Light looked up at the sign for ‘Bev & Dev’s Café,’ then smiled and walked in. Since it was so late in the morning the place was empty except for Bev, the ursine female who was the owner. He walked up to the counter and smiled at her. "Morning."

She smiled at him. "Good morning, what would you like?"

"Well, I don’t have a lot of time, just a cup of coffee please."

"Coming right up. Did you want regular or decaf?"

"What’s that Coffee² over there?"

"That’s strong stuff, Sugar."

"Just what I’m looking for." He took a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and put it on the counter. "Give me two."

"You got it." As she prepared the Coffee², she looked over at him. "Are you all right? You don’t look too good."

He sighed. "Just a little tired. There’s been a lot of trouble lately." He waved away the change she was offering him. "Keep it."

"Thank you Sugar. You mean what’s been going on in Bridgeway?"

"Yeah." He took the cup of coffee she gave him. "And what’s been going on around here. Some bad stuff is headed this way."

"Don’t look now Sugar, but you just predicted the future."

"Hm?" He looked over his shoulder and saw a much shorter bear headed towards the diner. "What, you mean him?"

"He’s been very verbal about his feelings towards humans. You be careful."

"I give you my word that I’m not going to let him cause any trouble in here."

"I’ll be happy when I get his word."

"Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything." He could sense Dhara coming closer.

Sure enough, when the bear got inside, the first thing he did was to snarl at Light. "What’s one of them doing in here?"

"I’m having a cup of coffee." Light answered.

"Why don’t you leave quietly?" He asked.

Dhara walked in. "Shidoshi, I have completed…" She saw how the bear was looking at him. "Is there a problem?"

The bear looked at her. "I was just trying to get some garbage out of here."

She glared at him. "If you are talking about my teacher, I would advise you to speak of him with more respect." She flexed the clawed fingers on one hand. "Or I will be forced to use you to wipe your own remains off the walls."

Light finished his first cup and put it down. "Seito…" He said firmly. "You will not harm this bear unless he attacks you first."

She looked at him. "But Teacher…"

"The answer is no." He said firmly. "This one is of no consequence."

"You wouldn’t say that if she wasn’t here to back you up." The bear said.

"I would say that if you had twenty fools just like you against me and I had both arms tied behind my back." Light said as he started his second cup. "I’ve seen plenty of beings just like you, you wave one banner when it’s convenient and hide behind another when it isn’t."

"Why don’t we step outside and we can find out which one of us is right."

"First I think you should meet Misters Martin Kanine and I’brolent, from Security Affairs." Light said, gesturing to the dog and lizard who had just walked in. "They’re here to see me, so I’m sure they’ll be willing to ignore you. Now why don’t we see if you really mean what you’ve been saying."

The arrival of Security Affairs had unnerved the bear. "What do you mean?"

Light stood up, took an automatic pistol out of a holster under his left arm and put it on the counter. With a flick of his wrist he sent it spinning down the counter to where the bear was standing. "Pick it up."

The bear reached for it, but hesitated before picking it up.

"Feel the weight of it in your hand. How cold and heavy it is."

He just kept looking at the gun in his hands.

"Point the gun at me."

His hands were shaking as he did.

"Now fire." Light knew that everyone had been surprised by that. The bear just stood there, shaking. "What are you waiting for? Aren’t you the one who’s been shouting about how humans should be wiped out? Well this is your big chance to get rid of one." He looked at the two Security Agents. "You two stay out of this. This is between him and me. If he pulls the trigger he walks out of here. Dhara, you make sure of that, and that is an order."

"As you say, so shall it be." She hissed.

He turned his attention back to the bear. "Aim the gun." Everyone heard the power in his voice and watched as the gun was raised again. "I’ve been from one end of the universe to the other. I’ve seen things that would send you screaming into the night from sheer terror. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to watch as little fools like you scurry around yelling for someone else’s destruction. So now I’m calling your bluff. It’s time to put up or shut up. If you really believe that it’s the right thing, you won’t hesitate to pull that trigger." Even though he whispered, everyone could hear him. "And ask yourself, are you using the gun, or is it using you?"

Terror was clear on the bear’s face as he tossed the gun on the counter and ran out. Martin walked over to Light and took a deep breath. "That was either the bravest or craziest thing I’ve ever seen."

Light picked up his gun and put it back in its holster. "Thank you."

Bev looked at him. "I wish you’d told me what you were going to do Sugar, you nearly scared me to death. I mean, what would you have done if he’d shot you?"

Light took a deep breath and a moment to consider before answering. "I think I’d have been very surprised."

"You were that sure he wouldn’t shoot?" I’brolent asked.

"No, but I was that sure that the gun wasn’t loaded." Light said with a smile. "Gentlemen I may be crazy, and I’m certainly too old to put up with infants like that—but I’m not stupid. Now I assume that you’re here to find out what happened at the museum. Your orders are to bring me to the Mayor, so let’s not delay. We have little enough time left as it is."

* * * * *

Ten minutes later Light was sitting in the Mayor’s office. "Nice office." He said calmly.

"Thank you." The mayor replied. "You understand why you were brought here, don’t you?"

"Of course. You want to know what I know about what happened yesterday in Bridgeway."

"Yes."

"What I’m about to say may seem, bizarre."

"Last night in Bridgeway a Museum exploded and there were riots all over the city. This morning a feline lady came in here and told me that if I wanted to know what had caused the riots and how to prevent them here, I should talk to you. Two security agents find you, ready to let a militant ‘Furry Rights’ bear shoot you—with your own gun." He sat down in his chair. "If this even can get more bizarre, I’ll be surprised."

"The riot was caused by a demon breaking a seal placed on its powers fifteen thousand years ago by the people of Mu." Light said calmly.

The Mayor looked at him for a minute. "All right." He said at last. "I’m surprised."

"Oh stick around, it gets better. There’s another stone, and it’s right here in Furriston."

"So it can cause riots here too?"

"If it breaks that seal, nothing on this planet will be safe from it. But we can stop it. Actually, we have to stop it."

"How?"

"First, we have to get the stone that’s here away from here. Far away."

"Where will you take it?"

"To be honest, I’m not really sure. It will have to be someplace completely isolated, that much is certain."

"And what would happen if whoever wants the stone gets it?"

"Then the next time you run it’ll be out of a bottle of glue." Light said. "What wants that stone isn’t interested in money or politics. It will kill furries and humans alike. It will destroy everything."

"What if you’re wrong? Suppose that the stone here isn’t part of some ancient seal. Suppose it’s just an ancient artifact? An artifact which could be worth millions of dollars to a collector. How can I be sure that you aren’t trying to steal it?"

Light was silent for a minute. "Sir, I’ll be honest with you. I can’t prove that I’m not a thief who’s here to steal from the museum. You can’t confirm that the museum in Bridgeway had the other stone because of the situation over there. I have no record for you to check on because from your point of view I did not even exist until my arrival in this world. Therefore the decision is entirely yours. What do your instincts tell you about me?"

The mayor looked at him for a minute. "What do you need?"

"First, that stone has to be isolated. No one is to get within ten feet of it, not the museum staff, not the janitor, no one. And it should be guarded. We’ll move it tonight when the museum closes."

"Why not move it now?"

"That would draw a crowd. The more people, the greater the chance of someone getting through."

"You talk like we’re at war."

"We are. An unconventional one, I grant you, but a war just the same."

"So how do we win?"

"We are winning. Every second that it isn’t destroying the world is a victory for us. As to how do we finally stop it, that I do not know. It may be as simple as giving it what it wants."

"Do you know what it wants?"

"Yes." He spread his hands helplessly. "But I don’t know where it is."

"So you’re right back where you started."

"Not really. By eliminating what we know doesn’t work, we come closer to finding what does." He said as he stood up. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to find a truck."

* * * * *

Lazarus fell against the side of a building, then started walking again through the night. Getting from Bridgeway to Furriston had taken more power than he had anticipated. His heart was dangerously overworked and controlling his demonic side had been harder than he could have guessed. Breaking the other seal would certainly give it the advantage.

He could feel something, powerful. He knew it—he had always known it. "No, not Light. Not now. I can’t go up against Light." He fell down behind a cafeteria. His stomach was growling and he needed something to eat. There was nothing in his pockets that he could use to buy any food. He sat down beside the door. "That’s it, no more, not tonight."

A few minutes later the door opened and Bev carried a bag over to a trash can. As she turned to head back inside, she saw him sitting against the building. "Hey, who are you?"

"My name is Lazarus. If you don’t mind, I’ll be collapsing here tonight, thank you." He said. "If I should expire during the night, just throw me in a dumpster. No, on second thought, have my remains sent back to Avariss Industries."

"Avariss Industries?" She could still remember when the Liberation Forces had captured one of Avariss Laboratories’ locations, freeing her and dozens of other Furries.

"With a note for that fungal infestation Avariss himself. ‘Gone to Hell—wish you were here. Love and Kisses, Lazarus. P.S. Have a nice day…’"

"What did Avariss do to you? Take your business?, drive you to bankruptcy?"

Lazarus smiled. "No, he wanted my powers."

"Your powers?"

"I’ll make a deal with you. Give me something to eat, let me inside so I can warm up, and I’ll tell you a story the likes of which you’ve never heard." He said. "And it will be a true story."

She helped him stand up. "It’s a deal." She had to help him walk into the Cafeteria. "Maybe you should go to the hospital. You don’t look good at all."

"I’ll look a lot worse if Avariss catches me again." He said, then he stopped and looked around. "Something is wrong. He was here."

"Who? Not Avariss…"

"No, worse, Light."

"Who’s that?"

"Big guy, a brick wall with a face. Wears a cape and hood that makes him look like Merlin on steroids."

"Someone like that was in here earlier today, you could tell that?"

"The power of his presence lingers far longer than any scent. There was a confrontation between him and a small bear. The bear’s fear is strong, he ran away."

"That’s right, that’s what happened." She said.

Lazarus licked his dry lips. "He’s looking for me." He whispered. "He knew I’d be here, but not when. He was hoping to catch me." He looked around the storeroom. "Did he come back here?"

"No." She said. "He sat at the counter, had two cups of Coffee², scared the fur off of that bear you mentioned and left."

"I’d better not stay here. He may come back at any time."

"I’m not letting you go anywhere until you have something to eat. You’re in no condition to go running off." She gave him some bread with some peanut butter on it. "Are you sure this is going to be enough?"

"After a period of starvation, too much food can be very dangerous."

"Really?"

"Yes, I’ve seen it happen." He said as he started to slowly eat his peanut butter and bread. When he had finished three slices, he cleared his throat. "Now, if you’re comfortable, I’ll begin."

"Are you sure you’ve had enough?"

"Whether I have or not, you’ve been more than patient." He said. "Now then, this story goes back a very long time. However since I can’t talk for such a long time, I shall concern myself with only my small part in the story. I was born in the Year of Our Lord, seventeen thirty-two, in a village near Sheffield, England. My father was the village blacksmith, my mother was a Gypsy. When I was fourteen, my ability to foresee the future with Tarot Cards drew the attention of a local Magistrate. Rather than be booked locally under the Witchcraft laws I decided to take my act on the road. After some wandering and more than a little running I wound up in France, where I came to the attention of one Count Saint-Germain.

"For ten years I was his student, he taught me sorcery and alchemy the likes of which I never dreamed existed. But I wasn’t satisfied with that. While his attention remained concerned with this world, mine was on the future, on matters more esoteric than the mere transformation of lead into gold. I delved into books of forbidden sorcery, seeking answers, each of which only led to more questions. I learned methods of bringing spiritual weapons and shields into the physical world. My search led me across the ocean, and then across the new world.

"I had never promised my soul to any spirit, only my time in exchange for their help. When I reached the place you now call Bridgeway, they called in those debts. I shall not tell you the things I saw or what I did in the time between when they took me from this world and when they returned me, for you would not believe me. Let it be sufficient to say that I learned more about myself than any man should ever know. I was returned, disoriented and confused. The world I had known was gone, replaced by one with new customs and new rules. That was when Avariss found me.

"He used me, my powers and knowledge of alchemy to build his business empire. When I realized the depths of his evil, he had me imprisoned in a lab. Even since my escape, I do not know where it is. For years, perhaps even decades, he tried to threaten me into giving him the information he wanted. When that failed, he sent in scientists to try and pull the knowledge from my brain, to strip me of my will. I consider it, an irony of the universe, that my escape was aided by one of those scientists. They gave me a cup of coffee that enhanced my powers. I worked my way to Furriston, and that’s how I got here."

"Well Sugar, based on my own experiences at Avariss Labs, and the way he’s been acting lately, I’m willing to believe that part of your story. But that part about when you were born and all, sorry."

"Oh deary-dear." He said in a tired voice. "Would it help if I could prove it?"

"How?"

"I may be a little out of practice, but I still remember my lessons in Alchemy." He looked around. "I don’t suppose you have any lead around here, health hazard and all…"

"I think a tin can is a close as you’ll get."

"Well that’s a start, I suppose. I’ll need an empty can, a cup, no, two cups of sugar and any Coffee² you may have."

"Do you really believe that you can do something with that?"

"You just get them, and don’t sass your elders." He gave her hand a pat, then put his hand on hers. "Cotton was right. You should be getting treatment."

She pulled her hand away from his. "How did you… Did he tell you?"

"I have never met Mister Taylor. I could feel your pain and I knew that he had also felt it."

"He’d better not have told anyone." She growled softly.

"Now I want your word that what I create here, you will use to get yourself the treatment you need. Your condition is only getting worse, and if you don’t take care of it soon, you won’t be able to at all."

"All right, if you make something, I’ll get the treatment."

"When I make something." He said. "Is there a bathroom I can use?"

"Is that part of the spell?"

"No, it’s part of not having been to the gents for almost a day." He said dryly. "C’mon, this is passing the emergency stage here."

She helped him get to the bathroom, but once there gave him his privacy. She heard him flush and then wash his hands at the sink. When he came out, she gasped.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sugar, I think you’d better go to the hospital." He looked waxy and pale, worse now than before.

"What can they do for me there?"

"You might be surprised."

"Then you go. I’m beyond surprising." He said. "Do you have everything?"

She held up a tin can and a cup of Coffee². "Right here."

"Let’s do this in the storeroom, less chance of anyone seeing." She carried the tin can while he carried the coffee. Even smelling it seemed to help him. "I haven’t tried it brewed as strong as this. It will be interesting to see what happens." He sat down on the floor of the storeroom with the can of sugar in front of him and the coffee next to that. "You might want to stand back. It’s been a while since I tried this." He waited for her to step back before he picked up the coffee and took a drink. He whispered a few words and the sugar in the can began to glow, a few more words and the can started floating. For almost five minutes he chanted words she could either not hear or not understand. Finally he stopped chanting, and the can settled to the ground. "Done."

Bev looked into the can. The sugar had turned to a black liquid. "Sugar, all you made was a mess—and anyone can do that."

He smiled weakly. "Strain it. Pour off the water, and tell me if anyone can do what I did."

She took the can to the sink and carefully began to empty the can. It was almost empty when four clear, eight-sided crystals fell out, each the size of a large grape. She picked them up carefully, not fully believing what they were. "Hey Sugar, are these…" She saw him laying on the floor, asleep. She took a light bulb off the shelf and dragged one of the points across the glass, leaving a deep scratch. She was holding four diamonds.

* * * * *

As Light had instructed, two Security Affairs Agents were assigned to guard the stone. Ted Tallone was an eagle, chosen for his exceptional eyesight. Joleen Lynxen was a lynx, chosen for her hearing. "Ted, this place gives me the creeps."

He looked around the storage wing. Hundreds of shelves held thousands of bottles, boxes and bags with samples that went back for decades or much more. "I know what you mean. I’d swear that when I look at that stone,…"

"What?"

"You won’t laugh, will you Joleen?"

"Of course not."

"When I look at it, I think that it looks back at me."

She shuddered. "I am not laughing."

"What do you think?"

"I think I would rather be walking a beat in Bridgeway."

They listened to the recorded voice that announced the closing of the museum. "I wonder when they’re going to get rid of this thing?"

"Right now." Light said as he walked around the corner. Dhara, Jera and Tera followed him, carrying a heavy wooden pallet. "Any trouble?"

"No, it’s been quiet." Joleen said.

"Then let’s get this thing out of here."

"Won’t you need a crane to move this thing?" Ted asked.

"Once we get the stone on this pallet, my students and I will be able to carry it out." Light said. "Get ready ladies."

Dhara set the pallet down and got ready to push it under the stone. "Ready."

Light closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The stone began to rumble, and slowly rose up into the air. As soon as she could, she slid the pallet under the stone. Light relaxed and the stone dropped slowly. "All right, positions." He said. They each stood at a corner. "Ready…" They each took hold of one corner. "Go."

Together they managed to lift the huge stone and carry it. They stopped at the freight elevator. "What’s wrong?" Ted asked.

"It’s too dangerous for all of us to ride in the elevator together." Light said. "You, Jera and Tera should go down first. I’ll stay here with Dhara and Joleen. We’ll put the stone in and send it down alone, then follow it."

"Sounds risky." Ted said.

"If the stone proves too heavy for the elevator, it would be madness to risk being in the car with it." Dhara said.

"She’s right. I cannot act directly against our enemy, and he may strike at any time." Light said. "Now let’s go, and quickly."

They brought the stone down to the loading dock and put it on the truck. Light locked the door and looked up into the night sky. Joleen walked back to him. "The driver is ready to go Sir."

His head snapped to look at her. "What driver?" The truck engine roared to life and the truck drove away, the tires screeching.

"After him." Dhara cried, leaping into the air, followed a moment later by Ted.

Even as they took to the air, they were captured in mid-flight by ribbons of emerald energy and carried back to the ground. Light’s hands were raised in mystic positions, and as he lowered them the ribbons vanished. "Save your strength. We can follow them with this." He held out what looked like a handheld television. "I put a tracking device in the pallet."

"How did you do that?" Ted asked. "How did you lift that stone? What was that, stuff that grabbed us?"

"Magic." Light said. "Or call it whatever you wish."

"Sir, if that driver was with the enemy you speak of, shouldn’t we try to stop him?" Joleen asked.

"That driver was with Avariss Industries. Even now he’s headed for the airport."

"But why would Avariss want the stone?" Ted asked.

"The one who must break the seal was his prisoner, and Avariss wants his powers."

"More reason to stop him." Jera growled softly.

"Patience, we cannot risk moving too soon." Light said. "For now we must prepare."

"Prepare for what?"

"Quite possibly for the end of everything." He said as he started to walk away.

* * * * *

Gene and CatsWhisker found themselves led to the warehouse where Light was staying, drawn there as if by some great magnet. They stopped before opening the door. "Gene?"

"Yes?"

"Why are we here?" She asked. "It feels like, we’ve been pulled here."

"I know."

"Should we go in?"

The door slid open. "Welcome." Dhara said. "We have been expecting you."

"But…" Gene started.

"But you didn’t know you were going to be here."

"That’s right." He said as they stepped inside, Dhara closing the door behind them.

"Circumstances have changed, there are some things we want you to know." Tera said from where she was chalking in a new circle. "About Light, and about us."

"What kind of things?" Gene asked.

"We are not real." Jera said. "In your terms, we are only dreams."

CW tapped her on the arm. "You’re a pretty solid dream."

"We are thoughtforms known as psychic clones or psyclones. Independent aspects of Light’s mind, temporarily given these bodies so that Light can experience more, from viewpoints that he would normally be unable to experience." Dhara said.

"Unable?" Gene asked.

"He’s not likely to get into a ladies’ locker room." She said. "To truly understand something, you must experience it, at least in some fashion."

"Well where is Light?"

She gestured to what looked like a large refrigerator over in one corner. "In there."

They walked over to him. "What is this?" CW asked.

"It’s a genetic repair chamber."

"A what?"

"Light’s DNA is slowly breaking down. The result of his being a clone. If his genetic pattern breaks down too far, his body becomes unable to repair itself. This machine scans each cell for genetic flaws and repairs them at an atomic level."

"So what’s the catch?" Gene asked.

"This device may be a fountain of youth but it’s not the secret to immortality. Each time it repairs his DNA, the next time he has to do it again happens a little sooner. Eventually the device won’t be able to help him at all." She said. "When that happens, he’s as good as dead."

The panel on the front went dark and the door swung open. Light stepped out, looking slightly shaken. "It is also a most, unpleasant way to spend your time." He said as he staggered over to a chair. "Even if my final battle is not fatal, my body will be."

"So why create thoughtforms?" Gene asked. "Why not use that energy to, repair your body, or to transfer to a more suitable one?"

"This body is unimportant. It is my mind that I must continue to develop and expand. That is why I create these ladies. Five more chances to learn and experience. Besides, with six of me, I can get a lot more done. I’m finally getting some of the things I’ve collected organized."

"Hey, look what I found." Tera said as she brought a 8X10 photograph over to them.

They each looked at it, there were three young women posing in front of an oasis, each in a bathing suit. On the right was a blonde in a one-piece suit, next to her was a redhead in a string bikini, and on the end was a silver-haired woman in a bikini. "I took that photo. It was the last time the three of them were together before their graduation." Light said without looking at the picture.

"Who are they?" CW asked.

"They’re the daughters of my best friend. The blonde is Angel, his youngest. The redhead is Falda, his oldest. Ruriko is the one with the silver hair."

"They’re all lovely." Gene said.

"They’re also triplets." Light said. "Put that away. I have no desire to torment myself with memories of better times."

Tera looked at the photograph. "I know how much you miss her, and how much leaving her hurts. You’re the one who’s always telling your students not to deny their feelings, but to deal with them."

"My feelings are not relevant, because they cannot change. Neither can I change that as long as Kthon lives, the universe and everything in it is in danger." He said.

"So you can’t love her because it won’t be forever, and you can’t avoid what you have to do because of the consequences." Gene said. "As powerful as you are, as much as you can do, I wouldn’t want to change places with you."

Light nodded his head slowly. "Neither would I." He said at last. He knew that Tera had brought the picture over to distract Gene and CatsWhisker from the fact that all the things that were being put away were in fact being put into the extra-dimensional ‘holding area’ inside the shadowy lining of his magical cloak. Now that everything was packed Dhara took the cloak off and gave it back to Light. "Ladies, take your places. It’s time."

"Time? Time for what?" Gene asked.

"Our existence is temporary." Jera said. "This time we had only a few days to gather information. Now to insure that we have enough power for whatever may happen next, we must recombine. The time for this Hand is over." She stood in the middle of the circle she had drawn.

"What do you mean hand?"

"Our division into separate entities results in a formation we call a ‘Hand.’" Light said as he walked into the center circle. "With my five companions as the fingers, independent but still connected, and myself as the palm, giving support and connection to the others."

"Oh. But if they cease to exist, isn’t that, I mean, aren’t they dead?" CW asked softly.

Kala looked at her. "Our existence comes from him, we are nothing but his thoughts. When we combine with him again, we return to being his thoughts. It is not death, because unlike you, we have never truly been alive."

"It’s more like, we’re becoming one with a greater power. We don’t lose anything, because as one being, we have more wisdom, more insight and more power than any of us have separately." Dhara added. "You may wish to move over there. This might be a little dazzling."

As Gene and CatsWhisker moved over to the door, Light looked around checking that each of his five psyclones were in the right circles. He raised his arms and his eyes started to glow. "From one we are created. To one we must return."

"All things are one." Five voices repeated.

They began to shine, turning from physical beings to forms made of light. They seemed to be drawn and stretched in towards Light, until they were pulled into him like water going down a drain. Light looked around. "It is finished." He said. "I have to go. I will see you again before this is all over. You two take care of yourselves. You have more people who care about you than you know."

* * * * *