The Birds

Chapter 3:  A stroll beneath the stars on a sparkling, moonless night.

(< and > denote thoughts instead of dialog)

The Samurai Pizza Cats Pizza Emporium is completely deserted.  The same is true for the
Samurai Pizza Cats franchises in the suburbs.

A small boy looked up at the huge, red "We're Closed, bring your dough back later and we'll give
you some of ours" sign that Francine had hand painted to hang on the door of the Pizza
Emporium after hours.

Junior: "It's almost noon Mama-san, and the parlor isn't open yet."

Mama-san: "Well Junior, I suppose we'll have to eat somewhere else."

Junior: "Yay!!!"

Francine walked along the street toward the Pizza Emporium after using the ATM with Guido
walking beside her and with four hundred dollars in her purse.

Fran: "Nice night isn't it Guido."

Guido: "Ya, sparkling.  They really get like that when there's no moon out.  Yep, sparkling like
diamonds."

Francine giggled.

Guido: "Now what was that about?"

Fran: "Oh, nothing much.  I just remember that when I was a kid I thought that they were
diamonds, and I built a rocket ship so I could fly up and get the diamonds so I could sell them and
get rich."

Guido tried to stifle a laugh, failed, and burst out in a very loud laugh.  Francine joined him.  They
stood there together, laughing on a street corner.

A guy in a window: "Pipe down will ya.  I've got a big meeting tomorrow and I need to get some
sleep!"

They stopped laughing momentarily, and then burst out laughing even louder than ever.

Guido: (finally getting a hold of himself) "You know (snicker) I can just picture you trying to get
rich by doing that."

Fran: (a little embarrassed) "Well, I suppose I've always had a bit of a taste for money."

Guido: (surprised look on his face) "A bit of a taste?!!  If dollars were water you'd drink the
ocean."

They laugh a little about this, but not as much as before.

Fran: "Ok, I admit that sometimes I can't get enough of it."

Guido: (jokingly) "Ya, no kidding!"

Fran: (a little more solemn look on her face) "When I was a kid I also used to dream that
somebody would bring me out on a night like this, sweep me off my feet, tell me that my eyes
sparkle just like the stars, and then give me a ring that sparkles even brighter than the stars do.
(She gives a little shrug of her shoulders) But, that's childhood fantasy for you."

Guido: (looking down, a strange, solemn expression on his face) "Ya, fantasy"

Francine's purse falls to the ground as they walk.  They turn around and she picks it up,
examining it.

Fran: "Oh, poo!  Look, the strap broke."

Guido: (quizzical expression) "I don't know Francine. (He takes the purse out of her hands and
looks more closely at it.)  Look at how clean the break is.  (He points out that the break is
smooth, no jagged edges) Something doesn't usually look like this when it breaks.  (He thinks for
a moment) It almost looks like it's been cut.  AAAAHHH!!!"

Guido suddenly shouts out in pain and stumbles into Francine.  She holds him up for a moment
before he falls to the ground.

Fran: "Guido!  What's wrong?!!"

She looks at her hand and sees that it is covered with blood.

Fran: "EAK!!!"

Guido stands up with his back to her and looks around rapidly trying to find the source of danger.
Francine sees a deep red slash bleeding from his right shoulder to the left side of his waist.

Fran: "Guido!  Your back is blee-OOMPH!!!"

Francine is struck very hard in the side of the face with something and falls down on the ground.
She feels a hand grab her by the back of her neck, lift her up and throw her toward a wall ten feet
away.  She strikes the wall with an audible crack and slumps to the ground.

Fran: "My ribs!!!"

She looks back into the street and sees Guido being knocked around by something that she can't
see.  Then Guido disappears for a moment and Francine sees that there is a person with a sword
that passed in front of Guido, but it doesn't have any features she can see.  It looks like shadows
that are darker than the shadows around it, and the sword that it uses doesn't reflect any light
from the street lamps.  She then sees three of the shadow things, all slashing at Guido with their
swords.

Fran: (as she tries to get up) "Guido!"

A blow to the back of her skull puts her back on the ground.  Something grabs her around the
front of her neck and lifts her into the air.  She sees another one of the shadow things holding her
up.  Even this close she can't make out any features and can barely see it against the background
darkness.  It reaches out with it's other hand and grabs her arm, then pulls up sharply and breaks
the bone.  Francine screams from pain as she is thrown down onto the ground.  She feels heavy
impacts on both of her legs and hears the sound of bone splintering right before knives of pain
shoot up her legs.  Another heavy blow crushes her other arm and then she is hit hard in the
temple.  Her sight glazes over and her hearing is muffled as she slumps down on her side against
the wall, delirious and barely conscious.
     Francine sees Guido wearing a red suit and decides that he looks pretty good in red
considering that he always wears blue.  He starts flying real slowly through the air toward her and
is lost from sight when he passes her.  She sees a big black thing, silhouetted by a street lamp
raising a long black thing above it's head.  She knows that she has seen something like this before,
but she can't remember where.  She decides that she doesn't like the black thing.  She hears a
sound, something like a "MOOOOOO" that a cow makes and she sees Guido in his red suit fly in
from the side of her vision and catch the long black thing in his stomach like a football, only some
of it gets past him anyway and comes out of his back.  She thinks that he isn't a very good
football player if a football could just go through him.  The long black thing goes back through
Guido and he falls onto the ground and stops moving.  She decides that she doesn't like the long
black thing either.  She sees the black thing raising the long black thing above its head again and
there is a really bright light and the black thing and the long black thing start flying backward and
they stop when they run into a house across the street.  She thinks that it is funny that the black
thing doesn't have the sense not to run into a house.  A person wearing a white suit steps in front
of her and uses two long shiny things to make a lot of pink smoke and then the bright light comes
back again.  Another person with wings comes up next to the person in the white suit and starts
making rocks fly out the end of a long stick.  The rocks make big glowing orange and red smoke
when they hit stuff.  She decides that she likes these people, they make lots of pretty lights and
colors.  Then she remembers that she has a friend in a white suit who makes light and pink smoke
with two shiny things.  She remembers that his name is Speedy, and he calls the pretty light the
"Cat's Eye Slash".  If Speedy is here then the person with the wings must be her other friend
Good Bird.  Speedy and Good Bird are always going around together.  She decides that Good
Bird's name sounds funny when you say it.  Then the black things go away and Speedy and Good
Bird follow them.  She is glad that Speedy and Good Bird are making the black things go away.
Soon, Speedy and Good Bird return and touch her head.  She feels a little better after they take
their hands away.  They touch Guido's head after this, and she hopes it makes him feel better too.
Then Speedy and Good Bird go away.  After a while with nothing happening some pretty red
flashing lights start lighting up the buildings, and they make red colors go around and around on
the building across the street.  A man in a white suit that doesn't look anything like Speedy's
comes and puts his hand on her neck and shines a light in her eyes.  Another man does the same
thing to Guido.  She wonders if he minds it.  Everything changes color and she can see a white
ceiling and white walls.  Speedy and a pink lady and Good Bird and a bunch of other people are
there.  There is also a man in white like the ones she saw before and two ladies in white who are
holding onto her.  The man in white takes out a thin white thing and puts it on her arm.  She feels
a tingling and starts to get tired.  She decides to go to sleep.

Doctor Kats: "Good, that seems to have calmed her down."

He pulled out the syringe and throws it into the medical waste bin.  He always hated it when
trauma patients start acting up like this.

Polly: "Is she OK Doctor?"

Doctor Kats: (forcing a smile) "She'll be fine Mrs. Cerviche.  She was just having a nightmare.  It
happens to a lot of trauma patients."

Catton: "But it seemed to me that she was thrashing around too much to be something little like
that Doc."

Doctor Kats: <Great, a man who thinks he's a doctor.> "People who undergo severe trauma
often have very bad nightmares as a result of the stress of what they went through.  It's possible
that she's even reliving the experience itself."

Catton: "But she was thrashing so wild that she almost took the bed apart, and she was calling out
to Guido, Speedy and Good Bird at the top of her lungs."

Doctor Kats: <Watch a few episodes of ER and look what you get> "If this was a violent crime,
sir, then it is possible that in reliving the experience she is also trying to fight for her life.  Surely
she isn't thrashing around too much for that."

Catton: (a bit sheepish) "I suppose not."

Doctor Kats: <That fixed him. (looks at his watch) I've got tee-off in thirty minutes.> "Well,
ladies and gentlemen, visiting hours are almost over and this lady and Mr. Anchovy need their
rest, so if you'll all come with me I'll escort you out."

Speedy: (angry) "What are you talking about, were not leaving."

Polly: "Not after what they've gone through."

She gestured to the nearly full-body casted Francine and Guido.

Meowzma: "Ya, we're not leaving our friends alone."

Doctor Kats: <Shit!  I was afraid of this.> "Look, I can understand your concern, but we have
visiting hours for a reason.  These people need their rest.  In addition, we've got a hospital to run
here and we can't do it if people are underfoot all the time."

Catton: "I don't care what you say, we are not leaving."

Doctor Kats: "I'm afraid that I must insist."

Guru Lou: "Insist all you want!"

Doctor Kats: "I am sorry, but you simply cannot stay!"

"Yes they can."

All eyes turned to the door as Big Al Dentei walked into the room.

Doctor Kats: "Like I was saying, we've got visiting hours here and . . ."

Big Al: (very stern) "They may stay here under my authority as head of the palace guard as well
as head of law enforcement in Little Tokyo."

Doctor Kats: <Crud!> (he starts gesturing with his hands) "Alright, alright, I'll let them stay as
long as they don't get in the way around here."

Big Al: "Good, how are the patients."

Doctor Kats: "They're in pretty bad shape, but they should pull through."

Big Al: (obviously relieved) "Good. (He turns to the rest of the group) "And how are all of you
taking it."

All looked down sadly, but Elizabeth spoke up.

Beth: "We're fine Mr. Dentei."

Big Al: (slightly amused) "I know we've never met before, but nobody calls me Mr. Dentei.  Call
me Big Al."

Beth: (small smile) "Alright Big Al."

Big Al turned to the good doctor.

Big Al: "Are you the doctor who worked with these patients?"

Doctor Kats: "Yes they're my patients."

Big Al: "Good, as soon as some other people get here I want you to tell us in detail exactly what
is wrong with these two patients (gesturing to Francine and Guido)."

Doctor Kats: (glancing at the clock on the wall) <I've only got twenty minutes to get to the
green.> "I'm sorry Big Al . . ."

Big Al: "Mr. Dentei."

Doctor Kats: <Excuse me!> "I'm sorry Mr. Dentei, but I have some other business to take care of
and . . ."

Big Al: "Nonsense, you're probably just late for a tee-off."

Doctor Kats: <No, I'm going to be late for a tee-off if you don't let me go.> "I can assure you,
Mr. Dentei, that I have much more concern for these patients than that."

Big Al: "Good, then you won't mind staying."

Doctor Kats: <Damn it!> "Very well, I'll explain their case to you."

(meekly) "Excuse us?"

Everyone turned to the door and saw a brown cat who is slightly shorter than Speedy wearing a
baker's uniform and a crow as tall as Good Bird, but not even remotely as heavily built, wearing
cheap, blue collar, denim work clothes and carrying a bundle of slightly wilted pansies that droop
around his fingers and a large beige hat that looks like a cross between a basket a colander and a
clay pot that would cover his entire head if he put it on.

(once again, meekly) "Excuse us, (it was the cat talking) we hate to interrupt, but we wanted to
check up on the man and the young lady."

(meekly) "Yes, (it was the crow talking) they're going to pull through aren't they.  They're going
to be OK right."

General Catton walked over to the door and stood in front of the two men looking down at them.
They seemed to shrink into themselves as he approached.

Catton: (commandingly) "They're fine.  Now who might you be."

The Cat: (nervously) "I-I-I'm Lewis Cattol, a-a baker.  A-And this (he points to the bird, who is
equally nervous) is m-my friend Bob White."

Bob: (nervously waving his hand) "Hello."

Lewis: (still nervous) "We're the p-people who f-found them (he points to Francine and Guido in
their beds)"

General Catton softened ever so sligtly and almost seemed to get a tear in the corner of his eye
just before he grabbed the two cowardly men around the waste, one in each arm, and an audible
"yelp!" was heard from each as they were picked up clean off the ground before being muffled as
they were trapped within General Catton's massive arms and held firmly against his enormous
chest.

Catton: (as quietly and emotionally as he ever gets) "Thank you boys.  Thank you for bringing
'em in for us."

The general set them back down.

Lewis: (petrified with terror) "Sure!  Sure! (said very, very fast)"

Bob: (petrified with terror) "Don't mention it. (said very, very fast)"

Catton walked back to where he was before.

Big Al: "Mr. Cattol, Mr. White, these are all friends of the man and the young lady you saved."

Lewis: (still shaky) "H-Hello.  We didn't really save them."

Bob: (shaky as well) "Hi.  A-All we did was find them. (he looked down at the pansies he was
holding and thrust them out cautiously) We brought flowers."

Polly walked up and took the flowers, then an audible "yelp!" was heard as she grabbed each
around the neck before being cut short as she hugged them close and closed off their air supplies.

Polly: (a bit misty-eyed) "You did save them.  You're heros as far a I'm concerned."

Polly let them go and they both stood there jittering from head to toe.

Big Al: (turning to the good doctor) "Now that Mr. Cattol and Mr. White are here we can begin
our discussion.  Everyone, (he turns to the group) I want all of you to hear this too.  (turning back
to the good doctor) Do you have a room near here where you have one of those light boards for
viewing X-rays?"

Doctor Kats: "Yes, we can use my office down the hall."

Big Al: "That should work fine. (he stops a nurse as she walks down the hall) Pardon me miss,
but we're conducting an investigation and I was wondering if you could bring four or five pots of
coffee down to Doctor Kats's office, along with enough cups for all of the people here in this
room."

Doctor Kats: <That's IT!!!  I'm missing tee-off!>

Nurse: "Certainly sir."

Doctor Kats: "Good, then if you'll all follow me, I'll show you to my office."

<I HATE MISSING TEE-OFF!!!>

They begin to walk down the hall.

(From somewhere behind them) "AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!  It's HER!!!"

Doctor Kats: (turning around quickly) <Now what?!!>  "Now what?!!"

The nurse who had been sent to get the coffee came running down the hall.

Nurse: "Doctor Kats!!!  Doctor Kats!!!  She's back again!!!"

The good doctor grabs the nurse by her shoulders.

Doctor Kats: "Now calm down Hillary.  Who is back?"

Hillary: "Well, remember that woman who came in to visit her mother last month?"

Doctor Kats: (wide eyed) "The one who destroyed half of geriatrics?"

Hillary: (distressed) "That's her."

Doctor Kats: (alarmed) "My GOD!!!  She isn't loaded is she?!!  Please tell me she isn't
UPSET!!!"

Hillary: "I don't know, she came to see your patients who were attacked, so she must be at least a
little upset."

Doctor Kats: <Oh, #$%@!!!> "Oh, #$%@!!!  ( he fidgets nervously for a few moments) OK, (a
bit calmer) we can't risk upsetting her.  Bring her back to my office where I'm taking the rest of
these people, and when she gets there I'll make sure that she unloads before she kills somebody."

Hillary: "Yes doctor.  I'll go get her right away doctor."

Nurse Hillary begins to run back down the hall.

Doctor Kats: "Remember, (he shouts after her) whatever you do DON'T MAKE HER CRY!!!"

They all once again began to walk down the hallway toward the good doctor's office.  In the
doorway to Guido and Francine's room, Lewis Cattol and Bob White stood trembling with fear.