Chapter Text
Flashback – a few moments ago, somewhere in outer–space…
“Hmmmm…, I see!” Donny said, as he was sipping his tea. “So you’re saying that you’re a clone, that was created out of Wolf’s DNA?”
“Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying, Donny!” Howl said, as he nodded before he sipped his tea.
“And this, Big Bad, he’s also a clone as well?” Donny asked, looking intrigued.
“Well, yeah!” Howl answered. “He even tried to take over LA, & then the world with a clone army.”
“Hmmm…” Donny said, as he sipped his tea.
“Then, Double B, started getting revenge by inventing an Inter-dimensional portal to another parallel universe! Which was my fault for unknowingly letting him search for the parts that he needs from the junkyard. Which is why I was given the title, Robin Hood, The Anti-Hero of LA, for starting that mess in the first place.” Howl said, as he continued reading, drinking his tea, as if he felt guilty over what happened to him. “Y’know, thinking back on it now. I’ve always known, but I didn’t wanna believe that Double B hadn’t changed at all…”
Donny then put his tea, & turned towards Howl.
“…And yet, I was ready for him, whether he was lying or not. However, I didn’t even give it a 2nd thought about it…” Howl then began to break out in tears of sadness. “…Like a dumb fool. I guess that's probably why everyone treats me like a kid, even though I’m a full grown wolf, with the mind of a child.”
“Thumbs up.” Donny said, as he gave Howl a thumbs up, with a smile.
“Thanks for the; boat of confidence Donny, but I don’t think it’ll help lift my spirits anytime soon.” Howl said, in a somber tone.
“Hmmm…, well, if it helps, I think that your heart was in the right place.” Donny said, as he attempted to cheer Howl up.
Howl just sighed in sadness before he wiped his tears off his eyes & spoke, “Donny, can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, what is it?” Donny asked, as he turned towards Howl who sighed.
“What exactly does good guy & bad guy mean to you?” Howl asked, looking a bit sad.
“Hmmm, well, a good guy, like a hero for instance, is someone who’s more about feeling good for doing something that makes anyone feel right for themselves & others around them. While a bad guy, like a villain or an enemy, is just a friend that hasn't been made yet.” Donny answered, with an honest smile.
Howl’s eyes then widened in shock at Donny's answer.
“I see…” Howl then looked at the dark sky, as if he was lost in deep thought. “So basically, that colossal–sized Robo–Abe prez, he’s actually just a friend who I haven’t gotten a chance to make yet?”
Donny then nodded in response.
“Huh…, y’know, I never really thought about it like that, but if I’m being honest, I’ve always believed that anyone can be good if they just give them a chance. But…, I guess I’ve never gotten a chance to truly understand them, not even the Freelancers, Boar, Coven or even Diane.” Howl said, as he shook his head. “Well…, except for Snake.”
“Really…? Are you sure about that?” Donny asked, with a smile.
“Oh yeah, you said something to Snake earlier, like his aura was different. I mean, were you trying to say that Snake has changed somehow?” Howl asked out of curiosity.
“Well…, wasn’t it obvious from his aura?” Donny asked, with a sincere smile.
“Uh…, No!” Howl answered.
“Oh, um…, anyway, the way I see it, his happiness is genuinely coming from the bonds that he made with his friends.” Donny said, which caused Howl to gasp in shock.
“No way! I…, I never even knew that he was actually happy, all this time. Honestly, I only see him happy when violents & eating his favorite meat products are involved.” Howl said, as he shook his head.
“Well, he is, Howl. In fact, I haven’t seen him this happy since our time at the Stonehenge Free Festival.” Donny said, as he grinned ear to ear.
“Wait…, since both your time at what now?” Howl asked, as he tilted his head in confusion.
Donny then took out a photo of him & Snake at Stonehenge, much to Howl’s surprise.
“OMG, is that…?” Was all Howl could say before Donny interrupted him.
“Yup! That’s Snake all right, before he left our little flower power group, he was known by another name, Peaceful Yoshi.”
“Pfft…, Peaceful Yoshi?” Howl asked, as he chuckled, which caused Donny to nod in response.
“That’s his hippie name. He was our little good luck charm, ‘cause whenever we get in a tight spot with the fuzz on our tail, he always finds a way to get us out & outfoxes them like a pro.” Donny said, as he continued to sip his tea. “Of course, that was back in the good old days, before he ever formed the gang with his best bud, Mr. Wolf, or even met him for that matter. However, when the Battle of the Beanfield broke out in June, 1985, Snake just vanished, without a trace. So it was the last time I saw him, that is, until I saw him on the news 2 years ago, his aura completely changed, as if he wasn't the Peaceful Yoshi that I remember. Knowing that, I almost feared that I'd never see him smile the same way again…, until today.”
“Wow! Snake really sounded so cool back then!” Howl said as he smiled a little, before he sighed. “I guess I really didn’t really give him a chance to get to know him, not even once. In fact, I honestly didn’t even try to know my brother, Diane, Coven, Boar or even the rest of the Freelancers either.”
Howl then looked up at the stars before he sighed once more.
“I mean, if only there was a way for me to truly understand what they’ve been through &…” Was all Howl could say, before a light appeared from inside his mystical, infinite storage & creative bag, which caused Howl & Donny’s attention. “Huh?”
“Hey Howl, not that it’s an issue or anything, but I think that something's glowing in your bag.” Donny said, as he pointed to his bag.
“Oh, I forgot that I brought it with me.” Howl said, as he thought back to when he was getting prepared to pick up Hugh Bliss.
Flashback…
Howl was in his living room, humming the song “Get Happy”, as he was finished getting dressed to head out, before he heard Boar calling out to him.
“C’mon Howl, if we’re gonna pick up that Hugh Bliss & meet that group of yours at Washington DC, then we need to hurry, before the traffic gets bad!” Boar shouted.
“Coming Boar!” Howl shouted, as he was about to head out, before he turned back around & grabbed his bag. “Oh! Almost forgot my bag, ‘cause I definitely can’t go anywhere without it.”
As he retrieved his bag, he headed out & entered the car, to pick up Hugh Bliss.
End of flashback…
“So…, does your bag usually do that?” Donny asked, looking curious.
“Uh…, no, it doesn't. In fact, it’s never done anything like that before.” Howl answered, as he opened his bag, & put both arms inside to check what item was, or items were glowing.
As he grabbed them, he took the item(s) out of the bag, revealing the objects to be a peculiar antique silver hand mirror & a Golden Pyramid.
“What? A mirror & a golden pyramid?” Howl thought to him in confusion.
“Hmmm…, well you’ve got some interesting items, Howl. Ya mind if I take a look at one of them?” Donny asked, with a smile.
“Sure, knock yourself out.” Howl answered, as he gave the Golden Pyramid to Donny, before he turned back towards the mirror.
“If only I knew what you are, ‘cause you like any ordinary hand mirror to me.” Howl said, before he noticed the mirror began to fog over, and when it cleared enough, he saw light green words beginning to form inside the mirror, which says, “I am a Magic Mirror that will show you anything, anything you wish to see.”
“Oh…, I see. Well, uh…, that answers that question, at least.” Howl said, as he nervously chuckled. “But, if you really can show me anything, then I’d like to see my brother & the others, just to check how they’re doing, please.”
With a small flash of Yellow–greenish light, the mirror turned from a light-green of foggy mist to Sybil's place.
Where the Freelancers were existing Sybil's place, with Wolf smiling confidently for doing a good deed, while Max looked displeased by it, giving the rest of the Freelancers a disappointing look, much to their somewhat shock.
“Oh, c’mon amigo! We had to cheer up our Miss Chica somehow, so you know that giving her tax return early, as a form of an apology for what we did to her was the only way!” Piranha shouted.
“Yeah, but did ya have to let Wolf give her a trillion bucks as a bonus too?” Max asked, as he shook his head.
“Hey, it's a small price to pay for showing how sorry we are to Sybil.” Wolf said, as he nodded.
“Besides, she was long overdue for a vacation anyway, little buddy.” Sam added.
“Well, I would’ve liked it if she’d hold a grudge against us, instead of forgiving us so easily.” Max said, as he groans in irritation.
“Aw, well that was thoughtful of them to do.” Howl said, as he smiled.
“Who cares?! As long as we don’t have to deal with Howl or Donny interfering with us stopping Robo–Abe, then I’ll take the win over anything else.” Snake said, which caused Howl to gasp by what he just said. “Besides, as much as I like to watch that dumb mutt get stomped on by that marbled Goliath, I’d rather see him being alive and annoying.”
This causes Howl to tilt his head in confusion.
“Oh please, when Howl explained us how he did in babysitting Mr. Kitty & taking care of the office, & how he spun around by a wax machine before being flung out the window & landed on a fire hydrant, you laughing so hard as if it was the funniest stunt you’ve ever heard.” Max said, as he laughed.
“Oh yeah!” Snake said, as he began to laugh along with Max. “Well, I guess ya got me on that one. Oh, I even thought it was hilarious when Toffee threw Howl out Coven’s office window, & landed on Coven’s car.”
“Oh yeah! Coven was totally PO’d at Toffee, but only let him off with a warning after that. I mean, that was comedy gold, man!” Max said, as he began to chuckle.
“Wait…, what is this?” Howl said, looking shocked.
“Oh c’mon guys! How could you even think about ridiculing Howl behind his back at a time like this?” Shark asked, with a stern look.
“Easy, when he’s not around.” Max answered, with a smile.
“Yeah, it’s amazing what kind of bad naming you can think of, when Howl’s not here to eavesdrop.” Snake added, as he chuckled.
Howl couldn’t believe his ears, how Snake & Max have been bad mouthing him behind his back for, who knows how long.
“Guys, cut Howl some slack. I mean, he might be a bit…” Shark said, as he made some gestures with his hands. “…different. But it doesn’t mean he’s a menace.”
“Awww, Shark!” Howl said, as he smiled.
“You’re right, he’s not a menace…, he’s an annoyance to society.” Max said, which caused Howl to frown.
“Yeah, an idiotically annoying little goofball of a wolf, who isn’t good at anything.” Snake added.
“But there are times when he showed us that he can be good at something.” Shark said, looking hopeful.
“Okay then, go ahead & think of something that he’s good at.” Max said, with a smug look.
"Oh, uh…, all right then, if you insist. Hmm, let's see now…" Shark & Piranha placed their fins on their chins as they began to think.
Howl then gasped excitedly by Shark & Piranha's determination in backing him up, as a smile began to form on his face, for he was feeling anticipated over how they'll respond.
"He's good at being nice, along with making friends so easily!" Piranha suggested.
"Yeah, and he's really funny! Since he definitely knows how to make people laugh!" Shark smiled.
"Yeah, not to mention that he always cheers everyone up whenever they’re feeling down in the dumps!" Web added.
Howl then smiled proudly, as he listened to Shark & Piranha's praise, including Web's praise as well, through the magic mirror. Until…
"Oh, who the Lorax was I even tryin' to fool, anyway? they're more like skills than anything else." Webs replied, as she took back her praise from before, which caused Howl’s ears to be lowered in sadness.
“Then, is being clumsy on one's feet a skill?” Piranha asked out of curiosity.
“Yeah, sure it is, if you’re wearing some ridiculously long & floppy clown shoes, that is.” Max answered, as he mocked.
“Nice one, Max!” Snake said, as he gave Max a fist pump out of respect.
"How about…being accident–prone? He's awesome at that." Shark suggested.
Snake whistles like a bomb dropping, & then makes a fart sound for a comically dramatic effect.
"Hear that? That's the sound of the many complaints about Howl’s weirdly abnormal antics dropping in!” Snake sardonically said, with a smile.
“Oh ho oh! Holy cow!” Max said, as he gave Snake a fist pump as well. “Still think that he’s got any skill, ya fin-flip floppers?! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Howl, if he was being honest, didn’t really like what he’s hearing at all, as Snake & Max continue to laugh at Howl’s expense.
“So is there absolutely nothing that Howl’s good at?” Piranha asked, looking a bit disappointed.
“Uh…, no, there isn't. So just face it, the only things that Howl's ever good at are being obnoxiously embarrassing, absurdly annoying, ridiculously vexing & idiotically humiliating.” Max said, as he stated the obvious, which caused Snake to sardonically chuckle.
“Yeah, oooh…like that time at LA's MarketPlace.” Snake said, as he & the others began to reminisce about that embarrassing moment involving Howl’s wacky antics.
Flashback…
At the LA's MarketPlace, where the Freelancers were getting their grocery shopping done. Several citizens are dancing to hip-hop music. Howl storms into the scene and starts dancing, badly.
“Ohh! Oh–oh–uh–ohh–ohh! Ohh! Oh–oh! Uh–ohh–ohh!” Howl said, as he continues to dance to the rhythm in every bad way possible.
The Bystanders, including The Freelancers, just looked on with chagrin, as Wolf rested his head in his paw, feeling embarrassed for what Howl just pulled.
“Daddy, I feel so sorry for this wolf's friends.” The little girl named Sally said, feeling sympathetic towards Howl.
“Oh, no need to worry, sweetie. It's very unlikely for anyone like that goofball; would even have any friends.” The father named Marin said, with a smug look.
End of flashback…
Snake & Max then sardonically laughed once more.
“Yeah, or the time he came to BOMPAR to help us & the field team with their presentation report.” Max said, as he & the others began to reminisce once more, on another embarrassing moment involving Howl’s wacky antics.
Flashback…
It was the day of the Field team's daily presentation report in BOMPAR's Board meeting room. Commissioner Coven was sitting at the front of the meeting table, while cringing as Howl was dancing the same way as he did at LA's MarketPlace, & badly to boot.
“Ohh! Oh–oh! Uh–ohh–ohh!” Howl said, as he continues to dance to the rhythm in every bad way possible.
End of flashback…
“And you'd expect someone who's got a high metabolism & eats that much & not gained any weight would be way better at cooking.” Snake said, as he raised his eyebrow.
"Plus, any little bit of what he cooks can be hard to determine, whether or not his food could really be considered 'edible' to anyone." Webs added, as she was doing air quotes with her legs.
"Yeah, I even chipped a tooth on one of his cupcakes." Max said, as he opened his mouth, exposing his chipped tooth while he talked.
"Pfft, ha! I mean, what exactly is he doing, using cement instead of flour?” Snake jested, in a sardonic tone.
Snake & Max then laugh. Howl, who witnessed everything through the magic mirror, felt very hurt by their harsh words, as he was about to be on the verge of breaking out into tears. Until…
“Um…, actually, the cupcakes from last week, that was my fault. My bad.” A familiar voice said, feeling guilty.
Snake & Max stopped laughing, as the duo & turned around to see Boar, sitting at the back, which caused Howl’s eyes to widen in shock.
“What?” Snake asked in shock.
“Well, funny story, what really happened was…” Boar began saying, as he started to explain himself.
Flashback…
Howl & Boar were in the office kitchen, & they were preparing to make a fresh batch of cupcakes.
“Hey, Boar, could you go find me some flour? They should be in the cabinet somewhere.” Howl said, as he asked.
“You got it, Howl.” Boar answered, as he headed towards the cabinets.
However, there was only one small problem, he didn’t know which cabinet the flour was in. So, without asking for help, he opened the bottom cabinet, & saw a bag that looked a bit similar to a flour bag.
“Okay Howl, I got the flour bag, but could ya help me carry this? This flour bag feels heavy for some reason.” Boar asked, looking as if he was almost out of breath.
However, there was a label that fell off the bag that Boar was carrying, which says, “Concrete powder”.
End of flashback…
“Clearly, SOMEONE needs to watch where they’re putting construction materials.” Boar said, tilting his head towards Sam.
Sam placed his hands on his hips: “Oh, bite me.”
“Actually…, Snake, Webs & Max’s comments on the cupcakes were justified, since I’m partially to blame for not monitoring what Boar was getting.” Howl thought to himself, as he admitted it in shame.
“Wait…, if the cemented cupcakes were Boar’s mess, then that would mean…” Was all Piranha could say, before he put two & two, together. “…¡Oh dulce! Howl really is good at something after all! Cooking!”
“Somewhat good, which is why I’m retracting my previous statement on Howl not getting any better at cooking.” Snake said, as he took back what he said, begrudgingly so.
“Yeah Boar, way to go!” Max said, looking PO’d at Boar. “Honestly, why didn’t you tell us that you used cement instead of flour?!”
“More Importantly, why were you even baking with Howl, anyway?!” Snake shouted in anger, as he asked.
“I was taking some baking lessons from him on the side. Since he felt sorry for the way I can’t cook. So he offered to help me out & teach me how to cook.” Boar admitted.
“Yeah! Well, look how that turned out!” Max said, looking irritated. “‘Cause ya haven’t improved whatsoever!”
“Which is saying something, so honestly…” Was all Snake could say before Sam interrupted him, looking irritated before he sighed in disappointment.
“Don’t you think that instead of making fun of Howl behind his back, you guys should be focusing on the task at hand?” Sam said, as he was frowning at the others.
“But isn’t that what we’re doing right now?” Max asked in confusion.
“Yeah, & making fun of Howl, at the same time.” Snake added. “It’s called multitasking Sam, you should try that some time.”
“Your talents are very as they are unscrupulous, Snake.” Sam said, shaking his head.
“Hmm, normally, I would feel hurt, but I can’t help but be like, beside myself, am I really that oblivious?” Howl said to himself. “Well, either way, at least Sam doesn’t think that I’m any of those things.”
“Honestly, you guys should know that Howl’s proven himself a lot more than you realize.” Sam said, looking irritated.
“Except he’s only proven to be a hindrance to us and stopping Robo–Abe.” Snake said, as he shook his head.
“Ugh! Wolf, back me up here!” Sam shouted, insisting on Wolf backing his case.
“Oh yeah, my brother, he didn't have his say on this matter! Surely he has something to say about how I’ve been…” Was all Howl could say, before Wolf interrupted him. “I’m sorry Sam, but I have to agree with Max & Snake on this one.”
What Wolf said, had completely left Howl in shock & devastated by his brother’s response.
“Look, I’ve tried my best to be a “brother” that he wanted. In fact, I even tried to make sure that he was safe & out of harm’s way. But every time he finds a way to get himself caught & put in danger, without even realizing it. Not to mention the fact that he talks way more than any of us had ever known!” Wolf shouted out of anger, as he pointed out the fact.
“Yeah! Preach it, Wolfie!” Max shouted, as he gave him a thumbs up.
“But don’t get me started on how Howl still has no filter, he just says whatever comes to mind, he’s always so focused on others, their feelings & never on himself or his feelings, & vice versa, which he ends up taking everyone around him for granted, & it's infuriating!” Wolf admitted, looking PO’d.
Howl was then left speechless.
“Well, now I know how completely oblivious I am, ‘cause hearing that from my own brother, it's now starting to hurt.” Howl thought to himself.
Sam looked very surprised & concerned.
"Okay, I know that Howl might come off that way, but he's really not so bad once you get to know him," Sam began to say. Wolf made a face, as though he really didn't believe it. "Hmmm..., Well, why don't you spend some time with Howl when this case is over & done with, so that you can start giving him a chance?"
“A CHANCE?! I gave him a chance, we all gave him a chance, but instead, he’s shown to be a disappointment at every turn! So why should I or any of us even bother doing the same?” Wolf replied, with his arms folded and obviously very cross. "I mean, did he even give any of us a chance when we revealed Robo-Abe's not-so-nice nature to him?"
Howl then scowled as he thought to himself, “What? Now why should he be so cross at me for feeling this way, when it was my brother & his plan that caused all of this to happen in the 1st place?”
"Well, uh..., no, but once you get to know Howl a lot more, I'm sure that you'll change your opinion about him. Besides, you even gave him a piece of advice to—" Was all he could say before Wolf interrupted him. “Oh, for the love! I only said that to him, so he can finally get off our backs, out of our hair & be as far away from danger as possible. So if he’s gonna hate me or all of us for what we did, then that’s fine by me, ‘cause any kind of feeling I had for Howl, is long gone at this point!”
“Now hold on Wolf, I know you don't really think that.” Sam shouted in shock.
"Oh yeah! Well, newsflash, cause here's the sitch: I don't wanna get to know him!" Wolf said angrily, as if he isn't even trying to hide his true feelings towards Howl, as he declared, "In fact, I don't wanna have anything to do with him!" The mirror quickly faded to show Howl's own reflection again. He sighed with the hopelessness of the whole thing, as he put the mirror down. He thought his own brother loved him like any other brother, and yet, he was dead wrong, as if he didn't know or understand him or his true feelings or anyone’s feelings as at.
“Hey Howl, you’ve gotta try this Golden Pyramid you gave me!” Donny shouted, as he went over towards Howl’s direction. “This item here, it’s like a lie detecting, truth seeker! I asked the item a question of my favorite place in Paris & it just…” Donny was about to finish explaining himself, until he began to notice that Howl was completely devastated. “Howl, what’s wrong?” Donny asked, looking concerned.
Howl then gives him the magic mirror, looking sad & depressed.
“Here, you can have a look at it if you want, cause I think I need a moment with my thoughts for a while.” Howl said, as he headed towards the other side of space.
“Uh…, hey Howl, heads up!” Donny said, as he tossed over the Golden Pyramid to Howl’s direction, as Howl caught it. “Nice catch, now just try asking it a question, & it’ll provide you with the answer you need.”
Howl then looked at it, & thought to himself, “The answer that I need, huh?”
With that, Howl then stood there, wondering if he would get the answer or not.
So, as soon as he was distant enough from Donny, Howl decided to put what he told him to the test by giving it a shot.
“Hey GP, I don’t know if you’ll answer this or not, but…, I need to know. Was I just fooling myself, not just in general, but believing that making friends was even possible? That believing in the possibility of anyone can change from bad to good was just a pipe dream after all?” Howl began to ask, feeling sad as he looked at the sun from afar. “I mean, will my brother or anyone ever stop seeing me as anything more than…, just a clone?”
Howl was hoping for an answer, but there was none. Until…, the golden sphere embedded in the center of the Golden Pyramid began to glow white. After 3 seconds, the Golden Pyramid changed from white to red.
“Wow! It took a while, but it changed from white to red. Hmmm…, I wonder why?” Howl thought to himself out of curiosity.
Then, immediately, as if on cue, a bright blue light came out from the golden sphere, much like a movie projector or a computer monitor, and hit the night sky even as Howl watched in amazement, until words began to appear before him.
“Howl, you might be a kindhearted goofball & an honest fool, but not a fool who would fool one’s self, nor fooling oneself into believing in, not just the possibility of making friends to all, but believing in the possibility of anyone could change from bad to good. However, there are limits to what those goals of yours could accomplish with only your gentleness & kindness, alone.” The Golden Pyramid said.
“Wait, limits with just those two, how so?” Howl asked, as he tilted his head out of confusion.
“Y’see, it’s like this…” The Golden Pyramid began to say, as it started to answer Howl’s question.
A very long explanation later…
“I see…, so I guess, my gentleness & kindness aren’t the problem, it’s my strength & understanding that are the main issue here & what I lack.” Howl said, as he sighed in relief before he smiled a bit. “Still…, it’s a little sad knowing that the baddies who are beyond redeemable won’t change their ways, & yet, the possibility isn’t that far off either.”
Howl began to form a hopeful smile.
“So maybe my own judge of character isn’t that far off, like Marcus, Boar & Omega, ‘cause I know that I’ve always bring out the best & good in everyone, including my brother & my friends, & if they can change, then maybe there might be a possible chance that my positive personality & goofy behavior will…” Was about to finish his thought, before he remembered what he saw in the magic mirror. “Hey! Hold on a moment! What about the other question?”
Howl then saw words appear on the screen, as the Golden Pyramid began to answer. “Yeah, that’s also easy to explain.”
Another long explanation later…
“Oooh…, so is that all there is, they’re just envious, like, they’re only feeling that confused unfilled longing which confounds the heart & turns all of their kind tongues cruel?” Howl asked out of curiosity, to which the Golden Pyramid responded with a bright blue light. “Wow, I never knew that they truly felt that way, & if they felt that way, then maybe what I’ve been sensing from Misty, Osiris, his police squad & all the villains too, so maybe I should probably feel sorry for them instead of feeling the way I’m feeling now. In fact, I think this might help me with what I need to do.”
Howl then smiled, before he started looking determined.
“But before I do anything else…” Howl thought to himself before he turned towards the Golden Pyramid & said to it. “Hey GP, there’s one more thing that I wanna ask you…”
Meanwhile…
“Ooooh…, this magic mirror is incredible!” Donny shouted with delight, as he was looking at his past self & Snake from when he was still a hippie. “It shows just about anything for anyone they wanna see, & boy, did it show me a lot. ‘Cause seeing Snake like this again, he was always the happy & comical one out of all of us, who definitely knows how to keep us so cheerful, & was so young & lively back then too.”
Donny was enjoying his time reminiscing the old days through the looking glass, until…
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The sound of Howl’s shriek of terror interrupted Donny & caught his attention.
“Howl?” Donny said, as he headed towards the sound of a distress Howl.
As soon as he reached to where Howl was at, he saw Howl screaming in absolute horror, with his eyes wide opened before closing them shut and held his head in his right hand, as if trying to remove the nightmare in front of him, but despite all of his efforts, Howl was unable to stop the Golden Pyramid whatever it was showing him and Donny just stood there in confusion & worry as it continues to torment Howl.
“Howl? Are you…?” Was all Donny could say before interrupted him & screamed, "Ahhhh…., stop it, GP! Stop it! No–!! Why are you showing me all of this?!”
“Howl, what’s the matter?” Donny said, as he called out to Howl, but to no avail, for whatever Howl was seeing through the Golden Pyramid, was scaring him.
Then, Howl’s screams ceased, as his right hand brought his attention in fright before he shouted in terror. “What’s happening to me!? Am I changing, GP?!? Stop it! Make it stop!! Make it stop!”
“Oh dear, whatever Howl’s seeing in that Golden Pyramid, it must be terrifying. If only I knew there was a way for me to help him out of whatever he got himself in.” Donny thought to himself, until he got an idea. “Wait, I know!”
Donny then took out a CD disc titled, “Pray”, a music player & a pair of headphones. He opened it, placed the CD disc inside, inserted the headphones into the music player, put the headphones onto Howl’s big ears & then turned on the music player for the music to begin to play.
As the song began to play & Howl started to listen to the music with the headphones, he began to look around where the music was coming from. Then, during his psyche–induced trance, Howl saw something, or whatever he was seeing, made him shout in distress.
“Hey you, whoever you are that’s singing that wonderful song, help me get out of this awful place!” Howl cried out, as he began to break out in tears. “I don’t care how, just help me get outta here! Help me, please!!”
“Well…, he did say please.” Donny thought to himself, with a thankful smile. With that, he reached out his right hand, until he slapped & tightly grabbed Howl’s hand. Thus, causing the bright blue light on the golden sphere to vanish, with Howl snapping out of his trance, looking beyond traumatized & shaking all over.
“Well, you seemed to have one heck of a truth seeking lesson, care to explain what you…?” Was all Donny could say, before Howl interrupted. “I…saw it. I saw…, my brother’s past, my friends’ pasts, their secrets, things that I’ve known, things I didn’t know, & things I should never have known, all of it.”
“Uh…, and by “all of it”, you mean…?” Donny asked, looking confused.
“EVERYTHING!!!” Howl shouted in fright, as he answered.
Donny was completely shocked by this, as if he’d seen Howl this shocked & scared before.
“Okay, um…, Howl, why don’t you start from the beginning, like what exactly did you see in that Golden Pyramid?” Donny said, looking concerned.
Howl then took a deep breath, & calmed himself. “Okay…”
Another long explanation later…
“I see…, well, that explains why you were screaming like a damsel in distress.” Donny said, adding a bit of humor to lighten the mood a bit.
However, Howl’s depressing expression didn’t change, nor went away either. That’s when he broke the silence. “Donny, when I was inside the vortex of the GP, I began to realize… that we all might end up sharing the same fate as those who gave into despair. For we all hate, hold grudges, argue, harass… We all fight… We all discriminate, bully, ostracize, shame, humiliate, embarrass, ridicule, steal, lie…” Howl sniffled a bit before wiping his snout before turning towards the sun & continued. “…just to survive, & they never have the time to think about the consequences that might come after that, before realizing too late. But eventually, we all get killed, murdered, give up, commit suicide or just die, all because we never given the baddies, the criminals, the crooks, the thieves, even the villains or anyone a chance at redemption & forgive them. So thinking back on that awful thought, I…I couldn't…defend myself or be of any help to anyone.”
Donny just stood there, listening to Howl’s profoundly tragic statement.
“I didn't even give my brother, my friends or Robo–Abe a chance to make things right, or forgive them even, I was so blinded by my own anger & rage that I wasn't able to forgive any of them. In a way, me, my brother & my friends, we aren't any different from all of those who treated my brother & his friends so shamefully, before they turned good, nor did they even gave them a chance to give them the benefit of a doubt or even a chance to explain themselves when they at the Gala of Goodness, causing confusion, fear, misunderstanding & miscommunications with one another! As if they wanted to pin the blame on anyone who might be labeled as "Bad"!” Howl said, looking depressed.
Howl then turns to Donny and lightly holds him, crying into his chest.
“So what's even the point of all this negativity, if nobody’s willing to change from bad to good, redeem themselves & be forgiven by everyone then? Why live like this, if this is how it’s gonna be? ‘Cause I don’t wanna believe that this is how society works, nor do I wanna think or feel like that either! I mean, after finally finding out the truth, how the heck do you expect me to go along with something that’s so messed up, where people aren’t happy at all?! For crying out loud, why are we even alive, if this is the way everyone’s gonna treat each other, & not forgiving one another, instead of treating each other as equals, & forgive one another to forge a path of understanding!? Please, I have the right to know Donny…! Just tell me…! Tell me…” Howl continued to sob on Donny’s chest, leaving Donny to realize that Howl was a scared child, in a mental sense, & he was so scared at his wits end that he was completely at a loss.
“Howl, I’m sorry, but…, I don’t think thatI can give you the answer to that one. You’re just gonna have to figure out that problem yourself.” Donny answered, as he shook his head, which caused to gasp in shock, before crying again. “But there is one thing that I can tell you.”
Howl then stopped crying, as he looked at Donny.
“Yeah, & what would that be?” Howl asked, as Donny began to answer.
One lengthy piece of advice later…
“I see…, so you truly think that I’ll find a way to make everyone happy, & for me to be happy as well?” Howl asked, which Donny then nodded in response.
Howl then looked at the sun, before speaking once more, with a sad look. “Hey, Donny, if that's the case, then I don't think I wanna be like my brother anymore. I mean, helping others & doing the right thing are what's best for me. So maybe I wanna focus on them once this whole thing's over & done with.”
“Hmmm…, let me guess, is it about what you saw in that Golden Pyramid?” Donny asked, with a curious smile.
“Mm–hm!” Howl nodded, looking sad. “Ever since I found out the truth about my brother, friends, Diane, Cover, their past, their secrets, but mostly my brother. It feels like he’s been through so much & bottled up all his emotions inside, & it isn’t healthy for him to do. Which makes me wonder if I might end up making the same mistakes as he did since I’m his clone & all. Despite knowing that I’m my own person & not anything like him, as if I’ll always be in his shadow without knowing what I wanna do with my life, ya know.”
Donny then gave Howl a smile before he chuckled a bit.
“Well, life in being helpful could be an adventure, too. But since you have the mindset of a child, I honestly think you're still a bit young, in a mental sense, to permanently lock in what's best for you & what you honestly wanna do with your life, despite figuring out ways to be helpful to others, personally.” Donny explained with an honest smile.
"Then how will I ever know what it is that I wanna do with my life?" Howl asked, looking confused.
"Well…, when you find it, then you’ll know, but for now, just do what interests you, follow your heart, do what you know is right, of course." Donny answered, with an honest smile.
"Huh? Come on, are you being serious abo–” Howl then turned around to face Donny, with a shockingly confused look. “I mean, is this actually that simple for you to live one’s life that way? ‘Cause that’s impossible."
Donny then sighed as he shook his head. “Are you sure? "'Cause I believe…” Donny then grabbed Howl’s arm so that he wouldn’t get hit by a meteor. “…That if you want to, you can become anything & become something great if you put your mind to it & reach the skies & beyond, like we already are now, for the possibilities are endless.”
Howl then gasped in shock. “Wait, you really mean it?"
Donny nodded with a reassuring smile. “Well, of course. And my purpose in life is to help people like you to realize that & reach their true hidden potential."
Howl then gasped in amazement by what Donny said, as if he never really thought about it before.
“Besides, it’s also what I’ve been doing with Peaceful Yoshi, before he vanished during the whole “Battle of the Beanfield” fiasco, & I honestly thought that he’d forgotten those teachings, but maybe not, & his friends are proof of that. Plus, it’s like what The Little Prince once said, All grown-ups were once children… but only a few of them remember it. However, only the children know what they are looking for.” Donny said, as he finished explaining, with a smile.
“Grown-ups were once children, like my brother, Snake, my friends, & Robo–A…” Was all Howl could pounder, until he came to a sudden realization as he gasped in shock. “Wait a minute, that’s it!”
“What’s it?” Donny asked, looking curious.
“The answer to stopping this mess!” Howl said, as he was holding onto the Golden Pyramid tightly. “If the real Abraham Lincoln used to be a child that’s innocent & pure, then the key to stopping Robo-Abe will be in Abe’s childhood & how the real one became the man that Coven knew him as he was today!”
Donny then gasped, “Oh, I see! An excellent idea, Howl!”
Howl then nodded before turning towards the Golden Pyramid once more.
“GP, can you show me how the real Abraham Lincoln became like this? I mean, will you show me where his descent into darkness began, his childhood, please?!” Howl shouted as he asked in desperation.
Then, as if on cue, the bright blue light began to glow on the Golden Sphere, & started shooting straight at Howl’s forehead, as he began to see the president’s past.
“Huh…, where am I?” Howl said, as he noticed that he was in a corn field, at a nearby farm, where he saw a young boy, full of hopes, dreams, ambitions & goals.
Howl was awestruck, as he saw the boy running with joy towards his loving family. Then, words began to appear.
“Abraham Lincoln, he was once an innocent young boy, who’s tensions, goals, ambitions & dreams were honestly earnest & pure. With a loving family, to which they had strict moral standards & opposed slavery, & believe that unity, equality & understanding matters above all else, & raised him to be one that’s generous, understanding & kind. Thus, he, like all of us, accepted the world into which he was born, believing in the moral standards & beliefs that his family believes, & opposed to slavery. However, they lived in a time where society allowed slavery to be acceptable. But despite it all, & against all odds, Abraham & his family still had determination…”
Howl sees Abraham tending to the corn field, while his sister, Sarah, was making a crown made out of flowers, & his father chopping wood.
“…Imagination…, and hope.”
Howl was just amazed by the life that Abraham grew up in.
“Wow, so that’s what Abraham was like as a kid. He was so innocent, pure, kind & very lively back then.” Howl said, as he looked at Abraham with an earnest smile.
Then, he noticed that the farm environment began to change from a farm, to young Abe moaning & grieving at someone’s grave, before words began to appear again.
“Abraham thought those peaceful times would last forever. However, at the age of 9, when he & his family moved to the Little Pigeon Creek Settlement, his mother died.”
“WHAT?!” Howl shouted in shock.
“With his mother gone, & his sister becoming in charge of taking care of the family, it was hard for him to handle. So the only one he could comfort him & trust, was his best friend, Austin Gollaher, who was 3 years older than him & even saved him from drowning in a nearby river. Thus, despite Austin being a slave to their neighbor, Josiah Crawford, he & Abe formed a close bond and spent time together.”
Howl saw Austin & Abe playing together in the forest, where Abraham, was laying down next to Austin at a nearby oak tree, Young Abe then rolled underneath Austin & spoke,
"Hey Austin? You're my very best friend."
"And you're mine too, Abe." Austin responded.
Abe playfully picks petals out of some dandelions, "And we'll always be friends forever. Won't we?" Abraham asked as he then continued playfully picking petals out of some dandelions.
"Yeah! Forever, no doubt in my mind, about that." Austin smiled down at Abe, before his smile turned upside down and turned away from him, as he rubbed his arm. As if he was trying to hide his shame from him.
"What's the matter Austin?" Abe asked as he stopped picking petals & got up from the ground.
“Oh, uh…, it’s nothing, just another slashing from Josiah again.” Austin answered, as he nervously chuckled a bit.
“AGAIN?!” Abe shouted in shock, as he asked, to which Austin nodded in response. “Ugh! I can’t believe him! Why is it that Josiah has the right to treat you so shamefully like that?!”
“Because it’s the law, & there’s nothing you can do to change that.” Austin answered in frustration.
Howl looked at the boys, as if he felt bad for the way Austin had to live throughout his childhood.
“Well, when I become president, I’m gonna change all that, & abolish that law.” Abe said with confidence, to which Austin chuckled at his optimism.
“Then let’s make sure that no matter what happens, we’ll always be best friends, & do our best to achieve our hopes & dreams together!” Austin declared, with a confident smile.
“Really, do you really mean it?!” Abe asked with delight.
Austin then held up his left pinky with a smile.
“Yeah, pinky promise, I mean it! Cross my heart…” Austin then connected his pinky to Abe’s pinky, as Abe began to say. “…and hope to die.”
“Wow! A promise, & a pinky one to boot.” Howl said, with a smile, before he noticed two sinisterly greenish–yellow eyes, emitting purple; cloud-like fog of smoke, peeking through the hidden bushes. “Huh?”
Then, as if on cue, the sinister eyes flew right through Howl, before he noticed scenery began to change once again, as he coughed the purple fog away from Howl, before words started to appear before him.
“But alas, their friendship would never last forever, nor would their promise. For you see, Abraham Lincoln truly did succeed at achieving his dream, but at a terrible price.”
“Wait, a terrible price?” Howl said, as he noticed a young man, standing still at the top of the hill, gazing at the midnight sky. “Hold on, isn’t that…?”
"ABRAHAM!" A mysterious female voice called out to Abe in anger, to which Howl turned to see where it came from in response, so did Abe.
Thus, he saw a young African–American woman heading towards Abe in anger.
“Wait, how’s that?” Howl said out of curiosity.
“Emilia!” Abe said, as he called out. “What are you…?”
“Emilia?” Howl said, as he tilted his head.
"Please don't do this," The former slave woman named Emilia told Abe. "I lied; for you once, don't ask me to do it again."
“I didn’t ask you to lie for me, Emilia!” Abe shouted in irritation.
“But it was implied! For crying out loud Abe, what the heck were you thinking, aligning yourself with the same that enslaved my people?! You know that you're better than this, right?!” Emilia shouted in anger, as she asked.
“What?!” Howl shouted in shock.
“I don’t expect you to realize what’s really at stake here!” Abe said, as he shook his head. “Besides, I have to do this!”
“Oh really! Just like you had to marry that white whor*!” Emilia shouted in anger, which struck a nerve on Abe.
“Don’t you dare talk about Maria…!” Was all Abe could say before Emilia interrupted him. “Why?! Because it’s the truth?!”
“Maria?! As in Maria Todd Lincoln, Abe’s wife?!” Howl shouted in shock.
“Well, it’s not like you would be able to understand…" As Abe continued arguing with Emilia, Howl then took notice of someone or something, watching them from behind the bushes.
“Hey, it’s that…” Was all Howl could say, before he got a closer look. “Wait, this one’s not emitting any purple fog, & his eyes, they’re so…, reptilian–like, & so…, familiar, somehow. Hold on, could this one be…?”
“SHE ONE OF THEM, CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?!?” Emilia yelled in anger, which drew Howl attention back to Abraham & Emilia.
"You don't understand, Emilia, I love her with all my heart! Plus, you don't even know her, anyway!" Abe said in irritation. "Besides, you, Austin & the rest of your people accepted me & I'm not one of you. So why can't you & your people do the same for my wife?"
“That's different, you're not like those people, & you don't have to be by being something you're not, either.” Emilia stated as she shook her head.
“Well, if that’s the case, then we have nothing else to talk about.” Abe said, as he released himself from Emilia’s hold on his arm. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“Abe please, if you go out there to where that cult meeting is being held, then not only will you be going against everything you believe, along with breaking your promise to Austin, but you'll also be turning back on the very people you’re trying to set free.” Emilia exclaimed, as she stood in front of Abe to stop him from going any further.
“Cult meeting?” Howl said, as he tilted his head out of curiosity.
"But I'm doing all of this to try & help you free your people, Emilia!" Abe shouted in frustration.
"Abraham, Listen, I…, I know that trying to do the right thing here," Emilia insisted, as she begged Abe to reconsider. "Plus, Austin sees you as his best friend, & so do I. Besides, I just don't want you to end up making the biggest mistake of your life & regret about it later on. So for Austin sake, turn back now, cause once you enter that meeting, you might never escape from that cult."
“Emilia…, it’s already too late to turn back now. Besides…” Abe turned away from Emilia, so that she didn't see him reach into his coat pocket. But Howl, however, was the only one who saw this.
“Huh? What’s he doing?” Howl said, looking curious.
“...You wouldn't understand what I’m trying to do here…, and maybe you never will.” Abe said, as he pulled out a Colt Army Model gun from his coat pocket, aiming directly at Emilia.
“Abe?!” Emilia shouted as she gasped in terror.
“I’m sorry Emilia, truly I am. But the cult sees you as a threat of exposing them & their life’s work, since you know too much. Which is why they want you dead & asked me to put you down, to make sure you’re silent for good.” Abe was coming closer towards Emilia, as terrified as she is right now. Howl just stood there, equally terrified as well, as if he couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Look, it’s nothing personal, I’m only doing what must be done, ‘cause this is for the good of America.”
Abe was ready to shoot her, & he was going to miss.
“Oh dear god! ABRAHAM, NO!” Howl shouted, as he stood in front of Abe to try & stop him from going any further, giving Emilia a chance to high tail it & run for it. However…
*BANG!*
Howl just stood where he was at, scare stiff, before he turned around to see Emilia, lying dead flat on the ground, bleeding out. Howl could only look at the bullet wound that was pierced straight through her heart in shock & horror, as he stepped back.
“He…, he killed her.” He was about to fall to the ground in shock & horror. Until, Howl heard someone crying.
“Huh?” Howl then turned around to see Abraham was crying tears of sadness, as if he made the biggest mistake of his life, which he did. “Wait…, is Abraham really crying tears of regret?”
Then, as if on cue, words began to appear, for the final time.
“This was the moment he realized that he’d made the biggest mistake of his entire life, every choice that he made & the actions that followed, weren’t even his own, as he came to realize as well. Only realized this revelation too late, & he began to fall deep into despair, as if he felt used, like a lifeless pawn. So when “They” arrived on the scene, the cultists were overjoyed by what he did, but he wasn’t. So now, Abe’s one of them now, giving up everything that he believed in, broke the promise that he made to his best friend, & betrayed the slaves that he was trying to set free from slavery. All to become president, all…, for the Illuminati…!”
“What?!” Howl shouted in shock.
Then he saw everyone’s eyes glowing bright purple & white, before seeing an octopoid–like, head with tentacles for a mouth hovering over them. The purple mist began to cover around him…until everything went dark.
When Howl came to his senses, he was back in space with Donny once more.
“Oh, Howl, you finished already?” Donny asked, with a curious look.
“I…I was right.” Howl said, looking shocked & terrified.
“Huh?” Donny said, as he tilted his head.
Howl then began breaking out in tears of relief, before chuckling for a moment or so.
“I was right!” Howl shouted with delight. “Abraham really wasn’t always a bad guy after all, he was good, & his hopes, goals & dreams of freeing the slaves, they were earnest & true! Which means that he did care about freeing the slaves & didn't wanna deport them at all! I knew there was good in him, I just knew there was!”
“Well, I see that the Golden Pyramid gave you the answer?” Donny asked, with a smile, which caused Howl to look serious.
“Yes, Abe didn’t truly become like this by choice, at least, not that his own choices were truly his own, anyway.” Howl then turned around & faced Donny. “Back then, he had a freewill, an open–mind to make his own choice, his own decisions & friends & family who loved & supported him. But as he got older, he hung out with the wrong crowd, who were a bad influence for him, made him lose sight of what was truly important, why Abe even did all of this in the 1st place, corrupting him from the ground–up, molding him in their own image. Only when Abe made the biggest mistake of his life, it was already too late for him when he killed Emilia & made that realization. With that, the damage was already done, so there was nothing he could do to fix it, & do you know who’s truly the cause for Abraham’s descent into despair & drove him to this point?!”
Donny then shook his head in response.
“It was caused by the people in purple robes, The Illuminati Cultists, who used Abe, lied to him, manipulated him to do their dirty work, made the decisions & choices for him & trick him into letting Abe think that those decisions, choices & ideas were his own, taking away everything that was important to him until there’s nothing left, including all of his hopes & dreams! That’s the real reason why Abraham only freed the slaves in the northern confederate states, ‘cause he wasn’t in his right state of mind, completely corrupted by the cultists & nothing more or less.” Howl answered, looking very peeved.
“Howl.” Donny said, looking sympathetically sad.
Howl sniffled in sadness.
“Y’know, if he hadn’t met those cultists, & stayed true to his beliefs, then maybe things would’ve turned out differently for him, & Abraham might’ve freed all the slaves & completely abolished the slavery law all together, & maybe Abe wouldn’t be a false icon, but an honest & true icon, then maybe, just maybe, he might truly be worthy in earning the title, Honest Abe.” Howl said, looking sad.
“Well…, at least we now know that you’re not a bad judge of character, Howl. ‘Cause I can already tell that your brother & the others will be most surprised by what you’ve found out.” Donny said, with a smile.
“My brother?” Howl said, as he began to realize one thing, before he gasped & thought to himself. “Oh yeah, that’s right! My brother & the others don’t know what I know!”
Knowing this fact, he knew what he & Donny had to do.
“Donny, we’ve gotta go back & tell the others what we’ve just discovered before they…!” Was all Howl could say, before he accidentally bumped into a strange looking satellite, which was labeled, Bosco’s Satellite Defense System.
“Ow! Huh? What’s another satellite doing in outer space?” Howl said, before he took a closer look. “Hmmm…, could this be another one of Bosco’s inventions?”
“It looks that way to me.” Donny answered, as he looked at the satellite.
“Well, it’s pointing directly at Mount Rushmore.” Howl said, as he pointed to where the satellite was aiming. “Man, if only I could see it.”
“Hmmm…, maybe you might, Howl.” Donny said, as he gave him the magic mirror back to him.
“Oh yeah, the magic mirror.” Howl said, with a smile. “Uh…, hey Double M, I’d like to see Mount Rushmore, if you please.”
With a small flash of Yellow–greenish light, the mirror turned from a light-green of foggy mist to Mount Rushmore, Where two former stars were having their snowball war.
“Wait, aren’t those two the former Soda Popper stars, Specs & Peepers? What are they doing at Mount Rushmore?” Howl asked, looking curious.
“Hmmm…, from the looks of it, they appear to be having a snowball war.” Donny said, with a smile.
Howl just sighed, as he shook his head, until he noticed something near Lincoln’s head.
“Hey, what’s that over there?” Howl asked, as he pointed towards a weird looking tunnel.
“Hmmm…, from the looks of the design, it appears to be a secret entrance to a hidden area.” Donny answered, looking intrigued.
“A hidden area?! Interesting, I wonder where that tunnel leads to…?” Was all Howl could say, before he noticed the magic mirror changing to a different location, a hidden room of sorts, until it showed a map of someone’s hidden base of operations.
“Oh my goodness! Is this a hidden underground base?!” Howl shouted, as he asked in shock.
“It looks that way, & it’s not just any base, it’s the cultists’ base of operations!” Donny said, before he saw a group of men monitoring everyone. “Howl, look at that!”
“No way! Is this an image of a hidden underground HQ?!” Howl asked out of shock, as he gasped.
“Yup, looks like it. It’s got the monitors & everything.” Donny answered, as he nodded.
Howl was at a loss for words at what he’s seeing, as he saw the labels of every city & state on all the monitors. Preferably, the only two cities that he knows, labeled “Los Angeles” & “Washington, DC”.
“I can’t believe this, these people have been watching us, spying on us. Why would they…?” Was all Howl could say, before he saw a logo of a pyramid with tentacles emanating from its base, culminating in an eye at the top, as he thought to himself. “Wait…,that logo, it’s the same one that I saw back in Abraham’s past. Yet, for some reason, it looks so…, familiar, somehow.”
Flashback: a few months ago…
“YOU’RE CRAZY! CAN’T YOU SEE THIS SHOW IS TEARING ME APART!” Brady shouted, as he continued screaming in mental pain, metaphorically speaking, for he was being “Tortured” with kindness by watching a few episodes of The Care Bears about kindness, compassion, understanding, honesty & helping others, in an isolated basem*nt.
“He’s only making this even harder on himself.” Howl said, as he sighed & shook his head.
However, Howl noticed a strange-looking tattoo of a pyramid with tentacles emanating from its base, culminating in an eye at the top, completely drawn permanently on his head. “Huh…? What’s that weird looking tattoo on his? Some kinda 8—Tentacled Pyramid with 1—Eyeball? Hmmm…, well, whatever it is, it’s not my place to judge. Since it’s probably just a tattoo, it might be the reason why he was wearing that wig.”
End of flashback…
Howl then gasped, as if he started to recall something important.
“Now I remember where I saw that logo before, it was on Brady Culture’s huge bald spot! I thought it was just a weird looking tattoo. But…, if Brady’s tattoo & the cultist’s logo are one in the same, then does that mean…” Was all Howl could think about, before a duo of cultist workers, named Levi & Chic, entering the monitoring room, snapped him out of his train of thought. “What’s the status; on the Robo–Abe rampage situation?!”
Howl then gasped by the worker’s outburst.
"He's still throwing a fit, sir." One of the cultist workers said.
"Are you kidding me?! Agent Chuckles is still on his right shoulder, and we still have heard any word back from Agents Jackson, Burr & N'Degayembe, yet! So how long do you think Robo–Abe's gonna keep this up?" Levi asked, looking frustrated by the minute.
"Calculating now!" The pink–haired female cultist worker said as she showed his mental status on a main monitor screen. "His mental state, it’s similar to a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, after the toddler drops his ice cream cone. On a very hot, summer day, sir. So..., he's not gonna stop until he gets payback, or if someone talks some sense into him."
“Ugh! I blame you for this Chic!” Levi shouted in anger.
“Hey! Don’t you dare pin this whole disaster on me, Levi! You're the one who came up with this ridiculous idea in the 1st place!” Chic shouted in anger, as he told him off on it.
“That’s because The Founder & The Council of 7 thought my idea was a good one & approved it! Since the Founder added all of the 16th president’s memories & emotions from his childhood to the day before his assassination! We even went so far as to alter the “real” Abraham’s memories, to make it look like he’s always been bad, before we could install the memory chip into Robo–Abe! However, it’s complicated, since we don’t get to choose which experiences of Abraham’s memories get replaced with or altered. Therefore, All of the decisions were made by the Founder. But his decision-making skills are really random & nonsensical sometimes.” Levi shouted in anger.
“The Founder?” Howl asked, looking curious.
“Must be the head honcho of this whole Illuminati cult.” Donny answered, as he nodded.
“Yeah, but who exactly is this Council of 7? Who exactly are these agents they’re talking about, spy for this cultist group? More importantly, did he just say that they’ve altered The “real” Abe’s memories that were stored in a memory chip?!” Howl asked, looking even more curious.
“Agh! If Robo-Abe continues rampaging like this, it’s gonna end, just like how Marmalade’s mission ended, IN FAILURE!” Chic shouted in anger.
“WAIT! MARMALADE?!” Howl shouted in shock.
One very, extremely long chat later…
Howl & Donny were just floating there, speechless by what they’ve just heard & seen.
“Wow…, Marmalade, a cult member. I guess that explains a lot, & ya think you know a guy.” Donny said, with a smile, before he noticed Howl, looking mad, angry even.
“HOW COULD THEY DO THIS…, TO MY FRIENDS…, TO MY OWN……, BROTHER?!?!??!" Howl shouted angrily in a fit of rage.
Howl was about to blow a gasket, until something invisible touched his left shoulder, & whispered something to him in his ear.
“Yau mustn’t' allow anguh to consum' yauh mind.
Hearing his angelic–like voice, so holy & pure, it made Howl feel…, more calm, or at least, calm enough to listen.
“Calm yauh heart' & feil…”
Howl didn’t quite understand what that meant, but it didn’t matter to him, for he did just as the voice instructed & began to feel.
“Feil the presenc' of the peopl' who are irreplaissabl' to yau.”
With that, he began to feel the presence of the people he knew quite well, & were irreplaceable to him, his friends & his brother. They all mean the world to him & would do whatever he could to protect them & the world that he’s living in from anyone who would do them any harm.
Howl then came to, as he gasped in shock before turning around. He saw nothing but the emptiness of space behind him. However, he knew who it was.
“Conscience?” Howl thought to himself, before he looked at the magic mirror & calmed down. “Get it together Howl, you can’t anger cloud your judgment. ‘Cause if you blow a gasket, then you’ll be no better than the Illuminati cult group who play with people’s lives through lie & deceit, manipulating the truth, so they can divide & conquer their victims, while eliminating anyone that gets in their way. Kinda like Coven’s secret organization, only their cult organization is sick, dark & twisted.”
Howl then sighed, as he shook his head, & put the Golden Pyramid & the Magic Mirror back into his bag.
“Whatever, right now, Donny & I better head back, & tell the others what we’ve just discovered, ‘cause this could change everything.” He thought to himself, before he started searching his bag again. “Oh, c’mon! Isn’t there anything in this bag that I could use &– Ah–hah!” He pulled out that same strange ray gun that he retrieved from Double B former HQ Base, labeled “Portal Gun” He fired it in front of him, opening a rift to the white house lawn. Donny & Howl were before Howl stopped Donny midway.
“Hey Donny, before we head back, I gotta ask, how did ya know that meteor was gonna hit me & made sure to get me out of its way Donny?” Howl asked in confusion.
“Well…, I read its Ki.” Donny answered, with an honest smile.
“Ki?” Howl asked, looking confused.
“Yeah! I was studying it, along with the different types of martial arts, acupuncture & moxibustion, during my travels in China, Vietnam, Korea & Japan, & from what I’ve learned, it all comes down to a person’s glance, their breathing, their scent, the way their muscles move, the hint of their presence. Taken together, all of that living energy people give off. That my goofy friend is called Ki.” Donny answered, with an honest smile.
“Wait, so…, so what you did just now, you…” Was all Howl could say before Donny interrupted him. “Hehe, yup! All I did was read the meteor's ki & used it to predict its moves. Thus, getting you out of its way in time. I mean, c'mon, ya telling me that you’ve never done anything like that before?”
“Well, I…” Was all Howl could say, before he gasped & began to realize something, as he thought back from the day he 1st met Marcus, to the day he met Osiris & Omega. “Actually, yeah! Now that I think about it, I probably might’ve use it. In fact, Maybe I’ve been using that technique without even realizing it.”
That was when Howl became aware of a brand new hidden power that he didn’t even realize that he had before, & knew what he must do to use it.
“Hey, Mr. Donny, will you go on ahead back to the White house without me? There’s one more thing I need to do here before I head on back. So don’t worry, I’ll catch up.” Howl asked, with a determining look.
Donny raised his hand. “Sure thing Howl, I was planning on heading back, calling my hippie friends & might tell them, Father Farn, his MRSAPP1 activist group, Susan & her Kindness Activist group about what we’ve just found out, cause it’s gonna blow their minds, & who knows, they just might help us out.” He replied as he drifted off right through the portal.
Howl then waved good–bye to Donny, then turned back around to look at Bosco’s satellite defense system, as if he’s formulating a plan, while trying to figure out a way to tap into his inner Ki. Then, after some thinking, he finally figured out how to do just that.
“All right, Howl! It’s high time for you to learn a new trick or two!” Howl said, looking determined before he sat down Criss–cross applesauce style in mid-air to meditate, & tap into his hidden power, while unaware that Howl’s about to create & unlock a hidden source of magic & soul energy, his heart.
End of flashback…
Now – The War Room…
“And so, after I finished with what I need to do in space, I entered the portal, where I was welcomed with a hippie rally of a thousand of Donny's hippie friends came to the White House & got along with Father Farn's activist group members & Susan's Kindness activist group members quite well. Plus, considering how they've already put together some picket signs, Donny must've finished telling them of our newly found discovery & are taking the news quite well, even doing their part in helping us out. Anyway, once I met Donny's friends & caught up with him, Donny & I walked inside the White House, where we found Marcus who was acting weird and told me you guys were in here, but not to worry, Donny's taking care of Marcus while I deal with telling you guys what I know, he even said that Donny was gonna give him a makeover too, which brings us to here.” Howl said as he wrapped up his story, leaving everyone in the room dumbfoundedly confuzzled & oddly baffled by Howl's really long explanation. Howl then looked around the War Room. “By the way, where is “here” exactly?”
The gang didn’t even respond back, leaving Howl confused, & tilted his head.
“Uh…, guys?” Howl asked in confusion.
Max then secretly whispered to Snake out of guilt, fear & shame.
“Dude, I think we’re totally busted.” Max said, as he whispered to Snake.
“Uh…, yeah! I think that’s the least of our worries, Max!” Snake snapped out of irritation, as he whispered right back. “Besides, I’m starting to realize that this case that we’re on is about to turn dark.”
To Be Continued in Part 5
