WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE CAGE, IT WAS EMPTY. WELL, IT WAS DESTROYED TO BE MORE ACCURATE THAN JUST THE FACT THAT YOUSAY WASN'T IN IT.

"HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN, WE WERE ONLY GONE FOR EXACTLY 60 SECONDS" SAID JACK.

"S-SO YOU REALLY AGREE TO DO THIS, JACK? I MEAN IT'S STILL JUST ALL SPECULATION REALLY, AND I WAS KIND OF JOKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE *HAVE* TO KILL YOUSAY. I MEAN THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY. I COULD DO MORE RESEARCH."

"CARLY." SAID JACK, FOLDING HIS ARMS IN A MANLY COOL BIKER WAY. "DEATH IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE AFRAID OF. JACK ATLAS HAS CONQUERED IT."

"BUT JACK I SERIOUSLY DON'T THINK YOU ARE-"

"YOUSAY WILL UNDERSTAND. BESIDES..." HE LOOKED EVEN MORE SERIOUS "IT'S HARDER TO SCREW A DEAD PERSON."

"WH-WHAT!?" SAID CARLY BUT JACK CHOSE AGAINST EXPLAINING THAT HE MEANT THAT YOUSAY WAS ALWAYS GETTING THE BAD DEAL IN LIFE AND NOT ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE THAT IS WORDS AND WORDS ARE EFFORT.

"W-WELL. EVEN SO" CARLY SAID, TRYING ANOTHER ROUTE "I MEAN, YOU'RE ALWAYS THE ANTI HERO OR THE BAD GUY AROUND HERE JACK. ARE YOU OKAY WITH EVERYONE KNOWING YOU KILLED YOUSAY? HEY, WAIT, ARE WE THE BAD GUYS RIGHT NOW FOR EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS?"

"THIS WAS A PRETTY TOUGH CAGE. HE WOULD HAVE NEEDED HELP." JACK SAID, HOLDING HIS FOOT BECAUSE HE HAD KICKED A PIECE OF STEEL AND IT SENT PAIN MESSAGES TO HIS BRAIN.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTEN- OH YES JACK YOU'RE RIGHT. I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED."

---

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED.

YOUSAY WAS IN THE CAGE, FEELING SORRY FOR HIMSELF, WHEN A HAND ENTERED THE CAGE. IT WAS HOLDING A CARD. YOUSAY GRABBED IT BECAUSE IT WAS A CARD WITH A DRAGON ON IT AND HE LIKED DRAGONS VERY MUCH. THEN THE DRAGON CAME OUT OF THE CARD AND BROKE THE CAGE ONCE IT BECAME TOO BIG TO FIT IN IT. IT WAS PRETTY EPIC.

"YOUSAY." SAID AKI.

"AKI." SAID YOUSAY.

AND THE RODE AWAY TO THE BIKESHED.

"COOL STORY" SAID CROW AS HE SWEPT THE FLOOR AGAIN, HOPING TO GOD HE WOULD NOT FIND A POSTCARD. "BUT WHY WOULD JACK PUT YOU IN A CAGE? IS HE A BAD GUY AGAIN NOW?"

"APPARENTLY." SAID AKI "HE STOPPED BY MY APARTMENT WITH CARLY, WHO I FIND QUITE ADORABLE BUT NOT IN A LESBIAN KIND OF WAY, ASKING SUSPICIOUS QUESTIONS. SO I PUT ASIDE MY GIRLISH FEELINGS AS I KNEW YOUSAY MUST HAVE BEEN IN SOME DANGER. BY THE WAY WAS THAT A "NO GIRLZ ALLOWED" SIGN OUT FRONT?"

NO ONE ANSWERED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A GIRL. TED NOTICED THAT WILLIAM WAS MISSING. THAT USUALLY DIDN'T MEAN VERY GOOD THINGS.

"WILLIAM IS MISSING!" SAID TED.

NO ONE ANSWERED HIM BECAUSE HE WAS OLD.

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL THIS YOUSAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?" SAID BRUNO, WHO HAD JUST RECOVERED FROM HIS COMA, AND KNOWING FULL WELL YOUSAY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO HIM.

YOUSAY STOOD UP AND PUT ON HIS DUEL DISK AND WAS ABOUT TO SAY "DUEL ME" WHEN CARLY AND JACK BURST THROUGH THE DOOR.

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM YOUSAY HE DOESN'T MEAN IT." CARLY BEGAN BEFORE JACK BOOMED:

"I'M HERE TO KILL YOUSAY."

"I KNEW IT." SAID AKI AND GOT UP TO DUEL, BUT YOUSAY STOPPED HER. THERE WAS NO WAY HE WAS ABOUT TO LET A KICKASS GIRL MAKE THEIR MANLY FIGHT LOOK LIKE A RIDICULOUS CHILDREN'S CARD GAME WITH HER SUPER POWERS.

"IT'S OKAY BEING DEAD YOUSAY. TRUST ME, I'M JACK ATLAS. THINK OF IT AS BEING EQUAL TO ME."

CARLY FAINTED FROM THE SHEER NONLOGIC. AKI CAUGHT HER. GIRLS NEED TO STICK TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY IGNORED ONES.

"NOW WHERE IS THAT OLD SUPERSTITIOUS MAN OF THE SEA, WE JUST NEED HIM TO CURSE YOU LIKE HE DID TO ME AND YOU'LL BE BACK UP AND DEAD IN NO TIME." JACK SAID.

"HE'S MISSING! THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO TELL YOU" TED LAMENTED EVEN THOUGH HE HAD ONLY SAID IT ONCE BEFORE.

"DAMMIT WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP DISAPPEARING?" JACK SAID, PUNCHING BRUNO INTO A COMA.