To:WELL, I'LL TRY TO KEEP UP THIS TIME...
From:TINY TIM
Date:March 8th 1993... Soon to be many, many, MANY openings at A&W Merivale.

  (somewhere on a beach by the ocean)

  Frank and Joe are found skipping rocks and chatting about the numerous
failures of their unsuccessful career.

 "Joe, why the hell did you get the sheets mixed up?" And, Joe answered
rudely:"But you had brought them to the room. Not MY fault if YOU tripped
and fell on the steps... and everything got tangled, dirty and out of
order!" ... Well, they argued for some time (as they usually do), and then
settled down (odd... they usually don't) and both said:"We've both had our
times..."

 Joe then started passing time skipping stones... well... Frank HAD to
follow. And then they had a contest... 'Who can pitch the stone there
(the) furthest. And, well, another fight, this time over the 'accuracy
level of the eye's sight'. It seems as though they'll never stop.

 Well, with all this noise, and flopping, they attracted some attention.
Suddenly Frak said:"Gee, look at those nice dolphins." (that's Frank)
Well, Joe replied... "Yeah, <sigh> it reminds me of mr. Flipper's
oceanarium... I wish he would be still around.." "Yeah", said Frank
sighing heavily, "I'd like to appologive for our failures." Then, (again)
Joe retorted, "But *I* want to appologize! It was all MY fault..." "No
<<<I>>> want ot appologize..." (will they ever make up)

 Quite silently, the dolphins chatted together... they knew what the two
decorators were saying and wanted to help... But, how do you attract
attention to a group of people in an argumen? Well, the answer came in the
form of saliva splashing all over Joe and Frank! They both exclaimed
"YUCK! Where's this coming from... Is it YOU little dolphins... hehehe.
Get back here!"

 The small pod of dolphins swam away towards the direction of Flipper (not
nearby though, but they knew where he was). Joe yelled a strangled war cry
, and the chase was on! The decorators were running so quickly, that they
didn't notice the blobs of saliva getting bigger and bigger... and...

 Bump was the sound as Joe hit something... who was it...? Uh... sorry.
And the unknown person replied:"That's ok. Listen to this!" Joe thought...
"that voice... that voice... it must be none other than FLIPPER!!" then,
exclaimed:"Frank! Come here! I've found Mr.Flipper!! And well, Mr.Pinrut
and Bob! (gee his tongue has grown! here playing great music!

 TIny TIm

To:<SIGH>
From:FLIPPER
Date:March 8th 1993... Soon to be many, many, MANY openings at A&W Merivale.

Flipper stared blankly at Mr. Pinrut.

 "Deathtongue?" he repeated.

 "Yeah!" exclaimed Mr. Pinrut, twanging the rifle for emphasis. "We're the
ultimate!" Bill nodded agreement, spraying saliva everywhere.

 Flipper stared blankly at Mr. Pinrut.

 "Deathtongue?" he repeated, again.

 Mr. Pinrut began to get a little nervous, and shuffled his feet. "Uh,
yeah, you know, I thought I'd offer you a spot in the band, and all."

 Suddenly two men came running off the beach, colliding into Mr. Pinrut
and bouncing off. Flipper shook his head, his eyes clearing somewhat.

 He looked at the two men, not recognizing them, and assuming they were
groupies, then turning back to Mr. Pinrut.

 "Let me hear you play. Be set up in an hour in my 'Undersea Longue' in
the main building of the old Oceanarium. I'll leave the gate open so you
can get in."

 He turned and headed off in the direction of the Oceanarium.

To:WE BE JAMMIN'...
From:PHANTOM
Date:March 9th, 1993.  Coughing up chunks... HEY!   A lung!!!

  Flipper nervously paced back and forth in the Undersea Lounge, his fear
compromised somewhat by a growing sense of excitement.  Unfortunately that
fear was counter-counter-balanced by those two damn groupies that were
following him right on his heels, but he figured that if he was going to
be a rock star, he'd have to learn to live with people following his every
move.

  However, seeing as Flipper was not yet a rock star, he swun around,
completely prepared to rip their heads from their shoulders, only to see
the curtains part slightly to reveal Mr. Pinrut, resplendant in his
leather jacket, and what appeared to be a silver jock over some leather
pants.

  Mr. Pinrut extended his hand clenched in a fist, with his pinky finger
and his pointer finger extended upright (secret devil sign)... "Ok dude...
Are you ready to break it down?"

  Flipper opened his mouth quickly and then slowly closed it again.
"Pardon?"

  "Are you ready to crash the walls?  Shake the roof?  Bust'n move?"

  "Pardon...?"

  Mr. Pinrut sighed... "Look, are you ready to hear us play?"

  "Well sure, why didn't you say so?"

  Mr. Pinrut sighed again and turned back behind the curtain.  As Flipper
took his seat (On either side of which sat one of the groupies) he heard a
voice quickly counting a beat...

To:U-STINK-BUT-I-LOVE-U
From:PHANTOM
Date:March 9th, 1993.  Coughing up chunks... HEY!   A lung!!!

  The curtains flew open, as a barrage of lights and sounds ripped into
Flipper, temporarily overloading his senses, and perhaps permanently
overloading his neural responses.  Unable to move, he simply sat there and
watched.

  "I hate the way you act and I hate the way you smell
   I hate the way you look, girl, 'cus you just look like hell

  (Chorus)
   You make me sick!  Way-oh, Way-oh, Way-oh
   You make me sick!  You really stink, girl
   You make me sick!  Way-oh, Way-oh, Way-oh
   You make me sick!
 (At this point, a very portly looking fellow clad in a black leather
jacket complete with two foot spikes on the shoulders, and a nose
rivalling Mt. Everest bellowed out a tuba solo....)
   .....But I luuuuuv you!"

  "I hate your polyester pantsuits and your greasy hair,
   And that stuff between your braces and your hairy derriere"

  (Another chorus, except instead of the tuba player doing the solo Mr.
Pinrut got up on centre stage and played his rifle 'til his fingers bled.)

  "When I got you in my back seat and tried to make my move,
   I had to roll down all the windows to keep my face from turning
   blue..."

  (Last chorus, broken this time by Wild Bill Cat, playing his electric
tongue with reckless abandon, splattering the spectators in a downpour
suitable to be found in southeast Malaysia during the rainy season, ending
with all three group members in the middle of the stage, screaming out the
last line of the song to the accompaniement of the screeching of their
instruments... Which is quite hard to do for two of them, let me assure
you)

  "BUT.....I.......LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVVVVVVVVE..............YOU!!!!!"


  And then it ended, finally... Leaving Flipper slightly stuck to his
chair because of the sweat that had been pouring from his body, as the
members of Deathtongue stood wheezing and panting on stage.

  "So Flip," Mr Pinrut ventured forth, "Whaddya think?  Is it a go?"


TO:PHANTOM
From:FLIPPER
Date:March 9th, 1993.  Coughing up chunks... HEY!   A lung!!!
Reply to 285

 Flipper merely sat there, stunned (and stuck slightly, anyway).

 He opened his mouth, only to close it again. He paused for a moment, then
opened his mouth again. Once again, it merely closed. Eventually he
realize he hadn't yet said anything because the neurons between his brain
and his mouth didn't seem to be functioning.

 He shook his head, splashing some of Bill's saliva on the two groupies.
Flipper's mind mentioned at that point that the groupies looked somewhat
familiar, but he wasn't sure.

 Mr. Pinrut, meanwhile, had stepped down from the stage, and stood proudly
in front of Flipper. The stage lights rflected blindingly off Mr. Pinrut's
silver jock, and Flipper had to squint to see him.

 "Well? Awesome, eh?" asked Mr. Pinrut. "Any position, it's yours!"

 Flipper tilted his head, thinking. Finally he looked straight at Mr.
Pinrut. "Where's my costume?"

 Mr. Pinrut spun his head around. "Bill! Flipmeister's in! Get his costume
for him!"

 Bill tossed some garments to Flipper, who unfolded them, and examined
them.

 "Put 'em on, and let's jam!" encouraged Pinrut.

 Flipper struggled into the outfit, pausing in several places to study
certain things in an effort to decide where they went. Finally, with Mr.
Pinrut's aid, he was in it.

 Black leather laced with silver, inch-long, razor-sharp spikes lined his
jacket, with a silver blade covering his dorsal fin. His lower body bore
black, skin-tight slacks (custom-tailored to fit his tail, no less.
Flipper wondered how Pinrut did that.) Running down each side were
graphic designs of dolphins bearing human skulls, done in a reflective
silver embroidery. The final touch was a black forage cap, with a large
silver insignia onthe front. The insignia was in the shape of a large
tongue striking people to the ground, which Mr. Pinrut explained was the
group's symbol.

 Flipper was somewhat impressed. He stood admiring himself in the
reflection of the viewing window to the now-empty pool. Then the door
opened, and Carolina walked in.
To:WHEN'S THE WORLD TOUR, DUDE?
From:FLIPPER
Date:March 9th, 1993.  Coughing up chunks... HEY!   A lung!!!

 "Flipper," began Carolina, "what..." She stopped when she saw Flipper,
Pinrut and Bill looking at her.

 "What? What is going on?" she asked, incredulous.

 Flipper grinned. "Carolina, I'd like you to meet 'Deathtongue'. That's
Bill, and of course you know Pinrut."

 Carolina nodded at Bill and Pinrut, and pointed at the two groupies.
"What about them?" She looked closer. "Aren't those the decorators that
did your office as a jungle?"

 Flipper looked more closely at the twomen, who began to look a little
nervous.

 "Yeah," he slowly commented. "I think they are, at that."

 "Never mind," said Carolina, who had been looking Flipper up and down.
"What's with that ridiculous outfit YOU'RE wearing?"

 "Why, dear, I'm in the band!"

 Carolina grabbed one of Flipper's flippers, and held it before him. "Just
what instrument can you play with these?" she demanded.

 Flipper thought for a moment. "Well, Idon't need an instrument. Bill,
there, he plays his tongue..." In agreement Bill unrolled his tongue and
began twanging away.

 "And Mr. Pinrut plays his rifle..." At this point Mr. Pinrut began
twanging along with Bill.

 "So I'll just sing along... in dolphin!" concluded Flipper, after which
he joined Pinrut and Bill, clicking and squeaking away. Suddenly Bill and
Pinrut stopped, and stared at Flipper.

 A few seconds later, Flipper noticed them staring and stopped, somewhat
self-consciously (if you can imagine a dolphin in black leather and spikes
looking self-conscious.)

 "What?" he asked. "Don't you think it makes a nice complement?"

To:FLIPPER (AS EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO IGNORE THIS)
From:PHANTOM
Date:March 12th, 1993.  Only 364 more shopping days left.

 Mr. Pinrut and Bill (who's tongue was rolling off to one side as one
eyeball began lazily wandering off to the right) stared at Flipper, as
Opus, the penguin with the killer tuba, slowly plodded his way off the
stage and waddled his way over.

  Bill looked over at Mr. Pinrut and gave a disheartened "ThPTH" sending a
hairball flying off into the darkness, and then crossed his arms and once
again began examining Flipper, this time with more scrutiny.

  Mr. Pinrut nodded slowly towards Bill in recognition of the his speech,
and turned back to Flipper.  "Gee Flipper, that was great and all, but....
Well, maybe we just heard it wrong or something.  Let's try it again."

  The three group members presented their instruments and began their
rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", and Flipper finally joined in....

  "Kaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicrcaiiiioiiickiiiiiitckhtiiiiiaaaaaaaaiiiiieeeee"

  And then they stopped.  "Umm, Flipper, I don't suppose you could, I
dunno, maybe beef up your voice a little bit?  We're supposed to inspire
fear in our songs... Start the adrenelin pumping... Not inspire thoughts
of joining the priesthood."

  Flipper paused slightly, screwed up his eyes in concentration, and
started again "Criiaiaiiaiikcikkkkaiiia....."

  "Nononono....DEEPER MAN!!!  We want anger here!!  Not freakin' teddy
bears!!!  Try it again!"

  "Kckkrriiiaiick...?"

  "!!"

  "KaiiiiiRIkkkRIIaaaaAAAkkkkkkIkkkkkKK....?"

  "NO!!!!!!"

  Flipper opened his mouth again, preparing to give it all he had, but was
embarrassed to find that he belched instead sending little tuna bits
flying all over the other band members...

  When he opened his eyes, Mr. Pinrut, Bill, and Opus were grinning
widely.  "There ya go.  That'll fit in perfectly."

To:MY GOD! I'M IN...... YOU KNOW WHERE IMEAN.
From:FLIPPER
Date:12 Mar 93 - place is turning into friggin 'Dial-a-date'

 Later that night Flipper was hunched over a desk, working frantically on
something small, by the light of a tiny lamp.

 Carolina wandered past, looking for a midnight snack. When she saw the
light under Flipper's door she stopped, and looked inside.

 "Flipper...?" she asked. "Aren't you going to bed?"

 Flipper turned around. "Soon... how come you're awake? Am I making too
much noise?"

 "No," replied Carolina. "I was just hungry." She entered the room, and
looked at the desk. Bits of wire and electronic components were strewn
around. "What are you doing?" she asked.

 Flipper looked at her, proudly. "I've created a device to lower the tone
of my voice, so that I can sing in the bang."

 Carolina rolled her eyes.

 Flipper went on excitedly. "This device will cut the upper high-band, and
stretch the lower high-band into the mid-band, then distort and twist it
into the low-band. It's simple, really."

 Carolina looked at the mess of soldered wires and electronic components
with curiosity. "I didn't know you were good at electronics."

 Flipper blushed slightly. "Well, of course!" he lied. "It's easy when you
know how."

 "Can you show me how it works?"

 "Well, it's not quite finished yet. You go on to bed, and I'll show you
in the morning."

 Carolina shrugged, and left the room as Flipper returned to his work.


To:PHANTOM (WELL, JUST ENJOY IT THEN.)
From:FLIPPER
Date:12 Mar 93 - place is turning into friggin 'Dial-a-date'

 Morning came, and Pinrut, Bill and Opus assembled in the Longue for their
morning practice. All except Pinrut were sipping heavily from thick cups
of coffee (since Pinrut had no mouth, he decided to pass on the coffee.)

 "Where's the dolphin, man?" asked Opus drowsily.

 "He'll be here," replied Pinrut, eying the thick fluid, and the holes in
the carpet where some had spilled.

 Flipper came through the door, his dorsal fin gleaming with metal polish,
and dark sunglasses covering his eyes.

 "I've solved the problem, guys." he said.

 "You've figured out how to recycle slime and drip it from the ceiling
while we play without endangering the environment?" asked Pinrut, Opus and
Bill in unison.

 "Uh, no," replied Flipper, taken aback. "I solved the problem of my
voice!"

 "Aren't you just going to belch?" asked Pinrut.

 "Yeah, that was cool!" encouraged Opus.

 "Well, but, no, I, uh, can't. Dolphins can't belch very often." Flipper
was lying, but he knew the others wouldn't know.

 "Oh." said the three in unison.

 "But here," said Flipper as he removed his hat and showed the electronic
wiring inside, "is the answer to my voice. This device will stretch the
high-band, distort the mids, and electronically isolate every audience
member's inner fear and activate it." Flipper added the last part for
effect.

 "Right on!" said Opus. "Jam it up for us, dude!"

 "Huh?" asked Flipper.

 "Show us how it works," sighed Pinrut.


To:A STAR IS BORN...?
From:FLIPPER
Date:12 Mar 93 - place is turning into friggin 'Dial-a-date'

Flipper put his hat back on, and mounted the stage. He shook his head as
the spotlight came down, and the room lights dimmed. He tapped a fluke for
a background beat, then grabbed the mike and opened his mouth.

 Pinrut, Bill, and Opus waited expectantly as no sound came out.

 "Err, I guess it needs some adjustment," muttered Flipper into the
microphone. He removed the hat and fiddled with the circuitry inside.

 "Ok," he said, replacing the hat. Again the spotlight shone down, and he
tapped out a four beat with his fluke.

 Upon opening his mouth, a dreadful, mournful, even eerie sound penetrated
the room. Suddenly the sound was replaced by high-pitched feedback
whines, and dolphin screams of shock and pain. Flipper began contorting
and whipping across the stage, spewing sparks at every angle. He leapt
into the air as a sudden high note hung, and hit the stage in a heap as
his hat exploded.

 Pinrut, Bill and Opus stood staring from the floor, their mouths open.
All at once, they began to applaud, throwing in the odd cheer and whistle.

 "Awesome! Absolutly incredible!"

 Flipper merely lay on the stage, moaning.

     * * *

 Carolina finished wrapping a bandage around Flipper's head, and taped it
in place.

 "Are you ready to give up this silly band idea yet?" she asked with a
sigh.

To:OZZY, EAT YOUR HEART OUT (LITERALLY?)
From:PHANTOM
Date:It"s the 14th of March and TIger is using his new Amiga...

  Flipper weakly raised his head, pausing to stare at the stars that were
shining in the room, which seemed to be spinning around at about 15
revolutions per second.

  "Didja see dat Carolina...?  Dey luved me... I wuz too hot too handle!
I was explosive!  I was on fire!!  The band luved me...."

  A concerned look crossed Carolina's face, but it passed quickly as she
reached forward to whipe a bit of charred fluke off of Flipper's head.  "I
dunno Flipper.  Maybe you should reconsider this.  I haven't heard of very
many successful singers who have tried to burnt their heads off before..."

  "Well, Michael Jackson did..."

  "Yeah, and try to tell me that that didn't affect him in the least!"
Carolina leaned forward, "Don't tell me you think he's normal?"

  Flipper, about to reveal that Michael Jackson was actually his idol, was
interrupted by the timely arrival of the band, resplendant in their black
leather jackets and jocks covered in tin foil.

  Each member stepped forward, and expressed their concern for Flipper in
their own personal way....

  "Geez Flip.  That looked awfully painful.  Since you're ok I guess we
can still do it as our closing act though right?"

  "Ummm, I don't suppose you have any salted herring around here do ya?"

  "Acck.  THPTH!!!!"

  Flipper, looking like something out of a Friday the 13th movie, lowered
his head to the pillow slowly, "Uhh, guys... Ummm...."

  "Great!!!"  Flipper's eyes flew wide open as he was grabbed by three
pairs of hands (Technically, one pair of wings, one pair of paws, one pair
of claws, and one tongue) and lifted from the bed, soon to be carried down
the hallway at a breakneck speed.

  "Glad to see you're ok Flipper, especially since we're doing our first
show down at the stadium in just over 1 hour.  You're gonna be a hit!!!"

  Carolina stared out the window, watching the limo drive away, noticing a
pale face pressed firmly against the back window...

To:DID I AGREE TO THIS?
From:FLIPPER
Date:On March the 15th, someone was looking into my bedroom window... TIger

 Flipper sat somewhat sullenly (and a little stunned) in the centre of the
stage, behind the curtain. Around him the band members were setting up,
shouting commands and spraying saliva. Flipper, however, was envisioning
a woman named Lucie, plates of kipper, and nightmare janitors named Bob.
His head hurt.

"Where's that mop? Get the mop in place!"

"I'm ready! Gimme some spike polish!"

 Pinrut stopped in front of Flipper, and pulled him to a standing
position.

 "Ready to jam, dude? Hey! Where's yourfiretop? HEY! DID ANYONE BRING
FLIPMEISTER'S CHAPEAU?"

 Activity ceased. Opus looked at Pinrut and shrugged. Bill looked at
Pinrut and slobbered. Pinrut looked at Flipper with would have been panic,
if he had a face.

 Flipper grinned meekly and placed the charred, still-smoking remnants of
the hat on his head. He shook his head slightly, and the visions faded as
his thoughts cleared.

 Then the curtain parted. The band prepared to strike their first note.
Suddenly several hundred screaming females stormed the stage.

 "It's HIM!" "I want an autograph!" "I want MORE than an autograph!" "Oh
please be mine!"

 Flipper was shocked, but also pleased as the human wave hit him. He
prepared for the massive fan-admiration that was about to come.

 The wave left, leaving Flipper alone. He turned around to see the crowd
mobbing Pinrut, Opus and Bill. He turned back to the seats, to see one
lone teenager, wearing a jean-jacket with insignias and death drawn in
pen.

 The teen took a long drag off what was obviously a potent drug. He
finally exhaled, then looked at Flipper and the mob behind him.

 "Excellent show, dude," he said before he passed out.

 Flipper left the stage.

To:MANAGEMENT
From:PHANTOM
Date:It's the 19th, and I still don't hear Irish imitations, thankfully.

  Hotel security was called at 3:37 pm, with tenants complaining of wild
parties going on in several of the rooms, complete with loud music,
screaming, and scantily clad females.  The finishing blow was the
explosion in room 227, causing the door to fly off it's hinges and crash
against the opposite wall.

  The first two hotel security men reached the hallway and picked their
way to the gaping doorway, where shards of wood were scattered all over
the cheap peuce carpeting, and the hinges lay, smoking and melted almost
beyond recognition.

  Slowly they picked their way through the doorway and stopped in the
beginning of the room... pausing to whistle sharply and gasp in amazement.

  One man turned left into the bathroom, observing the overflowing sink,
the bathtub completely filled with beer and ice, and the toilet, which,
well, was filled with something else completely different.  Not to be
overlooked either was the black garter that silently swished around in
circles, hanging from the ceiling fan.

  The other man walked into the main room, and stopped, completely amazed.
Both beds were taken completely apart, and the pillows had been apparently
emptied of feathers and refilled with what seemed to be like whipped
cream.  Meanwhile, the one table in the room (which was previosly bolted
to the floor) was turned upside down, and on each table leg was
precariously balnced two-fours.

  Meanwhile, following the cord, he soon found the TV set, which was
hanging off the edge of the balcony, dressed in women's silk stockings.
The most startling aspect of all, however, was the gigantic pyramid of
beer cans in the centre of the room, which had to be at least 50 cans by
50 cans at the base.

  Both men stood silently, staring at all of this, and then jumped
suddenly, as a huge belch was heard in the room.  They looked at each
other with confusion, wondering where it came from, when suddenly the
pyramid of cans toppled down, revealing, exposed above the pile of toppled
cans, what appeared to be a turnip, with a face put on it with crayon,
most notably the huge smile, which seemed to cover at least half of it.

  The turnip slowly swivelled before them, and both me felt as if they
were being inspected, almost as if for a meal.

  The turnip slowly nodded it's head towards them.... "Ummm...I suppose
there's gonna be an extra charge for this eh?"

To:DAMMIT, PINRUT, I'M A DOLPHIN, NOT A ROCK STAR!
From:FLIPPER
Date:What, nobody's changed this date yet?  March the solemn 21st, 1993.

 Flipper opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the bright light shining
in through his office window. After the concert, he had come to his office
to sulk, and apparently fell asleep.

 He rose, and stretched, noting with dismay the razor sharp blade over his
dorsal fin had slashed his office chair's back to shreds. He carefully
removed the outfit, so as not to injure himself, and tossed it into a
corner.

 Going through his living quarters, he found Carolina in the kitchen,
frying up some tuna. Glancing at a clock, Flipper assumed it was nearly
lunchtime, and he was hungry.

 "Hi," he called, somewhat weakly.

 Carolina turned and looked at him with obvious disapproval. "Where are
your friends?" she asked, sarcasm tainting the edges of her words. "I
thought you were going to be a great rock star now?"

 Flipper shuffled uncomfortably, and looked down at the ground. He
shrugged. "It didn't work out." He looked hopefully at the frying pan.
"That looks good," he hinted.

 Carolina shook her head. 'I told you so,' ran through her mind, but she
decided not to say it. Flipper looked uncomfortable as it was.

 "You can have some with me," she said.

To:CONTINUING WHERE I LEFT OFF...
From:FLIPPER
Date:What the hell?  Can I change dates for a week straight?  Ick.  19930322

 They moved out into the dining room, and sat down to eat. Flipper managed
to get one bite before the door flew open, and the members of Deathtongue
poured into the room.

 "Flip-dude, we missed ya at the party last night!" lied Pinrut. In
reality, they hadn't noticed Flipper missing until it was time to split
the bill for hotel damages, but they felt it would be rude to say so.

 "Weoom, gooyf," Flipper swallowed. "I don't think I'm right for this rock
star business."

 Opus looked onto the table, then sat down. "Do you mind?" he asked
Carolina. He took the rest of the fish and began to eat it.

 "Yeah, sure, Flip. But you'd better get your uniform back on, cause we
got another gig in two hours."

 Bill stared into space, drooling. His drool formed a small stream into
the living room, where it drained away.

 "No thanks, Pinrut. I'll have to find something else to do, I think."

 Pinrut redrew his eyes so that he was staring wide-eyed at Flipper. opus
stared at Flipper. Bill stared into space, so we'll disregard him for now.

 "Huh?" asked Pinrut, off-guard.

 Before Flipper could reply, the entire room began to glow with an eerie,
shimmering light, as the inhabitants faded out.

 When the light was gone, so were Carolina, Flipper, Pinrut, Opus and
Bill.

To:HUH?  OKIE DOKIE.  LET'S TRY AND HURT SOME BRAINS HERE.
From:PHANTOM
Date:My mouth is closed, but only to keep bugs out.  (Mar. 26th, 1993)

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

  Opus's screams ripped through the room, sending shivers down the spine
of Mr. Pinrut, Carolina, and Flipper, who were by now dripping with sweat
and shivering with nervousness.

  Mr. Pinrut sat on the edge of a strange looking metallic bench,
apparently meant to be some kind of bed, while Flipper stood silently
beside Carolina who was sitting on a cube set in the floor, made of them
same, strange metallic substance, comforting her with a fluke on her
shoulder.

  They sat still, not speaking to each other, listening to the strange hum
of powerful machinery in the background, the silence broken periodically
by the sounds of Opus's cries piercing through their minds.

  "No!!!   Not that!!!  Please!!!!   NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

  Each tried to deal with the suffering they were hearing in their own
little way.  Carolina was pale and withdrawn, Flipper seemed to be
concentrating on her so as to ignore his feelings, and Mr. Pinrut seemed
to be wetting himself, as long as the bed he was sitting on.

  And so they sat, as minute after minute ticked by.  They didn't know
what had happened to Opus and Bill.  Hell, they didn't even know who their
captors were, where they were being held, or why they had even been
captured in the first place.  The three of them woke up together, lying on
the floor of the featureless white room feeling groggy and hung-over, and
about half an hour after they woke up, Opus's screams had begun.

  The tension began to mount.  They could do nothing, save sit and wait.
Talking had quickly been replaced with silence, as it had broke down into
bickering and arguments as a result of the frayed nerves that each of them
had.

  So they waited.  Waited for the screams to end.  Waited for answers.
Waited for their turn.  What kind of barbarians were they dealing with
here...?


  As if to answer their question, a mechanical panel serving as a doorway
sished open, through which Opus could be seen wobbling back and forth in a
drunken manner.

  Opus leaned forward, "Uhhh... Hi guyz... How're... you......", and then
flopped forward onto the ground, crushing his beak into the floor.
To:JEEZ, WHAT NOW?  FIGURES I HAVE TO DO ALL THE HARD STUFF.
From:PHANTOM
Date:My mouth is closed, but only to keep bugs out.  (Mar. 26th, 1993)

  Flipper was the first one to reach Opus, and he carefully turned him
over, checking for any signs of cuts or bruises, or any other injuries
that could be more serious.  He looked Opus completely over, and then
lifted a single non-eyebrow in question.

  "Funny," he said, looking at Opus, "He doesn't seem to have anything
wrong with him at all.  I wonder what kind of hideous thing they could
have been doing to him?"

  Mr. Pinrut nodded in agreement and the two of them puzzled together,
that is, until they noticed that Carolina was pointing at Opus
frantically.

  "Don't you see?  Don't you see!?!  Look at him!!  Can't you see what
they did to him?!?"

  Flipper and Mr. Pinrut looked confusedly at each other and then at Opus,
before turning in synchronism and looked at Carolina.  "What?"

  "You idiots!!  Look at his stomach!!  He didn't look like that before!!
And look at his tie!!!  Those.... Those...... Whoever did this should
pay!!!"

  Flipper and Mr Pinrut first took in Opus's belly, which did, now that
Carolina mentioned it, look much larger than usual.  A glance at Opus's
orange splotched tie confirmed their worst suspicions....

  "My god, they've forced fed him Cheese Whiz!!!  How could they have done
this?!?!?"

  As Flipper, Carolina, and Mr. Pinrut exchanged shocked glances at each
other, a cackling, albeit wimpy, laugh came from the still open door, and
slowly from out of the shadows one of their captors emerged.

  In unison, the three cried out, pointing at the figure... "My god!
It's a......"

To:ONE MAN GANG...
From:PHANTOM
Date:Today (at least when I log off) is the 30th.  Rejoice!  Be merry!

 All three of them stared in confusion, wondering what exactly was going
on (Opus, meanwhile, lay on the ground, his mind having been turned into
Swiss... No... Cheese Whiz).

 The figure entered into the light, allowing them a total view of it...
Instead of huge, terrifying, monstrously drooling creature of death, they
were surprised to see before them what looked strangely like a cat.  Well,
barring the fact that it stood biped and was about 6 feet tall, it was a
cat.  Of course, six feet is kind of hard to overlook in a cat.

 Taking in their stares and pointing for several moments, during which no
other response was seen, their first contact with one of their captors
decided to break the ice...

 "Whhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt?  What's the deal with you turkeys?  I'm not a
killer alright?  I'm just here to lead you to a meeting with our leader.
After that I'm not promising anything though..."

 Carolina looked around nervously... "What do you mean, after that?  What
did we do?  We've never hurt you... In fact, we've never even met you guys
before!  What do you want with us?"

 The cat-like being looked at her with narrowed eyes as Flipper reached
out to comfort her again, "Your ignorance astounds me.  Here you are,
blessed with the greatest presence that we have ever witnessed, and you
aren't even aware of it!!!  If we hadn't of discovered him when we did,
there's no telling what your perverted minds would've done to his
philisophical gems!!!"  He bent forward, paws pointing towards them, and
began speaking in a lower voice, trembling with barely restrained rage,
"You almost destroyed the greatest mind we've ever known!!  You will pay
for your ignorance!!!"

  So saying, the cat-like-jelly-being thing motioned for them to
follow, and after making sure they did, led them through a maze of
corridors, most of which were indistinguishable from each other.

After continuing through the maze for half an hour, the cat-thing led them
to an opening in the wall, which apparently led into what looked like a
huge cavern.  Cat-guy turned towards them:

  "This is where your fate will be decided."

  So saying, the cat-guy-thing-biped-type-personne turned and led them in.

To:GO WITH IT BIG GUY!!
From:PHANTOM
Date:Today (at least when I log off) is the 30th.  Rejoice!  Be merry!

 Each of them had their own impression of what was in that cavern.

 Flipper noticed the huge throng of cats that stood inside the room,
leaving a little path for them to walk on, at the end of which sat a
glorious white cat, sitting on a huge padded throne.

 Carolina noticed, behind the white cat, sitting on an even bigger throne,
a figure that could be none other than Bill.  Although he seemed to have
been washed, and dressed in fine red robes, the tongue hanging from mouth
to floor definitely labelled him as the Bill they had grown to know...
Kind of.

 Mr. Pinrut, noticed that none of the cats-beings were wearing Reeboks.

 The three slowly approached the white cat, staring in nervous
apprehension at the throngs of cats around them, which were staring at
them with what seemed to be a combination of curiosity and anger.

 They stopped ten feet short of the throne, looking up at the white cat
with puzzlement.  The white cat-thingie, meanwhile, looked down on them
with contempt written clearly on it's face.  Slowly it rose to it's hind
paws, and extending a threatening bared claw towards them, began to
speak... At least, that's what they thought he would've done.

 Just as his mouth opened, Bill began contorting strangely, sending a buzz
through the crowd of cat-guys gathered in the room.  Comments of "What's
he doing?", "He's going to speak!", and "Get off me you twit!" circulated
throughout the crowd.

 Bill's convulsions continued, becoming more and more violent, until
finally, in huge climatic splatter, Bill sent the biggest, wettest,
stickiest hairball you've ever seen flying across the room, where it
imbedded onto Flipper's chest.

 Silence reigned in the cavern, broken periodically by a shuffle or a
snort from a slightly embarrassed looking Bill.

 Flipper looked down at the huge glob of goo hanging onto his chest, not
knowing what to do.  He looked at the cat-guys, a look of confusion on his
face.  One of the cats leaned forward out of the crowd and stared intently
at Flipper's chest.

  The cat reached out and poked the hairball, and then looked up at
Flipper with an expression of awe.

  "Hey man, that's cool!!  I'm soooooo jealous!!!"
TO:PHANTOM
From:FLIPPER
Date:Today (at least when I log off) is the 30th.  Rejoice!  Be merry!
Reply to 300

Flipper looked down at the hairball with clear disgust. Mind you, it takes
a trained eye to detect disgust on the happy face of a dolphin, but that's
what it was.

 Flipper wiped the hairball off, wondering just how he got into this mess,
and gave it to the cat who had spoke to him. The cat's eyes opened wide
with delight, and he ran to his room, probably to preserve the hairball
forever. Several other cats followed him, some in awe, some in envy, and
some with the intention of slugging him and stealing the hairball for
themselves.

 The white cat was confused. He had been about to pronouce death by
shredding, but the Great One obviously favored one of the group. He turned
to Bill.

 "What shall we do with them, Great One?"

 "Ack! Thbbbth!" replied Bill.

 The white cat let his shoulders slump. He didn't understand the Great
One, and began to doubt his ability to continue leading. His mind drifted
to the kittens of whom he was an illegitemate father, the catnip he had
taken in his teens, and the final history test he had cheated on and won a
prize for highest mark. The guilt was building up on him.

Suddenly the room was silenced as a silent figure was noticed half-way up
the aisle. Oblivious to the stares, he continued on his way, finally
stopping in front of the group.

To:I CAN SMELL AN ENTRANCE A MILE AWAY.
From:FERAL FERRET
Date:No way man.  Only I can do sarcastic datelines.  (March 30th, 1993)

He stepped up the aisle, gently pushing cats out of the way with his foot,
very intent on the on the other side of the room, right behind the throne.

"STEINER!" shrieked a voice.  He stopped with a slight shudder, obviously
startled.

"Ya stupid ass!" she yelled, storming up the aisle, "ya made me take the
wrong corner at Alburquerque!"

Steiner slowly turned his head, and fixed his gaze on woman briefly.  He
looked around, finally spying Flipper.  It never occured to him that it
might be odd to see him here.

"Flipper," he muttered in disgust, "Sequoia."  He jerked his thumb over
his shoulder at the short woman, who took the opportunity to brush her
hair back in an alluring gesture.

"What are you..." started Flipper, but stopped suddenly when he saw
Steiner roll his eyes in disgust.

"Get me away from her," Steiner mouthed at Pinrut, who still had a smile
crayoned on.

She was still standing there, drumming her fingers on the curious metal
plates that covered her forearms.  "So, like, aren't you going to
introduce me to your friends?" she asked, fixing her eyes on his and
making him squirm most uncomfortably.

"Uhh," began Steiner, most sagely, but was rudely interrupted when Bill
coughed up another hairball.  He ducked it nimbly and watched it fly at
Sequoia, who stepped out of the way and let it splat with a sick, wet thud
on the ground near a kitten's foot.  A mass melee soon broke out.

"Where the hell *is* this place, anyway?!" she bellowed all of a sudden,
for no particular reason.

TO:FERAL FERRET
From:FLIPPER
Date:No way man.  Only I can do sarcastic datelines.  (March 30th, 1993)
Reply to 302

Flipper blinked, looking startled and confused for the first time in
several days. It was quite a comforting feeling, actually, and he began to
relax a little.

"What is the meaning of this, this INTRUSION?" demanded the white cat, as
several dozen more felines left them room, chasing the lucky one who had
nabbed Bill's latest hairball.

 Steiner glared at the white cat, but it was Sequoia's gaze that made him
cringe back slightly.

 "Very well, then, just, uh, carry on," he mumbled, sitting down and
trying to look interested in the seams of the wall across the room.

 Pinrut took the opportunity to draw a concerned look on his face, and ran
up to Bill.

 "Bill! Are you alright?"
 Bill looked through Pinrut, seeing things nobody but Bill could
comprehend. Possibly very interesting things. Things that nobody would
ever believe. Actually, given Bill's personality, he probably just wasn't
with it and didn't know Pinrut was there. But he was alright, and Pinrut
wiped his face with a sigh of relief.

 Carolina stood quietly, looking off into space. Her eyes showed something
working hard inside her mind.

 "Let's get out of here, then," encouraged Flipper. "Do you know the weway
out, Steiner?" Flipper had cringed inwardly at trying to ask Steiner
anything, but felt since Steiner had found them he might know the way out.

 Carolina shook her head, and turned to look at Flipper. For the first
time she seemed to notice Steiner, and Sequoia. She looked Sequoia up and
down, then turned back to Flipper.

 "Are we getting out of here, or what?"

TO:FLIPPER
From:FERAL FERRET
Date:It's Fiscal New Year's Eve, boys and girls.  (March 31st, 1993)
Reply to 303

Steiner locked eyes with Flipper at the sound of the question, and Flipper
saw nothing but a bleak, barren blizzard in Steiner's eyes.

Steiner said nothing.

Sequoia, seeing how Carolina seemed to be sizing her up, drew herself up
to her full five-foot height, and fired off an evil, malignant glare, one
that might have even scared demons themselves.  Carolina felt as if she
was in the middle of a hot, pelting storn of brimstone, and quickly backed
down, perhaps seeing something too horrifying to place a word on, just
yet.

"Sooooo, Steiiiiiinerrrrr," crooned Sequoia, changing her facial
expression faster than anyone could ever thing possible, "do you have any
idea where this is?"

She smiled sweetly, and stared at the ground in a fit of extreme shyness,
slowly edging forward to the man, putting her arms around him, and placing
her head on his chest.

Steiner looked up and about, with a look on his face similar to that of a
hunted, trapped animal.  Flipper could sense the raw fear in the man, and
it made him bristle.

The man eventually rested a large hand on the back of her neck, and she
seemed to relax a little.

"No, Sequoia," he finally mumbled, bracing himself for the worst.

She shoved him back all of a sudden, then spat at his feet.  "What good
are you then!?" she demanded.

"You shut up!" she screamed at the tall white cat, who had raised a finger
to say something.  The cat, seeing, for the first time, the great
collection of throwing knives on her black leather suit, closed his mouth
and re-examined the ceiling.

Rounding back on Steiner, she put the knives away.  "Now... where were
we?" she crooned, slowly advancing towards him again.

"She's crazy," he mouthed to Flipper, the fear resurfacing in his eyes
again.  "Help."

To:POOR, POOR STEINER
From:FLIPPER
Date:It's Fiscal New Year's Eve, boys and girls.  (March 31st, 1993)

 "*She's* crazy?" Flipper thought to himself. The thought of such a thing
coming from a person like Steiner ran chills down his spine. Sequoia
continued clinging to Steiner, and alternately glaring at Steiner, and the
rest of the room's inhabitants.

 Flipper concluded that nobody seemed willing to go anywhere, as nobody
really had any idea where they were. He confidently strode towards thw
white cat. Carolina watched him, nervously feeling Sequoia's occasional
glare driving into her back.

 Several cats stepped in front of Flipper, claws extended, intending to
stop him. At that point Bill hacked up yet another hairball, which
conveinently landed near the guards, and had them chasing after it.

 The white cat rose as Flipper reached the throne.

 "What is it that you want?" asked the cat.

 "Well, I think it's about time you sent us back where we came from,"
replied Flipper, making an attempt to be brave. So far he was doing ok,
although the thought of what those razor-sharp cat's claws might do to his
soft cetacean skin made him very nervous inside.

 "Not possible," stated the white cat bluntly, feeling much more in
control now that Flipper stood between him and the short female demon. He
stared intently at Flipper in the way that only a cat can, showing his
arrogance, haughtiness, and self-control.

 Flipper stared back, determined to beat this cat at his own game.
However, his gaze conveyed mostly confusion. The white cat snickered.

 "What!?" asked Pinrut in shock. He left Bill, and walked over to Flipper.
He paused to draw a look of shock on his face, but he was so shocked his
kind of messed it up and ended up with squiggly lines.

 "Bill just told me that he's not coming back with us!"

 Flipper, somewhat pleased, although prtending not to be, turned to
Pinrut.

 "Did he tell you how to get back?"

To:GURKIES
From:PHANTOM
Date:Who the snoot is Brandon Lee?  (April 4th, 1993)

  "Umm... Well, his directions weren't very well dictated.  I'm not sure
if I can follow them correctly.  Well, to tell the truth, I'm even sure if
we'll find a way out if we do follow them correctly..."

  Flipper looked at Pinrut and then slowly leaned to one side slightly to
look at Bill over his shoulder.  Bill was too engrossed with watching his
drool slowly spill off of his feet onto the floor to notice the stare.
Flipper sighed deeply, and then looked back at Pinrut.

  "Well, it's the only choice we've got.  Lead away, Pinrut."

  As Pinrut started towards the doorway, his way got obstructed by a
strange five foot tall lady clad in a strange style of dress seemingly
made up of black garbage bags.

  "Where do you think you're going, muffin-head!?!?!? EH???"

  Pinrut paused, slightly taken aback by the ferocity in the woman's
voice,  "I was just gonna lead us out of this place that we're in.  Is
that all right, ma'am?"

  Sequoia leaned forward, somehow making the foot taller Pinrut look much
smaller.  "Wrong dearie.  I'm not gonna trust this heinie on the
leadership of some stupid little vegetable!!!  We'll do this my way!!!"

  So saying, Sequoia turned around and made for the exit, pausing only to
say something to Steiner about his choice of friends, and possibly
something about the size of his manhood.  Either way, Steiner blanched
considerably.  Reaching the doorway, she stopped, and looked left and
right.

  "Fine!!  To get out, we go.... We go.....?"

  Pinrut cupped his hands around his mouth to make a coughing sound...

  Cough!  Cough!  Hack!  Cough!  Left!  Cough!  Hack!  Sputter.

  ".... we go left!!!  Left!!  That's the way out!!"

  And the group disappeared down the left-hand hallway, leaving the room
occupied only by the white cat and Bill, who had by now exhausted his
hairball supply.  The silence reminding them of their being alone was
broken periodically by sporatic coughing coming from the left-hand
corridor.

To:BIG SCENE COMING UP... BUT NOT TODAY.
From:FLIPPER
Date:Who the snoot is Brandon Lee?  (April 4th, 1993)

They continued down the hall for some distance. Suddenly Sequoia whirled
about and glared at the group.

 "What do you think you're doing?" she screamed, livid with rage.

 "Uh..." replied Flipper and Pinrut together. Steiner buried his face in
his hands.

 "Do you think I'm a TOUR GUIDE or something?" she continued. She whirled
on Carolina. "And don't think I don't know what YOU'RE up to!" she yelled.

 Having said her bit, she stalked off into a side corridor. Steiner looked
after her, then at Flipper, then followed sheepishly after her.

 After a minute or so they heard her screech. "ARE YOU COMING OR WHAT?"

 Flipper and Carolina looked at each other, while Pinrut looked around for
Opus. They all shrugged and meekly carried on down the hall behind
Sequoia.

 As they reached her, she leaned foward slightly, at the same time drawing
herself up. She spoke in even, measured tones.

 "I'm not waiting for you again," she said. She turned on her heel and
strode off. She paused for a moment at an intersection, at which point
Pinrut coughed out "Right". She glared at him, and he decided she didn't
really want his help.

 He noted with satisfaction that she turned right anyway.

To:HMMM... WELL, MAYBE...
From:FLIPPER
Date:Who the snoot is Brandon Lee?  (April 4th, 1993)

 Carolina was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on what was
going on around her. Things would occasionally fade out into a sea of grey
static, and she would struggle to clear it up.

 She was fighting it fiercely, refusing to allow herself to slip under
it's influence again. She thought she had beat it last time. But she
wasn't going to go down without a fight.

However, she was going down. And she knew it, deep inside. A small voice
deep in her mind told her she needed help to beat it.

 "NO!" she replied in her mind. "I can do this myself!"

 The grey swept in unexpected, and she heard mocking laughter.

     * * *

 The group rounded a corner, Sequoia storming ahead. Flipper didn't know
if she knew where she was going, but she either did, or didn't care.

 He suddenly noticed Carolina was missing.

 He dropped back a bit, and looked back to see if she rounded to corner.
But she didn't.

 He quietly slipped back to the corner, watching carefully to see Pinrut
following the group around to the right. Then he quickly went back.

 He saw Carolina laying on the ground, her eyes staring. He moved over to
her, fearful, until he saw her blowhole open for a breath.

 He bent down. "Carolina?" he asked, shaking her. She moaned slightly, and
her eyes cleared as she sat up.

     * * *

 The static cleared again, and she looked to see Flipper crouching beside
her. It had been bad enough to knock her out this time. She shook her head
to clear it.

 "Are you all right?" asked Flipper.

 "Yes," she nodded, and rose slowly. She wobbled a bit, but Flipper
steadied her.

 "Where are the others?" she asked.
To:OK... LATER THEN.
From:FLIPPER
Date:Who the snoot is Brandon Lee?  (April 4th, 1993)

Several minutes, and turns later, Pinrut noticed Flipper was missing. He
was about the mention it, when he remembered Sequoia's warning about not
stopping. Instead he tapped Steiner on the shoulder.

 Steiner, wired even more than usual, threw Pinrut against a nearby wall,
and drew his knife. Mr. Pinrut would've redrawn his eyes very large, but
he dropped his crayon when he was thrown.

 "Pinrut!" hissed Steiner, as Sequoia turned to see what the noise was.

 "I..." began Pinrut. "I just thought I'd mention that the dolphins are
gone."

 Steiner rolled his eyes, and gazed sideways at Sequoia.

TO:FLIPPER
From:FERAL FERRET
Date:I changed the date.  Flog me with wet pasta.  April the 5th, 1993.
Reply to 309

Sequoia, seeing a drawn knife, began yanking throwing knives from within
hidden pockets in her suit and heaving them at Steiner with a speed and
precision unmatched by any submachinegun.

Steiner dissappeared in a hail of flying steel.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" bellowed Sequoia, her fiftieth and
fiftyfirst knives in her hands.

Steiner timidly peered around a corner, the knife cautiously put away.
Just behind him stood a wooden door, riddled with knives.  He looked quite
pale.

"Oooooh, Steiner-kins!  I'm sooooo sorry!" she crooned, putting her blades
away and slowly approaching him.  With a look of that like a wild,
trapped animal, he began slowly backing off.

"Here, let me make it all better," she purred, with a voice like liquid
honey.

---
There was an ocean again, or a sea, or something.  It was blue; it was
clear.  It was, perhaps, the most enjoyable place a dolphin could be.

Above her was an inflatable boat of some sort, and she could see a man in
the boat; his face extraordinarily pale.

"Aaaaah!" escaped from the man's lips in a weak whimper.
---
"Aaaaaaah, Sequoia!" finally bubbled from Steiner's lips, "maybe we should
worry about getting out of this place?!"

"Ooh, right you are, Steiney-kins!" she replied, the sugariness of the
voice making Steiner cringe in disgust.  Only his excessive worry kept his
facial expressions in check.

After all, he'd never met a man who could best him in combat, but here,
here was something different, and he wasn't sure about her in the least.
Something about this woman didn't quite meet the eye...

"Just a minute!" she called, as she began yanking the deeply-embedded
knives from the door.

When she finished, she'd noticed, finally, that everyone else, save
Steiner, were gone.  She cursed in an imaginative fashion.
To:"STEINY-KINS"? <LAUGH>
From:FLIPPER
Date:I changed the date.  Flog me with wet pasta.  April the 5th, 1993.

 As Flipper led Carolina around yet another corner, he realized that
beyond any doubt he was truly lost. To make things worse, Carolina seemed
only faintly aware of her surroundings.

 He paused to survey the situation. The area they were in seemed to have
been unused for a long time. There was dust, and some of the steel seams
had rusted. It was also very quiet, and Flipper suspected that whatever
this entire complex had been, this area no longer served a useful purpose.

 Flipper took a nervous glance at Carolina, whose eyes were slightly
glazed. He was worried, and felt she should rest or something.

 He pushed a nearby door open, and led Carolina into a small room. It was
barren except for some empty cupboards, but Flipper didn't concern himself
with that. He sat Carolina down against a wall, and closed the door.
Carolina continued staring blankly ahead. Flipper sat down beside her and
watched with concern.

     * * *

 She was in a familiar sea, yet not quite as free as before. She could see
a face peering down from a rubber raft above her, but it seemed afraid.
Afraid of what? Of her? That was silly.

 But she was restricted. She was floating in the water, but she was also
sitting on something cold and hard. Flipper was sitting next to her. It
was dreamlike, not really there. Yet through the clear water she saw him
reaching towards her, waving a flipper in front of her eyes, then settling
back with concern.

     * * *

 Flipper settled back, concerned, lost, and confused. Carolina had acted
like this before, but that was because of the tainted water, he thought.
He wondered if she was having a relapse.

 Finally he got up and began looking through the cupboards and drawers
around the room. He surprised himself by finding what he was looking for:
some blankets. He took the two ragged wool blankets over to Carolina, and
had her stand up. Then he laid one blanket over the floor, and asked
Carolina to sit back down. She did, quietly. Flipper took the second
blankett and placed it over Carolina. He began to tuck it in around her
body.

To:WHY NOT? HE DESERVES IT AFTER ALL THIS TIME...
From:FLIPPER
Date:I changed the date.  Flog me with wet pasta.  April the 5th, 1993.

 As Flipper tucked the blanket around Carolina's body, he watched her face
for any sign of acknowledgement. He rubbed her sides, and her back, trying
for a response.

     * * *

 She could feel him running his flippers over her body. It was a sensual
feeling, and she began to get excited. She let the ocean, the raft, and
the man fade out.

     * * *

 "Come on, Carolina," pleaded Flipper. "Please wake up! You've got to
respond!"

 Carolina's eyes suddenly closed, as she uttered a low moan. Flipper was
mildly surprised to hear a moan of pleasure, but was overjoyed to see her
eyes were clear when she opened them.

 "Oh! Carolina! I was so worried! You're finally back! Do you feel all
right?"

 Carolina smiled at him, a gleam in her eye. She lightly ran her flipper
down his body, feeling his involuntary shiver of excitement.

 "I'm a little cold," she replied, lifting one side of the blanket and
holding it open to Flipper. "Will you help me stay warm?"

 Flipper hesitated, then joined Carolina under the blanket. He was a
little nervous. He didn't recognize the gleam in Carolina's eye, having
never seen it before, but he felt nervous anyway.

 She again ran her flipper down his body, then looked at him. "Do you
really love me?" she asked.

 Flipper's heart rate jumped when he realized what she might want. He felt
an odd combination of fear and excitement. He swallowed nervously, and
tried to reply, but found he could only nod.

 She recognized Flipper's fear, and the realization excited her still
more. She was ready to show him everything.

To:PHEW...
From:FLIPPER
Date:I changed the date.  Flog me with wet pasta.  April the 5th, 1993.

 Meanwhile, Mr. Pinrut, realizing nobody seemed to be coming back for him,
picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself down.

 "I must remember to not tap Mr. Steiner on the shoulder anymore. Now,
hmm, I wonder where I might be. Yes, I do seem to be a bit lost. Also,
where did everyone else go? Hmm, maybe I should go looking for them..."

And Mr. Pinrut set off to find anyone, or maybe even the way out, if he
could remember Bill's instructions (those that he could understand, that
is.)
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