A Fox in the Works
                          Deadline

                             By

                         Fox Cutter

05/04/2000:

I was walking out of the house when Samantha came up to my
side. "Fox, are you busy?" she asked, her tail flicking out
behind her.

"Not at the moment. I have an appointment in a couple of
hours, and then I was planning to spend time at the Grand
Market looking for something for Oriana. Why, is there
something important?" I asked, coming to a stop at the top
of the driveway.

She gave me a smirk and held up a data PADD. "I just heard
back from Eliza; she's been doing some data mining for me.
She's pulled up something very interesting that you'll want
to hear about."

I turned my head to look at her, a smile on my face. "Oh
really? What have you found?" I asked, reaching out to take
the data PADD from her hand. She pulled it away from my
fingers and shook her head.

"Just a little too fast, I want to tell you a few things
first," she said with a smile.

Cocking my head to the side I gave her a narrow smile. "Well
then, tell me your story," I told her.

She returned my smiled and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me
back into the house. We moved through the hallway and into
her room, where she had me sit on the bed as she dropped
down in the chair at her desk. "The other day Mallory and I
were talking about Aikl, and we came up with an interesting
idea," she said. She summoned a cigarette with her magic,
and lit it with a flick of her fingers.

I folded my arms in my lap and looked intently at the woman,
watching her tail flick in amusement behind her. I was
willing to ignore the smoking for the moment, if she had
something good. "So what did you find?" I asked her.

"For a start, Aikl was questioned by the Prid police force
after the coup. He was deemed to be of minor importance, and
had taken no part in what the HammerHeads were doing. He was
also off planet when everything happened," she said with a
smile as she held out a PADD to me.

"Now we know better than that," I said before I took the
PADD from her.

She nodded and blew a smoke ring towards the window. "True,
but the cops didn't. That PADD is his record. Thanks to the
OZG I was able to get my hands on it. It has some
interesting information in it, including a home address, a
different one from where he lived when I killed him."

I smiled as I started to skim over the data on the PADD. It
was a lot of text but very little stood out. "Does he still
live at that address?" I asked.

"No, he moved on soon after the HammerHeads fell. The place
is currently rented by a family of opossums of all things,"
she said, shuffling around the PADDs on her desk.

I nodded at her as I set the PADD aside. "That's all very
nice, but it doesn't really come to much more than just
history. You have to have more than that, otherwise you
wouldn't have pulled me aside like this," I told her.

Samantha laughed, smoke rolling past her lips, her tail
wrapping around the chair leg. "Well, I'm waiting for
Mallory to get here, it shouldn't be too much longer," she
said.

"I heard he's been suspended. I hope he get's his job back
soon," I said.

She gave me a quick nod and put her cigarette out in the
ashtray on her desk. I noticed with a little bit of
annoyance that it was full of old butts.

"So, where does all this go, then? What's it all add up to?"
I prompted her.

Her tail flicked in anticipation, and she crossed her legs
together at the ankle. "His old home was in Solovki, a small
city in the southern hemisphere," she said.

With a shrug of my shoulder I said: "I've heard of it, but
I've never been there."

She gave a slight laugh. "It's a very interesting place, so
interesting that Aikl went there two or three times a year."

I mulled that over for a few seconds, a smile on my face.
"Now that sounds very interesting! Do you know where he was
going?"

"No, not exactly, but Eliza was able to dig up every hotel
he stayed at. He went to a different one each time, but they
were all within a few miles of each other," she told me as
she handed me another PADD.

Scanning over the data I gave her a slightly dismissive nod
of the head. "Right, that gives us a search area... did he
ever rent a car or anything else?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"So, either he walked, or some one picked him up," I said as
I looked over the data on the PADD. Something interesting
jumped out at me. "This isn't just hotels, it looks like you
have every placed he used his credit chit at," I said.

Samantha smiled and nodded her head again. "All within the
same area. He was meeting someone on a regular basis, and
the last time Aikl was there was two days before I killed
him. The last time he was in town was only six weeks before.
He moved up his schedule to be there," she said.

I nodded my head. "Your investigation into Stanz must have
tripped something, and he was called to Solovki to be told
how to deal with it. I wonder who he was meeting," I said,
rubbing my smooth chin.

She laughed softly and picked up her original PADD. "I can
tell you that as well," she said, but before she could give
it to me the door to the room opened and Mallory walked
inside, his long neck bending down to fit under the
doorframe.

Samantha let out a little squeal and jumped up as her
boyfriend came over. They embraced and shared the odd sort
of kiss that was necessary with his segmented jaw.

"Hello St. Clair," the alien said as they pulled apart, his
gray skin an interesting contrast to her light flesh.

The human woman smiled and ran an arm around his back.
"Hello, Mallory, I'm glad you could make it. I was just
telling Fox all the juicy details that we uncovered," she
said with a smile.

"And she's still leaving me hanging with who Aikl was
suppose to have been meeting," I said with a soft huff, and
then crossed my arms over my chest.

He cocked his head to the side and placed one of his large
hands on Samantha's back. "Then I suggest you do not keep
him in the dark any longer," he told her with a smile.

"Of course not," she said, picking up the PADD again and
finally handing to me.

I took the PADD from her hands and looked at the image on
the screen. It was a familiar one taken from Marn's data. It
was an image of Keller and Aikl. "You think he was meeting
with Keller?" I asked.

"We know that for a fact," Mallory said, his thick tail
swaying against the ground. "That picture has been
correlated with one of the transactions Aikl made last year.
It appears the two of them were meeting at regular
intervals," he told me.

I nodded my head, a small smile on my face. "That's good,
that's very good. We can backtrack Aikl to this. Have you
sent this to Jadith?" I asked.

Samantha smirked. "Of course I have, but something new came
up today. These two had to work out some way to meet, when
and where. That means there was some sort of contact between
the two of them outside of these meetings."

"Right, that would be the communications Jadith tracked
down."

She shook her head. "They don't line up, the messages that
were passed around didn't match with the meetings. Whatever
contact they used to arrange the meetings has yet to be
tracked down; it could simply have been letters. Eliza has
been digging through the physical mail tracking system, but
nothing concrete has come of it." She came to a stop after
that, her smirk returning as her tail swung eagerly behind
her legs.

"But?" I prompted.

"The last meeting occurred outside of the previous planning,
so additional communication existed outside of the
established channels to arrange it," Mallory said with his
own wide smirk.

I looked between the pair of them, then let out a soft chuff
of pleasure. "So you got too close and someone panicked and
called the other."

Samantha broke into a wide grin. "Aikl made a call, and
within a day he was in Solovki," she held up a PADD high
above her head. "We know who, and where he called!"

I stood up, reaching out to take the PADD. This time she let
me take it from her. "Have you told Jadith?" I asked again
as I looked at the call records. It only lasted thirty
seconds, but it seemed like enough, the number went to a
home address owned by a person named Solow, probably an
alias.

"No, I got this information about an hour ago. I told you
first," she said.

I nodded. "You call her, give her all the information, then
find the nearest fold to that location," I told her, then
spun on my heel and hurried out of the room, PADD still in
hand.

Ravindar fell in beside me, following me easily as I rushed
back to my room. "What happened, Fox? You're more excited
than normal," the white tiger said.

I laughed and glanced back at him. "It looks like we're
going hunting. Ever been to Solovki?" I asked as I pushed
into the bedroom. The bed had been made, thanks to Oriana. I
wish she was there to come with me, but instead she was on
her world to visit Kalie.

"Once or twice," he admitted.

"Good, have any contacts in the police department?" I asked
him, and then bent down and opened the drawer where I kept
my guns. I put the code into the lock box and opened it as
well. I only took two of them, a normal one for my hip and
the plasma gun for my ankle. I didn't expect to have any
trouble but it's always best to be prepared.

My bodyguard frowned but nodded his head. "Yes, I do. What
do you want me to do?"

"Call your contact, I need to talk to them," I said as I
pulled on my jacket.

He nodded, and together we walked out of the room and went
to my office. Once inside, he called his contacts and I set
up everything I was going to need. The police would be
meeting us a few blocks away from the apartment, far enough
that we hopefully wouldn't be tipping anyone off. Once that
was finished--and all it took was just flashing my
Consortium Security Council ID to get it done--we headed to
the fold room.

Samantha and Mallory were already waiting for us. The cloth
of her tail flicked eagerly, and her hand rested on the butt
of her pistol, which was badly hidden under her jacket. The
alien appeared to have nothing in the way of weapons.

"Are we ready to go?" I asked.

Samantha smiled. "Let's," she said as she pulled out a
controller and opened the fold.

"How far is the fold from the apartment?" I asked.

Her smile faded just a little bit. "About two miles," she
said, the fold opening behind her.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's a good walk. Let's go," I
said and walked through the fold, quickly grabbing the
location of where the fold lead. We came out in a small
alcove off the side of the street and started down the
sidewalk.

It took about half an hour before we got to where the police
were waiting. There were two patrol cars and a van sitting
in an alley. The badger in charge looked a bit annoyed when
he saw me. "You're the one who called us up?" he asked.

"Yep, I'm the guilty party," I told him as I handed him my
ID.

He looked it over, his frown growing just a little bit
deeper. "I've never had to work with the CSC before. I would
have preferred more of an advanced notice," he said.

I shrugged and leaned forward to read his nametag. "I'm
sorry Lieutenant Moran, this came up fast. I appreciate your
willingness to work with me. We don't officially have
jurisdiction so if this goes off as planned you guys get all
the credit. Got it?" I said.

"Fine by me. We've had an eye on the apartment for the last
ten minutes. It's on the ground floor of a three-story
building. There's a male human in the apartment, and no once
else," the badger said.

"Sounds like our man," Samantha said.

The badger glanced back at her then gave me a stern look.
"Who exactly are they?" he asked.

"They're with me, but they will be staying back a bit. So
when do we go in for him?" I asked.

"What is he wanted for?" the office asked, crossing his arms
over his fairly fit body.

I smiled a bit. "We know for sure he faked his own death, so
that's fraud to start with. We're also working on a
conspiracy charge, and he's also covered under the warrant
for all high placed members of the HammerHeads. Much of this
will be verified once he's in custody."

He thought about that for a few seconds, and then gave a
short nod. "Good enough. You and I will go up to the door
with four officers as backup. We'll hope he surrenders."

Ravindar took a step forward and placed his paw on my
shoulder. "I'm Fox's bodyguard. I will be going with him,"
he said.

The badger looked Ravindar over, a frown on his muzzle. "I
can't allow that; there is no need for him to be there," he
said.

I thought about that for a second and looked back at the
white tiger. "It's Moran's show, so he calls the shots. If
he says you stay back, you stay back," I said.

He let out a low growl and crossed his arms tightly over his
chest. "If things go wrong, I won't stay back," he said.

"Keep your pants on Ravindar, I'll have a good amount of
protection surrounded by cops. Just relax," I told him, and
then turned to look at Moran. "You have a vest for me?" I
asked.

The badger laughed. "You didn't bring your own?" he asked.

I shook my head as I sat down on the edge of the cars hood.
"No, I don't. This came up rather suddenly, and it's not
like the CDC has jackets yet," I told him.

He nodded and walked to the trunk of the vehicle, popping it
open and rummaging around. "Are you at least armed?" he
asked me.

"That's something I do have," I told him as I shrugged off
my jacket.

He stood back up and handed me a bullet proof vest as he
said: "Well, that's something at least."

I gave him a smile and set the vest down on the top of the
car as I pulled my shirt off. "I'll make sure to have one in
the future," I told him as I dropped the vest over my
shoulders. It was heavier than I expected, the wide straps
digging into the top of my shoulders. I pull the rest of the
straps around my sides, cinching it up tightly over the
pudge of my belly, then pulled my shirt back on over it. I
was glad I normally wore loose shirts as it helped to
disguise the vest.

"Let's go" he said, and climbed into the driver's side of
the vehicle. I got in after him and sat back in the seat.
Once we were all set he started up the car and drove us down
the street, leaving the rest of my group behind. Ravindar
looked concerned and Samantha just looked pissed.

"So this guy is a HammerHead?" Moran asked as we took the
short drive to Keller's place.

I nodded my head as I pulled my gun free and chambered a
round. I left it resting in my lap, my hand gently grasping
the butt.

"I remember when that mess happened--nasty bit of business,"
he said and stopped the car in front of the apartment. It
was a short building in disrepair. It wasn't exactly
squalled, just a pretty unpleasant looking place. We
attracted a few looks with the police cars, and people
started to clear out of the way.

I slid out of the car, keeping my pistol hidden behind the
small of my back as I waited for Moran. He got out about
thirty seconds latter and pulled on the sleeves of his
uniform. "The spotter says he's still in the apartment," he
said.

"Good, then. You lead the way; this is still your
jurisdiction," I told him.

The badger nodded and started up to the apartment door, his
hand resting on the butt of his gun. I walked just behind
him, and four more officers followed a few steps behind us
in loose formation. We stopped at the door and Moran gave it
a set of sharp knocks.

A few seconds passed and the door opened inwards and Keller
stood behind it, a slightly confused look on his face as he
looked between the two of us. "What seems to be the
problem?"

Moran slid his gun slightly from the holster, "Morton
Keller?" he asked.

The human's eyes went wide and he backed a few steps away
from the door. He looked down at our guns, and started to
twist around.

"Don't run. It will just make things worse," I warned as
both Moran and I took a step back and lifted our weapons,
pointing them at his back.

Keller paused for a moment and let out a sigh, his shoulders
slumping forward as he lifted his hands up and placed them
on top of his head. He slowly turned around and looked back
at us. "My name is not Morten Keller," he protested.

I chuckled and lowered my weapon slightly, "Funny, you look
just like him. You're pretty spry for a dead man," I said.

His face pulled into a tight frown and he shook his head.
"You're wrong," he said.

Moran shrugged slightly and put his gun away. "Right now
that's not my problem. You are under arrest," he said and
approached Keller. The human said nothing more and allowed
himself to be arrested.

I put my gun away and let out a soft sigh as I watched the
police take him to one of the car and put him inside. "What
do you need me to do?" I asked Moran as the car pulled away.

The badger smiled. "Paperwork," he admitted.

I laughed and climbed into his car. "Of course, it's always
the same. Let me get my friends and I'll fill out whatever
you need."

* * *

I looked up as Fox walked into the living room, a wide smile
crossing his face as he saw me. "I have good news, Love," he
said as he dropped down next to me and placed a hand on the
small of my back.

"And what good news is this?" I asked him as I sat my book
to the side.

He let out a soft purr as he leaned in a bit closer and
kissed me quickly on the lips. "Samantha found Keller, and
we got him. He's being transferred to the OZG as we speak."

I perked up my ears and returned the kiss. "That's the best
news I've heard all day. Now only Clark and Ms. Orange are
left to take care of."

Fox nodded and ran his fingers up my spine to the base of my
neck, rubbing gently and eliciting a low purr from deep in
my body. "And Mr. Pink, whoever he is," he added.

I smiled and rubbed my paw over his stomach, feeling his
muscles tightening at the unexpected touch. "Well, Keller
will tell us that as well," I said.

He nodded and then gave me another short kiss. "I'm going to
take a shower then try to get some work done. The day has
been a bit longer than I normally like," he told me.

"I'll be in a bit later," I said as I ran a paw over his
hip.

With a chuckle he reached down and gently tweaked my
whiskers. "I look forward to it," he agreed. He turned to
go, but came to a stop when there was a knock at the front
door.

Fox let out a soft sigh and turned towards the door. "I
wonder who this is?" he muttered and he glanced through the
peephole. His body stiffened as he saw whoever it was on the
other side. I could see the hair standing up on the back of
his neck and his face growing tight as he clenched his jaw.

"Rebecca," he said as he pulled the door open and took a few
step back.

The pantheress stepped into the house, her black fur
contrasting with the tan shirt and blue pants that she wore.
Her hair was pulled back into a bun and small red hoops hung
from her ears. "Hello Fox, Oriana," she said to us as she
walked into the room.

Fox shut the door behind her, barely missing her tail in the
process. "Hello, Rebecca," he said coldly.

She gave him a slightly disappointed look and pulled her
tail away from the door. "I bring you more news from the
Neverending," she said.

My husband nodded and turned on his heel. "In my office," he
snapped and started to stalk down the hallway. Rebecca
followed him, I followed her, and our bodyguards followed
behind us.

The three of us filled one by one into the office and Fox
closed the door. Each of us took our familiar positions, Fox
at his desk and myself behind his shoulder. His hands were
curled slightly on the top of his desk, the tips of his
claws just peeking past the skin.

"You have five weeks," Rebecca said.

"Five weeks?" he asked, "Is that all?"

She nodded her head and folded her paws gently in her lap. I
noticed that there was a mark on the fourth finger of her
left hand. It was a slight discoloration of the fur, like it
had been stained by something. I was curious about what it
might be, but I wasn't willing to ask.

Fox let out a soft sigh and I reached out to gently grab his
shoulder. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?" he
asked.

She shook her head. "That is all I needed to say."

"Why does it want me to do this?" he asked. "What possible
reason is there to have me do this?"

Rebecca frowned, her ears swiveling back slightly. "I've
already told you that," she said.

He shook his head, his hands starting to curl up. "No,
you've told me what I'm suppose to do, not why. Why is this
world so important to the Neverending?"

"It believes it should survive," she said.

Fox snorted, "and what gives it the right to make that
decision? Who's the one that put it in charge of the fate of
the Multi-verse?" he snapped.

She lowered her ears as her frown grew even deeper. "It's
always been there, since the first universes were formed."

"So it's some sort of entity that's outside the multi-
verse? Some sort of god or universal self awareness? If so
why the hell does it need me to do its dirty work?" my
husband demanded as he slammed one fist onto the top of his
desk.

Rebecca pulled back, almost hissing in surprise at the
outburst. "It's not a god, it's a creation and it's older
than the rest of the multi-verse. It saw the birth of the
other universes because it came from the very first one,"
she replied.

Fox relaxed a bit, his fingers slowly spreading as I gave
his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "That doesn't give it the
right to play at being a god," he said.

"It never claimed to be a god, just a guardian, and that is
what it's doing. Now if you will excuse me, I have to be
going," she said and stood up, her paws shaking slightly.

My husband sighed and shook his head. "I can't do it, you
know, there's no way I can. This planet is doomed, never
think anything else," he said.

She shook her head. "Fox, if there is anyone who can do it,
I'm sure that it is you," she said and walked out of the
office, her tail flicking in annoyance.

I let out a long breath and bent down to look at him. "What
was all that about?" I asked.

"Getting her to say more than she should. The Neverending is
from the oldest universe in the multi-verse. It confirms
what others have been telling us; she also said it was a
creation. Somebody made it. That means it's a very advanced
life form, or some kind of machine," he said with a small
smile, a smile that faded into a look of discontent.

"That's something we can search for," I said, returning his
smile.

He nodded. "Oh yes, and I bet it's enough to find out where
this thing is from, and confront it face to face," he said
with a deep frown.

* * *

I woke up with a start, my eyes fluttering open in the
darkness. A cold sweat, brought on by the nightmare clung
against my skin. Panting, I slid out of the bed, doing my
best to not awaken Oriana. Once my feet were on the floor I
rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I tried to turn the light on, but my hand missed and hit the
wall. With a sigh I slumped against the door and slid down
until my bare ass was on the floor. It was only then I
realized that I had a tail.

Reaching up I felt my face and found the familiar wide
muzzle of my lioness form. I confirmed it with a hand over
my breasts. It made sense. The nightmare had been about my
rape, and I must have shifted in my sleep.

"I don't need this right now," I muttered as I ran a paw
through my hair, trying to compose myself so I could shift
back. It wasn't easy, my body was still shaking and I
couldn't stop it.

Slowly I climbed back to my feet, and turned the light on.
The image of myself in the mirror looked pretty bad, sweat
was matting my fur and my eyes were red and puffy. I must
have been crying in my sleep.

I approached the sink and bent over the basin, throwing some
cold water into my face to try and regain my composure. All
I achieved was soaking my fur. Lifting my head I looked
again at my reflection. My ice blue eyes were duller than I
remembered and my ears hung low. To be generous I looked
like hell.

A few quick brushes with a towel removed the water from my
face, but it couldn't make me look any better. Reaching up
with my paws I pushed away the fur over my eye, looking at
the scar hidden under it. With a sigh I lowered my paws and
placed them on the counter top.

"Don't think about it," I muttered, trying to force my mind
away from the memories, but they came back even stronger. I
could almost feel his hands on my body, pushing me down
again, entering me, and ultimately violating me.

I shook, my legs growing weak as it all rushed back to me. I
pushed away from the mirror, turning my back to the
reflection only to be greeted by my image in the full-
length mirror by the door. I could almost see the blood and
the dirt in my fur, the darkness that clouded my face.

Closing my eyes I tried to change back, pushing gently at my
powers. The changes came, rushing around me until I was
human again. I opened my eyes and looked at my new
reflection, but under my skin I could still see my female
self, waiting to come out.

I clenched my hands into fists, trying my hardest to push
the memories away, to put them back into the hole where I
had them before. It wasn't working this time, I was too
tired, too stressed, and they didn't want to go away. Then
with an all too familiar snap I felt my body shift, sliding
back into my female form.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, but I couldn't. I tried
to turn away, but stumbled and fell against the wall I slid
back to the floor, landing hard. Pressing my head into my
knees I tried to clear my mind, to make it go away.

But it did not.

Covering my head with my paws I tried to blot it out, my
mind reeling from it. Slowly I pulled my head up, pushing
hard to force myself to change. It was too much work to go
back to my human form, so I took the path of least
resistance. The changes rushed through me like a wave as my
hands melted away, my body expanding outwards and my spine
shifting as I slipped into my true lioness form.

Even on all fours my legs were weak, so I just laid down on
the floor. The change had worked, the memory had gone, but I
wasn't sure how long that would last.

I closed my eyes, trying to collect myself. I may have
fallen asleep again, but I wasn't sure. The next thing I was
really aware of was the feeling of a paw on the back of my
neck. I opened my eyes and lifted my head up to look at my
wife.

"Fox, what are you doing in here?" she asked, lines of worry
forming about her eyes.

With a huff of air I lifted to my feet and gently pressed my
head against her hands. I couldn't speak, not directly to
her, but I could try and reassure her.

She stroked her fingers over the rough fur on my head.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?" she asked.

I sort of nodded, my ears flicking to the side.

"Can you change back?" she asked, her hand running down over
the back of my neck.

I thought about it for a few seconds, poking gently at my
powers. They moved easily now, so I moved back into my human
form. It still took some effort but in a few moments I was
back to the body that I still thought of as truly mine.

Sitting up I looked into my wife's eyes and smiled to her.
"Hello, love," I said with a weak smile.

Reaching out she placed her paws on the side of my face.
"You look terrible, what happened?" she asked.

I let out a slow breath. "Bad dream, a very bad dream," I
told her as we both stood up. She kept a hand on my shoulder
the whole time, keeping me stable.

She helped me out of the bathroom and back to the bed, light
was starting to shine around the closed windows. "What was
it about?" she asked as we settled down onto the soft
surface.

Leaning against her I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and
told her about it, and about my night. She slipped an arm
around my back and held me close to her.

Oria reached out and pushed my hair away from my face. "I
see why it was so hard on you. I wish I could do more to
help you," she said.

"I don't know what to do about this; my normal defenses
aren't working anymore. I can't push this away like last
time," I said with a sigh.

She shook her head. "Always hiding your bad memories,
burning them away until they're nothing but smoke," she said
with a touch of disappointment.

I thought about something that Etartic had told me after
dealing with Cain. "Smoke can still hurt you, if there's
enough of it," I said, finding the irony in my use of the
statement.

"That's very true, hon," she said with a small smile. "That
means you would have to air out your mind."

I nodded my head, thinking about her words. "Yes, I guess I
have to..." I said, my voice starting to trail off as I
realized what she meant. "That would be Starker's job,
wouldn't it?" I asked with a frown.

She smiled and reached up to touch my face, turning my head
until I faced her. "You were the one who said it, and
dealing with the rape is why you went to see him in the
first place," she said, then leaned in and kissed me softly
on the lips.

As always the touch of her lips sent a jolt through my body.
I returned the kiss for the few moments it lasted before
pulling away. "You're right, it was kind of the point. I'll
talk to him about it at my appointment today," I told her.

Oriana smiled and reached up to touch her finger between my
eyes. "I'm glad, but you better not back out this time, or
I'll drag you back to talk to him," she told me, and I
believed her.

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This story (AFiW #508) is copyright 2006 by Fox Cutter.
Hardcopy reprints limited to one per person, all other
rights reserved. This story may not be distributed for a fee
except by permission of the author, and this copyright
notice may not be removed.