-I should have had this out a couple of days ago, sorry about the delay-
Notes - This side story takes place during the time that Ranma is visiting Jade and getting into a rather large mess. As such Ranma won't be in this story, but it will have the Ranko-bot, the Digger Girls, the Ninja High School crowd, and a villain that fits this series to a 'T' it's written with the help of a friend of mine named Gordon Stevenson.
The villain Irving Bob was created by Dan McCllelan from when he and Gordon used to role-play using the character and used in this story with permission
C. Rose
Disclaimer: Gold Digger and Ninja High school are notorious for cute girls running around with large guns and giving lots of panty shots. This story is not exception to that rule, so expect some lime scenes though I'll never move over into lemon territory, I might hint at it though.
Golden Opportunity Side Story - Pink Avenger Vs Irving Bob
Chapter 03
Cory D. Rose
Gordon Stevenson
(c) 2004
Covered in dust and wishing she had time to take a quick shower, Brianna slowly crawled through the small access space between floors. Gina liked to have a space like this between all the floors as a safety precaution so she was quite thankful, or she would never have been able to get out of the lower levels of the house... It was also a how she ran power form the underground generator to different points throughout the house. So manual access to the house's electrical systems was a must; though they were rarely used these days.
Brianna sneezed as more dust got up her nose, it was the third or fourth time, and vowed for the thousandth time in ten minutes to build a cleaning bot to make sure she never had to get dirty like this again. She knew what dust was and really, really didn't want it up her nose or in her hair even if she knew it was harmless as it was. She crawled along, also wishing she was as small as Gina was, because she could barely move in the confined space. Heck even Britanny could shrink down to her scrawny looking human form and fit in here easier than she could.
"Yippie Ka Yay Mother#$#%&" She said with a giggle.
IB probably knew where she was by now if he was paying attention, but getting to her would be a problem unless he decided to kill her of course. Every ten feet she would pass by a small explosive that was designed to take care of intruders that used the access system to break into the house. The wererats that chased after Cheetah liked to use spaces like this to enter buildings.
The explosives were for intruders as big as she was; the smaller stuff just got zapped with a laser, and dropped into a cage in a section of Gina's lab. She was disabling these as she moved through the small tunnel so that IB couldn't catch her off guard. She just hoped that he didn't set them off as she was dismantling the things.
It was just as she disabled another one of the lasers that she heard something that she really should have expected. A trio of Peebo-Tie fighters flying through the tunnels with the sound effects going full bore. Fighting her own weapons inside the house was something she was not looking forward to doing. After all she designed them to take on any kind of enemy, even herself.
She started to move a little faster, maneuvered around a small turn that only Gina should have been able to fit through, and spotted a small hatch set in the ceiling.
"Finally! A way out."
In the background she could hear the Peebo-Tie getting closer and swore under her breath. She made sure the Gyrojet Pistol was ready, flicked the safety off, and dragged herself over to the hatch. It opened with a clunk and almost opened by itself as the spring loaded door went up.
She grinned as she exited into the underground garage and looked around to see if she was spotted by anything. As far as she could tell, IB hadn't bothered to mess around with the vehicles just yet, and if she moved fast enough she might be able to make sure he couldn't use them at all.
On the other hand, the large group of Hurt Bots suddenly running through the underground garage wasn't a good sign. Brianna wasn't sure they even noticed her yet, so she ran over to one of the Gina mobiles and popped the trunk before they could get to close and block her escape. Inside was a large bag with 'GD' on the side.
She shouldered it just as the hurt bots spotted her. They ran forward, raising their arms as weapons launchers rose out of their forearms. Being part clone of Britanny allowed Brianna to pull off some major moves and speed was one of the ones she liked the best.
Laughing, she broke into a sprint as the Hurt Bots opened fire and almost instantly destroyed the car, blowing holes through it from one end to the other. They quickly adapted to her speed and the air around her filled with laser fire. Then one of them used a different kind of weapon, glistening beads rained down along her path as she ran. Brianna paled a bit and poured on the speed to get away, she had to make none of the beads touched her. Several of the shots hit the floor around her feet and started to burst.
Dodging them was child's play though; she was the one that invented the weapon being used after all. Behind her, where the beads hit, they turned into thick foam that spread out several feet in every direction the instant the chemicals were exposed to the air and quickly solidified into a solid mass.
Reaching the exit door, she flung it open and dashed up the stairs leaving herself exposed and unable to dodge for first time since she started to run. She raised the Gyrojet and fired four quick shots as she neared the door at the top. Three shots to the hinges, blowing it away completely, and one to the center of the door.
It flew out into the front yard near the main garage and clattered to the ground. She looked behind her as the Hurt Bots, using their flying packs, flew out of the stair well just a few short seconds behind her. They were a lot closer than she thought they were and she growled and took several of them down with shots to the head.
Even as the damaged hurt bots plowed into the ground Brianna was reloading the Gyrojet while still running and dodging. They were still firing the little beads though and she barely managed to dodge them. Then before she could move out of the way, a silver pellet took her right in the chest and exploded around her and started to turn solid. Even worse, the stuff formed around the Gyrojet pistol and made it instantly useless.
"No!" She yelled as she lifted up off her feet and the foam solidified, leaving her up stuck in place. The useless pistol fell to the ground in a solid block of hardened foam.
There was movement all around her and the Hurt Bot's heads suddenly exploded one by one until Cheetah appeared, crushing the last one's head in her bare hand and dropped to the ground. Beside her Strype, wearing a pair of tight shorts finished using 'Flame Raker' to melt a Bot into slag. Strype rarely used his artifacts to fight unless there were people in danger.
Brit walked over to Brianna and smirked. "Looking a little tied up there, sis."
"Oh hah hah." Brianna muttered. "Get me out of this stuff!"
"Sure, we gotta be quick though, Dani is being arrested as we speak, though she's doesn't want to go along with it."
Brianna nodded. "I'll kick the guy's ass for trying to take Dani."
"That's the spirit." Britanny said as she grabbed the hose by the house and sprayed Brianna down to dissolve the foam. "Though this guy claims to be a Federal Agent."
Finally free of the foam, Brianna shook most of the water out of her hair and reached down to retrieve her gun. "Where is he, I have a little message I want to shove down his throat." She stomped her way over to the scene where Rabid was confronting the girls. There was glint in Brianna's eye as she focused on her target. Brianna and Strype quickly followed after the girl and wondered what she had in mind.
As an ex-member of Crime Syndicate X, Rabid wasn't a very nice man, not by a long shot. He was one of the people that originally blackmailed Barbra 'Crush' Duncan into working for them by threatening to kill her family. They even tried to use the same method on Avenger, the woman he now knew as Danielle Carter. Up until a few days ago he hadn't even known what her real name was.
Now that he was working for Agency Zero he had access to information and privileges that he'd never known before. Sure the Agency was blackmailing him in a way, threatening to send him back to prison if he didn't work for them, but he was just doing what he always did. Following orders and having a bit of fun and this time he could do it officially. Life was good.
He hadn't had this much fun in years. He adjusted his trenchcoat as she stood before the group and put his wallet and badge away. Debra and M had insisted that he conform to the Agency's dress codes as well, but he didn't mind. Wearing a suit and tie was better than nothing; even if it wasn't his old spandex shorts and body tattoos.
They even insisted that he cut his hair, no chance of that, so he just tied it back in a simple ponytail that traveled half way down his back. He watched all the girls as they moved around him, trying to protect Dani and just grinned. It wasn't often that he got a chance to be this close to so many half naked women.
"You can't be serious?!" Gina yelled at him.
"She's responsible for a man's death; we even have it on a security camera." Rabid said with a smirk, showing some rather pointed teeth.
Dani glared at him. "You don't know the full story…"
"Lady, I don't care about the full story. You will come with me or I will take you by force."
Ichi and Asrial didn't like his tone at all and they both growled.
Holding up his hand, Rabid slowly transformed his hand into a set of evil looking claws. "Trust me; I want you to pick a fight."
"Rabid, that man is not dead!" Dani snapped. She was starting to get mad, but she couldn't say anything with all these strangers here. Trusting the Brit and her sisters was one thing, but too many people were starting to learn who she was.
Rabid snorted. "There's a dead body in the morgue that says otherwise girly."
"Maybe his body, but something survived and it's inside this house!"
"Bull$#!#." Rabid growled as he reached into his coat and pulled out a set of handcuffs. "Now turn around."
"No." Dani snapped.
"I will not stand here and argue with you Danielle Carter." Rabid growled in the voice his instructor taught him to use in a situation like this. Then he blinked and paled a bit as a rather large gun pressed against the side of his head. It gleamed early morning sunlight.
"I think you need to rethink your actions Rabid." Brianna said. "I know of this Agency of yours, they nearly ruined my father's life at one point and I won't ever trust them again."
Now Rabid started to sweat. "I'm a Federal Agent now, I have the authority…"
"Agency Zero is a secret government group that keeps people with powers from getting out of hand." Britanny said. "They won't hesitate to kill you if you get in their way. Right Gina?"
"Indeed. Daddy hasn't ever been the same since he walked away from the Agency and it's been over a decade." Gina explained, glancing at Dani. "They tend to force their agents into working for them, pulling them out of jail, threatening them, and other questionable actions."
"How come I've never run into them?" Asrial asked. "I should have if what you say is true."
Ichi shrugged. "I've heard rumors within my family, but nothing concrete. Lendo might know something though."
Dani shook her head and wished had something to wear other than her underwear. She would not let herself be arrested while the only thing she was wearing was a pair of panties and a bra, pink ones at that.
Off to the side Strype listened to the girls and wondered what they were talking about. He'd been approached to join Agency Zero just a few weeks before and hadn't even mentioned it to anyone. At the time it seemed innocent enough and would have allowed him to use his People's magical devices for something good.
As he stood there he didn't like what he was hearing, the other side of Agent M's argument about fighting super powered villains from the shadows before they could assert themselves. With that in mind, he was kind of curios what Rabid was up to, and this certainly wasn't the quiet and secret actions he thought the agency would use.
Then Brianna's gun started to hum as she adjusted a dial on the Gyrojet Pistol, altering the ammunition if he remembered right. Rabid's eyes were glued to the gun at the side of his head as he tried to be brave, but Brianna just grinned at him.
"Well?" She asked.
Rabid suddenly vanished in a swirl of green and white energy and Brianna was too shocked to even pull the trigger. The rest of the girls went on the defensive instantly and started to look around, even Dani.
"Where did he go?" Brianna growled. "Gina?"
"I don't have any of my scanners with me at the moment." The blonde haired genius said as she pulled out her own gun.
"Gina why the hell are you carrying one of your plunger guns around for?" Britanny asked. "You haven't used those for some time."
"It's all I had available in the garage when we were forced out of the house."
Britanny just nodded. "I would like to find some clothing personally."
"Wouldn't we all." Gina snapped and pointed her gun at the back corner of the yard. "Over there."
The girls looked as Agent M, Rabid, and Debra walked out of the shadows. They were cloaked in the same way that Rabid was just a few minutes before, so they appeared to literally walk out of thin air as the magic faded away. Agent M glanced at Dani and adjusted his glasses. "I see the situation has finally come down to this Dani, I did warn you on multiple occasions."
"These pathetic mortals shouldn't take to long to finish off." Debra said. She was quite short for a woman, but had a wild hair style that was just impossible to describe, kind of a swept to the sides bowl cut that extended out at the ends. As they watched Rabid appeared beside her in a swirl of energy.
Gina recognized the energy almost instantly, having encountered it on at least three different occasions. "A dragon."
The girls all gasped and took a closer look at Debra.
"She does have a rather reptilian look to her eyes doesn't she?" Asrial said and the other girls all nodded.
Debra glared at them and snarled.
"We've fought and defeated dragons before." Gina said.
"I'M GOING TO BURN YOU ALL TOO…" Debra screamed and her aura flared out ward, burning the grass for several feet around her.
"Calm down Debra, remember what the files said."
The woman visibly controlled her anger and calmed down to a smoldering glare. "Just give the word and they are toast."
"Calm down Debra, we aren't here to fight. Just to pick up a fugitive." Agent M said as he glanced over at Dani.
She growled.
"It is time to go Dani."
"I refuse; just like I refused the last ten times you've tried to recruit me!" Dani yelled.
Asrial and Ichi were the only one's that didn't really know what was going on, but they figured they would find out eventually. They would play along for now; they had more important things to worry about at the moment. Like the fact that they were half naked in front of a guy who could command a dragon. A dragon would never let itself be controlled without a reason and this guy didn't look like he practiced much magic.
"Who are you?" Asrial asked.
"That is none of your concern Alien. We are not here for you." Agent M said as he dismissed her.
Ichi had to resist the sudden urge to attack him, but his pet dragon glanced at her suddenly. The ninja took a second to relax a little and stepped back. She wasn't sure she was up to fighting a dragon, even one masquerading as a human.
"This whole situation is getting out of hand." Gina muttered as she felt the tension in the air starting to increase. She realized that the Agency was quite ready to attack them if they had to. It was something she wanted to avoid; she knew who Agent M really was and what he was capable of doing when he went into action.
Inside the house, IB was using Ranko's android body again as he looked out the window and confirmed what the cameras were showing him. He growled as he took a closer look at the bastard in glasses. Of all the people to see in the middle of Atlanta Georgia, the Agent M was not on the list.
He couldn't forget what the heathen did to him just few days before. After what happened at the bank, being electrocuted to death, he'd been a bit surprised to find himself floating in some kind of foggy room of some kind. He hadn't been able to find any walls, but they had to have been there somewhere because he could 'feel' them just out of reach. All he'd wanted to do was leave, but instead something else had happened.
Electricity. After a few weeks of floating in the fog like a balloon blowing around with the wind, he could remember screaming as electricity passed through him. The pain was unlike anything ever experienced and he never wanted to go through that again, but he hadn't been given a choice. Whatever they did to him, he had to endure the pain for several days before he passed out.
By the time he opened his eyes he knew something weird was going on. He remembered noticing almost right away that he was floating above his body. Several people were below him, sprawled out on the floor gaping at him for some reason.
"Wankers!" He yelled. "What have you done to me?!"
Then he glanced down at himself and gaped at what he saw. He wasn't even human anymore; instead he as if he was made up of electricity as it arced around his solid energy body. Glancing around, he noticed one of the men climbing to his feet and IB sneered. "You did this to me."
"Not on purpose."
"I'll kill you where you stand!"
The man donned a pair of glasses and glared at him. "Listen to reason. What happened was a mistake, we were only trying to bring you back to life after your heart stopped."
"I was &%$# DEAD! You can't get any better than that!"
"This was an experiment to reverse that."
Electricity arched around IB's body again, up his arms, across his face, and down his back and legs to score some interesting burn patterns on the cement floor of the room. He knew whom to blame now, but about his new body wanted something. He ignored the jerk and looked around the room until he spotted one of the computers connected to his old body through the wires.
"What is this thing?"
"We found something weird with your body chemistry after you died at the bank. After a bit of study we realized that we were picking up faint signs of life within your body's nervous system."
"So you hook me like a turkey ready for a roast?" IB snapped.
"We though you might just need a bigger jolt of electricity and you might just wake up, alive and perfectly normal."
"Who the hell made that retarded decision?" IB snapped
"I did."
"Well just who the hell gave you the right to play with my body like this? Hmm? You a wanker?" IB made a weird face and tried not laugh in the guys face as he realized he'd just been insulted.
"You may call me Agent M."
IB nodded. "You're on my list, but first I have something else to take care of."
The man looked truly astonished as IB appeared to dive into the machine next to his old body and computer system started to go insane. The techs came out of their stupor just as IB's face appeared on a nearby screen and he started to laugh insanely. M turned to yell at a tech when the lights flickered off and heard screaming from the nearby rooms.
"Look at all this useful information! And looky, looky, there is my little killer now. Danielle Carter, come on Down!" IB yelled over the speakers and laughed some more. "Better yet, I'll just come to you!"
"This is not good." M muttered and started giving orders to the people around him. The techs jumped into action and started to try to isolate IB in the computer system before he did too much damage.
IB stopped thinking about the past and shook his head. He didn't like the fact that the jerk that created him was there. "This could be bad. That todger has caused me as many problems as the skirt ever did, one killed me but the other resurrected me like Frankenstein. Time to stop playing around with the girls and changing my plans a bit." IB muttered to himself.
He glanced down at Ranko's body and frowned. Playing with her like this was one thing, but with M on the grounds, he would have to change tactics to take care of two people at once. Grinning, he dashed out of the room, up the stairs, and into Britanny's bedroom. At the same time he accessed the androids memories looking for something that would enhance Ranko's looks.
He grinned as he remembered an outfit that the werecheetah wore occasionally when she was out helping Gina find treasure, skimpy and sexy. He sneered as he started grabbing various items from Britanny's clothing collection. "This should be fun and I don't even have to worry about dying again if they manage to destroy this body. It's perfect and I even get to play."
Down in Brianna's lab tools and robots swarmed around one of Brianna's Peebos, altering and repairing it. According to the blue prints the Peebo would be a specialty type based on Brianna herself. One of the robots laughed as it placed a circuit and the Peebo's eyes lit up, bringing it to life.
It frowned as it's back closed up and systems started to boot up various weapons and programs. "I'm awake."
"Indeed little bot, I have a mission for you."
"You are not Brianna."
"No, I am IB and your master."
Peebri's eyes flashed a couple of times before the little robot nodded. "What is my mission master?"
IB started to laugh again.
"I do not understand."
"I'm going to send you somewhere and I want you to let loose."
With obvious excitement, Peebri rolled around the table. "Where Master?"
The robot walked over to a nearby table and picked up a small remote, pointed it at Peebri and the Peebo vanished in a flare of light. Then the robot looked up at the ceiling, right in the direction of Ranko's possessed body, and nodded as it walked over to a blank wall.
As he approached a hidden door slid open to reveal a smaller lab full of state of the art computers. In the middle of the room was a glass booth similar to Gina's regeneration chamber, but this one held a tall lanky looking robot unlike anything Gina had ever created before.
It was blue and had white high lights along all the angled bits, stood over six feet high, and had a helmet that looked like something off of a Guyver unit. Its body was nearly complete and all the computers were busy compiling a massive program to be downloaded right into the robots brain.
The thing had a small plate attached to its forehead with 'A002' etched into the metal. After entering the room, the robot walked over to the computer, IB invaded the system. Surprisingly even though he knew it was here, he had to access it from outside the core. The lab was part of a separate system completely.
As the robot's eyes started to flare to life IB didn't waste any time worrying about what the robot's initial programming was about. He erased it and replaced it in the blink of an eye. Once that was done all he had to do was take full and complete control.
He glanced across the room where several other similar robots were plugged into the wall. With a bit of modification they would be a great way to have a bit of fun and allow him to finish a few other things. A nearby computer came out of standby mode and started scrolling information. IB touched the screen and started to manipulate the programming with contemptuous ease.
He grinned as each of the robots started to come to life.
Several miles away, with a burst of light, Peebri appeared in the living room of Penny Pincer's mansion. The little Peebo looked around with wide eyes that resembled Brianna. It checked its memory and realized that the house was several times bigger than Gina's house and ten times as opulent and gaudy. Moving forward it started scanning the house looking for the occupants.
It moved through several large rooms filled with old furniture, paintings on display, and even the occasional statue. Peebri gawked at the replica of David standing in one corner in all its perfect detail, perhaps a bit to much detail. The part of the Peebo that IB occupied shuddered and it's back opened up and a laser rose out.
"That is disgusting." Peebri/IB said.
The laser powered up and fired, blowing the statue to pieces with a massive bang. Bits and pieces of ceramic and stone rained down around the room and the Peebo grinned happily. Then it glared at a surviving piece, the most famous one, and blew it to dust.
"Much better."
Then Peebri heard some sounds and realized that people running in its direction from one of the upper floors of the house. Racing under a nearby couch, Peebri turned around to watch and see who entered the room. Gina's computers had mentioned who should have been in the house normally, but it was possible they might have a guest or two over at any time.
A few seconds later Charlotte raced into the room with wide eyes. Her wings half spread to help her keep balanced as she ran. She took one look at the statue and screamed, fell to her knees, and started bawling. Charlie started muttering about it not being her fault, again, and that she didn't want to be punished. Then she started trying to piece the shattered pieces together with little luck.
Peebri sweatdropped.
Then a black girl with dreadlocks, wearing a pair of red shorts and a tank top, peaked into the room and saw the mess. She gaped at all the debris and glared at the winged girl. "Charlotte what did I tell you about touching David Jr?!"
Charlotte sniffled. "I didn't do it, I found it this way."
"Right, just like you 'found' those peanuts I stashed in the kitchen for a snack." Penny said in a huff.
"Peanuts?" Charlotte asked as she stopped crying and looked up hungrily. "Salted?"
Penny sighed, and then Charlotte said something weird.
"Peebo?"
Peebri blinked and saw that the winged simpleton as looking right in its direction.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?!" Penny screamed. Brianna's Peebo's scared the living hell out of her.
Rolling out from under the couch, Peebri laughed. "HAHAHAHAH! I have come to give you fine ladies the gift of my magnificent presence!"
Now Penny was gaping, no Peebo ever talked like that.
The laser took aim at a nearby chair and blew a giant hole through the back, the wall behind it, and opened up a third entrance to the mansions second floor. "Ladies! It's time to dance in the pale moon light!" IB yelled through the Peebo. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Brianna I'm going to kill you!" Penny screamed as she nearly fell over scrambling away from the little robot.
Charlotte watched in amazement as Penny ran over to the wall, opened up a hidden panel, and pressed a button. Gina's greatest rival smirked down at the Peebo.
"Take that."
"Thank you." Peebri said and an arch of lightning arced out of the laser blaster right into the panel. "I was wondering how to access your computer core; the one connected to the Gina's house is on a completely different system than the one you use inside the house."
Now Penny paled and tried to tap a code into the panel, but Peebri's laser blaster swung around and blasted the wall a few feet from her head.
"Penny!" Charlotte yelled and glared at the cute Peebo that resembled, she realized, Brianna.
"Charlotte, we have to stop it!"
Wings spread, Charlotte jumped into the air, with her clawed hands poised to strike as combat training went into effect. Then the laser blaster swung around, Peebri smirked. "Hello Birdie."
"No!" Penny yelled.
"Full power!" IB yelled happily.
The blaster fired. Charlotte screamed as the blast went right down her back, between her wings, and blew another hole through the ceiling, through two floors above them, and out the roof of the house. The red beam died down a few seconds later and puttered out. The edges of the hole in the ceiling were on fire, but it quickly died down. Charlie on the other hand was rolling round on the ground putting her burning wings out before they were too damaged.
Peebri looked a little shocked. "What the hell was that?!"
Penny recognized it instantly. "Brianna you built a Beta Weapon into your Peebos?!" She screamed. "I'll kill you!"
"BWHA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I AM THE MAAAAN!" IB yelled and spun the Peebo body around several times in glee. "And here I thought what I did to the chair was impressive!"
Charlotte, having crashed into the floor, was upside down against the couch now that her singed wings were put out. Smoke wafted off her hair as she rolled to her feet, still crouched down, and looked like she was about to fall over completely. "Whoa."
IB powered up several lower powered shots and started firing wildly, blowing the room to pieces, laughing like a lunatic as he did so. Screaming, the two girls ran from the room before they could get hit. Penny headed for the basement where her lab was located. She would need some weapons if she wanted to save her mansion.
Unknown to her, IB was already in her house's computer system and taking control even faster than he had at Gina's house. Taking over several computer systems from here to New York had taught him quite a bit, he had experience. Behind them Peebri finished with the room and started chasing them.
Insane laughing filled the house and made Penny shudder and wonder what the hell was going on over at Gina's house. Brianna was a bit unstable at the best of times with her weapon fetish, but nowhere near as dangerous as Gina when she was curious about something. This had Gina's reckless side written all over it and she would have answers. Then she would make the blonde repair the house, or else things would get ugly.
Back at Gina's house, things were getting a little odd. Having kept behind everyone as they argued and glared at each other, Mimi Masters finally decided to see if she could help a little. She glanced over at the Agency Zero agents and blinked a couple of times. She recognized Debra and had to restrain herself from blasting the girl right then and there.
"Mimi?" Asrial asked.
"I know that harlot." Mimi growled and pointed at Debra.
"Harlot?" Ichi muttered and giggled.
"How?" Asrial asked.
"Well several weeks ago I was visiting a friend of mine in Utah when I stumbled on an infestation of vampires."
"What kind?" Asrial asked, remembering that Jezebel's uncle Bosco the Vampire.
Mimi sighed. "The evil type of course, being led by Natasha herself."
"Natasha?! As in Queen Natasha Vostov of the Vampires?" Asrial growled in sudden anger. "That #$#&#!"
Mimi nodded and Aloysius, still on her shoulder, rolled his eyes. "The same, she was there making an inspection, of all things, and decided to just convert the whole town they were living in instead of hiding."
"How did you get involved?"
"I detected a growing presence of dark magic in the area. It tends to stand out when it's in the middle of nowhere with nothing to mask it. It's amazing how stupid undead can become when they are allowed to think for themselves. It's their rotting brains really."
Asrial nodded and tilted her head at Debra, noticing that the girl was glaring at Dani for insulting Agent M's mother. "What about her?"
"After I flew into town on my broom it only took a few minutes to figure out what was going on, there were so many vampires that they were walking around as calm as can be. It was really strange."
"The sunlight wasn't killing them?"
"Since the whole town was converted they were able to place a spell around the town that blocked out enough sunlight to keep them from burning, who was going to complain?" Mimi explained. "I was about to start killing the disgusting things when Debra over there, in dragon form, flies in from out of nowhere and starts to torch the whole town with her breath weapon and magical spells."
"So what was the problem, she got rid of the vampires didn't she?"
Mimi nodded. "Yes, but she also blasted me and Aloysius in the process."
"I did warn you Mimi." The cat said.
Mimi pretended not to hear the cat. "After leveling the town, killing several hundred vampires she lands in the middle of it and transforms back into her human form there! She turned my favorite outfit to dust and set my hair on fire! I've never been so angry in my life"
"What in the world did you do?"
"After crawling out of the rubble, my dress was gone so the only thing I was wearing was a pair of socks and my shoes. I had to conjure up a new dress and the spell is complicated and expensive. Well, I walked over and decked her." Mimi growled.
"You decked a dragon?!" Asrial gasped.
Unfortunately she was a little too loud as everyone turned to look at her and Debra took a closer look at the red head. Her eyes opened a little wider and an aura of power flared around her. "YOU!" She snarled.
"Like I couldn't predict something like this." Aloysius muttered as he jumped off Mimi's shoulder and ran for a nearby tree. "Good luck, I'll back you up from over here."
"Aloysius!" Mimi yelled as the cat ran off.
"He ran off?" Asrial muttered a bit shocked.
Mimi frowned a bit as Debra started to stalk over to them with a snarl. "Aloysius lost all his fur in the attack and I had to brew him up a potion for it to grow back before he would even talk to me again."
Gina and Brianna heard Debra mutter something as she walked by them and headed right for Mimi; they looked a little shocked as well. The female dragon went to reach for Mimi when Asrial and Cheetah grabbed her arms and held her back. "AGHAAAAA!"
"Calm down Debra, what are so mad about?" Agent M asked as he appeared behind his friend.
Cheetah gasped as her head snapped around to look at him. "Where the hell did you come from?"
Strype sighed, once again startled by the man's sudden and unpredictable appearance. He seemed to move in a way that he just couldn't detect no matter how hard he tried. It was starting to get on his nerves.
"IT'S HER! THE ONE FROM THE VAMPIRE TOWN! THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!" Debra snarled angrily.
Adjusting his glasses, Agent M looked over at Mimi in her bra and panties and took a second to look her over. "Interesting."
Mimi glowered at M for checking her out like a piece of meat. "Why you little…"
"SHE'S THE LAST OF THEM; WE HAVE TO KILL HER RIGHT NOW!" Debra yelled as she struggled against Cheetah and Asrial, nearly throwing them off.
Mimi blinked in surprise as she suddenly understood the woman's anger. "Is that what you think? No wonder. I'm not a vampire, I'm witch."
"Sir, kill her before she turns the rest of them into vampires!" Debra growled. She wasn't about to listen to a vampire.
Agent M rolled his eyes. "Calm down Debra, she's not a vampire."
"DON'T TAKE HER WORD FOR IT! SHE'S EVIL; I CAN SEE IT IN HER SOUL, SIR! THERE'S THIS INKY BLACK SPOT OF EVIL PLASTERED ON HER SOUL."
Agent M glared at Debra for several seconds before her mouth clicked shut and she paled quite a bit. Asrial and Cheetah felt her shudder fearfully as she stopped struggling. "Yes sir."
"What is your name? I wasn't able to get any information on you before we arrived."
"Mimi Masters." Mimi said.
"Masters?" M asked, his face showing some surprise.
She nodded.
"I think I know your father."
"He tends to get around, though I don't see him all that often."
M nodded. "Indeed, we've crossed paths on a couple of occasions."
"Go back to New York M; I'm not interested in your recruiting drive." Dani snapped, interrupting the two. "We weren't finished arguing anyway."
"You killed that man Dani, I will to take you into custody Miss Carter." M said. "Mrs. Gia, Miss Asrial, please release my assistant."
"No." Gina said, rather forcefully, from behind them all. She walked over to M and looked him in the eye, which considering she was wearing a bra, panties, a gadget belt, and a hat, looked rather interesting. "You will take your team and get off my property. Daddy isn't here and after what you did to our family last time the only thing I'm going to give you is an ass kicking if you don't leave this instant." She hissed.
Blinking in surprise, M backed up a couple of steps as he realized that Gina meant every word she said. "Now see here…"
"Brianna, please shoot Agent M." Gina said, calmly.
Brianna gaped at Gina for a second before raising her Gyrojet and leveling at M's head, it hummed quietly. "Your show sis."
"You know that gun won't hurt me Gina." He said.
"Really? Brianna is quite a shot and I think a bullet right through your eye might hurt even you, Mister Miracle."
He paled a little before he turned a glare on her. "That will not hurt me Miss Diggers. It's been tried before."
Brianna smirked and understood what Gina was getting at; she hadn't even considered that angle. "Let's find out shall we?"
"All Mister Miracle has to do is leave my property." Gina hissed.
"How do you know that information Miss Diggers?" He growled. "It's a secret that only a very few people know about."
Gina laughed and reached out to pat his butt. "Two reasons, the first is that I'm a genius and have a photographic memory of the time my dad worked for you pathetic losers. The second is that I never forget a tight set of yummy buns, even when they're flying over head in the middle of a superhero battle."
"I haven't done that in years." He snapped.
"Hey, I was four, but even then I had a perfect memory for things, and you did stand out a bit in my memory. What kind of girl would I be if I didn't know who Mister Miracle was?" She asked with a smirk. "Now, leave or else."
"I don't think so." He snapped. "Dani leaves with us or this will get a bit nasty."
Cheetah tightened her grip on Debra's arm as she felt the woman tense. "No way honey let them talk this out."
"You're making me angry." Debra growled.
"So what?"
"Cheets, let her go, they're just leaving." Gina growled and Brianna just grinned.
Agent M shook his head. "No we aren't."
Cheetah and Asrial let go and quickly stepped back as Debra regained her balance and glared at them. She was about to blast the hell out of the lot of them, knowing that M would survive without a scratch, when she saw something she wasn't expecting. A section of the roof lowering down a little and sliding to the side as something rose up from below.
The rest of them noticed the movement as well and turned to look just as a platform rose out of the roof holding five figures. They were all dressed in different colored power ranger outfits complete with helmets. One was in green, and then a blue, yellow, and pink Ranger looked down on them silently. Then, right in the center of the group, dressed in bright red, was Ranko wearing one of Brianna's newest armors, a helmet in her arm as she grinned at them.
"This is going to be fun."
"Ah &%$# we forgot about IB!" Dani yelled as IB, still using Ranko, raised his hand into the air and made a sudden fist, the power ranger robots around him suddenly posed.
"HO!"
They gleamed.
"What the hell is that? Lendo isn't running around here with that 'team' of his is he?" Asrial asked.
"IB is dead Dani, accept it." Agent M said. "That's a girl wearing powered armor playing with robots."
No one saw Debra glance covertly over at M as he said this, almost in disapproval.
"Sir, lets just kick their ass and go home." Rabid muttered from where he was standing a few yards away. The savage looking man was leering at the half naked girls, his mind floating around in the gutter. No one really noticed as Strype glared at him for a second.
Cheetah ignored Rabid as a waste of her talents, and instead watched the robots on the roof to see what they would do. "Gina, what the hell is with the Mighty Dorky Power Strangers knock offs?"
Blushing a little Gina shrugged. "I started building them a while back, before Peachbody stopped by. They are a unique mix of several ideas I had for improvements to my original design. Figured we could use them on missions when things were a little too dangerous. After Peachbody I mothballed the group and started on my Hurt Bot Beta series instead. IB must have dug them out of the storage room and finished them with the spare parts I had laying around.
"How long are they going to pose like that?" Mimi asked, rather impressed that they hadn't fallen over yet.
"Oh they can pose for as long as they want." Gina muttered. "I got a bit carried away."
Brit sighed and glanced at Gina. "You nerd. Only you would resurrect the worst TV show of all time with real life dolls."
On the roof IB sighed when he realized they weren't reacting the way he thought they would. He didn't see any fear, shock, or anything else that would give him what he wanted. What a bore. "Go and harass them for a bit, the big goof in the glasses is mine."
"Yes ma'am!" They yelled and launched into the sky, one leg up, arms out, still posing.
"I'M IN A FEMALE BODY, BUT I'M AAAALLLL MAN!" He yelled, and ignored the fact that he liked the way the armor fit Ranko's curves in just the right way. He slammed his fist into Ranko's chest a few times.
Of the five, he was the only one wearing armor, or at least obvious armor and it was designed to look elegant and deadly at the same time, just like Brianna herself. It allowed for easy movement, lots of firepower, and even had access to the light gate system for more weapons. He had to admit that the thing used up way too much power when the system activated though. Not that he cared that much, he was just out to get a bit of revenge and some fun.
The &%$#$ would get what was coming to her. The four eyed moron was about to pay for his arrogance too. There was more than one way to make them pay. This was the physical part of their punishment. The rest would make them both persona non grata in every corner of the world!
"BWH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Tapping a button on the forearm of Brianna's armor activated the weapon retrieval system and with a burst of light a large gun appeared in his hand, nearly five feet long with wires running from the gun to the armor's forearm guard. Little lights were lighting up all around the gun as its systems charged off the armor's power supply. It was a beautiful design that incorporated power and destruction. He loved it instantly.
The stupid robot rejects were still performing their preprogrammed jump and pose for the fight scene act, so he swung the gun around a couple of times to get a feel for it. Then took a second to place the helmet on and let the armor finish booting up and activating his heads up display. His new toys rocked!
Grinning, he brought his arm around and little circle rose from the side of the gun. He looked through and saw that his heads up display was showing a set of cross hairs right on Gina's derriere. He smirked and recorded the picture for later viewing before moving the crosshairs a little to the left and taking a good look at M.
He flipped a small toggle by the trigger to let the gun know that he was preparing to fire, took aim, and saw the guy suddenly look at him. IB knelt down a bit; he wasn't worried about what M would do this time, unlike the last time they met face to face. He smirked as M's eyes suddenly narrowed a bit and started to glow.
"That's right you blinkered arsehole, just keep standing there. I want to try and take just a smidge off the top."
This time he was in a new more powerful body, the jerk didn't know who he was dealing with, and that gave him all the advantage he needed. Then for the first time he realized that his main target was just a few paces away. She looked mad as hell and was directing a murderous scowl at M. IB just smirked as he realized what was going on.
"It must be Christmas! Two blighters for the price of one!" Then something typical happened.
One of his power ranger robots got in the way as the group finally landed, posed again for dramatic effect, and then attacked. Surprisingly the first person attacked was Rabid. The animal like man jumped back as the Ranger bot jumped at him and planted both its feet in his chest, knocking him off his feet.
The unorthodox attack, though quite common among the various Power Ranger episodes of the day, wasn't something someone like Rabid encountered on a regular basis. He did roll with the hit though and ended up rolling back and come coming to his feet a couple yards away. Growling, Rabid threw his coat at the Ranger bot and used it as a distraction to tear into it before it could put up much of a defense.
Spandex shredded under Rabid's claws, but not before the Ranger bot retaliated. Since it was a robot and not a human shredded clothing and fake skin meant nothing to it. So as soon as Rabid was in just the right spot it decked him and literally punched the man off his feet. The attack was completely unexpected and Rabid barely had time to even try and deflect the punch. He went down hard.
On the roof IB started to laugh as the man went down. Now that was what he wanted when he rebuilt the useless things as cannon fodder.
"What the hell is up with Ranko?" Cheetah asked as she eyed the rest of the robots dressed like Power Rangers as they posed nearby. She almost expected someone with a camera to step out from behind a tree and call cut for too much stupidity. Then she recalled that Gina actually built these things.
"IB seems to be able to control computerized devices." Gina explained.
"IB is dead! His body is back in New York rotting on in the FBI Coroners room." M snapped.
"NO HE IS NOT!" Dani screamed in his face.
They glared daggers at each other.
"Well whatever is going on, if it's a fight I can handle it." Cheetah said with a grin. "Mom's been teaching me how to fight her way for some time now, and the nerd here can take care of the computer work on her own."
Brit didn't stick around to see Gina stick her tongue out at her, instead the werecheetah launched forward to attack the robots as they finally decided to stop posing. Gina's programming was a little too complete, making the robots think the girls were their enemy. On top of that IB's reprogramming hadn't covered everything, just the things that needed to be altered to make them follow orders.
They finally reacted as Cheetah ran at them. Brit was caught flat footed as the Pink ranger flipped into the air and planted her feet right in Cheetah's face. Then it flipped off and went for a leg sweep that sent Cheetah to the ground. With a growl she came to her feet and tore into the Pink Ranger.
Werecheetah speed and enhanced strength was more than enough to decimate the robot in a matter of seconds. On the other hand it wasn't enough to destroy the Pink Ranger. It had enough energy left to stagger back under the pummeling and attempt to retaliate, but Cheetah just dodged everything. She wondered silently if she would get in trouble for using a special move on the thing.
Then before she could decide, the Pink Ranger's body went into a spasm as Cheetah nearly ripped it's face off with an elbow smash. It looked as if it was being electrocuted and fell to the ground still twitching for several seconds. Smoke began to waft off the thing as Cheetah stood over it looking a little bored.
Asrial, Ichi, and Dani grinned, and quickly followed suit even as the Pink Ranger was crashing to the ground. Each one of them taking one of the Power Ranger knock offs in their own unusual way.
Cheetah glanced to the side to see if the others needed help and saw Ichi battling the yellow ranger, easily flipping about to dodge the things rather predictable attacks. Flips and kicks got boring after a while even if they did look good in the middle of a fight. Then Ichi simply punched it in the chest and the thing exploded into pieces. She rubbed her hand a little as she glared down at the remains.
"What a waste of time. Grandpa's ninja put up a better fight than this." Ichi grumbled.
Fighting robots was simple enough, Dani had done it several times during her carrier as a crime fighter and they were usually pretty predictable so long as one was careful. Though now that she thought about it, ducking it out with a robot just after dawn, while wearing next to nothing, and with no weapons available was something else completely. Fighting in your underwear had to be a first for Dani as she engaged the blue power ranger in hand to combat. It was just something that never came up in training.
Then she had to admit, as she hopped over a leg sweep, that Gina had created a pretty advanced robot it had incredible speed and balance. It actually knew how to fight and even seemed to know some strategies. Unlike Ichi and Cheetah though, she didn't have superpowers or advanced martial arts training to protect her in battle, just her skills and quick thinking. Instead she wanted her baton with all it's built in weapons, but that was back in New York, with her costume.
After flipping over the robot she spotted something in the grass and grinned as she landed, rolled to the side to dodge the robot's own attack, and picked up a small object. The robot didn't seem to notice as she flicked it right into its chest. She blinked as robot suddenly found itself covered in hardening foam and unable to move. She smirked at it and wondered where she could get more of it.
Off to the side Asrial dropped the scrap metal and plastic bits that had once been a green power ranger knockoff. "Well that was easy, so when are we going to take Ranko down?"
The girls shrugged.
Gina kept Brianna from joining the fight since they were busy with M and his group. Plus they had that madman on the roof with one of Brianna's fifty caliber Vulcan cannons ready to fire at them. Ranko/IB would occasionally kneel down, aim it at one of them, then stand up and cuss a little.
She wasn't to sure why IB kept doing that though, she had the distinct impression that he was distracted by something, but she couldn't figure out what it could be. At the same time she knew those old robots wouldn't take to long with Cheetah and Asrial helping out, so she barely paid attention to the fight and focused on M instead.
As the fight went on around them, Mimi got worried and made her way over to where Dani was kicking at the ranger entombed in hard foam. At the same time no one saw Strype or Rabid walk off and vanish around the corner of the house. Brianna thought this would be a good time to ask a question though, so she glanced at Gina while still eying M.
"Hey Gina what are we going to do about Dani's secret I.D.?" Brianna asked in a whisper.
Gina shrugged. "The only ones there that don't know seem to be Ichi, Mimi, and Asrial so it shouldn't be too big of a problem."
Sneering, M just glared at the gun and his eyes started to glow even brighter than before. "The instant she killed IB any rights she may have had to secrecy were revoked. She belongs to me now."
"You arrogant little…" Brianna started and nearly pulled the trigger.
"Sir, she's not affected." Debra said quietly.
Calming down he took a closer look at Brianna. "Interesting."
"Shut the hell up." Brianna snapped, lowered the gun and pointed it at Agent M jr. and smirked. "I'm really beginning to think Gina has the right idea about you. Mister Miracle would never have tried to pull something like this."
"I am no longer that naive child." M snapped as he stepped to the side, but Brianna's weapon kept its target.
Gina tapped a button on her belt and drew her own odd looking gun. "I created this device for one of my first adventures; it used to fire a random assortment of plunger weapons. Since then I've modified it a few times."
"Listen here sweet cheeks; I'm getting real tired of this crap." Debra growled, though it was several times louder than what a human voice box is capable of creating.
Ignoring her completely, Gina pointed her own gun at M's head as her gun started to build up a powerful charge of energy, heat began to ooze off the gun. "Now, I believe I told you to leave."
"Debra… At your discretion." M said calmly.
Debra gave him an odd look for just a second, then shrugged and glared at the girls. She blurred and expanded into motion faster than the two sisters could even comprehend. In the next second Gina and Brianna slammed into the side of the house before they had time to react. As they tried to figure out what was going on Debra crushed their guns in her hands and tossed the remnants at her feet with a snarl.
"Retarded humans, you do not have the power to stand against a Platinum Dragon!"
"No!" A panicked voice yelled suddenly.
Debra snarled and turned just as Britanny used the shattered body of a Power Ranger robot like a bat, slamming it over her head with a loud clang. Agent M also came under attack and calmly stepped to the side as he dodged an attack from Asrial and Ichi. He ducked and weaved through their attacks in three small steps the two girls fell to the ground unconscious. He wasn't even out of breath as he turned back to see what the others were doing.
Debra was learning why Britanny was Gina's body guard whenever they were out in the field or exploring. The enraged werecheetah wouldn't let up her attack, punching, kicking, and slashing at her so fast that the transformed dragon couldn't react fast enough. She'd heard of Werecheetah's, but in her short life she'd never actually taken one on before. They were supposed to be nearly extinct after all.
"You…will…pay…for…hurting…MY SISTER!" Britanny screamed as she uses her mother's attack, the Leep Palm right to Debra's exposed back.
As a werecheetah Britanny could move almost faster than anything on the planet, breaking the sound barrier was so easy she did it on a regular basis. On top of that she was five times stronger than a normal werecheetah because of her upbringing, though no where near a werewolf's strength, but strong enough to so some amazing things. As the blow struck Debra knew she was in trouble as Cheetah's arm moved so fast that the wind could be seen arcing around it.
The sonic boom brought all the other fights to a stop and even drew IB's attention from where he just finished watching M casually swat Asrial and Ichi unconscious. Debra screamed in pain as muscle and bone shattered under the impact as she lifted off the ground, catapulted across the yard, and through one side of the house and out the other.
She hit the ground on the other side of the house a skidded along the grass until she slammed into a stone wall. Cheetah just stood there with her hand extended looking at it in amazement. Then she smirked a little as she relaxed to wee what was going to happen next.
"Debra!" M yelled and just vanished, only to reappear next to her. "No…"
"Sir…" She gasped.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" IB cackled from the roof as he jumped to the other side of the roof, took aim, and fired all in one smooth motion. "Die WANKER!"
M twisted around and casually slapped the bullets out of the air with his bare hand. His eyes were glowing dangerously as he focused more and more on IB. He didn't see Dani and Britanny gaping at the scene from around the edge of the house.
"That's the Mister Miracle I remember." She said in awe.
"Wanker is a good name if you ask me." Brit snapped. "Where's that husband of mine?"
Dani stepped back. "I saw him walk off with Rabid a little while ago."
Brit nodded. "We need to help Gina and Bri now; those idiots can kill each other for all I care."
They ignored IB's cussing from the roof as they made their way back over to Gina and Brianna, they were barely conscious. Gina groaned as Brit helped her sit up. "Sis…"
"What happened?"
"The force field didn't work."
Brit looked down at Gina's belt. "How come."
"I'm not sure."
"We need to get you and Bri inside."
"IB still controls the house. He's just possessing Ranko by remote control, but I still haven't figured how to prevent him from taking over everything we use without getting access to my lab." Brianna said as she stretched her back and groaned. "And with our weapons gone we have a big problem."
"Are all dragons like that one?"
Gina nodded. "I've never encountered one that wasn't dangerous. That little hit won't stop her for long; they can shake off damage like that in a very short amount of time. We're just lucky she's transformed into a human form that mean's she should be out of for the rest of the fight at least."
Dani growled. "I need a baton of some kind, a piece of rebar, something I can use to fight back with."
"I think we might have some stuff in the garage we can scrounge." Gina explained. "I'm just not sure what else we might need."
Growling, Brianna punched a fist into her palm and snarled. "I'm going to beat the living hell out of that woman."
As the girls all got back their feet slowly and Brit looked around the yard and realized something. "I'd really like to know where my husband is."
"Over here."
They turned to see him coming out of the garage with Rabid slung over one shoulder. He tossed the body to the ground. "He may be cat like, but he certainly doesn't fight like one."
"Did you have to use the magical items?"
"No, he didn't work up a sweat."
Dani looked ecstatic. "Good, good, now we just need to take care of the missing members of the team."
Gina glanced at her. "Missing members?"
"Yes, I just noticed that Zane the Warrior Princess isn't here."
"Are there any others?"
Dani sighed before she nodded. "I think my friend Crush might be with them as well."
Cheetah palmed her face. "The girl that can control her size and strength?"
"Yeah."
"What makes you think she's around and working for them."
"Mostly guesses and recent actions." Dani said vaguely.
"Like what?"
"She's been holding back lately when we talk or have coffee together." Dani explained. "Always dressed to the nines and getting a thrill at all the guys drooling over her."
"Still…" Gina started.
"Then there is the fact that I wouldn't be in this situation if she would have given me a hand like she promised."
Britanny frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"Barbra was supposed to be in the bank helping me. I ended up being alone against IB when we fought. He was beating me pretty badly towards the end of the fight and I expected Barbra to be there, but she never showed up and I made a mistake. I was depending on her strength during the fight because I knew how strong IB is physically."
Britanny scowled and her hair bristled a little. "If she's around she's going to pay for doing that to you."
The blonde haired girl placed a hand on Britanny's shoulder. "Don't do anything to hurt her, this between the two of us, I don't want you interfering this time. I gave her a second chance and this happens. I will find out why."
"But…" Brit and Brianna stared.
"No! Once is a mistake, twice is on purpose. The two of us will have a little girl to girl talk when the time is right." Dani growled.
"Alright Dani, but I won't promise not to attack her if I find her first."
"Cheets..." Dani growled.
Gina cleared her throat and the two girls looked at her. "What?!"
"I have an idea."
To Be Continued…
Notes: Can you believe that there are still three chapters to go on this thing? At the very least that is going to be another 200kb of work. Lots more of IB, his fake accent, and the rest of the scantily clad girls in the next chapter.
As for the story itself, as I mentioned in a previous note, I'm being a little hard on Agent M in this story. He's not really a jerk, but he can be quite forceful at times. He likes to sneak up on people. I'm still not sure if it's speed or teleportation just yet, but I think it will be revealed in the comic eventually. Fred Perry had been hinting at something big developing with Agency Zero and Avenger ever since issue 34 and they are nearing issue 60 now. You really have to pay attention to the back issues of the story to pick up on some of these things. It's a specialty of Fred's from way back around issue 30 of the black and white series when he introduced Beta Phantoms. That only took two and a half years to play out and there are still some mysteries remaining. He's good at that kind of thing.
Strype's magical items are, a story imbalance, so I toned them down a bit. At the moment he's immune to fire, throw fire, and even fly. Even produce a force field made of telekinetic energy. The rest of the items are going to remain a mystery until I get a better handle on them. Strype's battle with The Clan Destine (I think that's there name) was a big story that built to one of the few anti-climaxes I've ever seen Fred write. I think he got bored of the story arc or something.
Shrug.
That's enough for now. I'll post the next chapter next week...