They were on him so fast that Chimmy could scarcely believe it. He had only just discussed the fruity rum stuff and the police were already involved! Had the Rat Clan been waiting to set him up? Did Samantha's Grandfather tell the cops what he was planning? Chimmy had already thrown away the idea, but only minutes before the detective showed up. The whole chat he was really scared that the officer was going to arrest him. The whole drive Chimmy was trying to be calm and give reasonable directions, but he was sweating and shaking in his dirty boots.

It was only afterwards when the officer had gone had Chimmy gotten some time to think. He talked about the black beast as well as other beasts (white and red) and asked what Chimmy had known. Chimmy normally didn't give away things for free, but it's wrong to hide unimportant stuff from the police. Of course, it's even MORE wrong to tell the police where lost children are, so Chimmy had to do a little lying but it was okay this time. The detective went on and on about Vig-erl-anty-ism, but the Black Beast trainer had no reason to vig-erl-anty Chimmy and his friends... So it means he was breaking the law, which means it's totally legal to stop him. But they couldn't have a Mutamatch over it, so they would need to have a quick, non-match attack or something. Good thing that Chimmy and Friskers were training for that sort of thing!

When he got the next chance, Chimmy would go and warn his friends that the Detective came by. There's no way he wanted them to go and get in trouble. They'd never rat HIM out to the police, so he couldn't let them get into trouble either. Chimmy was sure that Ford didn't send the detective after him - cause Lost Kids avoid police - so Ford would be fine, but Samantha's mean grandma probably called the officer, so Samantha would need warning else she'd be in trouble too. They would have to be really careful for the next while. Police are great to have when you need them, but right now the police weren't needed; especially one from MAD.

Thinking on that, Chimmy wondered why the detective didn't write down the leaguer's name on the pad of paper. According to the old detective movies Chimmy liked to watch, detectives ALWAYS write down suspect names, so they could check em later. Heck, that was why Chimmy wrote everything down himself. He'd need to look into this kid maybe... see why the special treatment.

Well, for now, Chimmy would work on some stories to explai where he goes, so the next time the detective comes by, he had some backups ready. To start, Chimmy needed to get some bamboo sprouts to start his own mini-garden, so he wouldn't have to make up a lie on the spot.

Closing the school door behind herself, Samantha takes out her cell phone and presses one on the speed dial.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad, you'll never guess what!-I'm being published in tomorrows' school paper! I know you said I could make my own newspaper but I figured being published in an already established one would reflect better on me."

"Good for you Sam! What finally cracked that editor of yours?"

"The article's entitled "Mass Loss-Child Exodus". I worked super hard to make it really good, Editor even said he was really impressed when he read it. He didn't want to put it in tomorrows' paper right away, cuz he takes forEVER editing things, I mean he was still editing the first article I gave him! But I convinced him that my article absolutely HAD to be front page tomorrow. And I told him that if we didn't rush this through someone else would crack it before we got the chance. Then I sat there doing my homework while he edited it and finished editing my previous article, which was an interview with one of my friends who is one of the lost kids in question."

"Sam, I hope you didn't betray any confidences in this article of yours. Lost kids are lost for a reason."

"Oh, no. What kind of a friend and what kind of a journalist would I be if I did that? No, everything's cool. And of course he doesn't use his real name, no lost kid does, his pseudonym is Harrison Ford."

"Harrison Ford eh? Kind of obvious, but I guess M.A.D. would know that the name was a fake no matter how low-key it was."

"Oh-oh, yeah Dad, his dad knew you! Not very well by the sounds of it, cuz Ford said his dad said that you had an awful temper and that you were a bad mutamatcher and he said you were lieing about why you quit the Gauntlet League! He sounds like a real jerk and he kinda sounds like he hates you or something, he said that someone on your team and you got in a fist fight at the Four Winds thing because that girl wimped out and wouldn't fight Jabberwocky even though if she made it to second place then obviously she could have taken him, and the only way that his dad could have known all that was if he was there right? So you know what I think Dad? When I said that Jabberwocky sucked Ford defended him like crazy! I think he's that Ataru Katsuo guys' kid! Actually no, I don't think it, I KNOW it! I mean, a guy who's a prick, and who hates you, and was there at the Four Winds thing, and that his son would defend Jabberwocky! It HAS to be him! So Ford is actually Katsuo!"

"No wonder he ran away than, anyone related to that guy would. I wonder who the mother is, I can't imagine any woman liking the likes of him."

"Yeah, but Ford's alright. He can't help who his parents are. I'm not gunna let him know I know though, that might scare him off. Anyways Dad, I'll send you a copy of the newspaper, ok? Also, if you go to page 6 my other article is going to be there to give readers a bit of a background on my investigation and on the whole situation that caused all this. I gotta go though, it's a little past suppertime and Grandma will be wondering where I am. Love you."

"Love you too Sam, bye."

Ford paced his shack as around him the sounds of industry echoed through the Rooster coop. Nearly a hundred lost children toiled away to expand the headquarters and make room for all the new residents. Ford had managed to get all but the Hog to fall in line , they would be the weak link in the plan. If the Leaguer caught wind from the Hog that the lost children were hiding in the coop then he may do nothing, that would derail all of Ford's plan as right now he was in a win-win situation. If the Leaguer though they were in Hades then his pride would get the better of him and he would send at least one of his Mutamon to their demise. If he found out about the Rooster Coop then he would send all of his Mutamon for a full scale assault and with Ford spearheading the Zodiac Team there was a chance they could eliminate the three monsters entirely. But if the Leaguer did nothing then everything would fall apart. Ford had all of the lost children following his lead at the moment out of necessity but time would soon wear thin their patience and eventually they would disband back to their respective territory and then it would be difficult to reunite them.

“I got ta act soon, but fer now I have more pressin matters ta deal with.”

Ford walked out of his shack and began making his way topside, he had a plan and if it worked out he may get Hades and Anathema out of it.

I fixed the size issue so you don't have to scroll sideways to see whole sentences

Through the sewers.
You need to know how to navigate them.
Past the Mold
You need to be able to keep your breath safe from it.
Through the maze.
Follow the markings or the map.
To the door.
You need to be able to hack it or bring a broadcast device to trick it open.
Into the lobby.
The liquid is here you mustn't touch it.
Into the hall of the past.
Find the vents.
In the vents.
You need to climb into them and be careful.
Walk above the lake.
This is the heart of the matter, destroy this source and Hades is ours.
Be Aware.
The dog stalks all of these parts and should be made a non issue before Hades can be secured.

Ford mused about these instructions as he lay in his bed. Parts were missing from them. Parts were missing from a lot of things. The nest at the other end of his coop were Anathema once lay. Conversations with other clan members, addresses, numbers: some blurry, some gone.

“Tha Hogs are ours now, with the attack on tha gangs my advice is secure. What is my next move? Do I get one? Or is it tha pigs turn ta move? I jus don remember anymore.”

Ford closed his eye and tried to sleep as the thrum of talking and work echoed through the Rooster Coop.

__________________ In the darkness it could be heard _______________________________

HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW.

Nothing can stop my mutamon ... NOTHING!

RUN YOU SNIVILING LITTLE WRETCHES... FENJI BELONGS TO ME. RUN HOME TO YOUR MOMMIES AND DADDIES... TELL THEM YOUR SORRY YOU LEFT.

HAW HAW HAW HAW.

__________________ In the deep places one might have listened _______________________

Such tanacity in the face of failure, don't you agree Persephone?

Perhaps I should notify an authority? One cannot lose so much of onself and be sane.

It could be courage... or stupidity... or both. With such things one can never be to certain.

Cerberus is hungry Im sure. Sweet child, do take care of him.

__________________ In the noisy precinct one could still understand ____________________

WHAT DO YOU MEAN RE-ASSIGNED... the case is almost broken. JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!

"Come ON Svengali, laser beams, you know, like this- 'pchew-pchew-ZZZZZZ' like that!"

"He doesn't appear to know that command."

"Oh, hey Grandpa. That's to be expected right now though. I mean, he KNOWS how to DO the laser beams, but he's a snake, he doesn't know what I'm saying yet when I say 'Do laser beams'. It's like when you get a dog. The dog KNOWS how to sit, but it doesn't know what you mean when you SAY 'sit'. We're getting there though. I'm pretty sure I saw his eyes turn slightly red that last time."

"Well, don't let me stop you."

"No, that's OK. We're gunna move onto the next thing now. So, Grandpa, can I borrow your' super long ladder? You know, the one that's taller even than Svengali?"

"Why?"

"I'm gunna teach Svengali to fly."

"You are going to teach your' 20 foot long psychic king cobra, who has eye lasers..to fly......and you need my tallest ladder for this?"

"Yep. See, I'm gunna attach a treat to the top of it on a stick sticking out from the ladder, and then I'll tell him to fetch it, but I won't let him climb up the ladder to get it, so his only other option will be to fly up to get it. I mean, he's psychic right, so he can obviously fly given the proper training. Also, can I have a dollar?"

"Well, that sounds like a sound plan. Only, I will be the one to attach the incentive, and you are not to climb the ladder. And why did you want a dollar?"

"For the treat. I was gunna walk down to the pet store and buy an oid. They're only a dollar and Svengali seemed to like them that one time almost as much as his regular food. Also, they don't make noise, so it wont annoy Grandma when it's tied up there."

"Alrighty then. Here's the dollar, and make sure you shut Svengali back up before you go. And call me when you get back so I can help with the whole ladder get-up."

"Sure thing Grandpa, thanks!"




Stretching his back, Grandpa Matzushiro started the E-mail to his son;
Hideki...
You will never guess what I did with your' daughter today.........

DOGS STATS: [potential] right now
C[3]2
A[2]1
S[2]1

NC1 noisy dog 5+ to barking loudly
NC2 its a biter +5 to biting a threatening target

Mutamon power:

+3Combat
+C2 Earsplitting Bark (entry)
+C3 Earth shattering Bark,
4D6dmg T1 R2
RES: Must be barked, Cannot be silenced, endisriminent line, environmentally destructive
meta C3 (earth shattering bark) Precision Gamble: If, on the check/opposed roll, you roll 10 or greater on the die you may apply a bonus of +5 to your action. You may apply this effect instead with 15 or greater for a +10 to your action or with a 20 for a +25. reverse value for failure to achieve such a roll. for exameple -5 if you roll under 10, or -25 if your roll a 1)

Another Lazy day of lying in the sun...

You can only play with a dog soooo much...

there must be something to do...

not more housework that's 'fur' sure!

HMmmm...

Well papa drinks beer to have fun and my bro was saying that some of the clans drink!

I GOT IT!

I WILL JOIN A CLAN!

not the rooster tho, bad history.

HMMM!

Who is the coolest Clan around, or perhaps the toughest!

THE RAT CLAN! they are so tough they steal mutamon!

Ive trained really hard, if i could just show them how tough i am!

Hmmm your not really rat like tho dog!

I got it! if i feed you nothing but cheese you will be perfect!

They will have the accept me then 'fur' sure!

*atticus runs off whistling some unrecognizable tune*

Ford was making himself busy by helping clan mates pack and helping with reconstruction of the Coop. Almost half of the near hundred children were either going to the Matsuhiro farm or to their homes. The remaining would either need more time to set right or were that special type of lost child that needed to be on the street.

“Is this what i'm meant ta do? Am I findin myself by showin others the path to take on their journey?”

Ford idly wondered as he worked by himself.

“Never tha less by tha time i'm through here there should only be lost children who need this life and will fight to protect it. Strengthen the whole by removin tha unnecessary. The Coop's gotten more manageable too.”