TAPSLAUGHT #1

The various Writers' avatars were collected in the Subreality Cafe...Dex, Abyss & Phil hurling abuse and empty beer mugs at each other, Kielle and Indigo patiently trying to explain to Fanatic that wrestling wasn't real, Falstaff and Celendra clouding up a booth with innuendo while Seraph gleefully allowed numerous Magneto fic types to buy her drinks...ah yes, all was well...a new age of peace between fictives and Writers was moving along nicely in the wake of the "Halloween Massacre"...and then it happened...

Twiller, completely unaware that the glazed look in Tapestry's eyes was analogous to the sound a computer makes when you download one kb too many...just happened to say..."Hey, Tap'...what about a story where Dawn and Glenn travel to Cable's future and meet..."

He didn't even have a chance to finish the sentence. There was a sudden burst of energy, force, and creative angst. The cafe grew Dark...and where Tapestry had sat a moment earlier, was a large form no one had ever seen before...it's voice was like a thundercloud dosed with Maalox...

"I AM TAPSLAUGHT!"

(L)"For the love of Pratchett, do I need to bring a damned gun with me EVERY time I come in here!?" Leary yelled in what would have been astonishment if this sort of thing had not become somewhat customary to him by now.

On his first trip, he got chased around by an army of his dead fictives, and barely survived. On his second trip, on Halloween of all days, he died. Figuring that his luck couldn't get any worse, Leary decided to see if the third time was the charm.

"I AM TAPSLAUGHT!!" the armored young writer bellowed.

He was, of course, dead wrong. "Oh bugger."

(T)Trillian stood up and shouted: "I AM TRILLIAN!!!!"

Everyone threw shocked and fearful looks in her direction as Tapslaught slowly turned an icy gaze onto Trillian.

"Oh, sorry." She laughed in embarrassment. "I thought this was rollcall!"

Tapslaught's eyes glowed a deadly shade of blue. She raised her hand and a blaze of lightning shot from it, Trillian barely had time to dive out of the way.

"Wow, I think that was somewhat of an overreaction, don't you?" she asked Leary, who was cowering under the same table.

"All who oppose me shall die!" Tap declared.

(S)The Cafe was in chaos -- no, not the comic company, actual chaos. Writers and fictives were running in every direction, desperately trying to get as far from TAPSLAUGHT as possible.

In the middle of this chaos three men were drinking calmly.

"Not bad," Abyss said as they watched TAPSLAUGHT decapitate a passing fictive.

"I don't know, seemed a bit heavy on the swing if you ask me," Dex replied.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Seraph

The Brothers Drunk looked up at the celestial avatar.

"Shouldn't you be out there doing something heroic?" asked Abyss.

Seraph rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm refusing to be type-cast though. I've decided this time around I'm going to be the cynical drunkard who makes off-hand comments while watching the random and brutal slaughter of innocents...well, sorta innocents," she said.

"And that was all in one breath," Dex said, amazed.

Seraph grinned. "I've been practicing," she said, dragging up a chair.

(C)Crackers crashed through a window on a silver snowboard. "I am Crackers, Herald of Tapslaught, fear me for I hath chosen your Cafe to be destroyed by my master, TapSlaught." Then Crackers removed the 'Cosmic Fish Of Death' and began beating people with it.

(T)"I don't think so."

Crackers halted in mid swing. Tapslaught stood behind him. And she was not amused.

"I didn't choose you for a herald."

"But--"

"But what? Die."

Tapslaught waved her hand, and a pulse of energy ripped through the would-be-herald. Without a sound, without a scream, Crackers turned to ash.

Tapslaught turned to the stunned Cafe, her eyes narrow. The armor she wore rippled and changed, adjusting itself into something someone could actually walk in. The colors melted from purple and red to black and blue, and the bucket-like helmet vanished completly.

She smiled dispassionately. "Who says I need to follow the rules of the Marvel Universe -- especially when they're in such bad taste?" she asked softly. "I suggest you all get out of here. Now. Because in about three seconds, the Subreality Cafe will cease to exist."

"Is she INSANE?" Leary asked. Tapslaught turned to him, her long black hair unbound and flowing in an unfelt wind.

"She is," Seraph agreed.

People were running for the exits in .006 seconds.

:Do you think...: came a telepathic voice as the occupants, writers and fictives alike, poured out of the Cafe, :That I like being taken advantage of?:

The Cafe began to glow, a spiderweb of blue energy crackling to life around the foundation and snaking up like demonic water.

:Do you think this is a GAME?:

The walls of the Cafe began to splinter and weaken. The onlookers backed away.

:I suppose I should say something about beholding my mighty hand, but I'm not giving anyone the satisfaction. Unstead, I will simply say "goodbye.":

There was no sound when the Cafe errupted into a ball of white, heatless flame. The Writers and fictives alike stared in awe and horror as Tapslaught destroyed the very Cafe she had helped create, burning like a star going super-nova.

Just like her sanity.

:Oh, don't worry...: her voice echoed, even though her body could no longer be seen. :You can rebuild it easily, I'm sure. It may take some time, but you can...if you should live so long.:

"Tap -- what are you doing?" Falstaff cried, his bowler hat hanging askew. The Writers could almost feel her cold gaze turning on them.

:Oh, come on, Staff...I always warned you I was unstable. Now do you see what happens when I get pushed a little too far?: The sound of cold, mocking laughter shrilled across the astral plane. :What's wrong, everyone? You always said I was the dangerous one...or that's what you thought, anyway. Why shouldn't I prove it?:

The flames dissapated, leaving nothing but the sad, charred crater where the Subreality Cafe had once stood.

"There goes Kielle's insurance..." Seraph muttered under her breath.

:Oh, don't worry. She had an Act of Willey clause installed. This might apply. Maybe.: There was a derisive snort.

:Herald. Do I even want a Herald? Perhaps. But she will come to me.: A shiver ran through the crowd as they "felt" her cold, psychic smile. :Yes...why not. She shall come.:

:Dandelion, I send for you.:

(L)Leary stared at the dusty remains of the Subreality Cafe and took all of two seconds to make up his mind. "Right, I think that settles that."

Leary walked to the street curb. "TAXI!" A half-second later, a yellow checker cab blurred up and stopped in front of the rather short Writer.

"What can I do for you?" the driver said, and Leary did a double-take.

"YOU AGAIN?!?" The driver was none other than Marvel's Demonic Lawyer. "Aren't you, like, dead? I distinctly remember blowing you up with a Holy Hand Grenade."

"Haven't you ever heard of Marvel Death?"

"Oh yeah."

"Anyway, I'm back with yet another offer." Marvel's Demonic Lawyer grinned toothily. "It involves that rather maniacal creature raving over there."

Leary looked over. "You mean Willey?"

"No, no, no. The OTHER maniac!"

"Oh, that's just Tappy. She's cool with you so long as you don't get on her bad side."

"Is that so?" Marvel's Demonic Lawyer, leaned out of his cab and looked at the ground.

Leary followed his gaze and saw the words 'Tap's Bad Side' written under his feet. "Well that just sucks."

"Yep, but I can get you out of it, of course."

Leary looked at the Lobdellized Tapestry, then back at the Lawyer. "I'm listening."

"Y'see, your fellow...fanfic writer," Marvel's Demonic Lawyer spat out the words. "She's like that because of all the stress generated from writing her favorite characters. Take them away, and the stress stops. Thus, end of Tapslaught."

"You're good, y'know. You almost make that load of crap sound believeable," Leary said, then winced as he heard yet another Writer get pummelled by Tapslaught. "Still listening, though."

"Good. If you just sign here, we'll gain the rights to her characters, Dawn and Glenn, then she won't have anything to worry about." Marvel's Demonic Lawyer handed Leary the contract.

Wasting no time, Leary looked right at the fine print. He choked when he saw Glenn's new name, 'Glenn Charles Dayspring Essex Summers.'

"I thought that was a pretty sweet touch, myself," Marvel's Demonic Lawyer said, grinning.

"Only you and The Bob would," Leary muttered, shaking his head as he read the rest. Suddenly, Leary had a wonderful idea and laughed out loud.

"Oooh, you got to the part about Dawn being trapped in a cocoon at the bottom of the Abyss all this time, yes?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Leary said, then waved the contract at Tapslaught to get her attention.

Marvel's Demonic Lawyer caught on quickly. "Don't do that." Leary chuckled at that. "Don't bring her over HERE! Are you insane?!"

"My sanity is *not* what you have to worry about, mate," Leary said. "Hey Tappy! Look at what this guy wants to do with Dawn and Glenn! They're Summers' now!!"

Marvel's Demonic Lawyer stared at the approaching menace, Tapslaught's shadow getting bigger to the point where it covered the entire cab. "This is not good. This is not good at all," he gulped.

(R)Ramiel was in the Subreality Men's Room when TAPSLAUGHT began her rampage in the bar.

Ramiel frowned as he could hear Tapestry's formerly dulcet tones transform into something reminding him of the Thing in a rock crusher.

He checked his neatly trimmed goatee in the mirror, straightened out his hair and reached back to rub the scars where wings had once grown from his back. He adjusted his double breasted suit, slipped a clove in his mouth and lit it with a flick of his zippo.

There was a bright flash and suddenly, a vision of radiant beauty stood on the sink.

On closer examination, it looked a lot like Spider Jerusalem in a shiny spandex jumpsuit, fake breasts and a red wig. (S)He was wearing a button saying "KISS ME! I'm ASKANI!"

"Oh Kevin Ramiel Dayspring Summe...!"

Ramiel interrupted before the time travelling drag queen could finish. "Ahem. Don't even think of it."

"Kevin Ramiel Dayspring LeBea..."

"Ahem."

"Essex?"

Rami frowned and shrugged. If he had to have Ru Paul Askanni accuse him of being related to a fictive, there were worse fates than being called Essex.

"Ramiel! Scion of Destiny! A great.."

"Stow it, I'm not a Summers, I'm a Schmidt. And you're not an Askani."

"Am too!"

"Mr. Jerusalem, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm not Spider, I'm Mother Askani! Oh bugger it. I'm from the effing future, close enough?"

Rami nodded and waved Spider Askani off of the sink. "Why are you dressing like a time-travelling tart and babbling about my destiny when Tappy is acting like a Lobdell character?"

(D) A small shaft of golden yellow light broke through the gloom of the ruined Cafe and manifested into a Heraldic-looking woman with a clipboard and a gold pen.

"Right here, boss." She looked around at the Writers and cleared her throat. "I am Dandelion. I'm the Herald. And I have the List of Destruction." She brandished the clipboard over her head.

Herald Dandelion nodded at Tapslaught. "Shall I start scheduling Those Unfortunates Who Have Called Your Wrath Upon Them?"

"Right." Herald Dandelion looked at her clipboard. "Cafe...check. Dawn...check. Next..." she looked around with eyes full of purpose. Her gaze rested on an Avatar staring forlornly at what had once been the bar.

"Hello Abyss." Herald Dandelion smiled brightly. "Mind if I have a word?" She took him by the arm and led him a few steps away. "You've been targeted by Tapslaught to die by her hand, so I'm going to go ahead and schedule you in. Now, if you wouldn't mind waiting over there..." she gestured to the small pile of ashes.

"Oh, and it's no use running. Tapslaught very wisely altered her costume to grant her more mobility than the original design. You are allowed to panic, so you can go right ahead with that. Keep in mind, however, the honor of being hand selected by the Mighty One. Have a nice day."

Her first task taken care of Herald Dandelion flipped through her list. "There are a lot of names here, boss."

"That's fair." She ran her fingers through her hair and looked pensive. "Is it all right if I call in some extra help?"

<::sigh:: If you must.>

"Super." Herald Dandelion straightened and held aloft her golden pen. "Heraldic Henchman Pook Ming... You are summoned."

(P)"Oh goody!" Pook crawled out from under a table. Standing up, she dusted off the knees of her jeans and picked up her backpack, bouncing over to Dandelion and grinning brightly at Tapslaught. "Who do you want me to find?"

Dandelion glanced at her list, muttering to herself... "Hmm..nope, this is my list. Go find your own."

"I thought it was Tapslaught's list."

"Right," Dandelion said.

"So I don't have one, and you do? That's not fair!" Ming pouted, having absolutely no affect on Dandelion , who had used the exact same trick on occasion.

"You want fair, work for someone else." Dandelion rolled her eyes. "Besides, _you_ said you'd help."

"Hmphf." Pook retorted eloquently. "So what should I _do_? This is boring."

"Just make yourself useful, okay? Go terrorize peasants or something, whatever it is heralds are supposed to do."

"Okay." Pook dropped her backpack, putting both hands in her jacket pockets, not finding whatever she was looking for. "Hmm, wherezit?!" She knelt, digging through the backpack and tossing junk at random behind her, including a broken fishbowl, three dead christmas lights, a packet of pine rosin for violin bows, and four towels. Finally, she stood up. "I don't have a trumpet -- is a kazoo okay?"

(S) Seraph sauntered over to Abyss. "Well, that went well."

Abyss looked at his fellow writer in disbelief. "You seem to have a funny idea of well," he said.

Seraph grinned. "Well, to clarify, that went well for me. Of course you'll be soon joining the ranks of the dead. Still, you can rest well knowing I'll still be alive." she said.

Abyss raised an eyebrow. "You've been drinking again, haven't you?" he said.

Seraph looked innocent. "Whatever do you mean?"

Abyss nodded. "Thought so -- you're always this 'helpful' after you've put a few away," he said.

Seraph grinned brightly. "Hey, just trying to lighten the mood here. Still, Tapslaught seems to be pre-occupied at the moment, so you still have a few more seconds to live. The most important question at a time like this is of course... What did you leave me in your will?"

Meta: Okay, I know Seraph's not sounding like her usual self but I'm in a weird mood :o)

(A) Dex belched once and stared at the pile of rubble and dead fictives where the Cafe used to be. Phil passed him a half full mug of Guinness, thoughtfully salvaged when the place blew up...

"Cheers."

"No worriesh. We got us a sicua...a sticuash,,. a situishh...we have a problem."

"You think?"

"Lesshee...Tapeshtry just went Onshlaught all over the playsh, fried a few writersh, and now she's over there recruiting heralds and planning on killing Abysh."

Dex looked at the wreckage thoughtfully. The his eyes lit up. "Y'know...with Abyss gone, there'll be a lot more Guinness for us."

Phil's eyes narrowed and he glared at Dex, then a smile lit up his face. "Dex, mate, I luv how you think. Look! A keg!"

The two wandered towards the singed beer cask. Behind them, a few Writers who had escaped the destruction looked at the wreckage.

"I knew this would happen one day," Indigo said. The response was a chorus.

"Well, you were right, Indigo."

"Yep, we should have known."

"When has she ever been wrong?"

"So true, so true..."

Indigo sighed. Meanwhile Kielle brushed the dust off her clothes and took on a determined look. "This is stupid. That's Tapestry in there. Tapitha. Tappy. There is NO WAY she can pull this." And with that, the Scribe marched towards the wreckage while the others watched her go.

"Think we should go with her?" Falstaff asked Haesslich.

The dragon yawned and settled down on the road. "Tappy's flipped out and is trashing the place. What do you think?"

Falstaff righted a chair and had a seat. "Good point."

***

Meanwhile, at the Cafe, or what was left of it, Abyss blinked repeatedly at the large black and blue lobster-clawed form looming over him. "Y'know, Tapslaw...this ish putting a wee bit of strain on our friendship."

Dandelion casually reached over and whacked Abyss on the head with her clipboard. PookMing blew on her kazoo for punctuation.

"Silence, babbling drunkard. Mighty Tapslaught is preparing for your death!"

Abyss sighed. "Oh crap, do i have to die again?"

"All shall be as Tapslaught wishes," Dande intoned. Pook blew on the kazoo for emphasis.

Abyss stood up and straightened his ballcap. "Okay, fine, if i'm going to go out, at least let me have a soundtrack...hey, Pooky...can you play 'Taps'?" At that, a shudder ran through the form that was Tapslaught. Dande and Pook gasped and Abyss's eyes opened slightly wider. The avatar turned to the looming figure.

"Hey, did i just tap a nerve?"

Again the shiver.

"SILENCE, BABBLING FOOL! YOUR WIT IRRITATES US!" Tapslaught swung one blue lobster claw and sent Abyss sprawling into a pile of debris. He forced himself to his knees.

"Hey! Easy on the love-tap!"

"ARGHHHH!" screamed the armored figure, an cry echoed by Her heralds. Abyss stood up.

"I gettit now...you're still Tapestry in there...and that means you have her weakness...a poor tolerance for puns...that means i can TAP into this!"

"AHHHHHH!"

"I'm sorry, does your head hurt...? Need some Tapspirin?"

"NOOO! STOP YOU FOOL!!!"

"Well, i would, but i'm sort of tapped between a rock and a hard place..."

"GAAAHHHHHRRRGGGHHH"

"Is this distapting you from world conquest?"

"NAAARRRRGGGHHHH!"

"Winky! Nudge! NOW!"

With a sound that could best be described as 'kkkkt', two small, white fuzzy forms exploded from the rubble and leapt, as only predatory canaballistic bunny slippers can, right for Tapslaught's armored form. Actually, they got a good start and bounced off the heralds' heads, just for effect. Sharp fangs shone in the light and they struck munching their way through armor and angst. Tapslaught reeled, falling to its knees.

"Tappy, what the hell is going on?" came a shout.

All eyes and viewslits turned towards Kielle, who had just climbed over a nearby pile of kegs and trashed furniture. Behind her floated the opaque form of Laersyn, who had just arrived as well....

"Kelly...? Chris...?" The voice that emerged from the torn armor was all Tapestry. "I don't feel so good..."

The two new arrivals walked closer. Abyss watched.

"It's okay, Tappy...we're here..."

"OH YES YOU ARE!!!!!" came Tapslaught's voice again, now triumphant. There was the sound of buckling metal and WInky and Nudge exploded from Tapslaught's armored chest, each with fangs grabbing hold of the familiar form of Tapestry...well almost...for some reason she was bald now... Onslaught reeled, and forced itself to its feet.

***

Elsewhere, Ramiel came running up to Indigo with some chick in an Askani outfit in tow. "Indigo!"

"Rami! Who's your friend?"

"She's from the Subreality future. she came to warn us not to let anyone near Tapslaught..."

ALL: "UHT-OHHHHHHH..."

***

Meanwhile, back at the wreck...

"NOW I AM FREE TO BE ALL THAT I CAN...ALL THAT MY ONCE AND FORMER HOST WOULDN'T DARE BECOME...!"

Pook blew on the kazoo repeatedly as Tapslaught reached out and grabbed hold of Kielle and Laersyn. Those present watched with horror as the two Writers faded form existance.

"Tappy, no!" slurred Seraph.

The armored form blurred. One lobster claw resolved itself into a chainsaw-like form, while Tapslaught itself grew larger, its aura lighting up all of Subreality.

Seraph grabbed up Tapestry and winged her way towards the other Writers, Winky & Nudge in tow. Abyss looked at the now massive form and swallowed nervously.

"I suppose you eliminated that whole 'vulnerable to puns' thing too?"

"I DID."

"Oh hell." Dandelion whacked him again with her clipboard and he dimly heard the kazoo before everything went black.

(Y) "Whyisthishappeningtomewhyisthishappeningtomewhyisthishappeningt ome...WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!"

"A genetically-caused incapability of staying out of trouble?"

"Shut up." Yasmin glared at her Muse, holding the wreckage of her laptop. "This is all YOUR fault!" she shrieked.

"Moi?" The Muse batted her eyelashes innocently.

"Yes! You dragged me to the Cafe, when I SPECIFICALLY said that I wanted to be WORKING. Now I have no drink, no chocolates, no laptop, my clothes are in a mess, and I STILL haven't finished Chapter Seven!"

Fortunately for the deity, Indigo came to the rescue, holding the irate Writer back.

They gulped simultaneously.

(D) "All right people, fictives, Writers and other assorted Subreality Cafe beings..." Dande bellowed. "Let's have a nice, orderly scene of mass destruction here." She looked at Tapslaught's new image. "Are you ready to start slaying, boss?"

::The time is now. Bring them unto me.::

"Okay." Dande looked at her clipboard. "Herald Henchman Pook Ming...do that kazoo voodoo that you do."

Pook Ming tooted away on the Heraldic Kazoo of Doom while Dande continued.

"First of all, we realize you have a choice of megalomaniacs to be slaughtered by and we thank you for your patronage. Now then..." she looked around, "please understand that the melding process and the threat of making Glenn and Dawn a part of the Summers clan has only made it worse for everyone..."

"That wasn't our fault!" Leary complained. "We didn't have anything to do with that. The Demonic Lawyer should get it for the Summers thing."

Dande pressed her thumb and forefinger against the bridge of her nose. "Look, I don't make the rules, I just follow the will of the boss. Now, will all of you victim types start behaving already? Here's a concept: lambs to the slaughter. Go with that." She headed towards Dex and Phil grumbling, "Victims today...what's with all of this free will crap?"

"Dex and Phil, right?" Dande looked at the two bleary eyed Avatars then made two checkmarks on her clipboard. "You're next. Herald Henchman Pook Ming! Please lead these two to Tapslaught so she may send them to the other side..."

Pook Ming's Kazoo of Doom tooted out mightily.

Dex and Phil looked at each other then to Dande and didn't move.

Dande tapped her foot. "Yes, Tapslaught will take you to the Other Side...where the Guinness flows free!"

Pook Ming's Kazoo of Doom let out a squack as she dove out of the way of the blur that was Dex and Phil.

"You okay?" Dande helped Pook Ming to her feet.

"You think you could warn me next time?"

Dande nodded. "Sorry." She straightened and looked around. "All right. Who's next?"

(Fr) Frito pulled into the Cafe parking lot, and nearly had the car in park before she noticed that, well, the parking lot was all that was left.

She briefly considered doing the honorable, brave, and generally heroic thing, and going to look for survivors. It was a VERY brief consideration. As it happened, Frito was not long out of RealLife, and so her rational (and somewhat prudent) side forced her to duck under a convenient sleepingbag (left over from DexCon) in her back seat. Covering her head, and for once, wishing that she actually believed in God enough to pray, Frito huddled in the back of her car, occasionally peeking up to glance at the carnage.

(Az) Azzy grumbled and shook the remaining peices of plaster out of her hair.

"Okay, this is what? the third time in at least two weeks the cafe's been demolished? I've been blown up, eaten, sent back to the eighties, and have had all my slap bracelets stolen from me!!!" Azzy turned an alrming shade of crimson. "will some please explain to me just WHAT IN FARKING HELL IS WRONG NOW!?...*pant* *pant*"

"Ummm, Tappy went kinda psycho and she's now TAPSLAUGHT and we're all gonna die."

"That all?"

"Yep, I think that about covers it."

"Oh," Azzy smiled brightly "Okay, just checking."

(Yo) Yona tapped Azzy on the shoulder. **Azzy?** Azzy jumped as the voice entered her head.

"Hey Yona."

**Azzy, what's going on here?** Yona "said" timidly.

"Tapestry is now Tapslaught."

**That's bad, isn't it?**

"You're telling me."

**I brought you a slap bracelet.**

"Thanks."

**I'm gonna go in there and kick some Tapslaught...um...butt...now.**

"Okay."

With that, Yona, quiet and unassuming, entered the cafe.

(M) Mitai glanced at the assorted printed stories of the SubReality cafe, leafing through one and then another. She tripped along merrily, ignoring the rubbish and rubble she was climbing over as she checked off the sights.

"Portal...check. Shifting Sands...check. SubCafe...parking lot."

She noticed a car. She noticed what used to be a building. She noticed the far-away squawk of a kazoo. A kazoo? Yeah, it was a kazoo. Either that, or somebody stuck a bassoon reed in a trombone mouthpiece and blew really hard.

Of course, if this really was Subreality, that was entirely possible.

Mitai scratched her head as she surveyed what looked like a photograph from the National Geographic coverage of the Tutsi/Hutu "skirmishes." No Bouncer. No Writers. No Remys hanging around like she had been told they always did.

"Gotta have the wrong place."

There was the faintest of sounds from the parked car, so Mitai went over there. Had to be someone around who knew where the heck she was supposed to be. This _was_ Subreality, right?

There was something under the sleeping bag.

Having read the Halloween RR, Mitai was suitably versed in the ways of horror movies that she knew exactly what she should do.

She moved the sleeping bag.

"Hey, uhm...Mitai, nice to meet you. Well, I'm here, as demanded. Now, can you point me to the Subreality Cafe? Or do I really want to be here?"

A shaking hand pointed to the pile of rubble, and jerked back under the sleeping bag as though it had been burned.

Mitai glanced around, noticing an uneasy glow coming from the rubble, and, from her position next to the car, she could make out two drunk men with a keg. And various other people picking themselves up off the ground and looking generally stunned, horrified, and critically injured. They began generally milling/limping/crawling and she heard the words "TAPSLAUGHT," "battle plan," and "insane." And something about drugging a Herald and the women's bathroom.

True to her namesake, Mitai was not stupid. And that sleeping bag looked like an awfully comfy hiding place. "Hey, uhm...you mind if I join you under there?"

One of the drunk men belched.

End part 1