Gene went flying towards the door. When he neared it he ducked down and rolled outside quickly bringing up his caster. He scanned left and right but the Ctarl Ctarl had disappeared. Strange considering it was probably his job to stop intruders. It seemed like he had abandoned his employers. A Ctarl Ctarl who actually ran at the first sign of battle, that was news to Gene. Aisha would have been disgusted......... What was that he said about his 'new' life mate?

"Gene, snap out of it, they know we're here now."

Suzuka's voice pulled Gene back into the real world, "Huh? Wh-.... you're right, we need to move fast." The two headed back inside the small office and began to tear it apart. While gene flipped over the desk in frustration Suzuka checked out the bookshelf. In one of the folders on the bookshelf there was a prominent bulge not caused by paper. Opening it up revealed several floppy discs……. and a key card.

“I think I’ve found what we’re looking for.”

“Really?” Gene lifted his head from the potted plant; he had been digging through the soil, “So that’s where they hid it! Who would’ve guessed?” Suzuka just rolled her eyes.

Suzuka made the floppy’s disappear into her robes, Gene raised an eyebrow, “These discs might have some valuable information on them.” Suzuka explained, “Maybe slaver routes, clientele, an inventory list of what they’re producing. The computer might have had some important files on them too……. But you smashed when you flipped the desk over.” Gene expressionless face conveyed that, in all honesty, he really didn’t give a damn.

“Yeah whatever, let’s get going.” Gene started to head for the door.

“Wait, we should interrogate this one.” Suzuka kicked the blond haired terran guard currently sprawled out on the floor.

“Why, whatever we need to know is probably on those discs?”

“How about how many guards are here? Where are the children kept? How many of them are there? Do they have orders to terminate them if the police or hired outlaws show up? Do they have any more surprises in store for us, security devices or more Ctarl Ctarl mercs?”

“Yeah, I see your point.” Gene admitted grudgingly, he kicked the man in the rib cage, “Okay jackass, tell us everything you know.”

The man merely groaned, “Come on, spill your guts!”

“He needs to be conscious first.” Suzuka shook her head as if Gene were nothing more than an anxious child who didn’t know left from right.” She pulled out a chemical very similar to a concentrated form of smelling salts.

Slowly the man began to regain consciousness. After pumping him for information they tied his hands behind his back and Suzuka knocked him unconscious once more.

“Well, if he can be trusted we shouldn’t have any problems.”

“We took to long questioning him, if they know we’re here….” Gene was nervous, he didn’t want to find some locked room filled to the brim with fresh child corpses.

“Let’s get going then.”

Suddenly several trucks came hurtling past them.

“Shit!” Gene cursed firing at one of them and missing

……………………………………………

Aisha had rushed off on foot to the nearest hospital, using her amazing animal like speed it didn’t take her long to sprint the 8 or so blocks to Miracles R Us Hospital. She had scooped Jim up and held him against her chest as she ran to her destination all but forgetting about the meal she’d been dying to get at the warehouse and her other companions. Jim had clung to her ever so lightly, he was limp and seemed almost like a rag doll. Aisha wasn’t sure what was wrong with him. Ctarl Ctarl aren’t easily traumatized so Jim’s behavior was very scary for her. She just wanted her friend to be okay.

“Don’t worry Jimmy, I’ll get some one to help you. Just hold on!”

Aisha didn’t wait for the motion sensing glass doors to part. Jumping through one caused the glass to shatter and fly in every which direction.

“I want a doctor right now!”

Every orderly looked up, terrified and petrified.

“…….. Hurry up or I’ll eat every last one of you!” Aisha shook her nude limp friend, “Help him!” She cried desperately, on the verge of tears.

Several people finally moved forward to help

……………………………………………

The police would come soon; Gene had made a quick phone call. They would have stuck around for the festivities but they were too worried about Jim. They had no idea where Aisha had carried him off to. Assuring the 30 or so children they found that they would be all right they left the warehouse behind.

“Hope those kids will be all right alone.”

“They’ll be fine.” Suzuka assured Gene


There wasn’t much inside, it seemed someone had noticed their presence and in the 15 or so minutes they spent ransacking the office and interrogating the guard they’d captured the place had been cleaned out yet the children had been left unharmed. The slavers had simply abandoned them. There was no money involved but Gene felt pretty good about himself, he really disliked slavers. Even Suzuka, a former assassin pirate, found them to be distasteful. The blonde haired man with his arms tied behind his back made a sprint across the yard right in front of them.

“Oh yeah, forgot about him!” Gene rushed up and tackled him to the ground, “You’re coming with us.”

“Shouldn’t we just leave him for the police?” Suzuka asked warily, she didn’t want Gene to play the vigilante (even though that was quite rare considering money and sex weren’t often involved).

“Hell no, I’m not through with this guy. I want him to tell me everything he knows about his boss. That and he needs to tell us about that one Ctarl Ctarl that got away. I think we haven’t seen the last of him.”

“Oh?”

“It was something he said.”

“And if I don’t talk?” The man muttered.

Gene grinned down at him, “Oh you’ll talk, if not to me than to a very hungry very pissed off friend of mine.” Gene knew where the nearest hospital was, he could only hope Jim and Aisha were inside.