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Trapped in Italy!
"After being blamed for a hotel explosion, DeadZone and Duo have been barred from leaving the country until the true perpetrator can be discovered. Will the three of them be able to Scooby Doo up the real criminals and make it to Athens for Friction, or will the Italian justice system throw them to the lions?"</center>

"Don't people know it is extremely rude to stare? Or haven't they learned that yet?"

"Shh, Cage! I'm trying to find this!"

Elsie and Cage are stationed in an English-friendly Internet cafe inside the city. The big man is receiving quite a few strange looks, which is pretty expected, considering he's a huge grey guy in a hood.

Typing away at the computer, whatever Elsie's working on, she's giving her entire mind to. The screen is flashing databases and lists of names, and she's scanning them all lightning-fast. A good number of eyes fall upon her too, likely because of the huge goggles covering her face. These two aren't the usual patrons.

Neither is the fellow who just stepped in the door.

Entering the double glass doors is a man clad in an off-white button-down shirt, brown slacks, and brown wingtips. As he makes his way to the cashier, he's visibly caught off-guard by the entire place. Spinning around, staring at computer after computer, he seems completely out of place. Reaching the counter, he speaks.

"I'd like a coffee. Make it tall and dark. It's been a long night."

The cashier smacks her gum, twirls her hair around her finger, and gives DeadZone a puzzled look -- not a new expression for someone of her low intellectual standing.

"Huh?"

"A coffee, toots. Coffee beans, ground up, mixed with hot water, the whole shebang."

Cage is peering towards the counter intently, Elsie still absorbed by the screen.

"We don't, like, sell coffee? We're a computer place, ya know?"

DeadZone shrugs off her nonsense.

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Internet."

A few of the other customers, already on edge from Cage's presence, begin to move around, speaking to each other, pointing at the counter.

"Look, man, I think you're, like, freaking out the other customers."

A crowd begins to form, people talking, pointing obviously at DeadZone.

In an Italian accent, someone shouts, "Get out!" Other words are called out, likely insults in Italian. A bead of sweat drips down DeadZone's cheek.

"Everybody, just calm down!"

The crowd turns its attention to another.

"Uhh... calm-a down-a!" Foreign languages weren't exactly Jack Frost's strong suit.

A pair of hands reach forward, shoving DeadZone. A hand lands on the shoulder of their owner, turning him around, face-to-face with Frost. He mutters something in Italian, and a gob of brown spit hits the floor, right in front of Jack's feet.

"While the mob is distracted, I believe it would be best if we made a hasty retreat." Cage was in no mood for dealing with the angry, ignorant masses.

(With all of the confusion in this café, DeadZone had not really known who, or why he was shoved down. All he knew was that things were about to get crazy. Getting to his feet slowly, the first thing DeadZone saw was Jack Frost, trying to calm down a very visibly irate owner.)

Owner: (Italian accent, fuming) Out! Get out! Now! Before I make you!

Jack Frost: Erm..... "Hey-a! You-a better.....just-a calm-a down-a...."

(Yep, it *was* true, Jack wasn't exactly an expert Italian linguist. God it was crazy when he thought about it, one minute DeadZone just wanted to get a coffee, the next minute he was in the middle of what was going to be a bar brawl. Not wanting to be involved in any flying fists until he got into the ring, DeadZone, thinking quick, shoved his way out towards the entrance of the café, getting past Jack Frost as he did. Frost, spotting his future opponent exiting the bar, finally gave up on his "Italian talk" and also made his way out.)

Owner: Yes! You go! You get out of here now! And you don't come back! All of you! No good trouble makers!
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(Down the street San Torino, Italy Duo went, Cage and Elsie together. The two had wisely left before Jack and DeadZone did, as neither one, especially Cage, were looking to be in the middle of anything major in their first day here in the country. Seeing as the two weren't too far away from the café when DeadZone and Jack Frost spilled out of it, the two of them, Cage first, followed by Elsie, were able to spot Cage's future opponents from the corner of their eyes.)

Elsie: Look who it is....

Cage: So I see....

Elsie: Should we go faster?

Cage: Probably not....if they try anything funny, I'll handle them.....

DeadZone: (Meanwhile, lightly pushing Jack Frost's shoulder and heading off) Whatever the sam heck happened in there, it almost got worst because of your motor mouth pal....

Jack Frost: (Frowns) Blaming me for all of this huh? If I'm not mistaken, it was your clueless dumbass who was asking for "Mr. Internet"! (Shoves DeadZone from behind.)

DeadZone: (Stops from the shove, then frowns and turns around) You know....I *was* kind of grateful that you made that weirdo Sol vanish....as he, quite frankly, gave me the creeps....but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you just push me around like I'm some palooka....

Jack Frost: Oh really?

DeadZone: (Moving closer to Jack, his thoughts of not wanting to fight at the moment now out the window) Yeah really....

Jack Frost: And just what are you gonna do about it?

DeadZone: What am I gonna do about it? Oooooh, I'll show you, I'll show you but good...

(DeadZone slowly rears his fist back to punch, and Jack Frost gets ready to either block the punch or give a punch of his own when slowly, DeadZone catches sight of the half watching, half walking away Duo.)

DeadZone: Hrm.....

Jack Frost: Pussying out eh?

DeadZone: Fat chance on that...... (He motions with his finger towards Duo) Look....the dame and the big hulking guy....

Jack Frost: Yeah, so?

DeadZone: I saw the two of them in the café before that whole scene went down....I think that's "Duo"....

Jack Frost: (A pause, he nods) I figured they looked familiar....

(Both men, more curious to find out just what Duo was up to in the café, as well as wanting to learn more about this newcomer in any way they can, temporarily curb their hostilities and, at the same time keeping their distance from each other, begin to follow Duo.)

Elsie: So much for us not being noticed....

Cage: I'll give them some time.....if they give up and leave, so be it....but if they try and cause trouble....then we may just need to have our triple threat match start a bit early....

(To Be Continued)

"Did you find any of the names?"

"I thought I saw one right before the crowd went psycho, but I can't tell. We need to check again!"

"Elsie, what we need to do right now is get out of here before the trouble finds its way back to us. You see those other two are already making their way towards us. I guarantee the crowd isn't far behind."

As Frost and Deadzone make their way up the road, Duo pauses.

"I... don't get it. A series of tubes?"

"That's what they said on TV!"

"But what does it do?"

They stop short as they quickly come upon Cage's hulking figure.

"Oh, huh. We didn't notice you guys there..." Deadzone is taken aback being close enough now to truly take in Cage's size.

"So it would appear. But for all our sakes, we best be on our way." Cage points down the road, as the crowd makes its way around the corner.

"But Cage!"

"Elsie, no." He gives her a stern look, and she quiets down, so she isn't able to tell Cage that Frost has just slipped off down the road on his own.

"Well, that was a little rude... Guess you were right, big guy. We'd better mov--"

Cage, Elsie, and Deadzone are violently flung to the ground, their world silenced by a piercing thunder. Brick and mortar tumbles alongside the group. Across the street, fire rages through a fresh opening in the flesh of the hotel. Screams and cries pierce the air now.

The crowd rises from its cover, hurring down the street now, several members pointing and shouting towards Duo and Deadzone...

(It seemed like some kind of movie...A crowd of people, half horrified and half angry, were making their way down the street, smoke and fire were bellowing out of what was the hotel, and three dazed people just stood dumbfounded in the middle of all of it, not knowing just what happened, or even where they were, mostly due to the shock of the explosion.)

Elsie: (In a daze) What......What happened?

Cage: (Shakes his head of some cobwebs and looks around) I.....I don't know....

DeadZone: (The first of the three to notice the growing and approaching crowd) I'm starting to think these people might know...

(Closer and closer the crowd came, their fear slowly diminishing and their anger growing and growing. Finally, one of the men in the front of the crowd, a mustached, middle aged man, came up to DeadZone and pointed a shaking finger at him.)

Man: .....Y-You.......You three.....

DeadZone: (Slightly nervous) What about us three?

Man: It....It was you! (He points his shaking finger at the burning hotel, which has two fire trucks now pulling up to it) You bombed that building!

Elsie: (Backing up a step to Cage) W-What are they talking about?

Cage: (Instinctively shielding Elsie with his body a bit) Beats me....

DeadZone: What do you mean *we* bombed the hotel?!?!

Man 2: (Stepping up and settling next to the first man) You were the ones who were making trouble earlier on! I should have known you were up to no good! Terrorists! Killers! Anarchists!

(The crowd, now all shouting at once, descend upon the three. As one, DeadZone, Cage, and Elsie back away, with DeadZone and Cage taking defensive stances as they do.)

Cage: You'd better keep away from us! All of you!

DeadZone: Yeah! We did nothing wrong!

Man: Liars! Filthy, disgusting liars!

Man 2: Let's get them and drag them to the police before they strike anything else!

Cage: We haven't struck anything to begin with! You people are crazy!

DeadZone: It looks to me like they don't quite see things your way big guy! We'd better beat it!

Elsie: And fast!

(With that, the three took off running down the street, the mob of people giving chase not too far behind. Whatever had exactly happened here on the street, and whomever had *actually* perpetrated such a horrific event didn't really matter to the three at the moment. What really mattered was getting the heck out of dodge with their bodies fully intact.)

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"We should be safe here for the time being...."

(It was an abandoned church several blocks away where the three managed to shake off the crowd and find safety. Leaning against the pulpit, Cage, who had spoken these words, sighed slowly and rubbed his hands together tentatively as DeadZone sat in a nearby pew and Elsie stood in the middle aisle)

DeadZone: You really think so huh?

Cage: I haven't heard that crowd so far.....Elsie....go take a peek outside and see if it's still quiet...

(Elsie nodded and made her way to the front of the church as Cage slowly made his way over to DeadZone.)

Cage: Did you notice anything strange?

DeadZone: Huh? When?

Cage: In the café we were in....It was connected via the hotel.....The explosion happened no more then 3 or 4 minutes after me, Elsie, you, and that Jack Frost guy left it....that has to mean that someone was in there with grim intentions before we left....

DeadZone: Hang on a minute.....back up......me, you, and who?

Cage: Jack Frost?

Elsie: (Before DeadZone can speak) It's all clear Cage...

Cage: Hmm? Oh, good....good..... (His attention turns back to DeadZone as Elsie comes back over) So what about him huh?

DeadZone: Well....it was really strange.....me and him exited the café together and went to confront you and Elsie.....and yet......before that explosion happened.....he was gone...

Cage: Gone huh?

DeadZone: With the wind....

(Silence took over the church as the two men and lady gave each other a look, then looked toward the front of the church, then looked back at each other.)

Elsie: You....You don't suppose....

DeadZone: Frost was the guy who blew up that hotel?

Cage: I can't see any reason why he would want to do it.....It'd land him in the unemployment line out of this fed....and into jail too....

DeadZone: ....Unless, perhaps, he *did* blow the hotel up.....and made it look like...

Cage: ...The three of us did it...

Elsie: What a no good snake!

Cage: I still can't see the logic in it....at all....

DeadZone: It *does* add up though.....he just happened to slip away before the explosion happened....And hey, what better way to get rid of his opponents then have them thrown in jail....

Elsie: So....What do you propose we do then?

Cage: ....Well....for the time being....we wait in here until this whole thing blows over...then....we go and find out if Jack Frost really *did* do this....

*To Be Continued...*

"We're probably best off setting up camp here tonight." Cage was rifling through an old trunk behind the pulpit.

"We don't want to risk going back to the hotel with that mob still looking for us. Here, we can use these for beddings." Lines of fabric and few old robes are tossed towards Deadzone, who begins sorting through them.

"I'm still convinced that Frost had something to do with all this..." Deadzone began rolling up a piece of cloth into a pillow-like shape.

"Let's just get some rest and try to get to the airport tomorrow without being spotted." Obviously not convinced of Frost's guilt, Cage was in no mood to get into it tonight.

"I hate sleeping in churches." A quiet sound, under the breath, followed by Cage's stern glare.


As Deadzone and Elsie sleep, Cage paces the church, stopping at a stained glass window covered in dust and filth. He stares into it, running his hands along its ridges.


"Come on, Cage! This way!"

A lush, green garden stretches out into the forest, surrounded by hedges reaching up to the sky. A small red-haired girl runs past the flowing fountain. Chasing after her, Cage burst out the large wooden doors of the Cathedral. White as the clouds, it reaches up into the heavens.

He easily catches up to her, wrapping his arm around her belly.

"Elsie! This is no time for games! Right now, the safest place for you is inside the Cathedral." She pouts, head down, as Cage admonishes her.

Suddenly, her head perks up, and she runs off again, towards the forest.

"Elsie, stop!"

Ignoring him, Elsie hurries into an a shed. It was once as white as the Cathedral, but the years have chipped its paint. The windows are as black as night.

Cage follows, ducking, and, inside, Elsie is rummaging around.

"Child! It is time for us to leave!"

Pulling away from him, Elsie grabs a white box off the shelf, wiping it clean of dust. She runs her hand over its gold trim before trying to open it.

Cage snatches it from her hand.

"Enough!"

She whimpers, and Cage bends down low.

"Elsie... this box isn't locked to its contents safe from you. It's locked to keep you safe from its contents. ... I don't want you to get hurt, okay? So let's leave it here."

Pouting, she reluctantly agrees, knowing he's right. Cage lifts her up onto his shoulder, carrying her back towards the Cathedral. She turns her head around slightly, smiling back at the old shed.


Cage kneels over Elsie as she dreams, putting his hand on her forehead. He stares at Deadzone, watching as he begins to turn and struggle, sweat growing across his face.



As morning comes, Cage is lifting up Elsie into his arms, trying not to wake her. Deadzone climbs out of bed, the sheets soaked with sweat. He rubs his head and struggles to his feet.

"Rough night?"

Deadzone nods, closing his eyes for a moment. He quickly reopens them as visions from his dreams return to him.

Poking his head out of the church, Deadzone motions that the coast is clear. Cage follows, Elsie still in his arms.

"The airport is in this direction. If we head on foot, we can stick to the backroads and avoid any potential trouble."

Cage waits for a response that never comes. Turning around, he finds Deadzone face-first on the ground, handcuffs being forced onto his wrists.

An officer immediately behind Cage makes a move for Elsie, and Cage growls.

"Don't even think about it, big guy!" Several guns are pointed directly at Cage. He growls again, but relents. As Elsie wakes up, he tries to calm her screaming while they're both handcuffed by the police.

(It had taken over two hours to finally escape, and the Italian media was now in a frenzy over the whole deal, calling for the "Three Devils" to be captured by anyone, police or citizen, and brought into justice. However, for now, the three of them were safe....the three of them were hiding in an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of town....and the three of them had the wrath of a whole town on their shoulders.)

DeadZone: (Wearily rubbing his face with one hand, sitting by some empty cardboard boxes) How long have we been in here?

Cage: (Also looking weary, he speaks in a tired, low voice as we see he is standing next to where DeadZone is sitting) Almost four hours now....

DeadZone: (Sighs tiredly) Terrific....

(Elsie hadn't said much since their escape from the police van. While she wasn't exactly at her wits end and breaking down emotionally, she, at the same time, wasn't exactly a happy camper either. Slowly, she walked over to Cage and put a hand slowly onto his shoulder.)

Elsie: We can't stay here forever....The police or someone else will eventually search her and find us...

DeadZone: She makes a good point....

Cage: That you do kid....but these guys have already shown several times that they don't believe us for a second...

DeadZone: (Slowly stands up and kicks aside a few of the boxes, then speaks) Exactly! And the fact that we have no clue where to even *start* when it comes to finding out who really did this doesn't bode much better for us either...

(DeadZone and Cage now stood shoulder to shoulder, both in thought of what to do. The sound of some rustling from behind them momentarily distracted all three of them, but it was soon revealed to be nothing but a rat searching for any scraps of food to be found, thus, the matter was dropped, and the three, DeadZone and Cage especially, went back to thinking. Finally, DeadZone's eyes lit up, and he broke the silence.)

DeadZone: I've got it!

Cage: Yeah?

DeadZone: Yeah....We wait until the dead of night....Then....we get the heck out of this nuthouse of a country....

Elsie: What do you mean?

DeadZone: I mean....We pool together our money, get some tickets to Greece, where the rest of the guys are, and blow this joint...

Cage: Good idea on paper....But I'm sure by now that we're probably wanted all over the place....The second someone spots us at the airport, we'd be arrested....It just wouldn't work...

DeadZone: It's better then just waiting here to get arrested like a bunch of trapped sheep...

Cage: (Sighs as he considers DeadZone's plans, then speaks) If we could, perhaps, heavily disguise ourselves.....it *could* conceivably work....

Elsie: Is there anyway we could do that?

DeadZone: It could be difficult....but I think it could work....

Cage: (A long pause, then) All right.....Tonight.....we'll gather up disguises and head to the airport.....once we get to Greece...We'll try like hell to sort this whole mess out...

DeadZone: Yeah....Starting with what palooka framed us in the first place!

(Before Cage could respond, a voice from the shadows cut him off.)

Voice: There's no need for that.....Because I'm right here friend....

(To Be Continued...)

(Note: Short post due to a combination of:
a) College finals and papers piling up
b) Having a very stuffed up head and nose today
c) Writer's Block on this particular feud.)