Dolly: "Eeeeeeck!!!"

Catching up with this determined woman would prove only half the battle; Candi had to calm her down!



Even without powers, this Dolly fought like a true warrior! How could Candi get control of the situation?

Ciem: "Dolly! Stop!!!"

Dolly: "Nooooo!!! I won't let you do it again! I won't let you freaks hurt me like you did my husband!"

Ciem: "I'm trying to save you from them!!!"

Dolly: "I don't believe you!!!"

Ciem: "Dolly, LISTEN!!!!"



The two continued to wrestle, Candi not going full strength as she feared she might tear Dolly's head off with her strength! But when she got too soft, Dolly grabbed her mask, going for a tumble to the ground herself!

A sudden fear came over Dolly. She had exposed her stalker! Would this incredibly strong being take revenge? Why had it not killed her already? And who was behind this orange mask the whole time?



Dolly: (frantic) "Who the heck are you?"

Candi: "I am Candice Marie Flippo-Levens! I am Donte McArthur's missing girlfriend; and the widow of Denny Levens! Rumor has it, you were once looking for me!"



Dolly: (shocked) "Candi? You are the Candi that Donte kept talking about???"

Candi: "Yes."

Dolly: "I...I...I don't know what to say…it's not possible! How?"

Candi: "The Meethlites are going to kill my boyfriend, and possibly your husband, unless I can free Jeraime from his insanity!"

Dolly: "What'll I do?"



Candi: "First...we're gonna go to my place and get some Zeran teleporters. I should've never left them with Elle and Laurie!"

Dolly: "Who?"

Candi: "Viron Forensics Team; for safekeeping. We're going to hide you in Latin Town! I'll leave you with contacts for Laurie, and she will hopefully be able to get you reunited with your sister and brother-in-law!"

Dolly: "And what about you?"

Candi: "Me? If I don't come back within a week, assume the worst."



Dolly: "Then...all the rumors of the Meethlites are true!"

Candi: "They don't know that Ciem and the Gifted Flippo are one in the same. They may suspect, but they don't know. Tell nobody!"

Dolly: "Right. But please...try to bring Jeraime back to me alive! I feel like less of a woman every day that I am without him!"

Candi: "I can promise only my attempt. But we'd better get outta here! I'll explain more on the way!"

Dolly: "Ditto!"



As the chaos downtown continued, the survivors waited patiently for either Dolly, or Candi, or both, to return.

Laurie: "I do hope that Ciem character gets them back safe!"

Kathy: "Yeah, and not charred!"



Khumar: "It's a little late to worry about that. They'll burn; just as we've been burnt!"

Wilbur: "Khumar, this is no time to be a coward! What good did it do Elijah to be cowardly before God?"

Khumar: "Sorry. But...don't you see it? Your own church has been burnt to the ground! My family's house is in shambles! I'm just...happy to have my wife back, but what now?"



Andew: "This wreck of a church is nothing. At least nobody died when it was leveled! Plus, there were building code problems with the design anyway."

Wilbur: "He's right. It is time for us all to rebuild. The Lord was in the calm...and he still is!"



Laurie: "Mr. Ryan...what's your take on Ciem?"

Andrew: "Well, Laurie...I've never been a huge fan of vigilantes. But I must say; when we're faced with a crisis like this, if God's in the calm...then I'm glad somebody's in the fire!"

Wilbur: "That's what angels are for."

Andrew: "Perhaps. But I guess you girls should all take a look at how far we've come along! Candi and Dolly are still out there, somewhere, but I believe they're still alive.

We've managed to survive the mess...so far. We're reunited with each other, another plus! Elle's in the hospital for her injuries, but she'll live, and no damage to her unborn baby either!"



Wilbur: "Ploribus has succeeded...another blessing! Merle's no longer the police chief; and the majority of Arfaas' loyalists are either missing or dead.

Their influence is quickly waning! True that they've tortured most of us; but they will never destroy our spirits!"

The painful memories began to return to Lindsay. She knew well what "torture" was, having been confined to the same orange prison suits for about a year and kept away from daylight. The uncertainty of her sister's whereabouts troubled her greatly.



Laurie: "Mulwi? What are you doing here?"



Mulwi: "I wanted t'see you! I's-bored when you're not ar-und!"

Laurie: "This place...is very dangerous right now."

Mulwi: "All 'da more reason I need to b'near you!"



Laurie: "I was a hard-hit curmudgeon, until you came along!"

Mulwi: "Gi'b-y'self credit! I never expected t' find you!"

Laurie: "Muey...I'm scared! I don't know where Candi is, or Dolly!"

Mulwi: "I didn't know where you wuh eh-lier. They's big girls! Dey manage!"

His Sudanese accent aside, Mulwi was one of the few beings that could console Laurie's endless worries.



Kathy: "Say, not to interrupt, but it's getting late. Pastor Brocklyn wants to get us all inside at his place. I'm gonna go to the hospital and check on Elle!"

Laurie: "Very well then. We may as well call it a night."



Professor Andrew Ryan was torn. He had hopes that Candi would make it out alive, with or without Ciem or Dolly. As he looked out at the night sky, and it looked normal, he felt a calm come over him.

Yet, the temptation to despair was everywhere. The church was in ruins. The arson against it was completely senseless; but the determination and hope in Wilbur was enough to over-ride the horror.

The rumors were out. Arfaas' airship would arrive. The fate of Dirbine was just a short ways away from being determined.