THE NEXT DAY, THE BLACK S-CLASS MERCEDES ARRIVED at Stamford High’s parking lot. Inside the cabin, Anthony saw Alicia running over to ‘receive’ her best friend – while the father too saw, at a distance of the wheelchaired Paul watching-over from the school-front.

Jane reached out and kissed her father in the cheek, before getting off the car.

“… love you Daddy – don’t work too hard…”

The Mercedes drove off, and from his rear-view mirror -- Anthony saw the girls walking to the wheelchaired Paul.

-O-

The 3 tweens walked among other students at the open-corridor, to go to their classroom. Alicia was pushing Paul’s wheelchair and the blind-girl tagged while holding her BFF’s shoulder. They were discussing the History homework that they did yesterday night.

At the door of the classroom, Jane told Alicia that she wanted a word in private with Paul. Alicia gave a smile, and left the couple alone…

… Jane bent over and gave her blue-glowing-beacon a quick kiss and she rambled. Paul was ‘surprised’ by it -- as he looked self-conscious over at the prying-eyes of students walking into the classroom…

… Charlotte Thompson and her BFF Zoe Williams cynically giggling in amusement, of the handicap-couple in love.

“Pauly, I almost made a ‘blunder’ last night, as I was caught-up with rescuing Piper in danger – that I almost went on A KILL-MODE without realizing those zombies are people too, who are ‘sick’ and ‘needed’ hospital treatment…”

“… no worries, dear – you didn’t know…”

… Paul realised that Jane had ‘killed’ only monsters-and-demons in ‘their’ missions -- after she got her superpowers – where else, he had ‘killed’ people before – 3 in fact…

… just to escape from the ‘curse’ in Perthland, HE WAS FORCED TO KILL his twin, his ‘girlfriend,’ Jezebel and Richard Bradbury the shapeshifter lawyer of the Crowley estate.

… that ‘disturbed’ Paul, and he trembled all over – the blind-girl ‘read’ her blue-beacon’s troubled-aura, that was in a state of anxiety…

“Paul, what’s wrong?”

“… IT’S MY MOM – I haven’t seen her for 36 hours since she is working in this zombie cases – I fear for her safety… what-if she is ‘bitten’…? What the use of me having all these ‘superpowers,’ when I can’t even protect my-mom…”

“But she is a police-person – she is trained in her job to fight others and self-protect herself – Paul, don’t be worried, okay…?”

The school BELL RANG – Jane and Paul entered their classroom for their next-class period.

-O-

The backbencher Peter observed his twin entering with the blind girl – he too sensed a ‘disturbance’ in the blue-glow, but he was not’ bothered – AS HE FELT only’ jealousy of…

… the social-media-fame of Tarzan-Paul and Jane’s popularity, since the zoo-incident -- where there are ‘now,’ Facebook Pages dedicated to their ‘celebrity’ fame in Perth.

The one-armed boy then saw Alicia passing something ‘familiar’ to Jane…

… IT WAS ‘HIS’ Kimura Star’s AI learning device.

Peter walked over to the class-front, and confronted Jane…

“Oii-Jane, what’s the idea OF YOU ‘GIVING’ my property to her?” as he pointed at the Chinese girl with his single hand.

“You wanted it to be coded – and Alicia did that for you, now what’s the problem?” replied Jane, and her BFF looked on.

“Your uncle ‘specifically’ told you to code it, remember…?” Peter stressed…

“Hey, I GOT NO TIME – I have to deal with my ‘own’ Boyyo…”

Paul intervened…

“Why don’t you learn to code it yourself, you-moron…?”

“You stay out of this, short-legs!” Peter ‘cut’ him off… as he then grumbled…

“Now my device has been ‘hacked’…”

“… hacked-how?” blind-Jane asked.

“She’s Chinese – who bloody knows if she is a Communist-spy or ‘not’ -- one could never be sure or safe from espionages, happening in bloody broad daylight in Straya…”

Alicia laughed out aloud – but…

… she was ‘NOT’ OFFENDED, as the ‘racist’ one-armed bully who had called her much ‘worse’ things before, in their antagonist history in Stamford High.

“Yea, you bogan – I’m the super-spy Matahari then – I’m put here, to infiltrate your-sorry ass to be a communist too, hahaha.”

Before Peter could reply-back, Mr Fredrick Bailey entered the class for his English class – Peter grabbed his AI device from Jane’s desk – and grumbled as he retreated to his desk, at the class-rear.

<><>

SHELLEY WILSON WAS DOING TAI CHI movements and breathing exercises in the balcony of her Hilton hotel room. She heard THE DOORBELL. The doctor-mother walked across the suite-room – looking at Samuel still fast asleep on the King-sized bed. Soon she would wake him up, to take him along to work, at the Mercy & Wilson Clinic…

… it was the concierge service at the door, who was delivering fresh washed-and-pressed laundry. Shelley received the plastic packages and tipped for the delivery.

There was a separate package of Jane’s clothing -- and the mother took Jane’s room key-card, to access the next bedroom where her B-girl stayed.

The room was messy – and it ‘bothered’ the prim-and-proper Shelley…

…where at the Wilsons, she had Lola the housekeeper to make the rooms – and, over here -- it was still early for the hotel housekeeping, to make their floor-rounds and do the beds and bathroom.

Shelley took the fresh laundry package to Jane’s duffel bag – she noticed ‘something’ odd stuffed into the bag…

… it was a large-sized orange sports track-pants…

… twice the SIZE OF ‘WHAT’ her B-girl wore – and ALSO ‘WHAT’ THE doctor-mother ‘not’ had remembered buying from in any store…

“God-dammit! ‘HE’ WAS here again!!!”

Shelley recalled the Walker-boy’s VOICE THAT SHE ‘HEARD’ in Jane’s bedroom – during the night of the black panther attack.

“How is it possible – but that boy is a cripple…?”

Then, SHE ‘SUSPECTED’ the inspector’s other son – the one-armed ‘arrogant-and-fussy’ boy who complained lately, during her luncheon invitation at the Wilsons that – eating seafood were the ‘product’ of fishes dining the buffet on the ocean bed’s filthy-garbage…

“Could it BE HIM…? IT ‘MUST’ be him…”

… based on the tragic Treeton field-trip – where the B-girl ran blindly AFTER HIM into the field in a thunderstorm – ENDANGERING HERSELF, to save ‘this’ one-armed brat.

The doctor-mother took away the orange-pants AS ‘EVIDENCE’…

… as she wanted to show it to Anthony, and -- CONFRONT AND QUESTION their daughter of her irresponsible behaviour…

… where of every parents’ envisaged nightmare – of the problems of pubescent pregnancy.

<><>

IN THE CANTEEN, JANE SAT WITH PAUL and they were eating their meatball pasta. They spoke about yesterday’s mission where they had successfully ‘rescued’ Kitty at the dog-pound. Paul made an online search -- and they were horrified that the zombie-rabid cases admitted in hospitals, had gone quadruple, by more than a thousand cases overnight...

… Paul was back worried of his mother’s safety. Jane who was troubled too, then spoke…

“I wish Mercury was here – he would ‘KNOW’ HOW-TO DEAL with this – I wonder where he is now…?”

… it had been 2 weeks ‘reliving’ their lives in post-Treeton-Perth, but they have ‘not’ seen their Red-demon ally since-then – and THE LAST ENCOUNTER with him was in Purgatory, where he ‘rescued’ them both -- and sent them to post-Treeton Perth-earth.

“I don’t know, Jane – he himself is running away from Asmodeus – I don’t know whether he is hiding or is captured – with a huge ‘bounty’ on his head, and every other demon would help the evil-army and bounty-hunters to catch him… probably, they might have caught him and he is dead ‘now’ – beheaded…”

“… oh-no, who would protect Mother Venus, Dora and SIMY…? Those ‘women’ would be vulnerable without the Guardian-demon around for protection…”

“Oh-yea, what ABOUT US BOTH, Jane? We too are equally bloody vulnerable, with this zombie outbreak now -- as there are more-and-more people infected in the Popobawa disease – Jane…

“… we are BOTH ON ‘OUR’ OWN this time, whether we MAKE-OR-BREAK to ‘fight’ this mission…”

… Jane was quiet…

… so was Paul as he ate – but was distracted by his twin’s loud laughter coming from some tables away. Jane recognized his laughter too, and gazed over at the red-glow…

“I wonder ‘what’ he is amused about…?”

“The idiot is ‘showing-off’ his ‘new’ talking-toy around his friends at that table – and they looked fascinated by it…”

“… oh-yes, they would be fascinated today -- but soon they would all go ‘against,’ and accuse him for ‘cheating’ in class-test -- just like how Charlotte, Zoe and their friends ‘accuse’ me.”

“I doubt he would bloody ace any exam, WHETHER HE HAD OWNED the AI devise or ‘not’ – Peter is simply ‘not’ interested in studying – I don’t know if he’s still on drugs but he is sneaking out and drinking and having sex…”

“… oh, Bella… she’s in the same senior class with Akatendeka and Dougie – I have ‘not’ met her personally…”

“She ‘was’ in the team that was the sparring-tennis-partners to Dougie and Zoe back in the ‘other’ Perth… do you ‘know’ her back-there…?”

“No, I have ‘not’ cross-path with her, even back there…”

Paul chucked and scoffed at the same time…

“… that’s funny, right -- PETER HAS A ‘GIRLFRIEND’ in each realm, that we are in – remember Jezebel Crowley of Perthland?”

Blind-Jane laughed and nodded…

“… they were Perthland’s Famous Couple – and Peter stayed at her Uncle Stamford’s hotel.”

‘… the same M.O. – teenage-Peter was having sex with her when I confronted them – and then, she had transformed into a hideous-serpent-demon when I killed her werewolf-dog – I then shot her ‘dead’-- and she crashed out the glass-window, falling off the 33rd floor…’

The bell rang to END THE RECESS PERIOD – and students returned to their respective classes.

<><>

AFTER SOME UNEVENTFUL HOURS SPENT IN THE CLASSROOM, the last bell rang – Peter took an Uber to go for lunch at Maccas. He found Jimbo who had his mountain-bike – the one-armed tween apologized that his ‘business-meeting’ yesterday went late, to come-back to collect his bike…

… he tipped $2 to the homeless-man – FOR ‘NOT’ LOSING his 2-wheeled DeLorean.

Inside the Golden-arch restaurant, Peter ordered his regular supersized-Big-Mac, French-fries and coke…

… his mother had ‘not’ banked-in his weekly pocket money allowance – he had texted her, but her phone was switched off. Luckily, he had his backup financial stash in his bank-account of over than $5000, which he made as an eBay trader – but he would claim-back all of his ‘paid-expense-receipts’ -- from his inspector-mother -- when she’s ‘done’ with her work of putting-off her super-policewoman’s cape, and return home.

The ‘show-off’ Peter was INTERACTING WITH HIS TALKING-TOY while he ate – the customers from the nearby tabled gawked -- at the device and the one-armed boy…

… a digital young-man’s voice asked, in an American accent…

“Peter, you have ‘not’ secured your privacy setting yet – would you want the setting of high or low?”

“Pete2.0, you address me AS ‘MASTER’ from now onwards – as you are my slave!”

“Master…you have ‘not’ secured your privacy setting yet – would you want the setting of high or low?”

“… you did ‘not’ say please…”

“… please Master…you have ‘not’ secured your privacy setting yet – would you want the setting of high or low?”

… the amused Peter laughed…

“That’s better, my ‘good-dog’ – the answer to that is, ‘I DON’T CARE of ‘what’ my privacy are…!’ – as long…

“… you have what-ever answers to my ‘every’ question on your digital finger-tips, which is ‘beneficial’ to propel my ultimate popularity-up, in my grand-scheme masterplan of my tennis ‘comeback… you, Pete2.0, you ‘be’ my account-manager…

“… you ARE IN-CHARGE to find me fast-and-innovative solutions, when I demand to ‘know’ any-stuff of my personal whim-and-fancy…

“… and, I don’t know-or-care ‘HOW’ YOU DO IT… even I grant you full-access permission to the Dark-web, and if those answers are out there… and, you go-fetch-it like ‘my’ good-dog, understand…?”

“Yes-Master!”

“… in your mapping of data-collection for Kimura Star R&D – I want you to stress the ‘urgency’ of MY ROBOTIC-ARM as a priority to that Dr Jack Turner – so that I can make my ‘true’ comeback even-sooner… understood?”

“Yes-Master!”

Peter’s iPhone on the table rang…

“… Pete2.0, sync up my iPhone data to your communication-system – and, go and put a ‘digital skirt-and-swish’ around -- and ‘reply’ who’s calling…”

… the synchronising device made a brief whirling sound – and the system spoke-again in a young woman’s voice…

“Master, you have a call from Ms Bella Beaulieu.”

Peter spoke from the headset…

“Hello…”

“Peter, are you around Maccas?”

“… yep, having a juicy burger…”

“Great! Be-there, I’m coming over with a friend – give us 10 minutes…”

-O-

He finished his lunch, and was sipping the last of the coke in the ice-cube cup, making irritating sounds with his drinking straw. While in the sitting and waiting, he was thinking of his past escapades of frolicking in the gym’s Boys-room with Bella – and…

… ‘who’ was the girlfriend she was going to bring along ‘now’ – and the tween was aroused be fanaticizing a motel-room’s threesome in his mind.

After 15 minutes, he was distracted by loud motorbike sounds – and through the glass window, he saw Bella’s red Ducati – and on the 2nd older Harley Davidson motorbike, was a 20-something guy in a full visor helmet, taking it off …

‘… huh… it’s a bruce…’

… the jealous one-armed Peter, was annoyed in his insecurity – and past thoughts-and-emotions of Jezebel of Perthland, who had multiple ‘lovers’ came-flashing…

‘… what is this Bella… trying to be Lolita…?’

Both of them in leather jackets entered the fast-food restaurant and approached Peter’s table – the one-armed tween sensed he ‘knew’ mid-twenties man, but can’t say-who he was…

Bella came first, and hugged Peter and sat beside him, as she introduced…

“Pete, this is my fellow animal activist friend – Kirk Kiperman…”

The man spoke out in excitement…

“I ‘know’ you – you are the son of Mrs Solomon Walker – my father’s house is opposite from you house!”

… only then Peter recalled that the diabetic neighbour in the wheelchair – who had a son – and they both quarrelled loudly in the past when the drunk Kirk, who used to come on his motorcycle to his father’s house, and harassed the old man for money…

… that was more than 3 YEARS AGO, and he HAD ‘NOT’ SEEN Kirk since…

Peter listened to the animal rescue stories that Bella spoke on the table – and Peter was observing the man in a corduroy jacket, who was reeking in booze – and when he smiles, he flashed his darken-meth teeth, similar to the homeless Jimbo.

Bella and her group of friends who were rescue straying in the street – transport the animals to a ‘SHELTER’ THAT KIRK RAN, with Bella financing it as her ‘personal’ animal rescue project – where over at the vacant ‘rented’ land, where the animals were housed-and-fed…

… in his first-impression, Peter thought KIRK WAS A CONMAN – who has ‘been’ EXPLOITING BELLA’S PASSION of rescuing stray animals.

-O-

Bella left the table to join the queue to get drinks for her and Kirk – and Peter was left sitting in the table with the new-acquaintance, who was making small talks by asking about his mom and twin. Then something he said, shocked Peter…

“What was your father building in the house basement – is it a bunker?”

“… what bunker…? My house doesn’t have a basement…”

“… you don’t know…?” responded Kirk in surprise.

Peter don’t have any recollection childhood memories of the Walker house because when he was 7, it was when THEY MOVED INTO THE ‘NEW’ HOUSE -- but he knew of his father once saying that he built the 8-roomed house…

… brick-by-brick…

… for the span of 10 over years…

… Kirk then filled-in the history of that 10 years…

… while Kirk was an unemployed teenager back then, when Solomon Walker before his marriage -- had bought a land with 2 depleted run-down houses in the Kiperman’s front -- and the architect demolished the smaller vacant houses, to build his bigger dreamhouse.

The young Kirk back then was employed as a construction labourer, under the building supervisor Arthur Stills, and they had built the 8-roomed house -- with one of the rooms…

… WITH A SECRET ELEVATOR that led into the depth of the Walker-basement…

‘… huh, what basement, is this fool talking about…?’

Kirk then said he moved out of his father’s house in the later years -- and was ‘not’ there, to complete the building of Solomon’s dreamhouse…

‘… secret elevator – I did ‘not’ see any elevator – is this junkie shitting me…?’

Bella returned to the table with 2 cokes, and the topic on the table had changed back to those of noble deeds, of rescuing stray animal -- but…

… but Peter was still in reveries of – secret-elevator – secret basement – and secret bunker…

‘… we have an empty garage used as storage-place, since dad’s BMW was totally wrecked – upstairs were 6 rooms – mine, mom’s and Poe’s former bedroom – THAT 3…

‘… another 3 bedrooms were all locked, after dad died – including the 2 guestrooms and dad’s music-room ‘MAN CAVE’… with his collection of a thousand over jazz vinyls, where he would ‘not’ let either of his sons to enter his den – but he went there occasionally for solace…

… TO GET AWAY when he fought with mom…

‘… DOWNSTAIRS was dad’s ‘empty’ architect office… and Poe’s windowless room -- so, where is this elevator at…?’

-O-

Kirk and Bella were back into their discussion of the cruelty of the ‘system’ putting-down stray animals – and spoke of the secret WhatsApp group they ‘created’ that went ‘against’ that viciousness-and-unkindness system towards helpless strays…

… Bella roped-in Peter’s attention…

“Peter, would you join us, in our ‘cause’…?”

“… like I said, I can’t – my mom would’ find out…”

Kirk sniggered…

“yea, you ‘know’ that -- because you are from the ‘future,’ right?”

… Peter was annoyed with Bella – as she told ‘THIS FOOL’ of that inter-personal sharing -- that he ‘was’ from the ‘other-Perth’…

“I know ‘what’ I’m talking about here – and, I’m sorry, I can’t join, because – once you get ‘caught,’ I get caught ‘too’…” Peter elaborated, and Bella responded…

“… what if we were ‘careful’ and we listened to YOUR ADVICE AND ‘NOT’ make the mistake of bragging about what we ‘did’ online ‘there,’ WOULD YOU THEN JOIN US?”

… Peter was quiet a moment in contemplation, before he spoke ‘again’…

“Bella, if I take this ‘risk’ – what’s in it for me?”

“I will join your ‘cause’ in your tennis ‘comeback’ – I will join you as your doubles-partner, okay?”

The one-armed tween was back ‘quiet’ again – as he ruminated his given option…

‘… I can be their ‘lookout’ guy…’

‘… now that I GOT THE BACK-UP, of my ‘SLAVE’ HIGH-TECH AI…

‘… who ‘WOULD’ MINIMISE the risk of them getting caught…’

PETER AGREED and gave them firm-handshakes -- that he was ‘in’ the clandestine cabal…

… of the rebel animal activists of Perth City…

… called THE HATEFUL-8.

<><>

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER LANA LANE was into the numerous rampant cases of zombie attacks with the over-thousand patients admitted in every hospital in Perth-city. Her boyfriend was Det Edgar Blunt -- working in the ‘same’ police prescient as the Insp Caroline Walker…

… the reporter was in scrutiny of the crime-photos and police reports that her boyfriend-detective shared with her, and found an anomaly that…

… a dog-pound where the guide-dog of blind-Jane Wilson was, had been vandalized during a break-in – where perpetrators had ‘used’ industrial oxy-cutters TO SMELT the padlock of the front door… with hardened metal residue on the floor-front of the establishment…

… similar to ‘metal-residue’ was found -- AT THE BEDROOM DOOR of the Wilson residence, during the recent black panther attack.

Lana remembered confronting Jane at her school, THE NEXT DAY – asking for comments of the dead wild cat found dead in the Wilson’s backyard, allegedly struck by lightning – to which, the blind-girl had refused to comment.

And, her ‘boyfriend’…

… the Insp Walker’s quadriplegic son WAS WITH HER TOO…

… SO ‘WAS’ he with Jane, at the incident at the zoo – where the rhino fought an elephant.

There was ‘something’ about this low-key Treeton-couple, which was ‘NOT’ ADDING UP – as if they ‘both’ were hiding ‘something’ – despite…

… the hype in popularity they ‘had’ gained online, as…

‘…Tarzan & Jane…’

… the reporter PLANNED TO DIG deeper into their lives.