Shadowwolf:  HEY EVERYONE!  I'm back again!  Whoopie!  Anyway, got a strange little urge to write last night, so I don't know how good this is, but…

Brad: *sips coffee happily*

Shadowwolf:  So?

Brad:  I've got the most beautiful woman on Zi for a girlfriend. *sips*

Shadowwolf:  We kinda knew that already.

Brad:  So?  Does it hurt to have information drilled into your head? *hint, hint voice*

Shadowwolf:  *suspicious* Hmmm… *takes out wrench* AHHHH! *begins violently beating Brad with it*

Leena:  AH, Shadowwolf, what're you doing?!

Shadowwolf:  *standing over Brad who has metal gears and such hanging off him* He's a robot!

All:  *GASP*

Shadowwolf:  It's my teacher's evil plot to get me to do my homework that I should be doing right now!

All:  *gasp*

Shadowwolf:  So, anyway, thanks to all who reviewed and read!  Please enjoy and tell me what ya think! ^_^

CONFUSION OF THE HEART AND MIND CH. 6,

PROBLEMS WITH PAYMENTS (PART I)

            Brad turned on the light with his elbow as he carried a sleeping Naomi into his room.  Oh Naomi, why'd you have to get mixed up in this?  Brad set her on his bed gently and sighed.  He looked around the room like an answer would present itself.  Nothing.  He stepped out and closed the door quietly, locking it.

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            Brad's morning activity of reading the paper with coffee was interrupted by vicious banging and cursing coming from his room.

            "BRAD!!" Naomi shrieked.  Brad cringed.

            "She'll kill me if I open that do-"

            "Brad?!  Is that you?!  You-"

            "Cool it Naomi," Brad stepped closer to the door.

            "Cool it?  You drugged and kidnapped me!"

            "Naomi," Brad calmed himself.  A temper wasn't going to help this situation and he knew it.  "I didn't have a choice.  You were going to have me arrested."

            "Like you deserve to be," Naomi sighed, disgust clearly in her voice.  "So?"

            "So, what?  I was just getting done with this nasty business."  Brad shuddered at memories of his jobs.  "They'll try to kill you now Naomi.  Me too, since I've quit on them."  Brad stared at the floor and his feet.  "We aren't safe here."

            The phone rang.  Naomi made a move to grab it automatically, but Brad heard her.

            "Don't touch it."

            "Why?" Naomi's voice was shaky, and Brad had never known her to ever be nervous about anything.

            "It's them.  No one else ever calls."

            "I could've," Naomi muttered under her breath, thinking of what could've been.  The phone rang again.  The warriors stayed where they were.  Again, ringing.  This time, the answering machine caught it.  Brad's voice was heard on the message.

            "Hey, you've reached 974-9530, leave a message," followed by a long beep.  There was a pause, then,

            "Brad, where'd you go man?  One of our guys said some b---- got you arrested.  We'll get her pal, oh yeah, dead as that guy who saw us earlier."  The man chuckled evilly.  "You remember what we did to him?  Blood everywhere," Brad cringed, "Anyway, I'll be stopping by your place later, to uh, drop off your second payment." There was a click as the tape stopped recording.

            "See."

            "You're paid for this?  Even worse," Naomi's voice was filled with repulsion.  "I don't believe you."

            "They won't pay me.  They're here, or will be here, to kill me.  They've had too many members turn on them.  They kill everyone that leaves."

            "Good, you'll be better off that way."

            "Naomi I-" Brad didn't know how to explain this one.  "Listen, we've got to leave before they show up.  You never should've gotten involved.  I'm warning you now, if you aren't going to work with me, I'll get rough.  I don't care what I have to do, so you should just cooperate."

            "Fine, but unless you die, I promise to turn you in.  Your choice."

            There was a knock at the door.  Brad froze.  He slowly opened the door to his room, immediately placing his hand over Naomi's mouth.

            "Sssh," Brad eyed Naomi who nodded.  He released her slowly as another knock came from the door.  "We're going…" he looked out the window carefully, to find a Dark Horn standing on his lawn.  "There's only one.  We'll go out the window and sneak into the hangar."

            "Fine, let's go then."  Another knock came, more impatiently this time.  It was followed by shouts,

            "Brad, I know you're in there!  Don't you want your money?"  But they were already out the window.

            "Come on," Brad guided Naomi by holding her hand firmly, sneaking around the house to the hangar.  Brad grasped the handle to the hangar and slowly entered.  He looked around as best he could before switching on the light.  A dark figure stood next to a pitch black Command Wolf.

            "Hello, Brad, trying to run, are you?  Oh, I see you've found that dumb broad."  He held up a handgun.  "Who's first?"

Shadowwolf:  OOH!  Cliffhanger!  Sorry, but my dad was hovering over me, trying to get me to go to sleep.  School will not stop me!!!!

Brad (robot): *twitch twitch* School…is…cool…

Shadowwolf:  *jumps in Shadow Fox and steps on Brad-bot* Humph.  Funny word.  Anyway, (I say that a lot, huh?) really hope you enjoyed, and thanks so much for reading!!!!!!!!