Narchi hit the ground running. He shouted to the APC, "Condition THREE!" The back doors slammed shut and the ramp sprung up, striking the pusuing Collector in the chest. It stopped the Collector dead in it's tracks. The APC's Infinite Repeator on the roof made short work of the closing COllector before it landed. The plama-pulses cut through it and destroyed it's fusion battery. The detonation was like a grenade going off. Piece of the destroyed Collector flew everywhere. Narchi sprinted for the cab of the APC and leapt up into it. "Seal all Doors!" He screamed it loudly and scrambled into the gunner's chair. That left the girl and her baded Panchetta bug outside, though. That thought made him sick. And REALLY pissed off. Behind the APC, Toxic fell from the electricity coursing through her. She got back to her feet, shakily. "STOP IT! I can not GO! I have to save my friends! GO AWAY!" Coodle twitched once and laid too still. Toxic stared at him and all the anger in her life grabbed her by the throat. The two Collectors turned their capture agonizers up to full power and let her have it. SHe jerked and swayed as the anguish and pain built up in her. Her anger turned to a purity of wrath, the like of which she had never felt. She threw back her head and screamed. The scream was like the birth cry of a new world. It was no scream the likes of which had ever been heard in the world. It was audible to Ganz and Jav on the Sentry tower in Trashtown, half a mile away over the roar of the Atmospheric Purifier. In the sound-proof interior of the APC, Narchi clamped his hands over his ears and screamed in pain from it. The scream cycled up and down the frequencies heard by humans and beyond. Toxic toppled and collapsed next to the still Coodle, and curled up protectively around him. Ganz and Jav were shaken to the core by the howling scream. Ganz asked in whisper, "What in HELL was that?" Jav never had the opportunity to answer. In the distance, from hundreds of directions, came answering screams. In the Basin, the water boiled as the Leviathan rose up to answer the call. In the river Talak, something even bigger arose from the depths to answer. The REAL River King made his appearance. He had grown a lot since the last time he was around in the area. Ganz wished the tower was much higher than it was, as Jav had a sudden bladder release problem. To be continued Media is Poser 6 and Vue 5 Easel