Elsewhere, the events in Gerosha and the escape of the two Flippo sisters did not entirely escape the notice of the Hebbleskin family. Harga tirelessly toiled away at the sets of formulas in the lab, as she awaited her brother's meeting.



Arfaas: "Let the scientists work on those, sister! That's what we have them for!"



Harga: "Brother Arfaas! So you've decided to come out of hiding?"

Arfaas: "Hardly! But I am tired of no results! We're under a huge deadline; and we have to prove ourselves...starting with eliminating the Centhuen Prototype threat!"

Harga: "Most Centhuen Prototypes are only aware of a few of their special abilities! Many of them only have fractions of the powers they should. Those that have more than partial mix...well, they don't always even know how to use what they have."



Arfaas: "Ah yes! But this is an age of discovery, where desire comes first! Centhuen ability ignorance is a lot like virginity. In an age of discovery, it won't take them long to figure it out! And I'm sure the special one we have most reason for concern about has already long figured out what she is!"



Harga: "You needn't worry about that! Nor about the slams we've been taking worldwide! I've recycled what was left of our neural interface back-visors! With a little time, I can make more! Just some extra enhancements, and we're looking at our future warriors right here!"

She led him to the demonstration chamber, where a brainwashed man was trying on what appeared to be a prototype suit. Arfaas watched on, only mildly impressed.



Justin: "Where is threat?"

His shiny suit inside the containment booth revealed its mechanical splendor. Justin, who had been just a mere mechanic before, was now trying on a warrior suit template being tested by Arfaas and company.



Arfaas: "Even with your enhancements, this guy is an amateur!!!"

Harga: "This suit is only the beginning!"



Harga: "That's because we picked the biggest dumbbell who wouldn't hurt a fly to test the limits of our engine! Just wait until we get someone who is capable of at the very least getting angry, and we'll see some real action!"

Arfaas: "I hope so! Why aren't we working on making ourselves that army of werewolves that we..."

Harga: "Patience!"



Harga: "I know that this whole thing has been very hard for you. But consider your age! You're getting too old to be getting that upset about things!"

Arfaas: "I guess you're right. But we are so far behind! That Flippo child has completely slipped under the radar! And the closest those morons Krennt and Kayne have been able to do is kill a mangy witness! Now they're wanted for murder and on the run, and the Flippo is STILL missing!"



Harga: "Oh, is she now? I'm surprised we still haven't found that two-bit traitor, Denny Levens!"

Arfaas: "He's only a supplier! He doesn't know enough to be of any real concern! Let him go!"

Harga: "Rumor has placed him and one of the Flippo girls somewhere in the Dirbine-Viron area!"



Arfaas: "Is it natural around here to allow possibly-irradiated lab experiments to share a common dinner table with us?"

Justin: "Where is menace? Fight, I will."

Harga: "Relax! As long as his backvisor isn't damaged, he will never attack us. We're completely safe!"

Arfaas: "You know, Harga..."

Harga: "Yes?"



Arfaas: "I believe we've been going about this whole preliminaries thing blind!"

Harga: "Whatever do you mean?"

Arfaas: "Yes, it's...nice you should be so concerned about hunting down the one and only Levens that has given us any problems in this area. It's nice that we're building this strength-enhanced macho aggression thing over in the corner there...but..."

Harga: "What?"



Arfaas: "If you're going to hunt a centipede, you don't send a mere macho bot to do it! We need something...that would truly be threatening!

This thing needs a paint job...a host...everything you can imagine! We need to make this thing over! What is a centipede's worst enemy in nature?"



Justin: "Smash centipede!!!"

Arfaas: "Your cheap attempts at conversation bore me, you abominable mass!"

Justin: "Smash centipede!!!"

Harga: "Well, he does have a point. The centipede's worst enemy in nature is other centipedes!"



Arfaas: "I am not amused! What non-centipede creature is the worst enemy of all centipedes?"

Harga thought briefly for an answer, and finally, it came to her...

Harga: "Uh...a shrew?"



The distraught Arfaas suddenly turned around. Had his sister just inspired him?

Arfaas: "Wait...what was that?"

Harga: "A shrew, brother! A shrew is the worst enemy of the centipede in nature! In fact, it's just what we need to give this mecha warrior suit a touch of originality! I can get a team together to create Shrew-Bot in no time!"



Arfaas: " 'Shrew bot'? That's stupid! And 'Shrew' is already taken! Besides, we need something that truly will inspire fear in the heart of the Flippo! We need to have this thing able to take the entire city of Dirbine hostage! Right as my ship flies overhead for the overkill..."

Harga: "What are we to do, name him in Spanish? Musaraňo doesn't inspire anything in me!"

Arfaas: "Then we'll shorten it...Musaran! Hard to go wrong with that name! Now, we just need the perfect warrior for the suit...and the perfect set of fall girls in Janette Bunny suits!"



Harga: "Fall girls? You mean...to use up those old units, and have the police help us out while leading the public to think they've got everything under control? Sure!

In fact...I believe there's a certain librarian and her husband that we've been dying to meet..."