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Breaking the Cycle
Chapter Two

Note: writing such as this (indicates subconscious thoughts) while writing like this ‘indicate conscious thoughts.

And enters Kanoogal…

Kanoogal swaggered in front of Strider as he led the way through the various twisting paths within the park.  Strider quirks a brow as he thinks to himself ‘When did the park get so many trees?  Hell, this is a forest.’ Sunlight cast various patches of light through the multitudes of orange, yellow, green, and brown kaleidoscope of leaves overhead. ‘Wait a minute…sunlight?’ he shakes his head slightly from side to side at the thought. A flash of fur catches his eye through the shadows of the trunks.  Turning his head slightly, he scans the depths of the shade around the two of them. ‘Fur?’ Turning his gaze in front of him, he catches Kanoogal glancing back at him.  Kanoogal winks and grins, chuckling lowly as he returns his sight forward.

Shortly thereafter, the trees give way to a clearing bathed in sunlight, reflecting off of the multitudes of water being flung upwards into the sky in a fifteen-foot arch.  The fountain was situated dead center of the clearing; it’s water reflecting glints of light in all directions as it murmured sleepily to itself. People of various builds and heights were scattered in groups or alone throughout the area.  Kanoogal points at one such individual staring moodily into the fountain as they make their way over to him.  At their approach, the slouched figure straitens up to face them, standing 5 foot eleven with deep middle length reddish gold hair.
The sunlight flashed briefly off of the glasses upon his face as emerald eyes met sky blue ones. (Alex!)

Kanoogal claps both men on the shoulder as he looks from one face to the other.  “Mikey, meet Alex.  Alex, meet Mikey.  Might as well get along with each other, ‘cause you’re gonna be working together for a loooong time.”  Both men nod slightly towards the other and take an opposing step away from each other, facing Kanoogal.  Alex clasps his hands behind his back as Strider crosses his arms in front of him.   “What do you want?” Alex quirks a brow and tilts his head slightly as Strider shakes his head to and fro.  Alex raises his right wrist slightly upwards towards his face.  “I have a meeting in five minutes.”  Kanoogal moves his eyes from one face to the other and smiles devilishly.  “Yeah, your meetings with me, myself, and my ugly mug.” Reaching behind his back, he hands Alex a document.  Alex takes the offered sheet and glances at it.  Turning towards the briefcase open next to the fountain, he takes from the case another document, scanning rapidly both papers as he silently reads to himself.  Sighing, he places both documents back into the expensive looking briefcase and closes the latch. Glancing over in Strider’s direction, he rolls his eyes and sighs again, smoothing the front of his tailored suit.  “Fine.  Father obviously has something up his sleeve that he neglected to inform me about, as usual. What about… him? I really do not see why you need someone such as myself to work with the homeless bum straight off of the streets.” He sniffs in Strider’s direction and sneezes.

Strider slowly blinks once at Alex and returns his gaze to Kanoogal. “I’d like to help you, but I have to wash my hair and shave my ass.”  Kanoogal roars with laughter as he hands another document over to Strider, who takes it rather reluctantly.  Scanning the page, he finds that the document happens to be an email addressed to someone named Stalker.  It briefly outlined directions towards the Chicago area to apprehend an AWOL soldier by whatever means deemed necessary.

Slowly raising his eyes back to meet Kanoogal’s, handing the document back to him.  “So, what exactly does this have to do with me?” Kanoogal grins impishly and gestures to Strider to lean closer.  “Come ‘er.  Come ‘er.  Ya see, I’s knows who you are, and I ‘s knows who they are. I’s also knows who and what Shadowstrider is.  Ya see fun boy, theys be after ya still, and that theys never give up, do they? I can make this go away. If theys find yer dead body, theys think ya dead. Then theys leave ya alone.  Capeesh?” he whispers into Striders ear. Strider’s face goes impassive as he straightens up.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He sighs.
“What do you want from me?”  Kanoogal winks as he pats Strider on the right cheek of his face.  “Whatever you say sugah nipples.  What I want is simple.  I want you to go with Alex to the veteran’s hospital downtown.  I want ya to bring back my pops.”  Alex and Strider both glance at each other and quirk a brow.

“That’s it?  You want us to go pick up your father from the hospital.”
Alex rolls his eyes as he adjusts his glasses slightly.  “I see that my talents are in much demand here.  Let’s get this over with.  The sooner it is completed, the sooner I can get the stench of this parasite off of me.” Alex glances over to Strider as he adjusts the cuff of his right suit arm with his left hand.  Strider slowly blinks once at in reply and says nothing. (Dick!) ‘Prick.  I wonder how far I can shove the briefcase up his ass… sideways?’ he thinks to himself as his face remains impassive.

Kanoogal laughs while he turns away, singing in an off tone sing song voice; ‘Can you feel the love tonight’. Unzipping a gym bag, he takes out a bundle of leather straps wrapped around two items.  He hands them over to Strider.  “Here fun boy. Ya might be needing these where you’re going.”  Strider quirks a brow as he unwraps the leather from the items within. The straps turn out to be a set of holster worn under the arms, and the items within are two nine millimeters handguns.  Quickly donning the harness, he checks the chambers of each handgun and loads a clip into each, loading a shell into the chamber of each one.  Sliding both handguns into their proper place, he glances back up to Kanoogal.  “Now why do I need hardware to go into a hospital?” Kanoogal’s face turns serious as he looks down towards his feet briefly, and then meets his steely gaze. “It’s not a hospital, it’s a prison and a lab.  They kidnapped my pops to perform experiments on him.  I can’t get there.  It’s been blocked to my kind.”

Strider turns his head slightly to the left.  “Kind?  Wait a minute, short, fat, annoying guys can’t get in?” He glances over to Alex.  “How do we get him in then?” (point!) Alex glances back towards Strider and glances back towards Kanoogal. Kanoogal sighs and rolls his eyes heavenward.  “Christ, this is gonna be a loooong day. Bring my pops back here alive and well, and then we’ll explain everything.”  Strider stares at Kanoogal; stares at Alex; then back again to Kanoogal. Alex dusts the dirt from his Italian shoes.  “Fine.” Alex and Strider raise a brow at each other as both had answered at the same time.