The Incorporateds

Stampede of the Horse

A Incorporateds Mini-novella

By Charles Duncan, Origonally writ in 1984 but rewrit to meet current continuity
and sensibility standards. latest update: 1996.

A four part book of love and Insanity

Book 1 "Reunions"

Chapter 1      "Insane Revenge"
Day 1, Night on Catica

(THESE EVENTS OCCUR 2 months after the events depicted in "Peace Train")

Renegade, after being revealed to be the one who played the part of Halifax all
those decades and extremely evilly, was not a person (neigh, he was a horse) to
be easily gotten to be in a jail cell or a prison for long, and he left not for
the need to hurt the one, true Halifax where it hurt the most. No, fun would
come later. It was out of protest his escape from Bukarbek Heights, the mountain
prison where a load of SCE's were being put for rehabilitation from the dismay
of misguidedness. The food tasted worse than the food Renegade had usually eaten
and thusly digested and FLUSHED, to put it kindly and at least as far as HIS
taste buds were concerned.
Once Renegade was out, his plotting began to center on a world for which Halifax
would seem most likely to go on his own holiday (Something Renegade had no truck
with though you think he'd be getting a lot of rest in JAIL, for all that it was
worth.) Of course, bribing on the fly all of his pro-frontier guards to look the
other way was a little hard considering Renegade couldn't count so well at high
speeds. But Renegade was free again and shapeshifting to a new form to sneak
away from Bukarbek and Catica on the next Skycraft out, Renegade set out on a
quest to totally drive Halifax up the wall. And if his friends tore all their
hair out on this one, the better......

Chapter 2      "Lost in Time"
Day 2, Morning on Cafatree

Halifax was on the Kebeji, a transport ship coming far from the Priba sector
where his wrath had to be shown against a fat raptor whose lovelessness for the
environment truly changed everyone that he knew. And at least one the raptor
didn't know but wouldn't forget NOW. His thoughts on what in the crazy world
Wilson had been thinking by getting involved in the Cullfibb dispute had been
haunting him for the last two months of his ever-extending vacation as he
searched for the love of his life.
Although 40 years had passed since Halifax knew anything, not to mention
the Cullfibb disputes between the two starfaring sides, Halifax knew
even when at peace the Culls argued a lot and always with the Fibbs, and for the
Fibbs it was pure vice versa. Someday, Halifax hoped the two could get along.
But with what he'd heard from Ann before Wilson signed off, It wasn't likely to
be for a while as they still had a ton of differences to iron out.
And so Halifax's search proceeded until one fateful day he just got fed up going
from world to world and simply went on the Catican Ethinet and looked
under a home-page of "Where they now?" listings of lost, former heroes and
celebrities. When it listed Sierra's last known address change (some 39 years
old) as Summerien, Halifax got on the Kebeji and simply sat still with
anticipation.
Halifax could finally see out of the port window where he was seated the world
of Summerien, a naturally terraformed (took 4 billion years instead of a DAY to
make the thing) world having not just adequate sunlight but a gas midget planet
moon, too  (Let's just say it wasn't big enough a Gas Giant) that provided its
own weak light to give the effect at night of a perpetual, near-dusk evening...
that lasted TWELVE HOURS. Such a combination was thought to not exist. Until,
that is, until the planet was accidentally crashed on by an Ancestor of Ann's
father for whom Flying was definently not in the genes.... and when that
long-gone man saw the moon and waited for a dark sky to sleep under that
never REALLY came... well, it wasn't long before such combinations were NO
LONGER thought to not exist....

Halifax wasn't feeling too good for some reason, maybe it was the fact his
subconscious knew Renegade was out, free and plenty angered and it was screaming
at his consciousness to get a clue and a life before its life was TAKEN or
RUINED or WORSE! Or perhaps he knew the one thing that made his existence worth
while was down there, as he found out on the Ethinet prior to his vacation time
coming up. Either way or even both ways, Halifax was feeling sad and miserable.
He missed 40 years of his life he should have lived, his family had turned on
him and rejected his calls of friendship, and there were still a few holdout
SCE's claiming Halifax was STILL RENEGADE, but they were stupid morons CURRENTLY
and Halifax didn't bother about them. But things would get brighter soon, once
he got to the needed address....

Chapter 3      "Memories"
Day 2, Dusk

Halifax was being driven in a taxi high over the mountain-guarded valleys of
Summerien's western hemisphere late at dusk (You couldn't say Summerien had
an actual night with that glowing gas giant making most of the light ITSELF
overhead.) and was feeling a lot better about himself for memories were flooding
back of a happier time. Of a time before Renegade dared interfere and before the
Incorporateds existed, when Halifax and Wilson were a nameless, two-member team
of galavanting heroes across a galaxy not even closely familiar with Earth or
its growing capacity to have its people either go into space... or be blown up
into it. About fifty years prior to this day, it was, when Halifax met the lady
he knew as Sierra. When she was a child, of course.
Sierra was an orphan adopted for the first time from her original parents when
Halifax, crashing onto the planet of Lahdahdee, had practically crawled into an
estate where Sierra's adoptive father was desperately looking for a part-time
guardian for Sierra while he was out on business. And Halifax seemed to be
trustworthy despite looking like the funkiest alien any Ladahdeeian (which
managed to be human despite having their technology surpass their society by at
least 400 years of evolution.) Halifax and Sierra were quite a pair of friends
first as both helped secretly to aid the world against the SCE influence back
then. Then, before Halifax was forced into that forty-year sleep and Renegade
derailed Halifax's good name, Halifax could almost swear as an mature Sierra was
almost falling in love with him and the feeling was growing to be a mutual and
respectful one. But of course, Renegade apparenly wasn't having it.
Despite the fact Renegade's long impersonation had driven Halifax's Sierra
insane, Halifax still felt love for the kid. Though looking on what must be a
60-year-old lady instead of the woman-child Halifax grew to love was upsetting
him, Halifax still needed to see her and try to get her back. This time, maybe
things could work out.
Halifax got off near the Summerien institute for mental well being, a place that
was two buildings split amongst a office building for psychological doctors
only, and a huge, formidable though brightly-colored mental asylum
just a block or two downriver from the office building on the waterfall it was
built solely on. It was a beautiful place but the whole asylum aspect nearby was
upsetting Halifax to no end. Still, his heart could not be denied as he went
within, walked to the receptionist's office (filled as all doctor's offices with
magazines thousands of years older than its patients and visitors as proscribed
by an obscure and pointless Catican law) and asked for the caseworker who was
currently handling Sierra's case. There was a lot of hesitation as the
secretary paged a mysterious person called Muryl Ianis from within, and
Halifax wasn't quite too sure whether that was the doctor's patient... or a
visiting inmate in therapy from having such a silly name. And Halifax was even
more shocked to hear a female's voice from within. One that sounded like she'd
never heard that Renegade wasn't standing in for Halifax anymore and
peacefulness was resulting from the restoration of Halifax's good name. Maybe,
ironically, Muryl probably had slept through the whole thing of Renegade versus
ME, Halifax worried as he tiptoed quietly to the announced office.

Halifax was worried about not just the doctor's trepidation but the mysterious
'rrrring' from the doctor's office was getting on his nerves. Especially since
it was childish in voice....
And he went inside to sense the doctor Muryl within, and someone wearing the
simple clothing Halifax knew to be that which female mental patients wore in
Catican society. And apparently flying an imaginary plane or something. A grown
woman, well apparently into her teenage years, acting like she had a toy. And
Halifax wondered where the doctor was, but the clipboard sticking out from
under the ample crawlspace of the couch was a clue. Halifax heard a female voice
from that couch and only briefly looked at the crazed human woman to check for
ventriloquism.
"If you've come to boast about your crimes, go away and come back and leave that
poor girl alone, you've practically stunted her growth with your"
"Excuse me, lady, as I can assume from the voice, I am NOT that evil jerk
Renegade, playing in the role of Halifax. I am the one, the true Halifax, come
back from fourty years of stasis-sleep to find and regain the love of my
life. ALL OF IT."
"Oh, you're the REAL one? I and my predecessors have heard that one at least A
DOZEN TIMES IN our mutual careers each! Prove it. Tell me something I don't
know."
"Okay", Halifax muttered as the crazed human kept playing with a invisible plane
only she saw as real, "I am NOT that evil jerk Renegade, playing..." Halifax
couldn't help but wonder if Cornball, before his timely death at the hands of
his own aged heart, had installed a camera secretly in here for this occasion.
"Okay", the voice said from under the couch, "So you aren't. Renegade never
repeated himself when saying something like that. You really are the real thing,
aren't you? Let me get out from under here and introduce myself. And don't
bother the patient. I think she's actually having fun for a change, her
complaining she was mature when she sounds like a kid and acts like a kid and
hasn't even grown to be an ADULT yet is not too good for the passive view I must
take in this profession."
"And hiding under the couch is professional?"
"I have been here at this mental institute for 2 catican years, and living so
close to an asylum full of both SCE and Frontier head cases so far gone in their
CURRENT lives even prison doesn't help doesn't always require professionalism.
Mostly I hide under the couch", the voice said as its body it belonged to, a
female doctor's body at that, "to keep that Renegade from coming in here on
occasion... and jumping on the couch and ruining it. The rest of the furniture
is cheap. That couch is INVALUABLE."
"Anyway," Halifax wondered, "Where on the premises is Sierra, the kid whom the
receptionist said was under your care?"
"She is not a kid anymore, for your information, though she might look and think
it. In fact, she is that very lady playing with the imaginary planes... and
crashing them on occasion... you didn't immediately recognize. I guess the fact
her body had grown up some threw you off from the child you remember."
Halifax's mouth dropped upon the realization as he saw a now teenage Sierra
Landfill crashing that plane again. Of course, if that truly was Sierra, it
wasn't a plane crashing imaginarily but the phantom reenactment of Wilson
crashing his Evergreen skycruiser to the ground every week or so and not always
after it was shot down. Halifax was always asking every two days what ever
happened to that skycruiser and Wilson didn't have the heart to tell him it had
to be sold to pay the final down payment on the Neverrest....
"She is.... wonderful." Halifax said as Sierra seemed oblivious to Halifax's
prescence. "I wished Renegade hadn't intervened in my life by taking it over. We
both dreamed of growing up and marrying each other one day. Now I suppose that's
gone forever... but why hasn't she aged as rapidly as I thought she might have?"
"I only deal with the mind", Dr. Muryl said, "Not with the body. They have
doctors up the river a few miles who deal with such things as bodies... or at
least until their malpractice suits are completed. And if you two ever did get
married, don't do like my family did and try to marry a THIRD person to the both
of them. Shortened the origional marriage by a lot of years that way."
"Next week, by the way, would those lawsuits be settled?", Halifax said as he
approached the oblivious Sierra lost in her memories.
"Next CENTURY. Justice is not always so swift on Summerien."
"I should know. Took me at least a dozen Catican years or more to find it...."
Halifax stared straight into Sierra's bright red eyes.
"and her...". Sierra still did not even see Halifax in front of her.

Halifax's first attempt did not seem sucessful as he left Muryl's office in a
miserable mood. Not just because Sierra was in a world of her own currently. But
because, somehow, Halifax could sense Renegade coming to this world somewhere
and from somehow. He couldn't put his finger on it how he felt that way, but
maybe Halifax was better off not knowing. That could make Halifax even more
miserable and Renegade, sensing and tasting the misery, would come much
faster....

It was Muryl who helped Sierra back into her small room, not entirely padded but
with a small window out into the beautiful world of Summerien. She hated the
fact that there always seemed to be constant pressure from mysterious memos from
beyond to not yet release her into society. As much as the head of both this
mental health facility and the asylum below kept insisting, too. Muryl hated to
see anyone innocently insane protected from reality, and wished for any
opportunity for her patient to see at least once the world beyond.
Wishful thinking always comes back to hurt the ones who wish.

Sierra, however, did see something that shook her out of her stupor that long
dusk.

Renegade sticking his face in the window.

Chapter 4      "Legal Rights"
Day 3, High Dusk

"Not you... not you again!", Sierra yelped in a most childish voice that never
quite changed upon Sierra's slow growth into womanhood. "I thought I told Muryl
lady to put a restrainey through your HORNS!"
"C'mon, let me in. Surely you could care a lot more about me now that I'm being
more honest about being the evil, twisted scum I am rather than pretending to be
something I'm Not."
"Go away, horsie, you creep me out!"
"Yes, that's what they all say. I may be evil, I may secretly pray for the day
you turn to darkness JUST so we can be friends, but I love you AND I've been
around when I couldn't let Halifax be there for you. Doesn't that count for
something?"
"Yes! You're a total Zero! Now get off that window before you get cleanied!"
"Cute. I'll be CLEANED. Oh, sure, YAHHHHGGG!!!", Renegade said as soap streamed
from the top of the window, got in his throat and made him lose his
near-supernatural grip on the windowpane. Not a pleasant sight as Renegade fell
13 feet to the ground below and put him in line for some chiropractic therapy.
"You've been warned, kid! I will get you out of here by force If I have to and
you will be my special friend! I want you more than anything in the world!
Hah! (coff-coff)" And Renegade dived forth through the fields, hoping to rake
enough dirt into his open mouth to remove that clean taste from his throat. And
cluctching his back as he slid off downriver.
"What if I don't want to leave?", Sierra said as she wrapped herself in a
blanket and fell to the ground near a handy pillow, and let her more pleasant
memories be played as an alternative to the nightmares she usually had.....

Meanwhile, back in the city of Waverly, nearest city to the asylum and clinic
and the biggest the world had to offer, Halifax returned a little disappointed
but hopeful that fate would grant him a better day with Sierra. Too bad the rest
of the world wasn't so destined for such a good day....
Just as Halifax wandered close to his hotel room, he found himself encountered
by someone he was all too familar with, but thankfully it wasn't Renegade.
In fact, it was two someones who met him at the door, but fortunately they may
have been cops but not the kind that arrests people helping them with their job.
The kind that helped independent justice-seekers like Halifax. Although Halifax
knew these two a lot less time than he knew Renegade, Halifax felt safer and not
just for all the obvious reasons (like NEITHER of them was RENEGADE!)
"Good Lamar. Dogghaus and HausDogg. Listen, if you're here to arrest me for
doing justice work without a license... Show me a warrant and get LOST."
"No, Halifax, NO!", said Hausdogg as his excited partner began devouring a box
of Caffatreean doughnuts rabidly he was carrying with him. "Our government sent
us as the newly reelected galactic marshall of Dogelia to check up on your
independent motives of bringing to justice the outlaw SCE! And assist you if
possible to make up for ignoring a major bank robbery while Dogghaus was at this
all-you-can-eat doughnut buffet I'm pretty sure was STAGED!"
"Wait a minute. Both of you have the title of one MAN of the law? What did you
kids do, run against each other and TIE?"
Dogghaus looked up and then looked EMBARRASED.
Hausdogg continued. "Unfortunately, I ran against my no-nonsense brother in the
circuit marshall's race two months ago as an incumbent and couldn't get either
enough votes to be beat or TO BEAT him. So they decided since we were identical
twins (YEAH, RIGHT!) both of us got the job for the next four years."
Dogghaus replied with a burp.
"Catican or Terran Standard? I'm not entirely familiar with your non-metric
standards. Anyway, any reason why you tailed me down here, just to wake me up in
my hotel room at FOUR IN THE DUSK?" Halifax said annoyedly.
"Yes. We have been told to personally warn you since part of our job is to help
keep good relations between our justice-seeking organization and your
independent Incorporateds. We plan to warn you that the guy who pretended to be
you, Renegade, is free and running loose on this world.", Hausdogge replied as
Dogghaus raised his hand.
"Yes, boy, WHAT was it?"
"Do we have a search warrant to raid the fridge for illegally unconsumed
leftovers?", Dogghaus said rapidly as Halifax stood in a stupor of his own.
"Oh, NUTS! Just when I think I can convince the world I really am not an evil
person like Renegade made me out to be, Renegade has one of his REVENGE kicks!
That guy just doesn't learn when to stop his foolishness, does he!", Halifax
suddenly then yelled as Dogghaus had to be restrained.
"By the way, does your still-partner and now-equal still live on a diet? Looks
like he's forcing his way off it.", Halifax said as the wild Dogghaus had to be
restrained.
"Too much fat-gene material in his system, and we've already tried genetic
therapy to cure him of it when diet and exercise FAILED MISERABLY." Hausdogg
said as he sat Dogghaus down in the hall near a handy vending machine, with
Halifax following dressed only in his undershirt and rainbow boxer shorts.
"And the genetic therapy failed WORSE!", Hausdogg added.
"Just you guys help me find him, before he drives me crazy again! And anyone
else close to me, too!", Halifax said as he reached back into his room for his
clothes and hastily dressed while Dogghaus, looking fit despite the constant
need for doughnuts, poured credits down the machine and pressed buttons at
random like there was no tomorrow...

It was six in the morning when moonset and sunrise happened at the same time, a
beautiful sight that would be lost on those with only one sun that their world
revolved around.
Sierra woke with the sun and suddenly realized the genuine Halifax had been by
the previous day.
"Oh, dear. I must have been so rude to have been daydreaming when HE showed up!
I must call Doc Muryl to apologize!" she moaned as she began looking out the
door window and waiting for the orderly to bring her breakfast.

Chapter 5      "Warning Signs"
Day 3, Morning.

While Dogghaus was busy burping, Hausdogg was busy contacting the police
patrols on Summerien if they had seen anyone or anything unsuspicious until
offered pepper in their food. Most of the force replying said ridiculous things
back to Hausdogg and most of them unprintable. Halifax kept being helpful to the
cops as he personally set up communications gear and setting up portable
surveillance gear.
Dogghaus grabbed a bottle of vanilla soda and tried to offer Halifax some but
Halifax was busy worrying about what Renegade was doing HERE on this world.
Dogghaus had some rare wisdom (and for Dogghaus, any wisdom not shown during
his offhours was a REAL Rarity.)
"If I was you I would get the hotel staff to stock this fridge a lot more for
the next guy. No variety."
"So you're here to be helpful, but you don't have to take bullets or gorings for
me, Dogghaus. I do have the ability to defend myself." And he proved by gating
out a bottle of vanilla soda for himself, deciding for once thirst was worse
than fear itself, and Renegade certainly was fear himself....
"Yeah, seeing your pal named Speedster throw pepper in Renegade's face was a
sure sign you could defend yourself. Personally, against yourself you're a big
loser. All those bo-battling skills you learned must have been in a hour or
something.", Dogghaus said as he found a box of cookies and ate it fast.
"I've had training from a master quite recently. At least Eight hours of
training now.", Halifax said as he opened the bottle and drank it in one rush.
"Uh...Humm.... Say, weren't you asleep when Renegade used his will to lure an
unwary TV audience into sleepland?" Halifax said to Dogghaus as Hausdog got
up and tried to call room service, sensing a stakeout to end all stakeouts
might come.
"Are you kidding? I haven't really slept MUCH since I saw you versus yourself!",
said Dogghaus as Hausdog kept ringing the phone off the hook.
Halifax knew Hausdog was a fairly good cop but some things weren't known so
well.
"I believe, Hausdog, this is a self-service hotel. You buy your own food here."
"I wasn't calling this place for room service. I was calling for room service
from across the street!"
Halifax moaned. "You two really were meant for each other."
Then Hausdog's call was interrupted by a call on the other line. Hausdog was
suspicious.
"Dogghaus! Stop filling your three stomachs and stay close! I think that
Renegade might come on the line and try to hunt Halifax to HERE!", said Hausdog
as he cautiously and slowly pressed down the transfer button on his ethi-phone.
"I have to go relieve myself", Dogghaus said as he left his mess in the
kitchen.
"Ever heard of fire hydrants? Caution, Halifax. This may be a trap.", Hausdogg
said.
"You should be cautious", said Halifax. "I've SEEN Renegade actually come out of
one of those things years ago and it shocked me then to no end."

But, thankfully, It was Muryl who was on the line.

"I would like you to come to my office later today. I believe Sierra wants to
apologize to you, Halifax."
"YEAH, LIKE THAT IS POSSIBLE!", said an intruder on the same line as the
viewscreen split to accomodate nothing other than Renegade himself. "EVEN IF I'M
THE EVIL, CRUEL ONE DON'T I DESERVE AN APOLOGY, TOO?"
"Get off the line, you inethical creep", Muryl said as Renegade looked hurt and
signed off looking guilty as well. "Anyway, Sierra wants to apologize, and since
this has been the most talking she's done in YEARS to me personally, I would
take advantage of it. Signing off while I figure out how in the world Renegade
knew my ingoing number..." And Muryl did.
"It looks like you are in great danger, Halifax", said Hausdog as Dogghaus was
in the bathroom for obvious reasons. "Should I ask for you to take an assumed
Identity under the witness relocation program if Renegade gets too hostile?"
Halifax was annoyed and relieved at the same time. "I've had it up to here with
someone already assuming the Identity I already have. Let's take this
surveillance stuff out of here but keep your distance. You might get hurt on
this one."
"We aren't here to protect you after all? But I thought..." Dogghaus said from
within the bathroom.
"If you've taken a Newspaper to read in there, Read it again!", Hausdogg said as
Halifax faxed the gear to the parked groundcar. "And quietly, too!"

"We should have commandeered a taxi", Hausdogg said as Halifax rode in the back
seat of the car. "Better than your driving recently. Are you sure your health
isn't being denigrated, Dogghaus, by that diet of yours?"
`"As far as I know, I haven't failed a physical yet." Dogghaus said. "And failed
at a chase, stakeout, arrest, or anything yet. I'm just lucky."
"Your luck could run out someday. You sure weren't lucky enough to claim the
circuit marshallrey from me totally, were you?", Hausdogg mumured.
Halifax was worried about Sierra as the banter of Hausdogg and Dogghaus
continued as their rented groundcar left the city and started heading for the
hills. He was concerned, though, Hausdogg wasn't paying attention to the
ethiradio quietly playing music by a group called Catamarans who were playing
some love music about this couple pledging eternal love to each other. Or for
that matter, any occasional news reports on whether Renegade was about. So
Halifax took the initiative and turned it up FROM AFAR, and sat back as
whatever the ethisradio was playing could actually be heard and not the two
parters against crime in front.
And, of course, after that other songs would follow. But hopefully, Halifax
hoped, there would be some news. He knew Renegade could affect the world in
different ways when REALLY necessary. And perhaps, Renegade could do so here on
Summerien... but it was unlikely Renegade would put people to bed and NOT IN ANY
WAY THROUGH BOREDOM. Something, perhaps, more subtle could be used.

Chapter 6      "Always known"
Day 3, Afternoon

It was a pleasant thing for anyone to behold as Sierra was led back from the
mental institute to Muryl's office seeing her smile. Considering most of the
time she acted like she was in a daydreaming mode, acting normal was pleasant.
But still, she didn't exactly know the danger facing her as Muryl wasn't quite
ready to tell Sierra what Renegade was up to. She was just glad to be near
Halifax again after all these years. Sierra knew very well Renegade was running
about not under citizen's arrest like the Incorporateds kept doing now and then
but she couldn't tell the doctor about that, fearful it would send the
frazzle-nerved psychologist, well, not VERY FAR OFF.
"I have often wished for this day, doctor lady, that I could REALLY see Halifax
again. I never liked the fact someone kept sending imposters to see me."
Muryl was shocked. "Hold on. You knew about Halifax being an imposter? You could
have told me. I don't have all the bravery in the world, I'm shamed to admit."
"Well, saying, 'Do you know if this really is Halley coming to see you?' once in
a while I would have given you a clue.", Sierra said back.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were finally growing up."
"Oh no! I'm not ready to hit the ceiling yet!", Sierra said. "Oh. You mean be an
ADULT?", she said cheerfully and with a touch of sarcasm.
"Yes, I believe that is what I said. Come, I really hope this time this is the
REAL Halifax coming to see you and not that Ren.. Imposter."
"I could tell. I could always tell", Sierra said as they stood out in the open
air.... to a sudden rainstorm.

Renegade, inside a cave upstream hidden by a waterfall, was figuring out a new
and clever way to manipulate the minds of those living on Summerien to keep
Halifax and his big flame, Sierra, as busy as ever and even more threatened, if
not directly. He kept sticking his head out the water to think about how his
power was now growing to actually place a call WITHOUT a phone. It was boosting
his ego to new heights. But still, something was worrying him. After he made the
call, somehow he wasn't feeling hungry and his stomach wasn't growling though it
was due time for lunch. Renegade couldn't imagine why he wasn't needing food
save for a theory he must be so Insane, even his stomach was afraid to grumble
in his prescence. Tragically, that was NOT the reason.... for all but Renegade.
Still, he had great anti-emphatic capacity but he knew Halifax, Sierra, Muryl
and those darned cops were immune to his mind-twisting power, and it was
unlikely the people of Summerien would stay asleep for long due to a major and a
minor suns doing part-time work keeping the world bright even at night.
However, the population of Summerien was not immune to OTHER mental problems,
and Renegade hit on a new way to assault the minds. Of course, it would mean
temporarily putting himself in a good frame of mind, but the results would be
worth it.
Renegade sat quietly and very, very still, listening to the falling water and
fell into a trance after he hit on the way. He thought of pleasant things like
daffodils, sunny skies and train wrecks (Hey, Renegade was INSANE. Senseless
Violence had a GOOD reason to please him, it was SENSELESS!) and hummed now and
then. And meditated. He wanted to actually be in a good frame of mind for a
while, but not YET to the point he wanted the SCE to be beat up by himself
truly. He did this for a hour and felt good.
However, Renegade feeling good and sane for a while was a thing the rest of the
world WAS not going to feel. After a hour of nice feelings and calmness in which
he kept thinking about cute animals of the non-sentinent variety, the vile
Renegade took a break and stuck his head out for a while, wondering for a moment
if a flood was making the falling water WIDER than usual but, no, it was
a sudden flash thunderstorm strangely conjured up. Renegade dropped his jaw in
amazement and rose his long snout in the air to smell the world and couldn't
help but be curious as to why if Renegade kept thinking about sunny days within
the confines of his own imagination, It was raining in REALITY. Renegade didn't
even think of it then he might be becoming more of a mystical being than a
physical one, but NAH, that's ridiculous. So Renegade, his mind reaching out to
the minds of the world, sensed that suddenly, the thoughts of that world's
people were suddenly, suddenly being made gently and miserably abnormal, and the
process was set in motion that Renegade didn't have to maintain much conscious
effort (even in sleep) to continue. He could just stay back and watch the show.
And now, Renegade had but one thing to do in order to enjoy the future growing
chaos Summerien would be plunged in. It was not pretty, but Renegade knew being
potentially cured of his particular madness was really boring to him. So,
Renegade jumped out of his hole in the wall and fell right down onto the rocks
below, giving him some fresh brain damage and driving him totally insane. Once
AGAIN, at any rate, and with a lot of screaming for someone to hand him a
bottle of aspirin while the pain raged furiously within him.
"The things I DO for REVENGE! OWCH!", Renegade said as he swam out of the water,
his anti-empathy field taken down... but its work was only beginning to be done.
"I have a headache this big and it will take a sun-sized GENERIC ASPRIN TO
DESTROY IT.... but I won't be alone, HAR!", Renegade then said as he dragged
his sorry living carcass onto the shore and walked downstream in the rain
to admire his handiwork in the distant city below and away....
Laughing evilly all the way. And going "Ow" every now and then....

Halifax was in the office as he personally asked Dogghaus and Hausdogg to wait
in the receptionist's office should Renegade try to intrude one more time, and
asked the receptionist to please tell Sierra and Muryl he was in. But then the
reception was not quite so pleasant this time.
"What?", she said. "I don't know any Sirahoo here. Could you please hang up and
dial AGAIN?".
"And I would say WHAT of that. Did your hearing malfunction or something?"
"Yes, I am malfunctioning something what. Could you please hang...."
"Great Lamar. Are you making fun of me or something?"
"Yes, I am fun making malfunctioning something Are what. COuld you please..."
"Okay, dearest lady. Is this a joke you are playing on me or something. I almost
swear you must think you're acting like a malfunctioning tape recorder..."
"Yes, I am a deer. I am a deer. I am a deer. I am a...." And she kept saying
this, closing her eyes as if to make herself believe what she was saying.
Halifax was looking really sarcastic now. This was getting him nowhere closer to
the waiting Sierra.
Hausdogg piped from his seat. "Halifax, is there a problem that requires us
currently?"
"No, no situation, fellow lawmen. Read your magazines!", Halifax piped back.
"Why? My Ancestors weren't even born when these worn old things were printed!"
"Just read them. I can handle this...."
But, Apparently it was Muryl who was going to initially handle it, and badly.
"Miss Akivi Fijosol, is something wierd going on out there? Just checking.",
Muryl said to her receptionist who wasn't named anything else because the
nameplate on the receptionist's desk didn't say otherwise through the words
printed in metal on it.
"I am a deer, doctor, a DEER!", the receptionist said, as she jumped onto the
table, suddenly squatted and put her hands to her head to suggest she had
imaginary horns. "And I want a raise to buy more trees for lunch! YUM!"
Halifax began to step back, shocked at THIS WIERD BEHAVIOR!
"Oh, no", said the voice of Muryl from the Localspeaker on the desk. "Is
Renegade doing this to you? Hold on, I'll be right out!"
"Are you kidding, doctor? I was BORN A DEER! And then, the receptionist stood
up, and fell forwards off the chair onto the floor, bruising herself.
Then Sierra came on the speaker. "Miss doctor Muryl mam? Where are you going
and can I follow you or are you going to put me through sock puppet therapy
again? Oh, Muryl? Is this a JOKE?"
Muryl rushed out to see her receptionist squat-walking on the floor and
proclaiming, "See, I REALLY AM A DEER! I can't stand on just two legs, so I am a
deer! Now to find some new clothing so I look the part and can blend in with my
buddies in the forest! YES, YES, YES!" And the Receptionist walked off, right
past the two cops who were busy reading the magazines to the point of no return.
Muryl was upset at all this. But she tried to keep a level head as Halifax
began to hold his head in his hands miserably.
Especially when the cops in the waiting room noticed this as well.
"Hello, I am a deer. Are you the park ranger?", said the
receptionist-turning-deer-in-the-mind to Dogghaus who was regretting the fact
those pages were turning to dust every time he turned them. It was a pretty good
episode of the ancient soap opera "Lords of the Hyena clans" being serialized
here and he had so little time to commit it to memory before it was gone. Maybe
he could catch the story on the Dogelian Allnet once Halifax's dilemmas were
solved.
"No. I have a LOT BIGGER jurisdiction than a mere park. Um, did you say you were
a ..."
"Oh, got to walk! I have to find a needle, thread and several T-shirts to make
into a deer bodysuit costume to show the world I am a Deer so none doubts me.
Bye!"
Dogghaus growled as the receptionist squat-walked away insane. "Um, Hausdogg,
fellow partner?"
"No, you can't go off your diet I am starting you on this very SECOND!"
"No, not that. I see an inmate of the asylum just walk off and we're not in hot
pursuit."
"So let's go and put her back."
"One problem there, Hausdogg. She was a receptionist, I'd swear, just FIVE
minutes ago."
"Oh, NO!", Hausdogg rose.

Meanwhile, Halifax was upset.
"I believe it is time to contact security to inform them of this, Muryl!",
Halifax said, unsure just why the receptionist was doing this.
"Why bother", Dogghaus arose. "We could do some security work right here, after
all we ARE COPS...."
"No, not just YOU, the security of this place and the Asylum! Something wierd is
happening here!", Halifax replied.
"Sudden, total insanity, " Muryl murmured, "I don't think I quite expected this.
I checked her background upon hiring her and she hasn't had even so much as an
epileptic episode in her life. Who'd know?"
"You could have, doctor", Halifax said.
Just then, Sierra got tired of waiting and joined Muryl. "Doctor lady, are you
surprising me with a surprise party again..."
She saw the surprise, all right, in the expressions of all in the room.
"Halifax! Is this really you? I really missed the real you really being here!",
she said as Halifax looked upon her yet again. "I have so much to tell you
though it's bor-ring! Um, why are you...."
"Oh, Sierra! I wish my life had only REALLY had been as exciting as yours.
Anyway, you've never seen miss Akivi act like a deer."
"Oh, no! Never!"
"I have. Anyway, dear Sierra, this is an awful way this reunion is turning out."
Sierra, shorter than Halifax who was not but five feet tall himself, was shocked
to suddenly see Sierra do some romatic kissing upon Halifax's lips, and despite
the growing crisis as Dogghaus and Hausdogg began scoping the place for
Renegade's prescence from the remote scanners they had in their holsters,
Halifax responded by going along and embracing her with compassion.
Muryl hesitated a little in calling security as she heard a commotion from the
hall of offices beyond the waiting room.
Sierra gently broke off contact, "Better late us seeing each other again than
never, dear Hally. Shall we see what's going on just like the old days, or
what?"
"Yes, just like old times." Halifax smiled despite Renegade's machinations. FOR
AT LEAST ONCE IN HIS LIFE.
It was a shame the rest of those in the room didn't see that and was busy trying
to get a quickly unravelling situation under control. It was something to tell
all their kids about. If they would someday mate & have kids to begin with,
that is....

Muryl opened the door and saw an unusual sight. Of course, she was not the only
psychologist there and she was the best of them all, but it was clear she was
going to end up the only sane one for a while. Suddenly, people who saw
psychotic trains of thought and worked to subtly derain them onto tracks of
sanity and calmness were going nuts themselves, acting literally like animals
instead of simply being evolved like them. Not all of them, though, were so
crazed they weren't communicating to each other in anything but Catican.
There was this respected head of this department that was unsucessfully trying
to mimic a lemur but his tail wasn't flexible or controllable as needed to keep
him from falling off his chair and onto the floor. Muryl felt sorry for the man
because he could have known better. Five more opened doors produced an eagle, a
chicken, a stoat, a wallaby and a yak-in-the-head where once ordinary,renowned
psychologists did their work behind.
Meanwhile, Dogghaus was busily going through the various levels of the office
complex looking for security guards who weren't coming hurriedly to restrain a
lady who thought she was a deer and was at the time procuring all she needed to
make herself look like a deer, AKA one who recycled T-Shirts into bodysuits.
These people all were acting like insentinent animals who just happened to BE
setinent but just thought differently. And Dogghaus couldn't help but wonder why
he was spared all this madness and why he wasn't having any fun at all going
nuts and thinking, oh, he was a pig.
Halifax brought Sierra downstairs through a gate as Halifax began to search the
Cafeteria, after getting spoken permission from Muryl who thought Sierra
shouldn't be exposed to all this growing madness, but growingly desperate times
call for desperate measures. And what he found was not pretty, as all of the
cafeteria servicepeople were revolting that they were being served essentially
what they were to eat. And acting like what they eat.
Halifax moaned. "Great. If this wouldn't prove to someone as demented as
Cornball, rest his soul... in extreme misery... that people are what they eat, I
don't know what will."
"Halley, I had a horrid thought. What if someone ate FISH and developed
that mind-set thing Muryl talks about sometimes to fake emphysemmey until
they were immersed neck deep in wawa!!?!?!"
"I personally hope, dear Sierra, this disease of Insanity is not passed on
through food."
"Why not?"
"Last night, I had domesticated beaver patties for midmorn snacking that my
policebeing pals ordered for me on the way here!"
"Well, silly friend, You don't feel like building a DAM, don't you?", Sierra
said, only mildly regretting she wasn't sharing more about her life with Halifax
and Halifax the same. The situation was not really good for that.

"Alright, you animals (boy, do I feel ODD myself saying this), Is this a
respectable mental health organization or a ZOO?", Halifax yelled to the workers
jumping on top of the counters and desperately looking for feathers to paste to
their ample bodies. Political correctness forbids me to refer them as
overweight, so let's just refer them as EXTREMELY THICK-BONED!
Surely the cries of various people like the fried birds they represented was a
clue that it wasn't a MHO or a ZOO but a AVIARY in that cafeteria! And some of
them not really good at flying kept jumping off the tables protesting the forced
cannibalism of their birdy brothers! But Halifax's cool head prevailed as his
fists gated out to defend himself from the running bird-brains, some of them
carrying serving trays between their teeth as shields.
Halifax hated to hurt innocent people especially when they were about to lose
their innocence. So, he simply pushed the trays into the worker's faces and they
fell to the ground in surprise, cawing all the way.
"Sheer madness", Halifax said as he gated Sierra out of there, both holding on
tight as the bird-brains danced about cheering the fact the intruder was sent
packing even though the bird-brains got the worst of the brief struggle.

It was not too pleasant that Dogghaus was becoming quite quickly the recipient
of a lot of verbal abuse as the occasional squawking mixed with the yakking of
the insane people in that office building was not to pleasant for him to hear.
And it was getting worse as Hausdogg joined his partner to try to leave before
somehow the madness caused them to go crazy. Unfortunately, it was not their
destiny to go insane from whatever Renegade was doing from far off, but everyone
else sure seemed to be already insane...
"I personally think we should call for backup on this, Hausdogg.", said Dogghaus
, getting hungry because it was getting way past his lunch time. "We are
surrounded totally by innocent yet insane people who deserve better, and there
seems to be no quick fix to their insanity. Shall we leave and call for backup?"
Hausdogg was livid over all these events as evidenced in his worried speech.
"I.. Think we should leave first. I have had experience dealing with lunatics in
the past but, unfortunately, it was only one at a time."
"We can't just let them live on like this if it's a disease that makes these
professionals go crazy all of a sudden."
"My dear partner Dogghaus.... If we stay here and someone starts thinking they
are dog-eating vultures all of the sudden, it is quite likely we will NOT live
like this ourselves. Contact Sierra, Muryl and Halifax so we can make a
strategic retreat. But with dignity."
"Unlike these fellow setinents, partner?"
"You have never been more right in your LIFE!", said Hausdogg as he left running
when someone pretended to be a rhino and charged at the two cops.....

Chapter 7      "Explosion"
Day 3, Late Afternoon

They watched from anear, this unlikely union of a mismatched policeman team
whose jurisdiction was quite galaxy-spanning, a psychologist, a teleporter and a
young-looking-and-thinking-woman-child, as the mental health clinic was consumed
by its internal chaos as people were throwing out chairs and trying to fly with
limited sucess. Of course, all survived who jumped, but most still lived on with
a heck of a lot of bruises. Some of the setinent-animal-mindeds began to run out
of the doors downstream looking for a forest to live in. And all while it still
rained buckets on the fivesome.
Muryl was concerned mostly about the fate of her receptionist Akivi who was
determined to act like a deer who was really sentinent but with needs of deers.
She had yet to come out as her maddened fellow psychologists-now-plumb-psychos
emptied the building one by one as well as all the janitors and receptionists
and cafeteria workers were clearly intent on leaving, and regretted not knowing
Akivi as anything but a worker and nair as a friend. Now she feared Akivi
must be lost forever now and the receptionist never told Muryl a thing about her
life, her past, or even how she felt sometimes when Akivi was miserable.
"The whole place is crazy now", Muryl moaned quietly. "Everyone within that
place save me is a basket case and I never suspected something like this could
ever happen."
"We don't always know fate", said Halifax as Sierra looked towards the asylum on
her own, seeing the inmates escape, too, but acting like animals themselves.
"Um, Hally, If we don't find a better vantage point we'll be STAMPEDED!" Sierra
shouted as the inmates and the mental health doctors converged without concern
on their position.
Halifax turned and saw the rushing crowds, too.
"I hope you, Halifax, have a good idea on what to do against all these people
coming on top of us!", Hausdogg said as Dogghaus kept gibbering.
"Yes. We'll go down into the ground and be very FAR from here for a while, then
drive out of here in Dogghaus's rental car and LEAVE to the city. I warn you,
this gate experience will be... fun!"
Halifax said as he prepared a gate just as the crowds came close.
"Did you say GATTTEEE.........", Muryl said as she and her newfound friends fell
through that gate just as the crowds pounced on where they were.
Finally, the former Akivi made her way out just as the crowds of insane
setinents decided to mix it up and rush off in different directions as
far from this place as possible. And, like she said she would, she was wearing a
deer costume made entirely out of T-shirts and a few spare zippers, well sown
and meant not to be taken off without a struggle. Although her face and all its
features remained unexposed to the rainy world all else was covered by T-shirt
material, and even a pair of cloth deer horns was sown to her head to complete
the effect.
"Hello, beautiful world! The Deer season has arrived! Whoop, Whoop, Whoop", she
cried as she raced out dancing in the rain and not minding getting soaked or
catching cold in that inclimate weather. That was slowly spreading.....

Renegade couldn't help but laugh as the world was changing and he saw the
setinent people living under the growing rain cloud getting a big taste of
ferality they thought they'd lost when they evolved. And Renegade knew none of
them knew where the madness to act like animals was coming from, and laughed.
Surely if some of them hadn't ENTIRELY taken psychology's science so seriously,
maybe it would have given them a clue. He saw from the vantage point of the
rooftop of the mental health clinic the people racing out like animals and they
were probably going to stay pernamently that way if nobody amongst that sudden
pairing of potential... YUCK... heroes and heroines could figure out WHAT the
only cure was, and the cure was Renegade himself.
Maybe if they begged Renegade NICELY Renegade would undo the spell of madness.
Yet, there was one thing worrying him. If all in this world were going to
inevitably be insane like animals, then who could praise Renegade's name
through uninterrupted-by-barking speech? Perhaps someone could come, then, and
cheer on Renegade and give him the respect Renegade DEMANDED. Maybe those SCE's
are so tired of losing worlds, they'd jump at the chance to actually GAIN
one....
Ableit one that now, for EIGHT miles around him, was technically according to
insane people a ZOO. Renegade went forth to contact the SCE's Emperor on the
situation going on on Summerien and waited patiently for the world to go even
more insane... with a quiet coup of Summerien by a LOT of misguided SCE
soldiers!
Renegade let the bezerk laughter flow from his vocal cords. It felt good to be
him... or anyone else he wanted to be, for that matter.....

Book 2 "Disunions"

It was not the most pleasant day for Kingston upon hearing that Cornball, one of
his most psychotic ambassadors of misguidedness, had recently been reborn YOUNG
once again and unrepentant for blowing up five levels of the Warren underneath
Kingston's feet. In fact, this time it was TEN levels that went up in smoke when
Cornball planted underneath the graduation speaker's podium a liter of explosive
cream whipping that would combust if left in the open air, THIS time around.
Kingston hated the fact these Incorporateds were bringing the worst out of his
troops and this latest generation of clones were going to have to be so bad to
defeat the Incorporateds they might just be capable of toppling the SCE through
jealousy one fine day. And this was the worst stunt Cornball had ever pulled,
not original but certainly the WORST. Kingston swore if the Incorporateds had
any hand in this they would one day ALL pay for this latest phase of Cornball's
existence going quickly downhill.
However, for a brief while, it was a nice thing as Renegade had contacted
Kingston that day briefly about a new opportunity. Summerien was always
considered an eventual target of invasion for Kingston one millenia from then,
on his path to conquering Catica and enslaving the entire center of the universe
the Frontier and the Empire had yet to explore or care about, but would one day.
And wouldn't that be fun..... But the fact Summerien was losing its sanity was a
sign to Kingston to try just once to get Summerien under SCE control once and
for all. After all, all those Summerien people were acting like animals. And
Kingston might have not been so able to fight setinents, but animals, now
Kingston was good at. It was a shame Kingston's once prized trophy room of
animals he brought to extinction by hunting them too much had long since decayed
and even the bones had crumpled to dust. But luckily, Kingston had not quite
decayed into the dust of history like so many of his trillions of enemies he
conquered or outlived....
However, for an even Briefer while, Kingston's joy degraded when he asked for a
Sangurian warlord to lead the attack against Summerien on the ground. Cornball
was the first to charge in after handing the guarding Iron Lord
robot-death-machines two exploding microthermal pineapple bombs to divert the
ugly machines for a while... until they exploded, that was. And if that didn't
make Kingston go awfully miserable, Cornball volunteering himself to any attack
or request Kingston would ask someone else to do and leaving before Kingston
could countermand anything was really annoying. Especially with a pie full of
knives being thrown at Kingston's head coming forth Kingston ducked out of
instinct.

Kingston had to warn Renegade of all this. Cornball was getting too much
attitude this time around for his or anyone else's good. Especially those
Cornball was ALLIED with.
But then, Kingston delayed for a while before contacting Cornball. Someone was
needed first to clean up the cybernetic mess out there and restore some sense of
security out there...

Cornball was upset to no end.
"What do you think, Cavern and Gunhog?", said Cornball to his recent graduates.
"You tried... to kill us just now?", Cavern said, who was just named that by his
teacher because he kept on talking and talking a lot of sense that made most
SCE's more misguided than Cavern was wish to be buried in a cavein within
Cavern's namesake.
"NO. That Kingston would trust me to any mission after all the failures I pulled
last lifetime."
"Are you sure you didn't try to kill us just now", Gunhog said, a master of
weapons. "I heard a bunch of cronies have died serving you over the years.."
"Old age, I swear. Anyway, you can go and gather up our fellow troops. We have
to invade this Summery world I overheard Kingston said needed invaded. And we
have an edge!", Cornball enthusiastically cheered.
"The Incorporateds know about it... NOT?", said Cavern. "Not, not, not!", said
Cornball, "And the people are acting like animals, TOO! We can really have this
planet by Duskrise if we leave now!"
"Duskrise. Pardon me, Cornball, but don't you mean SUNSET!", Gunhog said,
wondering what that goofball Cornball was thinking.
"This world has TWO SUNS! No more being attacked at night anymore, we can
conquer this baby by the light of day.. and I mean the ENTIRE DAY! Go blab this
out, friends!" And with that, Cornball did a lot of evil laughter, a shame to
hear from something so young-looking and even younger still...
Cavern said, "We would be well advised to pack a load of sunblock. Two suns, you
know, Gunhog, TWO SUNS! By the dark vulture seeing our failures at kindness,
this reborn Cornball is INSANE. We'll walk into a trap and FAIL by being burned
under two suns overHEAD!"
"We could pack a ton of sunblock, as opposed to a load. Anyway, I'm glad I won't
even have to pack a gun to shoot anybody who opposes us. A net, perhaps, but not
a gun."
"No GUNS? Pardon me, but you've had mastery of all weapons usage put in your
head. You're missing out a chance to shoot someone while you're still young?"
"I don't own any GUNS yet, fool, but I have a lot of.... Nets!"
"Nets to you, and nets to the entire Cornball conspiracy! Ha!"
Both of them had a good laugh. Never knowing fate would tear them asunder
pernamently one fine day.

It was ten hours into the rule of Renegade's madness when the twenty-mile circle
of insanity caused by the extreme anti-empathy of Renegade suddenly expanded to
the entire world, as Renegade would inevitably have forseen had he been even
remotely psychic. Now he knew by now, Halifax would be running scared and
confused as the evil above destroyed sanity through simple rainfall and psychic
miasma falling at the same time from clouded, mystically charged skies. Halifax
would be unsure why the world was nuts and Renegade wouldn't bother telling
Halifax until the SCE's had landed and forced from office the insane governors
of the world. Then, Renegade would have a good laugh and Halifax would be
stuffed into a hurt locker after Renegade forced the full brunt of his
anti-empathy to make Halifax act like his ... well, whatever it was that Halifax
was being protected by especially in the spirit department.
As for Sierra, the lost love of Halifax, Renegade thought he saw something
familiar in the lady. But it was not the day to give Renegade any clues about
Sierra's past. That day was yet to come much later....

Halifax, Sierra, and their newfound allies had just made it to the biggest city
of Summerien when the wave went overhead and it rained insanity. It was not the
most pleasant thing to be in a world gone mad especially when your aircar is in
the air and dozens of aircars with excellent drivers start believing they can't
drive because they are animals. It was a noisy, crashing bad time as Halifax
just had to set Dogghaus's rental car down for quite a while as the carnage
ensued from the top of Waverly's highest tower. And then, Halifax went to work
as best he could, trying to save as much as he could even though he couldn't
possibly save everyone.
Sierra watched as car after car either soft-impacted against the sides of
buildings and bounced off, or were commandeered by Halifax to land properly. And
everyone that got out of the cars crawled either on all fours or flapped like
birds, and Sierra briefly wished she could fly like a bird but then realized she
didn't have wings. And she saw Halifax doing his heroic thing that Sierra
thought she'd never, ever see again. This confirmed to her Halifax was the true
deal.
Dogghaus was worried. "Are you sure Halifax's not going to actually steal one of
those cars?"
Hausdogg was quick to point out "I believe he's actually trying to save their
lives, not carjack them and end lives. You see Halifax take any of the cars out
of the city?"
"No, not yet."
"Good. This is a crisis, Dogghaus. Law and Order seems to be stretched here with
this insanity going about. We may end up the ONLY justice on this world if my
feelings come true."
"You feel like having a pizza?"
"NO. You know I'm lactose intolerant."
"Can I mention that when next decade's election comes up?"
"NO!"
Muryl then interjected. "Do you even have a clue what is going on down there?"
"Yes. The world has gone mad", said Hausdogg."
"Spontaneous insanity, to be more correct. I've never seen people start acting
like this without some reason, say family trouble, early emotional stress,
nonacceptance in school, and many more. I can't even begin to understand why
this insanity which is delivered by the rain (as if simple RAIN could drive
someone insane) could individually make a person act differently from another,
yet all act like primate animals who, even blessed with setinence, still
believes they are incapable of walking on all four legs and dressing in setinent
clothing."
"I believe rain can't be wrong", said Hausdogg.
Muryl said worriedly, "Believe me, this situation is becoming... as wrong as
this rain."
Halifax did his work as the air traffic slowly decreased to none happening, and
not all the people in the cars suffered injuries. But it was becoming unlikely
any of the poor people would be treated below due to the fact even the doctors
would be going animal pretty soon. It was a shame what was going on and there
was no clue, at least to those not trained in more mystical means.

Despite Kingston's most loud and boisterous commands, it was apparent the
invasion of Summerien was underway, ableit with only two thousand not-so-crack
troops under the cracked leadership of a Cornball. From underground launching
silos going deep underground straight to the lowest KNOWN levels of the Warren,
a few vulture-ships sqwawked across the Sangur-La night sky. Still, Kingston
lamentably realized, Cornball would probably be best for bringing Summerien
under his control and inevitably that of the Emperor. Though it may take getting
used to being handed reports of forced labor consignment production written in
invisible ink.....
Fortunately, to make sure Cornball didn't fail, Kingston knew someone was among
that group who'd keep any resistance caused by any hindsightedness Cornball
would inevitably work on. He was a real leader and his name was Ehil Parsantes,
perhaps a sign of an ugly trend Kingston was going to have to deal with because
it was the first SCE Kingston had ever known to have TWO names. It annoyed
Kingston some that Ehil Parsantes seemed to be collecting two paychecks for EACH
of his names and hoped no other SCE would decide having TWO or even THREE names
to collect paychecks under was a good thing. It would bankrupt the SCE really
quickly that way.....

Chapter 8      "Surrounded by the zoo"
Day 4, Morning

Halifax was not really expecting to wake up so soon from his slumber in his
hotel room, having to hear outside all those insane beings outside howl at the
moon. It was awful for Halifax to find himself stranded on Summerien with the
world insane and all, but this morning was a little easier. In the top bunk
Sierra had slept above him.
Groggy as any being could be, Halifax climbed to the top bunk of his bunk bed
and saw Sierra wake up quickly, as if from a nightmare. Halifax looked worried
at Sierra's shocked expression and comforted her.
"You okay, Sierra?"
"Yes, Halifax... Just had the wildest dream. I dreamed there was a monster under
the bed...."
"Oh, no. It's okay. There was no monster underneath the bed. It's flat against
the floor and there's no space for a monster."
"Do you really think so?", Sierra childishly asked.
"Well... no. The world outside has gone to savagery, but in here it must be
okay. Would you like to bring me breakfast?"
"Sure, Halifax. Just make sure Dogghaus don't eat the whole fridge, okay? We
might not get room service here for a while."
"I understand, dear Sierra. I will be back."
Halifax left Sierra to walk to the kitchen, unsure of what the day would bring.
But if today was anything like the past day....
Sierra was happy, however. At least now she knew Halifax was close once more and
truly good. And perhaps, even if Sierra would probably have to stay in the
asylum until she grew more mentally mature, Sierra knew Halifax could be close
if need be. To remind Sierra their friendship was far less a crazy thing than
the rest of the world around them...

Halifax saw in the hotel hallway a bunch of barricades Hausdogg was busy staking
out near.
"Hausdogg, have you become the NEXT to lose his mind?"
"No, just being cautious", said Hausdogg. "I saw a bunch of setinents acting
like wolves and also acting like I was LUNCH running through these halls and I'm
not taking chances. There is not any rationale to these fine people running
about in torn business clothing acting cannibalistic."
"Did you set up a barricade for Dogghaus, too?"
"Darn right you are, Halifax! I'm not letting the END of the WORLD keep him off
his diet! And he's been acting more ravenous than usual since he's been fearing
that civilization's collaspe would mean no more food grown for him to eat,
ever!"
"Fear does strange things to a mind."
"Fear. Just Friend Halifax, forget fear, this is HUNGER you're talking about."
"Anyway, is the refrigerator accessible to us?"
"The one in my room is. But be careful when you go there. I rigged a makeshift
entry passway to keep only Dogghaus out and it shocks once in a while anyone who
is Dogghaus. You aren't Dogghaus, are you?"
"Of course NOT. Anyway, seen Muryl about?"
"She's been sleeping in YOUR room on the couch, to make sure nothing hit you
with a crowbar while you slept OR your great love."
"Thank Lamar Muryl is just as concerned about her patients as the setinents they
love. I was worried for a minute Muryl would hold my Past that Renegade
destroyed for four standard decades against me. Um, how could you know that?"
"Dogghaus snuck into your room and tried to raid YOUR fridge. But I stopped him
by dragging him back by his shirt collar."
"And where is Dogghaus?"
"Barricaded against going to the fridge, of course. He won't come back, hm?"

"I wish I hadn't bothered with this conversation. At least, I should have when I
was a lot more awake.", Halifax said as he went to his own kitchen to make some
scrambled eggs and toast, a new delicacy Speedster once had on Earth. Halifax
thought it might be a honor to serve that to Sierra.
Just then, Muryl woke up and began to mutter to herself.
"Muryl, excuse me.."
"Yes?"
"Are you currently a Catican psychologist well known?"
"That's stupid. Of course I am. Did you think I was anything else?"
"Yes, and I worried a lot because I did. Just checking."
"Anyway, how is the patient? No hostility, I hope?"
"I lived to see the morning, Muryl. I am glad to be doing that."
"Listen, this may be hard. Even though it is probably unlikely her help will
qualify for her release, I will do all I can to see one day you two are
pernamently reunited once this crisis is over. I see the same love between you
two developing that has lasted with my mom and dad all these years."
"And how many years has that been?"
"They turn a dozen-dozen next month. And I turn three dozen and two next month,
personally, if Sierra should ask."
"A hundred years old and they had you when they were sixty-eight?"
"Love may wait, Halifax, but when it comes you can't stop it. It's one of the
constants in this insane universe that's the most pleasant, and nothing
unpleasant can destroy it, not age, not time and maybe not even death."
"I hope it isn't death out there, Dr. Muryl, that tries to end our love. If you
will excuse me, I have breakfast to make for my dear Sierra."
"Go then, and may Lamar be with you so the eggs don't burn!", Muryl said as she
went out in the hall to try to solve the dispute between Dogghaus and Hausdogg.
In this time of crisis, there was no room for such disharmony.

As Halifax looked out his bedroom window with Sierra joining him, Halifax could
see the world begin to burn from neglect and carelessless of an animalistic
population. He expected any hour now for the power to go out on the still-lit
night signs and a lot more chaos but thanks to automation the city known as
Waverly still ran without setinents to maintain it. For now.
"What drives people to do this sort of thing, lose their minds so quickly? I
can't understand why anyone would go animalistic. I know some brands of Toxic
waste can make people BECOME animals but not really in the mind. Am I missing
the obvious, Sierra?"
Sierra looked out. "I must be missing it, too. I understand a few things people
more grown-up thinking know, and I can't know why this should happen the day we
Finally get to be together. Fate is so unfair!"
"So are a lot of people who make Fate unfair, Sierra. Fortunately, I found you
before Renegade visited you anymore."
"Well, not exactly. Renegade did visit me as HIMSELF, but only briefly. Then the
window-wash system sent him packing. But he didn't say anything about what he
wanted to do, mostly apologize.."
"And let me guess, try to convince you ONCE MORE to go to darkness?"
"Oh, yeah, that. Isn't Renegade such a silly fool, like I could ever join him?
He's NUTS! And I know, I've sorta had to live near them for so long."
"I begin to wonder just how much of a fool Renegade's going to be", Halifax
whispered as Muryl joined him with a ethiradio she carried out with her when the
worst of the institute going insane began.
"Hello, Dr. Muryl. Is it time for one of her counseling sessions? I can leave
you two alone for a while..."
Muryl replied, "I don't believe you two should be APART for a while. And I won't
be having one of our talks today. Extenuating Circumstances, I'll claim in my
log. You know, I was going to actually go on vacation as I'd have earned that
many vacation days working on vacation. It is a shame this is a lousy way for me
to have a vacation."
Sierra looked. "You have a radio? Dear doctor lady, But Dogghaus might object if
it ISN'T Yours!"
"It is mine, Sierra. Let's just leave it at that. Anyway, you should listen to
this. Apparently the media is still functioning..."
And all three could hear the voice on the radio. Itself worn by a night of
losing its mind.
"Today is the morning in good Summerien. Today's forecast is a stampede of bulls
down FirstPaved, right through the square and into a glassware shop on Central
and Sunspath. This is your announcer, a hampster. Today is the morning in good
Summerien. Today's forecast is a stampede of bulls down FirstPaved, right
through the square and into a glassware shop on Central and Sunspath.
This is your announcer, a hampster...." Over and over!
"Must still be stuck in a one-track mind. But then, I saw hampsters in class
running on treadmills over and over. And I've no idea why someone like that I've
heard as the sanest personality on Summerien Localradio could act like one."
"Perhaps it was too many early mornings waking people up with Opera music. That
music is a lousy thing to hear", said Sierra who'd heard too many close inmates
pretend they were in a opera while a session was being held for all the inmates
to hear each other. "Especially when it's so loud it causes Remissions!"
Halifax was so surprised to hear that from Sierra.
"I've been on a couch hearing a couple of generations of Psychologists trying to
figure me out. I got something from all that, didn't I?"
Halifax then replied. "Yeah, I know. Listen, Sierra, are you ABSOLUTELY sure you
didn't hear anything from RENEGADE on any plans for this world?"
"Don't have a clue. And I might be crazy in thinking childish things sometimes,
but no way am I getting too close to that nutty horsie without a LOT of armor to
ask him AGAIN!"
"I'll be your armor, Sierra. I'll be strong for both of us.", Halifax said as
suddenly he saw the sun break open.... and shine on the world. A shame that
wasn't making the world any saner... but for some reason, it was making Halifax
pretty gloomy.

Chapter 9      "Coming Distractions"
Day 4, Afternoon

Cornball's head ship of the Invasion of Summerien had just left Ethispace with
its pilot with two broken hands and a spirit to match.
"How dare you pretend to be my worst enemy, Wilson, by CRASHING? I haven't been
around long enough in my newest life to be well being reminded of my PAST LIVES
just NOW!"
"Forgive me?"
"As Wilson says like that's his catch phrase, FORGET YOU!"
A fellow grunt walked up to complain.
"What do you want? A Pie in your face full of GRIEF?"
"No, to tell you you're acting too nuts for your own good. Calm down."
"Who are you to tell Cornball to calm down when the most exciting thing is about
to happen to me... I can take over a world and do it solo without WILSON'S
HURTFULNESS in the mix?"
"Ehil Parsantes. A lowly soldier under your service and one heck of a
complainer."
"Is it Ehil or is it Parsantes?"
"BOTH!", Ehil said.
"Great. Your'e schizophrenic, SCE moron!"
"No, I have two names like other societies have. I figured since most societies
give two, three, even TEN names to a person at birth, why not an SCE having the
same? Might make one think."
"Well, you're in the SCE, and you're not paid to THINK much on your actions or
anything else. Would you perfer to be reverted to being called a NUMBER?"
"Never been called a number as far back as I remember. And I remember the last 2
lifetimes."
"I remember SEVENTY myself, rookie Ehil, and if you wish to not be in your
FOURTH lifetime real early, respect my cornball ways or be pied."
"Yes, oh sure, sir, like that happens! Maybe I could offer you some common sense
and you can turn it down and then claim it as your own idea."
"Don't need your guidance."
"Do."
"DON'T!!
"Do."
"DON'T!!
"Do."
"DON'T!!
"Don't!!
"Do."
"Don't!!
"Do."
"Don't!!
"Don't argue with me, Ehil or Parsantes or both. If you refuse your help to me,
Help me dark vulture or I'll pie you to death with Stone-filling pies!"
"Oh, how can I refuse you in your infinite wisdom..." Ehil said as he walked
off.
"Sucker", both whispered under their breaths when both thought each other out of
earshot.
Summerien awaited its invaders, coming in with ship cannons unarmed and unready.
Cornball didn't need guns. He had pies to do his dirty work. And the planet was
unarmed, so why bother shooting up such potentially willing work crews below
when they weren't bright enough anymore to shoot BACK?

Renegade climbed on top of MT. CoboKron, not just close to the county where
Waverly was seated but close enough to Cornball's name to make Cornball feel
well having his ships come in that way. He was busy waiting as he saw the clouds
dissapate and reveal a pleasant world, abliet undefended by a lack of sane
militia or citizenry, to the coming SCE forces who would inevitably pave the
whole thing for a shopping complex. As far as Cornball was concerned.
Renegade could sense it was Cornball coming from as far as a light year away. It
was the close and masked-from-him things Renegade could not sense, but far off,
Renegade was your man. And Renegade looked forward to Cornball's arrival, for
Cornball and Renegade were allies and would have been consorts had they not been
similar genders. Both hated goodness and sanity and Renegade could always laugh
at Cornball's humorous ways. Cornball laughed, too, and it made the world seem
good for both being in it, though woe was to be to the world both were on....
Renegade took a deep breath as he neared the summit after falling to his doom
one or twice with a minor concussion for his troubles each time, And upon seeing
the Sangurian vultures flyby, he let out this primal scream as the last touch to
break all the windows and crack a few buildings to make it look good to gain
Cornball's approval. A scream that seemed to go on forever as the Vultures flew
towards their target not so far off. Cornball would be so pleased at just how
easy this invasion of his was gonna go...
Renegade snorted and fell off, his head bouncing off the rocks all the way down.
Renegade didn't care, though, that the damage to his mind might inevitably make
him not care much about the SCE, either. All Renegade cared for was Halifax's
destruction, and the destruction of all else to get him didn't matter though to
Renegade's twisted mind it was FUN.

Halifax left the building to check on the situation outside as Muryl and Sierra
followed close behind, with Muryl wearing a collander tied with rope on her head
and Sierra wearing just the same thing. They couldn't help hear from Hausdogg
about taking hotel property from within and wished they stuffed a pillow under
their makeshift head gear for REAL protection. Halifax was shocked at how quiet
it was outside and figured it was safe, so he motioned his friends to come out
and try to find the local Ethicable broadcast tower to broadcast their distress
to the Incorporateds and get some real help. And then, Halifax could hear
something noisy in the air that was real noisy.... Renegade screaming.
Halifax almost bent in two from the noise as Sierra and Muryl crumpled up with
their hands over their ears as the noise kept on coming and loud, now breaking
the windows in the city. Fortunately, they were of a special make to not break
up into so many sharp edges (no sharper than a butter-knife) but boy, were they
leaving a mess. And in all this, Halifax saw something just as bad as the world
coming to its end... a world coming to its end and BEING INVADED by Misguided
Sangurians. At least ten ships full of them landed in the central and large park
called Miabva, walled by stone and easily convertable to a fortress if need
be... all it really needed was to shut the darned gate, Halifax has surmised
from seeing it on the first day of his visit to Summerien.
"Just when you thought it wouldn't get any worse....", muttered Halifax, not
realizing the cliche' he said just then was making things worse because someone
Halifax didn't know was part of it lived for cliche's.
As the ships landed, the screaming, thankfully, stopped as the city's
infrastructure was totally wrecked and now looked the part of a world that
ended. And then, a whoosh in the air came forth as Halifax saw something spin
around in the air and announce itself to the world as it span.
"Well, Cornball, welcome to Summerien. I am glad to see you around!", Renegade
screamed gleefully as Halifax motioned his friends, still shaking and upset
from all that screaming, to come with him and see what was going on at the
central park.. and to try to stay out of the way out of the SCE's cognizance and
the roaming herds of insane people.

Inevitably, Dogghaus and Hausdogg got out of the building and followed far
behind, but catching up fast as they realized that the power running the fridge
might not be on forever somehow....

Inside the park, Renegade attempted to make a wondrously dramatic entrance after
pirouetting and spinning into the park, with SCE grunts unloading quickly their
food supplies and laser cannons and worse. Of course, the SCEs were not
individualy armed and less were going to be so as time was passing
because Gunhog was busy buying them up through trades of quality nets for
non-quality guns and green knives, pure lithium-silver combo shafts designed
to hurt-locker someone by boiling off the skin and muscle upon impact.
Much to Cornball's chagrin and Parsantes' annoyance. But, it was
Ehil who complained the most as he was most responsible. Cornball went off to
greet Renegade who ruined a most dramatic appearance by hitting the ground head
first.
"Gunhog, what are you doing? Our troops might need THOSE."
"I'm just starting up the criminal element on this city now that the people of
this world don't care to stop us anymore and are acting in a cloud of madness.
Can I help it if I'm enterprising and young?"
"You are hoarding weapons so NOBODY can defend themselves! Do you not worry
whatever caused this might have not totally suceeded?"
"Don't worry, I'll sell them back at a high profit if they should ask."
"That's not very wise. For one, you are crippling your own forces and two,
you'll have to answer to me, Wa... Um, JUST PLAIN! Ehil Parsantes."
"Oh, is your full name Wa Um Just Plain Ehil Parsantes? Maybe you could get SIX
paychecks of misappropriated wealth for having that many names.", Cavern walked
by and commented....
"Silence", said Ehil as Cavern walked by to meet Renegade in person... neigh,
horse. And Gunhog kept bringing out his nets to trade, with a Ethiphone in one
hand getting a good deal from someone near the edge of the park's gate
exchanging 5 of the green knives for a high-intensity high-power
throw-ya-against-the-wall-with-force-and-leave-you-struggling-hurt-and-IMBEDDED
cannon.
"This generation is full of imbeciles", Ehil said as he punched Gunhog in the
gut and walked to observe the area and try to win the support of the troops away
from the mistake called Cornball through some subtle.... communication.

Beyond the view of the SCEs and behind the wall of the park, Halifax was
beginning to hear Cornball's and Renegade's unlikely communication.
"Did you mean to do that", Cornball said as he watched Renegade try to pull
himself out of the ground, "Or are you just glad to see me back from the grave?"
"Yes", Renegade said, "But I don't think I meant to land with such..
clumsiness."
"Oh, well, Renegade, you know any landing you can walk off is good for you."
"Yes, but what about the flight", Renegade said. "Wasn't it wondrous?"
"Yeah, sure. Come on and meet my group of cracked SCE soldiers. They have always
wanted to meet you."
"How do you know?"
"I'll Make them. Come on."
All of a sudden, Ehil Parsantes stuck a flag right through a water sprinkler
system's piping, deactivated just then but for not much longer, and not far from
where Renegade and Cornball were walking past.
"I claim this planet in the name of the SCE!", Ehil said as suddenly the water
erupted and lifted Ehil into the sky from sheer force of water. Somehow, even
physics must have gone insane from Renegade's storm of anti-empathy for Ehil was
stuck up there longer than naturally expected.
"What was that?", Renegade asked as he looked up.
"Perhaps fate has thrown a pie in his face, and who cares what the antics of a
lowly grunt has to do with me. Let us go to meet the troops and prepare to clamp
down any remaining radio interference. No telling who could possibly HAVEN'T
been affected by all this craziness you put forth!", Cornball drolly replied as
they left him up there. "Hang in there, FOOL!", Renegade added as he clomped off
giggling.
Ehil was stuck in the sky for a while about twenty feet. Halifax was unsure
whether to help and have his location blown or just let him stay up there for a
while.
Sierra watched this as she got close to Halifax, watched Ehil scream from high
above for someone to catch him and then looked at Cornball as Renegade was
properly introduced to the small army, one by running-away-in-fear one.
"And this must be the Cornball I heard Wilson talk about once. Does he really
have the power to make silliness happen like Wilson teased me about once?"
"No, he just misuses his gift of comedy for evil purposes. No way Cornball would
have arranged a stunt like this in so short a time. It must have been destiny."
"But who's that Sangurian creep in the sky?"
"Haven't got a clue."
Finally, Hausdogg came close with Dogghaus coming up close behind Hausdogg
himself.
Halifax was quick to ask Hausdogg, "Um... have you ever been on the Dogelian
Crimenet to know who that guy was up there upon taking office or recently?"
"Not recently. And I don't know who the blazes is that in the sky, but when
gravity finally realizes it's laws are being broken... Splash!", Dogghaus
replied.
"He was talking to me, Dogghaus", said Hausdogg.
"Oh, right. Got us confused again. Anyone seen a doughnut?"
"Twins", said Muryl.
"Go figure", Sierra added as both sighed.
Halifax was curious still about the identity of the grunt now finally stepping
off and being caught much to the pain of those who caught him. "Hausdogg, do I
need to repeat myself?"
"No, and I haven't even been on a computer network since I got a job. Mostly
looked at want ads, clues and suspects, you know, REAL OLD FASHIONED police
work."
"Well, somebody should find out who that person who played what someone I know
calls Vaudeville is named. If he keeps getting in messes like that, what's to be
put on his tombstone?"
"Never wary of water lines?", Sierra said. "Well, I don't know, give me a clue,
someone!"
And with that, Halifax knew what next to do.
"I have an Idea. I'm no leader but I learned from Wilson some good procedures
that most leaders know. I personally should get a message off to the universe of
Summerien's dismay so we get help quick. I don't really think I'm up to hitting
two thousand misguided souls in one day no matter how VAST my powers might be."
"Then you should ask me", Muryl said. "After all, I live in this town in the
seaside area. I do have someplace to live, even though probably it is totally
wrecked by the end of the world. Strange I survived such a thing as the end of
the world."
"Worlds can always come back. Just like Halifax did, doctor lady", Sierra said.
And then she dragged Halifax with her.
"Um, Sierra, this is kind of impulsive..."
"You said we're going to go to a radio station to tell the world. So go, then,
and don't stay still!", Sierra said as Halifax was literally yanked by a
quick-running Sierra and Muryl as they sought the biggest Ethiradio tower in the
city.
Hausdogg tsked. "Some leader you might end up being. Can't keep the troops from
taking over, can you?"
"That's a good idea. Can you and Can that!", Halifax said as they ran off.

Ehil Parsantes knew the time for anyone to interrupt the invasion was coming
soon. After all, a whole world no longer having any contact with the outside
galaxy would soon raise a stink that the Justiceers would come to contact. But
he had one more thing to do to ensure Cornball's leadership would be
compromised, by striking at the one thing that would destroy their alliance but
good.... the kind things both had to say against each other. And in the center
of the park slept Cornball and Renegade, Cornball not so soundly due to the fact
everyone kept saying "No, sir, that's not what Ehil wants" over and over.
Ehil's plan was generated by his knowledge of Cornball's weaknesses and
Renegade's continued sensation of reality no matter what. After all, Ehil would
one day have to see what the rest of the universe was like after his long
separation from the rimward SCE front. And Ehil was a fast learner. So, Ehil
began putting loco ideas in Cornball's head first.
"Hey, Cornball, this is your conscious speaking.", Ehil said in a whispering
voice.
"Go away ", Cornball slept talk, "I blew you away with a cream-filled bazooka
last lifetime."
"Well, I RECOVERED. Do you ever wonder why Renegade is so nice a friend to you?"
"What?", Cornball muttered.
"He wants to brain you with a wrench once you fall asleep so he can claim your
misappropriated personal wealth. He hates your jokes and hates your pies and
wishes you would quickly, quickly die. He is envious of everybody save him and
hates all. He'd throw you in the river if you sleep through the night and HERE
HE COMES NOW OH NO!!!!!". And with that, Ehil Parsantes ran off to a quite
groggy yet awake Cornball seeing nobody close to him but Renegade.
"Renegade, wake up.. WAKE UP! Don't pretend to fall asleep on me!"
"WHAT!" Renegade awoke almost lifting himself a foot into the sky.
"Renegade, do you have any wrenches hidden on your person?"
"NO! OF COURSE NOT! THEY WOULD HURT LIKE HECK IF I LAID ON ONE!"
"How about in those horns of yours?"
"NO! NOW GO TO BED, WE HIT THE OUTSIDE COMMUNICATION TOWERS AT DAWN!"
"Sorry. Bad dream. Darn", Cornball said as he drifted back to sleep... with one
eye open to see if anything heavy and able to turn bolts was headed for his head
with a haircut that resembled a black top hat 60's toon villians were notorious
for wearing.

Then Ehil, gleeful in his beginning triumph, ran right into the still- spouting
water main and had another brief ride, and screamed for Cavern to come before
HIS BEDTIME....

Ehil was finally dried off by Cavern, really concerned as Ehil was getting
annoyed.
"You wish to get the flu and die again, friend? That was too silly for words."
Ehil grabbed Cavern by the shoulders.
"Don't you realize what is going on? Cornball senses I must have some secret
leadership capacity. And he's jealous to kill me with a super soaking!"
"Cornball... Against the all of us? But he's our leader."
"Cornball is decieving and silly and not sane. This world is affecting him and
who knows what he'll pull on me. So please, help save my life."
"Oh, allright.", Cavern said, trying to humor the silly gorilla who for a while
was in the sky. "How."
"Swear loyalty to me and not him, and try to do the opposite of all he says, no
matter how absurd it might be. And Cornball will not have the power to destroy
me through foul vendetta again."
"Alright, but do you have some ulterior motive for such a thing?"
"Yes. I can get us through this invasion... Alive. Come, help me talk to Gunhog
about my dilemma and he can tell his friends, and so on, and so on, and...."
Ehil knew this was a good plan to seize control and credit of this invasion
force. It worked lots of times before, of course. It was too bad none of them
had heard of the great Ehil Parsantes, warlord of the outmost regions of
Sangur-La, conqueror of the Technosage empire and a legendary gorilla of
horror, because Emperor Kingston kept it silent. Though one day not telling the
rest of the SCE about a lot of vengeful Technosages out to gain revenge on them
all would surely hurt the SCE one day, Ehil Parsantes preferred life after life
to keep the rimward regions of the SCE in the dark about his true capacities.
Ehil just preferred to do his job in total anonymity around the SCE's rimward
regions. Less autograph hounds that way...
Soon, Gunhog and Cavern began to spread dissension against Cornball's troops to
serve Ehil instead. And then, Ehil thought as he saw Renegade lying down in the
shade, I have a better plan still to make Cornball look like the fool I've heard
legends say he WAS and IS....

Chapter 10     "What don't you know"
Day 4, Midnight

And then Ehil whispered to Renegade. It took a brave mon to try to convince a
being like Renegade to believe what was told in one's sleep and live to see the
next morning.
"Do you have any idea of why Cornball asked if you had a wrench?"
"Why? and who is this?"
"Your consciousness."
"Wow", Renegade moaned in his sleep, "I'm SCHIZOPHRENIC! THIS IS WONDROUS!"
"Yes, and I am upset. Cornball is afraid of you because he knows the truth. Why
you could have destroyed the SCE the same way you destroyed the sanity of this
world."
"Like I could tell myself WHY I did what I did?", Renegade said in his dreams.
"Go ahead. I'm all ears.", Ehil said as Renegade muttered the... truth.
"You see what I did? Convinced the populace to act like animals, but a special
kind."
"Oh, don't be brief on the details."
"Who cares what you think, ME? Anyway, I convinced them to act like the primal
animal spirits still guarding their setinent souls they still have, to the
letter. Damaged their minds that way through pure anti-empathic thinking one
day but It was worth it to see someone crow at sunrise like a rooster. And to
annoy my good enemy Halifax to no end. Ha!"
"Well." Ehil paused as long to think on the enormity of all that the concept of
spirit animals ensued.
One Second later, Ehil whispered, "Well, Cornball is jealous of you. He hates
your guts because that would have been HIS plan. And Cornball would destroy you
to prevent an unique opportunity for you. Guess what it is, horse! Okay, it
is... Instead of you just humbly serving the SCE's maniacal whims, you can
destroy it for Cornball's jealousy since he and all the evil beings hate and
fear your... power. After all, what's preventing YOU from using your power to
make the SCEs act like their spirit animals instead of THEMSELVES and leave you
as the only evil this universe deserves?"
"Usually I destroy only good things."
"Well, do you realize how much fun heroes have bringing your evil to an end? Why
be bored with only the fun you derive destroying just the good? Why not share in
their FUN and destroy EVIL as well? Just hate all and destroy all and let
anything left over to sort it out!"
"Wow. Imagine the possibilities", Renegade snickered.
"As for the wrench Cornball said he had..."
"Well?"
"The wrench to be used is Cornball's and it's aimed for your head IF YOU DON'T
WAKE UP NOW!!!!!" And with that, Ehil ran off, not realizing the true terror he
was to inevitably unleash on the universe. For a VERY, VERY long time.
Renegade stood straight up and very bassily said, "Cornball", with a tone that
shook Cornball awake.
"What?"
"The WRENCH. Give it to me."
"The Wrench you have?"
"The Wrench YOU HAVE."
"I don't have a wrench. Do you?"
"NO! And don't dare accuse me of destroying the SCE with my power or I really
WILL use my power to destroy the SCE!"
"I have a better Idea! Go to bed! I'm not feeling too good as I sense mutiny
from nearly all my troops!"
"Maybe my mutiny could make a matched set. I thought you were my ally and
friend! I respected your nuttiness and now you're accusing me of things I think
now would be fun doing! So YOU go to bed!"
"You first!" And with that, Cornball tried to smack Renegade between the horns.
Unaware a wrench was tied to his hand just then, finishing Renegade's very small
reserve of sanity for all time.
Cornball looked at what was in his hand after Renegade slipped into a temporary
coma.
"Oh no. the WRENCH! WRENCH! WRENCH!", Cornball kept screaming into the night
almost waking all the rest of the troops.
Ehil did some snickering, too. Cornball was doomed now. And with just two more
brief visits, Cornball and Renegade could make their emnity grow on their own.
After all, how else did Ehil destroy the Technos? By ruining their alliances the
same way through being able to make someone hear his words in their dreams and
put words in their heads?
Anyway, it was time to make sure any resistance did not have the power to yack
to the world their worries if they had the sanity remaining to do so. So Ehil
Parsantes scaled the stone wall and used his sense of smell to track someone he
knew to have been around and to be.. peeping beings who had stuck their noses in
the SCE's business for one of their last times.

The high Ethiradio station tower would have ordinarly been guarded by security
and Dogghaus would have gladly gotten permission to enter the place if anyone
had been guarding the building. Halifax and Sierra went in first, with Muryl
having to carry on her shoulders the exhausted twin cops who had no clue as to
where anything was here and kept running off during the day trying to arrest
people going to the bathroom in public near the fire hydrants.
"Are those two cops okay, Muryl?" Halifax said on the stairwell as Sierra kept
testing the stairs for weakness by stomping on them. Although none gave way
Sierra was not going to suffer any nasty falls that'd really hurt her. She was
sensible about the whole thing of living.
"Yes, just sleeping. For cops who's beat is an entire galaxy they must not run
or walk much. They exhausted themselves. Should I leave them down there?"
"Just leave them by the front door. If someone wakes them up and tries to
prevent our attempt to save the world, we'll hear of it."
"Oh, sure, like they'd wake up for that.", Muryl said as she laid both of them
on the floor and walked up to the topmost floors, and noted the lights were
beginning to flicker on and off as a real rainstorm began brewing outside in the
darkness. Which didn't make Muryl feel any better about all this.
"Note to myself If I get my diary back online. Be more careful about taking
responsibilty of lost loves with imposters on their heels.", Muryl muttered as
the three climbed upstairs, unknown something outside not so distant from
the small group was stalking them out of curiosity... and boredom.

Inside the control room, Halifax manipulated the radio as Muryl and Sierra stood
guard, much to Halifax's worry that Sierra was getting herself hurt. But Muryl,
fortuitously, had Sierra learn self-defense a little to protect herself in case
Renegade tried to take her once so Halifax wasn't so worried and grateful. He
knew all too well how the opposite sex had been exploited when never taught to
defend themselves, and having Ann as an example of how bad it could get kept
reminding no matter how desperate the situation would be, Halifax was always
best off respecting the wishes of females. Halifax was raised that way without
his father, Longshore, being there as a father. If Halifax's mom hadn't been
there for him, no doubt Halifax would have not wanted help from females like Dad
did too many times. And for that Halifax was grateful.
Meanwhile, Dogghaus and Hausdogg awoke and wondered where they were and why they
had entered a building without themselves serving a warrant and realized they
were probably there to seek help. But then they met up with something they
didn't like.
Ehil Parsantes there, tired as hell and claiming he was there to cut the
power....

Halifax got on the Ethiradio and began to explain his situation in a room barely
lit by the dimming power in the solar batteries of the building, the batteries
shattered and the collectors shattered earlier that day.
"Hello. This is Halifax, a hero who's had a heck of a lot of misery handed to
him despite finding his true love. I have recently been stranded on Summerien.
You know, the world with two suns and one of them not so bright. Anyway, you
might be wondering why Summerien hasn't broadcast any shows from its city, had
its citizens surf the Ethinet, or even ordered a pay-per-view from the main
Ethicable network in a couple of days. Summerien has suffered Armageddon at
unknown hands and is in ruins. Only I, my beloved Sierra who I would die for if
only to die in her stead, Sierra's psychologist and the heads of the Dogelian
Justiceers are sane and acting normal here, amongst a small army of SCE people
who'd be scared off by any resistance by Justiceers or my friends, the
Incorporateds."
Muryl thought she heard something from downstairs. But it probably was the wind
whipping this broken building. And the rain...
"Please offer any assistance ASAP, friends. I feel I have not the power to cure
all the people in this world in time to save Summerien from more madness and a
total dominion by any future SCE. I cannot cure all the people who acts much
like animals because I know so little about the setinent mind. Please, help us,
anyone who can come and fix this world. Thank you."
Sierra came close. "You really would die in my stead if I was threatened?"
"Can't live without you in my life. Not anymore, not after what Renegade has
pulled."
"I can't really live very well, without you either, Halifax.", Sierra said.
"I know." Halifax said back as they embraced in what quickly became darkness.
Muryl was shocked. "What in the high eagle is going on?"
Halifax muttered. "The power must finally have gone out. But I think the message
was sent.
"I hope so", Sierra said. "I don't know anything about how to cure this world,
either!"
"You being in it makes it sane. Muryl, do you have a match or torch or
something?", Halifax asked of Dr. Muryl.
"No, not really. Never expected to be thrust in the dark ages this soon", Muryl
said worriedly.
"Then we are in trouble. I'm not entirely sure we can find our way in the dark
AND my fax power would backfire if we tried to get out because I may be sure
where I'm going, but I have to know where I am to just go."
"What a heck of a time to say that", Muryl said as all three began groping in
the pitch darkness for a way out of there. But Sierra did not do so for long and
reached to see if the floor felt the same as she saw it.....
And then, in the darkness, a voice rang out. But not female and not a cop's and
not Halifax's!
"Well, if it isn't the Incorporateds. Or should I say, I2 since apparently this
is A NEW, SEPERATE GROUP?"
"What are you", Halifax said, "And where are you coming from?"
"Farther than even the Emperor has been, Halifax I assume. I am the vile Ehil
Parsantes, conqueror of seventeen worlds... and taker of the inevitable credit
for thirty more. And I have imprisoned you in darkness forever, with my
mystic...um... POWERS! In a dark realm you are, trapped without any exits...
And I will keep you here until you die and a SCE grunt one long day from now
sees your starved, thirsted bodies no longer alive. Or until I take the two cops
out of here, leave them near the park wall overdosed on cream pies for a while,
and let them figure out where you've gone once they wake up."
"You monster!", said Muryl. "We want to know where we are!"
"Forever lost, what do I care. Anyway, before I leave you to stumble, I give you
this advice. If you'd believed in something more than mere science, the key to
this world's dilemma would present itself to you. But you'll never escape even
when you hit the walls with your gloves. They'll just make the area you're lost
in MUCH BIGGER and it'll be easier to lose your friends forever in that bigger
place. So just sit still, death will come for you.. eventually. Farewell,
suckers!" And with that, Ehil Parsantes stopped whispering and left the fools to
think themselves into a big trap only the obvious could free them all.
Sierra suddenly was worried. "Let me guess. We aren't in this radio station
anymore, are we."
"I don't know", Halifax doubted, "But if you're near It doesn't matter where we
are. As long as we are close.
"Yes", Sierra said from across eternity as far as Halifax was scared into
believing. Maybe the fact Ehil used a bullhorn to confuse the heros into fear
helped hype a image needed to stop Halifax from leaving once his call was made
and Ehil knew WHO he was against. "But for how long?"
The three people in that room knew fear for the first time in their lives.

Chapter 11      "The plan is hatched! And set into motion!"
Day 5, Early Morning

Ehil quickly returned dragging the two cops as the rain ended quietly to the
park. And just in time as planned, for Ehil had to finish the job.. and knew by
now it was time to get Gunhog to fire the laser cannons Gunhog must have
obtained for himself by now by sheer wheeling and dealing. And shoot down anyone
foolish to try coming to fix the sanity problem on the world of Summerien.
Ehil could see Renegade was moaning as he recovered forcibly himself from his
coma and just slept peacefully now abliet with a headache, just as the sun rose
on a nearly deserted town... deserted by its TRUE owners, that is! Anyway,
before Renegade fully woke, it was time to finish the treachery upon Cornball's
hairdo-hatted head.
"Guess what, Renegade. Have you been to Hell recently?"
"BRIEFLY. WHY, consciousness, why did you not protect me?"
"To show you how evil and cunning Cornball is. And if you don't stop respecting
him and turn on him and cuss at him and call him names at EVERY chance he gets,
Cornball will never let you wake up, ever, from the next coma. You know, the one
where he drops a TWENTY ton safe!"
"I can't allow that even if it means becoming a Nihilist!"
"Exactly. Now, when you wake up, pretend to be kind then when Cornball mentions
the problem of you wanting to wreck his world when that wasn't ORIGINALLY your
intention cuss at him, call him names and plot his destruction."
"Yes. That will make ME feel GOOD!"
"I need to say no more. You can handle this on your own."
And then, Ehil Parsantes stopped whispering into Renegade's ears and started to
whisper into Cornball's.
Cornball muttered in his sleep rather annoyedly, "WHAT! I was having a dream of
Wilson plummeting off a cliff after pursuing me and I know it's a knockoff of
SOMETHING FUN!"
"Your dream was interrupted but your consciousness is a bigger priority. Anyway,
Renegade hates your guts for sure. Unless the next argument he has you explode
and show your mistrust of him, Renegade will kill you outright and slowly."
"And what did Renegade want to do? I still think he could have been a friend if
not for that....accident."
"Are you so SURE? Anyway, Renegade was going to kill you sneakily and EXTREMELY
SLOW."
"No! I can't allow that! I must make Renegade my enemy to protect my SCE from
him. I should have known he was a mutineer!"
"Yes. Well, you know what to do. You know all you need to know. Awake and end
your friendship and save yourself for your own good and that of the SCE. Fate
will be kinder to you. Trust me..."
"Wait, isn't that voice familar..."
"Yes, it's your consciousness. BYE!" And with that, Ehil ran off gigging as
nother plan was sucessful in derailing both Cornball and Renegade's respect for
each other as well as the resistance against EHIL'S forces of the SCE. Boy, Ehil
was good. No, not good. WORSE!
Ehil now personally woke Gunhog with a plan to get his support for defending the
prize of Waverly from outside interference... And boy, would it be lousy.

Book 3 "Unions"

Up until now, Halifax and his newfound, refound and unfound friends had little
or no clue as to already why the setinents living on the world of Summerien were
acting like animals. In fact, Halifax himself was currently in the dark and
somehow manipulated into believing he was in a dark dimension without end. Ehil
was quite good at manipulating others to his whim and little could be done to
counteract it. And not even a shred of help was headed exactly their way,
Halifax would realize if fear wasn't eating away at his sanity now. As for
Muryl, she fell asleep, exhausted from the long day and as long as it was
dark....
But, somehow, there was always a reason why Wilson had Sierra around during
those years Halifax and Wilson teamed up to save the world despite Cornball's
demands they stop for fear they were endangering a child. Of which Sierra
responded by stomping on the foot of Cornball after he said that. And the reason
Sierra was around was her common sense somehow immune to the whims of the world,
like most kids seem to have but lose via adult jadedness. And Sierra called out
to Halifax before Halifax did something stupid like stay afraid.
"Halifax! Love of my life! Hear me! Are you being misguided or something?"
"Sierra", Halifax said. "Where are you?"
"I haven't even moved from the door. Do you think you have after hearing that
idiot creep just now?"
"Yes.", Halifax said totally in the dark about anything.
"Well, why don't you try faxing part of yourself."
"I'm not even sure where I am!"
`"No, not away. In pieces so you can see the light and walk out of here! Don't
buy into what that moron said. I saw the floor was made of wood and It still
feels like wood so we ain't gone anywhere! Just try 'faxing' an arm and hold the
faxed hand with the unfaxed one upside down like a torch! If you love me, trust
me!"
"Like that could help here. All right... but.."
And Halifax was amazed. Up until this day Halifax had rarely gated in total
darkness and he never once figured out his gates really could produce in the
dark enough to see. Now, the room was lit as before but it was Halifax doing the
lightening.
Halifax yelled from a bout of stupidity. "Oh, no! I don't believe It! I was here
all along?"
"Oh, Halifax, I knew you were here all the time!", Sierra said. "But that moron
Eel Pantbarking or whatever his name was must have had empaffy powers or
something horrid to make you and Doctor Muryl think you were actually taken
away! Good I'm not that dumb to fall for it!"
"Yes.", Halifax said as he tried to calm down. "I sure will never doubt your
sanity or Intelligence from now on."
"Glad you never did, Halifax!" Sierra piped as she tried to lift Muryl off the
floor.
Halifax lifted with his left hand Muryl's feet as he stuck his faxed right in
his pants pocket. "Allow me to help your psychiatrist, dear Sierra."
"Why, thank you, that's thoughtful. Any hope we can find supper somewhere on the
way back to the hotel or at least the way to cure my world of madness?"
"I hope so. I'm famished for both food and for a end to this madness."

Meanwhile, Ehil was having the gun of Gunhog's wheeled off on its own tank
tracks.
"Are you sure that your plans for this world aren't really insane? I mean,
paving it totally and selling it as resorts for the SCE isn't such a good plan.
They ALREADY have a resort for SCE's to let their frustrations out on Terzel
Yang!"
"Silence. I have a feeling in a hour or so we'll be getting someone in the sky
coming down to bring ruination upon us all. But with this fine gun shooting down
the coming heroes you've obtained, I shall personally end anyone's coming with a
crash to the ground."
"Oh, really? What are you going to give me in return for the gun, anyhow? I had
to trade 17 kitana swords, 15 knives, 4 blasters, and a bunch of grenades for
this thing, and those things are already being shipped off world by Cavern who's
somehow willing to help me establish trade routes in my new Arms business I'm
considering starting up after this world's secured for our emperor."
"How about ten miles of land for yourself I'll give because the Emperor's going
to credit ME for the sucessful defense and takeover of this world."
"Sounds alright, after all I need a museum for this stuff.... HEY! I thought
Cornball and Renegade was responsible for making this world a future home of the
Sangurian Criminal Empire."
"Oh, all they did was drive the populace insane and land on the planet and claim
it. I'm going to be the one responsible for actually KEEPING it within the
ignoble SCE! Yes!"
"I suppose that makes sense."
The gun pulled out of the park and cirlced the street under Ehil's expert
driving, leaving the chasing Gunhog wondering if this Ehil was too good a driver
for his OWN good....
Meanwhile, he saw the still sleeping Dogghaus and Hausdogg just outside the park
wall. Time to wake those cops, Ehil mused...

Halifax and all his friends had made it within a block of the park when Muryl
saw the gun circling the park and the group had to hide out of sight. It was
easy to tell what kind of threat the gun was posing by the fact Dogghaus and
Hausdogg, now awake, were being chased by it.
"I didn't know Renegade knew how to drive a tank", Halifax said as the tank
turned the corner. "I know he knows how to ruin lives but not how to drive."
"I don't think it's Renegade", Sierra said. I think I can see from here the
driver's NOT Renegade because even I know Renegade can't drive if his life
depended on it."
"Though I would expect that Doghaus's and Hausdogg's life depends on that driver
not being that good a SHOT!", Halifax said as he saw the tank now come their
way....
"Well, love of my life, don't just stand there and get them out of that gun's
way!"
And so, Halifax did as he came up just ahead of Dogghaus and Hausdogg, both
running away. Halifax came to grab them both as Ehil decided to give the two a
warning shot right through their heads. Luckily, Halifax grabbed and faxed them
out of range just as the massive blast would have decapitated them.
Ehil had to stop for a moment. He looked pleased despite his missing the cops
and exterminating them as examples to the insane populace, now wandering
randomly in packs across the world not really prepared for an animal's life,
having been so evolved away from it. Somehow, he knew he may have not gotten the
target he wanted origonally... but a target he did get.
And even if he had nailed the two cops as their heads would have been vaporized
and the beam would still have kept going unslowed and unstopped, the new target
was destined to fall. And thank goodness it DID!

Chapter 11      "Guest star blues"
Day 5, Noon

Cornball was busily spending the morning trying to find out what was so special
about this newcomer he kept hearing his fellow SCE's call Ehil the Conqueror,
why SCE skyships were leaving their makeshift fortress with only 10 feet of
stone wall surrounding it and taking a lot of the weapons needed to defend, and
basically not trying to sleep for fear of having those dreams drive a wedge
between him and his ally, Renegade.
Cornball was very annoyed and getting more as he walked up to those who were
contemplating mutiny as well as disobedience of the mon ASSIGNED to this
invasion squad. And found out bit by bit just how much a terror and respectful
monster Ehil was.... just not in the part of the SCE Cornball was ever in, even
when Cornball left his duty in the close Magellan Cloud mini-galaxy to escape
Wilson only to be the one that brought Wilson to the SCE quite ironically....
"HE WHAT?", Cornball said to Cavern just as a ship departed with a lot of
weapons now in the possession of one very happy Gunhog.
"That's right. Singlehandedly ran the Technosages's mystic-driven fleet and
people right into irrevelance in the galactic scheme a generation ago", said
Cavern. "He boasted of derailing a Catican Frontier-sized fleet into hiding
within a year of being given the task of derailing it so you could concentrate
on the Frontier's eventual destruction. Of course, since the frontier's almost
as corrupt as we are, well, Ehil decided to let the locals handle the good-guys
problem FIRST."
"And I suppose he connived MY SCE troops into following him instead of ME and
took the guns so I couldn't find one to shoot Ehil WITH!"
"No, actually, Gunhog's been trading for the guns. He decided to start up an
arms dealership in his latest life. Got a fondness for collecting weapons. Even
I think that's sick but heck, Gunhog is paying me A LOT for helping get those
weapons out of here and sold inevitably. And yes, I've heard a lot of you saying
"YOU FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU HAVE RUINED ALL MY PLANS AND I WANT YOU TO
FALL OFF A HIGH CLIFF AND DIE QUICKLY NOWWWW!!!!", Cavern said and then SHOUTED
in his most deep voice.
"Thanks a lot."
"For making this invasion only something Ehil will be credited sucess for!"
"For being a psychic. When this planet is fully secured under SCE territorial
claims....well, you've just correctly guessed YOUR AWFUL FATE!"
"Be careful, Cornball. You hit me and Ehil will press charges for attacking one
of HIS officers."
"I wish EHIL GONE! Where is EHIL!!!!"
"Protecting the city himself against those remaining forces against our being
here. WHY? Oh, look out."
And then Cornball saw the big gun-tank come at him, and barely avoided being run
down by the rolling gun only to be run over by something less fatal.... only
infinently more ANNOYING! Gunhog, to be EXACT!
It took a minute or two for Cornball to get up after being bowled over. And
Cornball was annoyed and suspicious of what Ehil was doing. Did Kingston send
Ehil to keep Cornball in check? Bummer! was all Cornball kept saying.
Cavern said, "I don't think there's anyone in the SCE named Bummer. But, I can
ask Kingston to have within the next new SCE batch of warriors one named so
eventually one SCE named Bummer could come out and...."
"Do you wish your fate of cliff-diving without a BUNGEE CORD NOW?"
"Not really. Want to change fates? I'm really fated to be in the Death Press to
suceed Jhof should he ever said down. I've got the gift of gab for that job. And
maybe YOU could like falling off a cliff better!!!"
"Forget it. Just stay out of my way while I try to convince these SCE's I'm the
REAL leader while Ehil is only a pretender. And don't try to wake up Renegade if
you do. I still RESPECT Renegade after all those awful dreams I've had and I
DON'T want Ehil to give him ideas about trying to mutiny as well!"
Cornball was out of earshot as a distant blast then rocked the city. And kept
anyone from hearing the words that might have saved Cornball's and Renegade's
mutual friendship.
"Funny", Cavern said, "Ehil already HAD."

Halifax was on top of the radio tower, lit only by his left gated hand held by
the right ungated one, as he got Sierra, Muryl, and the two cops well out of tht
gun-crazy Sangurian's hands. And saw the blast slowly head off at subsonic
speeds straight into infinity or at least until the blast ran out of power
to send it, which would be at least 186,000 miles off if Halifax knew his
weapons of mass destruction. And after 40 years, sadly, Halifax had not
forgotten. Darn.
Halifax was kind of worried. If something destructive could possibly blast
186,000 miles, it could poke a hole in the planet and make two quick volcanoes
on each side to make the world a lot less lovelier place to be. But at least for
now, he and Sierra and the rest were out of sight for now. And that made Halifax
a whole lot eased in the worrying department.
Dogghaus was grateful and then shocked when he realized his head could have been
pushed off a light-second away from his body, a heck of a place to be for
someone who could not survive decapitation. In at least two places. And then,
Dogghaus fainted just as Muryl woke up to the sun shine.
"Wow.", she said. "We're free of the dark realm Ehil sent us to!"
"Um, doctor lady... could you get a clue? You were actually fooled
psychologically into imagination time in a dark realm when Ehil actually turned
out the lights! Duh?", Sierra said as Halifax tried to wake up the perpetually
exhausted-it-seemed-but-now-fainted Dogghaus.
"Darn. I almost prefered what Ehil imagined us to be like that if you're telling
the truth. And you always do.", Muryl said as she moaned embarrasedly that such
a good psychologist could herself be psyched when her best patient, not always
adult in the head, could sense the wrong.
"Hey, you're only setinent, not truly perfect, doctor Lady", Sierra said. "Guess
I actually read some of those Psychology books you gave me to color, didn't ya?"
"Glad you did. At least one of us can make some sense of all this.", Muryl said
as she began to worry about that powerful gun-tank. As if worrying the people of
her own world were never going to be sane again....

Then something came in from the horizon. Something very noisy and smoking came
in from the horizon and it was coming in very fast. Everyone not affected by
Renegade's anti-empathy wave looked up and saw that it was the Neverrest,
definitively winged. It was coming and it made a lot of SCE's very nervous just
then in the square as they prepared for battle when the Neverrest flew by and
crashed somewhere distant out of view. And then, as Halifax witnessed the
crowds in the park from the vantage point of the radio tower, the SCE's suddenly
calmed down and went back to their duties and Halifax couldn't realize why. But
at least, now, Halifax and his friends weren't alone in this battle...
"Looks like my call for help has been answered", Halifax said. "But who came to
help us?"
"I don't have much of a clue from what little I saw of the ship crashing.",
Sierra said.
"So I suppose we should go and help them out", Halifax said as he prepared a
gate for the way out. "Before Renegade tries to help them!"
"You always were the heroic one. That's how I knew between the real you and
RENNNEEGAAADDDEEEE!", Sierra spoke as the group left.
Of course, Dogghaus didn't complain. He was too asleep to complain and was taken
away with the lot of them out of the city and back to the countryside... to find
out whom came to help.

Ehil had briefly seen the ship he'd somehow anti-miraculously shot down fly
overhead, and waited for it to go away before doing the following: "Yes! I am
good or what!", and making the appropriate gestures. But then, there was a
problem from the fortress as Renegade had apparently been waked up by the blast.
"What is going on?", Renegade shouted from afar and Ehil turned his gun towards
the voice.
"None of your business. Go back to bed so Cornball can hit you with a pipe and
claim victory. I'm just defending the planet!"
"Oh. I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY JOB!"
"Actually, Cornball gave me the job. He knows when he sees someone better than
him and gave me the credit for this planet's downfall. He says you have NOTHING
to do with it. So go to bed, go get a coma, die and go to HELL!"
"Only if I take Cornball there. Excuse me while I inquire as to why nobody's
curious the Incorporateds have seemingly landed."
"Incorporateds? I don't think so!", said Ehil, who turned his tank around and
drove it out of the city, smiling at how his plan was going. Even if his bid for
the dominance of this planet failed, Cornball and Renegade were destined to be
enemies. And out of that, Ehil could be assured sucess... one way or the other.

Meanwhile, Cornball was busy leaving the fortress, too, as Ehil drove past him
and ignored the rantings of Cornball blaming him for everything from just Ehil's
involvement in the invasion to the growing and newly born debt of the SCE that
was building slowly since the Incorporateds started fighting the SCE wholesale.
Cornball was, however, distracted.
"And furthermore.... I think you stink, Ehil! I don't want you EVER being around
here anymore!"
"Just be careful, Cornball. Renegade might destroy your sanity the way he did
the rest of the world if you don't be his servant. He told me."
"WHAT?", Cornball screamed as Ehil just drove off. But no doubt now, Ehil
thought, that any friendship will die between Renegade and Cornball. A shame
Renegade's hatred has caused whatever destrucion Renegade and Cornball throw
against each other nowadays for the rest of time. But in the end, I will be
there to pick up the pieces!

As Cornball returned to the fortress, he could see nobody was concerned about
the Incorporateds. And he had to talk to Renegade to figure out why, but all
Renegade did was disrespectfully joke.
"What Incorporateds? All I've sensed until just now are some sort of Auxiliary
Incorporateds, led by my mortal enemy Halifax. Are you sure you didn't mean I2
or something?"
"Didn't you see the Incorporated's Neverrest starship fall?"
"YES. But all I know is they brought an escape ship here. I don't see any of
Halifax's friends around Halifax, just a bunch of strangers and the one who
Halifax loved."
"Well, some more of those Blasted Incorporateds could be here! That small group
would expand at any time! Don't you care?"
"I find it hard to care about a bunch of things these days. Now I seem to have a
consciousness."
"Funny thing, me too.... and it told me to...."
"Hate your guts?", both said at the same time.
"Suddenly, even I am worried", Renegade said nervously.
"Let's talk this over under a tree before we both do something we both regret!",
Renegade said.
"As long as you aren't going to make me a slave."
"WHAT?"
"Never mind. Just a thought. I hope I don't have any more like that!"
Both Renegade and Cornball worriedly walked off, knowing any friendship was
doomed but tried to save it nevertheless....

Meanwhile, let us get back to the Deer Lady. As fate would have her in a certain
place, she had spent the past few days grazing and drinking from mountain
streams, acting very deer-like right now. She had often met setinent animals
wandering across the plains acting wierd like herself and barely even thought
about the fact she wasn't raised to act this way. But sadly, there seemed to be
no way for her to return to some resemblance of the setinent being she once was,
and doomed to forever cry "I'm a deer! I eat leaves!", whenever she was
confronted.
Suddenly, she looked up from her grazing and saw something crash in the distant
horizon. It was smoking and looked like it was a little wrecked. And somehow,
something small in her told her to walk close, out of animal curiosity.

As Ehil left the city, he felt good to be out on the deserted open road, with
the wind whipping his hair and his happiness surging. He knew very well if
someone had managed to call for help, they probably had seen help was not just
coming, it was CRASHING and would go to help themselves. And then, Ehil would
blast his way right through the group and they would be gone. Forever.
He wasn't at the least bit concerned who ELSE in ORBIT was waiting for
Renegade's wave of Empathy to end to fall on the SCEs. And that was sad, for...
well, I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you, so read ahead and find out for
yourself!

Chapter 12     "Has help come or does it need help and the help that comes needs
help itself from the original help?"
Day 5, Afternoon

The deer-lady crawled on all fours up to the wrecked skycraft, out of sheer
curiosity. Now, not even thoughts in her language were going through her mind,
but just the static that goes through insentinent animal minds. For now,
Renegade's anti-empathy wave was going to its full effect: chasing off the
setinence of all Renegade's victims fiber by fiber. And the time remaining to
reverse this maddening was quickly running out.
As a door opened, the deer lady ran inside thinking in animal thought it was a
cave. But what was inside was no cave nor was it safe for the state of mind the
deer lady was in. As she sniffed around for grass to nibble once she got in the
totally dark part of the crashed ship, two panther-like human hands grabbed
her head and stunned her utterly.
Then the hands dragged her in and carried her off into the ship, their owner
certainly knowing that it had the means to cure this lady, but never to what she
was. But better something than nothing, it surmised, and couldn't help but
figure out just how this insane humanoid could ever revert to animalesque
thought OR make a bodysuit out of extra t-shirts for giving out for gifts.....

Halifax managed to find the Neverrest, ruined as it was with the broken wing but
at least repairable within a couple of days, far from the city and almost
halfway to the asylum where all this maddening started. For a moment, Halifax
was worried just who among the Incorporateds could have come to this world in
such a short notice and with the Neverrest. Of course, Halifax knew it was
likely the Incorporated or Incorporateds within did not come alone to chase off
the SCE troops on this world, but had a funny feeling unless that Incorporated
was something special, it was likely to revert upon leaving the ship to its
animalesque roots.
Sierra picked up and carried by the shoulders the snoozing Dogghaus and sat him
down against the side of the ship after testing it for it still being hot from
reentry. Of course it wasn't, the Neverrest was made of something that didn't
stay hot after reentry, but boy, did it make a spectacular wreck. And Sierra
could see from some small cracklines the Neverrest was used to crashing.
"Halifax", Sierra said, "Do you think Wilson has come back to help us?"
"What has given you a clue?", Halifax said as he saw the door to the craft was
open but none of the internal lighting had come back online. YET.
"Well, this ship crashed, and we've crashed a lot in the past when Wilson was
flying this ship's predecessor."
"Unfortunately, Sierra, this was a deliberate if unbelievably against-all-odds
crash this ship occured. That sangurian with the tank shot it down."
"From this world's surface into SPACE? I hate to have to meet with that
tank-gun!"
"Well, maybe he'll get lost. After all, what could give him a clue?"
"How about a crash scar a mile away from the ship?", Muryl said as she looked
back away from the rear of the large skycraft.
"Oh, darn. ", Halifax said as he notioned them all to try to go inside. And
Halifax, a little unnerved about being back in the dark and humiliated by a
manipulative SCE out of nowhere, did so with trepidation.

Inside the darkness within the Neverrest, Halifax couldn't sense a soul. Maybe
because someone was intending that to be. Perhaps it was on purpose, because
Halifax had a feeling anyone who wanted to go about just anthropomorphic and
setinent and not also beastly would prefer not to go noticed. Halifax, however,
was worried. His thoughts were not so pleasant about what Ehil did to Halifax's
mind back in that dark place. Perhaps Ehil was playing on the fact Halifax was
so long in the dark for all those decades? But Halifax was at least not anywhere
near Ehil, just yet. So Halifax was not completely worried until Sierra bumped
into something in the dark.
"Hey!", Sierra yelped in the darkness.
Halifax looked concerned. "What is happening, love of my life?"
"I think I stepped on someone's foot in the dark."
"Oh, great. I forgot to put a light on in here.", said Halifax. "What was I
thinking?"
Sierra quietly noted, "You still haven't got over being fooled by that Ehil
creep to have some common sense. Anyway, Muryl, Coppys, Did I step on you or
something?"
"No.", said Muryl's voice.
"No.", said the cops. "And you could call us something even less official than
even 'Coppies', said Hausdogg. "Just 'friends' will do here."
"Halifax, did I step on YOU?"
"No, I didn't feel like I've been stepped on."
"Then who did I step on anyway....", said Sierra as something bright just
lighted up the room. "Oh, sorry."
And in that room there was Sierra's unintentional victim of not any of her
clumsiness but his own. Even Halifax could recognize that quietly muttering
voice belonging to the body of .....

Chapter 13 "A new and Lucky Chapter"
Day 5, Late Afternoon

Let's Spell it out. C. A. S. E. Y. And he looked annoyed at his failed attempt
to use his attempt at stealth. Although he knew very well he could see in the
dark, trying to get a better look at those who were with his friend Halifax was
not so sucessful, so Casey had to do a more direct approach to them. And Casey
was clearly stricken but not from the fall. It was more his foot being stomped
than anything else. He hobbled around limping a little but he was curious.
"Halifax?", Casey said. "Are you starting up your own group of adventurers or
something? And what the heck is Renegade doing messing with you and this world?
Just being insane or something?"
"Hello, Casey. Um.... Where are the other Incorporateds?"
"Would you believe they had to track down Rynogoff as he escaped his prison
before the trial and I was on vacation on a world only a hour or so away from
here?"
"Not really."
"Well, I'm sorry, but believe it or not, it's the truth. Oh, not entirely...
Speedster and Ann are on vacation, too, busting up some
fur-ripping-off-endangered-animals ring on THEIR vacations. I really don't know
why Speedster has to work against evil on his VACATIONS, but then he doesn't
like peaceful activity as much as we do on ours."
"Anyhow, dear lady, I accept your apology but I kinda have this problem with
skulking about in the dark now and then to sneak up on strangers. I hope you're
not offended, miss...."
"Are you asking me for my name, um... Casey, isn't it", Sierra said. "Um...
your tail seems to be on fire. Name's Sierra, by the way."
"No, actually, it's pure, semi-transparent and glowing force.", Casey said. "But
it's okay. Most of my enemies think it is, too, as well as those who first see
me. Anyway, you helping Halifax with this Renegade problem?"
"I sure am. This whole world has gone Insane and we are doing the
save-the-world-thing like we used to do before Halifax went cold by Renegade's
hands, um, HORNS.", said Sierra. You're here to help us, aren't you? Funny,
Halifax only mentioned Incorporateds but no individuals."
Casey said, "Well, not everyone knows us yet. Anyway, Sierra, who are these
people with you?"
"A pair of cops and my psychologist. Two of the most renowned cops in the world.
They came to help and ended up pretty much stranded here."
"Um"... Casey said... "Psychologist?"
"I act like a child sometimes and live at a mental health institution mostly for
helping me deal with adult things."
Halifax looked at Casey's face.
"She's out on good behavior, and the fact the world has ended. And if you think
our love is crazy, maybe it is, but it is love", Halifax said.
"Then you deserve each other. Anyway, are you okay from this experience,
people?"
They pretty much agreed so.
"Well", Casey said, "Seems like I haven't gone insane from being here, so I must
be immune somehow. Anyway, you guys want to rest a while before we save this
crazy world by first figuring out how?"
Halifax said, "Not really. We don't know if waiting much longer will cure the
world of its stubborness to act like animals."
"Then I need to find out about one of those affected by Renegade and use my
empathy to sense out why. I have a feeling that would be a good way to get
through. And miss psychologist, you might through medical books never quite get
why these people are wierding out. Nothing to deny your skill, but sometimes you
just have to suspend belief to get to the truth."
"Well, putting them on a couch probably won't work.", Sighed Muryl. "So how do
we locate one?"
"This ship may be crashed but it's still functional", Casey said. "Come,
friends. Let us ALL scan this world for someone for me to look forth to."

Ehil was busy driving his tank into the countryside when he saw this insane
animal-humanoid run by but was too quick for Ehil to run over in his slow-moving
tank. Ehil was extremely annoyed with all this.
"Hey, you vile idiot! Why don't you want to go to the great beyond by becoming
road kill under my tracks, beast?", yelled Ehil as the creature ran on all fours
rather awkwardly away. It was clearly ignoring him as if it was in a fog. Now
Ehil didn't have any empathy, just was one heck of a person that could talk you
into anything if you were gullible enough. And he heard so much being blabbed on
the SCE Ethinet to benifit his own bad self, and he knew that animals like these
were once human last week. Science couldn't explain why they acted like
this......
He knew, however, something about the mystics of souls when learning in the SCE
his talent for disruptive gab and he knew that the only true way to make a being
act like an animal was to put his or her spirit animal in control of the mind
instead of the setinent soul usually running the soul. Ehil, having studied
Renegade's ability to warp minds for a long time while so far off, knew Renegade
was capable of doing this, did this, and this animal-humanoid was just another
victim so far gone now it didn't even remember it was ever HUMANOID
Ehil, however, wanted more of a challenge and knew that humans running on twos
have a lot more speed than those on fours. So he decided to undo some of the
madness and yelled to get the garbed humanoid's attention.
"Well!", he yelled to the scampering animalesque, "Looking real cool in your
trashy animal getup, ain't you? Bet if you evolved back just a bit and got some
control you'd evade me BETTER!!!!"
"Huuuuuu?", said the animal-human (Or maybe we should just call her the Deer
Lady since it's apparent you'll ask if I don't tell over and over) rather
harshly since it was suffering some thirst from not regularly drinking from a
glass.
"Yes, evolve you Idiot! I can't chase you well and insult your.... ummm...."
The deer lady turned to face the slowly-moving tank, slowed down enough so Ehil
had time for his famous mind-warping conversations.
"Gender.", said Ehil when it was obvious enough to him the
soiled-and-dirtied-costumed-being it was female. "Or your occupation. Or the
fact you miss eating a meal with FORKS and KNIVES. Or going in the little girl's
room. Or..."
"Huuuuuuuu!", said the Deer Lady.
"Or... well, wearing a DRESS and being my WIFE! Now fetch me me slippers and fix
my dinner. NOTHING!"
Ehil was laughing now. It was working. But unknown to Ehil, it was going to work
to well.
"Huu....Huu.....Huuu......"
"Oh, can't make full words, lady? Woman? Moron? I insult you. I Insult YOU. I
INSULT YOU! I HUMILIATE YOU!!!! I HUMILIATE... Ehil was grinning even as the skyship Neverrest
appeared on the horizon.
"Shhhhhuuuuuuttttttttt UUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPppppppp.......", drawled the Deer
Lady very slowly, "...yyyyuuuuuuu sssseeeeexxxxxxeeeesssss MOOORRREEEENNN!!",
she said as she detoured and suddenly realized she wasn't so animalistic she
couln't understand when a sexist idiot like a Ehil needs to be kicked DEEP for
his troubles.
Ehil turned the tank on high as the Deer Lady jumped on him and started to punch
away since his butt was safely in the tank's seat, and the miles started to melt
away now.

Something then rammed straight into the Neverrest and shook the skycraft.
Casey looked stunned just before he could scan the world for lifeforms other
than his friends.
"Will somebody tell whoever KNOCKED we didn't order Pizza", Casey said as
Halifax picked up Casey off the floor.
"If that was a delivery truck", Halifax said, "It's not only unlikely but must
be a 16-wheeler like you have on earth that delivery guy's driving!"
Then a voice boomed out as loud as a loudspeaker could go, as Ehil patched into
the ship's communications system.
"Come outside, you fools, and die! I'm not afraid (ow) of any Incorporateds
group, OLD or NEW! Get out of that STINKY, TORN-UP and UNSIGHTLY WRECK
Or I'll blast (OW) this JUNK clean through with a beam a light second LONG!"
"Who is that?", Casey said.
"Ehil Parsantes. He's been interfering in all this affair already twisted into
existence.", said Halifax. "He talks people into doing anything he wants, I
surmise."
"Doesn't sound like much of a power for a villian to have."
"Talked me into being afraid of the dark for a while.", Halifax sighed.
"Well, unfortunately, trying to talk me into facing him is a big mistake on his
behalf. Let's all go out and talk this guy into leaving us alone."
"But how", Sierra said. "He has this massive weapon which practically dropped
you from the sky."
"I'll talk to Ehil, pardon me dear lady, from the part quite Far from my Mouth",
Casey said as his tail charged up bright and solid, and Casey motioned the group
to go out.

The Incorporateds, such as they were with some temporary members, left the
Neverrest.
Ehil waited patiently for the last of them to leave and laughed even as he
seemed to be attacked by what Casey thought of as perhaps the wierdest
fashion-sensed lady he would ever have seen. And Casey hadn't lived to see
the NINETIES just yet.
"Is this all? Where is the mighty Wilson I have heard of? The Speedster who
could bowl over people with sheer speed alone? All I see is strangers and
Halifax and Wilson. Is this an branch of the Incorporateds called the I2 which
I STILL haven't heard of or just a bunch of pitiful fools?"
"What do you think, Ehil, I assume?"
"The name is not EHIL I ASSUME, IT IS EHIL PARSANTES! Just plain Ehil Parsantes.
And don't even think of using your empathy to disrupt me or cure these people of
believing they are their spirit animals, chowderhead. Your tricks don't work on
me! I always feel like I am!"
Muryl's mouth dropped at the realization of what had really happened
to all those people living on the same world as her and slowly fainted. So
did Dogghaus but it mostly was from exhaustion and a diet made lousy by the end
of the world. Sierra and Hausdogg went to try to revive them.
"Anyway, is this all that's come to challenge my takeover of this invasion then
the invasion itself?"
"Sadly, we're acting humane today and it's mostly me who will stop you."
"Then I believe I have won", Ehil said as he pointed his gun at the
group now instead of the slowly-automending Neverrest, clearly repairing itself
in the evening air.
Ehil was saying all this even with his head being punched by a bezerk humanoid
wearing a insanely-sown deer bodysuit costume. Apparently, it took more than
this to get through the thick head of Ehil Parsantes.

Chapter 14 "To see what one cat would do"
Day 5, Evening

"Let me guess. You'll blow a hole in the world just to stop us. Won't that
destroy the world, Ehil?", Casey said as his tail disappated into its um, home.
"And you on IT?"
Ehil tossed aside the Deer Lady and talked again.
"Mostly a minor catyclysm of exposed potential volcanic shafts erupting to the
surface and causing a thermal winter with all the ash going in the air for a
century. I might die, of course, But this world still will be mine,
especially when..."
"Could you repeat that while I sit down?"
"What? Just to sit down is all you want to do before you die?"
"More or less", Casey said so.
"Hmmmm. This is too easy, but do so. And Halifax, don't even bother to port,
I'll knock you over the polar seas with a blow."
"Not likely", Halifax said.
"You want to try ME?", said Ehil as his gab powers worked again.
"Not Like... Likee....." Halifax said as he tried to disagree with Ehil,
fighting the silver-toungedness of the vile Ehil.
"Still, even the fighting delays his inevitable retaliation against me while my
inevitable destruction of you comes closer. Comfortable", Ehil said as Casey sat
down, And Ehil was a little miffed he hadn't though of getting Casey to tie
himself up.
"Yes. Are YOU?", Casey said as he began to concentrate deeply, deeper than even
Renegade did to make the world so crazed.....
"Sure. Anyway, let me explain before you die what will happen ONE MORE TIME.
What will happen to this world is this. What this gun will do will cause
mostly a minor catyclysm of exposed potential volcanic shafts erupting to the
surface and causing a thermal winter with all the ash going in the air for a
century. I might die, of course, But this world still will be mine,
especially when Kingston realizes in death I have cut the Incorporateds in Half
this day and then he reincarnates me as its Warlord of an empty world littered
with cat-suited and body-suited and animal-suited long-starved people, to be
reborn with SCE's running the show admist the worst survivable mess of volcanic
intrusion this world has known. Any MORE LAST WORDS, I'm getting itchy to shoot
this thing.", Ehil Parsantes said. "And it's too bad, too, that trader Gunhog
will miss his best acquisition in the afterlife so badly."
"Funny", Casey said, "you should mention making volcanoes by digging for them."
"Why before you DIE, Casey the late....", Ehil said.
"Because one of pure force will erupt underneath you... NOW!"
"Repeat that AWAAAAAAGGHHHH!", Ehil suddenly screamed as the pure force punched
with a rumble through the tank, lifting Ehil and tossing him aside like a geyser
with a mind of its own... save for it was clear and free of
dinosaur-by-products. Then before Ehil landed, Ehil saw his gun being thrown up
into the air with the pure force geyser into the sky, launched as Casey
concentrated and sweated profusely into the air that powerful gun miles up
and quickly like a rocket, but the thrust was not coming from its rear....
And just before it went out of sight, Ehil saw his gun torn to shreds by the
pure force of Casey's tail when it was allowed to go over the top. Then it
collasped into the ground from miles above and vanished.
Casey then sat up, and underneath where he sat there was a thin, small hole in
the ground. Ehil, dazed and now stricken once more by a annoyed Deer Lady who'd
managed to walk more humanoid now back to her sexist tormentor, saw the very
small hole and through the beating of clothed hands, fell into the hole the
force came out of.... a mere foot-deep crater.
Ehil was still being attacked and with more and more clarity by the Deer lady as
Ehil suddenly realized what his talking had gotten him into. And then, Ehil felt
something very strange in him. A fear of having geysers erupt under him, for
one.
"Now.", Casey said as even Halifax was amazed at all this, "I think it's a good
idea for you to leave to far-off areas far from civilization which will return
despite YOU and RENEGADE and CORNBALL. No more geysers that way, IDIOT EHIL!"
Ehil shook his head.
"You're good. Darn you, Casey. I am actually convinced I should leave. But If I
ever see anyone named Casey come this way again, I will do all I can to talk him
into jumping off a cliff for this HUMILIATION YOU CAUSED ME JUST NOW!"
"Tell him someone else named Casey caused your FIRST downfall. Helps him out
plenty in bringing out your SECOND. Go before I get SERIOUS."
Ehil left, not knowing how what both had said to each other would ironically
come true.. in the bizarre schemes of the Universe they lived in.
The Deer Lady chased off after him like a lion to its prey, but Ehil was for
once too fast for the Deer Lady. And for his own good. Eventually, the Deer Lady
crawled up to see Casey as Halifax shook off his miasma Ehil put him through and
Muryl woke up to speak to Halifax and explain more clearly what Ehil had said in
terms Muryl thought a foolish fantasy in the world of Science.... until THEN.
"Let's see him talk himself out of staying where I sent him", Casey said.
"Thanks a lot. But wouldn't it have been better to have put him in prison than
to scare him off, however humanely you did it.", Hausdogg said.
"And cost the prison system a lot for each time he escapes when he talks the
guards into letting him go?"
Even Hausdogg saw Casey's point. He was too worried about the rest of the world
to give a darn about technicalities now. Hausdogg just wanted the world free.
Casey then notioned for the Deer Lady to come forth and she silently crawled.
Casey had a idea since he'd heard Ehil blab Renegade used his power, perhaps of
Anti-Empathy, to make the world this way. Perhaps, Casey thought, It is my power
which will save it. Darn that Ehil, he shot me down just to see me fail him and
send him into the woods!
I hope it is not destiny that is guiding me to do this, Casey wondered. I have
enough problems with Idiots like the SCE guiding me to the grave already to not
have destiny take a hand in my LIFE!
Casey held his hands out around the Deer Lady's head as Muryl interrupted her
explanation to Halifax about Spirit Animals to see.
And then Casey shut his eyes and held the head of the Deer Lady, his Empathy
sent in to save her dwindling sanity as much as possible. Casey feared mostly it
might be too late to save the Deer Lady completely, but better something than
nothing, Casey said a lot to Wilson when Casey kept eating Wilson's salads in
the middle of the night and didn't leave much for Wilson.

Chapter 15 "The plan...."
Day 6, Midnight

Essentially, Casey let go when the Deer Lady suddenly looked around and realized
she was being watched. Then she stood straight up and fell to the ground, not
getting much footing as if she didn't know how to walk.... but at least now she
knew she could.
Casey looked pretty much down in the dumps.
"I did my best, and it'll take time, friends, for this poor soul to be returned
to nearly her former level of setinence. But it's unlikely I've been enough to
totally cure her of her pretending to be an animal. She may talk, she may walk,
but she sure won't ever call herself by her old name and will always have some
deer tendencies. I think Renegade has pernamently changed her so she'll never be
fully cured."
"Well, at least you tried. But wouldn't you have tried psychology first?", Muryl
said as Halifax and Sierra sat outside in the dim second, cold sun floating
above. Looking up at the world.
"Yes, but I doubt we'd have had the time. All this time, we haven't really been
aware of it but Renegade's anti-empathy must have a time-limit on being cured.
As people act more and more like animals the later Renegade still keeps that
anti-empathy junk the less likely even I could cure it in time. And I can only
cure one being at a time. But, unfortunately for Renegade, If my empathy can
warp his anti-empathy into going off when Renegade is least pleasant, maybe the
combined effect will at least begin to cure the people of Summerien. It will
take time which we have so little."
"Then why the heck do we even sit around here when time is short?", Muryl said.
"Or even explain anything?", said Hausdogg, still trying to rouse Dogghaus which
wasn't happening just yet.
"Because I think those two belong together and it's a shame fate is always
separating them. Sierra's need for mental help in growing up in an adult world
after all these years supressed by Renegade's constant improvisation of an Evil
Halifax and Halifax for his need to make sure Renegade's employers are
inevitably stopped for all time and jailed. It would be hard for both to stay
together until the day Sierra can defend herself from the harsh world."
"Well, Halifax could be committed.", Muryl said. "He has trouble dealing with
the dark."
"Dear lady, do you not see Halifax in the dark, holding close the one he loves
and both talking about their lives. That darkness-fear thing was something Ehil
put in Halifax's mind somehow. And anyway, Ehil is far from here, and I doubt as
long as I live I will ever see the creep again."
"Could be something residual."
"Muryl, if that's your name, you kinda wish those two could stay together if
legal technicalities and duty didn't interfere?"
"Yes. Makes me feel like I could fall in love one day, no matter how crazy love
is. Shall I tell Halifax we should go back to find Renegade? I doubt he'd be
hard to spot, after all, he and those Sangurians are parked in the main park
downtown and he's the only one who looks like a Horse and a Cow got fused
together."
"Yes, but we must be sneaky on Renegade. My empathy might protect us from being
discovered, but I won't have much effect when I get too close so I need to sneak
in and take out Renegade quick. It, however, may mean the ending of my empathy,
and I'll probably be noticed by all wherever a go. A small price to pay for
saving this crazy world."
"And I suppose you can use this 'Empathy' thing to derail the 'Anti-Empathy'
thing that Renegade has."
"Hope springs eternal, Muryl. Anyway, let us go. I've expositioned enough
already."

It didn't take too long for the Incorporateds-plus-guests to return to the park,
as Halifax's powers, great as they were, brought them there. And despite
Hausdogg's objections to moving public property to look over the wall, they all
could see Renegade underneath a tree not getting much rest because this goofy
Sangurian was worried Renegade was about to do the same to the SCE's that he did
to the rest of the world and was accusing Renegade of a lot of things destined
to drive Renegade too insane for any world to bear. Hausdogg eventually stood on
the gated-out-of-its-bolts-to-the-ground bench, sighing that no judge would be
sane enough to convict them without crowing anyway through the whole thing, and
joined his allies. Daughaus was there, too, but dragged close to the bench to
allow him to be watched over so nobody could shoot him out of rage. Already,
however, it was apparent some SCE's were bored out of their skulls being here as
a ship took off that Casey would have noticed was heavy with weapons nearly
filling the vulture-ship's clear side windows hadn't he been concentrating on
Renegade so much.
"Looks like they're just talking", Casey said. "and under a tree? Hard to
imagine Cornball being here and SO YOUNG, but Renegade here under the same tree,
too?'
Both Renegade and Cornball began discussing things, trying one last time to save
an alliance they both had profited from.
"I know Renegade and Cornball are wierd beings", Halifax said, "But I didn't
think they were THAT wierd!!"
Casey said, "No, they don't like each other enough even for THAT. Please, be
sensible. There may be kids crawling about in re-tooled pajamas about."
Halifax said, "You've had your time for sensibility. Now just get in the tree
they're in and get this world BACK!"
Someone then leaped on Sierra's back and jumped over the gate.
"What was that?", Casey said as he grabbed the topmost tree limb with his tail.
"The Deer Lady. Apparently she thinks we must have a diversion or something. She
must have jumped closed behind us when we Gated here!"
"I hope she doesn't ruin everything.", Halifax muttered.
"Actually, I think she's acting like a decoy.", Sierra said. "I think she's
helping us. She must have enough setinence now to actually be helpful."
"Like that makes anything easier, " Casey said. "And one more thing. Once I go
after Renegade, Cornball might be close enough to notice. If you can do anything
about Cornball, please do so. I need all my concentration for this one."
"We shall provide you", Sierra said, "Even if you didn't say please."
Halifax was worried.
"Sierra, you still know how to fight back like Wilson taught you as a child?"
"You never lose that even if your body grows old.", Sierra said. "So, you want
to go over with me?"
"Always, dear Sierra. Always."

Chapter 18 ".....and The resolution of the Animal Spirit takeover"
Day 6, Early Morning

Apparently, the Deer Lady offered to distract Renegade while Halifax and his
new-found friends Renegade kept calling "I-2" despite the fact their union would
have to be at best temporary until Renegade fixed the world with some MORE
anti-empathy. Renegade had felt Ehil's thoughts on the intruders somehow and
Cornball kept debunking anything Renegade was thinking, as Cornball, still
clueless, kept thinking Ehil was nothing but an ordinary jerk despite what
Cavern and Gunhog (now leaving with all the SCE's weapons and with a new
enterprise that would come to haunt the SCE in its years to come.) kept saying
when they contacted the Emperor about what Ehil was, anyhow, that could try to
make the world his.

Fortuitously, Casey wasn't too miffed by the fact it wasn't really
an SCE gunner on the surface of Summerien who shot down the Neverrest
that Casey was ON but an actual SCE warlord posing as a grunt and a
spy and worse. He was here to help use his own gift of empathy against
Renegade's own anti-empathy and fix the world's sanity, and had no fear even of
what Wilson would say when he saw the Neverrest repaired yet visably scarred
(Metal doesn't always get to be fully healed, just like we mortal beings and
cars with putty pushed into the dents.)
While the Deer Lady was acting more setinent now, Muryl, upon seeing her walk
and act a load more setinent, told Sierra quietly that she was considering
at least that there was always a chance the Deer Lady would remember enough to
work for her keep even if she insisted on at least wearing deer horns tied to
her head. It was probably for the best since there was no way to fully restore
the mental damage Renegade did to the Deer Lady, and it would give the Deer Lady
some dignity (even if she didn't look like the part anymore.) Sierra offered to
help the Deer Lady readjust to life at least as far as Sierra had progressed.
"And what makes you think you can guide her psychologically?"
"Well, I've had 40 years of being a patient."
"Sounds like that thing about Babysitters having experience being babies and
having babysitters. Fortunately, many parents believed me. How else could I have
gotten the schooling needed to help people like yourself."
"I don't know. Ancient Dance Instructor?"
"Only a side job, Sierra. You'd be surprised how FEW people from where I grew up
wanted to moonwalk and breakdance in this modern day and era."
"Is is a number from 1000 to 10,000?", Sierra chimed quietly as Casey positioned
himself.
"Actually, considering how the grunge mentality had gotten a hold of teens when
the EXTREME RETRO thing swept the mentality, you could forget nearly all the
zeros."
"Especially the ones that forgot to pay you?"
"No wonder you need therapy.", Muryl quietly muttered.

Casey's empathy to make others feel like he BELONGED there kept the
nearby SCE soldiers Renegade and the reborn Cornball from knowing exactly where
and why they were. However, it could not last forever, so Casey notioned to the
Deer Lady to attract some attention to the two arguing creeps below him. As the
Deer Lady picked up a stick and began nibbling it with the stick in her mouth,
she danced past the idiots as well as any setinent, now smart enough to do so.
And Muryl clearly saw the Deer Lady with a stick in her mouth dancing around
gracefully.
Muryl quietly whispered, "I never knew she was capable of all this. I have due
concern, however. She was one of the first ones who went psycho and a cure for
her's taking a long time to work. Do you guess the longer this insanity
Renegade has put the people through on this world the less likely even
Renegade's anti-empathy could cure them?"
"You should have a Ibaviki prize for best psychological prognosis", Sierra
whispered as she couldn't help notice Dogghaus's snoring grow louder. Darn,
sugar withdrawals were noisy on the ears.
"Got one from LAST year.", Muryl finally replied.
"You're going to re-peat at those Ibavaki prizes, aren't you?"
"And finally pay off the modest house mortgage I have."
"And pay off the Taxman, the Power Company, and....", Muryl quietly whispered as
Dogghaus was finally roused by his partner.

The Deer lady bowed in front of Renegade, too crazy to fear the loveless
horse just then, and stood with her hands clasped against her head and sighed.
Renegade noticed this but he didn't notice the Incorporateds and their new
friends peering over the stone wall circling Mivaba park.
Renegade had to interrupt Cornball's latest tirade to mention this. Big Mistake.
"WOW! I think I'm in love, Cornball! Now I can have a mother-in-law to be there
for ME and my future wife, Sierra, and also to, curse her soul, MY LOST
DAUGHTER the far-off distant day when I finally figure out what she became
once I abandoned her to FATE!", Renegade said, cheerful and insanely so which
was NOT good for Casey or the world.
"Eight words. Forget THAT. Try Macrame. NO LAWSUITS!!!!!", Cornball warned
Renegade as he chewed down on his energy-light-bar rather I-Don't-Caredly....
"As an old enemy of mine said once, Forget YOU!", said Renegade as he
temporarily shapeshifed to Wilson, ableit with a literal splitting headache
returning to make Renegade finish with OW. He could sense something trying to
annoy Renegade from above, but what was not quite yet ready to reveal itself.
"You should forget about love. I lost mine to REAL twisted selfishness. I
thought this lady from Jasaya (in MY LAST LIFE, of course) would make a great
consort but all she wanted was my wealth, not my PIES."
"You are a most twisted animal, Cornball. This picnic is over. Please lay down
and let the ants feast on your carcass before I FEED ON YOU. Why, what a good
thought!"
"You're mean to ALL, aren't you really! You and your stupid ideas of remapping
the minds of all these Summerien people to the Spirit animals guiding them!
You'd probably make us revert just as well in a minute if you got a chance,
wouldn't YOU! I just hate being turned ON, don't you!", Cornball said, now
annoyed and yelling!
"Shhh... not in front of this vision of craziness....", Renegade said as Casey,
hiding in the tree and preparing to yank Renegade up for the final conflict of
empathy and anti-empathy. "This lady dressed as a DEER is so beautiful in her
thrown-together costume, so intent and warped from the innocent she was. How can
you not just fall in love with her, you moronic Cornball?"
"I am a clone. Clone's don't FALL IN LOVE! At least, not in my most current
LIFE.... Runtigade!"
Casey knew where this was heading as the tail lowered and Renegade's
pleasantness was gone. And the last sane thread that Deer Lady had to her former
life suddenly snapped and then got bound up in fresh, new wellsprings of sanity
Casey had planted there with his empathy, thanks to Casey's timely intervention.
"Where the heck am I, and why am I dressed in this wacko outfit?", the Deer Lady
said.... but now, it was clear the focus of Renegade's was on making sure
Renegade had no other thoughts of Cornball as anything but an enemy, and the
reverse for Cornball to think of Renegade as an enemy, too.

"Runtigade, is it. Is this a war of name-calling..... Dorkball? And over a
wondrous madwoman, TOO! Have at it, you cruel clown!"
"Okay, Rantigourd, I WILL!"
"Take this..... WheatBile!"
"Have at YOU, RottenDrink!"
The Deer Lady headed back over the wall, whispering to Muryl, "Did I lose
consciousness and visit some sort of costume party? And why do I smell so...
Natural?"
"Let's just say... you might need a few visits to get over what REALLY HAPPENED.
Just duck behind the wall and I'll get you your old clothes back, somehow.",
Muryl said as she, Sierra, Halifax, Dogghaus and Hausdogg prepared to pounce on
Cornball.

"Silence your MOUVES, Silence your SNOUTS, and just SHUT UP!", said a voice
from above obviously Casey's to both as Casey had enough of both patiently
waiting and their mutual SCREAMING at exactly the same TIME!
"Wha....", both Renegade and Cornball said in unison, but only one was captured
as Deer Lady galloped back to watch the fireworks high in that tree above....
And was rather relieved how much fun standing really was.
Casey focused all his empathy on Renegade as he struggled, and the remaining
friends climbed into the park from over the wall, the cops to
arrest Cornball sans one of them and the rest to just subdue Cornball
so the handcuffs could be put on before too much of a struggle was
put up by the corny moron.
"And me without my pies!", Cornball said as he put one fist up and a pair of
eyeglasses Cornball was consigned to need for reading fine print. "You wouldn't
hit a man with GLASSES, now would you?" Guess they WOULD!
"You have the right to remain in silence", Dogghaus said. "And the right to get
your butt dragged off to jail and prison... for LIFE!"
"What, AGAIN", Cornball moaned as Sierra leaped on Cornball and boxed his ears.

Renegade struggled with Casey as the meeting of the empathies commenced.
"Forget you, Casey! Forget you for your involvement in all this and your damned
feelings you belong HERE! You won't cure me of my INSANITY. Tried that myself
and HATED IT!", Renegade shouted from high in the tree, pure force being the
only thing that held him high in the air and not giving Renegade any pleasant
thoughts.
"Go ahead and be that way, then. Let your feelings flow. I don't care."
"Oh, I will!", Renegade said as his anti-empathy made everyone within a growing
radius of first one mile, then two and three miles of insane animalistic
people around them suddenly going... sane. Save for two miles of people living
near that asylum when Renegade initally launched his Anti-empathy wave.... and
save those immune already to such empathic activity.... and those quite INSANE
long before Renegade tried to HELP... and the SCE's who were so out of their
minds thanks to their emperor confusing them about life only TIME would cure
them. Literally. Can't please everyone or cure everyone... but at least it's
worth TRYING.
Casey kept on nabbing Renegade despite all the forms Renegade took during that
long process as Renegade's anti-empathy cured a world far faster than it made
ill in the first place. Casey wasn't fooled because he had common sense to
realize any of his friends weren't anywhere near Renegade as Renegade then
impostered them. Even when Renegade did a Casey impersonation and grabbed Casey
and both fell to the ground tumbling with now force tail versus pale imitation
joining their bodie's fights.

As Cornball kept struggling and cursing, the worst was finally over as suddenly
ALMOST all the people of Summerien were cured here and then and realized that,
quietly, their world was wrecked and it was time to make a stand. People, in
torn business clothing, started to look in on the gates, then started to pound
as Casey then dropped Renegade, both of their mental empathy capacities totally
burnt out from the struggle.... and having one heck of a headache to boot.
Renegade, of course, didn't mind the headache, his head was too
self-brain-damaged to begin with, but even before then Renegade was always short
of a full package.

And suddenly, the SCE troops noticed all of a sudden when the empathy of Casey
burned out for good that at least TWO Incorporateds were there at the edge of
the park and maybe two or more potential Incorporateds were busy restraining
their leader Cornball and the civilization, though parched and hungry, was now
coming forth to reclaim their world. Fortunately, the SCE's decided to turn tail
and ran.... for their own sakes. Maybe perhaps to find someplace to hide until
the Emperor got unsteamed over Ehil's bout with Incompetence enough not to take
it out on them.

Finally, even Renegade took the notion to leave but the way Halifax always did,
by gating out of there in a massively powerful gate strong enough to send
Renegade as far back as Sangur-La as possible, perhaps to think things over. And
to regret he would never have so much control over others again in his
lifetime. Perhaps afterwards, he MIGHT HAVE... But during his slow gate away,
Renegade vowed to Halifax and Sierra all the way as Halifax finally subdued
Cornball, "I hope you two make a lovely couple.... Until you diiiiieeeeee!", he
said as his head vanished to wherever the rest of the body was going.
Sierra vowed as she got up from the semiconscious Cornball and shouted, "And
maybe beyond, horsebutt! GET LOST!"
So Renegade did.
Halifax was amazed at what Sierra said.
"Maybe now I'm finally growing up.", said Sierra as she held Halifax close.
"Maybe I feel ONLY 11 years old now, but I am!"
"We all can look forward to that day when you feel 21, dear Sierra." Halifax
said as the two cops fought for whom would finish reading the restrained
Cornball's rights. Muryl ended this fight quickly by asking both of
them to read the rights at once and so, they did, giving Cornball a headache
similar to what Renegade and Casey was going through.
"Great. Insanity and now Headaches seem to be catching. I hate my NEW LIFE!",
Cornball said as he tried to not hear the tandem reading of his rights to him by
two cops who were destined to be partners for a LONG time.

Book 4 "Onions"

Chapter 17 "A more peaceful world, but not an entirely happy ending... just
yet!"
Day 15, After a week of rest and relaxation... And Summerien finally sorting
things out with itself so rebuilding can begin.

Casey was still smarting in the hotel bedroom with a icepack to his head as
Halifax prepared himself to say goodbye to Sierra, a more pleasant one for this
time Halifax was SURE to not be 40 years before another goodbye was needed.
Destiny, happily, was not for keeping the pairing of Halifax and Sierra a
reality from being for another fourty years. Of course, them being together 40
years was going to be really hard, but for then Halifax was pretty sure of
himself that a true reunion would last for all time.
Love is not just crazy sometimes, it is stupid, but fortunately its beauty
makes up for a lot of its shortcomings...
"Are you well, Casey? I hope they get enough of this hotel shored up they can
have room service before I get Wilson to bring us back."
"Not really. I'm not very happy I can't seem to blend into crowds anymore. I'm
just not ready for being mobbed by happy fans and stardom."
"At least it is better than being mobbed by ANGRY people than it is to be
hated for what someone has made you out to be. Believe me, It's better,
Casey. You've proven yourself a hero this day by giving up perhaps your greatest
ability to save this world from this crisis Renegade's put us all through
through his jealousy of me."
"Yes. But I'm still worried I might one day let fandom go to my head."
"Just don't that, Casey. You'll be better off for it. Anyway, I will go to see
Sierra safely...home."
"I hope you two make it together one day, Halifax. You two deserve each other as
partners in love and against crime."
"Thanks a lot, Casey. Now rest well in there and please, promise me..."
"Yes, Halifax?"
"Return that sheet you're using as a hammock to the bed before you check out and
don't Take it with you? Hausdogg isn't so happy to be claimed an acessory to
crime since you'd be taking the sheet from his all-paid room...."
"Yeah, right. Ow!", Casey said as he nursed his headache, slowly going away as
Halifax quietly shut the door leaving Casey in peace.... save for the
noisy construction outside, which wasn't really helping Casey's headache.
Halifax went to call Muryl and tell her he was leaving to resume his battle, and
promised Sierra to see her again every vacation Halifax ever got. And heard some
news that would encourage Casey.

He was encouraged at the fact the Deer Lady was now working at secretary back at
the Asylum, now rehiring a new staff due to the fact not all of Muryl's fellow
doctors had completely given up their animal ways. Although she now called
herself something like "Rumada Cervyne" and wore fake antlers once in a while
and mostly wore casual clothing with foresty prints, there was no doubt the Deer
Lady was saved in time. However, Halifax knew one day there would be a time
Sierra could leave the asylum and be adult once more. All it would take was him
and Sierra seeing each other and making up for lost time, in more than one way.
Halifax knew hope always sprang eternal. He hoped love would do so, too. Then at
least he would no longer fight his fights alone with the SCE.... even with the
Incorporateds aiding him.
"Mind a lift", said Dogghaus and Hausdogg in their rented aircar, with Cornball
tied up in the trunk because he was eating the back seat out of rage.
"Not really, you two, but I'm glad you two realize you're a team instead of two
cocks thrown together to fight. I hope you can keep Cornball away for a while."
"Don't worry. Cornball may have already paid for his crimes in a previous
lifetime, but landing in a park without a permit with intent to invade the world
the park is attached to will keep Cornball in prison for some time to come. You
won't be seeing him around at least as long as he can't escape from THERE."
"I hope not. Cornball may not care much about me but I wouldn't take chances him
suddenly appearing on my doorstop. Anyway, Dogghaus, keeping on your diet?"
"NEVER AGAIN!", said Dogghaus as he ripped open a package of doughnuts in his
lap and ate them like mad.
"See me complain?", said Hausdogg as he started up the car.
"No", Halifax shouted.
"Good. I'm keeping things this good way for a while. See you in a few months!",
said Hausdogg as both took to the skies with Dogghaus devouring another box of
doughnuts, this one at his feet.
"I'm looking forward", said Halifax as he watched them go and saw around him
Summerien rebuilding after its long bout of insanity. Perhaps, Halifax
wondered, this city will be the beautiful place I saw when I landed here
sometime last week someday again. And I hope to come back to see it someday with
Sierra at my side, no longer us being separated by even Renegade... wherever
he's hiding now, that is....
Halifax gated and left the sight of construction work to see his true love, hold
her in his arms and return to the Incorporateds, more determined than ever to
see the SCE fold under the strength of the Incorporateds. As if fate was now
kind and not psychotic, that day had a feeling of springtime morning
on the now-reborn world of Summerien and all its cities, even the ones with the
minor sun above. As if fate wanted it to be that way. And maybe, Halifax would
be treated kindly by fate and would see Sierra cured of her insanity. As long as
hope and love existed, anything was possible. Even Halifax fainting when Ann and
Speedster showed them what they brought back from their vacation.....

Which, by the way, is the next story in this Saga. Don't miss it, it's a good
story! (as good as this one if not so long.)

Chapter 18 "The future"
Day 21, Morning, the Very last day of this tale.......

As for Ehil Parsantes, he was making a nice home in the forestlands of Summerien
out of some logs. Although he was worried about intrusion, none seemed to come.
And that was good for Ehil. His true plan had unfolded, to finally retire from
his long quests of dismaying the universe without anyone thinking of pursuing
him. He didn't want really to take over the world or the invasion, just force
them to say he should leave. After all he put the world through, that was all he
wanted and he was happy. Save for Cavern, who also escaped and joined him, but
Cavern was easily convinced to be helpful and to be a lackey.... for helping
Cavern settle down.
"But aren't you concerned about there probably being two of CASEY", Cavern said
one day as he finished Ehil's roof after being talked into it.
"It's just a rumor I think me and Casey perpetuated", Ehil said. "It's unlikely
Casey is anything more than one of a kind. He is a worthy enemy to have defeated
me so suddenly and cleverly. Of course, I don't intend to meet him again, not
even TWICE. I wanted this retirement and it cost the world plenty with the
universe more to pay in the future for all time with what I put Renegade and
Cornball through as well. And I won't let Casey take it from me."
"But what if Cornball finds out you interfered and allowed Casey to come here in
the first place? He could make that rumor of two Caseys being around come
true, after all he is privy to the same cloning processes that made all of us?"
"I don't care. Cornball never would do something like that. Now would he?", Ehil
suddenly worried.
Both looked to the skies wondering about the future just then.
What if rumors really came true?
What if what we say should be so does come forth?
What if we get what we wish for?
What if the clouds above were shaped like a Casey with longer hair as a teaser?
What if I end this story... right now before I do something Silly, Cruel... or
perhaps BOTH!?!?!

Ahhh. At Last. THE END!