Copyright 1998 -- Robert Baer Jr. D. J. Entry - The Renegade's Secret Part 1 > W A R N I N G ----------------------- D I S C L A I M E >R -------------------------- > >The story that follows is PURE FICTION, it DIDN'T REALLY HAPPAN (only in >my mind) >It's NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN TOO SERIOUSLY ... well, you D.J. regulars >know the rest of it. > >The Dinosaur Chronicles: > >Prologue: > >In the vast universe known as cyperspace there lives a dinosaur, not just >any dinosaur, a >Computer Dinosaur. A dinosaur who thinks a mouse is something a cat >chases and the >Internet is the opposite of the "Outer Net." A relic from the past, a >throwback to a bygone >era. How does a 10 ton dinosaur cope with the modern world, read on and >see......... > Entry # 168 > > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today promised to be a very exciting day! The Computer Counsellor and I were going to meet the Computer Renegade over at Echo Point for a nature walk. The Counsellor wanted to use her "black box" to get there faster, but I prefered to walk over there on foot. "I enjoy walking in the woods," I explained to the Counsellor. She agreed, some we walked the nature path all the way up to Echo Point. As we were walking I said,"it's too bad that the others couldn't join us. Xeren Zzoom is in school, Ben Maddog and Prairie Mason were in court, Wanna Talk is back at her job in the White House, and the Computer Gila Monster went to Florida to visit some gators." "I know," the Counsellor said,"but we'll have a good time, you'll see!" We were close to the "meeting place" when I heard voices in the distance. "Wait!" I said,"Let me see what's going on up ahead first, Counsellor." So I stretched my neck up above the trees and looked down. I quickly ducked my head back down. "It's the Renegade!" I said excitedly,"and the Leader and some of his goons are with him, talking." "We better not rush in," the Counsellor whispered,"let's sneak up to where they are and listen in." So the Counsellor and I were hidden behind some trees and listened in as the Leader was speaking to the Renegade. "So, we meet again," said the Leader,"a little 'birdy' told us you were here." "A birdy?," the Renegade asked. "Yes, a great big female lizard bird!" one of the guards added. "Figures, my ex-wife does it again!" I quipped. "Shhhhhhhhhh!, whisper!" the Counsellor urged,"be quiet and listen." As the Renegade reached for his "black box," the Leader said,"I know you want to disappear, but won't you just listen to what I have to say?" "Ok, Leader, what have you done this time?" the Renegade asked. "Done?", the Leader said snidely,"my friend, you have me all wrong! I'm here to ask you to rejoin our little group, no strings attached. I know you must be lonely, with very few friends and a "past" like yours. Remember, I and my followers know who you really are, Renegade! And those 'beings' you've been befriending, how friendly are they acting toward you since they know your "story?" The Renegade stood silent, with a blank look on his face. "So!" the Leader shouted,"you haven't told them, have you? They don't know who you really are! I've been going about this the wrong way all along! Now, Mr Renegade, here's the 'deal,' join us now or we'll tell all your friends your true identity! We'll tell everyone the whole story, about your life and your ex-wife!" The Renegade just stood there, looking down at the ground, his face flushed with rage. The Leader took a slip of paper out of his pocket, and said,"remember this, Renegade? This is the resignation you wrote and handed me over a year ago. I'll show it to all of those creatures you pal around with if you don't surrender yourself and all those devices of yours to me." "Leave my ex-wife out of this!" the Renegade screamed,"your false accusations and rejection totally destroyed her!" "We were right about her!" the Leader snarled,"look at everything that's happaned since!" "You're wrong!" the Renegade shouted,"it wasn't her fault!" "Whatever you say," the Leader said sarcasticly,"it doesn't matter anyway. When you begin serving me again, you can bring those 'friends' of yours with you! All except that big ugly oversized lizard! We still haven't completely repaired our headquarters after his little rampage. I never want to see that bloated reptile ever again!" > "Who are you calling a bloated reptile!" I shouted without thinking, poking my head through the leaves. "Oh no!" the Counsellor said as she shook her head. "Look, it's that dinosaur!," one of the uniformed men screamed,"every man for himself!" Upon seeing my head sticking out through the bushes, the Leader and his men ran away in all different directions! A few ran into each other and some tripped over some fallen tree limbs as they were trying to get away as fast as they could! The Counsellor ran toward the Renegade, but he was ready to push the botton on his black box. "Wait, don't leave!" the Counsellor pleaded, but there was a loud BOOM! and he was gone. "Look at those crazy idgets run!" I said excitedly,"they're really scared of me! I think I'll scare them some more!" I pounded my front feet on the ground and yelled out "RROARR!!!! y'all!!!!" "Look at them run, they think I'd actually swallow them! I'd need industrial strength breath mints to take the rotten taste out of my mouth! Counsellor, where's the Renegade." "He left rather suddenly," the Counsellor said while staring at a scrap of paper she was holding. "Where did you get that?" I asked. "The Leader dropped this when he saw you and ran," the Counsellor said calmly,"it's the resignation the Renegade wrote, it's signed with his true name at the bottom, I can't believe it! Look for yourself, big guy!" She handed the paper to me, I was in a state of shock! "Oh my!" I exclaimed,"it can't be! Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he say anything to me? I wondered why I hadn't seen him for a long time." The paper was signed, "Nathan Lovejoy" > >End of entry >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- to be continued......... >