                   RETRIBUTION

Part 2 by THE CHOIR BOYZ TEAM.........

As he rounded the corner of the slate grey building, Scarecrow
froze.  He had not seen his old friend in over 60 days and
frankly had concluded the worst.  A smile worked itself across
the troubled features of the elected leader and he extended
his hand to his old comrade.  "I'm glad you're here partner,"
he said, trying to disguise the turmoil that was growing in
his stomach. "I hope they didn't make you walk all the way
from Pangaea."  "Only partially", replied Slayer, "But after
all that time in bed, I was ready for a good walk.  You've got
bad Dwarf infestation around here I see."  Slayer grinned as
Scarecrow eyed the still drying blood on his friends Tevix.
"Apparently, you've been doing all you could to rectify that
problem", Scarecrow laughed, "But your equipment could use a
good polish every once in a while."  He flicked a spec of rust
off of the business end of Slayer's Z-Tempest and feigned the
role of the curt disciplinarian.  Both men broke out in a
chorus of laughter that served as the starting point for a
period of getting reacquainted.  Scorpio looked down from his
perch and beckoned with his hand for Slayer to join him in the
tower.  "Go ahead", said Scarecrow soberly, "I have two
recruits in the resurrection lab, I really need to be there
when they come around.  They are new and won't be accustomed
to the loss of health or the pain involved in the process."
He slapped Slayer on the back and turned towards the Complex.
As he walked back to the medical facility, Slayer noticed the
grey streak of concern that so often emerged from the hair of
a good commander.

"Well?", questioned Scorpio, as he threw a rope ladder over
the side of the tower.  As Slayer ascended, he quietly thought
how this was exactly one of those times that he did not want
to pass out and hoped the doctors had done as good a job as
they had boasted.  Clenching the lookout's forearm, Slayer
hoisted his leg over the eroded edge of the watch and felt the
warm breeze hit him squarely in the face.  It was July and it
had been extremely warm this year.  The red orb, that stood
watch over the planet during the day like a dead, decaying eye
had produced a summer like none he had ever experienced. The
usual radiation clouds were still present, but not quite as
abundant.  It felt like....hope.

                                Michael Willis
                                Cleve Sanders

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