*Since the 'family meeting', yesterday, no one had seen Namu. It's not that he was missing, he was in his room, and no one dared enter when he was upset, last time someone tried, Tim almost ended up with a concussion and Trickster has been afraid of french fries ever since (Don't ask, let's just say it was quite gruesome). On another, compleatly unrelated to the subject, recently, weird things have been going on. Like, for example, things would randomly fall off shelves for no reason, caps would fly off soda bottles, things would randomly turn on/off (which was probably most annoying, Tim'd be playing video games, and he'd be fighting the final boss and then the game would turn off), and this was all for no reason. Some people blamed it on ghosts. Akil said it was a polterguist* Tim:But ghosts and polterguists are the same thing! Akil:No thier not! They're compleatly different! Tim:Whats the difference? Akil:...it's hard to explain... Adam:Alls I know is we'd better stop it soon. It's annoying! I was gunna drink my coke and all the sudden the cap flew off and hit me in the eye! Tim:Ha ha! Akil:Well, the first thing we outta do is find out WHAT it is. We can't stop it if-- *all of the sudden, a book from Akil's bookcase flew off the shelf, almost hit Akil's head, hit a wall, and fell to the floor*... we wan't to stop it. Adam:Well how we gunna do that? Akil:With... THIS! *Akil pulls out an old vaccum cleaner* Tim:Uhh... Akil, isn't it a little early for Spring Cleaning? Akil:No you idiot, this is my Ghost Catcher 2000! Adam:How come everything gotta end in 2000? Akil:Good question, but I don't care-- Tim:And didn't you say it was a chicken guy or somethin? Akil:Polterguist, and I did. But this will make sure of it! By setting it to scan, then typing in the radius, one mile, it will tell if there are any ghosts in the area. *Akil turns a little nob that sets the radius to 1 mile and the Ghost Catcher 2000 buzzes* Akil:I guess not, well, other than in arena 176. That means that it can only be a polterguist... Adam:Or someone who got an invisibility cloak or something and wants to cause trouble. Akil:...or someone who wants to cause trouble... Tim:Or a person with telephonisis. Akil:...or someone with telekonisis... yes.. that too... Adam:Or a gu-- Akil:I get the point, you can both be wise asses. Now, off to investigate! Adam:How are we going to do that? Akil:We'll... I know! We'll use infared scanners to look around in areas of high 'ghost' activity, if someone appears, we'll catch 'em. That way, we'll know if there are any invisible people. I'll get the invisi-monocles I have conviently stored in this draw here. *pulls out four weird green monicles from that draw there* They let you see anything that's invisible. Tim:Why are there four? Hey, I can count to four! Akil:I dunno... *one of the monicles flies to the wall, smashing instantly* Adam:So that could happen? Akil:Fair enough then. So, where do you think the most common areas of disturbance are. Tim:Huh? Akil:I hate having to dumb things down to your level. Where does the most bad stuff happen? Tim:Well, here for starts. Akil:WEll, I'll stay here. Where else? Adam:The kitchen, but I don't think it's a good idea to stay in there, There's knives flying around like crazy in there. Tim:I'll go! Adam:Are you crazy? Tim:My head's stronger than any kuh-nifee! Akil:Your funeral. So... anywhere else? Adam:Why do we have to wait when you could just take a look around here? We don't have to go all out for this. Akil:Yes, but we may be working with multiple different forces at work here. Adam:Well, I'll check out arena 176. Akil:Why 176? Isn't that the "haunted arena"? Isn't it ALWAYS like that? Adam:Yes, but I want to see if it's really ghosts! Akil:Well, allright then. You can. Tim:I didn't know there was a haunted arena. Adam:It's frequently unused. Most people are scared of it. Akil:Alright. Then let's get to work! Report to your stations, and don't get yourself killed. Tim:I jus' thought a sompin', all these places are in to sector H, the sector where most of the living quarters are. Ahh! I just said sompin' smart! *runs to the bathroom and washes his mouth out with soap* Akil:So, off with you! Go go go go go! *Akill handed Tim and Adam the monocles and they left, going to the area they specified. Akil put his on and waited. After a while, he noticed a strange energy, seeping through the door, and knocking stuff over, throwing stuff, etc. He decided to follow it* *Meanwhile, Tim peeked through the door of the kitchen, with the weird monocle on. Chairs, napkins, knives, sporks, all kinds of kitchen knick-knacks were flying around and around and around, orbiting the center of the room. Tim peeked his head in and a knife stopped, and flew directly at him. He quickly unpeeked and slammed the door shut, but not before noticing the weird energy holding the utencils hostage. The knife stuck into the door (the kitchen door was one of the few wooden, not automatic, doors), and struggled to get loose. It continued while the door was suddenly ripped from its hinges and a swarm of pointy kichen-prone objects flew out, sights set on Tim, who was a lot more scared than he thought he would be. He ran. Even the dumbest of people knows not to try to fight a swarm of flying pointy things. He ran back into the lab, (with one of the more high tech doors) and set the lock. Now let's see those knives break the code to open the door. He turned to speak with Akil, who wasn't there. Knives and forks stabbed at the door, while the spoons tried pressing all the buttons to the combintion lock on the other side. Tim hid in a corner* *Adam slowly entered arena 176. It was dark. And dank. And old. Nothing welcoming about it. It reminded him of a graveyard and there were cobwebs everywhere. Something was creaking, but it was impossible to tell what, or why. Adam looked about without, then with the monicle. There was some smokelike stuff that could only be seen with the monicle floating around, but nothing else. Ghosts, it must be, what else is... floaty and smokey? Suddenly, a ghostly dining room setup appeared in the center of the room. Adam lowered the monicle and watched as a wine bottle carefully poured itself in a levtating glass, then another on the other side of the small circular table. The bottle sank back to the table, and the glasses clinked. Adam put the monicle back on, revealing two souls who lost their lives in battle here, before the revival law was passed. This was weird. They were a man and woman, still looking exactly as they did at their time of death. The man had a chainsaw halfway through his head. The lady was covered with bruses, she must have been beaten to death. She noticed Adam quivering in the corner and invited him for a drink. The man noted that he was probably underage and Adam ran throught the halls toward the lab. He found that the lab was under attack with forks, knives, spoons, and a salt shaker. They noticed him, and decided to attack him instead. He 'eep'ed and ran into the nearest room, which was Namu's. Luckily for Adam, he was sleeping... eight feet above the bed... in mid-air. This did scare Adam at first, but then he put the monicle back on. The same floaty, smokey, energy that manuvered the forks held Namu up in the air. This was getting very weird. Now forks and knives were attacking both doors, to the lab and Namu's room. Adam, still wearing the monicle, got a small ladder and tried to wake up Namu. As soon as he did, all the weird energy flew back to where it came from. It, obviously, was no longer supporting Namu and he fell back down to the bed. All the utencils clattered to the floor... except the ones stuck in a door* Namu:What just happened and why are you in my room?! Adam:There's been this weird invisible smokey stuff attacking the space station and it's making stuff fly around and attack us and stuff. I came in when I was almost killed by a barrage of pointy stuff 'cause this was the closest room. When you woke up, all the smokey stuff went away. Namu:... I'm supposed to believe this? Adam:I swear it's true! Even ask Tim! Namu:... I'm supposed to believe Tim? Adam:Akil! He knows! Namu:Fine whatever. Adam:What is with you? You're not the same Namu as the one I first met. Namu:Well... things change... Adam:We gotta unchange it. Come on. We're going to Akil. He knows everything. *Akil had returned to the lab, since he couldn't find the sourse of the evil energy. Adam took Namu to Akil so could find a way to change Namu back to the way he was. Tim was still there also* Akil:Well, first we have to find out what changed first caused the change. And there's two ways to do that, either Namu tells us, or... theres always the hard way. Namu:I don't know what happened... all of the sudden I felt all dark and depressed. *as Namu said this, Akil reached into one of his draws and pulled out a device that looked kinda like a taser* Akil:O.k. then, the hard way it is. Namu:Woah! What are you going to do with that?! Akil:Don't worry, this wont hurt a bit. *with that, Akil pressed a button on the taser-like device and a bubble formed between the prongs and, without warning, shoved the bubble part into Namu's abdomen. Litterally INTO, as in inside. He held it there untill it beeped, and then, slowly, pulled it back out, but now there was a black/blue/purplish fireball in it. Namu's eyes went blank* Tim:What the hell did you just do?! Akil:Well, I took his soul for inspecting. Adam:THAT *points to the flame* is a soul? Akil:Yes, and not a very good one for that matter. See the black parts? Black isn't good. Black is evil portions. *Smoke from the flame started to collect in the bubble and Akil pressed another button. The bubble went away, but the prongs still held the soul in place. The smoke continued to grow* Tim:So, basically, you're saying we all have a little fire in our bellies? Akil:In lamen's terms, yes, I am. Adam:Cool! Akil:There's something unnatural about that smoke... *He was right, all of it was gathering in one area, a six foot tall, one-and-a-half foot wide area directly above the flame. Even when they batted it away, it would stay in that general area. Slowly, it began to take shape. It formed into a familiar shape, a humanic shape! It was getting more and more clear with each second. Eventually they could tell what it was* Akil:Namu?! *The smokey spectre blinked* Spectre:Wha-? Where am I? Adam:That you Namu? Spectre:No, I'm a frickin pirate. Why wouldn't I be Namu? Tim:Cause you's over there! *points to Namu's body, still bearing a blank expression* Namu:What the--?! What did you do?! Akil, what was that weird bubble thing, and what did it do to me?! Akil:Well it was only supposed to take your soul and leave you unconcious, but apparently, it took your spirit too. Adam:Soul, spirit, same difference! Akil:No, they're not the same. They're very different. That *points to flame* is the soul, THAT *sticks his finger through the remnants of Namu* is the spirit. Namu:You killed me! You stinkin' killed me! Akil:You're not dead. Namu:I'm stinkin' dead! You killed me! There's no other reason I'm here and over there at the same time! There's no other time you're outside your body, other than being DEAD! And now I don't even have any legs! *note the smoke tail leading from his soul to his waist, err... you know* Akil:Don't worry-- Namu:Don't worry!? Don't worry!?! You kill me and expect me not to worry about it!!! I can't live life as a ghost! Tim:You can't live at all as a ghost. Akil:Namu, don't panic... Namu:I am NOT panicing! Akil:Yes you are. Namu:Fine, I am, but that is expected when you're RECENTLY DECEASED!!! Akil:NAMU SHUT UP!!! YOU'RE NOT DEAD! WE CAN PUT YOU BACK IN YOUR BODY WHENEVER WE WANT! WE JUST WANT TO INSPECT YOUR SOUL TO TELL WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE YOU ALL BETTER SO SHUT UP! *Tim starts waving his hand through Namu's tail* Namu:AND YOU STOP IT! *Tim continues waving his hand through Namu's tail. Namu gets mad and tries to attack Tim. Tim smacks the device out of Akil's hand, and it, Namu's soul, and Namu's spirit went flying into the wall. Err... Namu's soul and spirit went THROUGH the wall, but the device smashed into it, smashing into hundreds of pieces. Tim grabs some of them and eats them. Akil gasps* Akil:Tim! What did you do?! Tim:Err. Smash the thing? Akil:Yes, but do you know what that means? Tim:Nope. Akil:Namu can't be put back with out it. Namu:WHAT?! Tim:Oops... Adam:Couldn't you just make another one? Akil:I didn't make that! I have no idea how it worked! You just smashed and ate $3000 worth of equipment! Namu:FORGET YOU'RE EQUIPMENT! I'M STUCH AS A PHANTOM BECAUSE OF YOU TWO!!! *There was an akward scilence. Namu's spirit became so depressed, he temporarily disappeared from existance. His soul was left floating there, color changing into a darker and darker blue as time went on. Akil, this being a habit when he was upset, studied the soul* Akil:Guys, this isn't good. Come here and look at his soul. *Tim and Adam came over and knelt by it* See how it keeps changing color? Each color represents an emotion, as I said earlier, black being evil, white being pure, etc., etc. Well, the more negitive feelings, the darker it gets, and when the whole thing becomes compleatly black, it becomes an evil soul, and is bound to remain that way for all eternity, sad and alone. Interesting, yes, but definatly not good. Adam:If ya ask me, Namu needs a girlfriend. That'd cheer him up. Love is the greatest not-negitive emotion, yes? Akil:Yes, but it's risky. Relationships are a fickle thing, they can make or break a man. Plus, what are the odds that we'll find someone he would long for? Tim:I say he needs cheeze. Adam:Not the time Tim. *Namu returned, looking more transparent and pale and less smoke-like all the time, but always being directly above his soul. He was obviously very depressed* Akil:Namu, cheer up. Most people would jump at the chance to become a ghost. I mean, you could play tricks on people all day! And you could walk through walls! Namu:I could do that allready... casting spells... now I can't even cast spells! My hand goes right through my staff. Tim:Shouldn't the Grim Reaper be coming for you? *Adam jabbs Tim hard in the side* Namu:Don't remind me. I'll miss you guys, I really will. I don't want to be dead. It feels... cold... Akil:Wait, the Grim Reaper only comes to escort souls without a body to the afterlife, who says you can't become a shaman's ghost? Inhabit somone elses body. Or simply possess somone? You'd never get caught and I could buy another device, maybe even a better one! Plus, you're not really DEAD, you're just... having an out-of-body experience! I mean, you're perfectly fine over there! *points to Namu's body, which isn't perfectly fine, still gazing blankly out into space with no life whatsoever. Suddenly, a chill is sent down Namu's spirit's non-existant spine and he turns. There it was. Here to take him away. It was a tall blackcloaked figure, who's face was blocked out under his hood by 12 o'clock shadow. He had a necklace of alternating skulls and souls of the damned. His bony finger beconed Namu to come with him* Namu:NO! I'm not leaving yet! I'm not ready!!! I wasn't supposed to die yet!!! I'm not supposed to die at all! I'm immortal! You can't take me! Not now! *apparently, no one else could see Death standing before Namu* Tim:Who are you talking to? Death:You must cooooooooooooooome. It is your tiiiiiiiiiiime. You are to depart the living world nooooooooooowwwwwwwww....... Namu:No its not! It's not my time yet! You can't take me now, or ever! I'M IMMORTAL!!! Death:You are noooot immoooortaaaaallll, yooooung ooooooooone. Never chaaaanging means your booody won't aaaaaage, not that you won't have to diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....... Namu:Then how'd I survive all that other stuff that PROVED I was immortal?! Why didn't I die then!? Death:...all will be revealed in tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimeeeeeeeeeee... Namu:You're just saying that because you know I'm immortal! I CAN'T DIE!!! Adam:I think Namu's lost it... Akil:...wait... isn't the Grim Reaper only supposed to appear to people who are going to die?! Maybe that means we can't sense him 'till it's OUR time! Tim:Stupid Grim Stupid McStupid Head! You no take-e Namu! *Akil found the invisi-monicle and put it on. Namu was arguing with Death. It could only be seen with the monicle, but there it was. Death. This was it. Namu was finally going off to his eternal rest... Wait, his soul! It's dark enough for him to become an evil spirit! Akil had to do something. But what could he do? Well... there was one option... though he wouldn't like it. He had to do it though. He gathered all his courage, and did what had to be done. Just as Namu had seemingly given up all hope, Akil rushed in, grabbed Namu's soul, and thrust it into his own body, and the spirit was forced in with it. Suddenly, Death became visible to everyone* Tim:HOLY CRAP!!! Death:If that one soul means that much tooooooo yoooooou, you may keeeeeeeeep iiiiiiiittttttt...... foooor noooooooooowwwww....... neeeever before have I seen such caaaaaare for another's soooooullll... *Death disappeared* Adam:Is that what Namu was arguing with? Tim:Where'd he go?! *Akil held his chest, doubled over, panting heavily. He did not feel well. Perhaps this wasn't the best course of action...* Akil:H-he's here... with me... Tim:Did you just-- *Akil nodded, still panting* Adam:You just... put Namu in yourself, didn't you? Akil:Y-yes... this does not... bode well... Tim:So... Namu's... in you?? *Akil nodded again, trying to deal with the sudden pressure in his chest and the searing heat, freezing and burning at the same time* Akil:I-it's ju--just temporary... *he looked up at Tim and Adam, they noticed something different about his eyes. They looked kind of like Namu's* Adam:Are... you sure you're going to be o.k.? Akil:N-No... N-Namu owes me... b-big time... *Akil layed down, shaking. In the back of his mind he could hear a familiar voice, thanking him*