"Look, buddy, we can't print that. Why don't you just wait for April 
Fools Day, okay?" Frank said in exasperation.

	"What? I'm a Superyoumageneral! I could tear you limb from limb 
this instant, so don't tell me what I can and can't print!" growled the 
customer to whom Frank was talking.

	"Listen you loony, I'm hanging up the phone now, and I don't want 
you calling back again." Frank replied.

	"Loony? LOONY? I'll show yo-" Frank replaced the phone on its 
cradle, cutting off the Superyoumageneral's rant. He jotted down the 
number, placing it in his breast pocket.

***

PROJECT CHIBIFICATION

Chapter 3: Perpetuation/Further Plot Stuff

Started by: Lady Brick

This part by: Dayglo

***

	"I need minions!" Eugene cried out in rage. As if to answer his 
call, the doorbell rang. "Coming!"

'Wow, _that_ was easy.' He thought to himself as he opened the door.

	Eugene almost fainted when he saw the man standing before him. No, 
not man... *bishounen*. From his spotless matte black shoes to his pale skin 
up to his lustrous black hair, he was everything Eugene wanted to be. He 
even had a futuristic looking tazer, something Eugene had always wanted.

	In fact, Eugene wanted it enough that it drifted shakily out of 
Brett's hand and landed in his. Brett raised one eyebrow, but otherwise took 
it in stride.

	"Oh, come in, come in, sit down, make yourself at home!" Eugene
gushed ecstatically. Brett followed the Superyoumageneral silently, taking
note of the house's state... clean, but littered with baked potatoes.

	"So, what brings you to my neck of the woods? Something tells me 
you're not applying to be a faceless minion." asked Eugene, passing Brett a 
cup of tea.

	"I'm from Otaku Force... we saw your message board post." Brett said
nonchalantly. Eugene nodded eagerly.

	"Yes, well, things didn't work out quite as plAnnad, but now I don't
need to be bishounen... I'm a Superyoumageneral now, you know."

	"Quite. By the way, can I have my tazer back?" Brett said smoothly.

	"Of course, I don't see why no... Say, why do you want the tazer
back, anyway?" Eugene's hand, er, claw paused half way to his pocket.

	"We need to take you to the Otaku Force Complex. You're much too 
dangerous conscious."

	Eugene was shocked. 

	"Do you think I'm some kind of *animal*?" he exclaimed, recoiling 
from Brett in horror.

	"Well, look at you."

	Glancing at the mirror atop his living room mantle, Eugene saw an 
increasingly scaly humanoid, with enormous muscles and an impressively sized
horn jutting from his forehead. He turned to look at Brett: Tall, thin, 
*definitely* human, with perfect ivory skin and spiky black hair. 

	All of a sudden, it was becoming painfully clear to Eugene that, 
although he was no longer a chubby, geeky otaku, he was still a misfit. He 
would always be second rate, second string, and second class. 

	But *Brett*. He had nothing to worry about, he was one of the 
beautiful people. He wasn't pudgy or "unique"... or green and scaly, for 
that matter. No, Brett was handsome and... well, handsome. It didn't matter
what his personality was. People liked him anyway.

	"Listen here, Brett. You can't call me an animal! I'm a Superyouma- 
frikkin'-general, and don't you forget it! I figured out something I should
have realised a long time ago. I shouldn't wish to be one of you beautiful
people. You know why? Because its you people that make the world as unhappy
and insecure as it is now! I wish you weren't such a pretty boy, so you'd 
know what it feels like to be looked down on, called "unique", and generally
hated," Eugene's newly deep voice boomed as he finished his rant, his now 
reptilian eyes glowing red. Brett had one eyebrow raised, and calmly put 
down his tea.

	"Can you just give back the tazer?" he said, a tinge of irritability
in his voice.

	"Oh, you'd like the tazer back, wouldn't you? Well, you know what?
Someday, someone's going to take your tazer away! And then maybe, just 
maybe, we'll rise up against you. We'll take the world back from you 
beautiful people, *then* you'll be sorry! You will tazer the little people
no more!" Eugene was out of breath by now.

	"What is this guy on?" Cecil whispered to Brett, through the radio
reciever concealed in his ear. Brett shrugged.

	"Wait a minute... what am I saying? Some day?" Eugene began,
laughing to himself, "I've got the power now! I'm a Superyoumageneral! In 
fact, I think you should... turn into a midget!"

	Eugene closed his eyes and concentrated on Brett becoming a midget, 
chuckling evilly all the while. He looked up at Brett, but he was still in
his normal state, staring at Eugene critically.

	"How can this be?" Eugene asked in wonder. "I managed to bake that
potato, make Commander Fuzz talk and clean the house... why won't this
work?"

	Brett shrugged, then grabbed the tazer while the grabbing was good.
Eugene was so dazed, he barely noticed. He also barely noticed when he was
tazered. It took a few times to knock him out.

***

	'The anti-gravity machine was kind of fun. The running machine 
wasn't so bad. The pie-eating contest was... just weird. But this,' thought 
Katie, 'was the final straw.'

	Suspended from the ceiling of the lab by steel ropes, Katie was 
wrapped in seaweed and peanut butter, with an albino hamster in each hand.

	"Deedee, why do we have to do this experiment *again*? It was bad 
enough the first time!" Katie whined, struggling to adjust the kelp poking 
in her back.

	Deedee sighed, "For the last time, Katie, we need to do the 
experiment without toothpaste this time! Now please stay still while we 
balance the liquid nitrogen."

	"Deedee, can I *please* have the day off or something? I can't take 
much more of this!"

	"Of what?"

	Katie groaned, "Of... of... these constant, useless experiments! I 
mean, who cares how much grape kool-aid I can drink? Or how long I can 
balance a thesaurus on my head while riding a unicycle backwards?"

	"Hey, that was an important experiment. How else were we supposed 
to find your center of balance?" Deedee said defensively, "Besides, we're 
almost done. Just a few more seconds... there."

	"Finally," grumbled Katie. "Now can you get me down from here?"

	"Sure," replied Deedee, taking off her rubber gloves.

	"Oh, Deedee, don't tell me you're finished already," Anna said, 
stepping through the lab door. "I still need to take some more pictures 
for postcards... we've made almost enough off the old ones to buy the 
Escaflowne VCD set!"

	"Anna! I thought we were getting the Kodocha DVD boxed set! 
Remember?"

	"Well, we were, until Cecil remembered that Escaflowne had mechs in 
it. He changed his vote for what to do with the money, then."

	"What? But the deal was in the bag!"

	"Maybe we'll get it next time. But I doubt it, no one likes that
show except _you_."

	"Umm, Anna, Deedee?" Katie said, sweatdropping. She struggled to 
get down on her own, but the seaweed was too tight. Not even the peanut 
butter would help her get out, instead making the hamsters stay on her 
hands as they chewed it contentedly. 

	Looking up, Katie was dismayed to see Anna and Deedee leaving 
without her, still arguing.

	"Deedee! Anna! Come back! ...hello?" Katie yelled. It was no use, 
and she was left in the room all alone. Well, except for the hamsters.

	The hamsters, in fact, were having a grand old time, chewing on the
peanut butter smeared all over Katie. Until of course, they fell asleep, as
hamsters tend to do when there's now hamster wheel nearby.

	"That is it. If I have to take part in one more stupid experiment, 
I'm going to go crazy! I'm already going crazy, I'm talking to myself!" 
Katie mumbled. She swung back and forth, trying without result to break the 
steel cable holding her to the ceiling.

	"Fine then. I'm through with experiments, I'm through with Otaku 
Force. I'm leaving, whether Anna, Deedee and everyone else like it or 
not... as soon as I can get free of this *seaweed*."

***

	"So, Cecil, as I was saying, the midget covers the zebra in whipped
cream, when Deedee grabs the lawn chairs..." Brett began, dragging Eugene's
prone body toward the door and talking into his mini radio.

	"Enough! Just get the body out here quickly, okay?" Cecil replied
in annoyance.

	"Fine. Your loss."

***

	Eugene awoke to see white. White tiled walls, white ceiling, white 
floor. The only thing that wasn't white were the bars between he and the 
door.

	"Bars?" Eugene wondered in confusion. "I don't remember there being 
bars in my room. Of course, I also remember there being a bed and windows."

	Using his marvelous powers of observation, Eugene soon discovered 
he wasn't in his room at all, but rather, some kind of holding cell.

	"What went wrong?" he mused, sitting up. Eugene groaned as a wave of
nausea accompanied the movement. "One minute I've got super powers, the next
minute, I can't even stop CLAMP-boy from zapping me."

	He replayed the events in his mind leading up to his capture. No 
clue there.

	"Guess I'll have to do this the hard way," Eugene said, sighing. He
began using his claw to scratch out equations in the tile floor. Eugene 
quickly became absorbed in his work, and the scratches got faster and 
faster. Finally, when his claw was almost moving in a frenzy, Eugene 
stopped.

	"Success! Finally I've figured out the secret of my awesome power!"
Eugene gleefully cried, jumping up and down. He calmed himself down and 
leaned against the wall.

	"But how am I going to get... The Sauce in a place like this? 
...Where am I, anyway?"

***

	Katie tiptoed stealthily through the hallway. She reached the end 
and peered around the corner... no one was in sight.

	"And I say the best shoujo series of all time is definitely Utena. 
Definitely."

	"No way! It's so definitely Rayearth."

	Katie was stunned. "Fushigi Yuug-" she began, when suddenly she 
realised, 'Wait a minute, I'm trying to escape here. Maybe responding to two 
random, approaching people isn't such a good idea.'

	"Did you hear that?" asked one of the voices from behind. Katie 
breathed a sigh of relief, due to the fact that a conveniently placed plot 
device, er, I mean, bucket full of cowboy hats, was blocking her from view.

	"Hello? Is someone there?" called the other voice. Katie could hear 
the footsteps growing ever closer. Thinking fast, she snatched a hat from 
the bucket, put it on, and sat perfectly still. She was careful not to 
blink or move.

	"Aww, what a cute plushie." said one of the two girls, stopping to
look at Katie. 

	"Probably one of Deedee's." said the other knowingly. The two walked
off, down the hall and away from Katie.

	Katie pulled off the hat and mopped the sweatdrop from her brow.

	'Hmm, I guess looking good in a hat really did end up helping me. 
Go figure,' pondered Katie. She tensed up when she heard more voices, and 
ducked through the closest door she could find.

	Katie was a little shocked to find herself face-to-face with a 
green, scaly, muscular creature about 20 times her size. Well, okay, she 
was more than a little shocked.

***

	"Okay Katie, today we're going to be running you over with a steam 
roller again, to find out the ratio of your normal size to your flat-as-a-
pancake size." Anna read from her clipboard. She looked up to see Katie's 
expression, and was surprised to see no Katie at all, let alone one of her 
zany chibified expressions. Anna groaned, "I *told* them this would happen."

***

	"Wha wha wha wha what are you?!!!" exclaimed Katie. She jumped back 
far enough to hit the wall, earning herself a large, white bandage for the 
effort. She was relieved when she noticed thick titanium bars separating
her from the big green monster in question. Cautiously, she approached the
creature.

	"Did they lock you in here too?" Eugene asked quietly. It suddenly 
dawned on him that this was none other than Katie. *The* Katie. "You're 
Katie! Hi, my name's Eugene, I'm a big fan! Wow, a real celebrity. I can't 
believe I finally get the chance to meet you! This is just like that time 
I saw Apollo Smile at that convention... only better! You know, you look a 
lot smaller in person than on those postcards."

	"Those postcards..." began Katie, steam starting to rise off her 
rapidly reddening head. "Wait a sec... I'm a celebrity?" She was surprised 
when Eugene extended a hand, but shook it nonetheless.

	"Katie, if I may call you that, what are you doing here? Shouldn't
you be off doing publicity stunts, or fan luncheons, or something like 
that?" asked Eugene eagerly. Katie stared at him incredulously, then began
to laugh.

	"Publicity? Fans? Ha! They've kept me in this stupid complex doing
stupid experiments since I came here two weeks ago! I haven't even gotten 
one day off! All they care about are themselves. That's why I'm escaping,"
Katie replied bitterly, stamping her Lilliputian feet for emphasis. Eugene 
suddenly smiled hugely.

	"Then you're like me! They trapped me here, just because I'm 
different from them. Well, Katie, with your help, we can put an end to 
their madness!"

	"Umm, I just want to escape, I don't actually want to get revenge 
or anythi-"

	"Nonsense! We shall overcome! Together, the reign of the elitist 
snobs known as Otaku Force is over!" Eugene grabbed Katie and rammed 
through a wall with one massive shoulder.

	"Elitist snobs?" Katie asked, raising one eyebrow, 'Oh well, at 
least he's helping me escape. Even if we'll probably get caught as a result 
of his complete lack of stealth.'

	Meanwhile, Eugene was running as fast as he could. Which was pretty 
darn fast, considering he was a ridiculously overpowered Superyoumageneral, 
and a determined one at that. He rammed through doors, windows, walls and 
the occasional end table in his mad dash for freedom.

	"Do you even know where your going?" Katie asked, hanging on to his 
arm for dear life.

	"Well, I figure if I keep heading in this one direction, we'll 
reach the end soon enough," Eugene replied, dodging a particularly prickly 
cactus.

	Suddenly, the alarms started going off around them.

	"Geez, took them long enough," muttered Katie.

	It was too late for Otaku Force, though. Eugene finally broke 
through the last wall, and ended up outside the complex. Unfortunately, his 
cell was on the fifth floor, a fact he would have noticed if he had paid 
any attention to the signs, windows, and orange trains on the walls.

	Eugene, luckily, was a Superyoumageneral (or SUPERYOUMAGENERAL, as 
he liked to pronounce it). He hit the ground with nary a scratch. However, 
Katie was not so lucky. She landed with a big white bandage, and a lot of 
pain.

	"Owies." she mumbled, sorely.

	Looking around, the two discovered that it was well into the 
evening, the sun was beginning to set. The Otaku Force complex, something 
which neither had seen from the outside before, was a large, seven story 
building, painted dark green to blend in with the forest surrounding it on 
all sides, like a hot dog bun surrounding a hot dog. And like said hot dog
bun, one side was not surrounded (we're not talking pigs-in-blankets here, 
folks).

	"What's that building over there?" Katie wondered, squinting to 
read the faraway sign. Eugene glanced at it. However, he could read the 
sign, thanks to his newfound Superyoumageneral long-distance reading 
abilities. 

	"Wostre... wustur... wooshter.... er, Sauces Inc." he read. His 
eyes lit up in realisation. He stood up and started doing a little happy 
dance.

	"So what?" asked Katie disappointedly, who had been hoping it was 
a pillow, chocolate or marshmallow factory. Those were always fun.

	She didn't get an answer, as Eugene grabbed her stubby hand and 
took off full speed for the factory.

	"Not again..." groaned Katie, "At least this time we're not running 
through walls."

***

	"Okay, so the name's Kim Johnston, phone number, 826-1316. Great! 
Thanks Ms. Johnston, we'll make sure we get your personal ad in tomorrow. 
Okay? Thank you. Good bye." Frank hung up the phone, exhausted. He wished 
something interesting would happen for him to write about, so he wouldn't 
be stuck at the office answering phones all day.

	"Our breaking news: A young girl has just been taken hostage."

	"Hello, what's this?" Frank turned up the volume on his small TV.

	"The pair are holed up in the city's one Worcestershire factory, 
where workers went on strike last week, due to issues with their pay 
rates. Eyewitnesses say the man is wearing a scaly green monster suit, and 
is approximately 7 foot 2, 450 pounds. The girl is two feet tall, with 
long brown hair. Her identity is not known at this point. Reporters have 
been asked to stay away from the area because of the potentially dangerous 
state of the hostage-taker. More news, as it breaks."

	Frank's eyes grew wide. Green scaly monster? Could it be the fellow 
who had called before, claiming to be a Superyoumageneral? Grabbing his 
coat, Frank nearly flew out of the office, nabbing a camera on his way 
out. Just in case it was a good scoop.

***

	"I must find The Sauce!" Eugene was tearing through everything in 
sight in his quest to find a bottle of Worcestershire sauce. However, the 
factory seemed to be cleaned out. "The sign said it was Wuser... worstr... 
wuostre... whatever! I just can't find it!"

	Katie was a little bored. She would have left the factory, but with 
that alarm going off, it was no time before Otaku Force came out looking 
for them. And it seemed like this guy just might be able to stop them. 
'Besides,' she thought, 'He seems to be a kindred spirit.' She glanced at 
Eugene, who was shredding a large crate to little more than sawdust. 'Even 
if he is crazy.'

	Picking up a nearby newspaper, Katie was surprised to see the very 
factory she and Eugene were in on the cover. 

	"Uh, you better come take a look at this." Katie called to Eugene. 
He stopped bending pieces of metal in half, and came over to see the paper. 

	"Worcestershire Inc. factory closed for duration of workers' 
strike." read the headline. Eugene's Superyoumageneral eyes began to glow 
dangerously.

	"What... did... that... say...?" he growled, battle aura showing. 
Katie sweatdropped.

	Luckily for Katie and probably everyone who had anything to do with,
or was within a 5 mile radius of the factory, Eugene was interrupted by the 
sound of Anna's voice.

	"We know you're in there! Come out with your hands, er, claws up! 
Don't make us come in there!" Anna's voice yelled. Peeking out the window, 
Eugene couldn't see anything in the dark. He turned on his night vision 
(yet another perk of being a Superyoumageneral). Now he could see vans, 
helicopters and a large blimp, all with the Otaku Force logo on the side. 
Also, there was a couple of police cars. Eugene sweatdropped when he spied 
Brett slipping some hentai to one of the cops, who promptly gestured to 
his officers to back off. Katie couldn't see any of this, because she 
didn't have night vision, and even if she did, she was much too short to 
reach the window, and any possible standing crates had been shredded by 
Eugene's claws.

	Katie and Eugene ducked as a small canister went flying past their 
heads. It exploded in a cloud of thick, white gas.

	"Tear gas?" exclaimed Eugene, coughing. "They're trying to stop me 
with *tear gas*? Fools!" He glanced at Katie for affirmation, but was 
horrified to see the tear gas working on her. Unfortunately, since she was 
chibified, her big glassy eyes began spewing copious amounts of water, 
rapidly covering the floor.

	"They're trying to flood us out! Well, it won't work on me! As soon 
as the water reaches the window, it'll pour out of it, and I'll be fine!" 
Eugene laughed insanely. When his laugher finally died down, he thought for 
a minute.

	"Wait, why am I staying here? There's no fun in that. Or The Sauce
for that matter." Eugene punched a hole in the wall behind him, and away 
from the Otaku Force reinforcements. Realising it was much too small for 
him to fit through, he used his shoulder to make another, larger hole.

	"Katie, are you coming?" Eugene called, looking around for his 
chibified partner-in-crime. Not seeing her anywhere, he shrugged, "I guess 
she wanted to stay behind and swim." He climbed through the hole and was 
off.

***

	Meanwhile, Katie was having a much harder time staying afloat. Her 
stubby arms and legs didn't give her much power, and she started to sink. 
Katie closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, when she felt herself 
being lifted by two strong hands. Dazed, she looked up at the owner of said 
hands, but was too out of it to focus on his face. He pulled Katie through 
a small hole in the wall, getting the two of them to safety. They ran 
through the woods, past a fountain and some playground equipment. It was 
then that Katie discovered she was in a park. Finally, they reached the front 
gates. Hearing voices behind them, they raced out of the park, across the 
street and into an alley.

	"Who are you?" asked Katie breathlessly, staring into her saviour's 
giant, sparkling, dinner plate eyes. Wait a minute. Giant? Sparkling? 
Dinner plates?

	"You're chibi too!" cried Katie, her eyes growing big enough to 
cover 3/4 her facial area (as opposed to the usual 1/2). "But the Otaku 
Force said I was the only one!"

	"They don't know about me. No doubt they told you of past 
chibifications. So far, you're the only full chibification. However, years 
ago, there were a few of us that became chibified..."

	"How?"

	The masked chibi-hero sweatdropped. "Botched attempt at a Halloween 
costume."

	Katie facefaulted.

	"*Ahem*, as I was saying, the A.E.I.O.U. managed to cure us. At 
least,  we _thought_ they did. However, I soon discovered that I wasn't as 
cured as they assumed. Now I can control, at least partially, my 
transformation to a chibified state."
	
	"So, what's the deal with the silly cape and mask?" asked Katie, 
finally looking him over.

	"Well, in my chibi state, I am none other than... SD Kamen!" he 
replied, powerposing. The sun rose behind him dramatically, which was odd, 
since it usually rose at around 6:35 AM, but the current time was 12:49 PM.

	"Riiiiiiight..." muttered Katie.

	"By the way, would you like a ride to your house?" asked SD Kamen 
politely.

	Katie perked up, the Sailor Moon otaku part of her brain kicking 
into gear. Visions of the frabjabulous Mamoru Chiba (a.k.a. Tuxedo Mask) 
and his equally frabjabulous motorbike danced in her head. She eagerly 
nodded, and followed SD Kamen out of the alley they had been hiding in 
(note to any small children who may be reading this impro: Do not follow 
strangers into dark alleys. Especially masked, caped strangers).

	Eyes lighting up, Katie spied a polished silver and black 
motorcycle standing before her.

	"Is that yours?" she said, simultaneously thanking her lucky stars 
and wondering how safe it was to drive a motorcycle twice your height.

	"No, no, *behind* it." SD Kamen replied, gesturing. Katie stepped 
sideways so that the motorcycle wouldn't obscure her view of the... chibi 
sized convertible?

	"Sugoi!" Katie squealed, running her eyes over its shiny black 
paint and smooth, red pleather interior.

	"You like it?" SD Kamen asked, stepping into the car. "It only took 
about two months to fix up."

	"How did you get it so small?" Katie wondered aloud, hopping 
gleefully into the convertible.

	"Oh, uh, you know. Here and there," replied SD Kamen, laughing 
nervously.

	He pressed a button under the dashboard and the car started up.

	"Is this a radio?" asked Katie, reaching for a black button which 
fit neatly into a space in the dashboard.

	"No, wait, don't touch that!" exclaimed SD Kamen, trying to block 
Katie's hand. But it was too late, she had already pressed the button.

	"Hi Barbie, its Skipper! Let's go to the beach!" said a perky voice 
from the car's speaker.

	"..." said the car's passengers.

	"Do you mean to tell me this is a souped-up mechanical Barbie 
Convertible?" asked Katie incredulously.

	SD Kamen nodded.

	Katie burst into laughter.

	"That's why I don't tell people that."

***

	"Oh, I've waited long enough!" cried Deedee angrily. "They've 
probably fallen asleep or something by now! Can we just go in 
and get them?"

	"Alright, alright. *Anything* to make you stop complaining." Cecil 
muttered, glaring.

	Deedee picked up a particularly large tazer and headed for the 
front doors. She picked the lock quickly, then flung them open. To be hit 
by a wall of water twice her height. It splashed over everyone and 
everything.

	Brett strode into the building, with Anna and Cecil close behind. 
Meanwhile, Deedee was running around madly, trying to collect samples of 
the water. 

	"Hello in there?" called Anna, trying to see in the dark. She 
pulled out a few flashlights and passed one to Cecil and to Brett.

	"It appears they're gone," Brett said, checking his Limited Edition
La Blue Girl watch (only $29.95 from hentai-gear.com!), "and I suggest we 
head back home."

	"Not yet we don't." said Anna, already hatching a plan, "We're 
going to set up surveillance of Katie's house. Now!"

	"But what about Eugene?" Cecil asked.

	"Don't worry, his house is much too far away for him to get there 
tonight. We can set up some teams around there tomorrow." Anna smiled and 
headed for one of the vans. "Come on, what are we waiting for?"

***

	After draining the last of it, Eugene dropped the last bottle of 
Worcestershire sauce on the floor of the 7-11, then left the store through 
the same window he had entered through. 

	"Hmm, I must test my powers," Eugene muttered, looking around for a 
decent target. He spotted a hobo, and concentrated on him. Suddenly, the 
wino's ratty clothes changed to a tuxedo, seemingly by magic. It probably 
seemed that way because it was, in fact.

	"It works! It works! Thank goodness I have my powers back," Eugene
sang, dancing along the sidewalk. He didn't care whether people heard or saw
him (Would you, if you were a giant, omnipotent, green lizard guy?).

	Eugene wished himself home and walked through the front door. He 
looked around, but it didn't seem like his parents had been home. Eugene 
started for his room, but was interrupted by Commander Fuzz and his 
pretentious British accent.

	"I say, chap, would you get my bloody dinner already? I think I may
perish of hunger!" exclaimed Fuzz, glaring at his master.

	"Maybe later, right now I have to plot... Brett and the rest of 
Otaku Force will never know what hit them." Eugene proceeded to burst into
peals of maniacal laughter.

	"Ungrateful brat." muttered Fuzz, flipping him the paw.

***

	The remodeled Barbie convertible pulled up to the curb at the end 
of Katie's block.

	"Are you sure you want to walk from here? I don't mind driving you 
to your door. I can do that in this car, you know," he offered politely. 
Katie shook her head.

	"Naw, I'm not sure I want my family to see me this way just yet. 
And the sight of a miniature caped man driving a Barbie convertible might 
blow my cover." she said, giggling at the mention of it being a Barbie 
convertible. SD Kamen glared at her for a moment, then sighed.

	"Well, alright," said SD Kamen, as Katie stepped out of the car. 
"Oh, and by the way, Katie, please don't tell the A.E.I.O.U. or Otaku Force 
about me... I don't want to end up one of their pet projects again. Okay?"

	Katie nodded. "I guess I'll see you later," she said, smiling.

	SD Kamen drove off in the direction they had come from, waving as 
he turned the corner.

	Katie's smile faded as she thought about SD Kamen's last words. She 
didn't want to be part of those experiments either. But did they really do 
so many tests on everybody? Deedee, Anna, Cecil and the others had seemed 
so nice at first. *Especially* Anna. Could they really be so fickle and 
heartless?

	Looking up at her home, Katie was glad to see the lights off, 
making sneaking in a lot easier. She started to head for the bird fountain 
on the lawn (the hiding place of her trusty but rusty hidden key). 
Unfortunately, she was rudely interrupted by three spotlights trained 
directly on her.

	"Freeze!" she heard Cecil's amplified voice yell. Looking around, 
Katie could make out four or five vans, all bearing the A.E.I.O.U. crest.

	Katie sweatdropped *big time*, and one of the elite A.E.I.O.U. 
commandos was there to catch it in a sterilized jar.

***

	Frank stepped into his 1991 Honda Civic, glad he could finally go 
home for the night. He glanced back at the miniature convertible crammed 
into his backseat and trunk.

	"Thank goodness for hatchbacks," he muttered, fiddling 
absent-mindedly with the mask on the seat beside him.

***

Authour's notes: First of all, I've got to thank my mah-velous prereaders,
Zack Hibiki, Lady Brick and ElRutt (especially ElRutt, who helped me get 
past my subconcious yet pathological fear of commas). Without them, this 
story would have names spelled wrong, Superyoumageneral capitalised 
incorrectly, and a complete absence of the letter "m". Now, I know you may
find some "spelling errors", in words such as realise, colour, authour, etc.
Keep in mind that this is because I'm Canadian, so that's how we spell 
things up here, eh?

*No* thanks goes out to all the stuff that kept me from getting this chapter
in on time, and made it so badly written. This includes my stomach flu and 
modem, who, as I am writing this, is sitting in my room with a red light on
it that has never actually been lit up before, and seems to be indicating 
that my internet connection isn't working. Either that, or the two events
are completely unlinked. Also, I *don't* want to thank my cats, for infesting
my room with fleas while I was out of town. Yuck. Oh well, at least they 
didn't do it while I was *in town*.

But I digress. Overall, I'm happy with the way this part turned out. If it 
seems rushed, well, it is. I'm not even going to check over these authour's
notes, how zany is that?

I love comments and criticism, so if you've got any, feel free to send it
to me at whatev@over-the-rainbow.com. You never know, I might even read it!
j/k