Ryozo barely had time to wonder where Jikken had been when several
blasts of energy burst forth from its torso, spraying green ichor out onto
the ground and on Ryozo's face as he ducked the blasts.

	Jikken slithered off of the creature, resuming its animal form as though
nothing had happened. Writhing, the creature dropped to its knees.

	"Die, damn you, DIE!" Kei's voice was filled with rage and hate as bolt
after bolt of energy lanced through the creature. After what seemed to be an
eternity, the shots ceased.

	It lay face-first on the dirty floor, green blood coating its back.

	"Hey, that's the stuff that was on your Bloody Card." she said to Yuri.
Ryozo and Twiggy walked over to the two, with Specs joining them. Mughi came
up behind Kei and started to rub up against her legs. Jikken returned to
umbrella form at Ryozo's touch. Kei looked at him with an expression of
utter confusion on her face.

	"I'll explain later," Yuri said quietly. Without a word, Kei knelt and
turned the now-dead creature over on its back. Its chest was a gory mess of
green ichor and dirt. Gingerly, she reached behind the featureless mask,
feeling for a release mechanism. After a few moments, she found the
mechanisms. With a hiss, the mask released itself from its head. Cautiosly,
she removed it...

	Kei almost gagged at the sight. Its impossibly large forehead was covered
in colored spots. Small, beady eyes were buried deep beneath the bottom
ridge of the forehead. Its mouth was protected by four claw-like
protrusions, connected by small flaps of flesh. even dead, it looked fearsome.

	"Now, that," Twiggy said, "is one UGLY motherfucker."

	"What are we gonna do with it?" Yuri asked.

	"He iS OuRs." Everyone turned to see another creature approaching from
behind. It was larger than the one they had just killed, and its armor was
more ornate. Several more creatures materialized from behind it, all
brandishing weapons. The looked as though they had come from some strange
tribal ritual. 

	"Aw, shit," Twiggy spat. The leader approached Kei, who raised her
electromag. The leader stopped, the creatures behind him hoisting their
weapons threateningly. Slowly, it reached into its belt, producing a small
object. Casually, he tossed it to Kei.

	"TakE iT," it said in its strange, almost mechanical voice. "YoUR TRophY."

	Quickly, two of the creatures came forward, and grabbed the dead one.
Hoisting it in the air, the retreated into the shadows. They disappeared
into the shadows, the leader going last.

	Kei glanced at the object. It was a pistol, and an old one at that. It was
a ball-and-powder model, inlaid with gold. On the bottom of the handle,
something was written in fancy pen:

	Col. A. Simpson
	1787

	Kei whistled as she gazed at the weapon. It was authentic, all right.
Yuri's arm appeared around her shoulders, and Kei copied the motion, glad to
be alive.

	"We have to go," Ryozo said. The sirens were very close, and the CPD would
be there shortly. With practice motions, the three men retireved their
weapons, and the five made their way into the night.