"This is ridiculous. I'm not wearing it." Zula insisted. His voice 
hung in the air like an echo. Titus had control of Zula's body, and was 
grinning devilishly.
	"You don't have a choice. Besides, you'll look less pitiful in this." 
His eyes gleamed bright red as he held up the strange-looking tuxedo to 
himself in the mirror. The suit jacket was a pitch black, while the under 
shirt was bright orange. The slacks were striped vertically with both colors. 
The lapels on the suit jacket were long, purple, and pointed. It finished with 
a black top hat with a purple stripe on the base. 
	"And look!" Titus said gleefully. "It has matching skulls pinned to 
the top hat and jabot! It's menacing, yet classy! Perfect!" He put it on.
	"You have to admit it looks cool." He said, rotating in front of the 
full length mirror. "You may be pitiful, but you sport a tux very well!" 
	"Is that a compliment I hear?" Zula asked in a bored tone. Titus 
ignored him and strode proudly to the window of the high tower in the castle.
From there, Titus could see for miles. It wasn't much to look at, however. The
landscape was grey and desolate. In the distance, a few mountains could be 
seen far away. 
	"Can't you see it, Zula?" Titus said happily. "Soon, an army of 
horrifying, malicious beasts will be awaiting my command down there, as far as 
the eye can see. Soon, all of animankind will be under my control. Just as it
should be." Titus waited for Zula to respond, when he didn't, Titus grew 
irritated.
	"I can sense that we don't see eye to eye." Titus said darkly. "As 
magically powerful as you are, Zula, you're still going to be my greatest 
hinderance in the bringing about of my new world."
	"Well, that's a relief." Zula answered. "It's nice to know that my 
work dosen't go unnoticed." Titus clicked his tounge in an irritated manner.
	"Tsk! I'll get you to see things in a new light soon enough." He 
murmured. "As soon as I locate your brother and defeat him in battle, his 
spirits will be crushed, as well as yours. Then nothing will stand in my way."
	"You don't know my brother." Zula said angrily. "He will never give 
up. Never."
		*		*		*		*
	"Good morning, Jace! Ready for another day of crime-fighting?" Cecil
said cheerily. He was sitting behind a desk typing on a computer when I walked
into the office. It had been a week since I first started my job here at the
police station as a bounty hunter, and I had already dragged in four bounties
and had them incarserated. I strode over to the back wall where wanted posters
had been put up. I scanned the wall for any bounties that had been last seen
nearby. Mitch walked into the room.
	"Jace! Good to see you! How's that armor treating you?" he asked, 
slapping me on the back. I smiled.
	"Great!" I answered. Mitch then walked over to Cecil.
	"How's that report coming along? We need to send it to the newspapers
by noon." he said. Cecil nodded.
	"I'm almost finished." he replied. "I have to say, though, this news
report is a little hard to believe. What with magic, a castle on the coast, 
and sightings of explosions out in the desert. It's all very strange."
	"Magic?" I asked, turning my attention to their conversation. My ears
pricked automatically. I walked over to see what they were talking about.
	"Yeah, some photographer went off to the coast to take pictures of 
this old castle that's been abandoned for centuries. He was attacked by what
he called, "a glowing knight". He took some pitcures. Here." Cecil clicked 
into a file and brought up some pictures. 
	The first few were some beautiful pictures of a coastline on a cliff. 
Then there were photos of an enourmous and beautiful castle set on the edge of 
the cliff. 
	Suddenly, the mood of the pictures changed, as one picture was focused 
on a window of the castle. A light was on, and a figure could be seen. My 
breath came short as I recognized the silouette. It was Zula. 
	The next photo had obviously been accidentally taken. It was blurry 
and out of focus. A side of the castle could be seen, and a blurry figure of 
an animan, but the he was a bright teal color. I could feel an odd sense of 
fear at the sight of it. The next photo caught us all by surprise. It was a 
shockingly clear photo of the glowing man. It's face was shrouded in darkness 
by a helmet, the rest of him clad in armor. He stood there, shimmering and 
menacing. It was the last photograph in the set.
	"That's something you don't see every day." Mitch said flatly. "Are 
you sure these aren't doctored photos?" he asked Cecil.
	"Positive. The photographer gave us the negatives as well. Just before
he was admitted to the hospital. Poor guy was half-crazed with fear. No 
physical wounds on him, however. Just mental." Cecil said. There was a 
silence. Then I spoke.
	"I want all information you can give me about this castle and anything
associated with it." I said. Mitch and Cecil looked at me in surprise.
	"Are you saying you'd like to invesigate this further for us?" Mitch 
asked. "You're a bounty hunter, not a detective." I nodded.
	"I've been hunting for him for a long time." I said, pointing to the 
image with this silouette in the window. "That is my brother."
		*		*		*		*
	"I'm positive." I said for the fourth time. I was pacing my living 
room, dressed in full armor. My sword was in its sheath and was strapped to my
back. 
	"But you can't be sure!" Lizzie replied. "There are plenty of fox 
animans in this world! That could've been anyone!" She was sitting on my 
couch with a worried expression crossing her face. She watched me as I paced 
back and forth. 
	"How do you explain the ghost-knight? And who in their right mind 
would settle down in a castle on the edge of a cliff?" I threw my hands up in
the air in exsasperation. "I have to investigate. If there's any chance that 
it could be my brother, I have to take it!" Lizzie sighed.
	"Alright. I'll get a warrant for you." she said finally. I stopped 
pacing. 
	"You will?" I asked, looking down at her in surprise. Lizzie shrugged.
	"It will take a couple days to get. We need permission from the 
department and a viable reason to enter someone else's property."
	"An animan was attacked near the premisis." I answered. Lizzie nodded.
	"Right. So if you promise to calm down, I'll get you that warrant by
next week." She said with a smile. I blinked.
	"Oh. Am I worrying to much?" I asked blankly. Lizzie laughed a little.
	"Just a bit." she answered. I looked at her for a while before taking
a seat on the couch next to her with a sigh. She put a comforting hand on my
shoulder.
	"I have to say," she said. "For you to assume that your brother would
be one to live in a dangerous castle and have ghost-knights guarding it, what
kind of brother is yours?" I stiffened.
	"He- well- You wouldn't... believe me." I stammered. 
	"Try me." Lizzie said softly. I hesitated. Could I tell her 
everything? I wanted to. She was a wonderful person. But would she think I was
crazy? I looked up at her. She had a small smile curving her lips upward. Her
dark red eyes were filled with understanding. I gave in.
	"When I was eight, Zula and I lived at an orphanage in Silver Town. It
wasn't much, but it was home to us. Our warden was a nice old lady, and many
children lived there. Most of the orphans were there because their parents 
died in the Robotic Rebellion, but I'm not sure what happened to ours.
	"Zula liked to read books in the attic. There were lots of books 
stored up there, and he liked to be alone. One day, Zula came to me all 
excited because he found this old book. He said it was a book of magic spells.
For days he tried to perform this specific spell for me. He wasn't sure what
it would do, but he said that it was the only spell he would be able to 
perform. I didn't know why until later. It turns out that the book could
'speak' to him. I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but the book must have 
told him to try to perform that spell specifically before any other.
	"Zula always loved magic. He read stories about it to me. He always 
wished he could do magic. We didn't have much, and he thought it would be nice
to try and use magic to make our lives better. Zula only ever thought of ways
to take care of me. He wanted to entertain me with the magic spells from the
book he found, but none of his spells ever actually worked. Until one time.
	"The spell that the book told him to perform actually unleashed the
spirit of an evil sorcerer named Titus. Titus posessed my brother with the
book as well, so together, they can perform whatever magic they want. I made
a deal with Titus in order to try and get my brother back. I challenged him 
to a fight, but he refused to fight me until I was stronger, then Titus 
vanished, taking my brother with him. I haven't seen him since. I've been 
working hard to become a better fighter so that I can save my brother. 
	"I started living with a couple of freedom fighters named Adir and
Zeki. They were cleaning up Silver Town after the Robotic Rebellion ended,
helping to restore order, and taking care of the last few rouge robots that
threatened the town. Adir taught me how to fight, and Zeki used his knowlege
to help me learn how to dispell ghosts and look for sightings of Zula or 
Titus.
	"About a month ago, I got word that Zula had been seen here in Ebony 
City. So I looked for a job and landed here as a bounty hunter. I've been 
looking for him in my spare time, but he must have relocated to the castle on 
the coast." I finally finished. Lizzie and I both sat silently on the couch, 
staring at eachother. I waited for her to respond. I began to worry when She 
didn't say anything for a while. Finally, she said,
	"That would explain the ghost-knight. Magic." I nodded vigorously.
	"Exactly! You belive me?" I asked in surprise. Lizzie nodded slowly.
	"You don't seem like the kind of person that would make something like
that up." she answered. "And the way you spoke of your brother, you really 
miss him, don't you?" she asked. I bowed my head.
	"Yes." I mumbled. "I have to save him. I wouldn't be here if it 
weren't for my brother." 
	
	The next few days went by as normal. I was currently tailing a bounty
by the name of Roque. He used to be a local thug until he and his gang 
attempted to rob a bank, at which point they went into hiding. They were 
sighted back in Ebony City only a few days ago, so I decided to see if I could
find them. I had narrowed down some places that they seemed to frequent, but
I hand't spotted them yet. I decided to try a bar on the far end of the city.
I knew the owner, and he got some pretty interesting characters in his place
from time to time. I often went to him for information under the my title,
The Armored Ninja. I didn't use my real name while working, as it might pose
as dangerous.
	I made my way through town and found The Metal Barrell, the downtown
bar. I stepped inside and sat down at the front counter. I was greeted by a
scottish terrier cleaning the counter with a rag.
	"Top of the marnin' to ya, Ninja! What brings ya here this fine day?"
I smiled.
	"Dimitri, you know it's almost nine in the evening, right?" I asked.
Dimitri smiled.
	"I do, but that's just how we Scots talk! What can I get for ya?" he
inquired.
	"A root beer will do nicely." I answered. Dimitri's eyebrows shot up
in amusement.
	"A rut beer?! Ya come to a bar and ya order a rut beer?" he said 
incredulously. 
	"I'm on duty." I answered. Dimitri smiled.
	"Aye, lad. But I'm startin' to think ya don't drink this booze at 
all!" 
	"Guilty as charged." I said with a shrug. I come here as part of my 
line of work, and to see an old friend." Dimitri smiled.
	"Ya're a good laddie, Ninja. Here's yar rut beer." He slid a glass 
mug accross the counter to me. "Now that you've greeted yar old friend, what 
does yar line of work want with me?" 
	"I'm looking for a man who goes by Roque." I said. Dimitri looked up 
from the counter he was cleaning and stared at me.
	"Why would ya be lookin' for him?" he asked. "Not thinkin' to pick a 
fight, I hope." I shrugged with a smile.
	"Perhaps I am." I answered. "We have some unfinished buisness." 
Dimitri looked nervous.
	"I have no problem telling ya where he is, lad. Frankly, the bloke 
owes me a lot on his tab, but are ya sure ya want ta find him? That's like 
lookin' for yar own demise, if ya know what I mean." he said. I sat, unphased, 
waiting. Dimitri sighed.
	"He said he was headed ta' the warehouses on the outskirts o' the city, 
East of here. Probably to meet with his laddies. He said he needed ta teach 
someone a lesson." I stood with a smile. I pulled out a wad of bills and set 
it on the table.
	"Thanks, Dimitri. Keep the change." I said as I turned to leave.
	"Be careful out there, Ninja. He's a dangerous fellow." Dimitri called 
after me. I nodded and waved as I walked out the door.
	Once I was out on the streets, I climbed onto the roof of a nearby 
building. I would be able to travel a lot faster if I didn't have to worry 
about cars or pedestrians or crossing signals. Up here, I could see for miles 
and jump from rooftop to rooftop. I headed directly East. I could see the 
white columns of smoke rising above the city from the warehouses.
	I had never been to the warehouses in person, but I had heard enough 
about them. The warehouses were the factories that made many of the things 
that animans used every day here in Ebony City. Everything from toothbrushes 
to frying pans. It was said to be staffed completely by robots from the 
Robotic Rebellion. Most of the robots had been destroyed, but a few were saved 
and put to work in the warehouses so that they would remember that they were 
servants of animans, and nothing else.
	I leaped from building to building. It wouldn't be long now before I 
would reach the warehouses. I hoped that Roque would still be there. The 
buildings started to become further apart from each other the closer I got to 
the outskirts. Finally, I jumped off of a building and landed on the ground 
below. It was dark outside, and the dirt road I landed on weaved its way 
through the buildings to the warehouses. I crept toward the giant warehouse 
structures. I could hear voices, loud ones, coming from one of the warehouses.
	"Hey, Roque! While we're here, why don't we loot the place? You go 
find that robot you wanna pick on, and we'll pick up some useful stuff!" A 
voice asked. It was a low, gravelly voice.
	"No one touches anything until we find that robot!" a harsh voice 
answered. I looked around the corner. There were four or five motorcycles 
leaned up against the warehouse, and the giant door was wide open. I snuck 
inside.
	The warehouse looked similar to the giant building I had grown up in 
with Zeki and Adi. It was big and industrial looking, with vaulted ceilings 
and metal staircases. But unlike my home, which was empty save for what the 
three of us had collected over the years, this warehouse was filled with 
machines. They were making random household objects and were manned by 
dull-eyed robots of all shapes and sizes. I brushed past one of these robots, 
carrying a box of can openers. The robot didn't even lift its head to look at 
me. It just kept walking.
	Despite what I knew, I felt sorry for these robots. Most of them 
looked new. They probably weren't even around when the Robotic Rebellion 
happened. They were simply robots, which meant they received no sympathy from 
animans. I could still hear the loud voices of Roque and his crew.
	"Boss! I think I found him!" came a voice suddenly. I followed the 
voice to get a better look. I peered over a machine to see four animans, a
hawk, a boar, a snake, and a weasel, all clad in leather and gathered around a 
short, frightened-looking robot. It stood no taller than two feet, and had 
three rounded fingers on each hand. Its eyes were big and round on its 
circular head, which had a single antenna on the top. I recognized Roque, the 
weasel, as he stepped forward.
	"You've got some real nerve, Alpha Scum. My brother died in the war
your kind created. What have you got to say to that?" The little robot 
trembled.
	"I didn't start the war! It was only some of the Alpha 5s that started
the uprising! I was one of the robots trying to prevent it!" Roque kicked the
robot hard. It hit the far wall with a loud clang. The other robots in the 
room turned to look at the commotion, but quickly returned to their work, not
wanting to get involved. The robot picked itself up off the ground and 
steadied itself against the wall. Roque yelled.
	"An Alpha 5 killed my brother! You're the last Alpha 5 in the world,
so you get to pay for it!"
	"Hold it right there!"
	I stood on top of one of the machines, looking down on the group of
felons with a grimace.
	"It's the Armored Ninja!" The hawk screeched. He spread his wings and
began to take flight. In one swift movement, I pulled a throwing knife from
my armor and threw it at the bird, severing all of his tail feathers. The hawk
fell to the ground uselessly.
	"Anyone else want to try and escape?" I asked. No one said anything.
I picked up a nearby rope and jumped down from the machine. 
	"Get him!" Roque screeched. The others moved timidly forward, not sure
what to do. I easily weaved through them, bringing the rope with me as I went.
	"Don't just stand there!" Roque commanded.
	"He's too fast!" The boar answered. I pulled hard on the rope. The 
three thugs fell into a pile, and I tied the rope around them. Then I moved 
for Roque. For the first time, he looked afraid. He started to run. I took
another throwing knife and launched it at his leg. It struck the ground, right
next to his foot, pinning his leather pant leg to the ground. Roque promptly
fell over. I lunged for him and pinned him to the ground. 
	"That robot is the criminal! Arrest it! His kind started the war!" I
brought my fist down over his head, and he passed out.
	"Finally, some quiet." I muttered. I stood up. The robot cowered in 
the corner.
	"D-don't hurt me!" It squeaked. I stood silent for a long time, 
looking at it. I had never seen an Alpha 5 before. I imagined them to look 
quite different. More menacing, perhaps. I finally sighed.
	"I'm not going to hurt you." I said. The robot lowered its hands from
its face.
	"You're not?" it asked in surprise. "That's the first time I've heard
that one." This surprised me.
	"People hurt you here?" I asked. Several of the robots in the room 
nodded.
	"Why?" I asked. The Alpha 5 looked at me in confusion.
	"Because we're robots." it said, as though this were the most obvious
answer in the world. 
	"Were any of you involved in the Robotic Rebellion?" I asked. The 
robots looked at each other, and then shook their heads. The Alpha 5 raised 
its hand.
	"I was. I was trying to prevent the other Alpha 5s from starting the
uprising. But I'm a smaller model, so they didn't listen to me." it said.
	"So none of you were at fault with the war, and yet animans keep you 
here as slaves and abuse you anyways?" I asked. My sense of justice was 
aching.
	"Because we're robots." Came the resounding answer. I thought about 
this. Then I turned back to the Alpha 5.
	"What's your name?" I asked. 
	"Vinn." he answered. 
	"Alpha 5s are considered to be very strong, right?" I asked. Vinn 
nodded wordlessly.
	"Good. Come help me bring these men back to the police station." I 
said. Vinn looked scared.
	"You mean leave the warehouse?" he asked.
	"I'm an animan. You have to obey me." I said. Vinn nodded and picked 
up the group of groaning thugs tied together. I hoisted Roque over my 
shoulder. As we walked to the street, I called for a police car. When the car
came, we all got in and rode back to the station.
	
	"Well done, Jace! Another bounty in the bag! And you managed to get 
his followers as well! That's quadruple the money for you!" Mitch said, 
patting me on the back.
	"Sir?" I asked. "I was wondering. Instead of the reward money, could I
have this robot?" I gestured to Vinn. He was standing not far away, watching
Cecil read the groggy bounties their rights. Lizzie was sitting at a desk not
far away. She looked up at me in surprise. Mitch looked baffled.
	"You want a robot? I thought you used to fight them!" he said. I 
nodded.
	"This one's not bad. He's different. It would have taken me a lot 
longer to get here if it wasn't for him." I said. 
	"But Jace!" Mitch said, lowering his voice. "That's an Alpha 5! You 
don't want it, they're messed up!"
	"He's different." I insisted. Mitch looked at me a long time. Then he
sighed.
	"Alright. I know you're a good judge of character. But I still don't
know why you'd trade away all the reward money for that robot." Vinn looked up
in surprise.
	"Excuse me?" he said. "What did you say?" I smiled.
	"I bought you, Vinn. You get to come home with me." I said. Vinn stood
motionless for a moment.
	"I... I don't have to go back to that warehouse?" he asked.
	"Not if you don't want to." I answered. Vinn blinked. Then he smiled.
	"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I won't let you down, Master! I'll
be the best robot ever!" Vinn ran up and hugged my leg. Then he gasped and
jumped away.
	"Sorry." he said quietly. I smiled. Mitch threw his hands up in the 
air in exsaspiration and left the room. Cecil grinned.
	"Jace! I'm glad you've finally realized the great worth and potential
of today's robots!" he shook my hand. "I used to be the president of the 
O.G.R.T.! The Organization for Good Robots of Today! We were dedicated to the
rightful treatment of the robots after the war. You know the reason the war
started was because Alpha 5s felt like they were being treated poorly by us
animans! So really, it's as much our fault as it is theirs!"
	"You don't say." I said, humoring him with a smile. When Cecil got 
excited about something, he talked a great deal. He was in love with all
technology, so anything that was mechanical was his best friend. Vinn looked 
excited.
	"You don't hate robots either?" He asked. Cecil smiled.
	"Not a bit." he answered. Vinn's smile widened.
	"In never occured to me before that animans could be so nice!" he said
with a pleased look on his face. Lizzie smiled and stood up. She walked over 
to me as Vinn and Cecil began to talk about the O.G.R.T.
	"It's very kind of you to take Vinn into your home." Lizzie said. 
"Without you, Vinn would've lived out the rest of his life being abused for 
being an Alpha 5." I looked at her.
	"That's exactly why I took him in. He's not like other robots. He's
intelligent. He has his own creativity. The rest of the robots I've ever seen
are dull-eyed and obtuse. He didn't belong in a place like that." I said. 
Lizzie gave me a look.
	"You're not like other guys, Jace." she said. "I like that about you."
She waved goodbye before turning to leave for the night. I stared after her. 
Finally, I came back to my senses.
	"Alright, Vinn!" I said. "Let's go home."