For a moment, no one moved or made a sound. Even the Eggmen were silent as we all waited to see who would come out victorious. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the rooster rose from the floor and dropped the gun. "Oh, no. Dis wasn't supposed ta happen!"

"Mommy!" I kicked the Eggman holding me back in the shin. His grip loosened as he howled in pain, and I ran to my mother's side. An Eggman started toward me, but the rooster held him back.

"She's not goin' anywhere. Let her be."

I sat down and hugged my mother's body. I held her hand as I cried over her wound. Suddenly I realized she was holding my locket and her letter. I took the locket and put it on.

"All my life, all my love," I whispered. I kissed her gently on the cheek as I quickly grabbed the letter and stashed it in my pocket.

"Kid." Steelbeak knelt beside me. "Kid, I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean for dis ta happen."

"The gun wasn't supposed to go off, so I don't blame you for this," I replied simply, "I know you didn't mean to kill her."

We sat in silence for a few moments before he said, "Come on, kid. Get what you need. Dere's no point in you stayin' here." The rooster put his hand on my shoulder.

I wiped my tears away on my pajama sleeve. I stood up and asked, "What should I bring?"

Steelbeak sighed. "Pack your clothes and a couple toys. You're gonna live wit me…Mia."

"Can I bring some of my books?" I asked.

He stood up and looked deep in my eyes, as if he was trying to tell if I was serious. "If you can fit them in the suitcase after packing it, and please, change into something a little more decent."

"Yes, sir." I grabbed Mommy's suitcase from her room and dragged it into my room. Under the watchful eye of the rooster, I packed all my clothes (which were very few), my favorite teddy bear, and a picture of me and Mommy at Christmas time the year before. I changed quickly and decided I had room in the suitcase for two books and my journal.

Steelbeak was star struck when he saw what two books I chose. "Moby Dick and De Great Gatsby? Are you sure you can read dis stuff?"

"Of course," I replied, setting them on top of my clothes, "I've read them before. They're my two favorites."

"Do you mind if I read your journal while you get your tootbrush?" When I told him I didn't mind, he picked it up and began reading through it. As I placed my toothbrush in a baggy and into my suitcase, he said, "How long have you been able to read and understand dis stuff? It's college material stuff!"

"Well," I said, thinking hard about it, "I read those when I was four years old, so at least two years."

"This is amazin'! You are the world's most intelligent six-year-old. F.O.W.L. would love to get deir hands on you." He closed the journal and sat it on top of my other books. Are you goin' to be able to carry dis ting?"

"Let's see." I closed the suitcase and tried to lift it. It was impossible. "I guess not, sir."

"Eggman!" he yelled. One of the soldiers ran in. "Carry Mia's suitcase to da Tear. It's too big for her." The Eggman struggled, but managed to carry the suitcase down the street.

Steelbeak grabbed my hand and led me out the door and down the street. As we made our way to the 'Tear', I grew curious of this villain. Most bad guys were supposed to be cold-hearted and hate everyone. This rooster cared enough to take me in. "I…" I started, "I don't know your name, sir."

"Nobody knows my real name," he replied, "My field agent codename is Steelbeak."

"Oh." That made sense to me. He led me down a dark alley where a giant black void lay on the center of a brick wall. "What do I call you, sir?"

"Uncle Steelbeak, I suppose." He stepped through the Tear, along with his twelve Eggmen. When I hesitated he came back out and said, "Come on, Mia. You can do it."

I looked at him uncertainly. "How do I know I'll land in Animatown?"

Steelbeak knelt down to look me in the eye. "Mia, unless you take a chance at anyting, you'll never know what coulda happened." He stood up and held out his hand. "Do you trust me?"

Nervously, I took his hand as he led me through the Tear. We landed softly in a beautiful patch of green grass just outside of a large city. As we all dusted ourselves off, I forgot about Earth for a moment. It wasn't hard to forget, either, as I watched toons of all kinds playing and having fun in the colorful streets.

After I had been watching them for several minutes, I said, "They all look so happy."

Steelbeak walked up beside me. "Dat's because dey are happy, Mia. Good toons are always happy, just like bad toons are always mad or unhappy."

I was quiet for a moment, and then I asked him a question. "What are you, Steelbeak?" Not quite ready to call him 'Uncle', I looked up into the rooster's eyes.

"I'm…somewhere in de middle. Come on." Steelbeak led me to a black building just outside the city. "I have ta talk wit High Command about you and…and your mudder."

"What exactly is this High Command? Are they in total control of this town?" I asked curiously.

"Dey wish," he replied as we entered the building, "High Command is a board with tree members in charge of the F.O.W.L. organization alone. At dis very moment in time, de members of High Command are using de agents as a tool to try and gain control of Animatown. As a group, de members decide which F.O.W.L. field agent is best suited for de newest mission."

"What type of missions does F.O.W.L. execute?"

He was silent for a moment as we walked down a shadowy corridor. "F.O.W. crimes. Crimes of all sorts. Dat's why F.O.W.L. stands for Fiendish Organization for World Larceny."

I gasped as he opened a door that led to a dark, dark room. "I have one question before we go in there, Steelbeak." I looked up at him again. "Did Mommy ever work for F.O.W.L?"

He sighed. "Only for a little while when she first arrived, before she knew we were bad. When she realized we were committing crimes, she ran off and hid from us."

"Why'd she hide?"

"Because," he said, leading me inside the room, "If a person quits F.O.W.L., dey can't be aloud to live outside de perimeter. Dey have ta stay in our prison for de rest of deir natural lives." We stepped inside a small lighted area in the middle of the room.

Suddenly, another light lit up and I looked up. Very clearly, I could see the silhouettes of a giant desk and three cartoons. I immediately assumed they were the three members Steelbeak had mentioned earlier. I would never know what they really looked like. "Good job, Agent Steelbeak. You brought us the hybrid child." The first one spoke with a voice so cold, chills ran up and down my spine and I felt as if I had been frost-bitten. "However, it seems as if you over-looked a detail in your mission. Where's the child's mother, Agent Steelbeak?"

Steelbeak straightened his tie and pulled at his collar. Anyone could tell he was afraid of High Command, especially since he had some issues with completing the entirety of his mission. "High Command, it is a pleasure to stand before you today with the hybrid child, and might I add how easy it was to capture the little…"

"Enough with the pleasantries, Steelbeak." The second member's voice was more cultured, but was still frozen. "Where is the child's mother? Where is Mona Guinn Démone, Agent Steelbeak? We want an explanation for why she is absent and we want it now!" He banged his fist on the desk, and the sound echoed throughout the room.

"She's dead!" I shouted out. The tears had been running down my cheeks for some time now, but it was then I finally broke down in misery.

"When your precious Agent Steelbeak came to Earth, he said he had only come for me, probably believing my mother would come along to make sure nothing bad happened to me. She didn't, though. She rushed at him and during the struggle, the gun fired and killed my mother."

I wiped away my tears and glared ferociously at High Command. "She died trying to protect me from all of you and your evil ways, and you all act as if she wasn't worth a cent. You send lackeys to do your dirty work so you won't endanger your useless lives. She was braver than any of you will ever be!"

"Silence, Halfling!" the third member shouted, "You have no right to speak to High Command. If you continue to speak in contempt toward High Command, you will be executed."

"Wait!" Steelbeak's annoying voice rang out above all of our shouts and arguments. "Wait a minute, everybody! De gun went off in my hands; I admit to de deed. Accordin' to de rules of Animatown, I have to raise young Mia here until she reaches de sweet old age of nineteen, and…" He said this word with major emphasis. "…and she can't be harmed by any of our operatives or any one else in Animatown."

I glared at Steelbeak in rage. He was only planning on taking care of me instead of leaving me on Earth because it was in the rulebook, not because he cared.

The members of High Command stood. "You do realize, Agent Steelbeak," said the third in his monotone voice, "If you do chose to raise this Halfling child for the next thirteen years, you are jeopardizing your position for best field agent?"

"Why couldn't I bring Mia along wit me on my missions?" Steelbeak asked. "It could be like…on-de-job trainin'."

"We've never tried training agents at such a young age," whispered the first member.

"It may be more successful than waiting until a person is twenty," replied the second member.

"Mia will be our test subject on the idea," the third member said aloud,

"But what does young Mia expect in return?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Well, I would like…my own paycheck, if you please."

The three members looked at each other in astonishment. "What would a six-year old Halfling want with its own paycheck?" asked the first member.

It was my turn to look astonished. "Why…to buy my own books, journals, and art supplies."

"We can give you picture books and crayons," said the second member dismissively.

"Wait a minute, High Command." Steelbeak signaled the Eggman with my suitcase to come here. "Just because Mia is a child doesn't mean she ain't intelligent. As she was packin' her suitcase, I noticed some very interestin' pieces of literature dat she chose ta bring along wit her."

Steelbeak opened the suitcase and pulled out not only my two reads, but also my personal diary. "Ya see dese two books?" He held up the two older books. "Dese two books she read when she was four. Dey are Moby Dick and De Great Gatsby. Dis book in my odder hand is her personal diary, which I had de honor of scannin' trough. Dere are many spots were she speaks of her life, but mostly dis diary is filled wit poems she wrote and reviews of stories she has read."

He opened the diary to my most recent entry. " 'My views on De Great Gatsby'," he read aloud, " 'In general, I enjoyed reading dis book and would recommend it to just about anyone. I was interested in de author's choice of symbolism and tought de green light was a great symbol of de American Dream. I also loved and at de same time hated de irony of the swimmin' pool. Poor Gatsby. He didn't use dat swimmin' pool all summer, and when he does use it, he is shot and killed.'"

"It continues, but I tink you've heard enough. When a six-year old kid can not only read college-level literature, but can also understand de literary elements, I would tink you's guys would see an opportunity. If dis kid is dis intelligent at de age of six, just imagine how intelligent de kid would be in thirteen years. She'd be extraordinary!"

I glared at Steelbeak. Once again, he had proven to me that he didn't care about me. He was only worried about how much of an asset I would be to F.O.W.L. There was no way I was going to work with that jerk.

"Agent Steelbeak," said the third member, "High Command has decided that you can train Mia as an agent and she will receive the same wages as you so she can further her education of both worlds."

He then turned to me and said, "Mia Démone, would you be willing to train as an agent, since you have no immediate family? We now give you permission to speak."

"What would happen if I chose not?" I asked. I was not at all happy with Steelbeak; working with him was going to be murder.

"You would be executed, if not sent to prison for the rest of your natural life," replied the first coldly.

I thought for a moment. "Fine."

"Do you agree to all the terms or have any questions?" asked the second.

" Where will my living quarters be located?"

"You will be living with Agent Steelbeak at his home in town," he replied.

My temper was rising. "Then I cannot accept your terms, gentlemen."

"Why?" they all asked at once.

"I can not live with someone who is only worried about what he has to do and how much of an asset I would be to the organization. I can't live with someone who doesn't even care that my mother is lying dead in her house." I finally broke down and cried openly. I no longer cared if they were watching.

Steelbeak came and knelt before me. "Mia, I know ya miss your modder, and I miss her as much, if not more dan, you do. She was a very special woman, more dan you realize at dis point. I'm not tryin' to replace her, Mia. I don't wancha thinkin' I don't care about ya eider. I was hopin' I could be a fadder to ya, but if dat's not de way ya want it, den I could settle wit bein' your friend." He looked me in the eyes. "Are you okay wit dat, Mia?"

I sniffed. "As long as you stop referring to me as the 'kid' and stop worrying so much about how much I could help out the organization."

I held out my hand and he shook it firmly. "It's a deal."