....and now, back to PENGUIN$

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"This is definitely not good."

Keeping her weapon aimed out ahead of her, Anita peered cautiously around
the tunnel, unable to believe her eyes. A moment ago she'd had Pisces lined
up perfectly in her sights. Then, as a sudden blur of motion all around them
startled her, he seemed to disappear into thin air.

"Damn!" She shouted, the word echoing around her. She tightened her grip on
her weapon even though the tunnel was quiet now. Not a hint of Pisces'
presence could be detected.

With her single-minded pursuit halted, it began to dawn on her that she had
no idea how far into the maze of tunnels she'd gone. She'd been so involved
with taking aim at Pisces' scurrying form that she'd stopped paying
attention to where the chase was leading her. Norman had been left far
behind, struggling along as best he could.

Anita took a moment to inspect her surroundings and found that the decor had
changed drastically. The clean, modern subway tunnel was gone, replaced by a
tunnel that had the look of one that hadn't been used in years. The tracks
by her feet were made of wood and were rotted with age. Rusted tools
littered the ground as if they'd been abandoned in haste by persons long
since dead. Strangely, in contrast to the surroundings, someone had screwed
brand new light bulbs into a few of the ancient sockets that lined the damp
stone walls. It was obvious that these tunnels were being used by someone,
but the question was: who?

"How many penguins does it take to change a light bulb?" She said wryly. She
took a deep breath of the tunnels stale air and then let it out in one long
rush.

Norman came puffing up behind her, squawking in an annoyed tone.

Anita turned to him and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "Try to
keep up, okay big guy?"

The penguin stamped his tiny webbed foot and rolled his eyes. He then
trilled a question at her.

Anita snorted in the darkness. "Ha! It may look like we've lost him but no
one escapes our wrath, right Norman?"

Norman squawked defeatedly.

"Now you stop saying that!" Anita spat out in sudden frustration. "You are
not just along for the ride. You've been a big help! I swear, you men and
your egos! I just haven't got the time for that kind of crap."

Norman shrugged, seemingly on behalf of his gender.

A banging sound echoed from somewhere further ahead of them, causing Anita
to spin and fire her weapon simultaneously. The bolt of light shot straight
down the center of the tunnel and continued on into the darkness. A moment
later a distant explosion was heard.

"Damn," she chided herself, breathing heavily as her heart pounded in her
chest. "Gotta watch that trigger finger. There's no telling who might be
living down here." She glanced down at the weapon in her hand with sincere
affection. "This little beauty sure is addictive though."

The banging happened again.

Anita squatted down on her haunches beside Norman. "Okay, Killer," she said
softly, ruffling the feathers at the top of his head, "we're gonna go check
that out. Stay behind me, watch your back, and try to act tough."

Norman nodded. The tiny penguin puffed out his chest and screwed up his face
into a squinty-eyed, tight beaked look.

"Okay," Anita said, pursing her lips to keep from laughing. "Clint Eastwood
works for me."

The softly glowing light bulbs grew fewer and farther between as the petite
Necromancer and her penguin sidekick continued down the tunnel in the
direction of the sound. Eventually they found themselves surrounded by
nearly complete darkness, broken only by a faint flickering light that
radiated from a nearby alcove in the stone wall.

Reaching the alcove, they found that the source of the flickering light was
a burning torch that was jammed into a crack in the wall. Beside the torch
was an old rickety wooden gate that guarded the entrance to another, much
narrower tunnel. A slight breeze coming from the tunnel was blowing the gate
partly open on its rusted hinges. When the breeze paused, the gate shut with
a loud echoing bang.

"Well, at least we know what's making that sound," Anita said, squinting
over the top of the gate into the darkness of the tunnel beyond. She could
see only blackness. The wind made an eerie wailing sound that competed with
the loud dripping of water and faint scurrying sounds.

Norman trilled anxiously beside her and pointed at the gate with a tiny
wing.

On the gate the words "DANGER: KEEP OUT" had been crossed out with spray
paint and "wELcoMe" written over them in awkward, clumsy letters that were a
happy shade of neon green. The innocent theme of the word was marred by the
hand print that was smeared across it, ending suddenly when it reached the
end of the gate. The print glistened in the firelight and when Anita brought
her face close to it a faint but all too familiar coppery scent wafted into
her nostrils.

Lying on the ground around the gate was an assortment of loose change, keys
and other things normally found in pockets of the average person. A notebook
lay among the items, the handwriting on its cover fast becoming illegible as
it blurred in the wet, bright red blood that was spilled on it. Anita
watched as Pisces' name slowly faded away.

"Norman stay close," she snapped. "We're going in there. I can't afford to
leave you out here, it's too dangerous." Adrenaline singed her veins as it
raced through her body.

Her injured shoulder protested loudly as she used both hands to tug the
torch loose from the wall. Then she pulled the gate wide open causing the
hinges to groan loudly. The sound echoed down the tunnel.

"I really, really hope that wasn't some kind of alarm," Anita said, willing
her heart to stop thundering in her ears. She eased the gate closed behind
them as quickly as she could.

The flickering light of the torch cast an intimate yellow glow, illuminating
only the immediate area around them. Rats and beetles scurried away from it
seeking shelter under cover of darkness. Water was trickling slowly from
cracks in the slime covered walls and the air smelled dank and musty. It
reminded Anita of the scent that had come from the nearby lake when she and
Valeria had left the factory hours ago. A thought struck her, sending with
it a jolt of fear. The harbor was close by. The walls of the tunnel could be
all that was separating her and Norman from the cold depths of Lake Ontario.

Norman suddenly squawked shrilly behind her, making her jump.

"What?!" She yelped. Her eyes slid in the direction that he was pointing. On
the wall beside him, the shadow of a six foot tall penguin loomed. The tiny
purple bird shook with fear. Anita sighed. "Stop fooling around Norman!" She
said. "That's your shadow."

Norman shook his head rapidly, still shaking. He pointed again.

"Look," Anita snapped, "I've just explained that...," she stopped when
something else caught her eye. She brought the torch closer to the wall.
Lying on the ground at the point where the wall met the floor of the tunnel,
was the skeletal remains of a human hand, bits of dried skin and hair still
clinging to the knuckles. A wedding ring, hanging loosely from the bone,
gleamed in the flickering light.

Anita swallowed hard. As R.P.I.T's preternatural expert she'd seen much
worse, but the circumstances gave the grisly discovery a personal edge. She
forced herself to view the hand with detachment.

Norman trilled.

"Um, yeah," Anita replied. "The rest of him might be here somewhere."

She raised the torch above her head as far as it would go to illuminate more
of the area around them. The radius of light spread until it caught the dull
edge of a moss covered bone.  Anita moved forward slowly until she had
revealed a pile of skulls and more assorted bones.  Her foot struck
something and she looked down in time to see a human tibia skitter into the
darkness.  The floor was littered with skeleton parts.

"Someone's been busy," she whispered to herself.

The wind picked up, bringing with it the stench of recent death. Anita
instinctively made her breathing shallow. A ticking sound caught her
attention and, glancing around her, she saw a detached skull in a miner's
helmet, rocking back and forth as it was buffeted by the rush of foul air.

She realized that she was standing in the graveyard of the men who had
dropped their tools in the outer tunnel. A massacre of some sort had taken
place here. Her fear for the tiny penguin behind her was becoming tangible.

The high pitched sound of a man screaming in mindless fear pierced the
silence of the tunnel and then died. Anita was off like a shot in the
direction of the sound with Norman behind her. It was difficult to run with
the torch in her hand, but she dared not relax her grip. The fire danced
above her head leaving barely enough light ahead of her to see. Eventually
the inevitable happened and her foot became hooked on something that sent
her sprawling to the ground. The torch flew from her hand and sailed out
ahead of her, landing with a splash and a hiss.

Darkness fell around her with an almost audible thud.

She lay at the bottom off the damp, slime covered tunnel, breathing heavily,
her eyes wide open. The sound of tiny webbed feet slapping the ground told
her that Norman had caught up. She felt the feathers of his wing brush her
face and heard him trill softly, his tone worried.

"Can you see at all, Norman?" She asked.

His response indicated a 'no'. He made a clucking sound deep in his throat.

"Oh," she said pushing herself up on her hands and feeling the numb tingling
sensation that was quickly turning to stinging. "I didn't think penguins had
such a good sense of smell. I hate when that happens."

She raised herself carefully to an upright position and then felt around at
her feet for Norman. When she found him she pulled the small, frightened
bird into her arms and cuddled him, feeling the rapid fluttering of his
heart against her own.

"Hush, it's okay," she said, not believing a word of what she was saying,
but relieved to find Norman quieting down. "I think you're gonna stay right
here with me from this point on," she said, then added. "I'm sorry I got you
into this, Norman."

He cooed gently in response and snuggled closer to her, proving his faith in
her with his actions. All was forgiven.

Anita edged forward a step, straining her ears. She wondered if turning back
was the right thing to do. Instinct told her that Pisces, if he was still
alive, was no longer the most immediate threat.

Making up her mind to return to the main tunnel, she had just taken a step
backwards in that direction when a woman's tense voice spoke out of the
darkness.

"Hello?" The voice said. "Hello? Please?"

Anita froze.

"Please?" The voice tearful voice continued. The woman sniffled and
swallowed loudly. "Help me?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Anita asked carefully, not moving.

"My name is Victoria Blackwood," The woman said, sobbing between words. "I
need help. I was in the underground parking garage at Cathedral Tower. They
pulled me out of my car. They hurt me. They dragged me down here. I saw your
light and heard your voice but I was too afraid to say anything at first.
Please, please help me. I'm scared."

"Who did this too you?" Anita asked and held her breath.

"The vampires," Victoria replied, sounding confused. "Who else?"

"Where are you?" Anita asked, baffled. "I didn't see anyone before I fell."

"You were running really fast," Victoria said and coughed violently. "You
must have heard the screaming. You landed almost right in front of me."

Anita didn't like this at all. Something was very wrong and every instinct
she had was screaming to be obeyed.  Still, she thought, above ground it was
morning. Most vampires would be tucked into their coffins. She reached deep
inside herself and cast out invisible feelers, seeking the presence of the
undead and sensing nothing. She decided that she couldn't let her paranoia
stand in the way of saving a human life.

"Okay," Anita said. "Since you know where I landed then it would be better
if you tried to reach me. Then we can head for the outer tunnel."

"I can't," Victoria moaned. "They broke my legs so I couldn't run away."

She'd have gone into severe shock by now, a small voice at the back of
Anita's mind yelled, but she silenced the thoughts, angry at her own
indecision.

Norman squawked.

"What's that noise?" Victoria asked in a jittery voice.

"It's nothing," Anita replied quickly. "I'll try to find you. Keep talking."

"Okay," Victoria sobbed. "Please hurry."

"How far was I from you?" Anita asked, holding Norman with one arm and
reaching out into the darkness with the other.

"You couldn't have been more than ten paces from me. I'm lying on something
that feels like a pile of sticks, just to the right of you."

"Good enough," Anita said grimly. "Keep talking."

"You sound like you're getting closer," Victoria said, her voice growing
calmer.

Anita counted to herself as she took measured steps. Norman, propped on one
of her hips like a young child, squirmed restlessly but kept silent.

The texture of the ground beneath Anita's feet suddenly changed. It buckled
a bit under her slight weight.

"You're very brave," Victoria said.

"I wouldn't call it being brave," Anita replied, trying to judge the woman's
distance by the sound of her voice.

"I'll bet you're a real fighter," Victoria continued. Her voice was somewhat
different now, as if she was trying not to laugh. Anita  stopped, a sense of
foreboding filling her.

Victoria sighed orgasmically and then laughed soft, sadistic laughter. "The
master loves the ones that fight."

"Aw no! SHIT!" Anita yelled as the ground suddely fell away beneath her.

She and Norman plunged downwards into an unknown abyss.

****************************************

As a row of penguin grunts slowly closed in on Mina, a shrill ringing
emitted from her belt, breaking her concentration.

"What the?" She yelled, slightly disoriented by the adrenaline rush that had
put her on automatic. Realizing what the sound was, she began to reach for
the headset that rested around her neck, but then remembered the issue of
her attackers. "I really need to get voice mail," she muttered to herself
and then raised her weapon to send a long, even spray of bullets into the
row of fierce penguins, cutting them down as they approached.

When the smoke cleared, bodies littered the ground immediately before her.
Grunting in approval she reached for the headset again and pressed a button
on the cellular phone attached to her belt.

"I'm sort of busy!" She yelled into the mouth piece. As she listened her
eyes scanned restlessly over the battle raging in front of her.

"You've got to be kidding me, George," she shouted her reply. "I haven't got
the time to worry about a bunch of purple...," she squinted in pain as
George interrupted her loudly. "Okay. Fine. Yeah, yeah," she said rolling
her eyes. "I said I'm sorry, okay? You're breaking up George, all I'm
getting is static. What did you say? Who's bringing me what?" Her eyes
suddenly spotted a black and white cat on the battlefield. It was chasing a
small, panic-stricken purple penguin who was frothing at the beak as it
waddled frantically. The cat was obviously toying with it, catching up to
the bird when it wanted to and batting it about like a catnip toy. "Whoa,
George," Mina yelled into the headset. "He's right here in front of me.
Gotta go!" She hung up and dashed to the edge of the heavy fighting.

"Elmer NO!" She yelled. "Don't hurt the purple ones, they're the good guys!"

The cat paused as if trying to decide whether she warranted his attention,
then he let his prey escape and bounded towards her.
"Pnguns gud?" He asked when he reached her. He looked unconvinced.

"Yes!" Mina put everything she had into the word. "They belong to an
important someone who would be very upset if they were killed. You're gonna
have to tell your cats not to hurt them."

"Not gonna bee ezee," Elmer mused. "Got fshy treetz fr kats?" He asked.

"Um, no, actually Elmer, I'm sorry," Mina stammered. "I'm fresh out."

"I dnno," said Elmer.

"Well I do," said a voice behind them. Mina whirled to find Christi
standing right behind them wearing one of the protective suits that the team
had custom designed for their purposes. A second suit was draped over one
arm.

"Uh oh," Elmer said.

Lightening quick, Christi had dropped the suit and was on the Supreme Leader
of the Cat Army. She picked him up, turned him on his back in her arms and
began to tickle his furry tummy.

"No tumi! No tumi!" Elmer yowled.

"Now listen here you little furry piece of navel lint," Christi snarled,
still tickling, "I may be your litter box cleaning, kitty crud buying Human
Servant any other time, but right now I'm the boss. You hear me? Either
you're gonna get off your fuzzy little ass and tell those cats to leave the
purple penguins alone, or I'm gonna go to the v-e-t VET and buy a case of
that pink goop you hated so much when you were sick, and a years supply of
diet cat food and maybe while I'm there...," she suddenly stopped tickling
the frantic feline and brought her mouth close to his little pointed ear,
"just maybe, I'm gonna buy a dog to keep you company while I'm away at
work."

Elmer's eyes grew to twice their normal size. Christi dropped the now
seriously sulking black and white American Short Hair to the floor. He
immediately attempted to collect his dignity by preening and pretending to
think about it.

"Well?" Christi asked menacingly.

"'kay," Elmer said, disgruntled. "Gnna owe me big for this one." He bounded
into the fray to spread the word.

Christi nodded, and then turned her attention to Mina, who took a step back.

"Boy, and I thought I was tough," Mina said, her tone respectful.

Christi held out the suit. "This, I believe, is yours," she said. "Things
are going to get very weird, very fast. Have you noticed what's happening to
the Emperor penguins?"

"Yeah," Mina nodded as she zipped herself into the suit. "I don't know what
I'll do if I run out of ammunition. Those things are monsters."

"If you run out of ammo, get your butt back to the bus and wait," Christi
ordered. "Chris, Valeria and myself are heading down into the subway tunnels
to do something about all this."

"The subway tunnels?" Mina asked. "Why there?"

"Jim called his office," Christi replied. "They just got back up and running
after the last attack. The resistance forces have satellites running
constant reconnaissance over different parts of the planet. While the OKC
office was offline the satellites continued to collect data and transmit it
to an off site facility where it was stored. Jim had his assistant look over
the data and they picked up huge concentrations of penguin pheromones, along
with superheated air being vented into the atmosphere from the exhaust
system of the Toronto subway system. It's a powerful system designed to make
sure the air stays clean and safe to breath in the tunnels. We're pretty
sure that we've pin-pointed the Empress' location."

"What are you gonna do when you get there?" Mina wanted to know. She looked
desperate. "I want to go with you."

"Forget it," Christi said. "We need you up here to protect the purple
penguins and help the rest of the team keep this contained. You're just
going to have to have faith in us and keep fighting.  Chris says she knows
exactly what we're gonna do. Whatever we do, I'm sure it's not gonna be
easy." She put a hand on Mina's shoulder. "Good luck," she said.

Mina nodded.

Christi smiled and turned to leave. Then she paused. "Winston's alive." She
grinned. "Fred brought him back."

"You sound happy about this," Mina said, smiling. "I didn't think you liked
him much. I was surprised when I saw you leaving with him in the car back at
the factory."

"Well," Christi said sheepishly, "that's a long story. But yeah, I care
about him. I figured that out at around the same time that I thought I saw
him die. I guess the goddess decided to give us both a second chance."

"Sometimes that happens," Mina nodded. "We're going to have to get together
with Valeria once this is over, throw back a few brewskies and have a
serious Girl's Night Out. We have a lot to catch up on."

"You have no idea how good that sounds to me," Christi said with a weary
grin. She then turned and began to run briskly in the direction of the
entrance to the subway tunnels, her gun held tightly in her hands.

********************

...Continued in  Issue 20  of PENGUIN$

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