The Incorporateds

Episode 7 "Snake Oil"

raptor fans, this one is for you.

Written by Charles Duncan

Chapter 1 "And now we do an environmental dinosaur story! OH YES!", says
Cornball en route from his grave to his next bout with adolescence!

Bagombas Gane was a big cat, around the belly and not in the soul or morals
department, and he ran on the world of Priba Tane Yababgi a natural gas and fuel
mining operation that was awfully profitable for him and not his employees. It
was in the small hilly grass plains with trees of many colors growing out of the
soil that he obtained the many kinds of fuels he sold for profit. From the very
short and colorful trees himself he could have a guide far easier than any
survey map clues to what kind of gaseous potion lied beneath them. And a
whole lot of small tanks slowly draining the fuels from the ground kept pumping
fuel out of the ground and into the wallet of Bagombas (of course, the fuel was
sent offworld and sold, what did you think it was being directly made into
CREDITS?)

Unlike Earth, though, Priba Tane Yababgi had fossil fuels loads more diverse
than the simple ones of gas and helium and oil. These had anything from that
which tasted like cooking oil but which was really poisonous and could make
gas-drinking cars go twice as long to the more poisonous-tasting stuff that was
just as harmless as cooking oil. Provided you didn't drink the whole bottle.

Bagombas Gane was the sole lord of the land and in a modest small warehouse was
his home. His workers, unprotected against most of the oil spills that
occasionally came from cheap equipment and barely protected from the poverty
line by weak paychecks and no hazard pay at all, fumed a lot more than some of
the fumes the more virulent gases gave off. But rarely could they complain for
he was bound to die from overweightness, so they waited quietly.

But soon Bagombas found out something other than his malaised workers was
protesting his operation. First, his partner about two years prior to the first
day of 1978 was rudely ejected for coming down with a nasty virus that
infuriated Gane to no end. Then the raids began as this huge raptor came
forth (If 6 feet 7 inches ain't huge enough for you, too BAD!) and took a bunch
of children after biting them in the butt. And their parents. For five months,
there were no raids but then the big raptor and a bunch of kid raptors and these
mid-sized raptors had one and took 5 more families hostage and into oblivion for
all Bagombas cared. Then both Bagomba's kids and his wife vanished when 1978's
summer began so Bagombas began to worry a LOT. So he called someone to come and
check the raiding Raptors for cannibal cat breath or something. As soon as half
his workstaff left with the Raptors when he waited 4 months to call someone as
lower rates for Ethispace calls were in effect then.

Apparently, Bagombas was insane for he tried first calling the cops and since
the Cops aka Frontiersmen were too embarrased that their leader helped an SCE
warlord escape freelance and no-cost justice and it WASN'T a SECRET! So Bagombas
tried calling the SCE Emperor (Bagombas kept the evil one well stocked in Helium
in case the Emperor wanted to go up up and WAY OFF in his baloon even though
Kingston had no truck with such voice-squeaking stuff and just sent it off to
Cornball as gifts) but got Jhof's news-reporting number instead, manned by Srig
nowadays in Jhof's prison-induced absence. So, with threats of being interviewed
and pummeled at the same time, Bagombas decided it was best to call the
Incorporateds instead to investigate all this. Heck, he figured, they did
investigation for nothing and besides, if all else failed, all those rookies
would be raptor feed in the distant horizon beyond his mining establishment.

Bagobas Gane, however, was also a bad judge of character. Those raptors didn't
EAT cats or were cannibals.....

So kept yelling the outraged raptors in their hissing and occasionally RAZZING
voices!
          
Chapter 2 "And so, we can see the Incorporateds landing to beat the tar of this
world's illegal claimants. Can we have a word with you and your butt in a
sling?", says Jhof who then gets whacked with a plunger out of both
self-defense and ANNOYANCE!

It was a cold day when Wilson took his mandatory vacation from the
Incorporateds so they wouldn't be sued by some union, and it had to be since
Wilson was going skiing as opposed to say, sliding chest-first down a rocky
mountainslope with spiky rocks. Casey was a little unnerved Wilson took his
vacation so soon after Speedster uneventfully did so from his, but it would give
Casey a chance to prove his worthiness of being the sucessor to Wilson after
Wilson retired from the Incorporated's leadership. Halifax wouldn't say where
Wilson went as Wilson didn't blab out such things.
Meanwhile, Ann was still flying the plane and Speedster was watching his videos,
so Casey felt like it was time to rest after the business of the past months
(Battling a slave ring, a drug cartel run with brain-washed zombie ninjas, a
mon who thought he was a living toon can take A LOT out of one. But when good
rests, evil plays so five minutes into Casey's nap Bagombas sent on the Ethinet
the request for help.
Casey hated being sent crank videoclips but gave Bagombas his due for a while
and Bagombas almost shook fearful of what Srig was plotting to do would be done
by Casey as he responded, "Are you some sort of secretary for the leader of the
Incorporateds?"
"Actually, I am an interim leader and NO SECRETARY!", Casey responded tiredly.
"Too bad. Thought the one who'd lead such a new group would be twelve feet tall,
totally muscular and airbrained to boot.", said Gane after a few seconds.
"Sorry I'M not your ideal, stranger. Is this a crank call or is there a genuine
threat from either the forces of evil or the forces of misguidedness?"
"I don't know about EITHER but dinosaurs are causing my oil field workers and my
wife and family recently, oh how I miss them!... To be kidnapped and bitten in
the butt."
"Riiiighhhhtttt... Dinosaurs. To politely say, in the rear. Hold on
for a minute."

It took TWO minutes of laughing and walking away while Speedster came up to the
Ethinet terminal.

Bagombas really didn't expect Casey  to just walk off like that and did not
expect the unusual-to-him Speedster to walk up to the ethisterminal. "Hello out
there? Are you calling us about something Wilson ordered from the Ethinet
shopping network or worse? Why did you call us and what did you say to
Casey that drove him to laughter?"
Maybe I shouldn't mention what ELSE these reptilian beasts do to the kidnappees,
thought Bagombas. Or put it a little more intelligently.....
"I am the manager of an oil refining instillation named Bagombas Gane.
I have been attacked for quite some time near my installation by reptiles seven
feet tall and they are lousy with taking my um, decently paid and well-protected
workers. My family was recently kidnapped by them and we have now very few
workers to (hold on, would you people out there QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR
PAYCHECKS BEING TWO DAYS LATE? DON'T YOU PEOPLE EVER TIGHTEN YOUR SASHES OR
BELTS OR TIESTRINGS OR WHATEVER HOLDS UP YOUR SHORTS WHEN YOU HUNGER... i... oh,
NUTS."
"Not another wierdo.", said Speedster under his breath as well.
"AND YOU RAPTORS IN THE HILLS CAN STOP SCREAMING YOUR MISERY OUT THERE TOO,
YOU... uM... ER...."
"Never mind. We will come to see about your problems. But next time call a
little early, why don't you?"
Speedster wisely delogged and went to Casey with the printout of the location of
the disturbances.

Casey was a little calmer now.
"I don't know what came over me then, Speedster, but... but..."
And that ended the calmness as Laughter once again filled Casey's head.
"Forget you, Casey. Listen, we're going to go and see about this oil refining,
gas-rendering man who claims dinosaurish creatures, long dead on OUR own world,
have been taking his workers away. I don't know what he must have initially
said, but if you're too immature to take care of it (hearing this from ME? Wow!)
then you can sit this out."
Casey got serious quickly.
"Don't be ridiculous. If Wilson says I can handle crises like this, then I will
prove it to him and the world. I will show I have decorum and class and prove
myself a better leader to take the Incorporateds to see Kingston jailed one
day."
"Okay, but keep your head."
"Good friend. Now go tell Ann to change course. We are going to Priba Tane this
day."
"And kick disrespectful rear if we.....", said Speedster.
All Speedster could hear was laughter behind him continuous and strong so
Speedster just cut his speech short.
Perhaps it was for the best.

It was a bad day to be outside on Priba Tane, what with the inclimate weather
outside, but Bagombas Gane didn't care much as he rarely stepped outside. Except
now he had to. Company was coming in the form of the expected Neverrest.
However, as he stood there for a minute and the rain began to fall somewhat, at
least the people he was expecting did come. However, they came up from beneath
the ground instead from on to it as Halifax's gate stunned another customer.
Bagombas turned around to see them and screamed.
"Halifax, I told you he was a nut, now didn't I?"
"Maybe if we landed instead of gated....", said Halifax as Ann used her sun
visor (the extra-bright sunshine against vision better suited for night could
give a catican just as much astigmatism as misaligned eyes could give a human)
as a poor substitute for an unbrella.
Casey replied, "No time for showmanship here. Apparently we didn't scan the
region for thunderstorms before we gated here. Bagombas, what is YOUR problem?",
said Casey to the shaking, getting wet fat cat.
"Oh, much sorrow. I expected you to simply land or materialize."
"Like that's gonna happen with me around", said Halifax, at least glad there
wasn't mold and dust in the air to make him gate into seperate parts.
"Anyway, I do have a problem as I'm sure you know all too well..."
"YES", said Speedster as he walked around the rain-soaked area.
You do have dinosaurs, you claim. Well, where's your proof, locked away
in your mind as whhooopppp...." And with that, Speedster tripped into a small
puddle that was shaped like a reptile's foot. A puddle two feet around and a
foot DEEP. Considering Speedster at best was 4 feet tall, that was a little deep
subject for him.
"Not in my mind. In that claw tracks you just stepped in. I've got Surveillance
tapes of the whole thing inside. Which we should go in if we do not wish to
catch colds out here.", said Gane as he opened his door and went in, hoping they
would follow before the work day was into beginning.
"Sounds like something even we could consider.", said Halifax as he stepped
inside via a gate, shocking Gane once more into upset.
Ann sighed. "Fine. If only you'd have heard about doors when YOUNGER, Halifax!",
she said as she pulled Speedster out of his hole and carried the mutt inside.

Speedster was in his shorts as Ann tended to cleaning him off even though Casey
insisted he take care of the task. Ann knew cleaning stuff was not always a task
for both genders but insisted herself knowing Casey was good at wrestling
monkeys, misguided crooks and worse but not wet sentinent dogs. Speedster lied
down in the kitchen portion of the warehouse and let Ann blow-dry him clean with
a blow dryer which was making Speedster's ample chest and back hair just stand
up on its end like a lion's shoulder part of the mane. Almost to the point of
ridiculousness....
"I think it's unusual during this whole experience, Speedster, your ears Still
stood straight out. How come they do that?"
"Prior to my being humanized, Ann, I had those ears pulled to the point they
were dislocated when a new person came into my life and took me to a vet. The
ears had to be held straight out like that with metal rods while the mange and
the skin was healing back in place. I ended up becoming a lot more human
with these ears REMAINING like this."
"And I suppose they don't even bend anymore."
"Sometimes in the wind they bend back. But I have to run VERY fast for those
ears to do so. Beating all that wind resistence is what they can't do very
well."
"That person must have been very special to you, Speedster."
"Yes, she was. More than you'll ever know."
Or I would have, Speedster thought to himself as he brushed his hair back
into place.

Bagombas Gane apparently was livid as Casey saw those films and a lot of
taunting from the raptors. "I'm surprised that you don't get a lot of respect
from this new species. Have you ever been cruel to them, stepped on their tails
or something worse?"
"NO, ", Bagombas denied. "Not, of course, when they were.... well.... when I
first saw them. But in time, they did not like the treatment I gave them so they
went beserk and silly like that. That's been taped not so long before I called
your fine group.
"I personally do not want to shoot them in their teeth and must see a solution
other than them just running my operation into the ground. They took a lot of my
people in their teeth from me and I want them back working for me."
"Why", Halifax said. "I've seen better housing for them rather than ranshackle
metal buildings where I myself was once forced to work. No market for groceries,
no sanitary bathrooms, holes in the roofs big enough to make a door, etc. etc.
", he started saying as he gated back into the building, soaking wet still but
still not feverish or anything like that.
During the whole time Halifax said his grievances Bagombas screamed again.
Apparently living with his new neighbors made Bagombas jumpy for some reason.
And Speedster looked thoughtful and suspicious as he began to figure out the
connection between the missing workers and their reptilian capturers. Also a lot
cleaner.
Casey was trying to calm Bagombas down a lot by shaking him as then he heard
scratches outside and distant rumbling. Too bad not one glass full of water
in the warehouse was either full or shaking because Cornball would go for that.
The building was shaking, though.

"I believe they are here once again near this camp", Bagombas quietly muttered.
"Well, are you going to stand here or defend the people I have left?"
"Actually", Halifax said, "we probably will first try to talk to these raptor
creatures. We are suspicious saving your people AND bringing them back here is
NOT the best thing for them. Casey, on your word?"
"Word is we're going outside to reguide someone."
"Good luck! Your rears will be CHOW!", Bagombas said as the Incorporateds not on
vacation currently and as a whole ran out into the ebbing rain storm and into
the fading sunshine of twilight.

Chapter 3 "When you've got problems don't tell me about them. I don't care about
them or you!" says Renegade imprisioned and breaking out FAST for revenge.

In the distant rolling hills beyond the area designated by Bagombas as his own
land, they could see a tribe of the raptors coming forth from the even more
distant lowlands beyond, a tribe of complainers and certainly not a tribe of
cannibals like Bagombas was ranting about from within his own personal
warehouse. A lot of them had crude placard signs protesting his meaness to his
people just one mile from the border as Speedster and Casey began to run to the
edge of the field to get a better view.
Halifax and Ann were quite far behind when the oil workers dashed by them
from their work in the field. They were wearing jumpsuits as the workers should
but there was no or little ventilation from fumes via masks or helmets or
anything like that. And the jumpsuits were torn.
"I really am beginning to see that Bagombas's karma is not very good for
anything", said Ann. "He is a greedy soul in that he's neglecting hard-working
people and their needs for proper anything."
"And he wants us to bring his workers back to him. I don't personally think we
ought to let him have those people for him but to expose him after this
kidnapping crisis is over and deny his illusion of power.", said Halifax as
someone almost trampled him into the ground. Somehow, he didn't seem able to be
crushed but it hurt a LOT.
"Halifax?", Ann said as she pulled him away from a swarm of workers not just
looking for shelter... but another opportunity to protest their treatment.
"I'll be fine enough, Ann", said Halifax as Ann took him away from the crowds
circling the building and beginning to chant. Ann probably realized just why
Bagobas was fearful some. NOT ALL, THOUGH....

Casey was well in advance of the crowd of Raptors knocking over fuel tanks and
gas tanks all amongst the natural mini-grove of psychadelically colored trees.
Many of them were speaking in hissings but it was still legible Catican as
apparently these creatures were fast learners. Cornball would have loved to have
witnessed all this but he was busy being reborn in a new, teenage kick-butt body
(with, unfortunately, his spirit of corniness.)
Speedster had elected to stay behind slightly to smell what was in the air and
much of it STANK as the small group of protesting raptors rushed towards where
he was. Speedster hated to see riots like this even from raptors, for although a
few of the younger ones had a peaceful protest claiming Bagombas was not god and
worse, most of the foolhardier ones ripped up the tanks with their large feet
pounding the ground in unison.
Speedster then came face to face with a medium sized one and he thought his
skills would have to be used. He pulled from his backpack (worn almost all his
waking days) his wooden plunger and powered up, the plunger shimmering in light
as a warning Speedster was now a load faster and stronger and almost in a bezerk
mode in which he did things so fast he didn't even SEEM to have time to think or
anything. But the confrontation seemed to be a ploy as another raptor quickly
tumbled under Speedster and sent him flying and spinning in the air. Casey tried
to get the raptor's attentions but it was too late for them to care about reason
to keep Speedster from being seized strong enough not to escape.
"Oh, great. You guys eat too darned many caffeine-bean bushes in the morning,
don't you?", he said as he was held upside down and someone tried to bite him
there and then in the butt. A young female raptor did the deed but she would
have needed dentures from then on because in her haste she didn't think
Speedster's tail was organic---- just a, welll.....
"Ssssssod! That Tail'ssssss a prosssssthetic! OWGH!", she said as she rushed off
back the way she came to find her tribe's shaman for dental work. Still, the
protest continued as the Raptors came and talked amongst themselves, with Casey
half a mile away and coming fast to aid his friend.
"What", yelled another raptor holding Speedster's Legs. "The metal wassssn't a
clue, child? SSSSSSomeone finish him off by nibbling off that
damned SSSSSSSSSStump! And move, he's SSSTRONG!"
Soon, the raptor's brother did it and quick. One chomp and Speedster screamed
louder than any opera singer. Even from their distant vantage point Halifax and
Ann heard it and saw it was shattering the glass windows of Bagombas's warehouse
dwelling.
"Great. They got the best friend I've ever had. Except for her.....", said
Halifax, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Her who?", said Ann.
"I'm sure you'll know sooner or later, Ann. Right now we must go to keep Casey
from being victimized himself."
"I'd personally die myself before I'd be a victim EVER again. Fax us gone", Ann
said as Halifax and Ann went down into the ground via dimensional gating,
as opposed to the panicked workers being chased (by another Raptor trying
to ask "Please, come on, Its your old friend" left and right) stampeding
them there.

Casey tried to keep up to the tribe of protesting Raptors as they dragged the
writhing and seemingly comatose Speedster off at incredible speeds. Even faster
than his own 60 miles per hour, the raptors went at least a hundred. And the
others holding Speedster still stuck in fast forward were going TWO hundred
themselves uncontrollably. In three minutes Casey, already running late past his
bedtime, was losing ground and Casey could only walk behind painfully. While
running 60 miles per hour was a thing Casey could do... it was something Casey
wasn't capable of doing FOREVER. He could only watch and catch his breath as the
Raptors took Speedster away.
"First ... huff... the little dog takes you away from.... huff... me ... and
then these raptors take you... huff.... too."
Halifax and Ann caught up after a couple of exits to get their bearings as the
hills began rising to mountainous proportions. And they could see the Raptors
had their place now in the high mountains where it'd be hard to get by foot.
Halifax was shaken as he shook Casey, too.
"Where's Speedster, Casey? Is he gone? Dead?"
"Worse, for all I know. He's been kidnapped and we don't know what those Raptors
are doing to that poodle. But whatever the Raptors plan, we'll just have to
crawl behind tonight and hope to come up unseen. And hopefully stop in time."
"We could gate right back to the Neverrest and then scan for Speedster's
location then gate back down. It might save TIME.", said Halifax as he calmed
down and used his mind.
"Yes. I may know flying, ninja combat and clothesmaking, but rock Climbing is
something I've never really gotten good at. ", replied Ann.
"I knew someone who once loved this stuff. Too bad she's..."
"Tell me later. Just get us out of here, Halifax. No time for lost love
reflections. Speedster needs saving AGAIN!"
Casey tried to reply, "But what about the adventure that follows?"
"Are you really going to let the hostages wait for us while whatever's being
done to them be already done by the time we get there? You after all must use
reason as a leader and not always be carried by emotion or ever-growing peaks.",
Ann said as she reassured Halifax Speedster was to be okay.... somehow.
"I suppose, Ann, you do have a point. Good thing we have you around at times.",
Casey.
"Having Speedster around isn't as bad, either. Halifax, let's have Speedster
back!", Ann yelled into the dark starlit sky.

Chapter 4 "Becoming something you're not meant to be is always the challenge
when you're a teenager." Kingston said once upon seeing his most recent
graduation class at the Warren, his underground realm where he misguides new SCE
soldiers monthly!

Bagombas Gane, seeing the protests die down as his grumpy workers had to go and
eat what they had, was relieved but concerned the windows were gone. However, it
would hide what he had to do, and it was good the Incorporateds were gone for
his next act. He realized maybe the SCE's after all should have been called in.
No heroics, no going after captured allies, shooting the raptors without
compassion.... Now that would have made things a lot less SCARIER for him.
And even when the last of the rumbling Raptors steamed off to take their latest
victims (Now only a handful of workers remained as some were taken off in this
raid ALONE) Bagombas worried. And the next-to-realest reason showed itself as he
felt pain in his hand and no wonder, it was growing scaly and had long nails in
it.
But there was a cure, if temporary, the SCE's had given him to keep appearances
up. And in a safe hidden from the plain sight of all, Bagombas took out his
cure: at least 10 vials of the most potent interferon ever made, with nine empty
ones. And he drank one straight up and just one minute later that scaly hand
of his reverted before it even shaded itself green. But still, (although the
cure didn't make Bagombas less metaphorically being a Snake himself) tomorrow
he'd have to get one more. It cost half the money Bagombas scammed off his
workers and business taxes to pay for it, but the rest was more than enough for
him to stay feline and RICH in his own warehouse. Paranoid, yes, but rich.
Sickeningly so, and more now that he had less workers to pay so cheaply!
Bagombas wondered then just how his kids were doing and his wife and hopefully
they were being digested. Darned threats of being whistleblowers to those
Justiceers who came by one day. Thankfully the Raptors got them and their little
cop dogs, too!

Speedster inevitably awoke to the sight of his friends, safe and sound in some
only moderately, slightly damp cave somewhere. He was wondering mentally if he
was saved or his friends were captured, too. And Casey was at his side and
Halifax and Ann as well so Speedster felt relieved as Casey tried to break
gently what had happened to his best friend trying very hard to recover from
what the raptors did to him.

"Shhhh... don't speak just yet, Speedster. It's alright now, more or less."
Halifax then said, "Are you really going to tell him NOW?"
"Now that he's awake it would be a good time, Halifax. Anyway, Speedster, I
guessed you must have seen a connection, about how these raptor people seemed to
grow in population as the workers of Bagombas Gane shrank and were stolen away."
Speedster only nodded. Darn, but if he could see all why were his eyelids still
shut? Were they invisible or something?
"Well, apparently in two seperate mini-lakes of chemicals and fuels under this
planet's surface is some sort of mutation-chemical not far off from the
tangentium residue that kicked Casey's and your evolution into high gear. Mixed
with an underground viral solution deep within a mineral well between the
three pools.....", Ann added. "What, Halifax? You didn't know I'd learned
something about chemistry in High school?"
"I had to get my education much later in life, Ann", Halifax said as his
confusion as to what Ann said almost started going vocal.
"Anyway, the stuff if mixed much like most Terran chemicals SHOULD NOT BE caused
the virus within to cause mutations itself within others. A major disease was
able to be caught from this and in the haste to find new resources Bagombas Gane
and his unwilling partner Fitligon Tigonas got soaked in the stuff and afflicted
rapidly. No, don't ask me just who this Tigonas was just yet. That stuff made
Bagombas and Tigonas mutate a LOT over the next few days, with ever-growing
speed. But Bagombas failed to mutate because he saught help from the SCE outside
and then Tigonas well, went too reptile and screamed back as Bagombas kept
throwing rocks at him, 'I'll stop personally this operation even if all your
workers must become like me and you fire them personally because they'll be
amphibians, you snake in the grass'!"
Halifax added, "Only with a lot more hissing." And Halifax looked behind him as
if worried.
Casey continued as he felt it was time to break the bad news.
"As a result, not only did Tigonas become a raptor but anyone he bit that was
setinent quickly got nearly all their DNA scrambled in dinosaur style. And he
had someone infect you with, well, being plenty darn devolved."
Halifax said, "In short, you are a raptor yourself and your tounge is two feet
longer than usual so you'll ...." Ann then pushed Halifax at the head until
Halifax was forced to gate it off so it wouldn't be decapitated. "What, would
telling a lie hurt him even MORE", Halifax said from below.
Speedster dreaded it now but he had to say something. And it hurt his pride.
"Great. Ju...Ju.. sssss.... T.... what I wanted! Now I'm part LIZARD TOO! OH,
NUTSSSS, NUTSSS, NU... Darn!"
"Well", he sighed, "Could have been a lot wor... worshh..." (he kept trying to
compensate to save his pride in a battle hopefully destined to be more sucessful
than keeping his mammality was)... Worrrshe."

It seemingly was as Raptors quietly came into the room.
"Now I hupssh..guessss... you guys got kidnapped TOO", Speedster said raspily
but at least not so hissingly now as he got out of bed, grabbing his plunger
strangely left bedside. Thankfully enough of his genes were there and more to
light that plunger still worked, though in the small cave it shone almost
blindingly bright. Ann pulled her sun visor down to try to block most of the
glare.
Casey looked hurt. "We didn't exactly get kidnapped, though we thought so at
first. Apparently that Tigonas we mentioned earlier doesn't want any more
fighting right now save for the misguidedness of Bagobas to end."
"And hiss kidnapping the people working for Bagoba... um, Gane.... "
"Apparently was a ploy, slightly misguided and desperate though perhaps the only
way he could figure how, to deliberately help his former coworkers get some
dignity if they didn't wish to work for Bagobas anymore. They must have figured
you out to be one of the new coworkers uninformed."
"Like I want an apology for being thisss? Where'ss. Where's this Tigon-butt
anyway?"

"THIS TIGON-BUTT ISSS HERE, WARRIOR. AND APOLOGIZE TO MY KIDSSSS AND THIS GUY
WHO KEPT DRAWING SSSSKYLINES BEFORE BAGOBASSS GAVE HIM THE RUNAROUNG.", Said the
Raptor who was apparently now Tigonas.
"You want me to believe that?", said Speedster as he realized he was almost
naked, too, save for shorts. But his backpack was close so he didn't feel that
way for long. "You're NUTSS!"
"Come outsside and I'll let them speak for themssselvess.", Tigonas said in a
much quieter voice, apparently realizing he was speaking too loud (As if the
rest of the Incorporateds covering their ears and grimacing wasn't a clue.)

"Well, they said they were sorry", Casey said as Speedster, now the world's
fastest Raptor instead of fastest Poodle (with forearms instead of those
stuck-out ears). "But you don't believe they aren't kidnappers like Bagobas has
them made out to be."
"Well, they were carted off like they didn't want to be!", Speedster said.
"Actually, they did. They hated without mind control or drugs to do anything
without compensation but they hated doing evil things anymore. Apparently when I
managed to convince the workers of Bagobas I was still Tigonas they threw their
lot with me and agreed to be Infected."
"I think you biting them in the butt was NUTS!", Speedster said. "So where iss
the hostages, Anyway?"
"That's jussst it. They ssssurround you now. These are my kidsss who bit you."
"Do we have to apologisssee Again", said the two young raptors.
"No, jusst go to your roomsss tonight and all'sss forgiven." And the kids
slithered off.
"Over there isss the people we recently kidnapped, learning new ssskilllsss in
other industriesss as best as wood and ssstone can teach. Here isss the people
I first convinced to leave Bagombass' employ over there, the onesss who helped
me find a hideout until all of usss were ssstrong enough to fight Bagombass. Do
you realize most of that fat is pure mussscle?"
"He isn't the only one more muscle than Fat", Casey said. "Say, didn't Bagombas
had a wife and kids."
"They're the ones who made dinner last night for you. Mostly toasted weasels and
rats, but they all taste like hamburger anyway."
"Best meal I had in years", said Casey. "I saved you a roll or two."
"Hmph.", said Speedster to Casey. "Like you're not gonna derail what Tigonas is
planning."
"No, free your mind, Speedster. Bagombas is the real jerk here.", Casey sighed.
Bagomba's wife then came forth out of the crowd, "By the way, me and the
kids, persssonally, were treated as well as these workers. Ignored us to no end.
We're glad when he saw what we've become he just threw Divorce papers in my face
and gave us our freedom. I hate him a lot! Anyway, shaman Tigonas, I have said
my peace. And lady feline, get a hairdresser, blond hair isn't fab too. You too,
boy with your head on the floor." She left to make sure the kids threw darts at
Bagomba's wedding picture for the fifth time that day.
"Anyway, we will go to Bagombassss this day, take out his equipment and call
the cops right back with the evidence I've gotten many of these "kidnappees"
to ssssmuggle out with them to give. Of course, we may have a hard time having
them believe we are his workersss, but Bagombasss will learn not to have bad
relationssss with anyone under him anymore.... or mess the environment who
made me this way when Bagombas tampered with it."
"And what about Me?", said Speedster. "Can I recover and you too? Or Am I gonna
be a Dinosaur forever?"
"I think you have the power to recover yourssself if you can get yourssself
talking normal with a long tounge sssso quickly and ssstilll possssesss the
power you manifesssted earlier. And perhapssss you will do sssso but it will
take ssssome time and ressst."
"And I suppose you encouraged Casey to not press anything for this mutation."
"I'm not arguing with Tigonas here", said Casey. "I give him the benefit of the
doubt and help to get Bagombas to confess."
Speedster looked on as few mammalian eyes and a lot of reptilian ones looked on.
"Well, I suppose If Bagombas did this to you and Inevitably this happened to
me... I guess I could be helpful. Darn, if it wasn't bad enough SCE's could be
as misguided as sentientally possible, that just plain greedy men like Bagombas
could be, too!"
"Now you're thinking, Speedster. Maybe Wilson should put you in charge instead
for your inevitably reasoning things through."
"Don't kid yourself, Casey. Give yourself a chance, first.", Speedster said,
stretching his still-reptilian body and starting his return to mammalianess with
his power.
"I let you catch Raptor fever on this very day I assumed leadership and be
captured, too? That doesn't sound like leadership!"
"You listened to reason when I wasn't so willing to."
"You have a point. So when do we go forth and get Bagombas in his place?"
"Five minutes from now. Any minute now Bagombas will be trying to keep himself
from being Reptilian like Tigonas somehow, he has been affected as well. We
stop him and he becomes a real snake and he goes to jail."
"Um, it isn't dusk already, is it", said Speedster to Tigonas.
"We didn't wisssh to wake you from your ressst. That ssscreaming was enough to
wake the dead and we didn't need to hear that what with our earsss sssstill
ringing..."
"I see."

Chapter 5 "Shut up!" says Jhof not wishing to be interviewed and stomped on
himself!

Bagombas Gane could have seen the resistance against his unfair labor practices
but he was too busy trying to convince the 5 or 6 remaining laborers under him
they could do the work of, say, 500. And almost that many raptors were circuling
around the camp the next night as he awaited nervously his shipment of
mega-antiferon. And felt the transformation coming from inside....
Then again, perhaps if this time he'd end up being a raptor, he'd be even harder
to take down by a angry employee whos complaints were ignored all too well. He
waited and waited and not even a secret call this time from the SCE with his
shipment in exchange for kickbacks and whatever. So desperate was his mind now,
he stopped thinking. And then there was rapping on the door by a raptor.
"I'm sorry, but if you work for me, I don't want any.... " Mistake number 1.
It wasn't the Raptors anymore but the Incorporateds who came to the door first.
And there was this short raptor with them, looking up. Casey had a lot of words
for Bagombas about the 'kidnappees'.
"So, did you track them down to their.. lair", said Bagombas desperately as he
realized his attempt to prevent his former workers from surrounding him and
suing him for damages to their genetic patterns among other things was not good.
"Yes, but I suppose you know that your workers were really mutated raptors
themselves. They told you so and they told US. Now go and tell the cops,
Bagombas Gane, because we will subdue you and hold you as we dig through your
drawers and...."
"No need. All the evidence is on the desk. All the corrupt reports and complaint
slips and forged worker well-being reports with my signature. But to get to them
you'll have to get through me. It's funny you didn't bother to look on the desk,
you'd have a reason to citizen-arrest me in a second."
"Thanks a lot, blabber-mouth", said Speedster. "You just told your friends
outside and they will come in and take the evidence out and give it to the cops
and you'll be put away!"
"Damn reptilian thing", Bagombas said. "But you know what....else....you...
should...know....", he said as he suddenly began changing, a process delayed for
far too long....
"Oh, just great", whispered Speedster to Casey, "He apparently didn't take his
medicine."
"YOU'LL STILL HAVE TO GO OVER ME BEFORE YOU CAN CHANGE THINGS HERE!",
Bagombas shouted as he became a raptor, abliet a fat one.
"Okay", said Tigonas just outside as the Incorporateds stepped aside, "Now I
WILL!"
And Tigonas did run in as his anger could not be kept back and Bagombas was to
seriously have his butt kicked. And the scaly tail, too!
Bagombas was now very strong and vicious but Tigonas kept in shape a lot at his
cavernous hideout so the battle was brief. Tigonas didn't give a damn about
claws or anything, so he just rolled his clawed hand into a simple fist and
slapped Bagombas in the beak. About fifteen times as then Speedster grabbed
Bagombas by the tail and kept him from running off, and with a flurry of ten
more slaps Bagombas fell to the ground dazed. Then Halifax, notioning for
the other raptors to start carting out the surveillance tapes of Bagombas
cheating his employees, underpaying his employees and failing to comply with
a lot of stuff OSHA would find revolting, took over for Speedster in the
raptor-capture business.
Bagombas was cheesed at being defeated so rudely as cheers came from the crowd
within and without as documents and tapes and more were verified as personal
evidence against Bagomba's inhumane operation. And Tigonas danced the disco dance
on Bagombas to keep him down as Bagombas did ask Tigonas to go over Bagombas.
"I hope you choke on all that Evidence!", Bagombas sorely whined.
And Speedster, with one blank piece of paper not evidence, balled it up and
stuffed the ball to jam Bagomba's beak open. "Shut up!", he said, "Because you
have the right!"

It was one day later when the Justiceers had to use the benefit of the doubt on
having Bagombas carted out, but common sense kept Bagombas from escaping the arm
of the law. Especially since it was a whole group of setinent raptors who'd tied
him to a stretcher since no jail was handy on field that met them once they
landed the next day.
The Incorporateds, (save for Speedster who was regaining his mammality (And his
new tail was actually staying a part of him even though it was a long poodle's
one now) who'd already said his goodbyes and was resting) said goodbye to the
Gane & Tigonas families of raptors hitching a ride in front of the main
Justiceer van with the cops up front. Casey wasn't too disappointed in what
Tigonas said to his queries about whether Tigonas would seek a cure for being a
Raptor.
"There may not be a cure in our genes for being Raptors, Casey, and I doubt we
will. We may just find one for the irritating need to bite someone and the
ability to infect others with the genetic virus that makes Raptors of us all,
but we'll Stay Raptors. When we were cats, we didn't really get any respect from
people like Bagombas. And besides, when do you get to be a personal part of a
species, as you said earlier when Speedster was asleep, returning from
extinction? We alone could find happiness from the lecture circuit alone on the
social ills of greed as pertains to mining and a pernament freedom from
poverty!"
"You've got a point. I guess. Anyway, see you guys again, hum?"
"We'll see you first. I think I can get a job at the Megacommisary for
their C-mart operation just looking like this once the trial ends!"
"Yeah. Sure. Riiight..."

"Those Raptors are nuts, aren't they", said Ann to Casey as Casey came into the
landed Neverrest, also giving some of the raptors a ride to the Justiceer courts
on Dogelia to testify personally on their behalf against Bagombas, trying in
vain nowadays to bite through the padded walls and scare the cops driving his
conveyance to jail to no effect.
"But they are the Respectful good-karmatic kind, if they are nuts indeed.
I'm just glad I got through this affair sucessful. If things like this will be
testing my future leadership, I may retire infinently sooner than Wilson has."
"Don't kid yourself, remember", said Speedster who was garbed in a bedrobe and
looking every bit his former mammalian self... save for a lot longer tail than
usual. A tail that shouldn't have been taken off in the first place
by a loveless caretaker.....
"Glad to see you're back to being intrisinically you", said Ann, "But still, you
made one heck of a handsome raptor."
"Ann, don't flatter me. I was cute!"
"Yeah, right!", Ann said as she went to fly the skycraft far from the distant
world to new adventures. "I almost fell in love with your inner beauty!"
"Yeah, right yourself", Speedster said as Casey passed by.
Casey asked Speedster to be honest on whether Casey was able to lead once
Wilson's wisdom was to be channeled into other things other than leading and
yes, flying into the cold, hard ground.
"Trust me, Casey, you'll make a wonderful leader."
"Just please be one first and forever if you can. I'm certainly not in the
leadership business for the rest of eternity myself. Anyway, I am tired and I'm
glad no ill effect's been left with your recent walk as the galaxy's quickest
Raptor.". And with that, Casey went to bed.
"No, no ill effects...", Speedster said as his tounge stretched out to try to
snare a fly, then Speedster thought better of it. "But a few Healthy ones,
though." And with that, Speedster closed his transparent eyelids and walked to
his bedroom... and into a nearby wall. But the grin started when Speedster met
Casey in the entryway did not leave.
And, then after getting used to the second pair of eyelids, a reborn tail and a
long tounge, Speedster gladly into the roles destiny would still have him play
all his life... and maybe a little bit beyond.