Remorse of the Blameless

"Excellent!!" Master Wong screamed. "You leave immediately! Your first mission is outlined in this envelope. You will take Chetter, Bayman and Velus with you."

"Velus?" Mirya gasped. "But Master Wong, he is only a child!"

"Aye, he is but a whelp right now," Wong nodded. "But I can sense great potential in him. One day he will be a greater martial artist than perhaps even me."

"Then its decided!" Bayman roared. "Let's go beat up some animal haters, dawg!"

"To the CATARmobile!" Chetter said, and they ran out of the study.

Mirya caught up to Fred in the hallway. Chetter, Bayman and Velus had gone on ahead.

"Fred..." she said, approaching him.

"Oh hello, milady," he said in surprise. "Are you not staying behind with the rest of the womenfolk?"

"Fred..." she whispered, pressing her head against his chest. "I am filled with unease and foreboding. Things are not as they appear. This Master Wong you place all of your trust in - he is a merciless man. His soul is dark and devoid of warmth. Why would such a man wish to help animals?"

"Come now, Mirya," Fred laughed. "Isn't that a bit too harsh of an assessment? He may be a bit eccentric, rough-natured perhaps, but he means well, I assure you."

"Fred, promise me," Mirya cried, looking up into his eyes. He could see that hers were fringed with glistening tears. "Promise me you'll come back alive."

"Is that all? Don't worry, Mirya! There is nothing on Earth that can keep me from your embrace."

Mirya reached into her bodice, beside her left breast, and took out a small silver necklace. Suspended from the sparkling chain was a small ruby that shimmered brilliantly even in the dim light of the hallway.

"What is this?" Fred asked as she pressed it into his hand.

"This is my heart," Mirya whispered. "I'm a demon, remember? When I was spawned, my broodmother crystallized it for me and placed it on a chain around my neck. As long as it is intact, I am immortal. But if I am away from it for too long, I will waste away and die. I-I want you to keep it. It belongs with you now, forever and ever."

"Thank you," Fred said. "I swear I will keep it safe and return to you, Mirya."

Her face was inches away from his, her strange, moist, forbidden fragrance washing over him like a wave. Her lips trembled as they drew closer to his... and then Bayman was hollering. "Hurry up, comrade! Save that stuff for the victory party!"

They pulled away, blushing. "I'll be back," Fred said with conviction. "I'll definitely be back!"

Santaglia City lay just miles away. Bayman drove the CATARmobile while Chetter manned the machine gun turret. "Stay alert for ambushes," Fred advised Chetter.

They burst into the Santaglia Municipal Pound at 0500 hours. It was a sleepy morning shift, and the security guards were not prepared for them.

"Ungh!" Bayman said, breaking a security guard's arm and smashing his face into a metal girder. "Bring on the puny girly men! Let's see what you've got!"

A security guard came screaming out of nowhere, firing his machine gun wildly at Chetter. The youth stepped aside lithely and then Velus jumped out, body-slamming the guard into a stairwell and head-butting him into unconsciousness.

"Let's see," Fred said, checking his orders. "Next we..."

He froze, for he could not believe what was written next in the envelope.

"Next we what?" Chetter said impatiently. "Right through this door are hundreds of animals about to be sold to the international drug and weapon consortium. We've got to get them back to the CATARmobile!"

Suddenly the shadows parted and a faceless man dressed all in black stepped out.

"Shlockenmeister!" Chetter cried out. "Beware, Fred! He is..."

"Fred," Shlockenmeister said, his voice projecting directly into Fred's mind. "Why do you fight against us? Surely you realize what is going on by now. What Master Wong is plotting."

"It's just what you are," Fred said. "What you represent."

"Yes, yes. Those who cannot feel compassion for animals cannot truly feel compassion for humans, is that right? At least you understand that man is an animal too. None of their lives matter at all, Fred. Not even your life matters. You will die here, at the hands of Shlockenmeister, leader of the Seven Excruciators of the Consortium!"

1. "Come now," Fred chuckled. "Surely we can come to a peaceful resolution here."
2. "I'll crush you like a paper cup!" Fred roared. "Bring it on!!"
3. Fred shrieked in horror and jumped through a plate-glass window.

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