KISS and the Battle of GOOD vs EVIL
Part 36-E


Raven woke at the sound of voices.  She sat up, at 
first unsure of where she was.  The one voice was 
Gena.  Who was the other?  And why were the voices 
so loud?  They must be shouting right outside the 
door.  She turned over, reaching for Peter and 
touching fur.

She barely suppressed her outcry.  She sat up, 
clutching the ragged-edged piece of cloth she was 
using as a blanket, several doubled over layers of 
the same lying under her for a mattress.  She looked 
at the mouse sleeping beside her, at the two mice 
standing sentry duty.  And everything came back with 
a stomach-wrenching plummet into harsh reality.

Raven wiped away tears.  She had been dreaming she 
was back at the hotel, safe in Peter's arms.  But 
she was still stuck in this nightmare.

"So show me what you've got," Gena said from the 
room outside the trunk, her voice a definite 
seductive dare.  "Buttercup showed me his benefit 
package.  Let's see what kind of package you've 
got."

Raven pushed past bundles she did not look at too 
closely for fear she might figure out what they 
were.  She wanted closer to the front of the trunk, 
where she might be able to hear better.  She wanted 
to find out if it was Gena, if she was okay, and 
whom she was talking to.

"Since Herr Dokter has departed, we can let my 
fiends search the building for Raven while we find 
more pleasant things to do to pass the time," a soft 
male voice said.

Could this be a rescuer? Raven wondered.  Could Gena 
have escaped also and found an ally?  News that Herr 
Dokter was gone was very welcome.  But if this man 
was an ally, what did he mean by 'fiends'?  That 
sounded like something one of Buttercup's people 
would work with.  Maybe it was a pun off 'friends'.

Gena laughed.  "I could have saved myself the 
trouble of wrecking the fuse box.  I wanted to even 
things up a bit and take a bunch of Herr Dokter's 
gadgetry away from him.  It's time we showed 
E.V.I.L. just how valuable magic is."

Raven stood with one hand resting against the inner 
wall of the trunk.  She frowned.  The voice sounded 
like Gena.  Gazing upward, she saw the distant 
keyhole.  If only she could get up to it, she could 
see what was going on in the room outside.  She kept 
part of her attention on what was being said as she 
carefully scaled a stack of parchment sheets.  Her 
years of white-knuckle climbing in West Virginia 
were proving useful.

"We could work so much better together if we dropped 
our antagonism," the male said.  "I am willing to 
forgive the kick.  Are you willing to forgive the 
spells?"

"What do I get out of it?"  Gena asked greedily.

"A willing teacher," he answered.  "I will show you 
all the dark arts.  I will hold nothing back if you 
will hold nothing back from me."

Raven settled on the top of the stack and grabbed 
the edge of the keyhole.  She must be misidentifying 
the voice.  It might sound like Gena but Gena would 
never be part of a conversation like this.  But she 
better find out who it was that was in the room.  
She scanned the area outside and quickly spotted the 
two people.

Black candles placed in dull metal candelabra 
illuminated the room with a bright but flickering 
light.  Gena stood clad in her black and red leather 
outfit, hands on her hips, facing a darkly handsome 
stranger clad in black leather.  "And does this just 
extend to spell knowledge?" she challenged, a 
sensuous smile on her face.

He smiled.  "Of course not."  His arm went out, 
circling her waist and pulling her close.  His lips 
crushed Gena's as he passionately showed her one of 
the non-spell areas they could share.

Raven shook her head.  This wasn't happening.  She 
had to be dreaming this.  No way!

Gena finally pulled back from the kiss.  "Watch it," 
she purred seductively.  "Play with me, you're 
playing with fire."

"There are all kinds of fire," he answered.  He 
placed his hands on each side of her face as he 
gazed deep into her eyes.  His voice became dark 
velvet.  "I will show you the power of darkness.  I 
will teach you about fires that give no light.  And 
you will be a follower of true evil and know what 
power exists within your reach."

"Stop talking and let's have some action," Gena 
said.  And their clothes disappeared.

Raven closed her eyes and counted to ten.  When she 
opened them, the two people were in a passionate 
embrace, lips locked together, hands exploring.  No.  
This was not happening.  She was having a nightmare.

The man pulled back slightly from Gena.  Running a 
hand down her body, he crooned, "I shall be your 
teacher.  You shall be my apprentice.  The bond 
shall remain until you equal me in power.  I shall 
nurture and instruct you.  You shall obey and strive 
to learn all I can teach you in all the arts."

Gena's hands roamed over his body, finding places 
that made him shiver with pleasure.  "There are 
things I can teach you," she said with a lecherous 
grin.

Raven bit her lip.  This had to be some kind of act.  
Any moment now, when his guard was dropped, Gena 
would do something.  Raven was sure of it.  This was 
all some very excellent acting.  Any minute now, 
when he thought he had her, Gena would have him.

Gena suddenly kicked his legs out from under him and 
followed him to the floor.  She pressed her naked 
body over his, pinning him to the floor.  "Now 
you're mine," she crowed, teasing with her body.

"No," he chuckled.  Shadows flowed over the floor 
and covered the two people.  Gena gasped as the 
blackness of night chilled her.  Darkness raised 
goose bumps over her skin, and flowed down her 
throat to form a cold weight in her chest.

He grasped Gena's throat and forced her over onto 
her back.  He rose, forcing her to kneel before him.  
"I am your master," he said solemnly.  "You will 
obey me.  I shall set my mark upon you so all shall 
know."

No!  Raven had to stuff her fist between her teeth 
to keep from shouting for Gena to run.  She knew 
these words, having heard similar ones which created 
the bond between her and Peter.

"So you would give me what Gene denied me," Gena 
said softly, an unholy gleam in her eyes.

"This is not a Claim," he told her.  "I do not have 
that power.  The anchors of the matrix known as KISS 
can create Claims.  I am just a mage, but I offer 
you my knowledge and a link to my very self that you 
may know what it feels like to cast the spells I 
will show you."

Raven slowly shook her head from side to side.  No, 
Gena, no!  Whatever game you think you are playing, 
this is not something you want to do!  Don't trust 
him!  Tell him no!

"I gave him eighteen years and as usual he's 
probably off with some ditzy airhead with no thought 
of where I am or what I might be doing.  I'm 
supposed to be waiting in my room for whenever he 
remembers where he parked his luggage.  I can be 
back in my room before he knows I ever left.  Tell 
me what to do to get this link."

Raven started to yell a warning and a hand firmly 
clamped over her mouth.  Strong arms pulled her 
back.  Furry bodies pressed against her as the two 
mice scampered down the parchments, carrying the 
stunned woman with them.  But Raven could not fail 
to hear the instructions the man gave Gena, twisted 
instructions that brought unbidden erotic images to 
Raven's mind and left her feeling ashamed and 
soiled.  

The mice gently placed her on her bed.   A soft 
whisper in her ear said, *We could not allow you to 
reveal yourself.  They would have captured you.*

"But Gena!"  Raven protested, blinking on tears.

*We have watched her since we came to this place,* 
the whisper answered.  *She is part of Them now.  
She has orders from the one called Buttercup to 
capture and deliver you to him by dawn.  She 
attempted to trick you into letting her capture you 
earlier.  We had you leave the laboratory and what 
she found was not you but us.  We have seen this.  
She is truly E.V.I.L. now.*

"Oh Gena," Raven mourned.

A hand touched her shoulder, making her look up.  
Whiskered faces looked into hers.  "You are safe 
here.  We protect."

Raven took a deep breath, trying to ignore the 
sounds of passion outside the trunk.  "Thank you."  
 
"You made us like men.  Now we are more than just 
pests scurrying through the walls.  For the great 
gift you gave us, we have nothing to repay you but 
ourselves."

"You don't have to repay me," she assured the mouse.

"As long as one of us is alive, we will not abandon 
you to your enemies," the mouse promised.

Raven started crying.  "It's just...so much has 
happened...and I don't know if I'll ever see Peter 
again...my family...my friends...and now Gena..."  
She buried her face in the mouse's furry shoulder 
and gave in totally to the tears as the mouse gently 
stroked her back.  She wanted to scream with each 
passionate scream Gena gave, but Raven's screams 
were of anger and confusion.  How could she?  After 
all that Raven had told her about Links and Marks, 
after everything she had told her about what had 
happened, after all those years Gena knew and 
followed KISS: How could she!

Finally it was over and Raven dared to raise her 
head.  She could not hide under the covers as she 
wanted.  She was alone against E.V.I.L., with her 
only allies ghosts and mice.  She had to stay 
strong, keep her mind clear, if she was to get 
safely back to Peter and KISS.

Maybe this had all been a trap from the very 
beginning.  She had been foolish not to ask for some 
kind of proof of the vision Gena said she had.  But 
the idea that Peter was in danger made her act as 
quickly as possible and after all Gena was an old 
friend of the band.  Foolish foolish girl.

*You must devise means to protect yourself,* the 
whisper warned.  *We are almost at the end of our 
time of greater power.  We will watch and advise, 
but we will not be able to protect you.*

"Thank you for what you have done," Raven told the 
ghosts.  "I'll do my best to see it was not in 
vain."  

She sat down with the mice and combined strong cord 
with springy metal strips to create crude bows. The 
mice worked to alter needles into arrows.  What 
Raven wished she could find was miniature Uzis.  Or 
a few mouse-sized high explosives that could level 
this building.

Weapons made, she helped other mice cut and crudely 
sew strips of cloth into togas for them.  Thick 
thread was used to bind strips on their hind feet, 
creating crude boots.  Black and red were the only 
colors available, a sinister combination the Raven 
vowed to replace as soon as she could.

Raven ignored the sounds outside, which had now 
turned to the talk between lovers that sounds so 
touching to the people involved but just sounds 
silly to outsiders.  She paid a little emore 
attention when the talk turned to long term plans, 
plans that included wresting control of E.V.I.L. 
from Buttercup and gaining control of KISS and 
girltalk 'for their own good'.

Raven sighed.  Gena had to be a victim of E.V.I.L.'s  
G.R.I.P.  They had programmed Ace, almost controlled 
Peter, and did control Vinnie until he recently 
broke free.  She knew Gena would not be doing this 
if she were in her right mind.  Blinking back a 
resurgence of tears, Raven knew it did not matter 
how it had happened.  Gena was now E.V.I.L. and 
would do everything in her power to make KISS and 
girltalk E.V.I.L. too.

A noise froze all of them in their tracks for a 
second.  Someone was right outside the trunk.

The outside lid opened.

Raven and the mice frantically grabbed items, 
preparing to depart out the back of the trunk.  
Several mice dashed out and positioned themselves to 
guard the retreat into the wall.

The tray over them lifted up.

Bows twanged as arrows flew.  Ghostly hands hurled 
handy sharp objects.

The man cursed and dropped the tray, scattering its 
contents across the floor.  He kept his hand pressed 
against his face, blood dripping between his fingers 
and running down his chest.  Gena screamed and 
grabbed his arms as he stumbled back, demanding to 
know what had happened, what to do to help.

Raven ran across the short distance and disappeared 
back into the wall.  So much for safe havens.

*	*	*	*	*

"What can I do?"  Gena demanded, holding the Drow's 
arms as he cursed whatever had struck him.

"Healing," he said.  "They got my eyes.  You'll have 
to set up my components for me and help me with the 
spell.  Get in the trunk and find what I tell you to 
look for.  And if you see any tiny creature inside, 
kill it.  I caught just a glimpse of movement, tiny 
figures in black and red and another, no doubt their 
leader, in their midst.  Some imps sent to plague me 
by my enemies no doubt."

Gena worked quickly, placing items in the circle as 
he commanded.  It was a powerful spell, but it would 
have to be.  She had seen the terrible wounds on his 
face and upper body.  She stepped back and listened 
carefully as he recited the key words that unlocked 
the power.  Dark energy crackled in the room.

The Drow stood whole again.  He looked around the 
room, searching for something and then he strode to 
the trunk.  "What struck me?"  He drew a diagram, 
threw a dust over the trunk and its contents, and 
cast a spell creating an image of what had been.

Small figures stood in the bottom of the trunk.  
Mice dressed in black and red togas, looking up, 
bows and arrows at the ready.  And in their midst, 
Raven.

The Drow cursed.  "So this was why I could not 
locate her.  She hid by using my own spells.  Well, 
that won't work any more.  I remove my spells of 
concealment!" he ordered, turning off the multitude 
of spells he had carefully wrought in the building.

The Drow again cast his seeking spell.  Only this 
time, he got a response.

"I've got her," the Drow chuckled.  "Now I have 
her."  He walked towards the door.  "Replace the 
components in the trunk and remain here.  This shall 
not take long."  He disappeared out the door.

Gena stood in the dark mage's work area, gazing at 
the various components.  She had seen him cast it.  
She knew its structure.  Could she do it?

Without thought that what she did was theft of rare 
and valuable spell components, Gena once again 
created the healing spell.  Only this one was much 
stronger.  This one would be at maximum effect.

At the last second, she hesitated.  Would he feel 
she had turned against him?  Would this cause him to 
banish her from his side?  She took a deep breath 
and cast the spell.

Healing energies roared through her body.  Healing 
away all injuries, new and old.  Healing old scars.  
Removing the effects of aging.  Giving her a body in 
perfect shape.

Gena chuckled.  "I figure you're still doing your 
tour of the hotel, Gene," she whispered.  "But come 
morning, when you return to my room, I'm going to 
have a surprise waiting for you."

*	*	*	*	*

"Any news?"  Ace asked as he walked in the room.

Peter paused only briefly in his pacing.  "No."

Ace noticed Paul's surprised look in his direction 
and laughed.  "You haven't looked in a mirror 
lately, have you?"

"I noticed Peter," Paul admitted.  "I just forgot 
and you took me by surprise."

"Took me by surprise," Ace admitted.  "I walked by a 
mirror and glanced at myself.  I don't know how long 
I spent looking at myself.  Better than a facelift."

Paul nodded.  "Total healing.  I won't have to go 
for hip replacement now.  But I'd trade it all to 
have Raven and Gena back safe."

Ace nodded.  "Absolutely."

SiLK nodded.  "It's great that all my medical 
problems are gone but I don't want it to be at the 
cost of my friends."

"We have a list of possible hideouts within a 
reasonable radius," Gordon reported, walking over 
with a several page printout in hand.  "We've got 
some agents doing casual drive-bys to see if they 
can spot anything unusual."  He looked at the 
various people in the room.  "Any of you going near 
it would probably be spotted almost immediately.  
E.V.I.L. has some very sophisticated devices."

"So we hit them fast and hard," Gene growled.

"We have to find them first," Gordon pointed out.  
"That will take time."

"Raven may not HAVE time," Peter spat, and paced 
with a fearful anger evident in every stride.

SiLK looked at Peter and her heart broke.  She knew 
what he was going through, feeling it along the link 
she had with him.  She felt it from her link to Gene 
too, but Peter was the one who was tearing her 
emotions to shreds.  She had spent months in the 
past with Peter, Raven, Gene, and Shannon.  She knew 
how special the connection was between Peter and 
Raven.  Some day it might develop into something 
more traditional but Peter was still too gun-shy of 
marriage and permanent relationships to make any 
type of commitment.  She did not want to think about 
what would happen to Peter if Raven was killed or, 
what could be worse, controlled by E.V.I.L.  How 
could any of them handle it should Raven become a 
tool of Buttercup?

SiLK slipped out the door, unable to stay and watch 
her friends suffer.

*/Walk?/* Sappho asked hopefully, lifting her head 
from her paws and wagging her tail.  She rose and 
shook herself, having waited patiently in the 
hallway for her friend.

SiLK smiled.  "Why not?"  She petted the hellhound 
and then picked up the leash.  "We'll have to go out 
the front door.  All side entrances are locked after 
dark."

*/I don't mind,/* Sappho told her.  */Hotel 
stuffy./*

SiLK punched the elevator call button.  As they 
wait, she thought about the situation.  "Sappho, can 
you recognize Raven and Gena's scents?"

*/Not know Gena.  Know Raven well.  Always recognize 
her scent/*

SiLK tried not to build up her hope.  "Let's circle 
the hotel.  Maybe we can find how Raven was taken 
out of here.  They may have only teleported to a car 
below.  Can you track a car?"

*/If scent distinctive, yes./*

SiLK refrained from telling anyone about her plan.  
She would not raise Peter's hopes only to hurt him 
if there was no trail.  If they found something 
useful she could call Shandi on the matrix any time, 
and she would connect her to Paul.  Paul would know 
how to handle this.

They nodded to the night clerk as they walked 
through the lobby and outside.

*	*	*	*	*

"Girltalk member exiting hotel," henchman 388 
reported over his radio from behind the front desk.  
"Got a Saint Bernard with her.  Huge beast.  Sucker 
will be half an hour if it has to take a crap."

"449, watch for her as she leaves the building and 
follow," Lily ordered.  "If she goes away from the 
hotel, especially in any alleys, call.  We can 
always use another hostage."

*	*	*	*	*

"Now I have you," the Drow gloated as he gazed down 
the long hallway.  He knew exactly where Raven 
crouched in the wall.  His spell had her pinpointed.  
All he had to do was pull her out to him.  And once 
he did, he would bind her to him tighter than he had 
Gena.  He would take what he wanted, force the bond 
and himself upon her and imprison her soul in his 
dark magic as he took his pleasure on her flesh.  
Buttercup may control E.V.I.L. but he would control 
Raven and Gena.  And in time, he would control 
E.V.I.L. too.

He pulled a wicked looking blade from a sheath on 
his belt.  He pointed its tip at where he sensed 
Raven to be.  He quickly chanted a spell that would 
not only teleport her to him but also return her to 
human size.  Now she would be his!  He gave the last 
closing phrase...

...right as an invisible something grabbed the knife 
and yanked it just slightly to one side...

...the spell took effect...

...and an angry human-sized cockroach appeared 
before him...

...and all his fiends disappeared.

The Drow dodged the grasping legs and gnashing 
mandibles, frantically casting spells to slow the 
monster.  What had happened?!  Something put his aim 
off at the very last second.  He knocked the beast 
back and ran.  Fleeing before the scurrying 
creature, he cursed as he realized what had to be 
responsible.

"Ghosts," he spat.  "When I finish with Raven, I'll 
bind every single one of them into the most 
obnoxious items I can find."

He retreated before the madly fighting cockroach, 
noting that his fiends had already withdrawn to 
their own dimension.  Fiends.  You never could 
depend on them when things got rough.

*	*	*	*	*

Raven knew it was a chance but she had to take it.

//Peter!  Don't answer, just listen.  I'm on the 
run.  Don't know how long I can stay free.  I love 
you!  Take care.  And beware of Gena.  E.V.I.L. has 
succeeded in programming her to their side and she 
has bound herself to the Drow.  I don't know what it 
will take to free her.  Be very careful of her.  I 
love you.  Bye.//

And at the hotel, Peter stopped pacing and gazed at 
Gene, wondering how he could tell him.  He turned on 
his heel and quickly crossed the room.  Grabbing 
Paul's arm, he softly hissed, "We need to talk 
privately."

*	*	*	*	*

SiLK stood breathing the night air.  It felt good to 
be healed.  It had been a long time since her body 
did not give her some twinge to remind her of its 
problems.  She felt like a young girl again.  Now if 
only she could use some of that young girl vitality 
and kick some E.V.I.L. ass.

*/Beastmistress!/* a happy voice greeted her.

SiLK closed her eyes.  */Hello Amadeus.  Are you 
well?  Sorry I have not been out to see you 
sooner./*

The pegasus soared over the street.  */You are busy.  
It is enough that you have several times called and 
touched my mind.  It has been too long since we had 
one such as you./*

*/I never knew there actually were such as you,/* 
she admitted with awe.

*/Beastmistress!/* Sappho called.  */Raven's 
scent!/*

Silk rushed to the hellhound's side.

*	*	*	*	*

"Subject has entered an alley across from the 
hotel," 449 reported.

"Everyone converge on the target," Lily ordered.  
"Take her before she can call for help."

*	*	*	*	*

Buttercup closed up his laptop and slid from the 
booth.  He walked across the empty restaurant and 
out the door his bodyguard held open.  Sliding into 
the back of his limousine, he gave the dark business 
building one last look.

Everything would be decided in the next hour 
according to Magnolia.  The odds would be improved 
slightly if he stayed, but he was taking no chances.  
It would have been nice to control Raven, but he 
could not risk being here if He showed up.

He sighed as they pulled away.  Hopefully he would 
be back in a few more hours.  There were questions 
he needed answers to.

Who was the Normal of the anchors?  If he could 
discover who among the members of KISS was the 
Normal, he would know which one was the key to 
controlling the matrix.  Each anchor had great 
power, but it was the Normal of them all that let 
them be able to interact with reality.  Without the 
Normal, their powers could not affect the real 
world.  And since the Normal controlled their 
ability to interact with the real world, if he could 
find and control the Normal, he could control KISS 
and the matrix.

Not all that Raven did tonight could be explained 
with probability manipulation.  Had there been 
someone else here?  Could it have been ghosts?  What 
exactly happened to ruin their careful plan?

Was Gena seduced to their side?  He knew from 
Magnolia that Gena would face a constant battle 
between good and evil within her own soul because of 
the nature of her power.  Had they been able to win 
her to their side?  Would she betray KISS as she 
said and Magnolia said was highly possible?

Who was the Rage possessor?  If he could gain 
control of that sheer power, he would have a weapon 
to crush the resistance.  He needed to know who she 
was.

And where was He?  The power pool that could enhance 
any of their abilities.  The one who could counter 
his own special abilities.  He was a member of 
girltalk, a part of the matrix.  Had he revealed 
himself to KISS yet?  And did he know about the 
strange connection between the two of them?  
Buttercup knew about Him but up until this gathering 
He had never heard of Buttercup.  Buttercup had done 
everything he could to prevent Him from reaching the 
last performance.  He was unsure just where He was.  
But he had made plans for in case He did know and 
did make his own moves.

Buttercup watched the streetlights pass by.  So much 
to do.  He had to find the loophole that would let 
him allow Herb and Petunia to live, at least for a 
while.  Gardenia he could excuse by saying she was 
new to E.V.I.L. and punish her by making her into 
his sex toy for a few days, a thought that brought a 
smile to his face.  But he could not kill Petunia or 
Herb.  They still had their uses.  But he had to 
maintain his power.  He could not show any weakness.

He had to find replacements for Dastardly and 
Daffodil.  Gardenia and Raven/Redbud would be ideal, 
if Petunia succeeded in gaining control of Raven.  
Petunia's 'secret' plan to control Raven was ideal.  
Once they had Raven, the Hunter would be easy to 
trap and gain control of.  They almost had him in 
the 80s.  And once they controlled the Hunter, they 
could break the bond between Raven and Petunia.  If 
they had Gardenia, Raven, and the Hunter; they had 
KISS.  And then he did not need Petunia.  Death 
broke all bonds.

And until then, he could enjoy the benefits.  
Petunia didn't mind sharing.  Ah, to have both 
Gardenia and Redbud.  Yes, that was a thought that 
made Buttercup close his eyes so he could better 
contemplate the possibilities.  The things he would 
do with the two ladies...  Perhaps make it into a 
foursome.  Petunia had a nicely twisted imagination

Buttercup smiled.  No matter what happened tonight, 
he knew he would win.  E.V.I.L. always won.  Unless 
G.O.O.D. was very very careful.

*	*	*	*	*

*/She was here,/* Sappho assured SiLK.  */Another 
with her.  And a non-human.  The non-human reeks of 
evil./*

"You're sure?"  SiLK asked.

*/I am a hellhound.  I know the scent of evil./*

SiLK nodded.  "We need to..."

Someone screamed.

Silk turned to see the pegasus dancing on top of 
several dark clad men.

Sappho roared and leaped forward to tackle several 
others.

"Where's Raven and Gena?!"  SiLK demanded, tackling 
the woman standing stunned at the mouth of the 
alley.

Lily had not expected to see a pegasus, nor a dog 
that burned with fire.  She was caught in a moment 
of indecision, and then someone tackled her.

"YOU!"  SiLK punched Lily in the stomach, knocking 
the breath out of her.  "I remember you from the 
airport."  She slapped the woman several times.  
"Where's Raven!  What have you done with Raven and 
Gena?!"  She kept pounding on Lily as she screamed 
over the matrix, //SHANDI!  I'm being attacked by 
E.V.I.L.!//

A split second later, Ace teleported to the alley 
with Gene, Paul, Peter, Bruce, and Stephanie.

"We surrender!" the henchmen screamed when they saw 
other people.  "Get them off us!"

"Yes!"  Lily exclaimed.  "Get her off me!  HERE!"  
She tossed her gun to the side.  "I'm your prisoner!  
Call her off!"

Paul chuckled.  "SiLK, I think you've subdued her 
enough."

SiLK climbed off Lily and pulled her to her feet, 
almost throwing her at Gene.  "Here!  This is the 
woman who helped kidnap me from the airport." 

Gene's eyes burned with anger.  "Where's Gena?"

Lily looked at Gene, and then turned to Paul.  
"G.O.O.D. doesn't torture prisoners."

Paul smiled.  "No need to.  Ace, let's go visit 
Lorie."

"Don't leave us down here!"  the henchmen begged, 
cornered by an angry Sappho and Amadeus.  "These 
beasts will eat us!"

"They most certainly will not!"  SiLK snorted, 
putting her arm around Amadeus' neck.  "You'd poison 
them.  They'd just turn you back into the worthless 
slime you came from."

Bruce shifted into his canine form and helped SiLK 
and her friends herd the prisoners towards the door 
while Ace teleported Lily and the others back 
upstairs.

Lorie gave a sigh of relief, and then frowned.  
"Where's Bruce?"

"Bringing the rest," Paul said.  

"Don't worry," Ace said.  "I also slipped Singer in 
with the group."

"Was Eric still hanging around?"  Paul asked.  
"We're going to have to hang a bell on him.  You 
never know where he is now."

//I always know,// Shandi assured them.  //Prisoners 
in the hotel and on their way upstairs.//