Catswhisker let Gene in. "Hey Lady Cat." He kissed her. "What’s wrong? You sounded scared on the phone."

"I am scared Gene." She said as she locked the door again. "This morning a human came in. He said he wanted to help us learn more about human instincts."

"Do you think he meant it?"

"My instincts told me that he was sincere but, at the same time…" She stopped to take a deep breath. "I think he knows something terrible is going to happen."

"Have you contacted Security Affairs?"

"No, I, don’t have any proof."

"But you work for the BII, they’d take your word for it."

"My word for what?" She asked. "I can’t tell if he’s here to cause trouble or stop it."

"A little of both, actually." Light said from behind them.

CW checked to make sure the door was locked. "H-how did you get in here?"

"Let’s play a little game, shall we?" He asked. "An ice-breaker as it were."

"You’re not really here to play games, are you?" Gene asked.

"You’ll enjoy this game Mister Catlow. It’s called ‘Truth.’ For five minutes I will answer your questions with nothing but the truth."

Gene and CatsWhisker looked at each other, then looked at Light. "We ask the questions first." Gene said.

"Of course." He said calmly as he took a gray orb out of a fold in his cloak. "This shall show if I lie."

"What is that?" CW asked.

"A rather simple trinket." He said as he handed the orb to her. "If whoever holds it tells the truth, the stone turns white. If they lie, it turns black."

CW looked at Gene with mischief in her eyes. "I don’t like you." They were both surprised when the stone turned white. "Hey, no… I didn’t mean that!" She added nervously.

Light started laughing. "The stone is unforgivingly literal. Try saying you don’t love him."

"I don’t love you…" She whispered, prompting the stone to turn jet black in her hand. "But I do love him!" She said, turning the stone white again. She tossed the stone back to Light.

"Relax my Lady Cat, I know you love me, and I know you also like me." Gene said.

"The stone can be misdirected, but not deliberately deceived." Light said, the stone turning white in his hand. "You were probably thinking something like; ‘I love Gene, so if I say I don’t like him, that’ll be a lie.’ Am I right?"

"To the word." She said. "Did you read my mind?"

"I can read minds." Light confessed. "But you are by no means the first female to try that trick with this stone."

"Dangerous little thing, isn’t it?" Gene asked.

"There’s a reason you don’t see these for sale in the corner store." Light said seriously. "Now then, let’s begin."

"Who are you, exactly?" Gene asked.

He held up the stone so they could see it. "My name is Light. I am a sorcerer and warrior, currently in exile for one hundred years."

"For what?" CW asked.

"I was convicted of traveling through time with the intention of changing the future. Which I freely admit that I did. My punishment, however, was based on something else I did."

"What did you do?"

"Deicide." He said. "An Elder God of my universe had gone mad from his power. The other gods could only banish it. I was able to finish it."

"But if it was so dangerous, why did they punish you?" CW asked.

"Because no one likes an executioner, no matter how justified the execution." Light said. "And they like him a lot less when they kill someone that you shouldn’t be able to kill in the first place. Killing an immortal tends to really tick off other immortals."

"So they did it out of spite?" Gene asked.

"It’s a little more complex than that, but yes." He answered.

"So you’re here because you don’t have any place else to go?" CW asked.

"No, young lady, I’m here because your world is in a great deal of trouble."

"But if it’s our trouble, why should you be brought in to deal with it? Isn’t that our responsibility?"

"Well, if you want to deal with this problem that’s fine with me." Light said. "So, how many sorcerers do you plan on sending?"

"S-sorcerers?"

"The source of this problem is a creature of the supernatural. You cannot simply shoot it, no weapon of your world is capable of even scratching it. So what do you plan to do?, pray for it to go away? Or perhaps drop an atomic bomb and hope that works?" He watched as they looked at each other. "I’m not trying to insult you or your world. You have shown yourself to be capable of great deeds. The strength of your wills and hearts is clear to me, and in time you will be stronger still. But this is something you are not yet ready to deal with."

"So how do you fight it?" CW asked.

"First, with information. I need to know what it is that I’m going to be facing."

"And you think that our database has that information?" CW asked.

"At the very least I should find a clue." Light said. "And perhaps you will benefit from my information on human instincts." He gestured to the back offices. "Now shall we begin?"

CatsWhisker led them back to where she had left the laptop. Light picked up a thin black plastic packet that was resting on the desk. "Oh, that fell out earlier, is it important?"

"Considering that this is the battery, I’d think so."

"That’s the battery?" Gene asked. "That’s smaller than a cell phone battery, how long will it run that laptop?"

"Only about twenty hours." Light said as he put the battery back in a small slot in the bottom. "With spare packs I can get about three days of power."

"How fast is it?"

Light finished connecting the network cables. "Two-point-six terahertz."

"We’ve got mainframes that can’t even go a tenth that fast."

"No." He said calmly.

"No what?" Gene asked.

"No I won’t give you any more information about this system."

"But that laptop is decades ahead of anything we have. Imagine what we could do with that technology."

"Yes Mister Catlow. Think about it."

After taking a few seconds to think about it, Gene nodded. "You’re right, we’re not ready for that kind of technology."

Light pushed the power button on the laptop. "Someday you will be." He began to type. "Not today…" He hit the enter key and a wireframe face filled the screen.

"Operating system online." The laptop said in a slightly mechanical voice.

"Pretty good voice." Gene said. "Is it purely synthetic or does it use recorded clips?"

"My voice is based on pre-sampled waveforms, recorded on…"

"Interrupt." Light said, silencing the laptop. "Connect to external network. Locate database and analyze information."

"Understood."

"Copy information only. Consider it level three information."

"Understood."

CW tapped Light on the shoulder. "What’s level three information?"

"That means that you can look at it, but not move it or re-arrange it in any way." Light said. "With level two information the security is even stricter. They cut your throat after you’ve seen it."

"You work for some lovely people." CW said. "What do they do with level one stuff, cut your throat before you look at it?"

"Yes." Light said calmly, then he stopped to think for a second. "You know, I don’t think anyone has ever actually requested any information above level three."

"Analysis completed. Converting database to Panel Four format."

"How did it do that so fast?"

"Do you really want to know?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Smart girl." He looked around for a second. "Someone is at the door."

"I’ll send them away." CW said.

"They’re with me." Light said. "I’ll let them in."

Kala ran right past them, then she ran back and took a minute to recover before she tried to talk again. "He’s…" She wheezed.

"He who?" Light asked. He got up and let Kala sit down. "Sit down."

"Out…" She gasped.

"What’s out?" CW asked.

Light clapped his hands together. "I knew it! Liberace, he finally came out."

Kala shook her head. "No, escaped…"

"Liberace escaped?" He asked.

"No…" She hissed. "I went back to Avariss Industries, he was there. Ran all the way back here. I found out where he went from his chauffeur."

"How?"

"Fifty bucks and a promise to see him this weekend." She said. "And all he’s getting is the fifty bucks."

He nodded. "What did you find out?"

"Avariss went to some secret lab. They were holding the one we’re looking for. Some genius scientist gave the captive a diluted cup of that Coffee2. Somehow it, it amplified his powers. He blasted a bulletproof observation mirror right out of the wall it was set in and escaped. Avariss has been boiling ever since."

"Well that’s a start." Light said. "When did it happen?"

"About two hours ago." She said. "I tell you, if what happened to him is what happened to that Cotton Taylor, I’m amazed that rabbit still has a head on his shoulders."

"Cotton never displayed any ability like that." CW said.

Gene nodded. "He could see the future, but he never moved anything."

"Coffee2 seems to activate abilities only if you don’t already have them, and it enhances abilities you already have." Kera said.

"So one cup of it and our friend was able to break out on his own." Light said. "Imagine what he’ll be able to do with full-strength coffee."

Kala shuddered. "Frightening." She handed him a black billfold. "Oh, before I forget."

"Thank you." He said as he put the wallet in his pocket.

"Oh, my pleasure."

"Conversion complete." The laptop said. "Connect external optical cable for data transfer."

Light took a thin black cable and hooked it to a port on the side of the laptop. He looked at Gene and CatsWhisker for a second, then a small panel opened on his left forearm. He plugged the cable into the socket in his arm. "Begin data transfer."

"You’re a cyborg?" Gene asked. "I mean, a real cyborg?"

"Yes." Light said softly. "My bones are covered in armor that contains computers that enhance my senses and enable me to connect to external computers. It also contains devices that make me stronger and faster than normal humans."

"How did it, I mean, when did you…"

"How did they make me?"

"Uh, yes."

Light kept his eyes on the screen. "The put the machines in before my soul entered this body. It was the only way anyone could have survived such a radical procedure. My eyes and ears are machines. Almost all of my internal organs are either synthetic or enhanced."

"You don’t seem too happy about it." CW asked.

"When people find out you’re a cyborg, they tend to treat you differently. You stop being a person. You become a thing."

"You’re actually worried about what we think about you?" Gene asked.

"Yes." He closed his eyes for a second. "Nothing, there’s no pattern here, no common trait that all individuals share. All right, that lets out internal sources, so we’re dealing with an external influence. At some point all five of these furries were exposed to the same person, place, or object."

"Well it can’t be a place, someone would have noticed it by now." Gene said.

"Not necessarily." Light said. "Sometimes places that have evil influences act like volcanoes. There won’t be any activity for years, then they erupt without warning."

"If it was a person wouldn’t a lot more people be affected?" CW asked.

"A great many more." Light said. "Therefore we are looking for an object."

"But what kind of object?" CW asked. "How are we supposed to find it if we don’t know what we’re looking for?"

"Whatever it is, it will be very old." Light said. "Thousands of years old at the very least. I will handle the search for it, but I will need you two to keep your eyes open. Our best chance of stopping all this is to find someone the darkness can’t touch."

"How do we do that?"

"If any one comes forward who’s had an instinctive reaction, an ancient one. A reaction of fear, like walking past a dark room and feeling something watching you."

CW shuddered. "What should I do if I find someone like that?"

"Get as much information as you can, then call me. Then pray if you got ‘em." He said, handing her a business card. "I’m uploading all the information I have into a separate database. I’m also generating the forms and questionnaires you’ll need to gather and analyze the information. This might have to become a separate office."

"It probably would anyway." Gene said. "I mean, you’re only the second human I’ve ever seen in the BII."

"Humans don’t generally understand how instinct works." Light said sadly. "It’s the connection to the world around them, to all the other minds they come in contact with. Even to their ancestors."

"You really do seem to know a lot about it." CW said.

"Instinct is the first connection to a larger world, it leads to places intellect cannot, and opens doors that most intelligent beings leave shut their entire lives. In my job, sometimes it’s the only tool I have." He blinked as the transfer was completed. "Finished." He said, unplugging his arm and closing the computer. "I think, that a more, personal approach would help a lot more." He picked up the laptop and started for the exit. "If you will join me?"

They walked outside with him. "You can lock up now, what we need is outside." Kala said.

CW started to lock the doors. "What’s going on here?" They looked around. It was Lloyd, the kangaroo that had been in a few days earlier. "Why is this, human, here?"

Light held up a shuttered lantern made of thick lead panels. "Have you ever seen one of these?" He opened one panel and Lloyd was enveloped by a light brighter than the sun. What looked like a black serpent was latched onto the top of his head, and coiled around his neck. Kala whispered a spell and pointed at it, a bolt of eldrich energy severing the supernatural creature in half. It’s scream was almost silent as it faded away. Light closed the shutter and walked over to Lloyd. "Are you all right?"

"W, wh,…" Lloyd whispered, looking up at Light with wide eyes.

"That was a psychic leech. A thoughtform designed to stir up hate within your mind and send the power of that hate back to it’s creator." Kala said.

"In this lantern is a crystal that gives off the Light of Truth. It revealed the presence and my apprentice was able to destroy it." Light said. "You’ll feel shaky for a little while, but you should be just fine after a good night’s sleep."

"T-th, th…" He stuttered

"Kala will see you home. She will also explain your condition to your wife." He watched as they walked off, then he turned to Gene and Catswhisker. "So now we know how this is happening. But we are no closer to the source."

"How many of those, things are there?" CW asked.

Light shrugged. "Who knows. A skilled magician can create a dozen. A true demon could create hundreds."

"Isn’t there any way to tell how he was, infected?" Gene asked.

"Attacked would be the better word. No, unfortunately not. The leech has no actual mind of it’s own, therefore no memory. It’s attack was so subtle and the effects so insidious, Lloyd had no idea he was even in danger, until the effects became too pronounced for him to resist."

"What would have happened if the leech had been left there?" CW asked.

"Hate would have consumed him. He had been resisting it, I could sense that you—and to a much greater extent his wife—were helping him with that." Light shook his head. "Eventually, however, it would have overcome his will completely. His hatred would have made him a slave to whatever created the leech." He looked up into the night sky. "We have to destroy that source. That will destroy any more leeches that may have been created."

* * * * *

Hours had passed since he had escaped from Avariss Industries. He crouched behind the dumpster, half-frozen from the hours of exposure to the cold night air. The boost his powers had gotten from the Coffee2 had faded within minutes, but that had been more than enough to renew ancient memories. Now he knew how to restore them forever. Long before the pyramids of Egypt or the fabled gardens of Babylon, the people of Mu had sealed his powers away in two large stones. Even though Mu had been destroyed by the ritual of containment, they had managed to separate the stones. Now the stones were nearby, calling to him with his own power. One had been brought here, to the city of Bridgeway. The other was to the west, in the city of Furriston. Even at this distance, the stones were resonating, stirring up ill will and even hatred between the citizens of the two cities. He had to risk remaining in the shadow of Avariss to get to the stone. The police were already looking for him, and evading them cost him both time and strength that he didn’t have.

He had to risk entering the museum. Even as weak as he was, he had to break that seal.

Yessss……

He had to focus, to block out that part of him that was still a demon, the part that still craved revenge and thirsted for hate. It was that part of him that the Coffee2 had strengthened during his escape. Breaking the seals would make it that much stronger, and he would have to be even more alert to control it. He took a small piece from a broken bottle and started walking toward the museum. Twisting dreams into illusions he changed his prisoner’s rags into a more normal suit of clothes and entered the building unnoticed.

Finding the stone slab that was the seal was simple, it had been made into the focal point of a new exhibit. Since it was too large for a glass case, a red velvet rope had been placed around it. He walked around the stone slowly, feigning casual interest while deciphering the ancient runes carved deep into the stone.

"Magnificent, isn’t it?" The Curator asked as he walked over. "Such a unique example of prehistoric art."

"Spellbinding." He replied. "Absolutely spellbinding." He repeated with a smile. "Have you been able to determine the meanings of any of these characters?"

The Curator smiled. "This stone is ten thousand years old, there were no written languages back then."

"Fifteen thousand." He said calmly. "And there were."

"Excuse me Mister…"

"Lazarus." He said. "Doctor Lazarus, of the Canovian Museum of Natural History." A fitting name if I ever had one… He thought.

"Pleased to meet you Doctor. I am Doctor Falstaff."

"The pleasure is mine." He said as they shook hands. "We found a stone just like this one in Canovia, with the same strange markings covering it."

"Why didn’t you publish your findings?"

"Before we could, there was a slight case of revolution. Then we heard about your stone and I came here to see it."

"Do you really think that these marks are some kind of primitive writing?"

"Most certainly." He nodded. "If we could take a closer look, I’ll show you some of what we’ve been able to decipher."

"Of course. Let me just go to the security office and turn off the alarms for this display. Wait here for a minute."

"I’ll be here." As soon as Dr. Falstaff was gone, Lazarus turned his attention back to the stone. The seals placed on the stone had weakened greatly over fifteen thousand years. Now all he had to do was to draw a line connecting two symbols. The fact that he would have to draw that line in his own blood didn’t worry him, as the symbols were mere inches apart. He took the sliver of glass he had picked up earlier and jabbed himself in the palm.

He could hear Dr. Falstaff talking to someone as he returned. "I’m so glad you could stop by Mister Avariss. I’m sure that Doctor Lazarus will be thrilled to meet you as well."

The moment he heard Avariss’ name he wiped his bloody hand across the stone, covering both symbols with a dark red smear. Almost immediately the symbols started smoking and the stone began to hum. "Doctor who?" Avariss asked as they turned the last corner towards the Exhibition Hall.

"Lazarus." He shouted. "You remember him don’t you, Michael Alan Avariss? He’s the man who was brought back from the dead." The symbols on the stone were glowing a fiery red. "Only I’ve come back from a lot farther than that." He turned to face the stone, took a deep breath and roared with all the force of a tornado.

Every window in the museum exploded and pieces of the main skylight were found miles away. The stone had been reduced to rubble.

There was no trace of the man who had taken the name of Lazarus.

* * * * *

Gene was silent as he drove away from the BII. "What’s wrong?" CW asked.

"I was just thinking about what Light said, about how much danger our world is in."

"What about that emerald he wanted to pay you with?" She asked. "I took it to a jeweler on my lunch break. It’s worth over a thousand dollars."

He nodded. "That’s what I was afraid of."

"You think he’s trying to buy our help?"

"Or our silence."

"You saw that laptop of his, maybe back on his world he was very rich. Maybe he doesn’t think a thousand dollars is important."

"Even the Lynxens sneeze at a thousand dollars."

The radio crackled to life. "But I’m not a Lynxen." Light’s voice said.

"Can you hear us?" CW asked.

"A very handy little spell of mine. I hear it when someone talks about me." He said through the radio. "That stone I gave you was won by myself, in a rather penny-ante game of chance some time ago. Consider it a very generous tip for the help you’ve given me."

"Any suggestions as to what we should do with it?" Gene asked.

"Mister Catlow, you have to your right an attractive young lady, with whom you are in love. If you cannot devise some way to show her you love her with a thousand dollars, I will have overestimated both your ingenuity and intelligence." He answered. "This transmission is ended."

* * * * *

Meri tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The last time she had talked to him had left her more confused than ever. She hadn’t expected to find out how he felt about her. She certainly hadn’t expected to find that she felt the same way about him.

It was impossible. Her parents would never understand her falling in love with a human. Especially not with things the way they were. The riots in Bridgeway were probably still going on, despite everything.

Eventually she managed to fall asleep, mostly from exhaustion.

"Hello." He whispered to her.

"Go away."

"Do you really mean that?"

"No." She answered softly.

"I just… I have to leave. I wanted to say goodbye."

"Wait, will, when will you be coming back?"

"I don’t know."

"You’re, you aren’t talking about a vacation, are you?… This is a forever goodbye, isn’t it?"

"I don’t want it to be one."

"Why? Why are you going? At least tell me that."

"I am leaving because I love you, and do not wish to see you harmed in any way."

"Then stay and you can protect me." She said.

"If I stay you will only be in greater danger."

"You can’t do this." She sobbed. "You can’t tell me you love me and then just leave me alone."

"I have to go. But never forget, no matter where I am, no matter what may happen, I will always love you."

Meri woke up the next morning to find stains on her pillow, from the tears she had cried in her dreams. "Lazarus." She said at last. "Your name is Lazarus."

* * * * *

Light surged into the museum like a tidal wave. Within seconds everyone was answering to him. He was given photos from before the incident, as well as the security camera videotape. He also left with them.

His return to the warehouse was as quiet as his visit to the museum had been dynamic. Without stirring any of the dust on the floor he sat down at an old table and began to review the pictures.

Jera walked over to him. "Min is sleeping. What have you found out?"

"There are two stones that seal the Lost One’s power. He has already broken one of the seals."

"And if he breaks the other one, he’ll be unstoppable." She looked at him and one feline ear twitched. "They’re not ready to handle this—and we can’t help them. The Dark Lord would never stand for it."

"I know." He took another look at the first picture. "It’s here. The other half is right here in Furriston."

Jera looked at the pictures. "Is this writing from Lemuria?"

"Mu."

She nodded appreciatively. "Someone really didn’t want him getting loose."

"Only they didn’t seal him, just his powers."

"Allowing him to remain in mortal forms long enough to develop a soul of his own."

"And increasing his powers more than ever."

"Creatures of the supernatural aren’t created with souls of their own. Now that his demon nature is resurfacing, the strain on him must be incredible. Effectively he’s tearing himself in half and each half is trying to rip the other to shreds."

"Yes, it already started a riot in Bridgeway. We have to find the stone and move it."

"Move it where?"

"Away. Or the same thing that happened in Bridgeway will happen here."

"That stone weighs almost five tons. Even you can’t just pick it up and walk out with it."

"That’s why you’re going to go to the Mayor’s office tomorrow and tell them that I know what caused the riots in Bridgeway."

"They’ll come looking for you."

"I would hope so. Otherwise I’ll be making myself seen for nothing."

"Not another indecent exposure charge." Dhara said as she walked over.

"Where’ve you been?"

"School."

"School?" He asked.

"Creative wiring 101." She said. "Check this out." She handed him a baseball cap.

He looked at the embroidered design on the front. "Galactic Defense." He looked at her. "You know my feelings on television."

"Yeah, you’re against furniture that talks." She said dryly. "Cotton Taylor is a big fan of this show. Tomorrow before he goes into the radio studio I’m going to give him this cap. Ostensibly because I’m one of his fans."

"I’m sure he’ll enjoy it."

"There is a micro transmitter woven into the bill." She said. "If the studio tech tries to switch to commercials when Cotton talks, this takes over and our lapine friend starts talking through his hat."

Light smiled. "Beautiful. Wait a second, what about the studio technician? He’ll hear that the broadcast hasn’t switched."

"No he won’t. I had a few productive minutes in there today. He’ll hear only what he wants to hear."

"Excellent. Ladies…" He snapped to attention and Dhara and Jera reflexively copied him. "Tomorrow morning Radio Six-and-Seven-Eighths, takes to the air."

* * * * *

Meri had never played hooky before, but this time she had to get to the BII as early as possible. She walked in just as CatsWhisker was opening the doors. "Excuse me, I, uh, I think I might need some help."

CW smiled. "Well, that’s what we’re here for."

"I’ve kind of been seeing someone. Until now my instincts have been telling me that everything has been all right. But the last time I spoke to him, I got an instinctive reaction like I’ve never felt before."

"What kind of reaction?"

"Fear. I’m, not really sure how to describe it. Have, have you ever walked past a dark room that you knew was empty, but you could feel something watching you from the darkness?"

"Yeah."

"That’s kind of what this was like, only it was so powerful. I could feel it’s hate and rage."

CW swallowed. That was what Light had told her to be careful of. "And was this an ancient instinct or a recent one?"

"Ancient, very ancient. It felt like it went back millions of years."

"Are you sure?"

Meri nodded very nervously.

CW swallowed again. She had to stay calm. "You said you got this feeling from someone you were seeing. Would it be possible to have them come in?"

"I, I don’t know. I’ll see if I can get them to…"

The shadow of a pair of spread dragon’s wings fell across the counter. "I assume there is a good reason why you are not in school young lady."

"Excuse me, who are you?"

The dragon held up an ID card. "I’m the truant officer for this district."

"I was just leaving. I had to check on something, but I’m done." She edged around the dragon and towards the door. She tried to push the door open but almost hurt herself before she realized that she had to pull the door open. She didn’t want to tangle with a dragon, or a truant officer—and she definitely didn’t want to mess around with a dragon truant officer.

A vixen bumped into her as she was trying to keep from running. "Excuse me."

She was turned around by a skunk female, who pressed something into her hand. "You dropped this."

She was turned around again by a female cat. "Don’t worry, everything will be all right."

Another turn and she was looking up into the eyes of the largest human she had ever seen. "When the time comes, you will know what to do." This time he turned around—and vanished.

Meri ran all the way to school. At the front door she almost ran into the Vice Principal. "You just made it young lady."

"Sir?"

"You only have two minutes before the homeroom bell."

She looked at her watch. "I thought it was later. Excuse me." She ran up to the classroom, wondering how she had arrived at school on time when the BII offices didn’t even open until after her second class should have started.

* * * * *