough to lead the
Incorporateds better than I when one day I myself.... Can't."
"Today's not that day, though, Casey. Today, It is Renegade's day. Let's get our
friends to end it quick for this world's sake."
"I hope we can, Speedster. I hope we all can."

Jhof, his head smarting for a change instead of those he tried to interview, was
busy getting it bandaged in case his path and Cornball's went up against each
other again. He was trying his best from his bed back at the damned hospital to
get as much scraps of news together as he could so he could figure out who was
responsible for letting Ixnay go out into the world and beat up violent
misguideds who did harm at will. More than likely, it would be her family who
gave birth to her in the first place. That was why Jhof, as cruel to his fellow
SCE's as he was when getting his scoops on daily events, was supportive of the
SCE as a whole. The SCE never let justly vengeful females be born, ever, due to
the cloning technology. Ever. They knew better because in the distant past, the
Empire on its first world where the SCE MON evolved had loads of troubles with
wives plotting to bring to justice their misguided and corrupt husbands and
thusly the SCE never really got powerful until cloning was invented and the
female gender were made to die of old age and loneliness, to never exist again
within the SCE. Sexistly Jhof thought he was glad the SCE was better off without
love and marriages and baby carriages. He never quite got the fact down that the
SCE, corrupt as it still might have been with females and males still existing
within the same race, would have been better off because love would still exist
within it as well.
In his bed where he was lying down, it was harder to interview and beat up
people for information, but Jhof of the Royal Death Press just made do with
Srig doing the interviewing for him in that hospital, and for once ignored the
fact that Srig as interviewer rather than Barkeep didn't try to injure his
sources for their troubles. Knowing Ixnay would pop out of the woodwork anywhere
on the planet, maybe even in this hospital, didn't make Jhof feel better though
Ixnay skipped his place of vacation having due to the fact she was two days away
from doing so.  At sunrise, Jhof woke to Srig's upset face.
"You figure out who let Ixnay be BORN and beat them up for me yet?"
"I don't beat up people unless they don't pay my tab and not because I asked
them what they want! Jhof, think seriously, if I beat up everyone who
wanted a caffeine-bar at my bar, I'd not only have half of the SCE in the
hospital, but I'd have NO profits at my bar. I am kinder to my customers out of
simple greed. You are in your profession not for the most news which is bad in
itself but for violence, Jhof."
"You know, being philosophical could get you OUT of the SCE, Srig?", said Jhof,
"And what about this Ixnay?"
"I don't think I'm in a good frame of mind from what I've seen of you in our
attempt at alliance. And as for Ixnay, our malevolent guest Kannel who let us
come here undettered by cops seeking justice instead of villany is responsible."
"WHAT?!!!?!?!?"
"He gave birth to this Ixnay lady. It's HIS FAULT."
"That's just great. Now you've given me an IMMORAL dillema. I can't just go and
beat up one who's evil as I am! We're on the same side and that might make me
one of the GOOD beings. Disgusting!!!"
"Don't you do that anyway to our fellow SCE's you interview? Give them a
beating?"
"That's different, they just are Witnesses! This is the Perpetrator! And It's
misery incarnate that he could have a child! A DAUGHTER at that, Srig, a
DAUGHTER! To drive the SCE on this world BANANAS!"
"Perhaps you could go an make a story of this. How the man who has sheltered the
SCE's need to commit misery and crime in the galaxy has brought about his own
doom by having children when the SCE isn't allowed sensibly TO."
"And perhaps you can leave me! Go before I get up and beat you! GO!"
Srig hurriedly left, upset he let Jhof actually think his life would ever get
paradoxical. What was he thinking anyhow? Perhaps the truth? Painful!
Jhof stewed in his bed. For three million years we've tried to keep our allies
and ourselves from having kids and kids coming back to haunt us. We've been so
careful and then, we let someone from as far away as Earth, someone for which a
few genes MORE could be practically genetic cousins if not brothers, make us
think that his child wasn't harmful, gave us shelter, and then let her stay
uncorrupted so all his kind blackheartedness just CAVES in on us with her just
actions? Why couldn't the Emperor see this coming?
Jhof muttered to himself. "I need to beat up someone."
He wasn't so sure, however, who needed it the most...

Casey and Speedster came into the starship Neverrest after their talk to ensure
breakfast was had by all because late that night they had plans to return to the
city to begin removing Renegade from it. But they had a surprise they knew was
waiting for them because from experience, Casey knew his own mutation took at
least one day to bring him to humanity. Would the same time make Carol into an
animal... or hopefully, leave her still fairly human?
Ann and Halifax were busy trying to get used to the way things were on the
recently self-redesigned Neverrest, and Longneck was still ensuring the pirates
would not get out before the Dogelian Justiceers could come to haul them off
(which could happen soon since the reinforcements of the SCE were being too
suspicious for them to ignore). And for Wilson, he looked surprised instead of
shocked like he'd been the past few days when he came out into the redesigned
hall that Speedster and Longneck had made so.
"Have you seen Carol about, Speedster", he said as he walked forth to watch
Speedster set up the TV in an attempt to actually catch the morning news of the
outside world and found out it was being jammed slightly as the foggy picture
still remained despite his fine adjustments to the reception.|
"I thought you had seen her", said Speedster.
"I woke up just now and she was apparently not around. I wondered if perhaps the
worst had happened and she became the cat that blasted Renegade tried to make
her into."
"Not today. I was out all night getting the Neverrest back myself and Casey
didn't sense what happened. I hope she didn't wander off somewhere."
"I hope Renegade had nothing to do with her current absence. I'm worried because
I love her like a father loves her daughter. Maybe more so than Kannel ever
loved Carol."
"I haven't sensed Renegade's awful stench around here since I've returned, so I
guess he's busy somewhere."
"Just as long as he ISN'T busy here. Everyone accounted for?"
"Save Carol, if you're so certain she's missing."
"Then I shall go and look for her. Tell the other Incorporateds to be wary for
anything. Especially for what Carol has become."
A yelp of surprise came from the newly remodeled kitchen from the vocal cords of
Longneck himself, who was busy making popcorn for his breakfast.
"Hey guys! Come in here! I think Carol is in here... At least I think so!",
Longneck moaned as Speedster and Wilson rushed to see what was causing Longneck's
dismay.

Longneck was on the ceiling surprised as anything to see Carol also in the
Kitchen, seemingly lost amongst the new place she found herself in. What Carol
looked like was shocking him to no end and Wilson along with Speedster was soon
there to behold how much of the feline fate they'd managed to spare Carol
from.... but not quite all of it.
Carol still basically looked human, but the ears and the nails weren't so.
Basically large cat ears and retractable claws were what she was given and this
bright pink haze was swirling near her forehead as if her psychic powers had
gone haywire from the mutation. She was unnerved by all this and was in a bad
state of mind as she was acting feral, meowing and scratching after Longneck who
was on the ceiling using his near-toon powers to just stay up there. Sadly, the
torn-up eye hadn't regenerated in all this, something Speedster was wondering if
it should have happened.
"Carol?"... Wilson uttered in surprise as Carol jumped up and landed awkwardly.
"What's going on?", said Casey as his own short-powered telepathy sensed the
distressed and came on in with Ann and Halifax not far behind. They all saw
that even though Carol was not entirely animal, she also wasn't entirely human
as well.
"I think Carol's suffering mental trauma from seeing herself in the mirror.",
said Speedster who knew something about psychology. Heck, he dated a
psychologist.
"Oh, what makes you say that? Did you get that from her thinking I WAS SOME SORT
OF FOOD?" said Longneck, making his way down by just crawling down the wall
and onto the floor.
"Carol? Can you hear me, Carol? I know what you're going through as I've been
through it in REVERSE.", said Wilson, hoping his words would shake Carol out of
her bad frame of mind. "I hated for you to have to go through this, but it's
over, so please, Carol, come back to your senses!"
And then, Carol suddenly stopped and collasped to the floor as Wilson rushed to
her aid.
"Carol..." Wilson said. "Are you all right now?"
Slowly, Carol came back to speaking terms.
"Wil... Wil...son, what am I do...ing here? The last thing I... I... knew, Renegade took me
somewhere and I fell asleep and  I had th.. this dream I was a ocelot on the
plains of Terzel! I must have woken up just now!"
"You were an ocelot? In a dream?"
"I thought it was so real... like my mind had traded places with the cat's mind!
"Well", said Longneck annoyed like nothing ever before, "I didn't think it was
a dream! You acted like you were a real Cat out there for a while! I think you
DID trade places with that little cat!"
"Oh, great. It WASN'T A DREAM?"
"For me it was a Nightmare being chased like a mouse.", said Longneck who was
getting surly.
Wilson said then to Longneck, "Take it easy, Longneck. We don't need any more
fear giving Renegade fuel to be rotten more than he must be giving Kannel now."
"Fear! Try Shock. If you'll excuse me, Carol, I'm going to take my popcorn and
leave BEFORE YOU TRADE PLACES WITH A DINOSAUR!" And with that, Longneck left to
the living room with the remainder of the popcorn not spilled in the shock.
Carol was stunned at all this and said, "But I've never had the ability to trade
places with other minds before, just feel what was going to happen in them! "
Casey then said, "Perhaps your mutation upped your mental powers to phenomenal
levels."
"But why didn't I become a cat in THIS body instead? And I was MUTATED like
Wilson once was? I feel like I haven't really been MUTATED!"
"My friends saved you in time. My Incorporated friends. And yes, you were
mutated by Renegade."
"How come I don't remember him doing that to me? Oh, that's right. I went and
mind-swapped my mind with the ocelot in the wild. "
"Um, Carol, that's not all that was swapped. I think your soul must have
swapped, too. If only your brains and all the stuff in it was swapped, I'd have
sensed you around because your soul would have stayed too.", said Speedster
sheepishly.
"Oh, goodness! Renegade really did make me like you like he promised me years
ago, Wilson. He really did make me AN ANIMAL! Just like the animal that protects
my spirit... and the ones that protect all yours!"
"It's okay, Carol. It's okay now. You're still relatively human though you've
got cat ears and claws. You and me are truly together again. Come with me and
I'll help you sort through it all."
"Sort through THIS?", Carol said as she held up her palms, now padded and not
noticable from the front before Wilson watched Carol go nuts on Longneck.
"Renegade should sort through HECK for making me this WAY!"

"I feel so strange as If I can see the world", said Carol who walked with Wilson
to the main hall, still wearing bedclothes and still with that field of what
must have been a lot of psychic energy going forth from her mind. "My psychic
powers must really have gone off the scale with that RENEGADE'S fooling with my
body and giving me not only exposure to the spiritual animal within me, but to
the actual kind of animal the spiritual animal represents!"
"It was fortuitous you could swap minds, or you might have been lost now!",
said Wilson, hoping somehow that Longneck would ever forgive Carol for
leaving her mind for a while and that now-totally confused ocelot somewhere
beyond the civilized region of Terzel Yang driving Longneck literally up the
wall. So far from afar he could see Halifax and Ann weren't having any
luck getting Longneck to not be upset.
"But if I could do that (voluntarily, I hope), what else can I do now? Bend
forks? Just blast things with my mind? Lift heavy cars and make pretzels out of
them? Even float when I need to? It's unsettling."
"At least you finally have the ability as Carol to change the world and not have
to wear disguises or costumes or shoot pistols anymore. Just use your mind!"
"Wilson, I don't know If I'm ready to be a true superhero like you said you
could never be because there was no pay in it. I really AM new at all the power
I'm now suddenly either cursed or blessed with!"
"I never was a superhero when I was bounty hunting and I'm not now, Carol. To
tell you the truth, all I've become is a hero, plain and simple. I may have only
the cyborg arm to give me power but I'm not part of the superheroic mentality in
which one dresses up in masked anonymous-making tights and flies about zapping
villanous people with any-ray vision. And I'm certainly not being paid by foul
cretins like your father anymore because, well, look what happened to the two of
us!"
"Then I guess I'll just have to be a heroine myself, too. Still, it is strange.
How do I use these powers to stop Kannel now that I have them?"
Wilson replied, "Just think about using them and hope for the best... and the
worst for Renegade when we face against him... together."
The two held hands as they went off to the rear of the ship.
"By the way, did you bring any of my clothes from my apartment?"
"We did as a team. Why?"
"I sense I'm too small to wear them anymore. I think I shrunk since I've
been spirit-animal MERGED!!!"
"What makes you say that?", said Wilson who looked down at his best friend when
just the other day he still had to look UP.

Chapter 34 "Unwelcome Guest Hours"

Cornball came back to visit Jhof's bedside along with two he'd never seen
before. Two people who looked like morons but somehow WEREN'T.
"What now, Cornball? Did you come to Interview me? And why did you bring THEM?"
"No, I did not and I'M NOT GOING TO BEAT YOU UP! But these two just escaped from
prison after getting word from the Catican Internet this Terzel Yang incident is
attracting attention as Renegade's back from the dead, and they want to talk to
anyone from the press. They actually think the media means ready news instead of
beating and violence. Perhaps you can interview them, beat them up and get them
out of here?"
"NO! I know these two morons, and they tried to take over a world once through
normal intelligence alone! I DON'T wish to talk to them!"
"UHHH... Like we care about your feelings, people-Beater! ", said the one Jhof
knew all too well as Daftec, the leader of the two now normal-intelligenced
morons. "Your abuse kinda sickens me and we hate being close to you! But we
heard you know our mortals enemy Longneck is here."
"I don't know any LONGNECK! All I know about is Wilson coming down here and this
Ixnay coming forth and little else!"
"You do know Wilson's here, though", said Uglixor, the one who's toon powers
equalled Longneck's but were more seriously used. "Wilson travels with Halifax
and Halifax now ummm....travels with Longneck so Longneck therefore is here."
"So what? You want to go get Wilson, don't you?"
"We don't care for Wilson, just Longneck", said Daftec. "So tell us where
Longneck is hiding or we'll... umm.. well, give you a taste of your own abusive
medicine!"
"Get out, you morons! Why don't you go and ask Kannel! He brought the
Incorporateds here to mess things up!"
"We tried. Locked door. So we left and found Cornball spending his days trying
to help the pirates repair the police and he led us to you.", said Daftec.
"Actually, the place was covered by this psychic dark shield of shadows that was
inpenetraboble.", said Uglixor.
"Watch your mouth! This guy's still below average thanks to his abusive life. He
can't understand the five-syllable words we can use now. You have to explain
things to this moron like things were once explained to us, Uglixor.", said
Daftec in admonishment.
"GET THEM OUT OF HERE, CORNBALL! YOU JUST BROUGHT THEM IN OFF THE STREET TO
IRRITATE ME SINCE I COULDN'T GET THE STORY OUT OF THEM I WANTED SINCE THEY BEAT
ME UP BACK WEEKS AGO! DOCTOR! MAYBE EVEN A NURSE! HELP!", shouted Jhof.
"Sounded like a good plan", said Cornball. "Oh, AGONY. Come, let's get Lawrence
to sit with him while we plan our attack for getting Renegade to be dead again
without getting those blasted INCORPORATEDS involved somehow and at bay."
"WHAT? Lawrence is HERE TOO? Is everyone in the SCE coming here to put a knife
in Renegade's back and seemingly drive me mad in the bargain
now that a beating heart is within Renegade once again?"
"No", said Daftec. "The emperor couldn't come. He's sick from seeing too many
SCE troops not seeing this coming... until now."
"And his lackey's having his own cyborg death-hand bronzed. Again!", added
Uglixor who motioned for Lawrence to come in grinning... which he really did!
"OUT WITH YOU ALL AND YOUR LITTLE DOG TOO!", said Jhof, wondering if perhaps
this wasn't some sort of scheme of Srig's to cheer Jhof up. If it was, it wasn't
working. AT ALL!
Cornball left. Uglixor left. Daftec left. And as for Lawrence.....
"By any chance, would Speedster be anywhere In town? He's got an appointment
with a shrink ray for escaping my jar I had him in... At least, I thought I'd
put him in a jar. With the rest of the Incorporateds! Hey... you don't
think.... Uh, oh...."
Not quite coincidentally, both began screaming in unison as Uglixor and Daftec
looked back to call their old friend Rynogoff, freed now by mysterious means and
having just arrived on a stolen skyship himself, to visit Jhof in good time.
Daftec, of course, wasn't about to tell Jhof his secret that somehow
Renegade had actually come to freed them, then when he was refused any
compassion or obedience because noone somehow respected him anymore,
tried to kick their butts supernaturally then somehow pulled back
and just let them go with a scolding. It wouldn't please Jhof too much
telling him that. Making Jhof even madder would just disrupt the beautiful
music both him and Lawrence were now making...

Chapter 35 "Carol's Day of Discovery"

At the time many of the Incorporated's greatest enemies were getting ready for a
war with everyone else, Carol was testing her powers in the hallway as opposed
to the AR chamber which those two pirates were still occupying and singing
chanties to each other at the time. She found out her mind now could do what her
gun once did and that was blast and stun some things. And she felt better using
them than the gun because it felt more honest and direct. There was no hiding
she had to do anymore to protect her life from Kannel's threats as that didn't
work. And she was feeling a lot better.
Casey was still shocked at the progress of Carol as how quickly she learned to
control and use wisely her power in the makeshift training area the main hall
had been temporarily been reconfigured as. He watched her along with Wilson and
Ann.
"Has her transformation denied her her gymnastic ability at all?", said Ann,
curious about the effects of mutation on Carol.
"Earlier, she still was able to do cartwheels", said Wilson. "But I think she
did them in REVERSE this time, feet up and forth instead of the hands down and
forth. Apparently, she's more flexible now."
"She'll need to be. I've seen Renegade and I think he's tougher now than ever!
Imagine holding us at bay with just his dead mind."
"Imagine no more. I hope that the psychic powers Carol now has will counter
Reng's because I know Renegade all too well. He may fight well as someone else
but he never learned how to fight as himself. And that may be our best hope."
Speedster came in and said to Ann, "Are you sure Lawrence didn't somehow sneak
anywhere near this ship while we were sleeping, forget that little pug? She's a
bit shorter than she used to be."
"I hope NOT", said Casey. "I think the same way we grew bigger to compensate for
becoming more human, Carol shrank to accomodate her smaller feline-gene pattern.
Hasn't shrunk exactly in powers, though."
"No, I don't think so. You get Longneck to calm down and forgive and forget by
the way, Speedster?", said Wilson.
"He's not upset anymore about the Kitchen, if you wish to know. He just never
saw it coming.", said Speedster.
"None of us save Carol perhaps saw it coming at first", said Wilson. "I'm glad
we were able to stop her mutation in time for it to be beneficial for us all.
Her powers seem to be strong enough now to stop most inanimate objects. I hope
it can stop someone like Renegade."
"Anything that can stop Renegade is fine by me", said Ann. "Anyone who tries to
stereotype my gender by victimizing us and making us feel weak doesn't deserve
to come back as far as I am concerned."
"Think how I must feel myself", thought Carol psychically inside the minds of
all the Incorporateds. "So, when do we start making Renegade pay as a whole?"

That night, the Incorporateds planned on going forth. Right now, Wilson had to
ensure he was once again ready for the trouble he was going to put himself in
with along with Carol during the fight they'd fight together. Trouble is,
someone else already had other plans in being helpful... one of the first
whom knew mostly of the truth. And was a little too unsettled that tangentium
was not a true mutagen but something that biochemically let people or animals
become the spirit beings that protected them from harm like Casey'd heard a few
Shamen say on Public access TV said existed. His spirit animal couldn't be a
chimpanzee, now could it? Bummer.
Carol, of course, since some of her clothes basically were too big for her now,
asked Casey later that day if there was a way she could make them in time for
her raid as herself on Terzel Yang to free it once and for all. Casey showed her
the clothes manufacturing machine on the second level to help her out, and
Wilson came to help Carol choose a new pairing of clothes.. and perhaps a new
code name (aka last name) since she wanted nothing to do anymore with being
named Catwind like her father even though now her last name truly suited her.
If she was going to start her life anew without secret identities and as a
mutation she was going to do it right. And with Wilson's fatherly advice far more
desirable than anything Kannel could have said to her. Though Casey might also
be helpful seeing how receptive to the truth he was in the first place kept her
from having worse things done to her by Renegade....
Speedster and Longneck gathered near the Megaporter and checked on the pirates
for a moment. But something was eating at the both of them somehow. Longneck
continued his relieved discussion.
"So it really wasn't a mutagen that made us the way we are through MUTATION? How
can that be? I don't wish to be a LEMUR or anything like that!", Longneck
wondered after Speedster told Longneck about Carol's bizarre discovery about why
they became the way they did.... and perhaps an explanation of their powers.
"And you know, of course, Renegade must have TWO spirit animals, one a bull and
another a stallion, both of them fighting for control of the setinent spirit of
Renegade and driving him MAD. I wonder if Renegade's still out there and why he
hasn't even paid a return visit to check up on us.", Speedster said as his eye,
fully recovered, mystically was a different color than the other.
"I may have joined your group by fate but I'm not totally closed off to the
world. I knew plenty about Renegade's past ever since Halifax first dealt with
the horse-end so long ago. Death might have made him SO nuts I think Renegade
could go for anybody and not just you.", said Longneck.
"Glad to see you're quite supportive. We seem to be made for each other. Why
didn't we meet years ago, Longneck?"
"You lived on Earth and I lived everywhere else, Speedster. It's hard to make
friends across the light-years."
"Oh."
"Anyway, Carol mention anything about what's going on back at the city?"
"Yes. She had a vision earlier. She saw a whole bunch of SCE's come forth
to see what was going on. Renegade must be trying hard to jam her psychic
probes because she couldn't see so clearly from this far away, and it was
hard to identify whom was coming exactly."
"Why would anyone come to this planet especially the SCE's? Isn't Renegade
supposedly making things worse for those already visiting here?"
"Perhaps he knows his plan's backfiring because we saved Carol."
"And made her powerful enough to upset Renegade. Believe me, even when Carol
accidentally uses her powers, it can impress someone. Impressed me to no end.
Say, Would Carol accept my apology for acting so wierd when that Ocelot's soul
came visiting and thought I was a rat instead of the toon I know myself to me?
Even I feel I could grow to like her. Despite that Ocelot episode. Uhhh!"
"She has a lot of kindess in her soul Renegade isn't touching. After all. I'm
sure she realizes the situation. After all, she herself went through as
nearly as strange an experience you've been in becoming the toon you are now."
"Sounds Reassuring coming from you. Hasn't the heart, though, to tell her
adoptive dad his spirit animal's some sort of ratty rodent, hum?"
"I wouldn't break Wilson's heart and dignity just now with that sort of truth."
The pirates continued their chanties as Speedster and Longneck left to go get
some early popcorn dinner for the long night ahead. You might have thought the
real reason, though, was that they left due to the fact that somehow their worst
enemies were coming out of the woodwork to get credit for doing Reng in truly
instead of the Incorporateds. No, actually, it was all the male bonding the
pirates were doing together that would make them ill if exposed too long to
it...

Carol was now fine-tuning her powers to see its fineness now that its full
strengths had been tested. Her new set of clothes was far more comfortable and
sensible than the skin-tight bodysuit she wore in her Ixnay identity and
actually breathing once in a while unencumbered by spandex covering her face
completely was doing wonders for her state of mind. Though being controlled by
Renegade to act before her powers were strong enough to now resist and stop him
wasn't too good. Fortunately, the Incorporateds helping her to build her bravery
to resist Renegade's feeding on fear made her feel much better about herself.

From Ann, she was learning much on the assumed disparity of the sexes and the
need to respect each other needed to keep a peace. She knew all too well how
stereotyping as a girl wouldn't allow her to wear pants like the boy-children of
ancient Australia even in the hottest weather and wished often for equality
decades before it had to be forced by American women for the sake of women
forever.

And Casey, of course, came to her about five to talk for a while about
what happened to Earth in her absence from there in the Century she'd missed,
making Carol a whole lot happier that finally her gender on earth would be
treated to the respect long denied them by stupid sexism. Carol was surprised
that the male Casey actually existed to have respect for a gender not his own,
but Casey replied, "I don't care what gender a friend of mine is. I only care
about whether that being's good or evil within. I see no colors, no genders, no
races when I live my life. All I see is good or evil. If the SCE weren't evil,
blatantly sexist to prevent two genders living within its own species, and
worse, I'd respect them as well as I respect myself. We fight the SCE to save it
from its own misguidedness and not to destroy it utterly, to help detain and let
them go towards good instead of merely ending their lives through battle. You
can see that there is a difference between us Incorporateds and those like
Kannel and the SCE's and the pirates. We fight to save lives and souls from
harm. The SCE fights to end lives and bring souls to harm. I hope that in the
future you can never forget the difference, because if you do you may cross
a line that you'll never cross again. A line which may never show itself
clearly.... until it's too late."

Speedster, of course, helped in his own way about letting Carol know what else
she might be up against that she had never faced during her early battles prior
to dinner. He let her know about the whole SCE system she'd fight in time once
this Xerkes crisis was over and some of the dirty ways they fought, and not all
with just guns. They all had powers, too, like Cornball, the goofiest villain
the SCE ever hired, and how Wilson and Cornball had some bad times together even
before and after Carol and Wilson met and were seperated, and this Lawrence
creep who tried to shrink people and put them in jars because of the garbage in
his mind that through efforts to make one reason even little guys could resist
taunts of bigger bullies and not have to cave into their little mind games and
become like the bullies themselves.

Longneck, briefly, told Carol about the Idiots and Halifax let Carol know most
of all when fighting Renegade that if all fighting failed, presumably throwing
pepper in his face was the best defense and if powers fail, use the soul as a
final defense. Nothing evil, Halifax knew, could resist the power of a noble
and kind and just soul. EVER.

Meanwhile, Wilson took the time to let the world know who the Former Carol
Catwind was to be known as, informing all credit agencies, stopping rent
payments to the first Kannel Bank, altering name records to reflect Carol's new
name. A last name Wilson once was called as in addition to his first long ago
but was forgotten when Carol was lost to him. A name that surely would reflect
the path of freedom that Carol would now take with his and the Incorporated's
guidance to the day when even the SCE would believe in peace and not the evil
they'd perpretrated for years too long.....

Chapter 36 "Jhof changes stations!"

It was unnerving to most of the SCE community that their own protector on this
world known as Kannel Foxana would have a daughter that would rise against him,
and Jhof let all know in the hospital that day once he got back on his feet. He
told the orderlies, the patients and beat up those who wouldn't believe him. He
didn't have many doubting critics that day.
Jhof felt that it was time to talk to Kannel personally, so he ordered Srig to
go get his camera for some proper interviewing and beating of a bad person. Not
just because he had a daughter, but he gave the traitor Renegade a reason to
live again, more or less. Then Jhof left the hospital with its patients needing
more care than before they went in. But leaving alone to meet Srig at his bar
wasn't easy. Especially since Rynogoff, the idiots, Lawrence and Cornball were
now walking behind him suddenly and arguing so loudly it hurt Srig's ears.
Apparently, Rynogoff and Cornball weren't on friendly terms, since they stood
for different things, one for sick humor and the other just plain sick. And
since Lawrence was on one side and the idiots on Cornball's, the likeliness of a
settlement was unlikely as sand in an icy artic wasteland.
"If you don't shut up back there, I'll Interview the LOT of YOU! Are you fools
trying to pretend you're my loyal news crew somehow devoted to help edit my film
and adjust my reception? FORGET THAT! Why don't you scatter and go after those
Incorporateds?"
That quieted them down for a while but Cornball now ranted for a while.
"Apparently we have a problem with being together."
"Why", Jhof said, "With yourselves getting on each other's nerves?"
"No, being TOGETHER. We ordinarily wouldn't have met for some strange reason,
but Renegade seems to have mystically ordered us all together. I've heard SCE's
are flying here in droves because they heard Renegade is alive somehow when they
should be either having fun or commiting crimes usually. What is he, some sort
of convention organizer?"
Ryno then said, "And what is worse, no matter how I want to try, my FEET doesn't
walk away and my horn-mole don't point towards anyplace near the space-port to
the north of here and ELSEWHERE! I think Renegade must be trying to get all of
us here for something and I don't like it. I have better things to do like rot
in prison than be surrounded by hostile heroes and trapped by the words of a
dead horse!"
"Uh, What heroes?", Daftec said. "I don't see any heroes. All I see are pirates
scrambling out of fear from seeing Kannel's tower completely darkened by shadows
and more recognizable SCE monkeynel* in this place than before In my life!"

* Since SCE aren't people those working for the SCE can't be called PERSONnel,
can it? So there!

"Well, look around you, you dopes! I saw two cloaked people go forth and help
someone being mugged.", said Lawrence. "These civilians are getting brave all of
a sudden."
"And where did you see that", said Rynogoff.
"When you and Cornball were arguing about just how bad cinema could be if it is
made on a low budget! Don't you two ever see things like that, or are you so
high off the ground all you two can see is the SKY?"
"I could ignore that", said Rynogoff. "You're too obsessive for your own evil,
much less your own good, litt..."
Uglixor grabbed Rynogoff then held him to the ground muffling him.
"Don't be stupid and mention the L word to him because he WILL make you L,
Alright? Don't say such things or you'll drive him to GOOD!"
Rynogoff pretty much knew what Uglixor meant. Especially seeing Lawrence whip
out a new shrink gun at Ryno's head menacingly and a bunch of evening shadows
started to crawl underneath them all.
"What? You moron, Uglixor! I wanted him to finish what he said so I COULD shrink
him!
"I think you are finished", said Rynogoff as he struggled free of Uglixor's
grasp. Then the small group started fighting each other as the growing
shadows completely and suddenly covered the ground underneath their feet. Jhof
saw to his horror the far end of the shadow was horselike instead of the
impression of the close-by buildings normally there during the dusk.
With Cornball throwing pies at Rynogoff and Lawrence randomly zapping his shrink
gun in the air, chaos was beginning to ensue as Jhof knew Renegade's true
purpose for coming back. He probably hated the villiany he once served as much
as the heroes he was paid to conquer! Seeing other SCE's, mostly minor ones in
front of him in the streets towards the tower, suddenly have their shadows
tampered with and them going up against each other made Jhof's theories a
reality.
Jhof pretty much knew Renegade had some influence on the SCE but it used to be
positive for them. Now, in death, Renegade was having a most Negative effect as
the SCE's were fighting one another in the streets. Jhof knew what he had to do.
He was in the middle of the story of the century and his time to report it was
coming. So, Jhof, running hard to skip over the shadows now coming for him,
rushed headlong to the tower and hoped Srig, his ally, had that camera now. This
would make him an immortal in the news business, Jhof thought, and considering
the Death Press's own abusive acts shortened their lives as well as their
chances of an afterlife considerably, that was a stretch.
He could still hear behind them Rynogoff and Cornball now yelling worse things
than ever, getting more and more unprintable all the time as Reng, like the
Incorporateds before them, were being manipulated to make themselves more and
more miserable by the minute.

Jhof wasn't too crazy about Srig's slight tardiness in getting there, but
hearing the stories Srig told quickly at the building's site was driving him so.
Apparently, Renegade's driving the SCE apart through supernatural means was
exciting the people into finally taking the city from its dictatorial leader,
even though Ixnay wasn't there. Perhaps seeing her missing they must have
figured she'd been made a martyr for freedom on this world and knowing the SCE's
were preoccupied with themselves (And so, more and more, were the pirates
fighting themselves too), their time was coming as well.
"Does this camera have film, or do you wish a pummeling, Srig", said Jhof,
trying to keep his feet moving in the still-sunlit side of the building in case
a shadow would come forth and make him slightly more violent against Srig than
usual. As being angrier than usual for Jhof was a frightening prospect for him,
Jhof wanted to get this over with.
"It doesn't need film, it's Digital. Are you thinking primitive again or
something?"
"I don't care what I think, as long as it's what I WANT TO. Shall we go in and
talk to Kannel ourselves?"
"No!", said the shadows on the building.
"Who asked you, Renegade?", shouted Jhof unnervedly.
"You can't squawk. That's why! He doesn't understand human voice anymore. He's a
bald bird with a crooked neck now thanks to me. And I can certainly make you two
worse off! Make you feel more miserable than ever before, Jhof, in a way that
you'll never understand."
"How? I'm abusive and violent and twisted! What's worse?"
"You could look just like someone the SCE's hate most of all, SRIG. You could
be made to resemble one of the true followers of Justice that the SCE hates! I
could, of course, make you a monster with spikes and fangs and horns, but then
YOU'd be ripping me off and I hate COMPETITION!"
"I'll make you look like a broken water-fruit when I finish my Interview with
you...", said Jhof as the Shadows enveloped him from behind.
Srig gasped as the shadows did their work morphing Jhof, giving him a brief
species change in the bargain.
"And now, Srig, what would you like to BE?", shouted the angry shadows on the
building.
Srig had a second to react and think.
"Begone?", said Srig nervously as his feet did the same action it did when
normally confronted by HEROIC entities... He ran, breaking the Camera utterly.
Jhof, crawling off the ground, felt his body was different somehow even though
he still wore clothes and was fortunate enough to still stand erect on his back
legs. He was not feeling very good but he still had a job to do. Just give him a
moment to scream when he saw himself in the reflective glass doors as to what
he'd become, and THEN he could go in and STILL beat the tar out of Renegade.
And, since Kannel was now a bird... Perhaps having Kannel made nuggets out of
instead of being interviewed would be more appropriate.
Jhof actually needed a minute for that long, shocked scream when he looked upon
himself. No longer would he be in the Death Press now. They didn't let dogs,
especially the setinent ones, into the Death Press. And Jhof was one, though he
was fortunately still seven feet tall.....
Actually, it took two, for Jhof was not even a he any more but a HER!

Chapter 37 "Realization...."

The appointed hour the Incorporateds would meet Kannel and liberate the city
from Renegade was coming and coming quickly as visions of the city they knew as
a whole showed them something was going down without them. Carol was providing
the visions for them as her psychic prowess allowed her to more easily see
from afar.
Longneck was sure he was having some sort of spell because he was shocked to see
the images unfold before him in mid-air without the benefits of even a pair of
attennas to write out the vertical and horizontal images and it was CLEAR.
"I didn't know the imagination could ever be better than a TV", said Longneck
flabbergastedly.
"That's not all Imagination," said Speedster. "She can actually picture with her
mind now what you'd need a ethi-space camera, a lot of monomolecularly coded
circuitry and real good reception to see."
Casey was shocked at this for some reason, too, as he watched the SCEs suddenly
turn on each other. "You know, if she was merely sitting in a yoga-like position
while bringing us these images in our minds that our eyes can seem to see,
I'd be amazed."
"Actually, I think Carol is standing on her hands upside-down with her feet in
the air,", said Wilson who saw her from afar as he was clearing the table from
where he and Carol ate a few minutes ago as a family. A adoptive family, but one
of respect and love. "Uh, Carol, don't you think your impression of a
Ethisvision will warp the minds of Speedster and Longneck?"
Carol replied, "Dad, I seem to recieve things better this way. It was cloudy
when I wasn't."
Wilson dropped his jaw and the dishes. "She called me Dad.", he quietly said.
"No wonder", said Longneck who rushed forth to pick them up before they broke
and a miserable moment would get Renegade to have a chance to come in and make
the ship miserable as well. "You were more of a father for her being a step-one
rather than the true one. All you wanted was her sucess and happiness while
Kannel wanted the worst for her. And be careful with these Dishes, by the way!
Replicating replacements is COSTLY!" Longneck then carefully ferreted the dishes
away to wash them himself.
"Carol, I think it is time we stopped all this misery Renegade's causing.", said
Wilson. "It's bad enough he fed on our misery and now he's turned on the SCE's
to feed on theirs two."
Suddenly, Carol looked a little upset and motioned them all to come close with a
hand gesture.
"That would explain why your friend's enemies have come here. He was sent to
destroy the Incorporateds in the first case. He thought the way of making
Speedster mad would do it and it sure DID NOT!"
"I still have headaches from the damage Renegade did.", said Speedster. "But
when I think of clouds and swiss cheese they go away."
"So he blames the SCE's as well for his destruction since whoever made the
machine who let him into Speedster's mind didn't warn him of the danger. Can you
sense who among our enemies is down there?", said Speedster to Carol.
"I see more than I can name in a day. But mostly, I sense the strongest psychic
mayhem being thrown in this one near my ex-dad's home named... Corned Brawl? I'm
not exactly certain since I'm new at using my powers at THIS DISTANCE...."
"CORNBALL!", yelled Wilson in surprise as all turned to him. "It wasn't directly
me or you, Carol, that Reng really wanted destroyed though he hated us a lot.
Cornball made the machine that brought Reng to his destruction so he's truly to
blame, not me for my failing to convince Reng of the danger or you for not
liking the way Kannel treated you or his people. It's Cornball whom Reng REALLY
wants!"
"And us being his enemy made things a lot easier for us to be thrown in the
bargain as well!", said Speedster. "We did read his trademark nameplate on the
bottom of the thing before we turned it to the authorities!"
Ann then said, "Renegade must have thought us guilty because we associated with
Cornball. Maybe as ENEMIES, but we did know the creep."
"Everyone", said Casey, "We have been made fools of these past few days. I
personally hate smelling dead horse, seeing misguided gorillas in the midst of
the city causing senseless violence to each other, and looking behind me to see
if my own shadow is going to kick my butt. So, Halifax, Ann, Carol, Wilson,
Speedster, and Longneck back there in the Kitchen...."
They all paused expecting some battle cry but Casey was no Cornball.
"To heck with battle crys at this time. Just end this mess so we can get some
sleep tonight.", Casey said with calm.
Carol then said, "I had a feeling you'd say that."
Casey replied as he nodded his head to Halifax to get them all back into the
city since the Rustbucket's own repair systems hadn't finished their work, "I
know. You read my mind."
Wilson said, "She's my daughter, maybe step but a lot better than being a real
one of a sick mind. What else would you expect?"

The group gated out of there as a whole, with Longneck commenting "I hope I
turned the water off" when they vanished. Just then, a dark shadow, sensing that
Carol was leaving, tried to get the people of the Neverrest miserable to no
avail. It had to settle for the misery of the pirates within the AR chamber and
taking that, left them sleeping from the long days they had without rest. Still,
the shadow felt hungry at just missing the Incorporateds. But it still had a
fish to fry, and not just Kannel or the Incorporateds anymore. It had to fry...
the one called Cornball.

Chapter 38 "...Understanding,..."

Cornball, hurt badly by a multi-pronged attack of people only mildy annoyed at
him before, crawled desperately out of the shadow Renegade must have sent for
him somehow. He couldn't think of how or why because he didn't bother with
anything serious. But something serious was going down, and Cornball didn't like
it much as he turned to see a one-foot tall Ryno trying to gore a pie-covered
Uglixor the clearest out of the shadow-strewn battle.
Wondering where Jhof had gone to, Cornball followed Jhof just to bump into the
fleeing Srig who was destined through fear to go back to full-time barkeeping
and to retire THAT WAY from DEATH BY OLD AGE.
"Would you mind telling me what just went on? I think someone hit me in the face
with one of my own pies because my memories of the past few minutes are as
clear as my vision would be if I was hit with one of my own pies! Not, and in
fact, Cloudy and Cream-filled!"
"I don't know but I think it's time you left, Cornball, as I hope all us SCE's
and our pirate allies do! Before what happened to us happens to JHOF!"
"What happened to Jhof", said Cornball as the shadows tried to creep towards him
now.
"I think some sort of justice hit him!!!!!".
And with that, Srig kept running before the shadows jumped him too. Cornball did
so, but in the other direction.

It was nightfall when Cornball stood, the shadows circling him threateningly, at
the back door of the tower that Renegade now owned through dark psychic might.
Cornball was thinking of a silly thing to say in the face of Renegade his
shadow, now covering most of the city and aided in strength by the darkness of
the night. He couldn't see Jhof cowering in the shadows because he saw a female
Dogelian in the reporter's attire of the death press instead, trying to pull
open the doors still that were locked by darkness.
"What are you doing here, little woman? Are you SOMEONE ELSE Kannel has given
birth to to make ME MISERABLE, TOO?"
"No, I'm JHOF! I STILL AM! That Renegade made me the worst thing I can think of
and I need to Interview him!"
"Didn't know Kannel married a Dogelian cop. But getting rid of you for Kannel's
sake should make me feel a lot better now."
"But I'm not really this! This is a form Renegade forced on ME! I really am JHOF
and I really WAS a MAN!"
"Sure... Jhofia. " And with that, Cornball advanced holding his pies and
laughed. And couldn't stop, falling uncontrollably and muttering "Jhof-ia!
Jhof-ia!" with even more and more humor. This went on for a minute as Jhof
steamed.
"I've HAD IT", said Jhof, whom despite being female now, was still strong and
violent, that doesn't change even when one changes gender or species or race or
religion. Violence, sadly, is a constant that affects all. "You can go interview
Renegade and Kannel and all those Damn Incorporateds! I'm not staying around to
be a victim of the sexist drivel I once put forth on some female interviewees I
faced years ago! How is your stomach feeling now that I'm going to punch it?"
And with that, Jhof rushed at the laughing Cornball and decked him, stopping
Cornball's laughter once and for all. And then something worse happened that
made Cornball serious for the first time in his existence, happening just as
Jhof-now-Jhofia ran out of earshot. Renegade's shadows gathered and looked down
on Cornball, hoping to inspire sorrow in Cornball.

"So, Cornball. You do COME when I CALL you!" And now, Renegade did some laughing
of his own as Cornball, not used to seriousness, stared up into the face of that
horrible horse as the shadows mimicked his facial movements and broadcasted his
voice from above.
There was only one thing to say as Cornball tried to avoid the inevitable.
"You never read instructions for use or small print, do you? Didn't you read
the instructions that said 'Warning: Physical bodies that travel as dreams in
minds being travelled in should not get too close to intentional or
unintentional destruction of mind partitions as dreams die quickest when they
get stuck in a part of the mind that's ROTTING when no blood is given it?' You
know, the 1/10000th point text written in atoms at the END? What, you can't see
with eyes that... uhhhmmm... BLOODSHOT and DEMONIC? eepp...."
Renegade said, "When you reach the AFTERLIFE as I have, Cornball, remember to
never print things in small print. That new form of existence I'll FORCE YOU
INTO might actually LAST... unlike YOU!"
And with that, the shadows surrounded Cornball and lifted him high into the air
just as the Incorporateds de-gated on the ground below him. The shadows
retreated quickly when Carol came out, her powers making this rose-colored
mini-aurora appear near her forehead and keeping the Incorporateds safe
from any advance they would have tried... but not enough to yank Cornball
BACKWARDS all the way up.

Chapter 39 "And pure terror."

"Wow. I didn't know Cornball could Fly!", said Longneck.
Wilson said, "Not like that, though. Not without an anti-gravity belt. Great,
now Renegade's got Kannel and Cornball!"
"And I suppose he wants us next", said Carol as she saw from above the screaming
Cornball, unable to escape.
"I don't think Cornball wants us anymore. Not for making us miserable anymore,
but for the two of us giving that misery back.", said Wilson to Carol, holding
their hands. Casey, you may be in time a better leader than I ever was, but for
once let me have this last fling as leader."
"Who am I to argue with the closest family I've ever seen in my life? Go for
it, you two!"
Carol took the initiative as her psychic powers were put to the test along with
Wilson's own sonic powers jointly assaulting the shadows that clung to the door.
Speedster got just a telepathic thought to begin his assault on bashing the door
down with extreme speed and Halifax gated away into the air to retrieve
Cornball's backwards fall. Casey's tail joined the melee when the door fell and
Halifax quickly gated from the Neverrest a huge can of pepper to toss all over
the floor, spreading across the floor as Ann and Longneck rushed in
following behind the tail, wry of any whom Renegade might be controlling
as a cautionary procedure.
As the rest of the Incorporateds came in sans Halifax who was wrestling with
Renegade's dark influence above, they saw the pepper still had an effect on the
undead Renegade, even on his shadow now. It was making the shadows suddenly
start sneezing and dispersing quickly.
"I don't believe it", said Longneck surprisedly. "I thought you couldn't be
allergic to anything after your death!"
"Apparently, Renegade isn't dead anymore,", Carol sensed. "He flat-out
reincarnated himself fully with all the grief he's given! Those shadows must be
still a part of them though, and they're just as allergic to pepper as Renegade
ever was!"
The Incorporateds looked at Speedster who knew most of all what Renegade's
faults were in life. Heck, Renegade died in Speedster's mind.
"Well, she can read minds. Don't you expect this sort of thing?"
"Nuts. Now we can't REALLY beat the heck out of him", said a disappointed
Wilson. "Oh, well, let's just settle for driving him out of here! Anyone want to
take the elevator or the Stairs?"
Halifax returned carrying Cornball, his fight done but scarred by horn strikes.
Gating forth to the group, Cornball saw Carol as he knew through telepathic
upset that Cornball ultimately was responsible for the chaos surrounding the
city now.
The city quieted down to the point you could hear a pin drop... literally. Only,
it was Cornball's jaw dropping as his enemies surrounded him, and not just the
good ones.
"At last! Wilson! It is true that Renegade had you come here, too! All of you!
If I get on my feet again I'll pie you all so much you'll NEVER put me back in
prison! EVER!"
"Would you shut up, you clown?", said Wilson and Carol as a group. Both looked
at each other in surprise, so powerful was their bond as family and friends now.
Longneck looked at Cornball with an enormous, sorrow-denying grin that had
serious intent behind it. "You're the guy who made the guy who made my son
miserable dead. Just let it be known... I DON'T THANK YOU FOR KILLING HIM, YOU
NUT!"
"And I certainly don't thank you for saving me. I deserve misery for what I've
done", said Cornball still held firm in the bear grip of Halifax's arms. "But if
I had to do it again, I'd let YOU and RENEGADE die of fine print not being read
a THOUSAND TIMES OVER just to get you away from MY BATTLE WITH WILSON! Since
you've gotten involved, Carol, I've actually been made SAD! I feel JILTED!
You've ruined a perfectly foul relationship and made it worse by having Renegade
come out in all this! For my MISERY I'LL SUE YOU, WOMA....."
Carol then circled some of her power to give Cornball the impression that he had
lockjaw then and there! Silencing the ungrateful mandrill.
"Sexists.", said Carol.
"Go figure", said Wilson.
Carol then looked up and heard something, and she bit her lip.
"I think Cornball shouldn't have said the word 'Misery.'",said Speedster who
heard it first, "Because here comes all the misery in the SCE ON US!!!!!"

They all heard it. One floor, distantly breaking from beneath despite being
mega-reinforced, then another. Louder and Louder came other floor breakings,
and ever faster. Cornball knew what was coming, too, and wondered if any glasses
just slightly full of water were shaking in the bottom floor now because
that was already done before, silly and ridiculous to his demented mind.
None, sadly were to be found. And then, the last floor BROKE THROUGH as
the vile Renegade stood before them, huge and draped in his own shadows.
And they all saw him turning his face away, as if trying to make a profile
stance.

"Bottom floor, Cornball. Ladies wear, Men's shorts, Old men's suspenders... And
your DOOM! DESTRUCTION! AND ALL THE WORDS SIMILAR TO.... DEATH!"
"MMMMM.", yelled Cornball as Halifax dropped him to the floor, disdained by his
own personal hell that Reng put him through in life.
"Hello, Incorporateds", said Renegade as he morphed into Cornball again, but now
with horns and still turning his face away. "I wish your utter destruction, but
I'll"..
"Um, Renegade", said Longneck as he came forth. "I know you're new at this
demonic stuff you're apt at now, but..."
"What, you OLD SENILE FOOL?", yelled Renegade as a barf of rotting horse meat
came from his gorilla form.
"Aren't you actually partially in the basement? I mean, if you were on the
ground floor, you wouldn't actually be IN the ground floor, but actually you're
stuck in the basement a bit THROUGH the ground floor to your waist..."
"SHUT UP YOU TOON!", and with that, Another blast came forth pushing Longneck
back but Longneck didn't fall back all the way, he just swayed in the gale wind
of rotting horse stench. Then, Renegade rose from the hole in the floor, still
looking like Cornball and looking at the group with his head turned away.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes", and then morphing into Wilson once more but
twice his size, "I wish your utter destruction, but I'll let you all off easy IF
you throw Cornball over here to me and I EAT him. Otherwise I'll use my shadowy
powers to morph you all fully into your spirit animals and shear off
your setinence like a knife through WATER. By the way, Yes, I can morph others
now, too. I did it to Carol's Dad and made him a vulture!"
"Not much of an improvement there", Carol said. "But you don't have the right,
dead or alive, to make people miserable that don't deserve misery and justice
for what they done!"
"Look at your dad and see him, child! Do you want proof?" And with that, he
morphed into Halifax and brought the vulture forth.
All of them looked on save Longneck who was trying to look behind. Motioning to
Ann who was behind Renegade, both saw what Renegade was trying to hide ever
since they met him. They saw the scarring around his eye and realized why
Speedster's own eye, then and there, was so violently ripped and not just from
the fall. Or why Carol lost her own left eye and definently not to accident.
Out of revenge, Renegade must have done this scarring at both the one being whom
Renegade died IN.... and to the one love of Wilson's to hurt him most of all.
And how utterly ridiculous the scars around the eye looked, if you traced them....
They struggled to hold back both the feelings of shock and dismay and laughter
fighting for dominance in that moment. But what happened next wouldn't be so
funny.
"I may not have the right but I have the WRONG. Now, if you don't mind, since
I'm fully alive now and not a ghost, I'll think I have a vulture Sandwich...
without the BREAD!" And with that, Reng bent down to have his shadows cover
Carol's vulture - father instantly, making Kannel's spirit and body a part of
his own. And, to nauseate Cornball once and for all, burped up Vulture feathers
once the shadows fused with Renegade again right into his face... HUNDREDS of
them in mere seconds.
As Cornball screamed with lockjaw as he crawled up from underneath the feathers,
"MMMMM.......!" Carol turned away, feeling a litte sorrow for her father's
death, but not much. Not for a man who ruined her life and so many
others. For the fact he'd never be tried now for his crimes, bring about
restitution... not ever. And both Speedster and Carol realized just why they had
been injured as they had been, and it wasn't helping their moods right now. Just
what Renegade needed to grow more powerful, but Wilson was tired of all this and
intervened.
"Renegade, you're disgusting!", said Wilson as he came to Carol's side. He
whispered something to Carol and Carol stared straight at Renegade who morphed
into the human form Kannel for the last time, since apparently Kannel would
never be so again.
"Thanks, daughter. I was delicious!", laughed Renegade as he turned to her now
and Cornball saw the silly injury still prevalent even in his most recent form
... as the exposed veins around the exposed skull region around the
exposed eye socket looked, despite their hideous warping, to resemble one
of those smiley faces. They all did. And understood just what it was that
made Renegade do all this. A Cornball practical joke that, through all its
turns and twists, humiliated Renegade utterly and caused the apparent
oblivion of Kannel just now as well as a lot of injuries and senseless SCE
tussles.....
Cornball may have not been able to speak with the mental illusion of lockjaw in
his mind, but he smiled.
"You find this funny? ANY OF YOU?", Renegade said, miserable from sensing not
all of them found him scary. As Carol prepared herself, Cornball was freed from
his lockjaw and giggled madly from what he'd done.
"You deserve each other, you good and evil beings! I DON'T like following either
of your paths and I personally think you can have each other BECAUSE I DESIRE TO
DESTROY you all now! Thank Cornball for this, it's all his fault! That madmon
giggling over there has sealed all your Dooms! So who's laughing now besides
Cornball?"
"I'm NOT laughing", said Carol to Renegade. "I've had enough of you worse than
you've had of us." Cornball was still giggling uncontrollably with Halifax
holding him to the floor with his hands faxing from below holding him down.
"Oh, what are you going to do? Use your physical prowess to kick my butt? I've
got news for you, lady.." and with one more morph, Renegade morphed into a
horned, scarred replica of Carol. "As Cornball would sing but I'll say, anything
you could do I can do BETTER."
"No", said Carol," You can't. YOU CAN'T EVER BE AS SANE AS I AM NOW!!!"
And with that Carol's powers were unleashed against the shadows of Renegade. A
stream of pink psychic energy made visible by faith alone came from her forehead
and hit her doppleganger in the head. Renegade used Carol's form to try to
counter with dark shadows beamed back in a similar fashion as the two minds
linked and fought each other.
For a moment, both beams of dark and light psychic energies flared off each
other, like two firehoses pointed at each other. But, Renegade had a problem
with defeating Carol. Renegade was capable, you see, of getting power for
causing misery, but couldn't quite hack being caused misery to. And Carol's
powers were fed by the wish to see Renegade in jail for all he did, dead or
alive, for what he did for Carol's friends, old and now new ones.
And with the pepper spilled all over the floor, Renegade's power was weakened a
lot more than usual and he fell over coughing from his exposure.

With a massive wheeze, Renegade sneezed, horse meat stench that no breath mint
cure cure, EVER, lofted in the room as all of the psychic darkness he had came
flying out of his nose, his mouth, and flew out of the place. He reverted to his
true form but still kept wheezing blast after blast, causing the building to
shake as the dark psychic blasts began to weaken the building.
Motioning the Incorporateds to not just stand there, Carol and Wilson rushed to
the sneezing Renegade as his powers of darkness faded quickly with each wheeze.
Wilson briefly said "If I were you, Renegade, NOW I WOULD LISTEN TO WILSON TO
LEAVE THIS PLACE!", said Carol who's powers rushed to lift him away from harm
now that Renegade posed only his regular threat of shapeshifting now.
"As long as I'm going down INTO LIFE, I'll put the blame on Casey NOW
because he brought that Damned Pepper in here!"
"Do me a favor", said Wilson as he helped drag the weakening Renegade out of the
place which felt like it could fall any minute, "BLAME YOURSELF FOR A CHANGE!"
The two rushed out of there with the clearly living Renegade behind them as the
symbol of Kannel's dark infamy fell upon itself, caving in and rushing dust as
the psychic energy, having neither a host or setinence to sustain it being so
rudely rejected due to an outside allergy, blew out in a upside-down cone
through the windows of the tower breaking all the windows. As the building fell
on itself, the cone swallowed the falling building bit by bit as it rose up and
the building fell down, atomized by the unleased vile potential the evil energy
had. And then, the cone imploded on itself, taking the building away with it
forever, a legacy of vileness gone in a few seconds.

All the Incorporateds watched it all above as Cornball held by Halifax still,
both being the first to leave when Reng had his dark, asthmatic spell, and
Renegade, held in tandem by Carol's psychic energy and Wilson's cybernetic
strength, faced each other. As mortal enemies both now, Cornball with Renegade
and Renegade with Cornball and everyone else as targets of misguided anger.
Both struggled to make something of it, but Longneck took an initiative and
began running forth at Reng's stomach. "By the way, this is for my son!", said
the toonish one as he head-butted the held Renegade and Renegade burped from the
impact, releasing a very stricken vulture flapping off towards the horizon and
relieving a worried Carol. But not all that much.....

Book IV "Epilog for a not-dead horse"

As all loose ends are wrapped up so the reader can finish this one,
go back to reading new & small stories of the Incorporated's future adventures,
and begs the reader and buyer of this saga to loan this book to a friend
So he can save money for the next, inevitable epic of the Incorporateds
Inevitably coming next year (told you I aren't keeping any secrets from you!)

Chapter 40 "One dark saga ends, or does it?"

Kannel, apparently, had gotten his just deserts being made a vulture, it was his
karma. Since being that was punishment enough as the Dogelian Justiceers came
forth to put in custody the SCE's alerted to by Jhof's insistent reporting of
the crisis (delayed by Renegade's psychic energies trying to make them crash,
too, when they came too close, the Dogelians were not about to put that bird in
jail for a hundred years and called in an aviareer (aviary keeper) to get him
instead. But still, Renegade and Cornball were not so easy to catch still being
setinent, so both were seperated looking mean at each other as Carol looked
towards the distant sky until the vulture stopped circling the city and left for
good to be later captured and displayed at a zoo one day with the words
"Caution: do not make the bird human he's a dictator that way."
A few blasts of mental energy convinced the vulture never to annoy his
ex-daughter ever again.
As Casey went to make his report of all that transpired, the rest of the
Incorporateds watched the arrests being made for countless warrants and they
finally saw Lawrence, Srig, and the idiots being taken away. They couldn't have
realized it was Cornball's fault all this mayhem was brought about by Cornball
and not Renegade on their own, but it didn't matter. As much as they remembered
from Renegade causing disharmony in all their minds, they actually fought
against each other even though they were on the same side for the first time in
well, ever. And this probably would haunt all their lives even more effectively
than Renegade ever could during his brief and failed afterlife.
Wilson and Carol looked on as Carol's revolt had somehow inspired the cloaked
settlers of Terzel Yang to go against the SCE's and crooked pirate-cops to
regain control. She could only watch from afar, and Wilson wondered of why she
did not revel in her people's freedom and party with them.
"I brought this all about as an anonymous person", said Carol. "They don't know
about anyone named Carol Catwind and they don't care. If I told them that I was
Ixnay once, they'd just laugh seeing I'm a lot shorter and more cat-like now
anyway."
"You've decided to let Ixnay be a legend instead of an alternate Identity?",
said Wilson to his now-adopted daughter as he sensed the final paperwork going
through to keep Kannel Catwind from ever being identified with Carol ever
again.
"If I went back to being Ixnay for these people I couldn't be with you anymore.
There's no threat here anymore but there's threats beyond that need us both to
solve them. Besides, any lady who hated crime could be Ixnay for these people.
I have to be myself for you and the whole world." And with that both Wilson and
Carol (Now Carolina for short, and you'll figure the last name soon enough
because it comes up in a future story.)
"At least I'm glad it's all over.", said Wilson as he saw Casey come forth.

"Casey, anything else to say on this matter now that you really can lead
us once again?", Wilson shouted as Casey took a break from relating his
story to the point where the Neverrest crashed and Speedster
had his eye out.
"As long as you, Wilson, can still advise me now and then, and Carol can give me
guidance on what I can't see beyond the Horizon, sure. But do you think you can
give Speedster the job now and then when I'm on vacation? I think he saw the
worst of this whole affair before even I did and maybe if he gets off the opera
kick he can be the best we've ever had."
"I'll think about it, Casey. Did you drop the pirates off into custody just now
we had in the AR chamber back at the Neverrest?"
"I did and put them in the place where they would do the most good." And Wilson
could hear screaming from within Cornball's paddy-skycraft as the pirates began
chanties on cue once they realized they were captive but at least outside the AR
chamber now.
"It's not life imprisonment for Cornball's crimes", said Carol, "But it's a
start. A good one."
"I heard them when they started singing when I sprung and hogtied them to be
delivered to the police here. That off-key chanteying is miserable!", shouted
Casey as he went back, and Wilson saw Longneck from afar smirking his massive
grin to help Cornball feel bad even more.

Halifax stared on as Renegade was carted away. Ann came to him along with
Speedster who was wondering what happened to Brek, the one who helped Renegade
turn Carolina feline. Hopefully gators, sharks, and even Kannel the Vulture
himself would, though Speedster was too nice to think such things and hoped Brek
would seek a hermit's life as a future career goal instead.
Less demonic possession that way.
"In a way I'm glad Renegade's back though I hate his guts so. At least we don't
have to worry about him driving horse meat stench through our nostrils and
scaring us with shadows."
"But he still more or less can come back and pretend to be us. Does that worry
you?"
"Some, Ann. Even though anything supernatural got out of Renegade when he had
that allergy attack at the end, he still probably can shapeshift because he has
a living body, although scarred and all. I don't know if it is better for him to
be alive or dead."
"At least it is better for you to be alive", said Speedster. "We can all,
especially with Carol's help now, keep Reng in check no matter what." And with
that, Ann and Speedster went off, looking back at Halifax who stared at the
stars briefly, then moved on to meet Wilson and Carolina who were busy getting
to know each other more.
"Yes. Even if he tries to one day go after the one I LOVE.", quietly murmured
Halifax as he watched the sun rise, himself missing the one he once cared
for.....

The Idiots looked back upon a lonely Srig, missing his partner-in-crime Jhof now
that he thought Jhof was gone wrongly. In their own paddy-craft and bruised,
they saw a kindred, if not-so-dumb soul. He must have been stupid to be involved
with a abusive moron like Jhof.
"I suppose when I next escape from prison it's the old bar for me.", said Srig.
"Uh, no. Not the bar for you. I think you must be stupid enough to think
barkeeping is the only life for you.", said a annoyed Uglixor, sensing Srig
might go into the media circus if he didn't say something.
"Yeah, look us up somewhere. We personally go and make the stupid people smart
like us whereever we go.", said Daftec.
"We what, and since WHEN?", Uglixor replied.
"We do now, Uglixor. At least, when we free ourselves!", said Daftec.
"Oh. What ever happened to that Jhof feller you were with?", said Uglixor to
Srig, contemplating the offer Daftec was saying in his only-sounds-stupid
manner.
"Someone made him feel less of a male.", sighed Srig cryptically
as they all were carted off, not too pleased they were so close to the same
conveyance Renegade was in.

Chapter 41 "Shadows no more for now!"

The Incorporateds, not long after they forced Lawrence to make Rynogoff at least
4 feet high (no taller, though, for security reasons) and saw both off, the
Incorporateds left as the sun shone free over a free Terzel Xerkes. They'd
stayed longer if it wasn't for the rumor a mysterious SCE had suddenly come
forth to start this drug ring to ruin people's lives. But after that, a vacation
would be needed by all prior to facing the foolish creep. And Carolina (Carol
for short, though few of the Incorporateds would call her the short version
anymore) went with Wilson, free of the horror and living in love and honor
again.

And yes, they lived happily ever after, leaving a world to call them legends as
the years passed when Terzel Yang's people regained their ability to walk in the
sun without wrapping themselves in fabric and nylon anymore in their lives
thanks to some medical attention paid for out of Wilson's trust fund and
much more taken from the return of the ill-gotten gains the now-vulture Kannel
didn't need anymore (rotting horse meat, ironically, sustained him best in his
aviary prison for some strange reason.) And they told these stories to their
children as the Incorporateds fought against evil in all its forms. Stories of a
legendary shadowy woman with a hand of fire who taunted the corrupt police and
drove the misguided monkeys to redemption long ago. Of how she would come out
and find criminals and defeat them before they even had a chance to spend their
ill-gotten gains with the power of just her mind......

Ixnay's legend grew bigger with every tale as Terzel became a
prosperous, good colony where corruption from on high became a memory.
As the years passed, other legends came forth. Of how, sometimes, if Ixnay
herself would not come, a lady with cat ears came as her partner with a shining
head and a costume slightly reminiscent of samurai in Japan to help. A
legend that for all intents and purposes was more grounded in reality. Of
course, other legends of other heroes came forth from offworld visitors, none of
them illegal-thinking policemen or misguided souls, that also claimed to be
Incorporateds. But for this world, no one was greater in its salvation than
Ixnay. And all the copycat imitations that came forth when misguidedness tried
to rule and disrespect of the female gender was prevalent.....

Chapter 42 "At last, the end"

And some parents would get a kick of telling wayward kids that if they were rude
to girls, a old dogelian madwoman from the distant swamps who rode in this rusty
car with a mad SCE (muttering things about horses and rotting and cats with
metal arms) would come out and make them think differently. Asking a lot of
questions and keeping the sexist feelings from staying forever in the boys'
minds through a good butt-kicking. Whether this was truth or not did not matter,
but these cornball tall tales did make Terzel Yang the best planet ever to
promote gender harmony and a sensitive, kind press to boot. One day, ordinary
people could even land here and make a home. Of course, they were unfortunately
prone to adventures but that's another story.

And every time the legend was told, it was rumored always those told could hear
in the distance the haunting echo of a horse gone totally bad but thankfully
existing WAY away from the rest of the universe...

"Wouldn't you like to have known, Halifax? Wouldn't you like to have known."
said a shadow briefly as the sun set once again to the presence of nobody
hearing on the 100TH anniversary of the Shadow of the Horse affair.... to a
world as colonized and populous as Earth ever was, but far kinder and
gentler..... save for a very small portion run by a dictator, but that's another
story....

The End....!?!?!?!?