Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ Anizoid interactive ❯ Night Owls ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. (I think you either know the rest or aren't even reading this part anyway.)

Yes, the judge's quote was from Big O and it was orginally "Cast in the name of 'God''' but it was edited to 'good' on Cartoon Network.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A 17-year-old quietly exited the small one-story home of the Fluegel team. The small structure stood next to a small mountain. Huge metallic doors on the rock face next to the home led to the Zoids and anizoids used by the team.

The figure made his way to the control panel on the doors and typed in a six-digit code. His ebony hair, which stopped at the base of his neck, fell freely into his eyes. Lean with a thin waist, tone legs, and strong forearms, he was more cute than handsome.

His name was Theodore Merc. Most people called him Theo.

Theo walked into the hanger as the doors receded into the mountain. There was a loud and heavy ruffling in the far back of the huge room. Like something big waited in the shadows. He pulled a lever activating the lights, then walked fearlessly past a red Blade

Liger and a Gunsniper. Many parts and machines for Zoid maintenance were scattered about. The lights above a one-of-a-kind Shadow Fox weren't working.

At the back of the room he stopped, in front of him was a Shield Liger DCS-J, better known as the 'LeoMaster'. The entire Zoid was thrashing about wildly, but its four paws didn't move an inch no matter how hard it fought against some form of invisible restraint.

Upon noticing its masters arrival, it fought even harder, letting out a metallic bark in his owners direction.

Theo had a fingerless glove on his left hand, hiding a vicious scar his anizoid had given him when it had its real teeth. He had found Ace roaming the streets a couple years back. It had to have been abused because it hated humans.

Theo boarded the LeoMaster with some difficulty. Once inside, the hologram image of a Labrador-Doberman mixed breed launched on top of him. It mauled, bit, and scratched at Theo's face. He ignored this and took a small remote from his pocket. The digital teeth did hurt but Theo was used to it.

Once Ace saw the device Theo was fishing for, a deadly gleam became evident in his eyes. He stopped and his image disappeared into the Rover Unit of the cockpit.

Theo pressed a button on the remote and immediately grabbed the controls as the Zoid charged towards the Shadow Fox. It stopped inches from the fox Zoid, snapping at it viciously. Theo wrestled with the controls and pulled his anizoid away from the lifeless

fox like an attack dog on a leash, only to have it snap at the Gunsniper. Once again, Theo restrained it. He eventually led his Zoid out of the huge double doors of the hangar.

Once outside, and miles from the base, the top half of Ace sprung up from the Rover Unit. The anizoid looked around insanely at the landscape that was rolling under the LeoMaster it was in.

"I hope they're doing something interesting tonight," Theo said aloud.

~~~

"Up!" a voice commanded.

"AHhh up!" responded two others.

"UP!" the first commanded again.

"Ahhh up!" They responded with difficulty.

"Up!" the first commanded a third time, the voice sounding merciless.

"Uuuhh AHHhh!" the sound of two bodies hitting the saturated sand joined that of falling rain.

"Is that all your made of, Tigers?!" the voice of Kirkland demanded of his teammates. Both the other men were slow to lift themselves from the wet sand.

"Kirkland," Omari whined. "Why are we doing pushups in the rain?"

Kirkland stared at them with cold eyes, rain falling aimlessly from his hardened features. The look made the hair stand up on the backs of their necks.

"I don't know," he answered, lightening immensely "It sounded cool, and it's not like there's anything else to do around here." He walked between them and dropped to do pushups himself.

"Yeah, but if we win just a couple more battles, we could buy a house..." the buff Lineback started.

"With a swimming pool..."continued the tall thin Omari.

"55...56...full of...59...Ice huff...61 Cream!" the short leader Kirkland finished.

"You're not on 61," Omari corrected.

"You're right, Omari. 67 now...68 now..." Kirland continued in a singsong voice. The other men piled on top of their leader, all three laughing as they went down.

"Jeeze it's late. Weren't we suppose to do something today?" Omari gasped, little breath left in his lungs.

"Hmm...We ate already." Lineback chipped in. "We have a battle tomorrow." Lineback continued to run through his mental to-do list.

"The battle!" Kirkland yelled slipping from under his comrades.

"What about it? Omari asked Kirkland, who was running to his Saber Fang. "It's tomorrow, Kirkland. I was talking about today."

"The auditions!" Kirkland yelled over his shoulder, jogging their memories.

A collective "Aww, man" came from the other men.

"All the money we wasted renting that auditorium and the flyers," Lineback whined, getting into his own yellow Saber Fang.

"Let's just go," Omaria stated.

~~~~~~~~~~

Deuce city. Building 1423. Auditorium.

A 19-year-old female Zoid warrior sat in the first row of seats in a vacant auditorium. Her only company was an R.U and her laptop. Wandering the room was a anizoid Tabby cat.

"Five injured, three killed, in a anti-anizoid attack on Romeo City Public Park..." she said aloud, eyes on a news web site article. She looked at her anizoid cat that was busy battling a candy wrapper. The Tabby didn't seem notice that the wrapper went through its holographic paws. It simply chased and attacked its prey as it glided on a low breeze that filtered throughout the room.

The cat stopped to look at its master. The girl could still see the hazel eyes it once had in a former life.

The girl herself, at 5'7", had green colored eyes with a blue tinge, naturally tan skin, and a slim build. Her dark auburn, cut just below her ears in a layered fashion and slightly shorter in the back, framed a pretty, round-shaped face.

The blissful silence of the room was speared by the sharp sound of the back doors bursting open. Through them charged three men, all in different, yet similar, faded yellow and black outfits. The multiple bits of fur on their clothes were soaked.

The girl jumped to her feet with a start, closing her laptop and holding it against her chest.

"Wha..." she began, examining them before looking around the empty room.

"Hey there's one left," the tallest one said.

The girl looked at the time on her laptop. It was 1:00 a.m. 'Must have gotten carried away,' she mused.

"You're the Saber Fangs team?" she asked.

"So I see you've heard of us," Kirkland said, getting a swelled head.

"Only from the flyer I found," she said watching his expression deflate.

"Since I'm the only one left, I guess that means I'm on your team, right?" she asked.

"Hey wait a minute..."Omari started.

"We are the mighty Tigers Team. We don't accept just anybody..." Lineback continued.

"Yeah, you gotta have certain qualifications. We are one of the best teams out there," Kirkland finished.

"Tigers? I thought you said you were the Saber Fangs?"

"What do you pilot?" Kirkland asked letting her question hang.

"A Saber Fang," she answered feeling a little sidestepped.

"OK, you're on," Kirkland answered, receiving no argument from his team.

"That's it?" she asked, a little bewildered. "Well, ah, where's our base?"

"Ah...It's being renovated," Omari jumped in.

"Since we rented this place for the night we might as well sleep here tonight." Lineback said, lying down over multiple chairs.

"That's the best idea you've had in your life, Lineback," Kirkland said, sounding surprised. He then took a seat next to Lineback's head and slammed the armrest onto the bigger man's cranium.

"OOW!" His vocal chords let out. Omari and Kirkland laughed.

The new girl just watched the display. They weren't acting much differently than the men who used to play 'daddy' to her around the Reinwald base, located in this very city, right where she grew up.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" Omari asked the girl.

"Ray Summers," she answered, putting her laptop down. She picked up her cat. "And this is my anizoid."

This caught their attention, causing them to circle around Ray.

"Whoa..." Lineback stared.

"An anizoid?" Kirkland stated his question. "This is...weird," Kirkland said while stroking the cat's head. The lights pressed back against his fingers.

"We have an anizoid. Now we are even more unstoppable than before!" Omari said.

Ray looked at him and blinked once. "If you say so."

"What difference does it make if we have an anizoid," Lineback asked, genuinely curious about the benefits.

"Well..."Kirkland took his hand off the cat to think. "I heard they can evade attacks on instinct. Usually better than humans."

"And?" Lineback asked, waiting to be impressed.

"They are immune to system freezes, so they have to be K.O'ed to be put out of a battle." Kirkland continued.

This got Lineback's attention. "So they last longer in battle?" he asked hopefully.

"Well... no one is quite sure. So a lot of people used to consider it cheating. I did too," Kirland said, closing his eyes with his left index finger to his chin. "But I don't anymore."

"Why is that?" Omari asked.

"Because we've got one, that's why!" Kirkland said getting excited.

"Well if that's all-" Lineback started, sounding disappointed.

"That's not all," Ray chipped in. "They also make great companions," she said, showing extra affection to her anizoid.

The sudden silence caused her to look up. When she did, her new team exploded in an uproar of laughter.

"What is so damn funny?"

"I'm sure if we all just believe in your cat we'll be in Class S in no time!" Omari sputtered between convulsions.

~~~

"Next UP!" yelled a man with a dead purple rag covering his entire head except for his nose. He stood atop a ruined building overlooking a sea of adolescents that loitered around a sea of more ruined buildings. Many stood around the sidewalk, leaving the street open to two Zoids playing chicken.

"Theo Merc and Silver Streak!" the shirtless rag-headed man shouted.

'Katrina "Silver Streak" Casio,' Theo thought to himself. He had seen her around here a few times. She had short blonde hair and a scar on the left side of her face. He was now face to face with her green and black Lightning Saix, well known as the Forest Saix.

"Go!"

Sound snapped as the Lightning Saix lived up to its name. In a burst of pure speed, it was heading on a death run with the Leomaster piloted by Theo. Theo let go of the controls, letting Ace take control. He crossed his arms and started waiting for his heart to give into the rush of the moment.

The Saix showed no sign of stopping and would easily reach the Leomaster first. Ace had complete control of the Zoid and fully intended to wreck the Saix in front of him. As seconds passed, chances to escape the suicide course went with them.

The Lightning Saix's anizoid began to fight for control. Going against its master's wishes, it overrode Katrina's commands. Just as the two Zoids were within kissing range, Ace, using the Zoid's teeth, snapped at the Saix but missed.

The Saix jammed a claw into the ground, bringing itself to a stop faster. The LeoMaster kept running until it smashed into a building and then began to buck like a rodeo bull. Theo's laughter was heard the whole time.

"Theo is the WINNER!"

"Damnit! He's going to be a dead winner in a minute." The blonde said, dropping from her Zoid. She wore a jacket, jeans, and leather boots, all black. Her green tank top was adorned with the words "Hell's Angel" surrounded by green flames.

Katrina fumed, trying not to take her anger out on her anizoid. It had been right after all.

"I wanna try! I wanna try!" A young boy's voice wailed behind her. She turned around slowly, and was irritated to find him already halfway in her Zoid. Forest was giving her a pleading please-don't-let-him-ride-me look.

"Can I use your Zoid? It's so cool!" The 15-year-old said with hazel eyes full of life and energy. His hair resembled Bit Cloud's except it was dark purple.

"KUNE!" she yelled.

"Yes Rina?" he stopped.

"Get out of my Zoid and go find someone for me to beat up," she ordered.

"Alright!" he said rushing off to pursue the new task.

She watched Theo hop out of his LeoMaster while it continued to jump up and down. Making his way toward her, he took out a small remote. Once the Leo noticed his master was out it lifted a metallic paw and set out about bringing it down on Theo.

Theo pressed a button on the remote. The LeoMaster's paw stopped two feet above Theo's head. The Zoid struggled against the command override, looking like it was trying to crush an invisible pillar. It quickly lost interest and decided to go harass some other Zoids.

"Thanks," Theo said once in range of Katrina.

"For what?" she asked.

"For the rush," he answered. "That's what I came here for."

Her reply was cut short when a shirtless tattooed man stepped in front of Theo like he wasn't even there.

"Hey," he said eyeing Katrina like some three-cent treat. "This purple-haired kid said you wanted to talk to me." His voice had a distinctively cheesy tone to it.

"Yeah, I just wanted to say...this!" she yelled, and connected her right fist with his jaw. He stumbled backward and sprawled out.

"That's much better," she said to Theo.

"I don't have to kill you now..." she paused.

"Theo Merc," he finished for her, smiling at her antics.

"Theo Merc," she repeated, then turned and walked away. He stepped on the downed man, walking over him and following Katrina. Once he started trailing the blonde, Kune joined them.

"So can I join your team?" Kune asked persistently. Theo just listened.

"Umh I'll think about..." Katrina asked, already half in thought.

"Really! 'Cause I want to represent my home town as their official Zoid warrior!" he said energetically.

"Hmm...right now I wanna... attack the ZBC!" Katrina said.

"Why?" Kune asked.

"…'Cause they're the ZBC!" Katrina said after a pause.

"...Those B@$#s!" Kune said after thinking about it. "I'm in! Sounds like fun."

"Yeah, see, that's what I'm talking about!" Katrina said getting excited. "Are you in, Theo?"

Theo thought for a minute. "Sorry but I'll have to pass. My team doesn't know I'm a member of the Cross Bone."

"Aww, too bad. Well, see you around, Theo?"

"Hmm..." Theo sounded as he watched them disappear into a mass of humans, most of whom had two bones crossing into a simple X somewhere on their clothes. Usually the X was over the color yellow.

"Guess I'll head home. Nothing else going on here tonight." He mused. His vision was then overcome by the image of a park full of anizoids and humans running or trying to run or simply being killed.

As suddenly as the vision had appeared, it was gone. Theo shook his head and continued what he was doing.

~~~

Tsutomu Hoshino entered the room of a slumbering 16-year-old. She had an ethereal demeanor, even in sleep. Long white hair rested alongside her body. Her skin was almost the same hue.

She wasn't his child but he loved her like she was. She was gifted, or cursed, with a photographic memory.

Once the MacBeath Cult had learned that, there was no way they would lose interest in her. When they wanted her they'd come and take her again. He was a ZBC official. A powerless ZBC official.

Under the room's small window, on a little white desk, was a chessboard. The white king was on its side. Tsutomu went to reset the piece.

She seemed to like chess and reading, but the key word was "seemed." She barley spoke, and when she did, it was always polite but brief. She was always calm, seeming almost like a living doll. Not at all the way 16-year-olds were supposed to act.

Tsutomu usually found himself up to all hours of the night trying to understand his wife's only daughter, Orihime Starfire-Hoshino, whom they called Ori.

"What time is it anyway?" he wondered. He looked at a small digital clock on Ori's dresser.

"Jeeze It's-"

~~~

"...3:46,Shiva." Cooper said. He was a weasly-looking guy.

"Mhh..." she grunted as she stroked the head of her anizoid in the cockpit of her GunGuyarados. They were all on the outskirts of Batter City. Shiva, James, Cooper, and Axel. All members of the Black Dragon Team.

"Axel, I'm going to get a drink," she said, dropping from her Zoid. Her metal-toed shoes hit the ground with a soft pat. The big man said nothing and followed her as she began to head towards a bar not so far away from their current position.

Her anizoid, Kali, leapt from the cockpit and began to follow. Cooper began to reach out to it. Predicting his intention, the menacing monitor lizard snapped at him.

"Why did you do that? You know it only listens to Shiva," James said easily.

Shiva reached down, grabbed her anizoid lizard, and placed him back in the cockpit of her Zoid.

"Now you wait here," she ordered softly. "I'll be right back," she stroked Kali a few times then resumed her course, heading for the bar. The lizard curled up in the cockpit and waited.

James leaned against his Redler, watching them go. Cooper yawned climbed into the cockpit of his own dragon-like Zoid to take a nap.

"Are you over 21, sir?" was the bartenders first question upon seeing Shiva.

"Close enough," she said, taking a seat at the counter. The man was about to protest when Axel slammed his right fist into left palm as a warning. The man quickly got Shiva her requested drink before scurrying off to tend to other customers.

She nodded to Axel, and the big man excused himself.

"Close enough," Shiva murmured staring into the glass of alcohol. She could still see herself almost losing to the Venom Team. If she hadn't taken the few shots from Benji that she did, maybe she would have survived the head-on collision and won the battle.

"Or maybe if you weren't such a weak...woman ... and a man like father was expecting," she said, bitterly dropping her head on the counter next to an empty glass.

~~~

A man with shoulder length blonde hair and a brown coat that nearly reached his heels walked down a candle lit hallway. Red carpeting was under each step he took.

His name was Simon Beath. The so-called leader of the McBeath Cult.

In reality, his power rivaled that of cult's higher ups, a group comprised of a few elders that had inherited their position from their parents. The cult was over 400 years old. They had many beliefs over the years, but at present their main concern was releasing anizoids from their 'suffering.'

Beath opened the door at the end of the hall and nodded a greeting to its occupants before entering.

At a fairly long table sat three teenagers, each in expensive clothes.

"Hi, Beath," the one with faded red hair greeted energetically.

"Hello," came from the black-haired youth.

"Good evening, Beath," said the teen with light brown hair. He spoke very properly. "Or would it be morning?" he laughed.

"Evening gentlemen." Beath greeted again.

"Beath, did you send those Mantis and the Dibison to attack those anizoids yesterday?" the red head asked in an admiring tone.

"No, I'm afraid not," Beath said apologetically, taking the seat closest to him. It was opposite the red head, whose companions sat at the sides of the table facing Beath.

"Oh," he answered, a little disappointed. "Then did the elders order it?" he asked on a whim.

"No. It was some of our less cooperative members acting on their own." Beath answered simply.

"Oh, what was I thinking? The elders never want to attack out in the open like that," the red haired youth stated, trying to keep a hint of distaste for this fact out of his mouth. He didn't want Beath to suspect that he disliked the elders' methods, but he did. As did his companions.

They all liked Beath, however. They liked the way he did things. While the elders were secretive about their actions under the light of the public eye, Beath was loud and new and charismatic. Though Beath had yet to personally order any form of attack, it at least seemed possible with him. Unlike with the stubborn elders.

"Hey Beath," the soft brown haired one called. "Do you know a Mary Champ?"

"I'm afraid not," Beath answered.

"Well she's a skank!" he yelled, getting riled up.

"Calm down, Alvin," the black-haired boy urged.

"Its true, Fredrick," he insisted.

The three began to bicker over many things, but mostly women. They sounded like hens squabbling over food. Beath waited patiently for them to finish. This was another thing they liked about Beath over the elders.

The elders at this moment, would be irritated, murmuring curses back and forth to each other that they would never dare speak aloud. No, these three rich brats and more like them were the McBeath Cults main source of funding.

"Maverick Fox." Fredrick said the name as if putting the final touches on a painting.

"What about him?" Alvin asked, sounding bored.

"Isn't he cool? He left his family to be a Zoid warrior. He left all that money behind."

"So did Mary's stupid brother." Alvin interjected.

"No, he left to chase a skank," Fredrick corrected.

The gossip continued. Beath waited patiently for them to finish up. They were now going into their body count contest.

"How many have you killed now, Monty?" Fredrick asked the redhead.

Monty's grey-blue eyes looked at the ceiling for a number.

"Umm...thirteen. Counting anizoids...seventeen,." he finished.

"Anizoids? How the heck do you kill an anizoid anyway?" the brown-haired Alvin asked.

"You just have destroy the R.U.," he said, proud that he a had surpassed his comrades. "See, I used this shock shot gun my dad has. You just have to get it open, and they just kinda die. Of course, I helped them along with the shock gun."

"Well I killed a guy today. And here's his EYE!" Fredrick said, pulling out a small jar with a human eye in it. The other boys gave it a glance. And continued their gossip.

Beath shook his head. They truly were some sick little freaks. They didn't actually care for the beliefs of the McBeath Cult. They were simply investing in their own amusement. Until Beath himself and anizoids showed up, the McBeath Cult was losing interest to them.

"Beath, how many people have you killed?" Monty asked.

"Zero," Beath said easily.

"Anizoids?" Alvin asked.

"Zero," he answered again.

"Oh well, I guess you'll get to that when you get to it, huh?" Monty asked his hero in a slightly hopeful tone.

"Speaking of which…" Beath pounced on the opportunity to get to the point of the meeting. "I have made out a list of requirements and have come up short on funding..."

~~~

Warning! Warning! The area within a ten mile radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. All other personnel must leave immediately!

The judge man began the usual announcements.

"Alright! Yeah, here we go!" yelled Lineback from his Saber Fang. He stood with three other Yellow Saber Fangs.

"It is today that we re-establish our winning streak!" Kirkland cheered.

"What do mean re-establish? You told me you were already on one," Ray Summers screamed over the rowdy men.

"We are, and it starts today!" Kirkland protested.

"Area scanned... Battlefield set up... The Champ Team versus the Zaber Fangs..." the Judge informed.

On the other side of the battlefield was the Champ Team. The team was now comprised of Harry Champ two mercenaries, Anhai Surata and Hane Steel, and one robot servant,

Sebastian.

"What's the plan, boss?" Anhai asked Harry from her Zabat.

"Huh...oh." Harry said returning from his thoughts. "Well, we're fighting the Saber Fangs who always use the same strategy. So just pick one and take it out."

"Gotcha." Anhai said, then her image left Harry's vid screen.

'With these highly skilled mercenaries, I might be able to make it into Class A. Maybe even Class S. But if I do, I'll be an accomplished Zoid warrior. Then Mary, Mom, and Dad...they'll want me back home running the business...'

"Battle mode 0982. Ready................FIGHT!"

"So what's the plan?" Ray asked Kirkland.

"See the enemy?" he asked. "GET 'EM!" he yelled, his voice full of energy.

"Gee, great plan," she said sarcastically.

"Thanks!" Kirkland said completely missing the sarcasm in her statement.

The four Sabers charged the enemy while being fired at from above by Anhai in her Zabat.

"Aw, crap! Doesn't anyone have any anti-air missiles?" Ray asked, appearing on all her teammates' vid screens. It seemed Anhai had decided to take her out first.

"Hey," Kirkland barked "Do we look like the army?"

"Sorry, I just thought you might have some to go along with your air head." Ray shot back.

Harry fired missiles at Kirkland and Lineback. He didn't have to move; they were heading straight for him. Hane, however, headed straight for them. Harry didn't bother wondering why. The guy was a good pilot, he knew what he was doing.

Using the advanced thrusters of his Rev Raptor, Hane fired his rapid fire guns to simply keep them guessing. Once in close, he flew between Lineback and Kirkland's Zoids, the Raptor's blades cutting through them both with the greatest of ease. His blades were one and a half times stronger than the Schneider blades, after all.

"Wha! You guys are down already?!" Ray yelled in disbelief. She charged into Sebastian in his Iron Kong, knocking it on its back. She then set to running, as the Zabat was still chasing her.

Hane's Rev Raptor charged at Omari's Fang, but it successfully jumped out of the way. The Fang made a lunge for the tail of Hane's raptor and nearly caught it.

Harry watched this, a bit surprised at Omari's sudden amount of skill. Was it sudden or had he been practicing? Harry then turned his attention to the other Fang that was still active. Where'd they get her from, anyway?

Harry watched her knock Sebastian down again and run from Anhai in her Zabat. Omari's Fang suddenly appeared near the downed Iron Kong. Harry would have fired, but he was too close to Sebastian.

Hane's Rev Raptor stopped a considerable distance away from Omari's Fang as it lifted one of the Iron Kong's arms with its mouth and began to spin in place.

"Hey Ray," Omari called "here's your anti-air missile!" he shouted.

He stopped his Zoid, facing Harry in his Darkhorn, but the head lurched up while releasing the Iron Kong. The Zoid flew through the air with Sebastian's screams following it. The Zoid then spiraled towards the Zabat, who barely managed to dodge it. Finaly, it fell and smashed into Harry's Zoid for a double system freeze.

"Nice going you bucket of bolts!" Harry yelled.

"I couldn't help it! He threw me! Remember gravity, Harry?" Sebastian argued

"And did I ask you to be susceptible to the effects of gravity?" Harry asked.

"Whoa! Did you see that Kirkland?" Lineback exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah! Go Omari!" Kirkland yelled.

Omari's Zoid was pelted with multiple rapidfire rounds from Hane's Rev Raptor. The Raptor moved in fast with its advanced thrusters. Omari tried to grab the tail again, but lost his fore legs to the raptor blade. As his Zoid fell and began to skid in the sand, he maneuvered it around to face the Raptor.

He fired in vain as the Raptor sped off after Ray.

Anhai in her Zabat took his Zoid out of the battle with a shot to the head.

"They all use the same strategy, huh, boss?" she asked Harry.

"Well, they used to?" Harry said defensively.

"That's OK. This is more fun, anyway," She said while catching up with Hane, who, in turn, was chasing Ray.

Knowing she couldn't outrun the Raptor Zoid, Ray slammed on the brakes, digging her Saber Fang's claws into the battlefield. She fired at the Rev Raptor as it flew by but missed. The Raptor circled around and thrust in for the kill before she could start running again.

"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is...the Champ team." the judge announced.

~~~

Hmm...thats all for the moment. Status report. 3 new characters in. 1 mentioned. And the three rich brats, who I'm sure you all love, belong to me.