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Cat and Mouse: Revelations by Bluto WEEK 12 WNBC News - LIVE: "Good afternoon, this is Della Delargio reporting live from the funeral of Francis Basilio, on what just might be the darkest day in the history of New York's own team of superheroes, the Protectors.? Mrs. Basilio, wife of Louis Basilio, one of the original New York Mets, was killed three days ago due to the assault on her home in East Harlem by the combined forces of the American terrorist group known as the Destroyers. That brazen, daytime raid resulted in the deaths of?six others, at least 27 injured and millions of dollars worth of property damage.? The Protectors, the superhero team charged by charter to handle just such menaces to our city, were nowhere to be found when this awful crime took place and even their staunchest supporters are asking, why?" "Yeah, I like tha' Protectors, especially dat Cat chick (she hot!), but I tought dey was supposed to fight supervillains, not be galavatin' all over da country, you know?" - Robert Owens, Harlem resident. "I heard the noise of the confrontation several miles away and hurried to the site but there was little I could do.? I am disappointed the Protectors couldn't be there, but I'm sure they had a good excuse for their absence." - former President Bill Clinton, who has an office in Harlem on W.125th St. "In addition to the mourners and celebrity-watchers, there are also protesters here in front of the Serenity Funeral Home, carrying signs and portraits of relatives killed or wounded that fateful day.? One group held a large photograph of Hermoso Delgato, a former gang leader rumored to have died protecting the Cat's daughter from the infamous Commander." "Ya, the Cat and her daughter beat him up at least three times, an' in spite of all that, our Hermoso tried to help them and what happens?? He gets hisself killed by one of those damn supervillains!" - Agathia Delgato, mother of Hermoso. "There is to be a review of the events in East Harlem at Protectors HQ tomorrow afternoon.? It's early still, but this has all the earmarks of a meeting that could shake that organization to its very foundations. For WNBC news, I'm Della Delargio." *** The Basilio home was destroyed, the magic idols stolen and the Ole Perfesser was lost in limbo, perhaps forever.? A massive, nationwide manhunt had yet to turn up any clue as to the whereabouts of the perpetrators.? Fingers were eagerly being pointed to pass around the abundant blame. And Mrs. Basilio was dead. Sh notorious past, the funeral couldn't be held in a Catholic church.? So the small funeral parlor on Fifth Avenue was filled to capacity with family and friends - although they were mostly friends of the Perfesser, many of whom didn't even know he had a wife. Even Lupe's mother, Marina, the black sheep of the family, attended the service. She was worn and ragged around the edges, still an attractive woman, but looking far older than her 30 years.? For most of the afternoon she and Lupe barely exchanged a word, Lupe feeling that her mother had already hurt her enough and would soon fade back into her filthy world of crack and crime anyway. "Guadalupe, baby, how you doin'?" Marina persisted when she finally trapped her daughter in a corner.? "I hear you a big hero now, that you just as good as any of those stuck-up Protectors, heh?" "I'm not better than anybody, Mama," Lupe said, through clenched teeth.? "I've been working real hard and doing my best, but that still wasn't enough to save Pop Pop and Gramma." "Oh, honey, dat wasn't your fault," Marina said, as she pulled her only child to her bosom, offending Lupe's sensitive nose with the cloud of cheap perfume that rose from her body.? "I tol' Dad a long time ago he needed to stop playin' 'round with all dat magic stuff.??? He shoulda known after you were born all messed up what harm he was doin'.? I blame him for all dis mess." Lupe seethed with hatred for the woman who gave birth to her.? She pulled back away from her mother and for only a moment she forgot herself and allowed her sweet, pretty face to be replaced by the bloodshot eyes and huge teeth of an angry hyena. Marina was about to scream when Alabreca stepped between her sister and her niece. "Well, Marina, I think it's about time for you to take your seat," she said, as she hurried the disoriented addict off.? "Why don't you sit right here next to me?" The media wasn't allowed inside the funeral home, but a huge throng of them were waiting like hungry vultures right outside the door.? And who could blame them?? The attack on the Basilio tenement was the hottest news item of the year.? It beat out the London bombings and took the war in Iraq right off the front pages. (Note - This takes place before Huricane Katrina - Bluto). It had everything: a pitched battle in the nation's largest city, superheros and supervillains going toe to toe, dark tales of magic and unspeakable evil, the deaths of innocents - and all for what?? Nobody in authority could or would say and that just drove the media even wilder in their quest for the whole story. Micki, still recovering from the effects of the Commander's deadly poison, had to use a cane to walk to the service, but there would be no keeping her away.? That she even survived two exposures to the Commander's poison powder was remarkable.? That she was on the road to complete recovery seemed miraculous. "It had to be because of that first exposure when you gave Hermoso mouth-to-mouth," Cat had told her in the hospital yesterday.? "Your body was already trying to adapt to the poison when he hit you with the full dose.? If you'd gotten the full dose first, you would have almost certainly died and there would have been no coming back for you." "Well, like Wendy J says, whatever doesn't kill me just makes me stronger," Micki said.? "After all this, I might even wind up stronger than you.? Just think about it.? I seem to be developing faster than ever.? They measured me when I came in here and I'm now up to 4'7".? And in one day I went from needing no bra to being measured for a B-cup.? Oh, and, by the way, Cat, I started my period last night." "What!" "Well, you, of all people, shouldn't be shocked," Micki said, with a strange harshness to her voice.? "That was the plan all along, wasn't it, for me to become a woman, a REAL woman?? Congratulations, mission accomplished. And you don't need to teach me how to put on makeup because I already know that skill." "Now wait a minuet, Mick, it was Malato-Zu who..." "Oh, so I'm Mick now, am I?? Have I grown up too much?? I ain't your little girl anymore?? Well the nurses were only too happy to help me out last night.? They even thought my bloody ass was cute." With that, Micki turned away from Cat and pulled the covers over her head. "Good night, 'Mom.'? Turn? the light off on your way out, OK?" Cat could only slump out the door. At the funeral service she sat next to the Medium in the friends of the family section, while Micki sat up front with the Basilios.? Cat couldn't help feeling that Micki was going through a 'phase' of some sort that she already didn't like.? Micki seemed resentful and angry for the first time since she was a toddler, ferociously chewing at Cat's nipples with her needle-sharp teeth. "Lord knows, Micki has a right to be angry because of what I did to her," she told the sympathetic Gaby.? "I'm just surprised, because she seemed to have adjusted so well to being a little girl." "Well, yeah, but, like, dig it, she ain't a little girl anymore," the Medium said.? "She's going to get about five years worth of super strong, female hormones flowing through her body in five weeks. I mean, she's already on the rag and her tits are almost as big as mine, dammit. ? I had the normal amount of time to adjust to the changes and I was still hell on wheels for all my teen-age years.? When I think about how I treated MY poor parents, oy!? Didn't you and your parents fight?" "Well, yeah, but I was always an extremely introverted little bookworm," Cat said.? "I tended to hold things inside and just nobly suffer the indignities my parents heaped upon me." Gaby had a hard time thinking of Cat being the introverted type. Nancy Miller was there to pay her respects to the wife of her old friend, but she couldn't help running over all the possible repercussions of the attack in her mind. "This could be the end for us," she told Nightman, as they sat together for the service.? "Somebody is going to have to pay the price for this mess and I'm afraid it's going to be the Protectors." "But why?"? Nightman asked.? "We were out of town, there was nothing we could have done about the attack.? And didn't we send a warning ahead of us, thanks to Gaby?" "Yes, we were out of town helping in California, when our primary mission is to protect New York City." "Damn, Nancy, we all agreed, we took a vote.? You got the OK to go from Washington, didn't you?" "Do you really think that will make a dime's worth of difference to those bureaucrats?? All they're interested in is making themselves look good and us look bad.? You know there's an official review coming up tomorrow and they're going to want to know why we decided to skip town for so long, and why those idols were so important to the Destroyers and why we let them stay at the Ole Perfesser's house and not locked up in some high security location." "I don't think that would have made them any more secure." "I don't either, but then at least no civilians would have been hurt or killed by the Destroyers.? Those kids did a great job trying to protect the idols, but there are also those who would fault us for putting such young children at risk." "That's ridiculous," Nightman said.? "Those children aren't Protectors, they were acting unofficially." "They call themselves the Junior Protectors, they train at our HQ, more than one of our members have been supervising their workouts.? Need I go on?" "Damn, all this is happening too fast," Nightman said, as he wondered to himself if this line of reasoning would once again bring up the ugliness of the Nightboy affair.? "Do you have any idea who will be heading the review?" "No, but it's going to be someone from Washington and I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the worst supervillain of all - a lawyer." Miller and Nightman both chuckled at her attempt at black humor, but they knew things were looking very bad. Nightman and the Arrow both wore their costumes to the service, while Cat, Micki and Gaby wore black mourning dresses and tasteful dark glasses.? Mr. Fix-it, not surprisingly, didn't make it. Tony Bass was there, however, wearing a conservative black suit, pillbox hat and veil.? He had his cousin, Nicky Greao, to thank for the outfit, but he couldn't hide his irritation when Nicky showed up wearing pretty much the same thing. They didn't sit next to the Arrow, but Nicky made sure to smile and wave so he'd know he was there. "Jeez, Nicky," Tony whispered, during a quiet moment before the ceremony began.? "How long are yous going to continue the drag act?? Seems like every time I see you nowadays yous is wearing a dress and falsies.? I tought yous didn't want to be stereotyped as a drag queen?" "Hey, I'm no transvestite," Nicky said, as he checked his makeup in a compact mirror.? "I'd just feel real awkward coming here as myself.? Besides, don't you have more important things to worry about?? Like the end of your babysitting career?" "Aw, don't remind me," Tony sighed.? "Bad enough I take the Deputy Mayor's granddaughter into a war zone, they have to plaster me all over the 6:00 O'Clock News wit' my boobs hangin' out.? I swear, I had no idea I was lookin' like that.? How humiliatin'!" "Well, I'm sure Richard enjoyed the show," Nicky said, sounding just a wee bit jealous. "Naw, he was off tryin' ta capture the Weapons Master.? Thank God he missed it all.? I mean, it's hard enough for me to fight off the redneck as it is.? Imagine what a time I'd have wit' him if he ever saw the goods.? Bad enough Clinton wuz there wit his eyes poppin' out!" "So, Tony, do you plan to show him the goods?" "Who, Clinton?? What do ya mean?" "You know exactly what I mean, cuz.? What are your intentions as far as Richard is concerned?? You're always bad-mouthing him and putting him down, but I notice you take the gifts he gives you and you've kissed him more than once.? If you hate him so much, why don't you stop having anything to do with him?" "Hey, look here," Tony said, raising his voice enough that others were starting to notice.? "I may have the body of a woman, but I still think like a man.? I don't want fuckin' Arrow or any other man on earth." "Oh, you're such a liar and you know it, Tony," Nicky said.? "If what you say is true, why are you so upset that Richard has been showing me some attention?? Don't think I haven't noticed, every time he and I are together you're watching us like a hawk.? Everybody's noticed." "Eh, I'm just worried that you're goin' to hurt his feelings, is all," Tony said.? "Richard ain't no homo, like you, see?? How do ya think he'd feel if he fell for you and then found out what you really are?" "I don't know," Nicky replied.? "How do you think he'll feel when he finds out what you really are, or, should I say, what you used to be?" "Is dat it?" Tony asked, while sticking out his chest slightly.? "Are you mad because I can take off all my clothes and still look like a woman and you can't?? Jeez, didn't you always tell me you liked playing the man's role in yer perverted relationships?" "Aw, I don't know what the hell I want," Nicky said, seriously.? "After what happened to Mick and to you, I'm all confused.? When Diego suggested I do the old drag act for Lupe's birthday party, I took it as a chance to get closer to you and Mick and even Lupe, for that matter.? Then I saw the attention Arrow, Richard, was giving me and it felt ... nice.? I liked that feeling of being pampered and fussed-over.? Oh, I know there's no chance Richard and I can ever amount to anything, but, I kind of like the fantasy, you understand?" Tony smiled, put his arm around his cousin's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, I know what ya mean," he said.? "Truth to tell, I kind of like the attention myself.? An' if you tell that to Diego, I'll clobber ya!" "You know, Tony, that was very brave of you, what you did the other day," Nicky said, as the service proper began.? "I had no idea you were capable of such unselfish action." "Hey, don't make no big thing of it, OK?? I was tryin' to save my own neck, too, you know." "Yeah, Tony, sure," Nicky said, smiling at his cousin as if seeing him in a new light.? "Oh, by the way.? Mom says there's a letter for you at the house from some doctor, Dr. Mahindra, I think it was.? What do you think it's about, it was special delivery." "Uh, I don't know," Tony said.? "Dat don't sound like any of my doctors. Guess I'll take the trip to Jersey after the funeral an' find out what's up." After the brief service ended, a long procession of limousines took the party to a small cemetery in Queens for the burial.? It had been suggested that two monuments be set up together, one for Mrs. Basilio and one for her husband, but Lupe strongly objected. "My Grandfather is not dead," she told anyone who would listen.? "He's just missing and I'm going to find him." Most dismissed her statement as tragic, youthful hopefulness, but the Medium was one of the few who took her seriously. "Do you think it can be done, Gaby?" Cat asked.? " Do you think you and the kid can bring the Perfesser back?" "It'll be hard, ya know, no doubt about that," Gaby said.? "And, dig it, it doesn't help that all his books and scrolls and magical treasures were destroyed.? It'll take demon magic to recover the Perfesser and I known very little about that.? We'll need expert help and we'll have to start from scratch, but whatever time and money can do, we will do." After the burial, most of the Basilio offspring went to live with various relatives, but Lupe and Diego were welcomed to Micki's apartment building.? Lupe would live with Cat and Micki, while Diego would share Cat's old apartment with Tony Bass. Tony couldn't really complain, because Diego had been using his hypnotic powers to help Tony go to his parole meetings without needing to explain his changed appearance. But he still had his doubts. "Don't be tryin' to pull any of yer mind tricks on me, see, punk?"? Tony said with a growl.? "If I ever find out yous has been making me walk around the apartment necked or takin' a shower wit' you in the bathroom, I will kill you, capice?" Needless to say, Betsy Dodson was ecstatic when she heard the Basilio children were moving in, but disappointed when she found out Lupe was there in place of her "twin brother" Lue. "Lue decided to go live with some relatives upstate," Lupe lied when confronted by the lonely, gawky girl. "There's a, ah, private school for exceptional students located close to them and Lue's going to enroll for the coming semester." "Well, that's too bad, because I kind of liked your brother, and, you know, you look just like him, so I guess you're identical twins and you're very pretty, do you have any boyfriends, I don't have any myself but I kind of like Lue, oh, but don't tell him that, just say hi for me the next time you talk to him, hey, when's he coming here for a visit?" Betsy said, without taking a breath. "Well," Lupe thought. "This could get interesting." *** Destroyers' HQ was humming with activity today, but it was activity of a very different sort. The Commander had dropped a bombshell - the Destroyers as they currently exist, he announced, are no more.? The successful mission to capture the idols was their last and crews were put to work immediately dismantling the facility.? What couldn't be hauled away to another classified location would be destroyed in order to keep it from falling into the hands of the feds. "It only makes sense," the Commander said, as he oversaw the demolition of what had been his home for the past two years. "After what we did, Homeland Security will not rest until they find this place." Weapons Master and the Blue Ninja had already left for parts unknown with their $500,000 bonuses.? Junk Yard Sal was given half that sum and was determined to remain here until the very end.? Peter Denuche and 5 of 5 were rewarded with $50,000 each and Denuche was asked to hang around for some more work later.? The EXOs, however, had never returned to claim any possible rewards. "Can you blame them?" the Commander asked, puffing away at a foul European cigarette in his holder.? "They messed up and they know they have to pay for that." "Ya ain't going ta kill 'em are ya, Commander?"? Sal pleaded.? "Not after all we been through together." "Ah, dear Sal, it is no longer my call to make," the Commander said, as he held her hands.? "I might have shown them mercy, I guess I'm becoming a softy in my old age.? But Santi and the Master are furious at them for abandoning their mission in the middle of the fight.? I know you are fond of those two, but you had better hope they can find a very deep hole to hide in and cover with dirt behind them." "I see," Sal said, bitterly.? "So that's the way it is, huh?? You give us a little blood money and we're out on our cans. After all we've meant to each other."? "Weapons Master and the Ninja are mercenaries and basically loners," the Commander said.? "They will have no trouble finding other sponsors.? The EXOs were just in it for the thrills.? I always land on my feet.? I suspect that you, my dear Sal, are the one most affected by this development." "You may be right, skull-face," Sal said, wiping a single tear from her eye.? "I came here hatin' everybody, all mankind.? That's why I never went on any missions.? I was happy bein' a hermit and workin' with my machines.? But I kind of liked being with you assholes, weird as you all are.? Ain't that a kick in the head?" Sal and the Commander looked at each other for a brief moment. "The EXOs were smart enough to remove the tracking devices on their equipment so we can't find them that way," the Commander said, as he placed a small business card on Sal's desk.? "They never told us anything about where they came from or what their names were.? That was also smart, but I don't like to be uninformed about the people who work for me." "What's this?" Sal asked, as she picked up the card. "A home address, in Iowa, where you might be able to find some friends of yours, if you hurry." Sal looked at the Commander, and for the first time in anyone's memory, she smiled. "And just what do you get out of all this, Mr. Judas?" "I get something I've wanted for a long time," the Commander replied, wistfully.? "I get to meet the Master." *** The tension was so thick at the review meeting you could slice it with a knife.? There wasn't just one Washington bigwig in attendance, but a half dozen, including a two-star general, a sitting senator, the undersecretary of the Department For Homeland Security and - former President Bill Clinton.? "What's he doing on the panel?" a perplexed Nightman asked. "He's a New York City resident now and I guess he's a counterbalance to all the Republican hard-asses up there," Nancy Miller said.? "Don't knock it.? He just might be our best chance for a fair shake tonight.? From what I understand, he has a reason to be sympathetic to superheroes." "We could use some sympathy," Nightman whispered. "I've seen friendlier faces in a lynch mob." This meeting was definitely not open to the public and not even the public access people were allowed to attend.? In fact, Cat promised that if there were any reporters or television cameras at this meeting she would blow it off and not attend.? As it was, Cat was there, as well as Mr. Fix-it, the Medium and the Arrow.? Non-Protectors who were invited included Micki, Lupe, Diego, Tony Bass, Alabreca and Wendy J.? There were several security people as well, but they were assigned to watch the doors from the outside and would only join the meeting if asked for specific information. "I want to thank you all for your attendance today," the undersecretary said, to get things started.? "I'm Raymond Kurkland.? Please be aware that this is not a witch-hunt, nor is it to be considered a formal meeting.? This is going to be casual, folks, so no Robert's Rules of Order.? Anyone who wants to will be given a chance to have his or her say." Kurkland then held up a paper with the official seal of the United States of America stamped on it. "I have a Presidential decree right here that absolves anyone speaking tonight of any legal consequences for their statements.? You need not worry about criminal prosecution because of anything you say at this meeting.? There are no recording devices; no stenographers were allowed. ? I'm not even taking notes for myself.? Nothing said tonight will leave this room except in each of our minds and hearts.? So, believe me when I tell you, this is the time and the place for candor. "Now, due to the casualties and the great destruction of property in the nation's largest city, the people of the United States of America have a lot of questions about events the day of the Destroyers attack.? We are here to search for the answers to at least some of those questions.? The two primary questions on MY mind are these: why did the criminal organization known as the Destroyers decide to invade East Harlem at huge cost to both themselves and the general public; and, why the Homeland Security-funded superhero group known as the Protectors, an organization founded for the express purpose of protecting New York City from exactly this kind of threat, couldn't be on the scene to stop them." A slight murmur arose from those present. "We have three prisoners who were captured during the invasion," Kurkland continued.? "As you might imagine given the Destroyers' record of killing any of their members who are caught, they are all under strictest security in an undisclosed location.? We have statements from two of them, the third, who appears to be some sort of ninja who lost an arm in the conflict, has not said a word.? The other two seem to be professional soldiers, mercenaries, hired only for this specific operation.? Unfortunately, they could tell us little about the reason for the attack itself, only that the target was a four-story tenement building owned by one Louis Basilio, a former member of the New York Mets, who is better known now in some circles as the Ole Perfesser, a supposed master of magic.? That building was totally destroyed, and Basilio is now missing and presumed dead - and I must once again offer my condolences to his daughter and two grandchildren, who had to bury his wife yesterday, but were gracious enough to come tonight in their time of grief.? The most interesting information the mercenaries gave us was that the operation was led by one Joe Santi, not by the Commander, as is usually the case with Destroyers' missions.?? Nancy, please tell everyone what we know about this Joe Santi." "Santi is a 35-year-old Canadian citizen and a member of the Huron Nation," Miller read from her prepared notes.? "He has been arrested a half dozen times on charges ranging from public drunkenness to second degree murder.? He was serving a 20-year term for the murder charge when he escaped and was last seen heading for the north woods.? Canadian authorities tell us Santi is considered extremely dangerous.? He has a violent streak and a hatred for whites and he is also considered something of a medicine man and is very good at mixing up herbs and deadly potions." Miller used a Power Point projector to screen an image of Santi's last mug shot. "This photo was taken three years ago," she said.? "Let me show you a computer generated morph of what Santi looks like now, according to our prisoners.? Miss Guadalupe Basilio, the only one among us who has seen Santi in person, agrees that this is his current appearance." The image of Santi grew and shifted, adding coarse hair, large fangs and a black nose.? Some members of the review panel were visibly unnerved. "What the hell," the senator said.? "Are you saying this attack was led by Smokey the Bear?" "We're saying that we have seen this phenomenon before," Nightman answered.? "We've just returned from fighting the Killer Whale, a normal woman named Barbara Simmons who was mutated into a sort of beast-man, just like Santi here.? And, by the way, that is why we weren't here during the attack." "Thanks, Nightman, but we'll get to that later," Kurkland said.? "What I, and, I'm sure everyone else in this room, wants to know is how is this happening?? What's changing ordinary people into monsters?" At that point, Cat stood up.? Gaby held her hand for a moment and smiled hopefully.? Cat looked at Micki for encouragement, but only got a blank stare in return.? Cat sighed, and began to speak. "Ancient, cursed idols are the answer to your question, Mr. Undersecretary," Cat said.? "That's what's changing these ordinary people into monsters and that's why this Santi bastard went after the Perfesser." "And how would you know, Ms. Cat?" Kurkland asked. "Because I'm one of those monsters myself." *** "I never been to a ranch before, not even a dude ranch," Peter Denuche said.? "An' the last horse I rode on went around a circle on a tether." "Well, you are a seasoned rider then, Denuche," the Commander said, as he rode his steed like a Prussian general in spite of his shoulder still being in a sling from Hermoso's bullet.? "Our mysterious benefactor appears to have the need to play at being a cowboy.? Oops, sorry, Indian." Joe Santi only grunted.? He was humiliated that he had to ride a broken down chow wagon horse named Nellie Belle.? None of the other horses on the ranch would let him near them once they got a whiff of his bear aura. The trio had arrived earlier today by private jet.? They were not told their destination, but the Commander surmised they were somewhere in the great southwest . Arizona, perhaps, or West Texas.? The property they landed on was huge, probably more than 100,000 acres in total, with a private airstrip and a sizable mansion.? Yet, instead of meeting them at the strip or the mansion, the Mysterious Master sent a guide who instructed them to saddle up and ride horseback to meet him somewhere in this desolate waste. The land they passed through was dotted with majestic bluffs and on each was at least one fan, 10-stories tall, that was used to generate energy from wind power.? The Commander recalled reading somewhere that "windmill farms" were quite common in this part of the country now. "Woah," the guide said, while raising his hand.? "This is it." They were at the base of a bluff, looking at a wall of solid sandstone.? The guide pulled out an electronic device, not unlike a garage door opener, and pressed a button.? The seemingly solid wall lifted and revealed a large, well-lit hallway.? The four of them dismounted and, after gathering all the horses, the guide bid them enter. "You're on your own from this point," he said.? "I ain't allowed in there.? I'll be waitin' right here when you come out." As the three men followed a row of lights down the hall they could hear the camouflaged door rumble to a close. Denuche was scared as hell, but he dared not show it around the Commander and Santi. "It's just another day at the office for deese two," he thought.? "I can't let dem think I'm chicken." "Well, Mr. Denuche, I hope you appreciate your position," the Commander said as they walked.? "Of all the Destroyers, only you and I and Mr. Santi are going to meet the Master.? This is a rare honor indeed." The hallway ended at a large, brightly-lit room.? The Commander recognized it instantly as the place from which the Master's live cyber meetings originated. "Gentlemen," a voice said from the corner of the room.? "It's so nice to finally meet you." The speaker was a small man with a large beak of a nose, a nearly bald head with a bad comb-over and a twangy, Texas drawl.? The Commander knew at once who he was. "Donald Welldon, III, you are the Master?" he said.? "I knew the Master was a man of great wealth and power, but I had no idea. Your electronic devices did a good job changing the tone of your voice on your cybercasts." "Aye, didn't you run for president a coupla times?" Denuche asked.? "I didn't vote for ya, actually, I ain't never voted at all, but I thought dose pie-charts of yours were neat." "Well, thank ya, son, I appreciate that, really I do," Welldon said, in his patented, folksy manner.? "But we got to get you registered to vote, Mr. Denuche.? Why, if good Americans like you don't vote, then all the illegal aliens are that much closer to completely taking over this great country of ours." The Commander looked at Santi, who had a faint smile on his face, but said nothing. "But where's my manners," Welldon said, expansively.? "You gentlemen just crossed a lot of badlands in the heat of the day to get here and you must be parched.? I'll have my son, Billy, bring us some drinks." *** Cat's announcement had started the room buzzing louder than ever.? She had surprised all the panel members and some of the Protectors, too.? Kurkland called for order and, since he didn't have a gavel, he rapped his knuckles on the oaken tabletop to get attention. "Everybody, settle down," he said.? "You'll all get your chance to speak, I told you.? Now, Ms. Cat, what exactly do you mean when you say you're a monster?" "Well, look at me," Cat said, as she twirled around and took off her dark glasses.? "I got these big, freaky eyes, this little tail, these claws on my fingers and toes, these unnaturally huge breasts and a demon living in me named Malato-Zu.? If I didn't use a depilatory every day I'd even have fur!" "I knew it, I knew she was holding something important back from us!" Nightman exclaimed, under his breath, squeezing Nancy Miller's arm until he nearly bruised it. "Are you telling us you're possessed by one of these demons-in-the- idols?" Clinton asked, speaking for the first time.? "How'd that happen?" "My real name is Katherine Filin.? Some of you may have heard of me.? I am an archeologist of some repute, who was lost in a cave-in in East Africa nearly two years ago and, since they never found my body, I was declared legally dead.? Katherine Filin DID die that day, buried under tons of dirt, but the Cat was born because I found an ancient idol down there and called the name of the demon in whose image it was created." She pulled off the glove she always wore on her right hand and held the hand up for all to see. "If you'll read the accounts, you'll understand that Katherine Filin and the other Americans in that expedition had the little finger of their right hands chopped off by that madman, Wazuri.? Ask anyone who was there, they'll tell you." "Wait a minute," the senator said.? "You told everybody you were created by your father with an experimental cat food.? Why have you hidden the real story until now? If you are Katherine Filin, why hide that fact?" "Here it comes," Micki thought. "There were times, in the past," Cat slowly started.? "When the demon within me took total control.? During those times, Malato-Zu did terrible, unspeakable things, first in Africa, to Wazuri and his band of cutthroats, then to others, while I was trying to get home, and then here, in America, primarily to the Gamboli crime family.? You have to understand, Malato-Zu used to take over our shared body every month, during the full moon.? For those few days she called all the shots and I'm afraid she was out for blood.? All I could do was steer her in certain directions.? I tried to make sure all of her victims were men who deserved to die, but, no one deserves to die like that." Cat began to cry as she lowered her head to her hands.? Gaby rubbed her on the back and Micki held her arm.? Lupe was crying as well, and Diego had a worried look on his face.? Wendy J was puzzled. "Well, and just what ELSE have you people not told me?" she asked. The other people in the room were not nearly so sympathetic and could be seen almost imperceptibly inching away from the Cat. "So, you are the creature who slaughtered the Gambolis," the general said.? "No wonder the Protectors could never find the perpetrator of that revolting crime, she was a member of their own organization!? Did the rest of you know about this monster's deprivations all along?? Just how big is this cover-up?" Mr. Fix-it was shaking his head furiously, saying "No, no, not me," when the Medium angrily got up to speak. "Yeah, I knew what was goin' on," she said, looking each member of the panel right in the eye.? "And I'd do it again in a minute.? Neither Katherine Filin, nor the Cat committed those crimes.? Malato-Zu was the one and only culprit." "That is absurd," the senator said.? "The Cat just told us that she and this demon, this Malato-Zu, are one and the same person.? Do you deny that?" "I sure do, senator," Lupe said. "Please identify yourself again, young lady," Kurkland asked. "I am Guadalupe Basilio, granddaughter of Luis Basilio, also known as the Ole Perfesser,"? she said.? "Unfortunately, my grandfather is not here to testify, but we have both seen Malato-Zu in person and, believe me, she is not the Cat.? They may share the same body, but in no way are they the same person." "Aw, I gotta second dat," Tony Bass said, reluctantly raising his hand.? "Hi, my name is Tony Bass and I also seen Malato-Zu.? She threatened ta eat me an' my cousin, said she liked the taste of Gambolis, because they are, err, some relation to us.? At least, dat's what Micki tol' me later dat she said.? You see, Malato can't speak human cause she's just like a animal.? An' that's another difference between dem.? Anybody been around the Cat knows that she never stops speakin' for anything." "Thanks a lot, Tony," Cat said. "Hey, you're welcome, Katherine.? See what I mean?" "So, young lady, you're saying you were a member of the Gamboli crime family?" the senator asked. "Hey, all Gambolis ain't crooks.? Lots of us are legit business people.? I'll have you know my cousin runs the Glamor Boutique in Chelsea and I'm about to start a research partnership with Dr. R.J.A. Mahindra, a prominent physician." "So I take it you're all suggesting the insanity defense?" Clinton asked.? "That the Cat wasn't responsible for her actions because she was out of her mind?" "Sort of," the Medium said.? "But there's more to it than that.? When Malato-Zu takes over, the Cat is gone.? It's like she doesn't exist.? Malato is a completely different entity.? I'll bet if there was any way to compare their fingerprints or even their DNA, they would be different." The general seemed unsatisfied. "So why join the Protectors, Ms. Cat?" he asked.? "Was it so you could keep a close watch on your potential enemies?? Or maybe your conscience was hurting you and you were trying to make up for the great harm you had done?" "Neither one, general," Cat said.? "I joined because the Mouse wanted me to.? I couldn't have given a good god damn myself." "Let's try to keep this civil, please," Kurkland said firmly.? "Yes, what about your partner, the Mouse?? No one has seen her for more than three months.? Why didn't she show up for this meeting?? Didn't you try to contact her?" "Maybe the Cat ate the Mouse," the senator said, in a loud stage whisper. Micki raised her hand. "Yes, young lady, you're the Cat's daughter, right?" Kurkland said. "You could say that," Micki replied.? "You could also say I'm the Mouse or you could call me by my real name, Mickey Montana." "What?" Nancy Miller blurted out.? "Huh, that's the Mouse?" the Arrow asked.? "How the hell?" "Magic is how," Micki said.? "More than that, I'm not prepared to say at present." "Nightman, Nancy, do you two know anything about this, rather unusual claim?" Kurkland asked. "We're just as surprised as you, Mr. Undersecretary." "I'll vouch for what she said, and I know a thing or two about magic," the Medium said. "Me too," Diego said. "Sure 'nuff," Tony Bass added. "And me," Lupe joined in. "Make it a quintet," Alabreca said. "So when was I going to find out about that, too?" Wendy J asked forlornly. "Well, there's no way to prove this claim and that's not really the point," Kurkland said.? "We still have my original two questions to answer." "And the answer to both questions can be found in what you've just learned," Cat said.? "What the Destroyers were after in East Harlem were three of the idols we've been talking about; the idol of Malato-Zu, the idol of Vouvo and the idol of Ratiese.? These idols represent power such as the earth hasn't seen for more than 5,000 years and they are now in the hands of the Destroyers.? Killer Whale was also a product of one of these idols and Nancy and Nightman can attest to how powerful he is.? Believe me, if we hadn't gone out there to stop him, there's no telling how much harm he could have done." "OK, OK, I'll agree that these idols are important," the senator said.? "So why were they given to a retired baseball player for safekeeping and not put in Fort Knox or something?" "Until recently, the idols and the power they contain were a secret, shared by only a few," the Medium said.? "The fewer people who know about them, the better, because if word of them gets out to the general public you run the very real risk of a serious panic, totally.? As the greatest expert on magic in this country, it was the Perfesser's responsibility to look after and study them.? I have to doubt whoever runs Fort Knox would have taken three magic idols seriously, but the Perfesser did, you dig?" "I think that's where this Joe Santi comes in," Cat said.? "From what Lupe told me about him, I believe Santi is also an idol-user and all of us can sniff out other idols when we are near enough to them.? I believe someone in the Destroyers organization found out about the idols and sent for Santi to help gather them." "The Master," Diego said. "Who?" several people on the panel asked at once. "The Mysterious Master.? During the battle, I was talking to the Commander to distract him from Micki's attack.? He talked about a Master, someone who apparently pulled the Destroyers' strings.? A big money-man.? And he told me something else." "What?" Nightman asked, impatiently.? "What else?" "He said the Master had a mole in the Protectors." "Damn, I was afraid if that," Nightman fairly shouted.? "Why didn't you tell us before now?" "I was going to get around to it," Diego said, defensively.? "Things have been pretty intense the last few days, you know?" "Nancy, can we believe what this boy is telling us?" Kurkland asked. "People have a hard time lying to him, sir." "In that case, I'm going to call this meeting to a close until we find out who the spy might be.? I don't want the Destroyers finding out about our plans as soon as we make them.? He, or she, might have already learned too much." "But sir, what about the Cat?" the general asked.? "She as much as confessed to being a mass murderer.? We've got to lock her up or something." "Weren't you listening, general, she had no control over what the demon did with her body," Clinton said.? "And, besides, because of that paper from President Bush, she did NOT confess.? Cat, how long has it been since Malato-Zu took control and caused harm to anyone?" "After the massacre at Salvatore Gamboli's house she has not come out on the full moon again," Cat said.? "That's been more than five months.? Since then, she has only come out when I wanted her to, in order to help fight evil, not cause evil." Tony, Gaby, Micki, Diego and Alabreca knew that wasn't QUITE the whole truth, but said nothing. "Can you guarantee that you have this demon under control?" Clinton asked. "All I can guarantee is that I will never again be a party to the shedding of innocent blood, wittingly or unwittingly," Cat said, sincerely.? "If it ever happens again, I swear I will jump into a vat of acid and have whatever's left of me put in a capsule and shot into space." "I say with that, and all the good she has done with the Protectors, we ought to trust her to do the right thing," Clinton said. "You just like her because she's got some big bazookas," the general said, snidely.? His 'wit' was greeted with stony silence. "Meeting adjourned," Kurkland said. *** "So, gentlemen, how are your drinks?" "Quite good, Master," Denuche said, as he slurped his Manhattan and hoped for more.? "A cousin of mine got me started on deese and your son makes a good one." "Yes, Billy has a variety of talents," Welldon said.? "And what about you, Commander, sure you don't want something a little stronger than bottled water with a slice of lemon?" "No, thank you, sir," the Commander said, as he sipped his drink with a straw.? "I like to stay fully alert at all times." "And you, Mr. Santi, are you satisfied with your Bloody Mary?" "It's OK," the bear-man said.? "But I would much rather drink the blood of my enemies." "Oh, I think that can be arranged, if you're patient," Welldon said.? "Commander, you're sure you don't know how to find the EXOs?? They really should be punished for messing up the way they did." "If I had the means to find them, you know I would," the Commander said, steadily.? "Can we get on with our business here?" "Patience, Commander, patience," Welldon said.? "I started out dirt poor, son of a scratch farmer on just about the least fertile ground in West Texas.? Then I went into wildcatting, and I must have dug a hunnerd dry wells before I finally struck it rich.? But I knew the oil wasn't going to last forever, so I founded Enburton Inc. and it was the biggest construction and energy company in the world by the time I sold out and moved on to the defense field.? Now, aside from that Bill Gates geek and Warren Buffett, I am the richest man in this great country." "And yet you want more," the Commander said, with just the slightest bit of snideness, as he lit another cigarette. "Damn straight," Welldon said.? "More for me and for the USA, the best country on earth, where any man can make his fortune, if the damn politicians don't stand in the way." "Do you gentlemens want anything else?" a lisping voice asked. Billy, Weldon's son, was in his early 30s, with a five o'clock shadow and a beak nose like his Dad.? He was a homely lad and his unattractiveness was only emphasized by the fact that he was wearing a French Maid outfit, complete with fishnet stockings and frilly petticoats.? Denuche cast a side-wise glance, but he knew better than to laugh at the son of their host.? Santi smirked and no one was sure what the Commander's reaction might have been behind his skull mask. Billy took their orders and pranced off, leaving a note with his father on the way out. "Well, Mr. Denuche," Welldon said.? "Lets have a look at those little beauties you brought us today." Santi and the Commander allowed Denuche to carry the captured idols as sort of a reward for his good work.? He carefully took them out of a large valise and sat them on a table. "Such wonderful work for items so old," Welldon said, as he examined them closely.? "So much power, too." Santi held the idols one at a time. "This is the idol of Vouvo, the Vampire Bat," he said.? "In the right hands, this would be a very powerful totem, indeed.? The last owner was a fool, allowing himself to be destroyed by the Cat." Santi picked up the second idol. "This is the idol of Ratiese, the Rat.? Not as powerful as Vouvo, but still useful.? And yet that fanatic, Sali, allowed himself to be defeated by the Cat and destroyed." "Ah, excuse me," Denuche said.? "But, if they've been destroyed, what good are they?" "Only the human host was destroyed," Santi said.? "The demon of the idol cannot be destroyed, not by any earthly means.? Believe me, Vouvo and Ratiese are right here, right now, waiting for another human host so that they may walk the earth again." "An' what about the third idol, the one with the weird lookin' babe on it? "I should think that would be obvious," the Commander said.? "That's the idol of whatever turned the Cat into the woman she is today, eh, Santi? "Quite right, Commander.? Only, this idol is empty, since it's demon, Malato-Zu, still resides within the Cat.? Cat's body would have to be utterly destroyed before Malato-Zu would return here." "And that's the plan, gentlemen," Welldon said, as he sipped on his gin and tonic.? "We are going to find people worthy of taking on the power of the idols and work for the good of this country.? Of course, we'll have to kill the Cat in order to get her power." "Is that the reason you sponsored a team of supervillains?" the Commander asked.? "For the good of this country?" Welldon smiled, and walked closer to the Commander. "The Destroyers served their purpose," he said.? "They allowed me to test new equipment and to test the moral fiber of this nation.? I started out with nothing but mystery men, like you, Commander, and the Weapons Master.? Then I added the EXOs and I thought I had the answer, but the damn Cat showed up and swung the balance of power back to the Protectors.? I started the genetic engineering project to once again gain the upper hand, but only one of them survived their first test so I knew that wasn't the answer." "Yes, and please keep in mind that those failed projects were both YOUR ideas, my dear Mr. Welldon," the Commander interrupted.? Welldon frowned, but continued his speech. "In the meantime, I found out about the idols and the unlimited power they represent.? I knew I had to have that power, so I sought and found Mr. Santi, an idol-user and a native American, to boot." "I'm from Canada, Mr. Welldon," Santi reminded everyone. "Same thing.? The point is, we are soon going to have three idol-users, while the Protectors are only going to have one." "The Cat," the Commander said. "Of course, the Cat, wasn't that always obvious?" Welldon asked.? "This note I just received says she even confessed she was the product of an idol at a closed-door meeting they're holding right now.? Oh yes, she also confessed to slaughtering the Gamboli family." "She what?" Denuche asked.? "She's the one?? That bitch!? When can we kill her and send her demon back to this statue?? Hot damn, then all we'd have to do is find a woman who wants the power of the Cat and ..." "You make it sound simple, but that is something that will not be easy to accomplish," Santi said.? "The demon within her makes her virtually unbeatable." "That little granddaughter of the Perfesser, what was her name ... Lupe?" the Commander said slyly.? "She almost fought you to a standstill, Santi, when you were at what I assume to have been your most powerful.? Is she a demon too?" "No," Santi snapped.? "She is like the coyote.? She is a shape shifter.? She does not host one of the spirits, but the magic of the Cat is strong in her.? And I would have beaten her easily if we didn't have to leave so suddenly." "Oh, of course," the Commander said.? "So, Welldon, do you already have some volunteers lined up for demonhood?" "Matter of fact, I do," the billionaire said.? "I plan to take on the spirit of Vouvo myself and I was going to offer the idol of Ratiese to you." For one of the few times in his life, the Commander was speechless. *** The idea was not a pleasant one, but there it was - one of the Protectors was a spy working for their worst enemy.? And Nightman was determined that before they made another move, the mole would be found. After the members of the review panel were escorted out, all the Protectors gathered in the gym.? For some reason, Mr. Fix-it thought this was a good time to work on his armor and was showing one of the security guards how to help him perform the maintenance. "Fix-it, is that necessary?" Nightman barked.? "We need everybody's undivided attention." "Working on stuff helps me concentrate, boss," Fix-it said without raising his head.? "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." "Nightman, why are all deese non-Protectors here?" the Arrow asked.? "Dis is for Protectors only." Wendy J and Alabreca had already left, but Lupe, Diego, Tony Bass and Micki remained. "Maybe you need to clean your ears out, Mr. Robichaux," Micki said defiantly.? "I am the Mouse, I AM a member of the Protectors, remember?" "Yes, we need to have a long talk about that revelation very soon," Nightman said.? "But not now.? Besides, I' m pretty sure the spy was here before Cat and Mouse joined us." "So?" the Arrow said.? "Then get rid of those other three, dey got nothing to do wit' dis problem.? Eh, sorry, honey, but bizzness is bizzness." "I'm just waitin' to give Micki an' da others a ride home, redneck," Tony Bass said.? "I'll be only too happy to wait in the lobby." Lupe followed Tony, but when Diego went to join her, Micki grabbed his arm. "Hold on," she whispered.? "I think your peculiar talents might just help end this investigation very quickly." *** "Think of it, Commander," Welldon said.? "The power of a god can be yours!? You've strived for power all your life, man.? I know you aren't going to refuse it when its so freely offered to you now." "That's just the problem, Mr. Welldon," the Commander said, after he got over his momentary surprise.? "I have learned that in this life nothing comes free, for everything there is a price.? What is the price for all this power, eh?? Santi, you tell me." "The price is that the demon will demand a blood sacrifice," Santi said, coldly.? "You will be compelled to kill and consume the flesh of? your victims.? It is due to a pact all the demons made with their leader, the Devil, many, many years ago." "Is that so?" the Commander said.? "And yet I have not observed you participating in such interesting activities." "Do you really think I would do that in front of you or your Destroyers?" Santi replied.? "I think you were already suspicious of what I did in my free time anyway." "OK, OK, the thought of drinking blood is pretty awful, I will admit," Welldon said somewhat impatiently.? "But ya gotta do what ya gotta do.? Commander, do you want to join us or not?" "I am confused, Mr. Welldon," the Commander replied. "Don't most men in your position feel like they've been personally blessed by God? I seem to remember you having a photo op with Pat Robertson last week. And yet you're prepared to sell your soul to the Devil? What will Pat think?" "What Pat Roberton thinks is frankly none of my concern," Welldon said through gritted teeth. "To save this beloved country of mine, I'm willing to make any sacrifice, to deal with Satan himself if need be. If we succeed, I will be satisfied, and whether I go to heaven or hell will be of no concern to me. What I want to know is your answer, Commander, and I want to know it NOW." "Mr. Welldon, I must respectfully decline," the Commander said, keeping a close eye on Welldon and Santi for their reactions.? "Killing doesn't bother me.? And I guess I could consume a little human flesh if I had to.? But allowing a demon to control my body is out of the question.? I suspect these are lifetime agreements and the only way you will ever be rid of the demon is if you are irrevocably dead.? Call me a fool if you will, but I will not surrender so much control of myself for any reason." Welldon looked at the Commander and started to laugh, an unpleasant laugh that showed a lot of his ugly, yellow teeth. "Well, if that don't beat all.? You know, Commander, I had no intention of giving you the spirit of Ratiese.? I was just tryin' to get your goat a little.? No sir, seems you ran off at the mouth like a bitch about things you shouldn't have.? My mole tells me you told that damn Basilio kid about me, the Mysterious Master.?? On top of that you told him about the mole and now? they're tryin' to find out who he is even as we speak. Sir, that's a couple 'a no-nos and you're gonna have to pay for them.? Mr. Santi?" As Peter Denuche watched in horror, the bear-man advanced on the Commander, his evil grin showing he was going to enjoy what he was about to do. *** After a quick parlay with Diego, Micki had an announcement to make. "Well, we could do this the Sherlock Holmes way or the Monk way or the Perry Mason way and present all the evidence and hope for a confession, but I propose we do this the Diego Gomes way.? Some of you may not know this, but we call Diego, The Persuader, the reason being, he can pretty much talk anybody into anything.? That's how he got those ninja-types to think he'd disappeared and that's how he got the Commander to blab like some Hollywood starlet.? I guarantee, if the mole is in this room, Diego will make him or her squawk." "OK heroes and villain," he started.? "We have come here today to weed out the bad apple in the Protectors basket.? Now I don't want to hear any excuses.? I don't want to know whatever grudge you have or how much money the Master offered.? You know you done wrong and you've let down your country.? You were given a sacred trust and you spit on it.? You are eaten up with shame and guilt and you will never feel better until you stand up right now and confess!? Confess, I say!" Enjoying the spotlight, Diego dragged it out, talking slowly, sticking his face next to the Arrow and the Medium and Nightman, winking at Nancy Miller and slapping Mr. Fix-it on the head when he persisted in working on his armor.? Diego worked the room like a cheap lawyer or an expensive preacher, but there was only one problem - no one confessed. "Aw, err, that is ...," Diego sputtered, as beads of sweat began to pop up on his face.? "Well," Nightman said, sarcastically.? "That was quite impressive, except no one confessed." "No one who heard what Diego said had anything to confess," Micki said.? "Cat, do you hear it?? Do you know where it's coming from?" "I sure do, hon," Cat said.? Then she raced over to Mr. Fix-it, grabbed him by the neck and not too gently used her sharp claws to dig something out of his ear. "What the hell do you have there?" Nancy Miller asked. "It's an ultrasonic noisemaker," she said, as she dropped the bleeding Fix-it roughly to the floor.? "It distorted the sound of Diego's voice just enough so that the wearer could resist his power.? Unfortunately for you, dirt-bag, Micki and I could hear it too." "I heard something else, Cat," Micki said.? "All day long Fix-it has been sending messages in Morse code over a silent electronic switch he must have hidden on him somewhere.? Or I should say, almost silent.? I kept hearing the noise of his thumb rubbing on the switch and finally figured out what it was." Fix-it stood and held his hand to his damaged ear.? He seemed strangely calm, given the position he was in, even wearing a silly grin on his face like some kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You traitorous motherfucker," Nancy Miller screamed.? "I chose you personally for this job.? Why in hell would you stab me in the back, Ned?" "No big deal," Fix-it said, as he backed closer to his armor.? "The Master offered me a ton of money and I took it.? Hey, my wife has expensive taste.? And why so rough, Cat, babe?? I thought we kind of hit it off fighting the Whale together." With that, Mr. Fix-it pressed another hidden switch and several ceiling panels exploded, dropping an antenna-like device out of the room overhead and suspending it on chains over the gym floor. "Look out," Nightman shouted.? "It's the directed-energy weapon." "The what?" Cat asked, just as a laser beam shot out of the antenna and almost took her head off. "Beams of electromagnetic energy," Nightman told her, as they both jumped behind a table.? "Real 'Star Trek' stuff.? The beams can be set to stun or to kill and you can't avoid them because they move with the speed of light.? I had no idea Fix-it was so far along on the research." With everyone scrambling for their lives, Fix-it calmly climbed into his armor and walked out the back door.? He had the heavily armed Protector Escalade waiting for him so he could make a clean and stylish getaway.? The only problem was Micki was standing between him and the car. "Better step aside, little girl, or should I say, little Mouse?? Hah, Cat must have really fucked you up good.? Hey, did you have fun sucking on her titty?? I sure would have." Micki didn't move. "Look, girly, the fucking Whale himself couldn't do more than put a little dent in this armor.? Just what the hell do you think you can do?" Micki focused on one spot in the front of the armored suit.? She saw an almost hidden seam and deduced it to be the armor's weak point.? She focused her breathing, leapt 12 feet into the air, came down at Fix-it's armor and chopped that spot with the side of her hand. The armor vibrated for a good five seconds, then it neatly fell away in two pieces - clunk! Security guards who had made it outdoors tackled Mr. Fix-it and handcuffed him behind his back.? A police wagon soon showed up and Fix- it was hustled off to jail under the watch of a half dozen burley cops. Nightman and the rest of the Protectors were dumbstruck. "Awesome, totally awesome," the Medium gushed.? "Like, I saw Fix-it go blow-for-blow with the Whale in that armor, and Micki cracks it in two with one karate chop?? Get real!" "And, remember, she still hasn't fully recovered from the Commander's powder," Diego bragged.? "Man, think what she'll be able to do at full strength!" Micki broke her hand splitting open the armor, but she felt no pain as she sat with it in a hot pan of water later back at the apartment.? Since Micki was acting friendly again, Cat was happy to fuss over her, filling all orders for food and drink.? But Cat did notice Micki was giving her a weird look, like she was sizing her up or something. "What's up, kiddo?" Cat asked.? "Is there something else you want or are you still moody from PMS?" "Not right now, Cat, but there's something we're going to have to find out in the not-too-distant future." "What's that?" "Just which one of us is stronger, me or you?" *** As Santi steadily approached, Welldon continued to talk. "No, Commander, I couldn't allow someone as unreliable as you access to the power of the idols," he said. "Think about it: according to Second Kings, one angel - one, mind you - destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. The demons in these idols are all fallen angels, so they all potentially have that kind of power. I'm not sure why none of them have demonstarted that level of power so far, but I intend to find out. Right after Mr. Santi deals with you." Santi charged the Commander like a runaway superchief, his murderous intent easy to see in his blood-stained eyes.? The Commander calmly took his left hand out of his pocket, sidestepped the bear-man's attack, and blew a hefty handful of his special powder in his face. Santi swung his ham-hock-sized fist and the Commander was knocked on his back with such force he slid until his head hit a wall.?? He groggily staggered to his feet and Santi charged again. "No fair, Tonto," the Commander said, defiantly.? "You're holding your breath.? Surely an immortal like you isn't afraid of something made by a poor, weak human like me." It was all Santi could do to keep his mouth shut, but he grabbed the Commander, pinning his arms to the sides and lifting him like a feather. "Well, Injun Joe, here's hoping that a part of you is still vaguely human."? With that, the Commander kicked Santi in the nuts with all his strength.? The bear-man gasped involuntarily and got a nice lung-full of the powder.? He dropped the Commander and started tearing at his face. "Water, water, bring me some water," he bellowed, as he ran in Billy's direction.? "Thanks for the Bible lesson, Mr. Welldon, " the Commander said, and, without another word, he headed for the door. "What ya just standing there for, Denuche?" Welldon screamed.? "Stop him!" Denuche had left his gun on his horse, so he took off after the Commander in a flying tackle.? He was still airborne when the Commander pulled out his luger and pistol-whipped him out of the way.? The flunky fell to the floor in a heap, blood pouring from a nasty gash in his head. "A word of advice, Mr. Denuche," the Commander said to the semi- conscious would-be supervillian.? "Think for yourself.? Always think for yourself." The Commander hurried to the hidden door and pressed the opening mechanism.? He wondered why Welldon hadn't overridden the control, when he saw the guide waiting for him with a Mossberg 500 Persuader pistol grip pump shotgun. "He should have a Colt 45," the Commander thought, as they both fired away at point blank range.? The Commander was hit bad, but the guide was hit worse.? The Commander staggered out of the entrance and took off his skull mask.? He pressed a hidden stud, hurled it at the entrance and dove for cover.? The explosion jammed the heavy stone door shut and covered it with about 10 more tons of rock. "It will take them a while to dig out of there," he thought, as he took off his costume and put on the guide's slightly less bloody apparel, "unless he had an emergency exit built