Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Might wrap this thing up today . . . but don't count on it. And this next week I might not be able to post a chapter, though, I will try.

As far as the chapter planning goes, I'm currently planning "The A.R.A.", only six chapters in. Nearly ready to move on to the third notebook with these chapter synopsises.

Anyway, this book is nearly done.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Survive the Hive

They discovered the location of the hive in the tenth of the time it took the military to get around to even discussing the possibility of finding and attacking the hive. All that egotistical posturing and sluggish bureaucracy squandering valuable time.

Both the SPARTAN and the Realm Walker loaded up on the encephalitis bombs (or "EBs"), which were discs but would resemble the secondary fire of Parasite Bomb from "Mega Man X3" when activated, as Goom briefed them on them.

"Press the button and adhere it to the wall. It will emit a hologram of the area around it, much like a Chee. It will detonate remotely." he said, in an quick, urgent way. "Neither of you will be affected due Parker's armor and Cloak's natural physiological resilency."

"Right," Parker said, while Cloak only gave a short, curt nod to let the goomba know he heard and understood.

"Now, you'll have to place three at the exterior, interior and core of each cardinal directions, and north-east, north-west, south-west and south-east." Goom reported. "This is so you'd get the best coverage area."

"Understood," Parker murmured. Cloak just grunted acknowledgement.

"Going on the information you gave us, Cloak," Aquilai said, and his tone wasn't accusatory, "the Heinlins, being 60% brain tissue, encephalitis is fatal to them, while humans are relatively unharmed. I won't lie, though. I have my doubts about this."

"It will work," Cloak said. "It did in that other realm. The hive is were the heart of this superorganism is."

***

Planting the exterior bombs were easy as cake, but planting the interior ones were more difficult.

They were nearly caught by a curly-haired redhead boy in an egg-yolk yellow soccer jersey, purple shorts, and egg white cleats. Cloak could easily see the Heinlin beneath the jersey. They were very nearly breathless. Then he moved on, deciding that they weren't really there.

This wasn't the only close-call as they were nearly caught by a teenager in a Tin Man costume -- clearly a high school play -- when they planted the final interior bomb. They slunk to the shadows and this ridden boy decided that what he saw was just a shifting shadow.

They made it to the core without incident. The core seemed to be the inside of a mushroom-like creature. At the center seemed to be some sort of glassless cryogenic tube where there were tentacles decending from the ceiling attacted to the Heinlin puppetmasters. It was as if they were . . . recharging. All ages, genders, and ethnicities were represented in that tube-like thing. The hosts had their eyes closed, faces blank, but still clearly feeling some rapturous sensation.

"C'mon, Parker, the bombs," Cloak whispered.

"Sorry."

They were finally made as the first ones started to go off after Parker depressed the detonation button.

It was too late . . . for them. Suddenly, all was blackness.

[Cloak]

Two more chapters to go. May be brief.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Clean-Up

Neither had blacked out, it was just that all light had, like the Heinlins, been killed. The humans seemed to be unconscious without any real repercussions. Yet the two RAFians were unsettled.

"This was too easy." Parker said, anxious. "Too clean, too neat."

Suddenly, with a squealing shriek, the last living Heinlin attacked him. He just calmly blasted it to smithereens along with an energy pulse from Cloak.

"Better?" Cloak asked, drolly.

"Not really," Parker replied, as he contacted Cerulean and Yarin to collect the humans from this mess. "But at least we got a scan of their DNA for the recognition scans."

Cloak said nothing, but narrowed his eyes, unintentionally mimicking Marge Simpson's annoyed murmur.

Parker didn't react to this, only saying, "Yes, yes, I know you don't approve of it these DNA recognition scans. But thry can be really helpful."

"They can also be used against us," Cloak grumbled.

"How do you figure?" Parker said, as Cerulean sped in, cleaning everything up in a thrice, and set up a Gleet biofilter at the entrance. Having no DNA himself (Realm Walkers have another, rather more complicated way of passing down genes involving energy), the Gleet biofilter was useless against him.

"I said, how do you figure that?" Parker prompted.

"The scan stores the genome -- written out -- of the species in question, does it not?" Cloak answered with another question.

"Yeah, so?"

"Think about it! If that information were to fall into the wrong hands, think of what they coukd do." Cloak said. "Why do you think I'm heartily suggested all the Heinlin corpses incinerated?"

"Well, I won't deny that it was a little dark of you," Parker said. "They were sentient were they not?"

"They were mere extensions of a sentient mind," Cloak corrected. "This thing, at the core, that's the real being. And it had to be done. But I'll feel a twinge of guilt about it, I'll admit. Anyway, they should be destroyed because who know who would manipulate that DNA into something more dangerous? Or make it subservient to the cloner's mind? Then anyone could be his puppet. See that danger now?"

"Cloak, you're being paranoid."

[Cloak]

Last chapter of the book and of the day (again, probably brief, especially as its more of an epilogue). And I have no idea how the next book will turn out either.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Lingering Feelings

With this whole mess behind them, they could move on. But, despite himself, Cloak could not help but continue to dwell upon it. Was the force necessary? He thought so. Would he do it any differently? Handled it any better? He really couldn't see how.

Why does he always do this to himself? He sighed heavily as he sat down on his bed in his thread. Why does he always second-guess himself? Question every decision that he's ever made? Over and over again, until it just becomes repetitive and dull.

He let out a long sigh. Being angry at himself for that habit was no good either. It was pointless. What was done is done. What was said is said. There's no taking it back and redoing it. Even if there was . . . would he? Would he take that opportunity? Or would it just mak everything worse?

His decisions, the good and the poor, have made him what he was. Would he change any of that? Could change all of that?

Even his travails with his egotistical, narcissistic mother help mold him into the person he was. He knew who and what he was now, and it wasn't anything that she predicted.

Cloak growled at himself. Why couldn't he let this go? Why did he continually harp on this past trauma?!

"Ugh!" he grunted with irritation. "Why won't the past be silenced, at least for a moment?"

He wished he didn't have to relive his mistakes like this. He just burdened himself when he did this . . . so WHY did he keep dwelling on this?

***

Meanwhile, Rumor was flitting through the air, landing by Malice. She patted his head -- he didn't really have very much sentience than a goldfish.

"Well done, Rumor," she said, smiling a malicious smile. "Now, come. We have much to do, my pretty, and miles to go before we sleep."

Then Rumor made some odd, inquistive noises. Malice interpreted them as wondering where they were going.

"Where are we going, Rumor? Is that what you want to know, my deary?" Malice said, with gaily chuckle, "Why, we're going to wake up the Kruegar. The wonderful Kruegar of Nightmares."

[Underseen]

The way Malice is describing him makes him sound like he's as benevolent as Willy Wonka or The Wizard if Oz.

[Cloak]

Well, consider her mindset.

Anyway, no new chapters until around late afternoon tomorrow. Don't expect more than one.

Here's the list:

• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare

The RAFians must survive their own nightmares.

• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms

The RAFians must contend with a rather bloodthirsty leprechaun.

• Book XLIII: The Piper

The RAFians must contend with a pied piper.

• Book XLIV: Starlight Desire

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

• Book XLV: A War of Armor

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

• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague

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

• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons

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

• Book XLVIII: Go Away!

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

• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales

RAFians tell various RAFian-themed stories across a lunch table.

• Book L: Maul

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

• Book LI: Erised Orbs

The RAFians must face their greatest desires.

• Book LII: RAFians Alive!

Read the "Mummies Alive" parody in the RAFize songs thread.

• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever

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

• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils

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

• Book LV: Dangerous Deals

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

• Book LVI: Of One Mind

Malice seeks out the Unimind.

• 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.

• Book LVIII: Hematomimic

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

• 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.

• Book LX: The Replacements

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

• 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.

• Book LXII: Personal Tissues

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

• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow

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

• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon

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

• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite

Some RAFians are merged into two separate entities.

• Book LXVI: The Merging

The Universes begin colliding and merging.

• Book LXVII: Be A Doll

The RAFians are confronted by a Super Chucky.

• 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.

• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island

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

• Book LXX: Corrupted

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

• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins

The RAFians must deal with symbiotes.

• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety

The RAFians must contend with an ethereal virus.

• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians

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

• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea

The RAFians must contend with a floramaniac.

• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos

The RAFians are sucked into a Polarisoid camera.

• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin

The RAFians must contend with gremlins.

• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence

The Rafians must deal with an oxidation ray wielded by a criminal.

• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh

The RAFians deal with a Toyman-esque character.

• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol

Yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.

• Book LXXX: Savage Heart

Cloak battles an ancient being called Garrotik.

• 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.

• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King

The RAFians deal with a demonic Shredder-like ghost called Regiphaetos.

• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show

The RAFians are forcibly recruited to Mojo's programs.

• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker

The RAFians must contend with a Spirit-Drinker.

• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh

The RAFians must face Joker Gas.

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

The RAFians must contend with mind control cards which are ineffective on them.

• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen

Six RAFians are rendered functionally blind, optically-speaking.

• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow

The RAFians must face a second Ice Age caused by a Diznee Ice Ifrit.

• 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.

• Book XC: Virus Alert!

The RAFians face a dangerous virus seeking a host.

• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief

The RAFians face a creature that siphons off the youth in its victims, provided they're younger than him.

• Book XCII: Calendar Creep

The RAFians face the Calendar Creep, a criminal whose crimes are holiday themed.

• Book XCIII: The Branding

Faerie fights a witch-boy named Salem (and his magical black cat, Saberhagen) for a magical branding iron in Faerie's possession.

• Book XCIV: The Void Zone

Nothing like a "Subspace Emissary" parody.  Sorry.

• Book XCV: An Epic Yarn

The RAFians' world is turned into yarn and fabric.

• Book XCVI: RAFian Gladiators

RAFians are kidnapped by Gamesmaster, another rogue Realm Walker, and force to participate in gladiatorial games.

• 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.

• Book XCVIII: From the Shadows

The RAFians must save their shadows and the shadows of everyone else from being absorbed (eaten) by the Umbraraptors, but not everything is what it seems.

• 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.  One will die.

• Book C: Loop-De-Loop

Everyone's trapped in a temporal loop, but the only ones that realize it are Cloak, Aila, and Aquilai.

• Book CI: Get 'Em, Shaw

The RAFians face a creature native to the planet Gossamer, who's under the control of Malice.

• Book CII: Threadfall

The RAFians must exterminate an epidemic of Thread.

• Book CIII: Siren's Song

The RAFians must deal with a siren and her alluring song.

• 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.

• Book CV: The Titan

The RAFians must contend with the Titan serum and its effects.

• Book CVI: A Stony Glare

The RAFians must deal with a hungry Stone-Biter and a petrifying venom of a Diznee Stone Ifrit.

• Book CVII: Spritely Pests

The RAFians must deal with irritating sprites, which Faerie has had some rather tenuous experiences with.

• Book CVIII: Destroy All . . . What?

The RAFians must contend with a Furon incursion, and it turns out the Nyacs have knowledge of Furons. . . .

• Book CIX: Going Backwards

A grievious malfunction in Aquilai's TARDIS causes time to reverse its flow and flow backwards.

• Book CX: Death Takes A Holiday

The RAFians must convince Death to take up his role again.  A RAFian will die in this book, and it is within the continuity.

• Book CXI: High Price Stakes

Shanker and Gaz must flee and elude Daphne, the vampire hunter.

• Book CXII: A Killer Housing Market

The RAFians must survive and either destroy or escape a killer house.

• Book CXIII: A Silenced World

The RAFians must cope with a world that has become muted and a young sorceress, Melissa Spellman.

• Book CXIV: The Bureau

The RAFians must save their own from the insideous Bureau of Lost.

• Book CXV: To Tell the Truth

Broken's apprentice, Melissa, accidentally casts a spell forcing everyone to tell the truth.

• 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).

• Book CXVII: School of Stepford Lies

The RAFians must save the children from a school that turns them into Stepford students at Terenia's school.

• Book CXVIII: Ol' Salty

The RAFians must deal with the Salt Man.

• Book CXIX: The Great Race

The RAFians hold a race that Aloth cons himself into.  Who will win?

• Book CXX: Ape Escape

The RAFians must help super intelligent apes -- Caesar the chimp, Brutus the gorilla, and Maestro the orangutan -- reconcil their misanthropy.

• Book CXXI: A Different Kind of Unity

The RAFians must contend with a parasitic "unity".

• Book CXXII: The Great Brain Robery

Someone is stealing brains for an unknown purpose.

• Book CXXIII: The Bounty Hunter

The Knights, in their hypocricy, hire a Tsul'Kalu bounty hunter to collect select RAFians (to taxidermy).

• Book CXXIV: New Controllers

The RAFians confront Zirconians.

• Book CXXV: Creeping Crystal

A wave of crystallizing energy is sweeping the land. . . .

• Book CXXVI: The Element Feeder

The RAFians deal with a creature who feeds on a specific element and matures to a different element each time as it matures. . . .

• Book CXXVII: The Rider and the Walker

The RAFians come up against the Ghost Rider.

• Book CXXVIII: Headhunters

What will happen when RAFians lose their heads?  Seriously.

• Book CXXIX: The Color Purple, Man!

The RAFians confront the Purple Man, who manages to turn the entire government against them . . .

• Book CXXX: The Nemetrix Beetle

The RAFians confront the Black Beetle with Nemetrix properties.

• Book CXXXI: It's Tought to Be A Mod

The members of a primitive forum declare Demos and Blue to be mods. . . .

• Book CXXXII: Who-Zilla?

An energy reaction begins turning RAFians into monstrous creatures in 3XXX.  Out-of-continuity book.

• Book CXXXIII: Well, Techadon-ally . . .

The RAFians confront Techadons who assign them qualitive quatilities, and refuse to acknowledge any defeats.

• Book CXXXIV: The Mind's Eye

The RAFians face Spellbinder and his realistic illusions.

• Book CXXXV: Bas-ic Instincts

Bas awakens and attempts to take control of Cloak and other felines.

• Book CXXXVI: Midas Duck

The RAFians must contend with a very strange golden idol and a greedy sneak-thief.

• Book CXXXVII: War with the Warworlds

The RAFians must defeat two heavily-armed Warworlds.

• Book CXXXVIII: Solar Sucks

The RAFians must save Estelore from a device able to suck out her stellar substance and lifeforce.

• Book CXXXIX: Hounded

The RAFians are attacked by hellhounds that only Demos can see, although Cloak can "see" them via Earthsight.

• Book CXL: Politics

The RAFians, much to Cloak's chagrin and irritation, get caught up in the middle of Realm Walker politics.

• Book CXLI: Buggy Afternoon

A Bug is after Parker's blood, to "avenge" their brother slain by the SPARTAN.

• Book CXLII: Cloak's Nightmare

Cloak has an exceedingly vivid nightmare of the Great RAFian Purge. . . .

• Book CXLIII: Cloak and the Olympians

Cloak confronts and defies the Olympians.

• Book CXLIV: Down to Earth

The RAFians have gravity-related problems.

• Book CXLV: Hittin' the Dino-Sauce

The RAFians learn the dangers of Dino-Sauce.

• Book CXLVI: Blood Feud

Shanker's past comes into light. . . .

• Book CXLVII: She's Back! A Dino Story

Pretty much a shameless parody of "We're Back! A Dinosaur Story".

• Book CXLVIII: A Journey into Her Past

Delving into Noelle's pre-RAFian life and her relationship with Ardnalil-Shicom-Maar.

• Book CXLIX: Mortality and Morality

The RAFians face some rather conceited Leviathons.

• Book CL: Utter Pandemonium

Cloak, Gaz, Saffa, Underseen, and Hunter investigate odd goings-on at a theme park island named "Haunted Island".

• Book CLI: A Reality Rewrite

Cloak, Faerie, Broken, and Broken's protege discover a magical, reality-altering typewriter.  Cloak, being a Realm Walker and the other three, being magical, are immune to its rewrites of reality.

• Book CLII: The Coming of Galacticron

The RAFians must save Earth from Galacticron.

• Book CLIII: Theft of Intellectual Property

The RAFians must contend with Brainiac.

• Book CLIV: The Contingency

The RAFians must battle the Talos Project and their living weapon -- Weapon XLIX.

• Book CLV: Muppet, Muppet Man

Parker and Gaz are turned into Muppets. ()

• Book CLVI: Larval Ambush

The RAFians must deal with insectoid creatures who are parasitoids with humans.

• Book CLVII: As the World Doesn't Turn

The RAFians must stop a group of feline aliens from stopping the world from rotating.

• Book CLVIII: Princess Pearls

A few girls of RAf discover the Princess Pearls.

• Book CLVIX: Attack of the Killer Produce

The RAfians must deal and cope with killer produce.

• Book CLX: Moonscarred Menace

The RAfians investigate mysterious disappearances on Moonscar Island.

• Book CLXI: League of Assassins

The League of Assassins set a number of Assassins after Blue.

• Book CLXII: Dark RAFians

The RAFians come up against an evil team modeled after them, attempting to usurp their postions.

• Book CLXIII: Danger Rising

The RAFians' training sim gains sentience.

• Book CLXIV: Moody

Gaz and Saffa accidentally have Moodulators attached to them.

• Book CLXV: Bound Together

Some RAFians get molecularly stuck together.

• Book CLXVI: The Legion of RAFians

The 31^st century RAFians are being picked off and controlled by a group calling themselves the Fantastic Fatalities. May be an out-of-continuity book.

• Book CLXVII: Monster Mash

A deranged Yeerk tries to merge its DNA with a Geonosian Brain Worm to rid itself of its Kadronna dependency.

• Book CLXVIII: Jumping to Conclusions

A xenophobic, reliously-zealous, former government man confuses Cloak with a "Jumper".

• Book CLXIX: You Wish!

An ancient lamp is uncovered, and an ancient warlock seeks it out, while RAF gets caught in the middle.

• Book CLXX: Hat's Off

The RAFians must deal with a quartet of hat-like aliens.

• Book CLXXI: You Are What You Read

The RAFians must deal with a "Captain Marvel"-style vigilante, who turns supervillian.

• Book CLXXII: Wrath of the Colossuses

The RAfians must stop the rising Nazca Colossuses.

• Book CLXXIII: The Year Without RAF

Estelore tells the RAFian version of "The Year Without Santa Claus".

• Book CLXXIV: Kidnapped

The government begins to kidnap RAFians.

• Book CLXXV: Lockdown

The RAFian database had been hacked and lockdown activated.

• Book CLXXVI: Exhile

Cloak discovers the "Book of Prophecy".

• Book CLXXVII: Swarm of Supermen

RAF is under attack from Kryptonians. Out-of-continuity.

• Book CLXXVIII: Dullsville

An alien tick turns RAF in't a boring, drab place.

• Book CLXXIX: Technovampirism

A malicious Galvanic Mechamorph assimilates technology into himself.

• Book CLXXX: Go to Hell

Some RAFians are sent to Hell, and must escape.

• Book CLXXXI: Schism

Parker and Cloak have a conflict of methodology. Out-of-continuity.

• Book CLXXXII: Caught in the Middle

The RAFians are caught in the middle of the Wager of the Octessence and their Exemplars.

• Book CLXXXIII: A Fractured Mind

The RAFians try to help a mutant boy with multiple personality disorder.

• Book CLXXXIV: The A.R.A.

The RAFians must battle the A.R.A.

• Book CLXXXV: Orphanage of the Damned

The RAFians must face a "Granny Goodness" and her brainwashed orphans.

• Book CLXXXVI: Remnant A.E.

The Earth blows up, and the RAFians must survive space. Out-of-continuity.

All are libel to change.

[Underseen]

The list is so long.

[Cloak]

And I intend to write every single one too. Besides, that list is nothing compared to the parody index (which was actually Goom's idea).

Anyway, let's start off this book, 'kay?

BOOK XLI:
RAF'S NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER ONE:
When You Were

Cloak had shut himself inside his thread. He often sequestered himself when he was in one of these moods. He was lamenting the loss he felt with Shadow. He sang, in voiceover:

"As I sit here reminiscing,
Part of me is missing.
My little Shadow has been ripped away.

You loved to dance.
You loved to laugh.
You loved to simply be.

When you were good,
You were very, very good.
When you were bad,
You were very, very bad.
But through it all,
You were the very, very best
Person to make me glad.

You loved to tell childish lies
Until you made me mad.
Then you'd cry and say:
"I'm sorry I was bad."

When you were good,
You were very, very good.
When you were bad,
You were very, very bad.
But through it all,
You were the very, very best
Person to make me glad."

Cloak still yearned to see his no-so-little neice again. He wanted to be a monkey's uncle once more. The mere yearning for it seemed to overwhelm him, as he stared morosely at the floor.

"Can't stay in her an mope around," he forced himself to scold himself. "There are things to be done."

***

"Who?" Malice said scornfully. "Who's this Freddy you're going on about, Rumor? We're off to see the wonderful Krueger of Nightmares."

There was a moment were Rumor jabbered on seemingly incomprehensibly.

"Who told you that, Rumor?" Malice said, with acid derision. "Seriously, you need to reevaluate your sources. The Kruegar's name is Somnus, not something as absurd as 'Freddy Krugar'. Wherever to you get such ludicrous notions?"

Then they arrived at their destination in a rather abrupt manner.

"Here it is," Malice said. "All we have to do is free him from his sleep."

Then she chuckled for no apparent reason.

"Awaken him. How droll . . . okay, yes, Rumor, and ironic."

[Underseen]

You're almost halfway to a hundred.

[Cloak]

True.

Sorry, but looks like that'll be the last chapter today.

I did manage to talk to Faith -- Shadow's mom -- for a bit (she was at work) today. She was not at hostile at all (which, to be honest, I had not really anticipated at all).

All in all, a delightful, brief, and thoroughly exhausting exchange. Maybe I'll get to talk to Shadow sonner than I thought intially . . .

[Underseen]

That's really exciting. How soon?

[theyoungphoenix]

You go Cloak!!

[redtailedsaffa]

That's wonderful news! Hope it's sooner than later.

[Cloak]

How soon?

It's not set in stone or anything. But I presume earlier than six years.

Now, I'm not sure if I could post another chapter at home.  The Internet's been really spotty today.  But I'll endeavor to get one up before I leave here today.

[redtailedsaffa]

I know how you feel Cloak... Rose and I spent the last fifteen minutes staring at the router. A full-scale celebration began when the Internet light came to life.

[Cloak]

That proves it -- our species is too reliant on technology.

Let's give this a try. Sorry for the brevity.
 

CHAPTER TWO:
Waking the Nightmare

Rumor made some sounds that seemed to be similar to a bad Momo imitation, a la Zach Tyler Eisen's from the Avatar episode "Nightmares and Daydreams".
 
"Of course I know how to wake him!" Malice said, affecting an offended manner. "You just . . . uh . . . I just push this here . . . erm . . ."
 
Rumor repeated the gurbling noises.
 
"I do too!" Malice snarled, apparently unaware of how childish she sounded.
 
Rumor repeated the gurbling noises, but more emphatically this time.
 
"How dare you insinuate such a thing!" she said, smacking Rumor. "For a third time!"
 
Rumor whimpered.
 
"That's right, Rumor," Malice said, impressively, "remember your place."
 
Then Malice went to work figuring how to awaken the Kruegar, Somnus. Eventually, somehow, unknown to even her (though she disputed this vehemently when called on it), the Tasmanian devil Realm Walker awoke the Maestro of Nightmares. . . .
 

***

Cloak stood up a little straighter.  He was leery about something . . . but he didn't quite know what. There was some force, some malevolence, that had been awakened somewhere.  But he didn't know what or why or who . . . it was a tad infuriating for someone used to knowing things.

And Cloak knew that he wasn't the only one that sensed it.  FuBar, Bladeh, Kitsi -- all the felines knew something was up.  But the ignorance of the source was not only inconviencing, but it was disconcerting.

Cloak shut his eyes and took a deep breath.  Whatever this thing was, they'd deal with it in due course.  They always did.