Tape pushed his bike to the nearest gas station. He taped Kirby's arms and legs together so she couldn't move, then walked inside the store. He slammed his hands on the counter.

"'Ey, Mary!"

Mary walked behind the counter. She had short pink hair with a blue bandana as a headband. She was wearing a leather jacket and jeans with black boots. She took the cigar out of her mouth and tapped the dust onto Tape's hand.

"What is it?" She examined Tape up and down. "My, my! If it isn't the Shifty Sticker himself! Haven't seen ya in a while. What gives?"

"I'm busy kidnappin' Kirby Wintawood but my bike ran outta juice." He cleaned the cigar ash off of his hand and pushed the smoke away. "And I haven't seen ya since we met on the road one time. Nice ta see ya again, Bloody Mary!" Tape hesitated. "I meant ta ask how ya got ya nickname."

"I can beat anybody with ma bare hands." She held up her fist. "The blood of your enemies on your fists gives you a reputation. What about yours?"

Tape pulled off a piece of his hair and put it on the counter. "And I can do tat for like, anythin'."

"You can get some gas here. On the house since I feel bad for you. That bike probably won't last much longer at this rate. Your boss gave you a piece of scrap metal."

Tape pushed more cigar smoke away from him. "Really, Mary? Ya know I don't do tat. It kills yar lungs or whateva."

"Eh. I don't have much to waste. I'm already fifty-five."

"Happy birthday," Tape wished sarcastically.

"Get out."

"Fine, fine. Whateva!"

Tape walked out after snatching a Chocolate Peanut Cupcake off the self. He opened it and plugged the gas tank nozzle into his bike. He put some headphones on a started listening to Rockin' Roll Toads by Toadina. Tape mimicked playing an electric guitar while he waited.

"'Ey, Kirby Wintawood." He looked at her. He took the tape off of her mouth. "Wassup, Kirby Wintawood?"

"If you're going to kidnap me, just call me Kirby. Thanks."

Tape held up one of the Chocolate Peanut Cupcakes to her. She eyed it suspiciously.

"It came in a pack of two and I didn't want ya ta starve." Tape looked at the gas amount. "Tat's enough ta make it there an' back home." He pulled the nozzle out and put it back up. He sat back on his motorcycle and freed Kirby from her tape prision. He held the cupcake up again.

"What's the catch?"

"The catch is, take it before I change my mind."

She grabbed it with her teeth and slid it into her mouth. "Thanks, I guess."

Tape pulled the kickstand back up. "Hold on ta somethin'."

Tape's motorcycle was a used 1989 Harley-Davidson that he had painted purple. His boss used to use it on a regular basis, but handed it to Tape when he stopped doing so. Tape made sure to take good care of it.

"Open ya eyes, Kirby. It makes the ride more fun!"

Kirby slowly opened her eyes and shook her whipping hair away from her face. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do! I've been usin' tis thing for years!"

He skid to a stop in front of the doors to the building. He grabbed Kirby, holding her under his arm. Ragina greeted him at the entrance with a bow.

"Welcome back, Double S." She still showed no emotion. "I see you've acquired the subject?"

"Yeah? Thought I'd fail ya an' teh boss? In ya dreams." He pushed his way past her.

He kicked open the door again and leaned on the counter, still keeping Kirby still as she wriggled around under his arm.

"So, boss. I got the goirly." He held out his hand. "Where do I sign?"

"So you did. Follow me." He stood from his seat and exited the room, Tape following.

"Let me go, you freak! I saw what you can do! You're nothing but a freak of nature!" Tape covered her mouth.

"Don't mind her. She's just mad I took her from tat place."

Ragina bowed to the boss. "Hello. Do you need access?"

He nodded.

Ragina typed a few things onto a smooth black panel on the wall, and the wall connected to that one slid open. She signaled for them to enter.

"You see, our project is...dangerous. We were told to shut it down many times."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard teh story."

"But, we found out why our family members were dying."

"Oh? Did ya fix it ten? If not, I could help ya."

"We fixed it, alright. And now we have a seperate place ready for her."

He flipped a switch on the wall. The lime green lights flickered to life slowly, shining on a container at the end of the hall.

"Hand her over, Double S."

"I don't like this...That shade of green is kinda suspicious, boss." He held her tighter.

"It won't hurt. We just need her for our family. Remember our mission?"

Tape looked to his left. There stood more tanks like the one for Kirby. People, unconsince, were floating in them. Tape recognized some of them; they were the people before him.

"Boss...? Wot exactly are ya doin' wit tese people?"

"Hand. Her. Over." He continued walking towards Tape, hand outstretched.

Tape bumped into a tank behind him. He turned, Kirby almost slipping from his grasp when he gasped at what he saw.

It was him.

Blond hair sticking up as he floated there, silently. His hair looked normal, not like tape. He sped up his breathing.

"I-I..."

"It's true, you're not real. You weren't supposed to find this out though. I just wanted you to hand me the girl and leave but now..." A hand gun clicked behind him, the cold weapon resting on his center back. "Now you know too much."

Kirby bit the boss' hand, causing him to drop the gun. Startled, Tape faced him and picked up the weapon. He pointed it at his boss with shaky hands.

"St-stand back...! I won't hesitate to blast ya head off!"

"We need to run!" Kirby yelled.

Tape back out of the room, gun still aimed at his boss. Once he was out of the room, Ragina stabbed him in the back.

"Grah!" He looked down to find metal twisted into the pointed edge of a sword. He looked behind him to find Ragina's skin had a metal sheen to it.

"You will not leave this place alive. Hand over Kirby Winterwood, now." There was a certain sternness to her voice, despite being monotonic.

Tape's boss exited the room. "Tobais, I'm warning you now. Give us Kirby Winterwood now and she'll be safe. If you don't, she'll watch you die."

"Then wot are ya goin' ta do? Kill her next?"

"She won't remember you, Tobias. She won't remember anything."

Tape could see the blood running down his body, staining his jacket. Kirby looked horrified, which was unusual for her.

"Give her to me safely, Tobias, and I promise she won't remember your fall."

In a last-ditch effort, he kicked Ragina away; her arm exiting his body. He covered the wound with his hand and rushed out best he could. He hopped on his bike after making sure Kirby was on safely.

"Where are we going?" She asked. "Crazy lady at two o'clock!"

Ragina exited the doors, blood running down her arm and dripping off the blade.

"Return at once, Double S."

"Hang on, Kirby! We're gettin' out of here!" He drove off as quickly as he could.

"You're going to bleed out!"

"I'm fine, Kirby." He started towards the highway. "We'll lose 'em in teh crowd."

After speeding up on the highway, Kirby glanced behind them. She tugged at his jacket sleeve.

"Wot is it?"

"They have a helicopter!"

He checked behind them in the rearview mirrors. Sure enough, Ragina and a few others were following not far behind them with the gang's helicopter.

"Tat's not good. Tat's not good!"

He saw Ragina's hands form into Heavy-Ammo Gatling guns and start charging for fire.

"Not good, not good!"

"The highway is empty?" Kirby screamed. "Why?!"

"They have tat dumb event today. I shoulda remembered." He slapped his forehead against his palm. "At least we can dodge them."

"You can't dodge bullets, Tape!"

"Sure ya can, if ya go fast enough!" He sped up, the motorcycle going into a quick wheelie.

"Return at once, Double S!"

"No way! Eat dust!" He lowered his voice. "Wanna know how ta drive a 'cycle?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Great, turn teh handles to make it go forwards and lean wit teh turns!"

"Wait, what?!"

"And don't crash!" He shoved her up front and grabbed his hand gun.

"You think you can reach with that?" Ragina snapped.

"Ya think ya can stop me? Heh, ya definitely unda-estimate me. Now eat this, sucka!" He fired a few shots at her.

"You're bleeding out. You're dizzy."

"Wot makes ya say tat, huh?"

"You missed."

"Grr...Why ya little-"

Ragina faced away from him and began firing at something inside the helicopter. She was shoved backwards a bit by someone, who jumped out of the helicopter afterwards.

"Hey, you down there!"

Tape pointed a hand at himself.

"Yeah, you! Catch me!"

"Wot?!"

"Um, Tape? We're coming to a dead-end!"

"Why'd ya keep going forwards for?!"

"I don't know how to turn this thing!"

"Oh, right." He slipped his gun onto his belt, took back control of the motorcycle, and stopped it.

Unfortunately, the person missed the bike entirely and slapped against the street.

"Aah!" Kirby screamed.

"Ouch. Ya good? Didn't mean ta miss."

They stood and dusted themself off. "I'm groovy. Don't worry 'bout me."

"Who the he-" Tape covered her mouth.

"Did ya take out tat 'copter?"

"Yeah I did!" They brought something out that was silver-colored and shiny, like a CD. "And I found a new Hit Single. What 'bout you? Why were they after you two?"

Their lightly tanned skin made their yellow down jacket, and headphones stick out against their black hair that was tied back into a ponytail. They wore black shorts and sandles, the sandles having yellow straps and the shorts were layered over a pair of loose black pants. He turned his head slightly, revealing his yellow eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

He spun the CD on the tip of his finger. "I'm Hole Punch, and it's a party out here tonight!"

"Hole Punch? Why are ya named Hole Punch?"

He caught the object between his pointer and middle fingers. He turned it around. "Let's just say I have my reasons."

He held the face of Ragina.

"H-How teh...?" Tape snatched it from him, examining it thoroughly. "It's a perfect circle?"

"Yup!" He grabbed it back and shoved it into his pocket. "And now I'll be heading to the next parade. Adiós, amigo!"

"Wait!"

Hole Punch stopped. "Yeah? You wanna cut a rug with me?"

"Huh? No, I want ya ta come wit Kirby and I. Ya can stop the people afta me."

"Sounds groovy but...I've got my own journey ahead for me. Thanks for the offer but-"

Tape drove around him so they were now making eye contact. "What will it take ta convince ya?"

"Yeah, you seem strong!" Kirby agreed.

"Hmm...how 'bout this? Meet me at the Dark Owl at ten. That's my party time, so I'll be there before you."

"The Dark Owl?"

"It's a bar. It's in the bad side of the city. If you've ever been there, you'll know exactly the place I'll groove at."

"Wait, ya mean that bar two guys got in a fight in a while back?"

Hole Punch clicked his tongue and gave Tape a finger gun. "That's the place! There's a party goin' on, and you're invited! Just tell the guy behind the counter that HP sent ya, and you'll be welcomed inside! Come groove with us!"

"Alright. At ten. Got it. I'll see ya then."

"Don't be late, Tape!"

Tape's heart skipped a beat. "Wot? How did you know my-"

"I just grooved with it. Your hair looks like tape, so I just gave you a nickname that just so happened to be your name! Groovy! I'm good."

Tape sighed. "I'll see ya then."

"Bye!"

Tape drove off.