*...last card...*

	Her body flinched and clutched its arm as Burrower connected 
again on her reeling Minion.  She felt strangely detached from 
everything, almost as this was a movie she was watching.  Even the pain 
was wrong, it was more like a memory of pain that her body was 
responding to...

	"STOP!"

	She blinked back tears and looked up in time to see a boy 
(Jinsaku, wasn't it?) charge at her opponent. 

	Tyrell spun to face him, blinking, and stepped back from 
Jinsaku's charge.
"Jinsaku?  What--"

	    Jinsaku took a deep breath.  "Tyrell..."  He looked at his 
fellow Player
intently.  "She's playing with her last Card."

	She cringed as Tyrell's expression changed from confusion to 
utter contempt.  "What a waste of my time.  Let's finish this."  
Jinsaku nodded and pulled out a card of his own.

	"Carapace, finish her!"

	Annette gaped as the insectoid Minion lined up with Burrower and 
slowly started foward.  "You..You can't do that, No interf-"  she 
trailed off in horror as Patchwork turned around and also began walking 
towards her.

	*...last card...*

	She paled and began backing away as the trio approached her.  
Patchwork wasn't responding to her commands anymore.  It wasn't 
possible, it went against all the rules! It wasn't...

	"Fair?" whispered a voice behind her causing her to freeze.  "Why 
should we be fair, Miss Jackson?  Countless losses and your shining 
moment, your..."victory" was due to PITY."  A pair of arms encircled 
her, snapping her out of shock.  As she began to struggle, the voice 
grew thoughful.  "In a way, you can consider this a gift Miss Jackson.  
No more living in day-to-day fear, wondering when your time will be 
up."

	By now Tyrell and his two friends were also approaching armed 
with expressions of pity, like she was a animal hit by a car and they 
wanted to put her out of her misery.  She kicked backwards sharply in a 
panic and was rewarded by a hand covering her eyes.  It was almost a 
relief.  She didn't want to see them, as if not seeing might make it 
not real, but at the same time she HAD to look because they were 
getting CLOSER.  A scream started to build as the shuffling sounds 
became her world.  They were ALMOST here, and they were going to TOUCH 
her..Oh gods, they were going to HURT her, and she had to STOP them.

	*lastcardnotfairlastcardnotfairlastcardHELPME!*

	In a final desperate burst of energy, Annette managed to break 
free and whirled to face...

	Herself.

	Or rather, a version of herself.  The most obvious differences 
were cosmetic.  This Annette was painfully thin and looked as if she'd 
survived a trip through hell.  Her hair was wildly unkempt and looked 
like it hadn't been cut or even washed in years and her face was 
discolored by multiple cuts and bruises.  She was dressed in a battered 
leather brestplate over a sky-blue evening gown that seemed to be 
holding together on nothing but willpower alone.  Stranger was the fact 
that she was armed with a sword, had a bow and quiver slung over her 
shoulder and a buckler on her left arm, like she had seen in 
Braveheart.  Topping it all off was the only modern thing she wore, a 
single combat boot.  The other foot was heavily bandaged and 
bloodstained.

	"Who...What are you?"

	The other Annette painfully shifted and whispered, "I am...your 
future."

	"I..I don't understand."

	The other Annette sighed, knelt down and reached into her boot.  
After what seemed an eternity, she withdrew a tattered Card.  
"This..will explain."

	With a shaking hand, she snatched the Card and gasped when she 
saw the Minion name.

	"ANNETTE"

	"No..."

	The other Annette chuckled quietly, "Yes..it's only a..matter 
of..time.  One chance..remains."

	Her reply was cut off as the Card began to glow and slightly 
pulse.  She stared in morbid fascination as the illustrated Annette 
pounded on the card in time to the pulses.  "HELP ME!  PLEASE!  HELP 
MEEEEE!"  

	"Nothin' personal, Jackson" said Tyrell from behind her as she 
was grabbed by multiple people, "Just a game..."
	
	The scream that was building finally came forth...

					* * * *


			HIGH STAKES #6 - CROSSROADS

			Written(i.e Horribly Mangled) by Ilmater



	Annette woke up to the sounds of sobbing as she sat up from the 
tangle of blankets on her sofa.  It was several seconds before she 
realized she was the source.  Angrily swiping at her eyes, she tried to 
stand, but her legs gave out sending her sprawling to the floor.  
Trapped in a spiral of despair, she curled up into a fetal position and 
would have stayed that way if the noise of her landing didn't attract 
her closest friend's attention.  He immediatly barreled around the 
corner and attempted to comfort her in the only way he knew how...by 
licking her face.

	Annette clung to the puppy like a lifeline and kissed the top of 
his head.  "Mommy's ok, Tuppins...Mommy's ok..."

	But she was not ok.

	The dream had not woken her up, any nightmare was far preferable 
to what actually did.
	
	It was a challenge.

					* * * *

	Jinsaku awoke with a start as Tyrell's car hit a particularly 
deep pothole.  The morning sun cheerfully blinded him as a greeting.  
"Ugh..."

	"So, you're finally awake."

	Jinsaku glanced at his watch and groaned, he'd been asleep for a 
lot longer then he planned.  "Damnit, Tyrell..why'd you let me sleep 
this long?  It's my fault he's gone and I should be the one..."

	"And have you wreck my car?  No thanks, and stop beating yourself 
up about this.  You had no other choice.  You were in trouble, went for 
the quick win.  It's partly my fault for letting him blindside me like 
that.  We'll find him soon."

	Jinsaku sighed and let his thoughts drift back to last night.  "I 
hope so."

	("I . . . But . . .")    

	("Knock it off!  You can do this.  Look, Shade's a what, 
2000/2000 Minion? He's going to roll over Flareshot.  It's a cakewalk, 
man.  So make it quick. You owe Katsuya that much.") 

	(Jinsaku nodded, then turned to face Terry, who was white as a 
sheet.  "Let's finish this," Jinsaku said evenly.)

	Terry snarled, "I agree.  Flareshot, Swarm!"

	Flareshot abruptly split into two, then four, then eight until 
there were too many miniature flames to count and proceeded to launch 
themselves at the silent Shade.  For a time, Terry had hope as Shade 
was forced backwards by the constant attacks.  A stunlock was his only 
chance at winning this match.  Jinsaku cursed as Shade flailed 
ineffectivly at the small wisps of light.  There were too many to fight 
normally, he was going to have to use something much more drastic.

	"Tyrell, cover your ears!  Death...Scream!"

	All grew quiet as Shade seemed to swell for a moment and lunged 
forward, mouth open impossibly wide.  Jinsaku hunched over and gritted 
his teeth as the scream began.  This was part of the reason he disliked 
using Shade, the noises it made were one of the few things that truly 
terrified him.  As the scream built in volume, he fought a overwhelming 
urge to fling himself into the nearest tree.  Unconsciousness seemed a 
much better option right about now.

	Katsuya's techno bliss was shattered as soon as the attack 
started.  Oh god, it was all real, the creature had found him.  It was 
probably calling more.  More to hunt him down.   What did he do to make 
Jinsaku hate him so much?  Turning to run, he was caught by Tyrell, who 
was saying something that was lost in the roar.  Didn't Tyrell 
understand?  He had to get away, while he had the chance.  Or did he 
understand...was he in on it also?  Better not take any chances.  When 
Tyrell leaned closer to repeat whatever it was he said, Katsuya saw his 
chance and suddenly smashed his forehead into Tyrell's nose.

	Free.

	As the scream finally faded away, Jinsaku looked up in time to 
see his opponent stagger through the gate of the lot and vanish around 
the corner, hands still over his ears.  With a small sense of guilt, he 
quickly drew out his cards and shuffled through them until he came 
across the new one, a 250/150 Poison Minion named Widow.  Even though 
he had looked foward to winning a Fire to compliment his mostly 
Water/Ice collection, he was still relieved that the kid managed to 
switch to a weaker one in time.  Winning with Shade always made feel 
like he was cheating.

	His post-victory angst was interrupted by the muffled voice of 
Tyrell,  "Jin, we got problems."  Turning around, he was suprised to 
see Tyrell on his knees, one hand clutching his nose, the other holding 
a pair of headphones...and no sign of Katsuya.

	(Damn.)

					* * * * 


	Jinsaku rolled his eyes as they pulled into the Denny's parking 
lot for the fourth time.  "What is your obsession with this place?  We 
checked here an hour ago."

	"I wasn't hungry an hour ago."

	"I repeat, what is your obsession with this place?"

	Tyrell cheerfully smacked him in the back of the head. "Ha, ha.  
Look, twenty minutes isn't going to change much.  Besides, you look 
like hell. You need caffeine."

	"Fine. Whatever. We'll waste our time...again." Jinsaku grumbled, 
but was out of the car the instant it was parked.  Pulling an all-
nighter in Tyrell's car had caused muscles he didn't know existed to 
declare war on the rest of him.  As they entered the restaurant, 
Jinsaku's luck kicked in.  Trying to work out a particularly nasty kink 
in his neck, he happened to glance at the small waiting area off to the 
side.  He stopped and nudged Tyrell in suprise as the normally empty 
couch contained not only Katsuya, but Annette as well.  Not only was 
Katsuya talking, he actually looked concerned about something.

	"Just ask him, I'm sur..."  Katsuya broke off and regained his 
normal blank expression as they entered the room.    

	"Hey, man.  We've been looking for you all night."  Tyrell began 
as he studied Katsuya with a concerned expression.  "You ok?"

	Katsuya nodded slightly as his gaze flickered towards Tyrell's 
swollen nose.  "Sorry."

	Tyrell waved him off.  "No harm done; I've had worse.  Shouldn't 
have grabbed you like that."  As Jinsaku stepped foward to apologize, 
Katsuya's gaze slid past him, as if he didn't exist.  Jinsaku cleared 
his throat and began,  "Look, I'm not too good at this, but..."

	To his annoyance, Katsuya looked back at Tyrell and cut him off.  
"Annette has a favor to ask of you."  Jinsaku took a deep breath and 
tried again,  "Katsuya, I'm sor..." then broke off in shock as Katsuya 
calmly stood up and walked out of the room.

	Tyrell winced at the expression on Jinsaku's face.  He looked 
like he'd been punched in the stomach.  "He'll come around, just give 
him some time."  He then focused on Annette and smiled. "Now, what can 
I do for you, Miss Jackson?"

	Jinsaku tuned the conversation out and dully sat down on one of 
the couches.  That had hurt far worse then he thought it would.  He 
slowly took his Cards out of his pocket and shuffled them until he came 
to Shade.

	Shade. 

	"I hate you." Jinsaku suddenly hissed at the card as a rage 
enveloped him.  The Illustrated Shade just grinned mockingly, like it 
always did.  "Never again." he whispered at the card, "You aren't worth 
a friend....never again...."  So much of his attention was focused on 
the card that he almost screamed when Tyrell tapped him on the 
shoulder. "Wha-?"

	"You up for a road trip?"

					* * * *


	Campbell stared in disbelief as his Minion crashed to the ground 
for the final time.  This wouldn't do...wouldn't do at all.

	His opponent gave him a mocking bow and winked.  "Eh, thanks for 
the Card, pops.  Next time, you might want to actually try to win. 
heheheheh."

	Campbell glared at the gothic slut in front of him.  She had one 
of the cards needed for his "Jinsaku Special"...and one of his favorite 
Minions now.  "Rematch.  Now."

	Rachel Miller flicked a overdyed bang out of her eyes and 
shrugged.  "Eh, I'm pretty busy, comprende?  Gotta be worth my while." 
she looked him up and down and snickered, "Which I don't think you 
are."

	He barely stopped himself from throwing her out his window.  He 
had to remain cordial.  Stick to the plan and Jinsaku *would* pay.  "If 
you're afraid, I understand..."

	Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Heh.  Masochist, eh?  It's your 
funeral, chico.  I'll be back tomorrow, same time.  Be ready."

	"Oh...I will."

				* * * *

	Jinsaku sat in the backseat dejectedly.  Katsuya was conveniently 
already asleep in the passenger seat when they got back to the car, and 
his mood seemed to have infected Annette as well, leaving the first 
half-hour silent and gloomy.  Only when they were leaving city limits, 
did curiosity force him to speak.

	"Where the hell are we going?"

	Annette shifted uneasily and held up a travel map.  "The nature 
center of Kethry Park,  I have a...match this evening.  It's a pretty 
remote area, and I'd rather not go alone."

	Jinsaku boggled at her.  "Who the fuck goes there this time of 
year?  That's like hours from ANYTHING."

	Tyrell chimed in. "I was wondering that myself.  What's your 
opponent's name?  I try to keep myself well informed, maybe I can give 
you some tips."

	"Talia...I didn't get a last name for some reason."

	She was totally unprepared for Tyrell slamming on the brakes.  
Apparently so was Jinsaku, as he smacked into the back of the driver's 
seat.  Katsuya luckily had his seatbelt on and only mumbled something 
unintelligible.

	Jinsaku groaned and pushed himself back into his seat.  "Jesus 
CHRIST, Tyrell.  What was that for?"

	Tyrell's reply was so quiet they almost missed it.  "You were 
joking, right Annette?"

	"N..No, why?  Is something wrong?"  She shrank back as Tyrell 
turned around and stared at her intently.

	"Humor me for a second,  Look me in the eyes and tell me who it 
is your facing again, ok?" 

	"Um...Ok...I am supposed to meet Talia at the Kethry Nature 
Center."

	She watched in facination as Tyrell went from disbelief to fear 
to a kind of nervous glee in the span of a few seconds, before going 
expressionless.  "I...see."  with that said, he calmly turned back 
around and started driving again as if nothing had happened.

	"You see?  YOU SEE?" shouted Jinsaku, "Is that ALL you have to 
say after trying to kill us all?  What, is she worse then Campbell or 
something?"

	Tyrell drove in silence for a few minutes, as he seemed to be 
choosing his words.  "Talia is the Bogeyman of The Game."

	"What the HELL is that supposed to mean?"

	"It means, Jinsaku, that Miss Jackson here is apparently facing a 
myth tonight..an urban legend, fable...call it what you will."  Jinsaku 
and Annette exchanged a glance as Tyrell went on.  "Usually, "Talia" 
faces somebody like the fifth cousin of your friend's friend's uncle, 
that kind of thing. Depending on you talk to, she's the Ghost of the 
first player who lost all of her cards, Or an alien who started The 
Game, or a C.I.A agent planted to stop The Game, whatever.  She gives 
back cards.  She takes all your cards.  She walks away after losing her 
last card...you get my point.  The best advice I can give to you, 
Annette, is to expect anything."  Tyrell went quiet for a moment and 
then started chuckling.  "My, my...this will definitely be 
interesting."

	Jinsaku snorted and leaned back.  "Right.  A imaginary person.  I 
think you hit your head when you stopped like that."

	"We'll just see when we get there, won't we?"

	Annette closed her eyes and forced back tears as Tyrell's 
description brought the dream version of herself to mind.  Facing a 
"Legend" was not very comforting.  "Not yet...please..."    

	Though they were together, each only had their thoughts for 
company as they drove towards the unknown...

					* * * *

	Campbell poured himself another glass of brandy as he studied his 
deck yet again. Tomorrow's match was going to be close, far more 
challenging then he would admit to anyone else.  Rachel was the highest 
ranked Player he'd ever faced, behind him by only the slimmest of 
margins.  What galled him even more that his standard method wouldn't 
work, not if he wanted that Card...

	Time was on his side, however.  He was the head of his own 
company, she was common street trash.  He'd think of something to...tip 
the odds a bit.  He always did.

	"Carpe Diem..."

					* * * *

	Annette woke up to the worst sound she'd ever heard in her life.

	"We're here."

	She sat up in the darkness in a daze and grabbed whoever it was 
shaking her.  "Where is she?  Has anybody seen her yet?"

	The figure revealed itself as Katsuya with the click of a 
flashlight.  "No."

	Glancing at her watch didn't calm her in the slightest, less then 
ten minutes to prepare.  "Where is everybody else?"  Katsuya gestured 
vaguely at a approaching pool of light and stepped back as she shakily 
got out of the car.  A few moments later, Tyrell rushed into view, 
practically skipping.

	"Evening!" Tyrell beamed, holding up a camera.  "Ready to make 
history?"

	"It's not like I have a choice in the matter." Annette said, 
irritated.  How could he be so excited at a time like this?

	"Sorry, sorry.  Not every day you get to meet a myth." he 
replied, winking.  "Jinsaku is just over that hill, we're pretty sure 
we found the Center.  The lights are on, at least.  We parked over here 
to give you a little breathing room.  Just let me know when you're 
ready and I'll show..."

	"I know where she is!" snapped Annette.  His good cheer and talk 
of "Legends" had set her on edge all the way here, so much so that her 
going to sleep was a act of defense, rather then any real need.  
Despair set in as her thoughts turned to unbeatable Minions slaying 
Patchwork with one blow, while "Talia the perfect" laughed in the 
distance.  "Let's just get this over with..."

	"You sure?"  She gave a quick nod and brushed past him.  Tyrell 
frowned as he watched her trudge up the hill, head down, fists 
clenched.  Something was obviously bothering her, she'd been quiet and 
moody the entire way here.  He'd tried cheering her up with ridiculous 
Talia stories all the way here, but they'd made her more depressed and 
angry if anything.  She couldn't possibly have taken them seriously, 
could she?  No, it had to be something else. The last time he saw her 
like that was...

	"...don't want you to see...if anything happens-" a bit of 
conversation carried on the wind caused his eyes to widen.  A very dark 
thought overtook him as he started up the hill, he hoped he was wrong.

	"--you crazy?"  Jinsaku broke off as he came into view.  "Tyrell, 
talk some sense into her, she wants us to miss the act-"

	Tyrell ignored him. "You fused Sylphos and Patchwork, didn't 
you?"  Annette looked at him bitterly and slowly nodded.  Damn, he 
hated being right sometimes.

	Jinsaku stared at her in horror.  "ARE YOU SUICIDAL?  Why'd you 
go and do something idiotic like that after we sav-" the rest of his 
sentence was choked off as Annette grabbed him by the collar.

	"Because I have no other choice." she said in a low, deadly 
voice.  "I only won with Patchwork because he let me.  You think 
everybody's going to do that?" her voice tapered off to a whisper.  
"How many players do you know that would do what he did?"  When Jinsaku 
didn't reply, she pushed him away and started to walk towards the 
Center.  "Exactly.  Just leave me alone."

	They watched silently as Annette stalked towards her 
salvation...or destruction.  There was nothing to do now but wait. 

					* * * *

	Trying the door was one of the hardest things she'd ever done in 
her life.  Every step here had been a nightmare, as countless images of 
what could go wrong came to mind.  Glancing downward at Patchwork, she 
collected the remains of her confidence and reached for the knob.  It 
was now or never.  She was half expecting to have the door fly open by 
itself at this point, but it simply gave a remarkably dull *click* and 
she pushed her way into the Nature Center.

	She'd been here before, long ago.  On a fourth grade field trip, 
and it was a vast relief when it seemed largly unchanged.  The 
reception area, the magazines and posters were all the same...the 
person painting in the corner, however, was a new addition.

	As she hesitantly approached, she fought off a round of nervous 
laughter, for all her mental images of Talia were thrown out the 
window...

	She was one of the frailest people she'd ever seen, not only 
painfully thin but also quite pale.  Everything about her screamed 
"helpless", from her clothing, which was a few sizes too big, to her 
hair, which was a spiky mess of colors, to even her humming, which 
sounded scared and childlike.  The only impressive thing about her was 
the painting.  It was a incredibly lifelike version of the room they 
were in, perhaps as seen from a child's view.  Shadows were large and 
ominous and all sorts of mythical creatures were in every nook and 
cranny, seeming just out of sight.  For a moment, Annette forgot all of 
her troubles or why she was even here as she gazed into the artwork, 
spellbound.  The mood was only broken by her watch alarm going off.  
Two minutes left.  Clearing her throat, she made herself known.  
"Talia?"

	The figure slowly put down her brush and nodded slightly.  "Talia 
'tis eye...I?" the voice did not fit her at all, it was much more 
mature then she looked.  "Who be you this time?"

	Annette blinked.  This time?  "Annette Jackson...what do you 
mean, this time?"

	Talia sighed and ran a paint smudged hand through her hair, 
adding a small streak of blue.  "Do not play coy, evil one.  For I know 
why you be here."

	Evil one?  "The same reason you're here, The Ga-" she squeaked 
and backed up as Talia suddenly sprang to her feet and advanced on her, 
enraged.

	"'TIS KNOT...not? A GAME!" she shrieked, her eyes blazing and 
unfocused as she backed Annette into a corner.  "Always I hide, and 
always you appear!"  Her rage disappeared as abruptly as it appeared 
and she studied Annette for a moment.  Annette was again struck by how 
small and scared she looked.  Even standing up, Talia didn't reach her 
shoulder.  "You change faces, but your motives be the same..."

	"I don't under-"

	"I be tired of your lies, evil one." Talia snapped as she stalked 
towards the door.  "No moor...more? of my friends shall you steal." she 
flipped a switch, turning on the outside lights and angrily went 
outside, slamming the door behind her.

	Great.  Not only was she facing a "legend", the legend also 
happened to be crazy.  She took a deep breath to calm herself and went 
out after her.  Talia was pacing back and forth under one of the 
lights, muttering to herself.  As she spotted Annette, she cringed and 
made a warding gesture, as if expecting Annette to turn into some 
horrible demon right then and there.

	Annette's spirits rose a bit, perhaps this wouldn't be so hard.  
Taking out her Card, she took a stance under the opposite light.  "You 
ready?"

	"Go away...please."

	"Do you forfeit then?"

	Talia's hands fluttered at her side, as if she wanted to fly 
away.  "NO!  GO AWAY!  LEAVE ME BE!"

	"Sorry, it's not that easy."  Annette whispered sadly, she hoped 
this fight would be short, she felt horrible for tormenting her.  
"Patchwork!"  as the small gorilla-like creature appeared, she noticed 
his wings were bigger and less ragged, probably from the fusion.  Maybe 
he could fly now, that might be useful.  Her thoughts were broken by 
Talia's shriek of horror.

	Talia was staring at Patchwork in disgust.  "You...You fused 
them, you fused them ALL TOGETHER!"  she fell to her knees and looked 
at Annette tears running down her face.  "Can you not here...hear them?  
The voices of them all?  You be more evil then I thought..." and 
reached into a small pouch at her side.

	Annette froze up and saw her chances at a quick win vanish as she 
saw her pull out a large number of cards, more then she'd ever seen 
anybody else have.  Talia shuffled through them with shaking hands, 
scattering most of them to the ground.  Finally picking one, she kissed 
it gently and raised it above her head.  "FlutterCat, protect me!"  Her 
card seemed to shatter into a cloud of glowing  dust that whirled 
around her briefly, obscuring her from view.  When she reappeared, her 
Minion was...not expected.  

	It was the most non-offensive Minion she'd ever seen, it was 
basically a bright orange housecat with soft velvety wings.  Even as it 
meowed a challenge, she checked its stats in disbelief.  300/100, 
Air/Light.  

	By now, the rest of her party had snuck up to the side of the 
building and was cautiously watching around the corner.  Jinsaku 
snorted and turned to Tyrell. "THAT's your legend girl?  When's she 
goin' to start breathing fire and all that?"  when Tyrell didn't answer 
him, he followed his gaze back to the fight and stared at the scene 
himself.  "What th-"

	Talia was petting her Minion, whispering sadly at it.  What was 
suprising was the fact that FlutterCat was butting its head into her 
hand, purring loudly.  As they watched, mouths open, FlutterCat flapped 
its wings enough to balance on its hind legs and splay its front paws 
in the unmistakable way of asking for a hug.

	As Talia buried her face into its chest, Jinsaku whipped back 
around and stared at Tyrell.  "What the hell?  Minions don't do that 
kind of stuff, they don't have a personality..they're just cards!"

	Tyrell merely looked thoughtful and quietly said.  "The question 
is, have you ever tried finding out?"

	"..."

	Annette wanted to cry, why did life put her into these 
situations?  As she watched the touching scene in front of her, she 
made up her mind to end this as quickly as possible.  A full-out 
assault, as distasteful as that thought, would be for the best.  No 
reason to prolong Talia's suffering.  She tensed as Talia let 
FlutterCat go and it took to the air.  "Patchwork, HydroCannon!"

	As Patchwork whipped its right arm up to aim at FlutterCat, Talia 
cried out.  "FlutterCat, Phase Field!"  As Patchwork let loose with a 
stream of water, FlutterCat abruptly vanished and appeared several feet 
to the right of where it was before.  Patchwork growled in confusion 
and attempted to reorient on it, but it vanished again.  This time it 
reappeared directly above Patchwork and viciously raked the top of 
Patchwork's wings with its claws.  Annette winced as her shoulder 
blades twinged in sympathy.  She checked her card, only 20 points of 
damage.  How did Talia expect to win?

	The answer to that question was soon known as the fight dragged 
on for several minutes.  Though FlutterCat was doing a miniscule amount 
of damage, it was unnaturally fast and its vanishing act was really 
confusing Patchwork, so far it hadn't been able to get a single hit in.  
Tyrell tensed as he noticed Annette had stopped giving orders and had a 
similar look to their match.  Then the diverse element of Patchwork 
turned the tables...

	After a particularly nasty rake to the face,  Patchwork and 
Annette threw back their heads and howled.  Patchwork started to 
violently flap its wings and jump up and down, still howling.  A small 
whirlwind appeared directly on Patchwork, and as the howling increased, 
so did the whirlwind.  Talia cried out as the invisible FlutterCat 
appeared on the outer edge, spinning out of control.  As it struggled 
to correct its flight pattern,  Patchwork hunched over and shuddered.  
The wind started to pull inwards and FlutterCat was thrown into the 
waiting Patchwork.  It howled in victory and sank its fangs into 
FlutterCat, causing Talia to screech.  When Patchwork started whipping 
its head from side to side, spraying fur and blood everywhere,  Talia 
seemed to go mad and started clawing at her own face.

	"NO, KNOW, NO!!!" she screamed to the heavens.  "DON'T EAT HIM!  
DON'T MAKE HIM JOIN YOU!  HE WON'T BE ABLE TO GET OUT! 
OHGODSTOPITWRONGSTOPITWRONGSTOPITSTOPITSTOOPPPP!!  FLUTTERCAT, RETURN!"

	FlutterCat weakly meowed and vanished, leaving Talia a panting, 
bloody wreck.  For a second Tyrell was sure Talia was going to leap at 
Patchwork and fight him herself.  Then she started giggling and 
crawling towards her scattered cards, which Tyrell decided was much 
worse.

	"BAD...YOU'REBADhavetosavethemnomorefriendsallgoneyou'regoingtota
kethemALLNONONONONO...INOCH, HELP ME!"

	The card she had grabbed gave off a high note,  like a hunters 
trumpet.  With a ripping sound, the card split open to reveal a glowing 
portal, which out stepped a...much more impressive minion.

	"Jesus Christ." whispered Jinsaku.  Inoch was the largest Minion 
he had ever seen, he LOOMED over Patchwork.  It was at least nine feet 
tall, and seemed nothing more a glowing suit of plate mail, the spaces 
between the plates were filled in with a faint shimmer, giving it the 
appearance of mass.  Patchwork scuttled backwards and growled a 
challenge.

	Talia seemed to have recovered somewhat and sat up, weeping.  
"Inoch...save us all..."

	"AYE." boomed a voice from the empty helm, causing them to jump.  
This was starting to freak Jinsaku out, first Cute little hug happy 
minions and now one that talks.  He checked his card for Inoch's stats 
and cursed again, the card blinked at him as if confused and came back 
with "?????  ?/?  ???"  That was the last straw.  He whirled and 
grabbed Tyrell.  "This is all insane, hidden stats?  Huggable talking 
Minions?  None of this is right!"

	"How do you know?"

	"How do I know?  HOW DO I KNOW?" yelled Jinsaku, then realized he 
really didn't know...anything. "It...It just doesn't happen." he 
trailed off sullenly.

	"Apparently it does, and I for one would like to know more."

	"..."

	Patchwork was no longer on the offensive, it cautiously circled 
Inoch, who had produced a lightsaber-esque weapon from somewhere and 
was simply...waiting.  Patchwork suddenly growled and started pounding 
on the ground, causing a minor earthquake, knocking Talia and Annette 
down.  Inoch staggered a bit but stayed on its feet.  While it was off 
balance, Patchwork tucked its wings inward, grabbed its feet and rolled 
at Inoch, cannonball style.  This unorthodox attack tripped Inoch 
sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt.  Then Patchwork made a 
fatal mistake...

	While Inoch struggled to regain his feet, Patchwork lept on him 
with a victorious howl and clung to his helm, trying for a throat bite, 
the same thing that floored FlutterCat.  However, FlutterCat didn't 
have steel plates and energy for a neck...this time, Patchwork's teeth 
simply dented the traget area, and then Inoch had ahold of him.

	Jinsaku and Tyrell winced as Inoch chokeslammed Patchwork to the 
ground.  "We have to do something! We.." began Jinsaku.

	It was too late.

	As Patchwork stuggled to get free,  Inoch used his knee to keep 
Patchwork on the ground and readied his sword.  Annette came to herself 
for a split second,  "No..."

	Tyrell started foward, even though there was nothing he could do.  
"Wait! Sh-"

	"DIE." Inoch stabbed downwards as Tyrell closed his eyes.  
Patchwork twitched and then went limp.  Talia sighed in relief and 
hugged her cards.  "safe...all of us are-"  Then Annette screamed.

	Everybody's heard people scream, whether in anger, pain, or even 
in celebration. Everybody gets used to them.  This scream was something 
far different, directly from the soul.  Even the most bloodthirsty of 
people would have done something to help her.  Annette had her head 
back, eyes wide, as bolts of energy came from her card and lept around 
her.  

	Talia cringed backwards, hands clapped over her ears.  "What you 
be doing?  Stop it, I one...won? fair."  

	Jinsaku screamed.  "THAT WAS HER LAST CARD!  YOU KILLED HER!"  
Tyrell just stood there and watched numbly as the energy field got 
larger and Annette started to turn transparent and dark, almost like a 
photo negative.

	Talia's eyes went wide as the realization hit her.  "Killed?  No, 
not again!  I no be sendin' people to that place!" she turned to face 
Inoch, who was still in killing pose.  "Inoch..Blood Bridge!"

	Inoch hesitated and cocked his head at Talia as if confused.  
Talia whimpered as even Annette's scream was fading, it was more like 
an echo now.  "Please..."

	"AYE."  the voice sounded reluctent as it pulled out a knife and 
held out a hand outstreached to Talia.  Talia closed her eyes and put 
her hand in his.  Nobody was prepared for what happened next.

	Inoch thrust downwards and pierced Talia's and his own hand.  
Though his hand was above hers, the knife still pierced Talia's hand 
straight through, causing her to scream and fall to her knees.  Blood 
and motes of energy began to drip downwards onto Patchwork, bathing him 
in a slight glow.

	Jinsaku's rage died away as he stared in wonder at the card he 
was holding blinked at him. "PATCHWORK 0/700....PATCHWORK 
0/700......PATCHWORK 1/700..."

	As Patchwork started to feebly move again, there was a great 
flash of light and a thunderclap from where Annette was standing...

	Tyrell blinked away tears and staggered towards the fallen 
Annette.  She was...breathing.  She was BREATHING!  "She's alive, Jin!  
ALIVE!"  he dropped to a knee and started slapping her gently.  "Ann, 
c'mon now, come on back."  All thoughts of legends aside, the greatest 
moment of his life was when Annette moaned and opened her eyes.

	"I...won?"

	Tyrell smiled gently as he helped her sit up.  "No."  Annette 
stared at him in confusion, causing him to chuckle. "No you didn't."  
Annette slowly focused on her Cards, she still had them, she must 
have...

	Cards?

	Annette picked up the two Cards lying near her and flipped the 
first one over.

	"PATCHWORK"

	and then the second one...she paled and started to shake as she 
mouthed the title to herslf.

	"What, what it is?"  Annette opened her mouth a few times, then 
decided that fainting would be a good idea.  Tyrell quickly caught her 
and set her gently down.  What had caused...he glanced at the second 
card and read the title...then read it a few more times in case he was 
wrong.

	"ANNETTE"  The card's Illustration was a ragged, battered Annette 
smirking and aiming a flaming arrow at a approaching horde of Minions.

	"Impossible," he heard behind him and looked up to see Jinsaku 
staring at him.  "This entire day...has been impossible."

	Tyrell slowly shook his head.  "Not impossible...just confusing."  
he looked beyond him for a second.  "And our answers may be over 
there."

	Jinsaku turned in time to see Talia limp into the Center, Inoch 
supporting her.  As he stared foward, Inoch's helm swiveled in his 
directions, causing him to freeze.  Though there was no expression to 
see, he got the distinct feeling it would not be wise to come any 
closer.

	"LEAVE." 

	The group stared silently as the door closed.

	A few seconds later, the outside lights went out, leaving them...

	In Darkness...


					* * * *


	AUTHOR NOTES or: Dear Gods, Ilmater what have you been smoking?

	This chapter is later then I'd like;  It's mostly my fault..I 
changed the story outline about three times before I settled on what 
you see above.  I also had a power outage Monday.  I didn't get power 
back until Tuesday(today) around 1pm, which delayed my pre-reader 
suggestions. :-P
	
	A few things to point out before you all lynch and/or worship me.  
^_^

Hopefully, I moved most of the plot points in the right direction. 
<whips out microphone>  Campbell's getting pressure on him, will he 
crack?  Jinsaku picks Katsuya over Shade!  OOSHA! Will it be enough to 
mend their friendship?   Stay tuned next week for...er...I don't know! 
^_^

	No, Talia's speech patterns are not typos, just a little quirk 
she has. ^_^ and speaking of Talia...
  
	TALIA: is the catalyst of this chapter, her job was to shake up 
the main characters and get them to think about a lot of things. The 
main point being: How much do they REALLY know about The Game?  And to 
knock them out of their apathy, which I think she did pretty well.  
Opens up a lot of possible plot points later..which is a "Good 
Thing"<tm>  

	Though she hinted at knowing a few things (I no be sendin' people 
to that place!), she's also quite loony, so any information may not be 
quite right.  It's up to the next authors to decide what they want to 
do.  She fits a lot of roles.  Though I'd really prefer if she didn't 
become "Talia: The UberGod of Cards."  ^_^  Now before any Talia haters 
begin to rant; See below.

	Technically, Her job is done.  If you hate her:  Please, you are 
under no pressure to use her, the story will go along fine.  If you DO 
like her however, feel free to use her occasionaly as you see fit.


	Thanks to John Evans for having enough faith in me to sign me up 
and having a lot of patience with me, giving me a very generous 
extension.
	Thanks to Ardweden who pre-read for me, pointing out bad, bad 
NASTY grammar errors and other stuff I've forgotten about English...and 
also putting up with my angst.  [And for the formatting job! --John]
	Thanks to NeoVid for starting this Impro.  It was my first pick 
during the Sweepstakes.. VIVA NEOVID!  ^_^


Beware the Radish
2/8/00
http://btradish.tripod.com