---------------

Scene from my Saving the Future epilogue:

Later that night, Catherine was out side walking the streets. Mostly to just hear the sounds that she hadn't heard for sometime. Normally she would have found them annoying but now that were like music to her ears. As she walked around she past by a local pawn shop, there in the front window were a few TV's hooked up a video camera. She didn't pay any attention to her reflected image. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something a bit off. She walked back into the camera's view.

She looked at her self, there it was her normal self but she was surrounded by a sort of psychedelic aura of energy. It's colors of reds, oranges, red oranges, yellows & on the very edges fading out in a whitish color. Floating around in this aura field were little globs of stuff, a few of the globs were furry, some had poky prickly things. Catherine moved back & forth in front of the camera & on the screen she saw the aura with it's energy globs followed her. She then looked down at her hands, she didn't see the aura or the globs.

"Hello, Miss Gillespie." said a voice.

Catherine looked up there he was.

"Spooky."

"Yes."

Catherine looked back at the screens, there she was with her aura & there was Spooky, he didn't have any sort of aura around. Not even a energy glob.

"I see you noticed the presence of portal travel."

"What?" Catherine looked at Mr. Spooky with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes. Remember back to the portal, the one you fell through & end up in Parody Harbor. The one from Misters' Beeslyhuxtoy & Swiss' apartment."

Catherine thought about it for a few seconds. "Yeah. So?"

"To make it safe for one such as you, Mister Swiss or Beeslyhuxtoy: you all were encased in an invisible energy shell."

"But you closed that portal, didn't you?" Catherine asked.

Mr. Spooky was about to answer but stopped since he thought she no longer had that memory. He then said. "Why do think I had anything to do with it?"

"I don't know." Catherine said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just have this feeling."

"All right. I did have a hand in the portal."

"It sucked your hand in?"

"No. I have some power over portals like that."

"Ok." Catherine said. She always thought he had some sort of extra powers beyond being mysterious.

"Do Chad & Ronnie have auras around them?"

"No."

"Didn't they also go through it?"

"Yes. But their passage through the portal was planned so the auras' around them had were there for only a short time. They have dissipated."

"So, what about mine?"

"It will go away, eventually."

"When?"

"When what the aura is there for is done."

"And that is what?"

"Only time will tell." Spooky said stoically.

"Well, you could since I think you know."

"I do know but if you knew the end of the book it would take away all the fun of reading the book. Plus, you might not understand what it means."

"You could explain it to me."

"No. I have better things to do then foretell your future. But it is a dozy."

"Ok." Catherine said changing the topic. "So, is my aura always going to show up on video tape?"

"No. I altered the viewing capabilities of that camera." Spooky said. He snapped his fingers & Catherine could no longer see her aura.

"You knew I'd be coming by here, didn't you?"

"Yes. I've already read the book."

"I'm a book?"

"No." Spooky said & sighed. "Your life as a book is a metaphor."

"oh." Catherine said.

"Good night, Miss Gillespie." Spooky said & he was gone.

All the way home, Catherine keep looking at her hands.

---------------

Catherine at the Lair Mansion Prologue: The Bookmen Letter

It's early in the morning at corner of Macgovern & Litchdenberg, the site of Goth Haven's City Hall. The sun hasn't been up for more then an hour or so. The morning light is shining through the large glass window's of the building's main hall. There are a few security guards milling about on their rounds around the building. One of the front entrance doors is unlocked so that any City Employee might want to come in early can do so. Once such employee is that of Doctor Ezra Jones, Coroner.

The short stalky man walks through the central hall & over to the elevator. He would like to get to the basement before his night attendant leaves for the day. He has something he'd like to talk with her about. The old elevator touches down & the art deco styled doors open in a somewhat jerky fashion. The rider steps off & makes his way down the hallway. He makes a quick stop off at his office & then walks into the Morgue's waiting room.

He can see through a window which shows him the Morgue's small office, there he can see his night morgue attendant staring at her hand. She moves it back & forth a bit. Jones sighs & walks into the Morgue proper then into the office.

Once he in the door, he clears his throat. He doesn't get a response so he says "Catherine!"

This cause a response, she stops staring at her hand & then some what flustered she asks "Yes?"

"Are you high?"

"No. Why?"

"We'll I've only ever seen people star at their there hands like you were when their high & I don't need any pothead minding the morgue."

"I can assure you I'm no Pothead."

"All right." he said uneasy.

They just looked at each other for a few minutes. He with a look of distain on his face, she with a look of unease.

Jones broke the silence & said "Come with me to my office."

He then turned & started to walk back to his office.

Catherine called after him "Should I bring my stuff with me?"

"Your Choice." He called back.

Catherine gathered up his jacket & messenger bag. Then ran after him. He was waiting for her in his office, she walked in & he closed the door behind her. He walked over to his desk & sat down. Catherine sat down on the only other available chair. There were other chairs in the office but most of them were occupied with books, binders, piles of paper & other stuff. Catherine didn't like coming into Doctor Jones' office, it always seems to cramped & small. The walls were either covered with framed photographs or over flowing bookcases & a number of filling cabinets. Also, there was no natural light to be found in there. The only light there was either the halogen light coming down from the ceiling or the lamp of Jones' desk.

"So..." He said drawing out the 'o' & then continued "how is everything?"

"Fine." Catherine replied uneasy. He had this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was just minutes away from being fired.

"Good. Good." Jones said as he shook his head in agreement of the comment.

"You recovering well from the incident a few weeks back?"

"Yes." She lied. Catherine felt it was easier to say she was abducted with the rest of the Earth's population then to say she was on the moon at the time.

"Good. Good." He said with another series of head nods.

There were few moments of silence which seemed, at least to Catherine, to last to long which had Doctor Jones just sitting there looking across the cluttered desk at Catherine.

"Your probably wonder why I've come in early today & asked you in her?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've got one question & that is: Are you in trouble with the Lair Legion?"

Catherine wasn't sure how to answer that question at first. "Well... uh.. um.. " She stammered.

Jones leaded back in his chair. "It's a simple question: Are you or aren't you?"

"Well, as far as I know I am not."

"All right. I ask this since yesterday in the the interoffice mail among all the other pieces I receive I got this." He said as he reached into one of his office drawers & pulled out a envelope.

"It's addressed to you care of this office & up in the corner the return address is the Parody Island. Now there is only one building on that hunk of rock out in the harbor & that's the Legion's Mansion."

Catherine was going to correct him by saying there is also a lighthouse but choose not to.

"You know the Legion?"

"I've meet two of the members, seen one other in person & some how another one knows of me. But I wouldn't say I know the Legion."

There was a pause, then Jones said. "Oh yes, The Hatman incident."

Catherine shook her head in agreement & then there was another pause.

"Why do you think the Legion would be sending mail to people they don't know?"

"I don't know." Catherine said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Doctor Jones tossed the envelope across the desk. Catherine picked it up. The Legion's address was stamped onto the envelope where as Her name & everything else was written neatly in a black ink. Catherine thought it looked like a man's hand writing.

Catherine flipped it over & there on the back was a seal: it was two L's, they were both faced back to back. One faced to the left & the other to the right. The seal was also broken.

"You opened it?" she asked.

"Yes. It may have been addressed to you but with in care of the City Morgue & I am the Coroner, so of course I opened it."

Catherine down at the envelope & asked "So, what does it says?"

"I don't know." Jones replied.

Catherine looked up with a puzzled look on her face. "what?"

"Yes. I wasn't sure what it meant so that's why I want to meet with you."

"Ok." Catherine said a bit puzzled. "Was in some strange language or in code?"

"No. No, nothing like that. I just wasn't sure what the contents meant." Doctor Jones said & the looked at the clock on the wall. "Your shift is almost up & I'll not be paying your overtime to read your mail. So go clock out & I'll be expecting you back here tonight, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Jones said then turned his back to her & set about working.

This was her subtle to leave so she did. She clocked out & then went to leave. She cross the street to the Civic Center Park & found a nice bench to read her letter on. Catherine opened up the envelope & inside was a blank piece of paper.

Catherine looked over the entire sheet, held it to the sun to see if there was an special water mark: Nothing. It was just a piece of paper. Catherine, much like Doctor Jones, wasn't sure what to make of this. This she noticed that hand written text began to appear:


Catherine-

I hope you are well and hope my sending this to your place of work did not get you in any trouble. This was not my intention.

I am writing you to inquire if you would be willing to come to the Lair Mansion so that we may further our discussion on the "Mr. Spooky" topic. I should be at the Mansion most anytime that is baring any unforeseen occurrences that may take me away.

If this is alright with you, just come over to the mansion and say that you are there to see me that should get you in. I look forward to seeing you soon.


The letter was then signed Lenard H. Bookman, the Librarian.

Catherine set the letter down on the bench & after she did, she noticed the message disappear much like he had appeared.

Catherine sat there on the bench wondering if she would go or not.

---------------

Catherine at the Lair Mansion Prologue: Interlude

"So, do you think I should go?"

"Well... I don't know, Kitten. I think it's really up to you wether you go or not. Your 20.." Thomas Gillespie said as he paused from his granddaughter to fill in the blank.

"28." Catherine said bashfully.

"Ah yes. I knew it was somewhere in the later 20's. Your almost thirty, a grown woman by many standards. I don't feel right telling you what to do, many people will also give that answer. They'll also probably say that they can only give you suggestions. It's you who has to make the decision & know you like I think I know you'll make the right one."

The two generations of the Gillespie family were sitting in The Safe, one of the country's senior most maximum security prisons. The complex was on the southward face of Flanagan Island. Thomas' sole window looks north back toward the city & you can also just barely see the remains of the Islands' fairgrounds that use to be one of Parrodpolis' premiere tourist destinations.

Thomas was dressed up in a style that Catherine thought was more fitting befitting Hugh Hefner then an Prison Inmate. He was wearing a crimson red smoking jacket. On his feet were a pair of slippers (they were the same color of his robe) & a pair of argyle socks. His pants were white cotton with light blue stripes pajama bottoms, his top was of the same material & style. His hair once thick black hair was now grey with sections turning white & he was also slightly balding up top. His skin was wrinkled but his body had held up well for an 88 year old in his line of business. He was seated in a high back leather chair, next to it was a wooden side table. On it was that morning's Parrodpolis Trombone. His manor of dress was from years' of being a "model" inmate.

Like the way he was dressed where he was incarcerated didn't fit normal standards. It was still your typical one room prison cell but Thomas has been afforded certain comforts of home.

Catherine was seated on a grey metal folding chair, she sat across from him. The only thing separating her from him was a highly advanced security system & a few feet of Plexiglas. On her feet were a pair of navy blue Chuck Taylor All-Star high tops. On her feet were argyle socks (Hers' were of a different pattern). Her pants are a well worn & ripped in places pair of blue jeans. She had a grey short sleeved T-Shirt on. Under that shirt was a red & black long sleeved shirt. Over the T-Shirt was an unzipped well worn, greying black hoodie with the sleeves pushed up. On her wrists were a few too many bracelets & a couple of wrist bands. A few of her fingers had some rings on them. Her black nail polish was cracked & chipped in places. She had short sandy blond which was pulled back & into two small ponytails, one on each side of the back of her head. She had somewhat pale skin & was also wearing a pair of black plastic glasses. Slung over back of her chair was an olive drag colored messenger bag.

Both sets of their green eyes sparkled a bit under the halogen lighting of the Prison.

The homey look to Thomas' cell was a stark contrast to the bare & emptiness of the cement hallway that she was in. The only thing besides her & chair was a metal catwalk that a guard every so often walked by on. Every time "Grandpa Tom" would wave at the guard with a smile on his face, the guard hardly if ever returned the greeting.

Just after the guard had left to check in on other inmates, Catherine replied. "I know. But I'm just not sure what to do. I've never been asked to the Lair Mansion before."

"Yes. But wasn't during one of the first meetings after you moved to this side of the country was that you want to go to the Mansion. I think you even asked if they gave tours."

"Yeah." Catherine said as gave a small smile.

"This is something you've wanted for awhile. It's been what a decade since you've been out here?"

"Yeah. I came out this way to go to Goth Haven University."

"For it's art program?" Thomas queried.

"Sort of. They were the only school that accepted my master thesis on a study of the American Comic Book."

Thomas shook his head is disbelief. "I remember when you were little & before your father stopped talking to me that he was worried that those things would ruin your life. I, your grandmother & I also think your mother thought they were harmless. Something you'd grow out off. Little did we know that it would come to consume a large part of your life."

"All I really needed to know I learned from Comic Books." Catherine joked.

"That very well may be. I haven't seen one in decades so my knowledge is out of date. What you've shared with me they have seemed to guide you well."

"Thanks, Granddad."

"I think anything you devote that much time to it's bound to rub off on you some how." Thomas said & the both of them both shared a laugh.

Once the laughing subsides, He asks "Did... Bookman, was it?"

Catherine nodded.

"Did Bookman give a time to meet him or do you just show up on their doorstep & ring the doorbell?"

"I don't think that would be wise, given that they are highly public group with lots of enemies who'd want to see them dead."

"But sometimes the direct method is the best method. It work with Carol & I. I saw her, fell in love, went right up to her & asked her to dance. Sixth months later we on our way to being married."

"But I don't think things work like that anymore."

"I guess. I hear people elope now & if it doesn't work they'll just get divorced then move onto the next conquest."

"Granddad!" Catherine said a bit shocked.

"Sorry. They had the TV in the common area yesterday on this pointless Celebrity news program & that's all they seemed to talk about. I miss the stars of my youth, we didn't need to know everything about them & that was just fine with us."

"Yeah."

They just sat there in a moment of silence. Catherine sat there & once again followed the cracks in the cement flooring. Thomas looked at off into space & smiled.

After a minute or two, Thomas said "Changing the subject: how's your father?"

Catherine looked up from the floor & said. "Fine, I guess. At least that was the last I heard from Aunt Angela."

"How is your Mother's Sister?"

"A bit annoying. She feels it's her mission to keep tabs on me just because we're related, living in the same city & has nothing better to do with her time."

Thomas laughed & then said. "Now I've not met the woman but when ever she's been mentioned to me they all most all say the same thing."

"She wants me to be a bridesmaid in Amanda's wedding." Catherine rolled her eyes.

"Who is she marrying?"

"I don't know. Some guy, they met at some party a few months back. He's going to be a doctor, lawyer, something that pays well."

"Are you going?"

"I don't know. I don't want to but I'll probably be made to show up & be in. I don't even really know her, we barely even share the same genetics."

"But family is family." Thomas said with a laugh.

"Thanks. I'm glad you feel my pain." She said flatly.

Catherine checked her watch. "I guess I should be going."

Thomas checked the clock on his wall. "Why? Visiting hours aren't over for at least another hour."

"True. But the sun is going down, I don't want to miss the last ferry back to the main land & as much as I love you, granddad: I don't feel like sleeping over." Catherine said as she stood up.

Thomas did also. Catherine folded up her chair & leaned up up against the bulletproof plexiglass. Catherine then pressed herself up against the glass, Thomas did the same.

"One day we should hug for real." Catherine said.

"I know. I've been up for a day pass a few times but keep getting turned down by the board of directors."

"Would a good word from a granddaughter help sway them?"

"I don't know. I'll see you next week & you'll tell me what happened with the Mansion?"

"It's a date!" Catherine said as she headed on down the hallway.

Once she was out of the corridor, Thomas looked up the the catwalk & said. "You know you could have said something."

"I know." said a man who came out from the shadows. He stood about six feet tall, maybe a little taller. He looked about middle age or approaching it. He wore a pair of horn rimmed glasses, behind them are a pair of blue almost slate grey eyes. His brown hair is slicked back & was cut in a very conservative manner. His face showed some signs of aging. His complexion was average. He wore a warm grey suit, a tailored white button down shirt, a dark red tie & black paten leather shoes. Over all this was a tan trench coat.

"How long had you known I was there?"

"When you came. The doors are old & tend to make noise when opened or closed."

"I noticed you didn't make my presence known."

"I didn't feel that was my place. Your a big boy & can do as you please. That's how you've always been"

"Hello, Father."

"Hi, Son."

---------------

Catherine at the Lair Mansion, Part 1

The Parrodipolis Waterfront.
Midday.

A taxi pulls up & drops off a their passenger. As she got out, Abdul Hassan asked "Are you sure what to get out here?"

"Yeah." she replied. But the sounds of how she said that words, she wasn't so sure.

"Are they expecting you?"

"I think so." she said as she handed him the fare.

"Keep the change." She said as she turned around & headed towards the gilded gate.

As Abdul drove away he said a small prayer for her.

The woman just stood in front of the double gates, starting up at the fancy iron work on it. It's sort of reminded her of the Gate that stood in front of the Avengers' mansion. She was dressed, starting from the ground up: a pair of navy blue Chuck Taylor All-Star high tops. On her feet were argyle socks. Her pants are a well worn & ripped in places pair of blue jeans. She had a grey short sleeved T-Shirt on. Under that shirt was a red & black long sleeved shirt. Over the T-Shirt was an unzipped well worn, greying black hoodie with the sleeves pushed up. On her wrists were a few too many bracelets & a couple of wrist bands. A few of her fingers had some rings on them. Her black nail polish was cracked & chipped in places. She had short sandy blond which was pulled back & into two small ponytails, one on each side of the back of her head. She had somewhat pale skin & was also wearing a pair of black plastic glasses. Slung over right shoulder was olive drag colored messenger bag.

Catherine sighed. She was trying to psych herself up mentally. She was going to go the Lair Mansion (a place she has never been) to get meet with Lee Bookman, The Librarian (a guy she has only meet twice) to talk about Mr. Spooky (a guy she has met many times but know very little about).

"Ok, Catherine. You can do this. You've been invited. They should be expecting you. They won't kill you." This among other thoughts were running through her mind.

A new thought ran through her mind "How do I get past the gate?"

Catherine looked it over a bit & then remembered what her grandfather had said that sometimes the direct method is the best method so she went to see if the gates were locked or not. They weren't. She walked through them & before her was a paved bridge. At the end of the long bridge, Catherine could just make out the Mansion. Catherine closed the gate & started walking.

At was seemed like forever but was probably just twenty, thirty minutes: Catherine stepped off the bridge & onto the island. Off to her left down the coast was small lighthouse. Catherine walked up a small path up towards the Mansion, it was surround by a rod iron fence, Catherine open that gate & walked up the path some more.

As she did, she looked over the Mansion's landscaping: it was all nicely kept up & looked vaguely victorian to her. Before she walked up a small flight of stairs to the front door, she noticed there was a man in pruning one off the bushes.

Once Catherine had gotten to the doorstep she noticed that something a bit odd. There was a large burn mark directly in front of the door, on top of that burn mark was a welcome matt that was also slightly burnt it's self.

To the left of the large metal Doors, was a plaque:

The Lair Mansion
Home of the World Famous Lair Legion
Available for Parties, Bar Mitzvahs & Interstellar Conflagrations
Reasonable Rates
No Soliciting

Below that was a door bell which Catherine then promptly pressed. With the accompanying normal chimes, she could hear slowly mounting buzzing noise. There was also the sound of running.

The doors were thrown up, Catherine was grabbed & pulled into the house. Not more then thirty seconds later, two laser beams from either side of the doorway fired, burning the doormat & the flooring below it. The man who had pulled her in started to stamp out the flames with his foot. As he did so he mumbled something to himself as "Stunulators", whatever they were.

Once the fire was out, he turned to Catherine. The man was what Catherine could have only assumed was a hunchback. He looked to be if Marty Feldmen, Rif Raff from Rock Horror & Quasimodo had some sort of love child. She didn't really like the way he was starting at her, it made her feel dirty.

"Welcome to the Mansion... May I take your Clothes?" He said with a crooked smile. He then paused for a second & then continued on. "Er.. Coat, Of Course. I meant coat. How Silly of me."

Catherine gave a weak smile & a small laugh, then said. "No. I think I'll keep it. If that's ok."

"All right." he said. Catherine could tell he was undressing her with his eyes.

The two of them stood there in the foyer. He leering at her, she trying to avoid his gaze.

"May I ask who you are here to see?" He asked. But before Catherine could reply, he said. "Foxglove?"

Catherine wasn't sure who that was.

"From the look of you, miss. I'd say your here for Foxglove & his wife's afternoon sexual encounter." He said & then pulled a pocket watch of his vest. "Which according to my clock is about to commence in five minutes."

"No. I'm.. uh.. here.. to see.. Lee Bookman." Catherine said nervously. She really didn't want to be there. Her eyes darted around looking all possible ways of except. She thinks that she could make it out the door before the lasers went off again.

"Oh." the man said. "Your here to see Bookman, eh?"

He then winked suggestively. Catherine was trying to resist the urge to throw up.

"Let's me ring him up." The man turned to a small out cove behind him, it held telephone. As he picked up the receiver & was about to dial a number, he stopped when he heard someone coming down the stairs.

"That won't be necessary, Flapjack." said a voice.

He turned around to see who it was & descending the stair case was a man who wearing a long beige trench coat, the ends of the coat were frayed, dirty & a bit burnt. Under his coat, he had on a blue jumpsuit with gunmetal black leather belt. He had stylized yellow "L" on his silver belt buckle. On his hands is a pair of dark brown, well wore, gloves; the fingertips of the gloves are cut off exposing his fingertips. He also wore a pair of gunmetal black leather boots, that matched his belt, with dark brown leather straps. He had mid neck length brown hair which was slightly messed, his skin was a bit pale & he wore frame less glasses.

"Bookman! What were you doing upstairs?"

"I was up in my room."

"You have a room? I thought you just lived in the file room?" Flapjack said puzzled.

"Yes, I know one would think that but when I came on to the team I was given a room to use. It's just that I've found it was easier to camp out down there." Lee said. He then turned his attention to the other person in the foyer.

"Hello, Catherine. I'm glad you could make it. I hope Flapjack wasn't too much of a bother."

"No." Catherine lied.

"good. Let's go find some place quite to talk." Lee said as he took Catherine down the hallway.

Flapjack glared at the two of them for a few minutes but stopped when he heard some noises coming from upstairs which caused him to run & check on it.

---------------

Catherine at the Lair Mansion, Part 2

The Lair Mansion.
Parody Island.
Parrodopolis Sound.

Lee Bookman is wondering the halls of the Mansion followed slowly behind by a young woman. Lee would peak his head into various rooms like he was looking for something. Lee opened another door, this time he had to turn on the light to check on a room. "This should be ok." He said as he walked in, followed shortly by the young woman, Catherine Gillespie. The room was a large wood paneled room with a large wooden table in the middle of it. Surrounding the table were leather chairs, Lee pulled one away from the table & motioned for Catherine to sit there.

As she did, He said. "Sorry, we couldn't use the Living Room but during Hockey season it's almost impossible to get Hatman out of there."

"This is ok." Catherine said as she nervously looked around the room. On the wall behind her, there were large portraits.

"Each portrait is of a Legion founder" Lee said.

There was on portrait near the other end of the room that was covered up with a sheet & Lee noticed that Catherine saw that.

"The portrait behind the sheet is of Lisa Waltz, it is covered for decencies' sake, it's also glued to the wall with a glue that Harper whipped up to stop Flapjack from taking it to his quarters to do whatever he does in there. I think it's best not to know." Lee said with bit of chuckle.

Catherine gave some nervous laughter back.

"Is there anything I can get you? The Lair Kitchen is surprising well stocked with most anything you'd want. It's also like not Earth kitchen I've ever seen but I guess with the associates the Legion keeps it pays to be well stocked." Lee said as he took of his trench coat & placed on a chair next to him. He sat down across the table from her.

"No. I'm fine." Catherine said as took off her shoulder bag & placed it on the floor next to her chair.

The two of them sat there for a few moments, not saying anything. This made Catherine nervous, it didn't help that Lee just sat there & looked at her. Then came a loud thumping noise like heavy footsteps & they sounded like they were coming towards her. Not more then a minute later, out of the corner of her eye through the open door she saw a larger hippo like creature pass by. It was dressed up in a militaristic uniform of some kind.

"That's Sgt. MacHarridan, our head of security. He's a fine kind of guy if you don't get on his bad side." Lee said with a smile.

Catherine smiled back.

There was a few more minutes of silence which Lee broke by asking "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'm fine."

"Ok. It's just that I don't do meetings like this very often. Normally if I do meet up with people it's in a more official compascity, with the Legion or the IOL. There I know how to act, it's been ingrained in me for some time with the IOL & I've just pretty much gotten a handle on how to act during a Legion mission. During my Legion downtime that still needs some work." Lee said said rather quickly.

"Sorry for the rambling. I've found that I don't do well in things like this. Just talking with one person. One person of the opposite gender of myself. Not that I'm thinking of this meeting in a sexually manner but there are probably a few people in the Mansion that are thinking that."

"That Flapjack guy?"

"Yes! Him & a few others. But he's the worst offender, it's almost like he was bred to be that way."

"Sex is a primal urge, we all have it." Catherine said sarcastically.

"Yes! But some of us handle better then others." Lee said with a nervous smile. "Not that I like handling things sexually. It does have it place but not here & not now."

"Ok." Catherine relied. Earlier she didn't want to be there & now she really didn't want to be there.

"I am glad you decided to come. I worried about that for sometime. I was thinking that you might not, it was a bit of a weird way of contacting you. I know I could have called you.."

"Which you've done before."

Lee paused for a moment to think & then said. "Yes. The thing with Dancer."

"Yeah. Did you ever find out how she knew me?"

"No." He said paused & then continued "In fact I never asked her how she knew you. If I remember, I'll ask her & then tell you."

"ok."

"Yes."

Then a few more moment of silence.

Elsewhere in the mansion, in the Monitor Room, CrazySugarFreakBoy! was coming in for his monitoring shift, he walked in & someone was already there. They had their feet up on the control board & had set all the screens to show the Meeting Room in one large image. Dream could tell the shoes' it was Flapjack. So Dream slowly crept up behind the him & placed a hand on Flapjack's right shoulder.

"Hey!"

This caused Flapjack to jump a bit & he tossed his bowl of popcorn spilling it everywhere.

Flapjack that gave Dream a look of death, Dream just smiled back at him.

"What are you watching?"

"Bookman has a lady over." Flapjack said as he resituated himself.

"He does. But he doesn't know anybody "

"Well, apparently he does since there she sits." Flapjack said as he motioned to Catherine's image on the screens.

"So, why are you watching it from here & not live in the Meeting Room?"

"I was else where in the mansion. Plus, I wasn't sure where they'd end up so I didn't get a chance to set up my equipment."

"All right. You do know I'll want the tape from today."

"Ok."

"And all the copies."

Flapjack frowned & then said. "Ok."

There was a moment of silence then Dream asked. "You know what their talking about?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"They haven't really said anything interesting yet. It has been established that Lee's wanting her over isn't of a sexually nature."

"So, why are you still watching?"

"Hoping that was just a line."

"Oh."

The two continue to watch, a few minutes later Dream asks "Should we be watching something else? Like the Crisis Monitor?"

"Probably. But if something bad happens somewhere I'm sure we'll know about it."

"Ok."

Over in one of the corner of the room, out from one of the power sockets in the wall, goo starts to bubble out & collect on the floor. Once a sizable amount had collected it formed in a the vaguely human shape which made it's way over to the duo.

"Hey, MS."

The elder being gave a slight nod of what could be consider it's head. It watched along with them for a few moments. "The Aura that being has clashes with the look I think they are attempting to pull off."

The elder being then made it's way out of the room. Once it had had left, Flapjack asked "What was that about?"

"I don't know. I've given up trying to figure out what Shoggoth means like I've given up trying to understand The Invisibles."

---------------

TO BE CONTINUED...

---------------