WARNING: Rated PG ;) - Anita uses the four letter F word, Valeria uses the four letter S word and... something else... DARN! I forget. Just take your heart pills and hope for the best folks. 0-:-)

....and now, back to PENGUIN$

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The supposed plight of the purple penguins had removed all thoughts of
painful knees and burning lungs from Anita Blake's mind. Her feet barely
touched the steps as she propelled herself upwards, reaching the thirtieth
floor with Valeria still several flights behind.

"Hey Orbus! You want me to call a tow truck or something?!" She shouted
softly, her voice echoing down the stairwell.

"Laugh it up fuzzball," Valeria muttered from four flights down, pausing to
catch her breath. "I'm getting too old for this shit."

When she finally reached Anita, the petite necromancer had her gun out and
her ear pressed to the door.

"Oh my God," Anita said grimly, her eyes smoldering with anger. "It sounds
like they're torturing them in there. I can hear screaming."

Valeria hooked a mess of blonde hair behind one ear and then placed it
against the door. "Naw," she said after a moment. "Someone's playing a Yoko
Ono CD. It sounds like we're at the right place. We've used her music in the
past during raids on Penguin Strongholds to lull them into a false sense of
security. They really relate to it for some reason."

"I wish we knew what was happening on the other side of this door," Anita
said determinedly.

"Doesn't matter, does it," Valeria replied, glancing at the red light on the
security card reader. "We're not getting in without a security card or a
maybe a missile...," she paused and eyed Anita suspiciously, "you don't
happen to have one of those tucked away on you somewhere do you?"

"Damn," Anita muttered. "Left it in the car. Are you sure we can't just
shoot our way in?"

"No way. This door is solid steel with a powerful electromagnetic lock,"
Valeria said. "I'd say we're screwed. We should have swiped Dumass' card
when we had the chance."

"This is not good." Anita shook her head and leaned back against a nearby
wall, holding the gun with both hands. "I'd hate to have to go all the way
down and back out to the car. We don't have the time for this."

A thought occurred to Valeria. "Can't you just use your mental connection to
the penguins to get one to open the door?"

"That is the stupidest thing I've heard come out of your mouth so far
Orbus," Anita snapped. "Those poor little penguins are in there, kidnapped
and tortured, and you think the bad guys are just gonna let them get up and
open the door so we can waltz in and save them?"

"It was just a thought," Valeria shrugged, looking closely at the door. "But
it really doesn't matter anymore now anyway."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter!" Anita stormed, "What's wrong with
you!? You can't give up now! Where's your sense of honor and compassion?
Where's your respect for the sanctity of life? Don't you have any ethics at
all?  These are MY penguins we're talking about!"

"Anita," Valeria sighed, trying to interrupt.

"What?!"

"For once just SHUT UP!" Valeria yelled suddenly, glaring at her for added
emphasis. "Look at the damn door! The light just turned green! It's OPEN!"

"It is?" Anita's eyes slid non-chalantly in the direction of the card
reader. "Oh."

Valeria sighed. "Now for the big question. Who opened it?"

"Well, we can't just stand here wondering about it. Get ready," Anita said.
She'd removed the machine gun from under her jacket and now held it firmly
in her hands.

"Oh man, here we go," Valeria said, cringing.

Anita lifted her leg and slammed her foot against the door's push-bar. It
swung inward to reveal the figure of a tiny purple penguin with sad
puppy-dog eyes, wearing a yellow bow-tie.

"Norman!" Anita squealed with glee. "Good boy!" She rushed in, picked up the
penguin and crushed it to her chest. "I am so glad to see you!" She pulled
the penguin away from her and examined it closely. You look okay..."

Valeria entered the room behind Anita, gun gripped in her hands, maintaining
an alert stance. "I don't like this Blake," she hissed.

Anita put Norman on the ground and patted his little behind, sending him on
his way. Then she put her hands on her hips and surveyed the scene. The
party was still in full swing.  The Spice Girls were now blasting from the
speakers. A blonde in a bikini jiggled by, completely oblivious to the
presence of the two women.

"Somehow, this wasn't what I was expecting," Anita said, confusion evident
in her voice.

"Someone outta tell Dr. Pisces that he knows squat about torture," Valeria
added, grinning. "Anita, this may be the wrong time to ask, but is it at all
possible that YOUR penguins could have gone over to the other side, and
we're about to become penguin food?"

"That's ridiculous," Anita snapped. "Someone better start talking or I'm
gonna get mad."

"Talking?" Valeria snorted.

Spying Pingu on the lounge chair, Anita stormed over to him, shoving the
brunette out of the way. "Okay mister," She snapped, leaning down to grab
him. She pulled the hapless bird into the air and shook him. "What's going
on here?"

Pingu jerked in sudden shock, his tiny useless wings coming up in defense.

"What do you mean you weren't expecting us so soon?" Anita ranted. "I told
you we were coming right up to save you!"

The penguin shrugged expressively, eyes bulging.

"Hey!" The brunette snarled. "Leave him alone doll-face, he's mine!"

Anita went deathly still before turning her head slowly in the direction of
the other woman. "What exactly did you just call me?"

"Blake, we don't have time for this," Valeria said matter-of-factly.

"You're right," Anita said, aiming the machine gun at the brunette. "Just
hold still, this won't hurt a bit."

"EEEEK!" The woman yelped and scurried off to hide behind the bar.

Anita turned her attention back to the squirming penguin. "Now where was I?
I want answers Pingu, and I want them now. What's going on here?"

The penguin was now staring at the machine gun with wide eyes, his tiny
webbed feet back-peddling uselessly in the air.

"Blake, he's gonna pee all over you if you don't stop scaring him." Valeria
laughed. She threw herself down onto a nearby lounge chair and put her hands
behind her head, enjoying herself.

"Arrrggh," Anita growled, dropping Pingu. She turned to face the pool.

"Excuse me!" She yelled at HER frolicking penguins. "Can anyone tell me what
the hell is going on?"

She was utterly ignored. The splashing and squawking continued. Her face,
normally a near deathly pale, turned bright red as anger drove her blood
pressure up. A beach ball came sailing out of the pool in her direction. It
bounced harmlessly off her head, landing near the bar. The red-head took off
in pursuit. Anita's hands clenched at her sides.

Valeria was the only one who seemed to notice that the room had become
deathly cold. The tiny hairs on her body stood up as a icy jolt of
electricity crackled across her skin leaving goose-bumps in its wake. She'd
heard rumors of Anita Blake's legendary displays of power, but hadn't seen,
nor expected to have seen, proof in this particular situation. This subtle
display of barely controlled rage put the young, deceptively fragile-looking
woman in a whole new light for her. It was something to definitely keep in
mind.

"That does it," Anita snarled, her voice low. "I've had enough of this."

The beach ball burst into a thousand tiny pieces of plastic.

Then, one by one, the artfully designed lights around the pool began to
explode. The stereo over the bar went supernova, sending sparks and
electronic parts flying. The brunette screamed and scrambled out from behind
the bar, colliding with the red-head. They screamed in unison, clutching at
each other. The penguins squawked in fear, some diving under the water,
others dragging themselves out of the pool to find a place to hide. The room
had been reduced to pandemonium.

"Jesus, Blake," Valeria said, trying not to allow even a hint of the fear
that was bubbling up inside her show. "Can we schedule this little hissy fit
for some other time? We've got work to do here."

Anita's head turned smoothly in her direction, her eyes a solid, sapphire
blue. Valeria blinked in surprise. She prided herself on her attention to
detail, and up until a few minutes ago she'd known beyond a shadow of a
doubt that Anita Blake's eyes were a deep black-brown. The effect was
stomach twisting.

"Blake," Valeria whispered again.

This time her voice seemed to touch something deep inside the necromancer.
As Valeria watched, the blue faded from Anita's eyes and was replaced by
brown.

Anita shook her head several times, then closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. When she opened them again, she surveyed the hysteria around her,
then calmly reached into her jacket and pulled out the Browning from where
it nestled inside its holster.

She aimed the gun at the security door and pulled the trigger sending a
bullet into the reinforced steel where it imbedded itself harmlessly. The
sound of the gunshot froze the frenzy around her as if the pause button had
been pressed on a remote control.

The silence that followed in the semi-darkened room was almost as deafening,
but as the ringing faded from her ears, Valeria became aware of the sound of
someone clapping. Anita, her mouth open as if she'd been about to speak,
heard it too and turned to look in the direction of the sound.

"Very well done Miss. Blake," said the ever elegant Dr. Byron Pisces,
clapping politely. He stood at the entrance to the pool room, surrounded by
a squad of well armed Emperor Penguins who glistened with resin. "Very well
done indeed." He smiled warmly.

"Dr. Pisces I presume," Anita replied with calm menace, radiating attitude.

"Guilty as charged I'm afraid," Pisces said, still smiling. "Put the gun
away Miss. Blake, and you Miss. Orbus."

"I'd rather keep mine, if that's okay with you," Anita sneered.

"It isn't," Pisces said, now laughing. "Please be aware that for every
second you hold onto your weapons, the chances increase that one of my
penguins will shoot one of yours, or perhaps your partner. While you're at
it, please rid yourself of the other weapons you have concealed. You won't
be needing those anymore. I suggest you don't hold anything back. When you
passed through the door from the stairwell, you were scanned for weapons."

Anita took a deep breath and then lowered the Browning and the Uzi to the
floor. She reached into her jacket and pulled out another gun, then leaned
forward and pulled a third from an ankle holster. Removing her jacket, she
slid the silver knives from their wrist sheathes and pulled a long sinister
looking blade from a sheath down her back.  As she continued, a small pile
of weapons slowly began to form at her feet. When Anita was finished,
Valeria stepped forward and quickly added her two automatics, feeling like a
total amateur.

As Pisces watched Anita silently, arms crossed over his chest, Valeria took
the opportunity to observe him. He was much younger than she'd expected, and
far more handsome. There was something familiar about him and it took her a
full minute before she realized that he bore a striking resemblance to the
now dead Master of St.Louis. It would be ironic, she thought wryly, if the
two were in some distant way related. Out of the corner of her eyes, she
glanced at Anita, trying to gauge her reaction.

The resemblance had not been lost on Anita. Before her stood a living
breathing, modern replica of Jean-Claude.

"Living or dead, any way you slice it, you're still a pain in the ass," She
muttered. "Maybe it goes with the face."

Inside her the munin stirred, but remained dormant thanks to presence of the
penguins. It was then that Anita noticed that something else besides the
munin was generating an oddly disconnected sense of fascination and arousal
inside her. She realized that what she was feeling was the dangling, broken
remnant of Jean-Claude's marks sparking momentarily. She sighed to herself.
It would have been very like Jean-Claude to get excited over his own
reflection. She ignored the feeling with every bit of willpower she
possessed. She didn't have time to deal with any more weirdness.

When the last weapon had been carried away by two of the Emperors, Pisces
crossed the floor with long strides until he stood directly in front of the
frowning young woman.

"Anita," he said softly, reaching a hand towards her face but halting it's
progress when she flinched. "Don't be angry with me. You have no idea how
happy it makes me that we've finally come face to face. Until only moments
ago, you were no more than Sigmund's servant to me. I had no idea that there
was another in the world who shared my wonderful gift. I feel intimately
connected to you. Rejoice with me."

"Huh?" Valeria said loudly, and immediately had a warning squawked at her by
an Emperor.

"Pardon me for not jumping up and down," Anita said. "But what the fuck are
you talking about?"

Pisces ignored the vulgarity. "It's obvious to me, now, that Sigmund marked
you in the same way the Empress has marked me. As they were brother and
sister, and he was her closest advisor, our marks bear a strikingly similar
signature. We are as one. We share the connection to the power of the
species. Can't you feel me in your mind?"

"Sorry, you'll have to reschedule," Anita snapped. "There are too many damn
people in my mind as it is. I'll have my secretary call you."

"You don't understand, do you?" Pisces frowned momentarily, and then
brightened. "But of course you wouldn't! You don't know what's about to
happen. Anita, in just a few short hours an event is scheduled to happen
that will bring about a new world order! Together, my darling, you and I
shall rule this brave and wonderful new world."

"Blake!" Valeria shouted, smacking her forehead. "What IS IT about you that
attracts these type of men?" The butt of an automatic rifle was pushed
menacingly into her back, silencing her.

Pisces ignored the outburst. "You may not understand now, but I think I know
why, and I can fix it." He smiled. "Your mind is flawed. Sigmund may have
marked you, but for whatever reason, he left you incomplete and blind to the
greater glory of penguin-kind. They are about to become the saviors of
man-kind. The Empress initiated me, and now I will initiate you."

"Fine. You can initiate me or whatever, but first let MY penguins go." Anita
said. Then, as an afterthought, she added: "And Valeria too."

"Thanks for throwing me into the deal," Valeria quipped, shaking her head.
"Though I guess this is where I'm supposed to say that I'm not leaving
without you, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"No one is leaving," Pisces interjected. "In fact, Miss. Orbus, you too
shall be initiated. Anita will need someone to attend her when she rules by
my side."

"Attend THIS, creep!" Valeria produced her middle finger and got the butt of
a rifle across her head as a reward. She slumped to the ground. Pisces' hand
snapped out and caught Anita's wrist with surprising strength, stopping her
from going to her friend's aid. "She'll be okay," he said, "She too is
flawed. The beam will heal her mind. You'll see."

"You bastard. What about my penguins?" Anita stood her ground, breathing
heavily.

Pisces released her wrist and casually walked away from her, hands behind
his back, looking very pleased with himself. He stepped over Valeria's prone
body and picked up the drink abandoned by Pingu. He sniffed at it delicately
before taking a sip, then removed the umbrella and twirled it between his
thumb and fore-finger.

"Darling," he said, "I suspect that you have no idea what your penguins
actually are. Did you know that they are purple for a reason? After the
hybrid was created, the scientists realized too late that the DNA they had
used had been specifically altered by the aliens. It was done so that if it
ever fell into the wrong hands, they would know that it had been used
without their consent. The Empress and I have been looking long and hard for
these penguins."

"You are totally insane," Anita breathed. "What are you talking about?"

"Sweetheart, your penguins aren't penguins at all." Pisces smiled. "They are
the first successful alien-penguin hybrid, and, at this moment, the most
advanced form of life on the earth."

"Wait, wait, wait," Anita said, shaking her head. "I've heard this one
before somewhere."

"Don't worry about that," Pisces spat, distaste evident in his voice. "We
have a special beam prepared just for Mr. Carter."

"And now that you have my...penguins," Anita said in a near whisper, "What
do you plan to do with them?"

Pisces smiled. "The purple penguins are vital for the functioning of the
beam. They will be used in the machine."

"In the machine?" Anita felt faint. She fought to keep her mind clear. She
was out-maneuvered and out-matched for the moment. Now was not the time for
heroics. She would have to play Pisces' game until a better opportunity
presented itself.

Pisces rubbed his hands together. "Gentlemen!" He called over his shoulder
to the Emperor Penguins behind him. "It's time to get our purple cousins and
our special guests to the penthouse."

A group of smaller black and white penguins rushed into the room and hoisted
the body of the still unconscious Valeria above their heads before scurrying
out with it.

Pisces reached a hand imperiously toward Anita. "Come, my love. The time is
at hand." When she didn't put her hand in his he sighed and bowed with
courtier-like grace. "After you, my dear."

Anita looked over at the sullen group of purple penguins who were being
marched towards the door.

"You won't get away with this," She said simply.

Pisces smiled. "I already have."

Continued in  Issue 10  of PENGUIN$...

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