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Act XVI: Out Of The Black...

The next time I contacted Danath Gaul, he greeted me by using my nickname, the harvest stallion. That meant that Dominic was in Danath's office. I had to play this cautiously.

"My vacation is over and the Las Vegas weres have accepted our offer, as long as we stream our people through Sterling Hawk. I am ready for my next mission."

Danath responded readily enough.

"That's good news. Now, you're next mission is in Blackall, Queensland, Australia. We don't have a bunker there, but you'll be greeted by White Queen Locke Radson. The rududu himself. He'll fill you in on the details of the mission. G'day mate and all that jazz."

Danath had quickly cut me off. I was surmising that dealing with Dominic was starting to be a problem. I hadn't thought that Dominic was going to cause any problems, but he was a twin of me even if he didn't know that. And Tanners always seemed to cause problems when things were tight. I grabbed some of my gear, then used the wolf magic to transport myself to the Chess bunker in Arad, Romania, Sebastian's territory. From there, I caught the private jet headed for Australia.

Hours later, my jet landed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was mainly a refueling lay over. I spent the time wisely. There was a Chess bunker in Brisbane. I made sure I checked in. That is where I met another Black Bishop. Her name was Jayne "the gracious shepherd" Barker. Jayne stood at five foot eleven inches tall and weighed about 145 pounds. Jayne had long brown hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. She wore an African safari outfit in khaki colors, with her Black Bishop jacket over the top of that. In Jayne's weapon belt were a boomerang and a large bowie knife.

Jayne and I visited quite happily for several hours. Gods, she was wonderful! Before I was to leave again, Jayne told me about her husband and kids back in England. She said that it was wrong to carry on like she was single and that I deserved better than that, though we could remain friends. I thanked Jayne for her honesty, then once again caught my jet bound for Blackall, Queensland, Australia.

As I was getting off the jet in Blackall, Locke "the rududu" Radson greeted me with an enthusiastic hug, then helped me get my gear into his jeep. He was ready to travel and was greatly pleased to be able to work with me. Locke and I rode in the jeep southwards towards Koondoo, Queensland, Australia.

"Glad ta see ya, mate. 'ave any problems getting 'ere?"

I smiled at Locke.

"It was a smooth flight. I got to meet another Black Bishop in Brisbane. Miss Jayne 'the gracious shepherd' Barker. She was heading out to Africa. Then, I flew to Blackall. It was a pretty nice trip."

Locke grinned and winked at me.

"Sheilas are quite the lookers, aren't they, mate?"

I turned to Locke.

"Jayne has a husband and kids. She suggested we stay friends. On topic, though, Danath said you would fill me in on the mission. I can't really imagine much going on down here."

Locke nodded his head.

"It is pretty quiet down under, mate. But this time we 'ave a doozie. Glenmire 'as been experiencing what they are calling a ghost zombie kangaroo. It appears at night and 'aunts an area where Ah got me nickname. Danath wouldn't let me go there alone. 'e said Ah should wait for you to get 'ere. And because Ah likes ya so much, mate, Ah waited for ya."

I smiled from the appreciation that Locke had for me.

"Thanks, Locke. I like you and your little red roo buddies too."

Locke giggled as he drove the jeep steadily.

"They like ya too. Anyway, we need ta purge out this ghost zombie spirit without 'arming the Dreamtime. A bit tricky, but Ah know you'll think of something."

I hummed.

"Locke... How 'did' you get your nickname? You've never really said..."

Locke, for the first time since I'd known him, blushed quite deeply.

"Well, mate... back when Ah was a kid, well, a teenager... Ah was in an area Ah shouldn't 'ave been in. Ah was following a kangaroo in 'eat, well, tracking the beastie, and it led me through a dark cave. When Ah emerged on the other side, there was a 'idden vale, and the kangaroo Ah 'ad been following, saw me and led me deeper into the place. After a twisting, winding route, the kangaroo stopped between two bushes, and glanced back at me. It seemed to be grinning. Ah didn't think anything of that, primarily, and advanced towards the kangaroo. Ah was pretty damned stupid for a teenager. All Ah wanted ta do was catch and 'ug 'im. Any kid's dream. Just as Ah was about to latch me mitts around 'is neck, 'e turned suddenly, and tripped me up with 'is tail, and Ah collided with 'im. We both went tumbling off the cliff Ah 'adn't seen, and we both splatted into a pond, of sorts, at the bottom. And the pond was full of... roo doo-doo."

I stifled a laugh.

"Were you hurt?"

Locke was still blushing a little.

"Not really, but the pond was deep and messy. The kangaroo Ah'd been following wasn't in me sights anymore, and all Ah wanted was to get out of the pond. But the only ways out was to either swim nearly a mile through the... stuff... or climb the steep cliff Ah 'ad fallen off of to the top once again. Ah chose to make the climb. Ah fell four more times. Got completely slimed several times. Finally, Ah made it out. Ah looked back down, but the kangaroo was nowhere in sight. Ah 'eaded 'ome. Ah smelled like... roo doo-doo... for the rest of the season. Me mom just laughed when she 'eard what Ah 'ad fallen in, but Ah didn't tell 'er where it 'appened. Like Ah wanted the beating of my life! Gods, that was embarrassing. When it came time for me ta choose a nickname, Ah chose 'the rududu' because I knew no one would believe the story."

I smiled and patted Locke's shoulder.

"Oddly enough, I can actually see that happening. My family members had fallen in horse doo-doo many a times, and each time was pretty embarrassing. Though I can't imagine a pond that size being full of kangaroo sh... well, that... What purpose would it serve?"

Locke wasn't blushing anymore. He grinned.

"What purpose does any good soft pile serve, mate?"

Locke winked and we both laughed. We chuckled together for most of the rest of the trip to Glenmire.

When we arrived in Glenmire, it was near sunset. Locke took me to his family three-room homestead, which no one lived in anymore, and we settled in. Locke and I cleaned up the kitchen, and afterward, Locke prepared me a local Australian dinner. I had to admit; Locke was a great cook. I really enjoyed his company. Every time the two of us got together, it was like we were both kids again. I was really happy to get to see Locke whenever I could.

After dinner, we placed all our overnight gear into the bedroom, then set out into the field to track down the ghost zombie kangaroo. We searched out the whole area, but didn't seem to find anything. We were about to head back to the house, when suddenly, the clouds parted over the darkened sky and allowed the moon to shine through. A chilly mist seemed to arise all around us.

"What the heck?"

I was pretty surprised by the occurrence. Locke seemed to be spooked.

"This can't be a good thing, mate..."

Then, we both saw it. The creature was kangaroo in shape and had an eerie glow. It's eyes were glowing green through the mist. What got my attention the most was the near-foul wet stench of fresh dung in the air. We both about gagged, but I managed to with-hold myself professionally.

"Good lord! What is that foul odor? It smells like..."

Locke was still in shock. He was staring right at the kangaroo creature and worse, it was staring at him.

"It-it-it... Ah... know that... roo..."

It took me a moment, but I suddenly realized what Locke meant. The creature was the self-same kangaroo from Locke's childhood. The one Locke never saw again after the incident.

"Locke? That's the kangaroo you followed as a boy. Okay, how do we handle this?"

Locke was slowly recovering from his shock.

"Right. If 'e is a ghost, then we need to put 'im to rest."

I nodded my head.

"Which means that we need to find his body and give him a proper burial."

Locke paled and seemed to look sick.

"Oh Mathilda... that means... returning to that 'idden valley again! Come on, Ah'll show you the way, but we'll need some climbing gear, some ropes, and a whole 'ell of a lot of soap!"

Locke and I retrieved the climbing gear and ropes, then set off for the old cave. Once we were heading toward the cave, the kangaroo creature began following us. Yes, that meant we had to endure that wonderful aroma for the whole trip. I was fast considering either a clothespin or a handkerchief mask. However, I was becoming accustomed to the roo's pungent scent. I could see that Locke wasn't; he was already putting the handkerchief over his nose and mouth.

Or perhaps he was being sent the worst of the odor because he caused the kangaroo's death.

Once we entered the forbidden cave, the pungent odor lifted. A brief reprieve from the constant odor of the zombie ghost. Locke and I continued through the cave.

"Why is this called the forbidden cave?"

Locke managed a grin.

"This 'ere be one of the entrances to 'idden realm of the legendary giant kangaroo known as Mom, according to the direct translation of the Aborigine language. Whether this is true or not, who can say? But most outback dwellers strongly believe in it and treat this cave as a forbidden place regardless of any proven facts. As Ah said, mate, Ah wasn't supposed to be 'ere that day."

I couldn't help but to grin.

"A giant she kangaroo? Well, if it's true, then that would explain why there was a giant lake of kangaroo poop. Everything in her realm would be giant-sized."

Locke was blushing again.

"Ah wasn't thinking about that at the time, mate. Ah just wanted to pet the cute kangaroo. Ah really am sorry 'e died. Ah am sorry, dammit!"

Fortunately, I had been marking our trail with phosphorescent chalk. We soon emerged from the cave and into a patch of awaiting pungent scent. The zombie ghost kangaroo had been waiting for us to emerge from the cave. With the stench returned, Locke pulled the handkerchief back over his nose and mouth and we continued along the old winding and twisted trail.

Soon, Locke stopped at an intersection of trails. I suddenly got the feeling that Locke couldn't remember the exact way they had traveled.

"What's wrong, Locke?"

Locke verified my suspicions.

"Mate, Ah 'ave no idea which way to go now. Ah've only been 'ere once as a boy, and that was a long time ago. Ah 'onestly don't recall there being all these trails 'ere then."

The zombie ghost kangaroo seemed to sense this and hopped ahead of us, pointing at a particular trail. Locke sighed and spoke in a choked voice.

"Ah'm sorry Ah killed you back then, mate. Ah'm really, really sorry. Please forgive me."

The zombie ghost kangaroo just waited for us to continue on the correct trail, then began following us again. I could tell how this was hurting Locke to have to endure all this.

"Maybe he will forgive you once we properly lay him to rest. Let's just find him, Locke."

Locke nodded his head as we both continued onward.

We finally arrived at the cliff. Before us both in phantom replay, was Locke as a boy and the kangaroo playing hard to get. The scene played itself out and as the two went over the edge, I rushed forward and peered over the edge to see where they landed. I could plainly see that the kangaroo hit the midden mire face down and Locke hit the kangaroo in the back, forcing the kangaroo even deeper into the murk. Then, young Locke emerged and made several attempts to get out, finally re-climbing the cliff and exiting the area.

I immediately began setting up the climbing stakes and anchor poles. Locke helped as best he could. This was difficult because the phantom scene continued to replay itself out several times as we worked to get the base camp established. We finally had everything secured, as I nodded to Locke and began my steady descent down the cliff.

I was about 90 percent of the way down when it happened. I guess I got distracted by the phantom images of the kangaroo and young Locke falling and I tried to catch them. Very stupid.

Ker-splat!

I fell right into the same spot the images were hitting! Not the way I wanted to get there, but Hell, I was here. Ignore the stench and locate the kangaroo's body. I began by extending the probing pole, then started probing the seemingly fresh roo doo-doo.

I was pleased when I quickly located the kangaroo's body and began pulling it free from it's seemingly perfectly preserved spot. As I held the pungent kangaroo's body with one arm, around the chest, I got the very distinct sensation that, as weird as it sounded, the kangaroo was likely still alive. I yelled up the cliff.

"I am taking the body across the lake to that shoreline! Meet me there later, if you can!"

I began making the one mile wading across the kangaroo midden lake carrying the kangaroo closely to my body. I had found him and wasn't about to lose him again. The more I carried him, the more alive he seemed to me. Was this possible? But how?

It took me some time, but I finally got the kangaroo to the shoreline and into the grassy woods. I placed the kangaroo down on the soft grasses, and for some odd reason, began applying CPR. I must have lost my mind or something, but I felt so strongly that he was alive that I acted without thinking. Even crazier when I placed my mouth to his and tried to resuscitate his breathing passages. It was on the seventh mouth-to-mouth resuscitation that the kangaroo opened his eyes, hugged me to his body tightly and deeply kissed me passionately!

It happened so fast that I was helpless and at his mercy until he finished kissing me. Finally, he stopped kissing me, but continued to hold me tightly. He had quite a grip. Then, he surprised me.

"Yer a great kisser, Jansen Tanner."

I blushed and blinked my eyes in shock.

"Y-you spoke!!"

The kangaroo grinned and nodded his muzzle.

"All this was Mom's idea, Jansen. Although Locke was the one who was supposed to pull me free, Ah think it's been proven that yer the best friend that Locke could ever 'ave. You risked your neck in the midden pool, brought me to safety, then, did everything you could to make me breathe and live again. Mom is certain to be pleased."

The kangaroo laid another deep kiss on my mouth. I simply had to endure it; his grip was like steel, and his emotions and demeanor were very likable. I gave in and kissed him back. When I did, he let up and grinned, nosing my nose with his.

"Ah'm Rock Karlson. Mom will want to meet you. Come on... Ah'll lead you to 'er."

Rock finally let me up and began leading me through the forest. Something about the realm we were walking through seemed unusual and I finally had to ask about it.

"Are we in the Hollow Earth world?"

Rock grinned at me and nodded his head.

"We call the place the Dreamtime Realm. Mom runs the whole island continent. You might call it an inner Australia, and yeah, there are more ways in and out. As for your friend Locke... it was indeed a 'onor to 'ear 'im apologize so deeply, to the brink of tears. Ah didn't like 'aving to do that to 'im. Locke is an okay kid. It was Mom's idea, like Ah said."

I continued to follow Rock silently, then asked,

"I'm sorry to have to ask this, but is there someplace we both can wash up? I'm not sure your Mom will want to meet two boys who stink of poop..."

Rock chuckled.

"Mom will clean us both up. And you won't even be able to smell it on yer body afterward."

This intrigued me. Evidently, this Mom figure was a pretty powerful giant kangaroo. Rock continued to lead me to the entrance of a giant-sized cavernous den. Just inside, sitting there feeding another kangaroo, sat a she-kangaroo the size that Jansen had never seen before. She was easily 31 feet tall, though her weight could only be guessed at.

Mom smiled to the two of us when we arrived and immediately picked us both up in each paw. Rock was sniffed and dropped inside a portion of Mom's open pouch where I heard a definitive splash sound. Then, Mom undressed me the way you might undress a Ken doll. Once I was naked, Mom sniffed me and dropped me into the very same place Rock had been dropped into. I landed with the definitive splash in a pool of seemingly creamy and lightly scented bath water. Rock and I weren't the only ones getting a bath either. There were about 20 to 40 other kangaroo joeys of every age range in the pool with us. And everyone helped scrub on Rock and I.

This lasted several hours.

When Rock and I were finally fished out of the pool, I was given a tongue licking by Mom until she was satisfied that I was clean. Of course, I laughed and giggled from the licking. Mom then set me down near my clothing, which had been, surprisingly enough, thoroughly cleaned of all pollutants. I proceeded to get dressed as Rock also got a tongue licking by Mom, though his lasted longer than mine. Rock must have been a favorite.

Mom then set Rock down beside me and introduced herself as, of course, Mom. Then, Rock began detailing my efforts to assist Locke in his journey and of my actions to free and revive Rock. Mom listened patiently, glancing my way with a grin on occasion, then finally began rocking back and forth on her tail.

"Yer quite the 'uman, Jansen Tanner. Why did ya do this? Wot did ya 'ave to gain from all this?"

It was my turn to grin.

"With all due respect, Mom..."

It felt weird calling anyone else Mom.

"...I did what I did because of duty, friendship, and one other thing."

Mom arched an eyebrow at me.

"And wot is that one other thing?"

I grinned again.

"I'm a Tanner."

The definitive answer. Mom smiled and chuckled.

"Ah like that last reason. Reminds me of a friend of mine. Ms. Fern East. You should meet 'er someday. Now, 'ow should I reward you for pulling Rock free and aiding Locke in 'is time of need?"

I smiled and petted Mom's foot pad gently.

"How about an alliance with Chess? And later, if you need to see me again, call me."

Mom grinned and petted my head like a she-kangaroo would a joey.

"Ah'll grant your request, as well as, extend your teleport power that Ah see within you to include all allied kangaroo and kangaroo mobs. Rock will escort you and Locke out of the valley."

Rock obediently did his task. He helped me locate Locke, gather up our base camp, and escorted us out of the hidden valley. The three of us returned to Locke's family home, where we had a nice meal, played a few games, then slept soundly. By morning, Rock was gone. Locke and I packed up our gear, then I provided us both with a fast teleport to the Chess bunker in Arad, Romania.

---

She was busting up laughing as she read this section!

"He fell in kangaroo sh... Its so funny! I almost wish we could drop Cassander Vulcan into a deep pond of... I am sure Jo would help me set it up! I'd bet anything we could sell a ton of tickets for the Vulcan-doo event!"

She grabbed a tissue and cleaned the tears of laughter from her eyes. She smiled and headed into the bathroom to relieve herself. She wiped and flushed, then returned to her computer.

"I'll need to remind Ding-dong to clean out the septic tank at the bar tomorrow. It needs a good cleaning. It is odd how one thinks of things like this."

She sat in her computer chair once again and resumed reading Jansen's agent history.

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