A/N: Karla fan-art is available. Check out FA or DA accounts – The artist goes by the name 'WhitMaverick'. The piece is called "Sleeping Beauty". =)


Chapter -25-

The fire flickered up the walls of a two-story stone building. Smoke poured from the crumbling rooftop where a crooked obelisk peered from out of the billowing miasma. A line of small trees stood between the team and the burning building, set every six feet along the sidewalk.

"I hope this isn't the Chapel of the Tablet," said Conner.f

Dawn shook her head. "It looks different than this on the Internet. This isn't it."

Keri placed a paw on Conner's shoulder. "We're not qualified rescue personnel and you're not at your best right now. You're almost as banged up as I am, so don't even think about it."

"No, I've been picking and choosing my battles, lately. I'm not going in there. I really had a bad feeling that Moreau's men had come and gone with the last artifact but… I guess I was wrong."

"I still have a bad feeling," replied the tigress with a shrug. "We never get free handouts, Conner. Something always goes wrong. Mentally, I'm ready for anything. Physically, I'm not quite so prepared."

Karla Weasel placed a paw upon her hip and glared up at the burning building. "It's been blazing out of control since we landed. Where are the fire trucks?"

"I wonder what the building was," added Dawn in a softer voice. "Karla's right… this isn't something that just goes unnoticed for an excessive length of time."

With a shrug of her shoulders, the felox boldly announced, "I'll go ask for directions. It's probably a tourist attraction in its own right, so people are bound to know where it is. Besides," she trailed off with a second shrug. "I've got to freshen up." She walked down the next block and turned left, heading towards a gas station that was cattycorner to the intersection.

Conner turned back to the burning building then said, "We could have just looked up directions on a cellular phone…"

Keri rolled her eyes. "I guess you didn't get the memo… she had to pee."

"In the end she's mortal," Dawn murmured to the other raccoon. "I know, I know… it surprised me, too." She then offered a wry grin. As quickly as it came, it disappeared from her face. In a serious tone, she said, "Karla was pretty torn up last night. Y'know, before we left India… I helped to clean her up. No use scolding her for running off. I know you had plans to talk to her about that but, I mean… she kept Moreau's men from being able to follow us. We're completely below the radar, now."

Conner nodded slowly. "Before we got on the plane, she told me a little secret." He reached for Dawn's paw then gently closed his fingers around it and said, "She told me why you hit her with my cane."

Dawn's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I thought she was choking you or something. I thought that Guru guy's brainwashing crap had failed or…" Her eyes lowered to the paw upon hers. A weak smile was given and she said, "I just wasn't ready for an us, Conner, because I felt shame for having moved on and…"

"Hey, relax." Cooper smiled. With his free paw, he gave a tug at the strap on his shoulder then glanced back at Keri. "Give us a minute, I want to talk to her real quick; just us." He nodded across the street, further away from the quietly burning building. Conner placed his free paw upon Dawn's shoulders and turned her to face him but didn't release her hand just yet. "Look… I still have feelings for you. We've gone, like… a month or something, now. Those feelings aren't going away. I don't care that you dated – you thought I was dead… you picked up the pieces and moved on… that's what you do – that's who you are. I'm not trying to rush you into anything. I just want you to know that there's no need to feel awkward. I still have feelings for you and I hope that you continue to have feelings for me. You don't even have to say anything right now. It's cool."

Her jaw tightened and she nodded slowly. "We'll figure that out later, right? Let's just get through all of this alive, first."

"Sounds perfect. I also know that you and Karla were pretty close last night. I'm… I'm glad you helped take care of her. It's cool that you patched her up. But, I mean… she's married and all."

"What is it that you think you know?" she asked, offering a nervous grin.

"I could hear you guys through the vent," said Conner with a chuckle. "Karla's quite the flirt, huh? I honestly felt awkward when she flirted with me in the past. I think she knew you hooked up with females in the past and decided to make a move on you."

"Conner…" Dawn drew her paw from his and rubbed her temples gently. "I find the perfect man and watch him die. It was agonizing. I was angry; I was upset… This cougar came into my life and she made me feel better… it wasn't even weird. I don't want to be judged over this. It was a phase, okay?"

He lifted his paws defensively. "I'm perfectly fine with it. I just… I heard Karla flirting with you last night. I didn't say or do anything… and I could barely hear you guys talking. Deep down, I was jealous – I want you for myself. When Karla told me that you hit her with my cane the other day out of jealousy… I figured to myself that I might still have a chance before she steals you."

"Steals me?" Dawn broke into a fit of wild giggles. "Steal me, Conner? She was flirting; I was amused and flirted back. I figured she was just trying to talk-the-talk, so I challenged her to walk-the-walk. It's not like we…" She paused then covered her mouth, trying not to laugh harder. "You… saw us when you woke up, didn't you? You saw us sleeping side by side, propped up against the counter… and you figured that we…" Silvery peels of feminine laughter continued to ring out. She placed a paw over her stomach and her other one upon her knee, half-leaning forward. "OH that's a riot."

"What is?" The voice belonged to Karla. "Oh, and that chapel thing isn't too far from here… And why is Keri standing alone, across the street?" She playfully hip-bumped Dawn in passing then said, "Hey, girl… I'm glad to see you laughing and smiling."

Dawn reached for Karla, placing a paw on the woman's shoulder. "Conner thinks we slept together, isn't that a riot?"

The felox grinned, turned to Conner and said, "She was amazing, Cooper. Trust me, you guys should get back together… she's dynamite in bed." Karla offered Dawn a saucy wink then walked across the street towards Keri. Her voice rang out to the tigress. "Hey, Tiikeri! You want Conner to give you a piggyback ride? We don't have far to go!"

Meanwhile, Conner cut his gaze back to Dawn and rubbed the back of his neck. "She's a barrel of laughs, isn't she?"

Dawn reached up and cupped either side of Conner's face then planted a soft kiss upon his lips. He offered no resistance, instead opting to melt into it. After a moment she released him and whispered, "Nothing has changed… I'm still waiting to pick things back up between us… I just don't want it to get in the way of everything that's going on right now… have patience and don't die again. I don't want that to happen again, okay?"

Conner nodded three times and blinked. He cut his gaze to the right and blinked again, seeing Keri and Karla standing almost right besides him. They both had their arms folded. He offered a nervous smile and felt his cheeks tighten from the rush of blood to his face.

"Want some of my pain pills?" joked the feline. "Karla says we don't have far to go. Let's hobble our tails over there and get this day over with. I'm expecting a lot of death, destruction and mayhem." She rubbed her paws together as if in anticipation. "I'm so ready to get shot at, stabbed again and everything else… let's rock and roll, people."

Karla came alongside of Dawn and whispered into her ear. "Isn't he cute when he blushes? You know you want to tie him down and have your way with him… Why punish yourself?" She glanced up at Conner, meeting his gaze. From behind Dawn, just beyond the female raccoon's sight, Karla playfully pretended to flick her tongue out suggestively. She pretended to nibble on Dawn's neck while Conner watched then she placed a paw just above Dawn's hip as if pretending to cup the raccoon female's side provocatively. She gauged Conner's expressive eyes then backed away from Dawn… but not before first swatting the other female upon her rump with a loud slapping sound. In an obnoxiously loud voice, Karla announced, "Let's go save the world again."

Dawn rubbed her rump then looked back up at Conner with confusion in her eyes. "What?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Nothing. Let's go follow the felox… she's awfully hyper today."

"Yeah," agreed Keri. "It's like she's glowing after last night or something."

Dawn offered them both a scolding glare. "Will you two cut it out?" She turned to follow Karla. Her tail brushed against Conner's hip and she walked down the sidewalk. Keri and Conner shrugged at one another then followed after the oddly rambunctious females in silence.

"Here it is." Dawn gestured towards the once-majestic square looking building. The fancy top was missing tiles, the metal floodlights above the doorways were weather beaten and the exterior was in need of preventative maintenance.

"This is it?" Conner quirked a brow. "It's a… I mean, the thing isn't all that big… I really expected some insanely grand temple or something."

Karla folded her arms. "Moses wasn't… how you say, 'down with that', Conner. The Ark was made from acacia wood, not platinum. The rails were golden so that they wouldn't rust. But other than that… the whole false idols thing, remember? This building isn't very large, either. Keep it simple-stupid and humble as hell."

"Bad pun." Conner kept his eyes on the building across the way.

"Not intentional," she replied. Karla's left ear flickered. She cracked her knuckles, restless and ready for a challenge. "I'm all psyched up for this. Any one of us could easily die right here and right now. That thing is supposed to be nightmarishly awesome in power. Not the contents alone… but with all of them mixed together… Well, yeah. See, any piece alone is like a bomb without a detonator. You combine them… and now it's capable of stopping legions of 'heathens'. We're a band of thieves… it doesn't get too much more heathenistic than us."

Conner kept his gaze forward. "What's the matter, Karla? You afraid of abruptly catching on fire if you go inside?"

"Not for all the reasons you're thinking, Cooper." Karla elbowed him in the side, gently. "It wouldn't be like a vampire walking into sunlight… If Sire were alive, we could have used his help… he could force one of the guards into giving us the staff then we could take it from Sire and run from the guard."

Conner said nothing. He kept his eyes on the building. After a few moments of silence, Dawn placed a paw on his forearm. "I'm glad Javari isn't here… I don't think I'd want to hear her success ratio guesstimate."

The raccoon teen withdrew his cane from the back holster. He then unshouldered the canvas bag and passed it to Keri for safekeeping. He stepped forward, gave the cane a gentle twirl then took a deep breath. "Karla, I'm going to try this the old fashion way. If I don't make it out of there in just a few minutes… I want you to teleport in and try. If things get dicey… Dawn, blow the building up then you and Keri do what you can to get that thing…"

"I can't believe we're going to steal from God," Dawn murmured. "Strange as it is, I never really had any set belief system… and yet I can't tell you how effin' scared I am about this. It's like… you don't believe in ghosts but when you're alone in a dark hallway and you feel your hair standing up on the back of your neck… and you feel a chill run down your spine… and you know someone or something is watching you… I feel that way right now."

Keri stepped forward and patted Conner's bicep. "You can do it, kiddo. You'll be fine. What's to be afraid of? If it was that deadly, we'd have heard about this in the news by now, right?"

Karla snorted. "No body, no case. If that thing turns people to dust or melts them to a small pile of steaming goo… it wouldn't make the news. There would be no witnesses except that guard."

"And God," added Conner quietly. "Okay… first of all, I'm not stealing this. I'm borrowing it for the good of …well, everybody. Second of all this thing is an object of the Old Testament. But people who believe in the New Testament have it in their possession. Fact is, several religions find this thing to be a holy relic. It hasn't melted off their face… or turned them to ash, or a pile of goo or whatever… So whoever is ultimately right in their belief system, the fact remains that it isn't killing the guards. So everyone calm down and let's hope this guard isn't a Christian Crusader. I don't need to get run through with a broadsword."

Dawn jabbed him in the arm with a glare. "…Conner!"

He lifted his paws and waved them quickly from left to right. "Figure of speech, relax! I'm not going to die today, okay? Let's just… get this thing and go on our way."

"It probably isn't even really here," murmured Karla.

Keri arched her back, looking passed Dawn, over at the felox. "You want to teleport in there before Conner and do some recon?"

"Hell no I don't want to teleport in there." She shook her head and sighed. Everyone but Conner turned to look at her. She smirked. "What? I'm not allowed to be scared white?" She cut her eyes back to Conner and added, "Figuratively, of course. Pardon me for having a built in self-preservation mechanism."

"One of us has to get off our laurels and make a try." The whole team turned to look back at Keri Tiikeri. She shrugged then reached down and rubbed her leg. "I wouldn't be able to run back out of there… so I'd have to clobber the poor guy before he could hit the alarm… We don't want to hurt him; he's just a holy roller doing his job…"

Dawn cleared her throat. "Yeah, for the rest of his natural-born life. Poor guy."

"He's a volunteer, right?" Karla folded her arms and turned her gaze back to the building again.

"No," replied Dawn. "I read that he's appointed by the last guard. If the guard dies before nominating someone… the priests at the church, next door, have to vote on someone. Goodbye social life."

"Zealots like those people don't have lives anyhow," countered Karla. "Conner… you look like you're building up the nerve to do this… are you ready?"

"I'm weighing the pros and cons of doing it now compared to waiting for nightfall."

"How's that going for ya'?" asked the half-breed with an amused smirk.

Cooper gave the cane another slow twirl. "The floodlights are probably motion activated. It's a fortress, so it's difficult to get in without those things coming on and drawing attention with the bright light. So, if I go in by day… now… I have a pretty good chance of getting in without being seen by anyone outside of the building. I'd consider leaving my staff here… since I won't need it to take the lid off of a wooden box… but I better take it with me for protection. Just in case, right?"

"You're the man," said Karla. "Go show the cosmos how this is done, Monsieur. Just remember… if Moreau ever gets wind that this is the final piece… he'll wind up nuking this place and picking up the metal staff from whatever ashes are remaining. We don't want that. So it's up to you else Axum is going to be wiped the rest of the way off the proverbial map."

Conner swallowed. His voice was soft, humble. "Yeah."

He approached the building but stopped in front of a short white wall that surrounded the perimeter. Karla appeared besides him and said, "It's probably not in there. Deuterocanonical '2' Maccabees '2', four through ten, claimed the prophet Jeremiah took the Ark, the tabernacle, the altar of incense… the whole kitten caboodle, and buried that crap in Mount Nebo, Deuteronomy thirty-four, verse one. Revelations claim the thing is in the 'temple' of God, in heaven. Eleven, nineteen – it's last seen in God's temple just before Mary gives birth to Jesus, and the Muslims belief that Mahdi, whoever he is, will find it near the end of times, from Lake Tiberias. So… just… relax. It's probably not even in there."

He pursed his lips. "If it isn't, then we're all in trouble because we need what is in it."

"Prior to building Solomon's temple, I Kings chapter eight verse nine claims there's nothing inside the box save two tablets of stone. Whatever used to be in there, if it's there, probably isn't there anymore, right? Besides, Hezekiah destroyed the rod of Moses, possibly Aaron's as well."

Conner turned to glare at her. "How the hell do you know so much about this stuff?"

Karla glared back to play off his concerns, after unintentionally outing herself. "I've dedicated my life to helping Sire and Stephan find these artifacts, remember, douche bag? The plan was to uncover everything then hide it better. Like, maybe… in a black hole or something. Stephan is scared to death that another fifty-two hundred year old cataclysm will happen. It shouldn't be as bad as one that supposedly happened twenty-six thousand years ago, though. Anyway, Sire, in the end, duped us all… he wanted that crap for himself and he wanted me to help him. I've studied that crap over and over. We used a six hundred year old bible and a five hundred year old Qur'an to find at least half of the stuff. Moreau somehow got a hold of the shipment containers we kept them in at some point after I was put into stasis. Just… go do it, Conner."

"Shut up and let me work, okay?" He narrowed his gaze at Karla who disappeared. She returned to Dawn and Keri's side. Conner licked his lips to get his nerve up then hopped over the white wall, waded through the garden and bound over the green fence set atop of an old brick wall. He approached the building, tightened his jaw and went for the door. It was unlocked much to his surprise.

A square hallway surrounded the interior of the building with another room at the core. He opened another door and came face to face with a bearded man in decadent red robes with a pillbox hat. The dark-furred gentleman's peppered beard was close to the coloration of the milky cataracts in his eyes. "My name is Mikail Johannes Kioko. You won't be going any further, young boy." He was a red-furred Ethiopian wolf with black paws, neck, tail and muzzle. A sheen of sweat glistened on his brow from the day's heat.

"I'm… I'm sorry; I've come for the contents of the box. There's a staff in there and I need it and…" He blinked. "You're speaking English?"

"I don't know English," said Mikail. "Do you speak African? I doubt it. Do you not know the holy language of Tongues? Fortunately for you, boy, I am gifted with such. You are in danger, here. You must leave – your entrance is not permitted." The man reached for a red alarm button mounted on the wall nearby.

Conner used his cane, snagging the man's wrist with the hook to keep him from reaching up for the alarm panel. "Please… don't make this hard on us both, sir. I require the staff inside the box."

"There is no staff inside the box," said Mikail, "there is no box in this building."

"What?" Conner exclaimed. "There's supposed to be a wooden Ark with gold-plated trim. Inside of it, there's supposed to be some stone tablets and a staff. And I need that staff else this building isn't going to mean squat much longer."

"There is an Ark with relics inside. But there is no 'box'. Whatever you think you know about the Ark is beyond your comprehension. Release my arm and leave, now."

Conner gritted his teeth. "I've come for it and I'm not leaving without it. Step aside, old man. Don't naively become the reason the whole freaking world goes to hell – let me do my job. I'll return the thing when I'm done with it, now move." Conner lifted his free paw and pushed the man back towards the center of the inner sanctum. He turned the staff about, until the hook was now around the wolf's muzzle. "Don't shout for help, either. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

The man's eyes widened, getting a closer look at the golden cane. "…Fantastic. It's the cane held by the Seraphim."

"I'm not here to play games, Mister Kioko. I'm in a hurry, sir."

"You're related to Slytankhamen the Second… he used Canaanite sickle-sword versions of this cane, known as the Khopesh. It's traced to the third millennium BC Sumer. They were designed to be a sixty-centimeter version of this cane. They went out of use around thirteen hundred years before Christ. Do you realize what you hold, boy?"

"My family heirloom. I don't want trouble. I'm here to take the staff inside the Ark. I need to borrow it… this sounds silly but… I need it to save the world, old man. Where is the Ark?"

The man stepped back further. He lifted a paw to Conner and said, "I ask you to wait. Have faith that I will not sound the alarm – wait here." He turned about and came face to face with an old rectangular box. It sat in the dark but every detail was easily seen. Atop of it were two wooden angels or birds of some sort. From behind the wolf, Conner couldn't see it very well. The lid had twin Seraphims identical to the ones carved into King Tutankhamun's tomb. The sides of the box were very plain yet elegant. Halfway down were golden rings but there were no poles within them. Conner was developing a headache.

He brought his paws to either side of his head, rubbing at the temples. "I've seen the marks on the lid of that thing… they were on King Tut's tomb. The design around the angels are different… but the winged angels, themselves, are… they look identical."

"The more you look in the Ark's general direction, the more your head will hurt. Energy from your eyes causes capillary swelling, which will eventually cause a stroke or similar type of brain bleed. Just because I'm a guard of a tiny little building in East Africa, don't go thinking I don't know anything about the modern day, like… medical technology. Did you know we have Wi-Fi, here? Do yourself a favor and avert your eyes. Oh, and by the way… the angels were Metatron's idea."

"…Who?"

"The angel who caught the hand of Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, his son. He's not seen, only heard but can be punished, as he is not a godly being, but a simple servant. Turn your back, boy."

Conner tightened his jaw again then turned away. Seconds later, the walls glowed with an ethereal light. It lasted for mere seconds before the room darkened again. Before he could turn around, the man placed a paw on Conner's shoulder.

Cooper turned about and murmured, "You're fast for an old man." He blinked, seeing the elegant staff in the wolf's other paw. "…Wow." He was amazed at how unsophisticated and plain the staff was. The simplistic bronze snake that coiled around the staff was corroded and old. "It looks really brittle." On the backside of the snake's head, there was a marred section that looked as though a small piece may have been broken off once upon a time.

Mikail lowered the cane and tapped the top against the concrete floor firmly. "A clear protective layer, most likely God's divine power, now protects this ancient artifact. It's not nearly as old as yours, though. Be sure to return this." He passed it forward to Conner then asked, "How did you know Moses' staff survived the wrath of Hezekiah's new order? Let alone, how did you know it was here?"

"Someone told me it would be here and that Aaron's staff was the one destroyed. What can it do?"

"Heal snake bites," replied the man. "It's merely an antenna of the will of a God-loving man. Look into your heart. If it's pure, He will look into your soul and it will do as you need it to do."

"But… I'm a thief. It won't work for me."

"Do you steal from people or do you steal from the wicked?"

Conner tilted his head, bringing both canes together. "I only steal from thieves. It's our way."

"Then your shame is not what you thought. You punish the wicked. It is your way – have faith in yourself and in your Creator." The man placed a gnarled old paw upon Conner's shoulder, patting it firmly. "And know that I'm not some lowly old man, boy. I could easily have stood up to the pretty little golden-haired female you left out in the street. God is my power, boy. My only crutch is age – the most natural of all our abilities… One day you, her, and all your friends will be as old as I am. Your bodies will look frail and aged. But without the power of God, you'll be frail and weak."

"No offence but…"

"None taken." Mikail, with his paw still upon Conner's shoulder, shoved the raccoon up against the wall three feet off the ground with relative ease. "God's power is something you cannot understand until you've given yourself to Him. Perhaps you'll one day understand." He released his grip and Conner dropped to his feet. The wolf cleared his throat and said, "There is Godly power endowed within the object of your fancy. Worry not if your faith is lacking… perhaps the power of God will help to restore your faith. Miracles aren't simply a thing of the past. You'll see." He offered a smile then motioned for the door. "When you step through that archway, you'll stand before Metatron. He'll become visible to you and you will prove to him your worth. He'll deem you worthy to carry that artifact. Stand tall." He then stepped forward again and gave Conner a push, backwards, through the doorway. The physical realm melted around the teenager and everything went dark.

A voice that boomed like a roll of thunder filled Conner's ears. "They once called this the Caduceus. The winged staff. It had two snakes wrapped about it like ribbons… The double helix; it represents the human DNA strand… the symbolic healing staff of the Greek 'god', Hermes… protector of merchants and thieves. Ironic that it should end up in the hands of your family."

Conner Cooper sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He stood before a tall man seated in a chair. Draped in elegant red robes, the man sat taller than Conner stood. Thirty-six fantastic groupings of vibrant white fathers emanated from his back but appeared translucent and illuminated. The man wore a crown and held a long cane made of Platinum. He stood up, towering over the raccoon. He was furless, comprised of flesh. He radiated with simplistic beauty. "And you are Conner… a lost soul who wishes to understand his place in this world."

"I guess you're here to tell me that God exists and that I have to be worthy to handle this staff?"

The towering angel shook his head. "No, dear boy. I'm an icon of many religions. I'm an icon of witchcraft. But in reality I am a mere messenger and a scribe. I'm not here to tell you what religion is right, or if witchcraft is the way to truth. You must find that answer for yourself then have faith in your choice. No, I am here to deem you worthiness, personally. You may call me Enoch." He turned away from Conner and gestured with his long, straight metallic staff to the empty wasteland the raccoon failed to notice until now. "Your mother has seen this barren landscape, once. She would understand what you're seeing right now."

"Where am I?"

"Limbo is a good mortal name for this place. You may call it such. I once walked the planes of the Earth, as you do, nine thousand years ago."

Conner smirked. "I suppose that disproves the people who claim the earth is only six or seven thousand years old."

"There are ages that we pass through. The first major age happened twenty-six thousand, five hundred years ago. Life became common as it is today. I don't expect you to understand something that far back. It is of no consequence – just know that is when the consciousness evolved and things changed. There was one magnificent city. They were the ancestors of those who dwelled in the Enchanted land that floated above the waters."

"Atlantis? It's that old?"

"It fell from grace over five thousand years ago. They once called themselves the 'Enlightened Ones' and the people of the earth were referred to as the "Earthbound Ones". Not bound for Earth; bound to Earth. Gabriel sounded her horn as the city crashed into the ocean. She will not sound the horn again until Judgment Day."

"She? Gabriel is actually a female?"

"We have no gender. The word I used was merely a pronoun. We do not dwell in a place of dust and matter the way you might imagine. We exist only in the hearts of mortals. There, within that place, is the Kingdom of Heaven. It exists within the hearts of mortals and that is why I am here. I've looked into your heart, Conner… I exist there… Know that you cannot succeed what you are about to do should you do such with vengeance. Your journey must take place for reasons other than wrath or you will fail." He lifted his staff.

Conner held the Cooper Cane in one paw, the Rod of Moses in the other… and neither of them were enough to protect him from the beautiful metallic staff held by Enoch. The raccoon toppled to the dusty ground with a grunt. "What's happened to me in the real world?"

"Your corporeal form appears in a coma. It is being whisked away by three people who know only loyalty to your cause. These canes predate the current age and must be respected. Treat them with reverence."

"All of this nonsense is awfully religious. How do I know I'm picking the right one? I mean… everyone has a set of beliefs but… what's right? And what about all these artifacts being gathered by that guy, Alphonse Moreau?"

"I'm not here to alter your beliefs. That is for you to ponder. Make a decision. Have faith in whatever it is that you decide. As I said earlier… I'm only here to ensure that you are ready to wield these two canes together. Do you remember the fiery building you saw when you arrived off your airplane, boy?"

"I do."

"That's where your test will begin. Into the flames with you." The towering being of flesh waved a graceful, peach-hued hand and Conner found himself atop the building. The raccoon approached the edge of the roof and gazed out. Axum's streets were missing. They were instead replaced by the dusty plains of Limbo.

"He's burning up." Dawn placed her palm against Conner's nose then trailed her paw back to his forehead "Dry nose, he's way overheated but he's not sweating. We need to find some water and pour it on him…"

"Where are we going to find ice cold water, here?" asked Karla.

Dawn shook her head. "No, we don't need cold water. Cold water will close his pores. We need something lukewarm that will open his pores. Let's get him into the shade. Karla?"

"Grab his feet, I'll take his head and shoulders." She watched as Dawn displayed an expression of incredulousness. "Will you relax? I'm not going to make you carry him… but he doesn't want me using my abilities for public display. Grab his feet." Using her telekinetic powers, she bolstered their strength ten fold so that his body seemed to weigh less than five pounds.

Keri approached them, grabbed Conner's tail and drew it up over his waist so that it wouldn't drag the ground. "Okay, girls. Let's head back towards the burning building. One, there was a place across the street that had an awning and looked abandoned. Two, if emergency services do show up, they'll be able to provide some sort of … something." She carefully lowered to one knee so as not to put too much pressure on her injured thigh. Carefully, she picked up both canes and placed them into Conner's canvas guitar bag then zipped it shut. "You're right, Dawn… Conner's cane is hot to the touch."

Karla nodded to the side. "Let's walk sideways together. It'll be easier. Also, I saw a fountain back towards that smoking building." She lifted her head and located the smoke rising into the sky. "That way – let's go."

The sky above was a black stoma – a wormhole that filled the heavens above. Conner gritted his teeth, holding a cane in each paw. He placed the staff with the snakeheads into his holster and ran forward. There was a tilted obelisk across a gap from him. At the top was a slender metal rod sticking up – most likely a lightening pole. He dashed towards it and used the hooked cane to snag the top. He swung across the gap and dropped to all fours on the other side.

The smoke made it hard to breathe, causing him to gag and occasionally wheeze for air. He came to the other end of the rooftop and peered out over the side of the building, looking for a way to parasail or even rappel down the outer wall. Oddly, it appeared far longer than two stories. "Okay, I've done E-two and E-three Grade Seven, Class Five climbs with dad… I can do this." He leaned over the edge and narrowed his gaze, squinting to see the bottom. A lake of glowing blood surrounded the foundation. He blinked from incomprehension. "Is that… lava?" Conner held his hand out over the side but didn't feel any intense heat. He placed his paws together and cracked his knuckles. "Other side seems safer."

Conner leaned further over the side and spotted a window. He literally leapt over the side and snagged his cane in the window frame then swung in through the opening. The raccoon tumbled to the ground in a hot room. The fire wasn't within visual range but he could hear the roar of the nearby inferno. He knelt down to stay beneath the rolling smoke and crawled through to the doorway and into a hall.

Ahead of him, fragments from the rooftop littered the floor, barring his passage. He tried knocking pieces away with his cane but they weighed too much. He clinched his paws and tried to relax his body in order to focus. His back itched; his spine ached. Before long, the aching and itching became too much. Conner removed the staff from its holster, now holding both. As if on cue, the itching and the aching concluded. He blinked, glaring at the second staff in his grip.

After a moment, he returned his family cane to the holster and gave the new rod a slow twirl to get a feel for its weight. His eyes lifted back to the debris but now the fragments were lined with a sparkling blue aura. He twitched then sniffed at the air around him. From here, all the smoke rose through the hole in the ceiling above, making it easier to breathe in the hall.

Conner tried wedging a chunk of debris from its resting spot with the staff but was unable to move it. He then tried striking the piece with the staff to no avail. In frustration, he brought the hilt to the floor, striking the ground. Nothing happened but in the brief instant he struck the floor, the sparkling blue aura around each fragment intensified like a flash of lightning. He experimented in an attempt to gain the same result by slamming the bottom of the staff back on the ground. Another flash emanated from the blockade.

With a grunt, the raccoon lifted the staff as high as he could and brought it down to the ground with all of his might. He doubled over violently, throwing all of his weight into it and, to his breathless surprise, the fragments of ceiling and rooftop blew apart, creating a canyon of passage. The slabs of cement and large pieces of debris lined the wall in a sloppy manner but stayed open for him to pass. "You've got to be kidding me."

He hurried down the stairs to the next level where the floor was covered with black snakes, each the length of his forearm. "Adders, Cobras and Asps, oh my," he murmured, repeating it slightly louder this time. Conner tightened his jaw. "How's that for cultural knowledge, Tiikeri sisters."

"What did he just say?"asked Keri with a puzzled look on her face. "Did he just say what I think he said?"

"It sounded like he was talking to you," replied Dawn. "He's not even conscious – that's really strange."

"Not only that, there aren't any snakes around," said Karla. "Asps are the Egyptian snakes that Cleopatra used in order to commit suicide."

"Hey, he doesn't sound good." Dawn's concerned tone brought the attention of the Keri and Karla. Conner's breathing sounded labored. His left arm twitched and his forearm contracted with spasms.

They placed him on the ground in the shade across from the burning building. Keri glanced around, hoping to see emergency services but was disappointed by their lack of appearance.

Dawn fanned him gently while Karla conjured fountain water over to an empty canteen. He opened the top and poured it on the teenager's neck and arm. She then dabbed water upon the top of his nose to moisten it. She emptied the water atop of his head to cool him down. "He's still burning up, girls. Dawn, see if you can flag down someone and have him or her call for help. Keri, take his gear and help me get his shirt off. I'll get more water and we'll try to cool him down by pouring it on his chest or something."

Conner sighed in slight relief although he still struggled to breathe. His arm was throbbing with rapidly spreading acute pain. He lay on the ground, unable to continue forward from dizziness. The snakes slithered across his legs and torso as he struggled to crawl through the pit. The floor squirmed, alive from the layers upon layers of small reptiles. "Dammit," he murmured through clinched teeth.

He rolled over onto his side, conceding defeat from pain. His head tilted a bit, glancing down at the swelling spot on his arm. He couldn't feel his fingers. He released his grip upon the the staff and it began to move away from him on the backs of the undulating floor tiles. As it gained some distance, it moved into his direct view. The snake-like bronze fixture atop of the rod began to incandesce. He was unsure whether or not it was from hallucination due to the snakebite.

"This is all your fault," he murmured to the staff. His eyes met with the glowing tiny eyes of the bronze snake at the top of the cane. "Ironic; your friends must be starving." His eyes felt dry but, strangely, his neck, chest and behind his ears felt cool relief spreading through his fur. "God that's nice… I guess it won't be much longer now…" He kept his gaze upon the bronze fixture. His eyes were drying out and his vision was growing hazy. As he fought for consciousness, he could tell that the fixture was glowing brighter. "I must be dreaming," he murmured with a slur.

The glow intensified until it became difficult to see but his eyes were too dried out for his lids to close. His pupils shrank to pinholes and his body convulsed from seizure. The glowing continued to shine in his face…

Conner suddenly blinked and sat up. The blindingly intense pain was gone. The swelling in his arm faded. He blinked a few more times to get the moisture back into his eyes then he took a deep, satisfying breath. The air tasted wonderful and clean despite the heat. The snakes on the floor lay all around him, dead and motionless. He crawled over to the bronze staff and picked it up. "I can't even begin to understand what's happening to me," he muttered with a touch of contempt in his voice. "I thought snakes were supposed to be a sign of Egyptian Royalty," he murmured, coming to his feet.

Carefully, he waded through the layers of dead snakes only to be startled by a voice behind him. "You speak of Wadjet," said Enoch. "The sign you mention is the symbol known as the Uraeus. Wadjet was a true flesh and blood creature, one of the oldest in the land of Nod."

"Where the heck is Nod at? I don't know it." He turned around, glancing over his shoulder at the unrealistically tall character. Where Metatron walked, the snakes materialized into salt. Conner tightened his jaw again then asked, "Are you saying that Egypt is Nod?"

"Anywhere outside of modern day Iraq is considered Nod. Nod is the world outside the Garden. Wadjet was one of several recipients of the children born of Lilith. One to a wolf, one to a snake, one to…"

"I don't care!" exclaimed the raccoon. "Seriously, I don't care. So the snake gets a baby, the baby becomes an Egyptian deity and the Egyptians think she is awesome so they pray to her and make a sign of the snake because they think she's the bee's knees. Great, splendid. Fan-freakin'-tastic. So what? Unless she's going to get her snakey-butt out of hiding and help me stop Alphonse Moreau from screwing up my future… I don't want to talk about her. I have things to do, man. I need to stomp this guy all over town. If vengeance is a bad thing, oh well… then it makes sense, because I'm about to do very bad things to this guy."

Enoch nodded. "He is the greediest man I've seen. He lusts for these artifacts, consumed by madness. Become God's wrath and strike down Alphonse Moreau. Return the horded artifacts to their rightful resting places, throughout the globe. Without the Mask of Dark Earth to help control these unified pieces, they will cause only extensive death and incredible destruction."

"Yeah? So why doesn't God do some Divine Intervention and rock this guy off his soap box?"

Enoch shook his head slowly. "God has made a promise two times. The first pact was sealed with a rainbow that ended forty days and forty nights of flooding. The second pact was written with the blood of his Son. He lay down the flaming sword of Michael and gave people a truer more meaningful covenant of freewill. God no longer strikes down his enemies but, rather, empowers his allies that they may reap the reward of defeating such foes. God has not been vengeful in such a way in over two thousand years. Earlier, I'd asked you not to fight Moreau out of vengeance but… I'm beginning to see that it empowers you from within… perhaps I was initially mistaken. Summon the hurt and the loss you feel… and use it in a positive way."

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll find Moreau and rip him apart. But I'm not doing it for you or for God or for my parents or for anyone else… I'm doing it for me."

The angel lifted his mighty, broad hand and nodded. "You have what you've come for. You now know what it does and how it should be used. It is not a weapon. It is a marker of faith and divine power… a beacon of guidance. Use it only as such. Do not strike down your foes with that staff lest you sully and tarnish it."

"I've got this," said Conner, drawing out his other cane. He gave the golden pole a twirl off the back of his knuckles. "Listen, just point me back in the direction of my friends so we can do our job."

"You'll be tempted in a great many things along the way. Keep your focus. And for Heaven's sake… repair your relationship with Dawn."

Conner blinked. "Say what?"

Metatron smiled. "I am a protector of Children… I fancy them and their imagination, their clever young minds and their powerful hearts. Bring children into this world, Conner. I'm helping you because you are still a child. I'll watch over you until the day you become a man. Call upon me for my aid – pray to God for His divine strength. Believe in yourself and find your faith, Conner." He lifted his mighty hand and pointed behind Cooper, saying, "Now go. Your friends await – don't worry them any further."

Conner stared at the man for a long moment. "Thanks, Enoch." He nodded respectively then he turned around and ran for the exit door. The fire, now burned out, left nothing more than a charred husk of the building's inner structure. He hurried through the doorway, out into the street and rushed towards the three females across the way…

Conner Cooper sat up with a groan. He rubbed the side of his face then looked from Karla to Keri to Dawn. "Damn do I have one hell of a headache."

"Conner!" Dawn shouted, quickly embracing him around the neck. "Thank God!"

Karla placed a paw on Conner's head, patting him behind the ears. "Who is 'Enoch?' You said his name along with a bunch of other things right before you woke up."

The teenage boy blinked at Weasel's wife and shook his head with a shrug. "I was asleep just now?" He patted himself down realizing that he was wet and without a shirt.

Karla nodded. "Indeed, you were out for quite some time." She helped him to his feet, regardless of the fact that Dawn hadn't yet relinquished her embrace around his neck. The two raccoons stood up together. "We've got both canes in the bag. We're ready to head back to Florida."

"Fine, let's split-city then." Conner patted Dawn gently on the shoulders, easing her away long enough to rub at his face from the pain behind his temples, eyes and the nape of his neck. "What was I doing while I was out?" He reached for the offered shirt and put it on then replaced his leather holster, fastening it carefully at the buckle.

"At one point," said Dawn, "You were in shock. Your arm was swollen up, you had a fever and you were having seizures. When the convulsions began, I took your passport wallet out and put it between your teeth to keep you from biting off your tongue."

Conner quirked his brows in disbelief. "You did? I bit it?"

Dawn withdrew it from her pocket. Of the group of passports, his was the only one with intensely deep bitemark patterns, which showed on both sides. She opened it for him so he could see that his fangs mangled the interior in four places. "It's pretty extensive. You can always tell the airport… uh… well, I'll come up with a good excuse if you give me a few minutes. Needless to say, Conner, I was very worried about you and…" A gunshot rang out, startling her into silence.

Another one cracked the silence around them. A puff of dust and sand expoded at their feet, startling everyone.

Conner gritted his teeth in frustration. "Karla, get them out of here. I'll meet up with you guys at the airport. Have four tickets booked and ready to get us back to the States as soon as possible. Don't do anything selfish like last time."

"Screw off, Cooper." Karla sneered at him then waved a paw and all three females disappeared. Another gunshot rang out, striking the guitar case on the curb. Conner shouldered it quickly then darted out from beneath the awning. He cut his gaze over to the burning building across the street, while running, and shook his head at the memory of his apparent 'dream'.

A sobering reminder of his reality came with another thunderous sound. A round sailed by him with a loud whistle. It struck a nearby street sign, creating an irritating 'clang' from the force. He cut his gaze up, seeing the exit hole blasted through the metallic surface as he ran past. "At least I know for sure you're behind me, now," he muttered while running. Conner zigzagged his footfalls, weaving from left to right to better evade the gunner.

He darted into a store, back out through the side door, across the alley and into another building. Conner continued through the back, across another alley, into another building then darted across the street, hurrying through a church. He emerged from the backside, crossed the next street and down the block, darting into another alley. There were two men kneeling on the ground upon small square carpets. They were on all fours, offering praise and prayers. Conner leapt over the one on the right and continued down the alley as quickly as he could run.

He suddenly skidded to a halt and glanced back over his shoulder. The raccoon blinked twice then snapped his fingers and took off running again. He crossed the next street and disappeared into another store. When he emerged from the backside, he wore a turban, a robe and held a prayer carpet under one arm. He kept the canvas guitar case hidden beneath the robe, embraced under his left arm. Conner moved out to the sidewalk, dropped the carpet square and knelt down upon it. He lowered all the way down then peered up while keeping his chin lowered.

Mimicking the Muslim prayers he'd witnessed, Conner kept his head down, watching the area for possible sniper points. A small convoy of jeeps slowly rumbled down the road. Conner stayed as low as he could, on all fours, peering up discretely. He blinked twice, seeing one of the men in the passenger seat of the second jeep. "Boris," he murmured, remembering the man from the casino. The man's window was open. Conner could hear him speaking to the driver.

"When we find that stupid god damn stick, Moreau will be finished with his collection. Then all of us can retire. I'm not quite sure what he'd want with this stupid little red stone, though. I thought it was supposed to be a ruby."

The driver asked, "If it's not a ruby, what is it?"

"Fossilized tree sap. Amber or something like that. But it's definitely not a ruby." Their voices faded, mixing into the sound of the Chrysler engines.

Conner's eyes widened but he kept his head down. The three jeeps turned at the end of the block then came to a stop. The men got out of their vehicles and entered a hotel on the corner. The raccoon stood up, taking the carpet square in his right paw then he began to walk down the street calmly headed for the hotel. "You've got to be kidding me… talk about fate, those guys are about to get a little visit from the Karma Police." He cracked his knuckles and drew out his cellular phone. Dawn answered. Conner cleared his throat and asked, "Are you guys okay?"

Over the line, Dawn said, "Yes, we're fine… I'm glad you called me. Someone was seriously shooting at us? God, I haven't been this scared since… three years ago… when you and I came back to my apartment and… Rachel Razin, I think that was her name. I can't remember for sure – I tried to put that out of my head for good."

"Look, the guys who hired the shooter… they're in the area like the snakes they are. I heard that many snakes stay within twenty feet of their victim, just waiting for the venom to kick in… these guys are staying at a local hotel in the area and they have the Fire Stone of India. I'm going to take it from them. The shooter was supposed to do the job and then they would come in and pick up the staff… but I'm in a disguise right now."

"Look, Conner, I'm staying. Karla and Keri can head back to Florida but you need logistical support. Let's just… do this together. We can strike tonight."

"Yeah?" He grinned inwardly. "Just us, huh? Like old times? Same rules for success?"

Silence. After a moment, she sighed with a soft chuckle. "Yes, if we successfully walk away with both pieces intact, I'll let you kiss me again. Agreed?"

"Tell the other girls I said bon voyage. I'm looking forward to this. Okay, I'm going to hang up then I'll text you an address. Get a taxi or something and I'll meet you there."

A/N: Okay, a few things… one, I'm doing this so that I can have one lil' scene about Dawn and Conner because I really wanted to tie up that loose end before we finish this story… now's the time for that. Next, after Karla's shining scene… she needed a short break. I love Karla, too… she just needed a short break so that when I throw her some more fire later on… she won't look like a stage-hog.

WhitMaverick, an anthro artist who posts work on both DeviantArt and FurAffinity, has done a FANTASTIC art piece of Karla while she was in cryogenic stasis. If you don't have an account on either site, ask me and I'll email it to you. Else, you can just look it up. The piece is entitled "Sleeping Beauty" but requires an account for either DA or FA to view. Many of you have already seen it… I love it. xD

Okay. Next order of business… I still have Spy Cooper to finish… so no worries about this story ending… although I admit that I, too, like Conner enough to continue his life story. Maybe after I finish Spy Cooper? Or perhaps after I finish Reflections of Marcus McCloud? I'm not sure.

I have, however, vowed to myself that I would like to focus on original stories after the New Year. So as of January, I'll start adding originals to FictionPress DOT com. It's the sister site of FanFiction Net… even the layout is identical.

The stories I write there… I will sail through them then I will shop them for publication. Should I do a human version of Karla as the main character? LMAO

Finally, a few days after the death of Michael Jackson, I couldn't help but notice that Evan Chandler's son, Jordan, has come out of the closet and said, "I lied for my father. MJ was innocent all along." Wow. Funny how they have to wait a decade and a half later, then only come out because of guilt… I guess that means the 80's superstar icon will finally have people stop scrutinizing his life and start celebrating his achievements. I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan but… I'm a huge music junkie. And I never thought MJ was guilty of anything more than being a little naïve and unprofessional when off stage. And hey, we're all unprofessional in our own way, right? Oh, and I just read that the son of Evan Chandler has apparently come out and said that his father lied to extort money from MJ for the near-70 thousand bucks of back child support he owed to June Chandler. The story gets ever-deeper. But I guess we can now rest assured that MJ isn't a freak, just... weird. But weirdness doesn't make one a child molester - I'm weird and I'm a pretty cool dad :)

Not only that, but it's like… celebrity death day… Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett? Then my doctor, Raymond Peter Srsic, also died on that Thursday. I've gone to this doctor for twenty-four and a half years, now. We're talking a quarter century. My oldest son, Richie, went to Dr. Srsic. Well, the guy was really old… and he was struggling with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Those two combined will really take ya down. So, like… damn. It's been one heck of a week for celebs. My doctor was kind of a local celeb… professor at Johns Hopkins University, a published pioneer in the 80's movement for the use of Ritalin, and a really good doctor who was even friends with Rudy (Notre Dame!) so… yeah. OH! And then Billy Mays freakin' died! WTF? Wow, what a rough week, right? Madness. Anyway, hopefully no more celebs will be kicking the proverbial bucket anytime soon... but we'll see, right? Hopefully the next one to go will be a really annoying one that no body needs! xD

ANYhow… WHO WANTS TO SEE THAT KARLA ART? And who already has? For those of you who have, what did you think? For those of you who have NOT... well... You know you wanna! The resolution is awesome in size… it's two thousand by two thousand. Go check it out or email me directly and I'll mail you the Jpeg! Sleeping beauty! DA and FA, by WhitMaverick (No "E" in "whit". His name is Peter Nguyen) and you'll really enjoy it!

-Kit