Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

I really hate quadruple-posting -- especially because this post won't have a chapter in it (at least, not yet) -- but I felt that I should mention that I've added ideas for about seven or so new books . . . tell me what you think.

I may not post a chapter at all today, but perhaps -- just perhaps -- I will later today.

Oh, crap!  New page.

• Book XXII: Pits of Terror

The RAFians fall into pits that show them their greatest fears. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIII: RAF Comix

The RAFians are sucked into a comic book made by Damien. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIV: The First Master

Cloak meditates alone in a forest, and has a vision about the first Master . . . the first Elements Master. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXV: RAF -- The Musical

The RAFians find themselves trapped in a musical where everyone must burst into song occasionally.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVI: Outage Outrage

The RAFians find themselves losing their powers.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVII: Infinity and Eternity

The Infinity Gems and the Eternity Stones make themselves known.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVIII: The Virus Rings

The RAFians are attacked by foes they never thought they'd see again.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIX: Soul-Suckers

The RAFians are attacked by Dementors, which have a rather large effect on Cloak.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXX: Mayhem of the Music Miser

Cloak recalls the RAFians' previous confrontation with the Music Miser three years ago.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXI: The Metal-Maker

The RAFians must save their own from a Roboticizer. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXII: Richard is Missing

The RAFians must cope without Richard.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIII: Emotional Food

The RAFians must confront a different kind of vampire.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIV: Transformation Confrontation

The RAFians must confront some strange machines.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXV: Richard's Horn

The RAFians must get Richard's Horn, a mystical musical instrument, back from Malice, who received it from a RAFian traitor.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVI: Feral Scream

A Wildwethel-centric book, he must deal with his feral side.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVII: Predators and Prey

The RAFians are being preyed upon by some sentient predators.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVIII: A Protean Problem

The RAFians must deal with a powerful snot-nosed kid who, quite literally, can do whatever he wants.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIX: The Horsemen

Four RAFians are captured and converted into four Horsemen of the ancient, rogue Realm Walker Cataclysm.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XL: Sizeable Pain in the Necks

The RAFians must deal with Heinlein aliens. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare

The RAFians must survive their own nightmares.  Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms

The RAFians must contend with a rather bloodthirsty leprechaun. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIII: The Piper

The RAFians must contend with a pied piper. Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLIV: Starlight Desire

The RAFians race Malice, Abomination, and the Banned to a wishing star (no, not Estelore). Eighteen chapters planned.

• Book XLV: A War of Armor

Parker is outraged to see knockoffs of his rather unique armor and what they're being used for.  Twenty-two chapters planned.

• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague

The RAFians must weather the worst plague to ever existed -- the Hate Plague.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons

The RAFians are caught in the middle of a war between Helmacrons and Fmeks.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVIII: Go Away!

The RAFians must deal with the paparazzi who are all of a sudden interested in them.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales

RAFians tell various RAFian-themed stories across a lunch table.  Twenty chapters planned -- a RAFian story per chapter, discounting the intro.

• Book L: Maul

The RAFians must deal with the result of one of Demos's experiments.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LI: Erised Orbs

The RAFians must face their greatest desires.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LII: RAFians Alive!

Read the "Mummies Alive" parody in the RAFize songs thread.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever

The RAFians must deal with an elderly Vulcan styling himself the "Pain Reliever".  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils

Aquilai and Aila must confront old foes while the other RAFians must put up with a Czarinian bounty hunter.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LV: Dangerous Deals

Demos meets up with his half-brother, Shenecron, who has a perchant for making deals.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVI: Of One Mind

Malice seeks out the Unimind.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVII: The End of Time

The RAFians must contend with two Kryptonians (who think they're Time Lords) and prevent them from ending time altogether.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVIII: Hematomimic

The RAFians must capture a Plasmavore and put up with it's rather stupid Judoon jailer.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIX: Sins of Youth

Estelore, Richard, Parker, and Cloak must survive when the entire city and forum have been reduced to two-year-olds.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LX: The Replacements

The RAFians must contend with the fame-feeding Eidolon Consciousness.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXI: Arachnoids

The RAFians must contend with the Arachnoids and finding a cure for one of their own that was poisoned before it's too late.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXII: Personal Tissues

The RAFians must contend with some one misusing Bibliophaetos's discarded book shell.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow

The RAFians lose their memory and must find a way to regain it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon

A superintelligent computer controls all electronics, and the RAFians must stop it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite

Some RAFians are merged into two separate entities.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXVI: The Merging

The Universes begin colliding and merging.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXVII: Be A Doll

The RAFians are confronted by a Super Chucky.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXVIII: They're Such Cards

The RAFians are sealed into cards, which end up trapped in an ancient leather-bound book, and it's up to three kids to free them.  An out-of-continuity book.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island

Everyone, except those that bear a Mark, begin turning saurian.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXX: Corrupted

The RAFians must deal with the son of Cataclysm, Corruptor.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins

The RAFians must deal with symbiotes.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety

The RAFians must contend with an ethereal virus.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians

The RAFians must contend with Seekers, which home in onto their Marks.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea

The RAFians must contend with a floramaniac.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos

The RAFians are sucked into a Polarisoid camera.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin

The RAFians must contend with gremlins.  Thirteen chapters planned thus far.

• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence

The Rafians must deal with an oxidation ray wielded by a criminal.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh

The RAFians deal with a Toyman-esque character.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol

Yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXX: Savage Heart

Cloak battles an ancient being called Carrotik.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXI: Slave Islands and Juggernauts

Three RAFians are taken prisoners by the Knights and sold into the slavery of New Genoshia, while the others deal with a juggernaut.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King

The RAFians deal with a demonic Shredder-like ghost called Regiphaetos.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show

The RAFians are forcibly recruited to one of Mojo's programs.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker

The RAFians must contend with a Spirit-Drinker. No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh

The RAFians must face Joker Gas.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVI: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Villain

The RAFians must contend with mind control cards which are ineffective on them.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen

Six RAFians are rendered functionally blind, optically-speaking.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow

The RAFians must face a second Ice Age caused by a Diznee Ice Ifrit.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIX: The Rachel Toxin

The RAFians must find a cure to a toxin that increases the fearlessness, hostility and aggressiveness induced in people which the Mark cannot protect the RAFians from.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XC: Virus Alert!

The RAFians face a dangerous virus seeking a host.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief

The RAFians face a creature that siphons off the youth in its victims, provided they're younger than him.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCII: Calendar Creep

The RAFians face the Calendar Creep, a criminal whose crimes are holiday themed.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIII: The Branding

Faerie fights a witch-boy named Salem (and his magical black cat, Saberhagen) for a magical branding iron in Faeries possession.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIV: The Void Zone

Essentially gonna be a "Subspace Emissary" parody.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCV: An Epic Yarn

The RAFians' world is turned into yarn and fabric.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCVI: RAFian Gladiators

RAFians are kidnapped by Gamesmaster, another rogue Realm Walker, and force to participate in gladiatorial games.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCVII: The Box

The RAFians must cage thirteen Revenants released from Pandora's Box -- each representing and amplifying a particular feeling (i.e. hatred), while looking for the perfect host.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCVIII: From the Shadows

The RAFians must save their shadows and the shadows of everyone else from being absorbed (eaten) by the Umbraraptors.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIX: Grimm Prospects

The RAFians discover Malice controlling several "wesen" with control collars akin to April's in "Catwoman from Channel Six" and get stuck in one-on-one battles to the death with them.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book C: Loop-De-Loop

Everyone's trapped in a temporal loop, but the only ones that realize it are Cloak, Shadow, Aila, and Aquilai.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CI: Get 'Em, Shaw

The RAFians face a creature native to the planet Gossamer, who's under the control of Malice.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CII: Threadfall

The RAFians must exterminate an epidemic of Thread.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CIII: Siren's Song

The RAFians must deal with a siren and her alluring song.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CIV: Resistance is Futile

The RAFians must deal with a hybridization of the Borg and the Hive chips (Ben 10: Alien Swarm) -- which the Mark cannot protect them from, nor the Unity energy can destroy.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CV: The Titan

The RAFians must contend with the Titan serum and its effects.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CVI: A Stony Glare

The RAFians must deal with a hungry Stone-Biter and a petrifying venom of a Diznee Stone Ifrit.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CVII: Spritely Pests

The RAFians must deal with irritating sprites, which Faerie has had some rather tenuous experiences with.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CVIII: Destroy All . . . What?

The RAFians must contend with a Furon incursion, and it turns out the Nyacs have knowledge of Furons. . . . No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CIX: Going Backwards

A grievious malfunction in Aquilai's TARDIS causes time to reverse its flow and flow backwards.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CX: Death Takes A Holiday

The RAFians must convince Death to take up his role again.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXI: High Price Stakes

Shanker and Gaz must flee and elude Daphne, the vampire hunter.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXII: A Killer Housing Market

The RAFians must survive and either destroy or escape a killer house.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXIII: A Silenced World

The RAFians must cope with a world that has become muted and a young sorceress, Melissa Spellman.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXIV: The Bureau

The RAFians must save their own from the insideous Bureau of Lost.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXV: To Tell the Truth

Broken's apprentice, Melissa, accidentally casts a spell forcing everyone to tell the truth.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXVI: Skin Crawlers

The RAFians, repulsed and revolted, must contend with Hundred (who eventually becomes Thousand, then becomes Million, then Billion, and then, finally, Trillion).  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book CXVII: School of Stepford Lies

The RAFians must save the children from a school that turns them into Stepford students.  No chapters planned out yet.

[Underseen]

I'm back... It hasn't been that long.

[Cloak]

Well, I was working on the chapter, went to get the mail, and came back to find that my computer had shut itself off.  I lost the chapter.  And really don't feel like retyping it.  This computer probably has hundreds of viruses on it. . . .

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Rays and Dismays

"Now, Mithril," Goom said, speaking as if he memorized a form letter, "report to us in twelve hours to see if it is permanent.  If you should revert to your androgyneous state before the twelve hours have elapsed, you will report to one of us or a member of the staff."

"Right," Mithril said, clearly disoriented.  "But if it fails, you ain't testing more prototypes on me, got it?"

"Fair enough," Aquilai said evenly and fairly.

As it turns out, the ray only worked for ten hours.  Then it resulted in a rather painful revert to their androgyneous states.  When Mithril reported this, he did not even wait for the three to reply -- he dashed out of there as fast as his two legs could carry him.  He needn't have done so, as the three had no intention to subject him to more tries.

"What could have gone wrong?" Yarin asked.

"I don't know," Goom said, starting to look over the machine.

"Perhaps we need a new lubricant for the beam." Aquilai suggested.

And the three argued and debated and deliberated well into the night.

***

Cloak was in his thread, contemplating and pondering over what had occurred.  His RAFians had begun to worry about him -- he only did things like this when he was preparing to do something rather reckless.

He knew Malice had to be behind the A Wave and the G Wave, but he could not nail down her motivations with any certainty.  He did not like this fact.  Malice's intentions usually were crystal clear to him in any of her schemes.  But no this one.

Cloak wrote off Abomination as being the cause of these Waves.  He wasn't very smart and he had no initiative to speak of.  He wouldn't make a move without Malice's okay.  Last Cloak saw of him, he was still lying to himself, telling himself that Malice loved him.  Every time Cloak thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a twang of pity for the brutish, lovesick hippo.

There were still too many question without concrete answers.  Cloak had to know.  He had to find answers, and they weren't here in RAF, in his adopted home.  He had to leave, and he would do it alone.

"Hi, Uncle!  Where ya going?"

Maybe not.

***

"You think this'll work?" Aquilai said skeptically.

"A little gekkota salvia and a few bits of essence of eye of pleurodelinae?" Yarin asked rhetorically.

"Gecko spit and eye of newt." Aquilai translated, still with the skeptical tone.

"Yes, it should be sufficient."

"I don't think he was talking about the quantity, Yarin." Goom said.

"I'm well aware of what he meant, thank you very much." Yarin snapped.

"Let's just see if this works.  Gaz, you can come in now." Goom said.

"As long as you leave that crazy, gun-camera-bird thing out there!" Aquilai ordered.

Laserbeak chirped rather threateningly -- which looked absolutely ludicrous.

"It's okay, Beaky." Gaz said, patting the little mechanical bird.  It puffed his chest out  -- and promptly tumbled off of Gaz's shoulder.  "Beaky!  Oh, Beaky, you should be more careful!"

They fired the beam at her, and it seemed to work perfectly.  But they did not know the permancy of it.  Goom gave Gaz the same spiel as he did with Mithril.  Laserbeak gripped her shoulder and flared his wings.  He had intended for it to be a gesture of intimidation.  But it just looked cute.

Twelve hours later, the ray has proven permanently successful, so the three spent the next three days righting everyone back to their normal states.

***

"Does your mom know you're here this time?" Cloak said, with a tired, worn tone.

"Yes, Uncle."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No, Uncle."

"Did you finish your homework?"

"We didn't have any?"

"Is that a statement or a question?"

"We didn't have any."

Cloak said nothing for a bit, then sighed.  He didn't have time for this. . . . Alright, technically he did, but he didn't chose to acknowledge that little fact.

"Alright, if you're coming, let's go."

"Go where?"

"I don't know yet."

[Gaz]

So much fun being the walking test subject. lol

Good update!

[Cloak]

I especially like the dynamic between you and Laserbeak.

Okay, I may be posting off and on all day.  But I'll try to get another chapter up soon.

Just a warning this next chapter's gonna get a bit . . . cartoony.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Some Extraneous Song Levity

Cloak and Shadow set out, with the readers seeing the obligatory "journey montage", whilst hearing this:

Look out, new journey, here they come!
Brave intrepid, and then some!
Pioneers of maximum audacity,
Whose resumes show that they're just the team
To live where others merely dream,
Building up our head of steam
On the path they blaze!

Changing legend into fact,
They shall ride into RAF's history,
Turning myth into truth!
They shall surely gaze,
On the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery.
All will be revealed
On the path they blaze!

Answers are close at hand,
The questions, the promised plan.
Quite unusual nowadays,
On the path they blaze!
The path they blaze,
Is a road uncharted.
Through terra incognita,
To find the answers, fine.
No place for the wary traveler,
To be fainthearted.
It's part of a sumptuous grand design.

Change legend into fact,
We shall ride into history.
Turning myth into truth.
They shall surely gaze
On the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery.
All will be revealed
On the path they blaze!

"Some song choice, Uncle," Shadow commented, revealling that the Realm Walkers heard every lyric.

"Oh, shut up," Cloak said, with a smirk.

"So," Shadow said, as the two proceeded to analyze the waves and research the planets that met the rather bleak fate.  "Are we there yet?"

"The whole montage, you didn't say anything about that, and you choose now?" Cloak said with mock irritation.

"You know the 'montage rules' were in place!" Shadow said, sardonically.

"Anyways . . . here.  I think here's where we'll find answers," Cloak said.

"Not that old carnival thing again."

"No, this place is an abandoned aquarium."

"Oh, goody," Shadow said dryly.

[Cloak]

I am tempted to put another parody -- "Terror Time" -- in this chapter, but I've think I've done that enough in this particular book.  Perhaps the next book it would be more appropriate.

Anyway, I think I'm back on track -- warning: this could be a short chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
It's Like A Movie, A Horror Movie Show*

The two Realm Walkers stepped foot on the grounds of the abandoned aquarium park.

"Not what I was expecting at all when you said it was abandoned," Shadow observed.  "Still creepy -lookin' though."

"I know," Cloak said, "there wasn't a picture just a rather crude map."

It was night, and the waxing moon issued enough moonlight for even Shadow's eyes (she had the same night-vision sight as that of a human) could penetrate the gloom.  Cloak, being a tiger Realm Walker, could easily see through the darkness.  And what he could not see, he could easily earthsight it.

There were an abundance of buildings, empty outdoor pools and tanks for marine animals that were long gone.  But there was not very much decreptedness and dilapidation here for some reason.  There could be other reasons, but Cloak found it rather suspicious.

"How long ago was this aquarium abandoned?" Shadow asked shrewdly.

"I believe it was seven years," Cloak answered.

"Sure doesn't look like it," Shadow observed.

"No, it doesn't, does it?" Cloak said, with the same shrewd tone as his neice.

"You suspect something," she noticed.

"Yes, I do." Cloak said, kneeling and examining some dust on the floor.  Standing up, he instructed her, "Stay on your guard.  Keep your feet, ears, nose and eyes open and alert.  Anything can happen."

"Aren't you being a little bit paranoid, Uncle?" Shadow said as she complied.

"Getting caught off-guard isn't any fun, Shadow.  Trust me."

They said nothing for the next hour as they scoped out an empty concession stand and a forgotten souvenier stand.  Cloak supposed that this aquarium had fallen on hard times and could not be saved finicially, and that's why it had to close down.

Still, that didn't explain the lack of decay here.  It wasn't because of the area, that was for sure.  It was on the same elevation as the city near RAF, and they had go through periodic repair as all human constructs do.  But this place could not have been untouched for seven years -- it was too clean, too intact.

Granted, it wasn't exactly perfect and, well, pristine.  There was a modest amount of grime and grit, and a patch of mold here and there.  But not nearly as much as to have been expected.

"Someone's been living here," Shadow suggested.  Then, looking for assurance and confirmation, added, "Right?"

"I believe that's an astute observation," Cloak said.  Then he rubbed his chin.  It could very well be . . . but it could also be a homeless person with a passionate hatred of dirt.  Improbable, but not impossible.

"Do you think that it's Malice and . . . and . . ." Shadow said, struggling to remember Abomination's name, ". . . and . . . and whathisname?"

"Possibly," Cloak said, unwilling to commit to this without more proof.  "But there could be humans who live here with a particularly severe cleaning compulsion."

"I somehow doubt that," Shadow said.

"Somehow, so do I," Cloak replied.

---
*A play on a lyric in the song "B-Movie" from "The Brave Little Toaster".

[Cloak]

Three more chapters to go.  Hopefully.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Oh, He's Abominable!

If someone was  living here, other than the fact that this place wasn't as decayed as it should have been, there was no other evidence that it was so.  One would think that eventually whoever dwelled here would eventually get sloppy or lazy, and leave a mark, a trace of their existance.

"All other buildings are clear.  That means --"

"Only the big one remains." Cloak said, turning to his right and looking at the building as if it had been snickering behind his back.  Cloak shut his eyes and stomped his right foot.  He was earthsighting the building, and he could tell that Shadow was following his lead.  He scanned throughout the building, but it proved to be much larger than he had anticipated.  But he did see something, but Shadow exclaimed it first.

"Someone's in there!" she gasped.

"And it is most definitely a Realm Walker," Cloak said, with narrowed eyes.

"What's our next move?"

"Go in after them, of course." Cloak said, although with no humor or levity upon his face.

"You're the boss," Shadow sighed.

***

" . . . To prevent this from ever happening again, Aquilai, Yarin and I have developed orbital wave nullifiers  --  O -W-N --"

"I think we're gonna get into some copyright issues with that," Guy commented benignly.

Goom proceeded to address everyone else on a global scale, "-- which will prevent such things from happening again.  The O-W-N have no weapons and are powered by solar batteries which store solar energy.  This is not a hostile action, but one of preservation. --"

And Goom's speech went on from there, attempting to reassure other countries that might see this as an act of aggression.  Thus, feel like they had to strike back.

However, the Knights had become a global organization, it would seem, as they seemed to relish sowing doubt in the minds of the people.  Accusing Goom and RAF of lying about the O-W-N being weaponless.  Politicians everywhere were the easiest to sway -- as a great many of them will just about flipflop for anything if it means garnering them voters.*

Goom and the other mods knew they were fighting an increasingly uphill battle.

***

The two managed to make it to a metal door to which the person lurked behind.  Cloak aimed and easily kicked the door in.

"My, my, my," said the figure within, "such manners.  Hasn't Mommy taught you that it's rude not to knock?"

Cloak was momentarily stunned.  Then he burst out with laughter at the sight of this Realm Walker.

"What?!"  he demanded.  "What by the Veil is so FUNNY?!?!"

"You?" Cloak said, attempting to stem and restrain his laughter.  "You did this?  You, Abomination?"

"Yeah, me!!  I did it all!  I planted the bombs on Androgynecopraesent and Gendreconcido!!  I blew both up!!  I caused the waves that swapped the Dwellers genders and the one that eliminated them all together!!"

"Not exactly," Cloak said, not laughing anymore.  "Those blessed with Lantern glows and those that were sufficiently armored were unaffected.  As was any Realm Walker."

"You lie!" Abomination roared.  "It worked on all of them, and none where the wiser!"

"It did not work on all of them, and those who bear the Mark," Cloak said, lifing his right hand to show his Mark, "remembered everything."

"You lie!  You lie!!" Abomination bellowed, as if the louder he said it, the more truthful it would become.

"I have no need to lie to you," Cloak said coldly.

"How old is this guy?" Shadow said.

"I killed you once," Abomination snarled, "and I'll do it again."

"Actually, Abomination," Cloak said, ignoring Abomination's roars of "don't call me that", "you never killed me.  I have never died.  You came close, I'll admit.  You came real close.  But, ultimately, like all your endeavors, you failed."

"I'll kill you!"

"Please, you couldn't even beat my tweenage neice."

"'Tweenage'?"

"We'll argue semantics later, Shadow."

"I'll kill you!  I'll kill both of you!  I'll --"

Then a louder voice, if that's possible, rang out.

"THERE YOU ARE!!"

---
*Not meaning offense to those who actually like politicians.

[Cloak]

Now, the penultimate chapter of this book. . . .

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Trouble With the Missus

"THERE YOU ARE!!" the voice repeated, but at a less explosive volume.  The voice's owner was soon reveal to be Malice, incandescent with outrage.  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY IT, BOY?!  WHO TOLD YOU TO TAKE THE BOMBS, HUH?  WHO TOLD YOU TO BLOW UP THE PLANETS?!  WHO, HUH?!  WHO?!"

"No one, dear, but I --"

"DON'T YOU 'BUT' ME!!!"

"But I --"

"BUT YOU WHAT?!"

"I . . . I, uh, I --"

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I thought you were gonna do it anyway, so I'd thought . . ."

"YOU THOUGHT WHAT?  GO ON, TELL ME!!  YOU THOUGHT WHAT?!"

Abomination continued in a meek voice, "I thought you'd be happy that I did it for you."

"WHO ASKED YOU TO DO IT FOR ME?!  HUH?!  YOU'VE MISSED THE ENTIRE PURPOSE, THE ENTIRE POINT, OF IT!!  I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE ANY OF THE RESULTS!!" Malice berated him.  "I DIDN'T GET TO WATCH ANYONE SQUIRM, LAUGH AT THEIR HUMILIATION, OR --"

Cloak felt immense pity on Abomination seeing Malice's treatment of Abomination, and he could tell his niece felt the same.  It reminded himself of the fights he and his mother, Ursa, would have when he was a teenager.  It forced him to speak up.

"It doesn't matter, Malice," Cloak's voice cut through Malice tirade, "only the Mark-Bearers remembered anything about it."

"Wha . . ." Malice said, gazing over at the two Elements Masters.  Then she snapped back to Abomination, and shouted, "Now, look what you've done.  Now Sage's spawn is on to us."

"Leave him alone," Cloak said.  It was hard to believe that Cloak was defending a person who's threatened to murder him.

"I don't need your help!" Abomination snarled.

"Get up, you stupid lump," Malice hissed at Abomination, " and let's go!"

"Abom -- er, wait!  Just wait." Cloak said.  "You don't need to put up with this.  She's not worth it.  She's abusive and knows nothing about love.  Let go of your devotion to a woman who won't even see you as an equal!"

However, this fell onto deaf ears as both vanished.

"Uncle . . ." Shadow said, clearly unnerved, "why . . . why does he stay with her?"

"He's deluded himself into a fantasy," Cloak said ruefully, as the two turned to go back to RAF, "he believes with everything he's got that she actually loves him."

"But doesn't he see that she's abusive to him?"

"Sometimes," Cloak said, "the fantasy is better than the reality."

***

Meanwhile, the RAFians were having a time with Knights attempting to infiltrate (rather poorly) and sabotage the O-W-Ns.  But soon enough they were operational, and, with international acceptance -- which was odd in and of itself, launched into geosynchronous orbit.

The Knights, and sympathizers with their cause, insist that the O-W-Ns were a terrorist weapon.  But their logic became more and more flimsy every day, until not many believed them.  Then thing seemed to get violent with some, and others maintained a more passive, yet pervasive, means to discredit this project.  Some only trolled the MSN and YouTube comment boards . . . although they did that beforehand.

"Well, universal acceptance is a fool's dream, I guess," Richard thought, pensively, as he looked out from his thread.  It was rather opulent, but at the RAFian constructors insistence, not his.

[Gaz]

lol, yeah, the stuff with Beaky is fun to read about. Love it!

[Underseen]

Oh my gosh... Since you have been gone for so long I have re-read this book and now that I re-read this chapter I get kinda mad that you get inactive right after the climax... I know it's either an internet problem or a family problem, but I hope it gets better and that you aren't dead.

[Cloak]

Underseen, there's a reason why I've been inactive.  My mother threw me out.  But I'll start from the beginning.

When I was working on the last chapter, and I was cooking beef stew.  I added meat, carrots and potatoes, but when it came to serve the potatoes all but disintegrated.  She accused me of either eating them all or not adding them at all.  I tried to tell her the truth, but she called me a liar.  I begged her to listen to reason, but she didn't, and eventually came to threaten me with jail.  I countered that I'd get her for assault (she pulled my hair a number of times -- but I knew full well I wouldn't) and she threw me out.

I went to a mission, and had an emotional breakdown.  They admitted me to Pardee (I was feeling HIGHLY suicidal), and I got the conseling that I sorely needed and actually DESIRED.  Now, I'm at Meridian, and they're gonna help me with what was my primary goal for nine years -- getting stability to my life -- a job, a driving license, the whole nine yards.

My aunt, her son, and his wife took me in and . . . what a difference not being around my mother makes.  Sorry that I didn't take your advice on that one sooner, Aquilai.  I no longer feel expendable, feel worthless.  I feel like I'm a real person, who's opinion actually matters.  Granted, I can't see Shadow so much anymore -- Faith is still close to my mother.

And I've discovered I've may have been far too harsh on my father. . . .

Anyway, that's the general gist.

[Gaz]

I'm so sorry to hear about that Cloaky. But I'm glad to hear that you were able to successfully figure something out. Feel free to PM me. Good luck.

[Underseen]

Threaten to send you to jail over potatoes!? That is when you know you need to find a new place to live. I am glad you live somewhere where people care about you. With my bad day hearing the end of your story really made my day up. I hope you pursue a great career and with what of getting your life back on track I would completely understand a long term hiatus on Memoirs. If Memoirs ends because you are so busy and can't find time to even use the internet I will be happy because you are doing something [a little bit more] productive in your life.

[Cloak]

Memoirs won't end, though, Underseen.  I will write it as long as I'm able.  And the list now is horribly out of date -- I'm actually working on the chapters for Book XCV, "An Epic Yarn".  I might finish up the book tomorrow.  Now, I'm just catching up.

[Underseen]

Oh wow. Now I have something to look forward too this holiday season!