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                 DISAPPEARING INK 
        The "I-Maniac Fan Club" Newsletter
                    Issue #31
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<*><*><*><*><*><*>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

1.  A Word from the Publisher
2.  A Word from the President
3.  Greetings to New I-Maniacs
4.  A Word from the Treasurer
5.  Special Events
6.  ImaniCon 2002 Report
7.  Campaign Update
8.  Merchandise
9.  Sound Off!
10. I-Man Art Contest
11. What Happens Next?
12. Important Addresses

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Hi Fellow I-Maniacs!

Well ImaniCon 2002 has come and gone... it was a
raging success and fun was had by all attendees. I
only wish I could have been there <sigh>. Later in the
newsletter you'll find a first-hand report of the
event by our own Invisible Mom. But those of us unable
to attend would love to hear more about this wonderful
weekend. So, if you attended and want to share your
experience with your fellow I-Maniacs (so that we can
live vicariously through you :) please submit your
report to imannewsletter@yahoo.com so we can include
it in the next newsletter.

I know many of you are aware that we have an official
I-Maniac web site at http://imaniacs.org. For those of
you who aren't aware, it's a great place to keep up
with the latest news on all I-Man and I-Maniac topics
including all the latest updates in the "Save I-Man"
campaign. And, although it's already a great site,
it's going to get even better. We are currently in the
process of giving the site a face-lift, streamlining
it, and adding more content including original
material from you I-Maniacs. If you have any
suggestions for something you'd like to see on the
site, please let us know by sending them along to
imannewsletter@yahoo.com.

For the members who have been around for a while, you
know we've had a long ongoing story in the newsletter
with a new chapter written by different I-Maniacs each
issue (see the "What Happens Next" section). Well,
it's time to bring that story to a close! So, get
those thinking caps on and submit your finale to the
story. It could end on a happy note, a sad note or a
mysterious note... it may even have a twist ending.
It's all up to you!

Finally, I'd like to say a great big welcome back to
our illustrious leader Stacey. She may be a tired new
mommy but she's back and in true "#1 I-Maniac" form!

Gina

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

*Agenda*
 
* Return Letter
* Imanicon '02
* Vince B-Day
* The Rest of the Board


*Return Letter*
 
Hey gang!
*waves*
Remember me?
Yeah, sure.
'Tis I, R2, back from my leave of absence (finally). I
had promised a short hiatus, but the long hours and
many .. many ... many sleepless nights needed to raise
a child were more than I expected. Now I know why
certain people were looking at me strangely when I
said I'd only be gone a short while and I could handle
this.
I want to start off by giving a huge THANK YOU to
Lauren and Adel for taking the reins while I was gone.
They did a terrific job and I found everything right
where I left it, with the addition of several hundred
newbies. Great googly moogly!
It's like leaving a room to go get something to eat
with a few people in it and when you come back
suddenly there's a crowd that you just didn't expect.
It's wonderful to see you all and I'm so glad that
you're here. Your presence is testimony to the power
that is I-Man. Thank you for caring for the show
enough to join and letting your presence be known.
 
The former Prime Minister of the UK once said, "
Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no
happiness without action."
 
That quote is so appropriate to what the fan club and
the fans have been doing in an effort to get I-Man
back on the air. In one form or another. I want you
guys to know how much I appreciate all that you're
doing, all the letters you're writing, calls you're
making ... the list is endless. What it boils down to
is : you guys rock. Keep up the great work and
tremendous effort that you're putting into this
campaign. MrsSpooky will have more information on that
in the newsletter.
 
 *ImaniCon '02*
 
If you didn't attend ... man! What a great time was
had by all, a weekend that no one wanted to end. We're
going to have the Board members Con Adventure stories
in this edition of the newsletter and then the rest of
you that were there can share your memories. Emerald
Cleya and the Con Planning Committee did such a
wonderful job, you wouldn't have thought that they
pulled it all together in three months. Special thanks
to crimson_eyez for her music vids, to FurryKnight for
creating the I-Man Family Feud and to Lauren and I-Mom
for putting I-Man Jeopardy together.
Even though I was attacked by a light switch at one
point, it was tons o' fun.
Our Events Director, KatrynSedai, is going to have
more information for you regarding all upcoming and
past cons, so stay tuned!
 
*Vince B-Day*
 
All of you may not be aware of this, but since Jacob's
birth, I've had a move. I'm now back in Atlanta and
back in the broadcasting industry. Now, our favorite
leading man with the chest to die for and the hair
that goes with it is having a Birthday at the end of
April, Monday the 29th to be exact. If you want to
send him B-day cards, you can do so with the following
addy :
 
Vincent Ventresca
c/o Innovative Artists - fanmail
1505 10th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
 
I want to let all of you know that I'm going to be
asking one of the local stations here in Atlanta,
WVFJ, to say a birthday shout out to our main man. We
stream live over the Internet, and Birthday greetings
happen around 7am. For those on the West Coast or in
different time zones that's exceedingly early, however
I'm going to tape the greeting & try to get it up on
our website.  For those who will be able to and would
like to listen, simply go to www.j933.com
When you get there, click on "Listen Live" in the left
hand corner.
A black box will appear, click on the "Audio Stream"
logo.
A small box will appear asking you to register, fill
it out. Ignore the "stream audio" page that will also
come up.
Once you do, you will be able to hear the station
live! It's that easy!
I plan to say that the birthday wish is from the
"Invisible Man Fan Club" and I'm going to send the
tape to Vince so he'll know that we were thinking of
him on his birthday.
 
*The Rest of the Board*
 
I've taken up enough of your time and the rest of this
edition is chock full of information and fun that
you're gonna want to know about. I know that for
awhile there D.I. editions came out sporadically once
the show was cancelled. I want to let you all know
that we're going to start putting it back out on a
monthly basis. This way, you're aware that the fan
club is still here, alive and kickin' and keeps you
all posted on what we're doing and where we're going
to do it. Thank you all for sticking with us and for
being such great fans.
I-Mom will have all the newbies that have since come
our way, Adel is going to have ordering information
for all upcoming merchandise while Shel is going to
give you a taste of what merchandise is to come.
KatrynSedai is going to give you guys the head's up on
all upcoming I-Man events and cons and MrsSpooky has a
campaign update for us. Lauren has a wonderful
announcement to make and our website is going to be
undergoing an overhaul.
 
An author named Dale Carnegie once said, "Most of the
important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to
be no hope at all."

That is the epitomoe of the I-Maniacs. I love you all
and wish that I was able to meet each and every one of
you. If you ever have a question, comment or problem
please feel free to email me at
stacey_meyer@metronetworks.com and I'll get back to
you as soon as humanly possible. I would love to hear
from you all.
 
Okay, I'm done rambling. It's so good to be back!
Go. Read. Enjoy.
 
Stacey/R2
Club President

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
GREETINGS TO NEW I-MANIACS
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Hello everyone! Due to some technical difficulties
with our mailing list, it has been awhile since I was
able to greet any newbies to the club via the
newsletter. Since the last time, we have gotten 120
new members into the club. *I-Mom throws confetti into
the air* Please join me in making our newest members
feel welcomed into our IMAN family.
They are: 
abby0315, AgentKlam, AirQBert, Amalgama, Aphreal,
bagara1028, BelleMorte, Biogland, brevemike, Burgsy,
Celtic PREY 9, CharSmith, ChldProdigee, Cleasto,
Coasterjonesy, Cobsta, CoolB047, Crzy4Darien,
Darien'sDarkCat, DB, dmbgolfer, EventHorizon_333,
Fauconne, FireAngelaw, forevergirl, Fox, Fyregyrl48,
ghettoInvisible, goffergal, GratchSabbat, Greeneyes,
GuitarVibrations, Husker, igrl, iluvwes, Iman_girl,
Imansdaman, indomitus, Invisible_Keeper,
InvisiblePoet, InvyNany, Irish, IWOMAN, I-Women,
Jesikangel, jmdover, katmax, Kebalah, KelbornCmd,
KiSea, kitschy-star, kprwannaB, ladymoon,
lilvampire76, Lizandra, lizhutnik, Lizzy the Lizzar,
lordluck, Lynxenn, MadDraper, ME, merfyman,
MissChibiFaery, mr_me, mstrporsche, Nadia1013, nioden,
Owl---, Pablo2PRO, Parisindy, pat_sake, Perfect_Dark,
PeteGriffin, Pigica83, Porkins, pyratio, qnestle,
quicksilver mistress, quicksilverfan, quiet-tiger,
QuikAgMad, RedEyeMambo, RedHawk13, replifiedorgy,
Rihard, Rio Mom, Rogue, Roz, ruthavonrep, SancheWard,
sammyv, SAVEIMANNOW, Shadowsinger, sharpwitgirl,
Silver_Lynx, skye, skye_ccat, smallfry, SMConley,
SRODove, SugarHovis, sunshine2002, TadthePole,
Teckrio, telita, thadude669, thatstom, The Doctor, The
Doctor's Rebecca, theiliad, TheIMan18, Thunderbass,
Unicorn, Vespera, Visible_Man, VisiblyMad, Widget,
willowrosenberg4, winteraven13, and Yellow.
Welcome newbies! I hope you enjoy your time with the
crazed horde. err. fan club members. Tell your
friends. I want more newbies, and I want them now!
*I-Mom pounds on her desk for emphasis*
Take care everyone.

Joyce
(Invisible Mom)

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
A WORD FROM THE TREASURER
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Greetings, my brother and sister I-Maniacs! Adel here.
I hope this new year is finding everyone happy and
healthy. Well, as happy as we can be without our show
having a home.

To this end, several fans have banded together to
launch Operation: Visible Ink. InvisibleBallerina,
pipsqueak, LittleDevilBird, and Invisible-Mom are
working hard to find I-Man a new home. They have
launched a publicity and PR campaign aimed at
convincing some other networks to pick up The
Invisible Man. They've been going at it like
gangbusters and really doing a fabulous job. Their
combined talent and chutzpah are truly inspiring.
These gals have been working very, very hard. They
have also been funding their campaign with their own
money. Which is where I come in. I am sending out a
call  to all I-Maniacs to pitch in a couple of dollars
and help this worthy cause. I'm trying to collect some
money to help defray the cost of postage, printing,
phone calls and whatnot. During it's run, Sci Fi never
provided budget for a PR person for the show at Stu
Segall. Hence the lack of merchandise (except what the
fan club offered, via ShelBel and LoganLover). WE ARE
the PR machine for I-Man! We've got the numbers. We've
got the devotion. Now we just need a couple of
dollars.

When I say a couple of dollars, I really mean that.
I'm not looking to collect large sums of money (as for
the Variety ad campaign, when you all came through so
generously). These gals are working exceptionally hard
for all us fans. If they are successful, I-Man will
have a new home and we all win. I would just like to
see every fan pitch in a dollar or two to help with
the cause. If I-Man is picked up by another network,
it will be due to the hard work and devotion of these
ladies. They are laboring for all of us. Let's help
them out.

For more information, go to the Visible Ink website at
qsm.shinies.net. There is  all kinds of info about
exactly what these ladies are doing and how hard they
are working. There will soon be a link to click to
place  money in the Operation: Visible Ink PayPal
account. You can also mail donations;

Operation: Visible Ink
P.O. Box 10711
Pleasanton, CA 94588
operation_visible_ink@yahoo.com

Of course, you can e-mail me as well with any
questions at adelheide10@hotmail.com. But these gals
have taken the bull by the horns and run with the
ball. (And I think I just mixed my metaphors.) It's
their devotion and their campaign. They are the gals
with the plan.

Thanks. And let's Save the I-Man!

Adel, I-Maniac Treasurer

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
SPECIAL EVENTS
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Hi, everyone! I want to start by saying KUDOS to
Emerald and everyone who participated in the planning
and running of ImaniCon2002. Everyone who attended
April 6-7 in Baltimore had a wonderful time, and
everything went smoothly. My personal favorite moments
were watching the music videos and the two "Dariens"
wrestling outside the costume party.

Coming on the heels of such a wonderful event, it's
time to start thinking about getting together at
ComicCon2002 in San Diego. Like last year, this comic
book and science fiction con will be held at the
Convention Center in downtown San Diego, CA.  The con
runs from August 1-4, with a preview night of July 31,
for people who preregister. For info on registering
for the con, finding a hotel room, transportation,
etc, visit the official site at
http://www.comic-con.org.

Last year, about 40+ I-Maniacs attended the con. Among
other things, we had a dinner party at Planet
Hollywood on Friday night, and attended a discussion
panel and autograph signing session with the entire
cast at the con on Saturday. Everyone who came last
year had an absolute blast, and we hope to gather for
fun this year. Unfortunately, I have not heard if the
cast will be attending the con in an official capacity
this year. With Sci-fi Channel having done what it did
(grrrr), it's doubtful that they would be hosting the
I-Man cast this year. There's nothing to stop all of
us from descending on San Diego and having a great
time, tho! Please email me directly at
katryn7@nycap.rr.com if you'd like to help with the
planning.

We'll be updating http://imaniacs.org to include a
convention page.  This page will have info on all the
cons; ComicCon2002, next year's ImaniCon, and any
other upcoming cons that might be of interest to folks
(e.g. DragonCon in Atlanta 8/30-9/2/02). We'll also be
putting up info on ImaniCon2002, ComicCon2001, and the
cast's panel discussion from ComicCon2000. Please keep
an eye out for the updates! Also, if you have your own
website with pics from the
con(s), please let me know at katryn7@nycap.rr.com, so
I can have a link added to the con page.

As always, if you know of a convention or special
event, or even if you would just like to invite local
fans to your house for an I-Man marathon :-) just drop
me a note at katryn7@nycap.rr.com. I'll be sure to
pass it on to the club, via newsletter, website, or
otherwise.

ttfn!

KatrynSedai
Special Events Director

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
IMANICON 2002 REPORT
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Now that I have had some time to get my thoughts
together, I thought I would post this con wrap-up.

I arrived at the Embassy Suites around Noon on Friday.
Couldn't find anyone immediately except for Marianne.
We decided that everyone else at the hotel must not
have gotten the memo that the con wasn't starting
until Saturday morning, and that they all must be
invisible a day early!

I then left for the airport to pickup Darien's Muse.
After a 3 hour adventure at the airport meeting up
with I-Maniacs every time I turned around, I finally
got back to the hotel just in time for Happy Hour.
Luckily I was wearing my "Need To Know" shirt, and I
was spotted by a group of I-Maniacs who had taken over
a corner of the lounge. About 20 of us quickly became
acquainted as old friends and new hugged and greeted
each other.

Later that night about eight I-Maniacs came to my
suite to finish putting the goody bags together, while
OboeCrazy and I put the finishing touches on the IMAN
Jeopardy Game. We were almost finished, around 11 PM
or so, when one of the I-Maniacs came by to tell us
that Mike and his friends had stopped in to visit with
us. Other fans in other fandoms might have kept this
news to themselves, but the I-Maniacs look out for
each other, and the word went out throughout the hotel
that Mike and Company were there. Everyone went to the
Observation Deck to chat for awhile, then they left
saying they would see us the next day.

Saturday was filled with lots of activities. First we
had an icebreaker. We had to find our frickin friend
by matching our frickin cards. It was a lot of fun.
(I-Mom waves to VisiblyMad) Then music videos by
CrimsonEyez, a viewing of The Pilot (which about half
of the attendees had never seen before), IMAN
Jeopardy, a Charity Auction, and the Q&A with Mike
McCafferty, Jason Makaris, and Matt Thompson. Jason
played Dr. Murov in Flash to Bang, and Matt was the
resident that Darien punched out in It Hurts When You
Do This among other things. After the Q&A, they all
stayed to chat, pose for pics with fans, and give
autographs. 

The costume party was held that night and it was a
blast. The music was great and the costumes were very
imaginative. Joe, the winner at Vulkon was there, and
Darien's Muse surprised everyone by coming as Darien
from Money For Nothing Part 2. She even had the white
contacts that looked silver in the lighting we had.
They did a mock fight for the camcorders. Several
people did a double take when they first saw her. We
thought that Vince was crashing the party.

Mike and his friends came to the party to visit for
awhile. Mike and Jason had on Star Trek shirts. Matt
had a Jar Jar Binks mask and I've got the pics to
prove it. Later when the party was over, Mike hung out
in the lounge with us for awhile. He played the piano
for us and chatted with everyone. He really loves
spending time with his fans.

On Sunday, we had a brunch on the Observation Deck,
and everyone got a goody bag and a free music video.
We played OCRAP (IMAN bingo), then went back to the
conference room to view Money For Nothing Parts I &
II, plus both endings, more music videos by
CrimsonEyez, a viewing of Brother's Keeper, another
Charity Auction, then general smoozing. No one wanted
to leave.

I went out to dinner with 9 other I-Maniacs and we
passed around con pics from Comicon. They are a great
group to spend time with, and no one wanted it to end.


We all met for breakfast on Monday, then had to get
through the hugging and crying as each person had to
leave for the airport shuttle. The hardest part of any
con is saying goodbye to your friends, not knowing
when you will get the chance to see them again.

I have to say that Emerald picked the perfect place
for our con. It was beautiful, reasonably priced, had
free shuttles to and from the airport, and was easy to
get to. The staff couldn't have been more courteous or
helpful, and the surroundings only made the experience
more enjoyable.

The con committee did a fantastic job filling the
weekend with great events, and everything ran
smoothly. I heard from more than one attendee that
they couldn't believe that this was our first con.

I only have one last thing to say: Hey Glenn! Where's
my shoulder massage?

Joyce
Invisible Mom)

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
CAMPAIGN UPDATE
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

I know it's been months since we've had a new
Invisible Man episode. I'm cheered by reading
interviews with Vince and Paul saying that they'd love
to come back and do more Invisible Man stories - a
series or tv movies. I would be happy with tv movies,
how about you? I think that could be a definite
possibility! Think we can talk them into making us
some Invisible Man tv movies 3 or 4 times a year?
While we're writing, let's mention that possibility
too. :)
For this, we want to write to:

Mr. Charles Engel
Executive Vice President, Programming
Studios USA
8800 Sunset Blvd. Fifth Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069

Mr. Barry Diller
President/CEO
USA Networks, Inc
8800 Sunset Blvd, Fifth Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069

We have Operation:Visible Ink in progress, which needs
to continue, but let's continue to write Vivendi
Universal. We want to let them know that a worldwide
audience is still here for Invisible Man and we want
it back in the worst way!
Invisible Man is a global hit! Check the membership
lists and geography pages on the I-Maniacs web site!
We have fans from Russia, Australia, Nimibia, Finland,
Greece, France, Great Britan, Croatia and everywhere
else! Those fans from African, Asian, Ocania and
European countries, you especially can help! Write to
Barry Diller, your local networks and Vivendi. Get all
your friends to write. Let them know that Invisible
Man is a global phenomenon, and that there is a
worldwide audience for our favorite show.
Call them, write letters. Don't forget to hit
http://home.att.net/~skates/SaveIMAN.htm for the
wonderful postcards, flyers and other awesome letter
ideas. You'll also want to hit Operation: Visible
Ink's web site http://qsm.shinies.net. They are doing
great work on behalf of Invisible Man, and by joining
them, we will have the chance to bring our show back
to the airwaves!

Deb Brown/MrsSpooky
I-Maniacs Campaign Director

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
MERCHANDISE
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Hello everyone! Wow, it's been a while. looks around
in amazement Holy cow but there are a lot more of us
than there used to be! How cool! Well, time's a
wastin'. This is what we have in the works for new
stuff!
First of all- I've had a TON of requests for "Need to
Know" shirts. Another round is in the works, details
coming shortly. (Last time they were $10 each,
including shipping; I'm doing some checking to make
sure the price hasn't changed, so hold on to your hats
until I tell ya!)
Second- new merchandise ideas!  I'm currently working
on quotes for the following: tote bags (printed), hats
(embroidered), sweatshirts (embroidered), mugs (the
kind with the temperature-sensitive paint that changes
when you pour something hot in it- design yet to be
determined), stamps (one that says "Need to Know" and
one of Darien's snake tattoo, with suggestions for
others), window clings, and boxer shorts. Many of the
designs are up in the air right now- there's been talk
of having a fanart contest, and I was thinking we
could kill two birds with one stone and have our
winning designs appear on some of the new merchandise!
Of course, with ComicCon coming up, I'd also like to
have a new t shirt design, and with the time frame
we're looking at, the contest may not work for those.
But- we'll think of something.
Anyway- I'd like to officially open the floor to
anyone who has ideas. Just email me at
ssatre@hotmail.com and put "I-Man Merch Ideas!" in the
subject line so I know what I'm looking for! And like
I said- more details will be coming shortly!
In the meantime- everyone take care and we'll talk
soon!
Love, ShelBel

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
SOUND OFF!
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

In this section of the newsletter we offer all of you
the opportunity to give us your opinion on various
Invisible Man subjects.

Last newsletter I asked you to see if we can come up
with a personal dictionary for Hobbes. Here's what
some of you creative I-Maniacs came up with:

*From bookwormgirl
Company Pier: That which Bobby Hobbes does not fish
                off, my friend.
HobbesNet: Where all the knowledge that is Bobby
                Hobbes can be found
Need-To-Know: See "Need To Know"  (If you needed to
                know, you'd know.)

*From Fawkesfox
Friend: Someone who would risk their own lives
                to save yours.

*From Daquilyn
Mishugana: Madness, see also Quicksilver Mad

*From Maxdout
Psychologist: The devil (and a possible date)
Quicksilver: The stuff Fawkes sweats
A raise: A mythical sign of respect
Gun: Modern day broad sword

New Topic:
We've all heard of "Webster's dictionary" but who
really needs to know all those words! I think to get
to know some one, it would be great to have their
personal dictionary containing the words most
important to them and their definition of them. We
just created a dictionary for Hobbes, now let's see if
we can come up with a "Darien Fawkes" dictionary. What
words do you think Darien would include in his
personal dictionary and how do you think he'd define
them?

You can Sound Off by sending your opinion to
imannewsletter@yahoo.com and be sure to include your
handle and put the words "Sound Off" in the subject of
your email.

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
I-MAN ART CONTEST
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

Hi everyone!
I-Man fans are a talented group of people, and fans
have used those talents to express their love for the
show in many ways. We've seen fiction, poetry, filks,
music videos, reviews, and so much more. The I-Maniacs
have encouraged all of this through contests and
webspace.
Now, it's the artists turn.
<sounding like a cheesy commercial voice over> If you
can draw a picture of Darien's gland, then you may be
just what we're looking for!
It's FAN ART TIME! Do you have an I-Man related
drawing, painting, or other fan created piece of
artwork? Then submit it for our Art Contest! Send all
submissions to I-Maniacs@worldnet.att.net and you
should get a confirmation e-mail back.
So sharpen those pencils, mix up that paint, and let's
make some art!

Lauren (OboeCrazy)

<*><*><*><*><*><*>
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
<*><*><*><*><*><*>

In this section of the newsletter you get the chance
to get your creative juices flowing and write the next
part of an ongoing story. Below, you'll find the story
so far. Your mission is to write the next part of the
story and in this case it should be the FINAL CHAPTER!
Normally you're asked to keep it to 150 words but this
being the finale, there isn't a limit (within reason
of course, we don't want to blow up anyone's email box
:)

The teaser:
Darien was a happy guy. He had just gotten a shot of
counteragent and wouldn't need a new one for a while,
things were quiet at the agency, and most importantly,
he was going to spend a nice relaxing evening at home
with a home-made meal and his favorite book "The Story
of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's
Greatest Philosophers". "It doesn't get any better
than this", he thought as he headed toward his
apartment with a bag of groceries in one arm.
As he unlocked the door, the scene inside made him
stop in his tracks. "Aw crap!" he said as the smile
disappeared from his face and was replaced by a look
of dismay. His apartment had been ransacked and very
thoroughly at that. After taking a moment to digest
the situation, he walked cautiously into the apartment
careful not to step on anything breakable, which had
not already been broken, and checked to make sure that
whoever made the mess wasn't still there.

Part 2 by R2:
Glass crunched under Darien's feet as he made his way
through his destroyed apartment. Nothing had been
spared and Darien felt violated. Unknown hands had
rifled through his possessions, going over his
personal affects. The intruder, or intruders, had been
quite thorough. He could feel his heart pounding in
his chest, his small abode abnormally quiet. With a
deep breath, Darien allowed the quicksilver to coat
his body, neatly rendering him invisible. If whoever
had done this was still here, he saw no need to give
them the advantage. There was a small noise from
inside the bathroom, Darien's head snapped around at
the sound as he began to make his way toward the
closed door.

Part 3 by R2
Slowly, Darien reached out and grasped the cold handle
in his equally cold hand. Fear and anger were vying
for attention, whoever had ransacked his home was
still stupid enough to be here. Big mistake.
He flung the door open and blindly launched himself
inside, grabbing a stunned individual around their
waist. There was a startled shout as he and the
intruder fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and
legs, Darien could feel them struggling to get out
from under him and he knew that he had the upper hand.
Darien gripped a flailing hand tightly as he glanced
down at the person who had destroyed his apartment.
His breath left him in a horrified gasp as he
recognized the man, "Hobbes?"

Part 4 by Kathy Czechowski, a.k.a. Hei_Mao
Hobbes snorted, jerking from Darien's grip and
standing. "Thanks for the hospitality. Love what
you've done with the place," he said, brushing broken
glass from his sleeves.
"What do you mean by that? I didn't do this." Darien's
brow furrowed as he let the quicksilver fall away.
"What, and I did? You called me here."
"No, I didn't." His voice trailed off as he stared at
the mess.
 "Yeah, you did. You said you wanted to talk to me
about something, the door would be unlocked, I should
just walk in. I walked in, and POW! I woke up in here.
Then you came barreling in...."
Darien paused, shaking his head. "I didn't call you.
This doesn't make sense."
"Right. If someone wanted to frame me for tossing your
apartment, why call me here?" Hobbes rubbed the back
of his head. A large bruise was rapidly purpling
beneath a dozen small cuts. He winced, mumbling
curses.       
"Somebody wanted us here at the same time. The mess is
just a distraction. Someone wanted us out of the way,"
Darien declared.
Hobbes nodded, his expression grim. "I was thinking
the same thing."

Part 5 by FawkesFox
Hobbes' cell phone began to ring. He took it out of
his pocket and answered it, "Hobbes... What?... Where
are you?... Stay there, we're on our way." He hung the
phone up and turned to Darien. "There's trouble
partner." Hobbes started for the door, Darien
following closely behind him. Within minutes they
arrived at the Agency. Once they got there, they
knocked on the door of Charlie's office. There was no
answer so Darien kicked the door in.  Inside, Charlie
was tied to the chair, a gag in his mouth.
"Hello, Darien." A familiar voice said from behind the
door. Darien turned to see the man who was responsible
for his brother's death.

Part 6 by Allison Riley
Darien's couldn't speak. He never, in his wildest
dreams, thought that Arnaud would come back for a
third time. Then, the memories of Kevin dying in his
arms came back to him. His speechlessness disappeared.
Darien tried to punch Arnaud, but he wasn't quick
enough. Arnaud grabbed his fist and squeezed it
tightly. Pain rushed through Darien's arm. Then he let
go. The pain vanished. Darien ran to the center of the
room and quicksilvered. Arnaud just laughed. Darien
tried again to punch him, thinking that he couldn't
stop his fist this time. But he did.  Hobbes had been
standing there staring.  Now he could see Arnaud
holding something in midair. Arnaud squeezed Darien's
fist even harder than before. Forcing him to become
visible again. Arnaud laughed. "How did he do that?"
Darien, Hobbes, and Charlie all said quietly to
themselves.

Part 7 by jakgirl
"Back off, phoneboy," snapped Hobbes, aiming his gun
between Arnaud's eyes. Arnaud nodded and stepped back
as four goons came out of the shadows to grab Darien
and Hobbes. Arnaud snatched Hobbes' gun and
pistol-whipped the agent unconscious.
"Hobbes!" shouted Darien.
"That's 'Fohn'", said the terrorist. He gestured to
the Official. "Free him," he told a goon. "Sssso.do we
have a deal?" he asked the fat man.
The Official glared with bloodshot eyes at Arnaud.
"Take him," he snarled. "And bring him back in one
piece or I'll destroy you myself."
"Wait, whoa, do you mean me?" Darien struggled.
"No deal!" Arnaud laid the gun over Darien's heart.
"Move or quicksilver and I blow your ear off."
"Just do what he says, Darien!" bellowed the Official.

Part 8 by jakgirl
"Are you selling me out?" cried Darien.
Arnaud perched on the Official's desk. "I think we
should tell him, don't you? Otherwise he will waste
his time and my patience trying to discover the
answers." He quirked an eyebrow at the Official and
continued,
"The explanation is simple. Using nanotechnology, I've
perfected special contact lenses with tiny viewers,
which enable me to see quicksilver: a superior version
of the Agency's viewers. I have proven to your
employer that they work. Now he knows I can find and
kill you anywhere, at any time, and he has agreed to
let me.borrow you for a little job I have. Otherwise,
I shoot you and harvest the gland.  Don't think I
won't do it."
"What's the job?" asked Darien warily.

Part 9 by FawkesFox
"My neice has been kidnapped by some very ruthless
people." Arnaud said.
"More ruthless than you?" Darien quipped.
Arnaud ignored him and continued, "I can't stand
seeing my sister so upset."
"Well, well... Never would have figured you for a
softie." Darien said.

Part 10 by Sasscat
"Ordinarily no," Arnaud said smoothly, "but Jessica
shows a lot of promise. Her mother is right to worry."
Darien froze, barely hearing Arnaud's next words.  He
knew he was being stupid - it wasn't exactly the most
uncommon of names - but somehow he had a feeling, low
in his gut, that he was about to hear some unpleasant
news. "Your niece is called Jessica?"
"Jessica Semplar.  She's in grade three at
Heatherfield Elementary.  If you'll come along I'll
give you all the information you need."
"My god," Darien said softly.  "Jess."  He stumbled
backwards until he found the wall, and clung to it for
support.  Jess had been kidnapped. Jess was related to
*Arnaud*.  And that was something even her
invisible best friend Ralph couldn't save her from.
But he could try. Darien lifted his eyes to Arnaud's,
coldly determined. "I'll do it."

Part 11 by Mandy, a.k.a. fawkesielady
"Good" Arnaud said with a slight smile. They walked
out of the building, guards on either side of Darien
just incase he decided to change his mind, and got in
Arnaud's car.
"So, what do these people want with Jessica?" Darien
asked as the car pulled out on the street.
"That I am not sure of yet. She is a very bright girl,
very bright for her age." Darien thought he saw a
tinge of hurt behind Arnaud's hard exterior. He would
have felt sorry for him if he wasn't Arnaud. 
"Yeah, I know." He mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Tell me what you want me to do. But
understand one thing, I'm not doing any of this for
you."
Arnaud chuckled, "I'd hope not. After this is over, we
can go back to hating and wanting to kill each other.
But for now, I'm afraid we have no choice, we must
work together."

Part 12 by The_Mad_Fangirl
"You hate me?"  Darien asked. The guards flanked him
in the limo's back seat. "Why? I mean, I hate you
because you killed Kevin, and," his voice hardened, "I
will kill you for that, but what did I ever do to
you?"
"You're in my way," Arnaud replied, leaning over the
limo's back seat, gun sideways. "That's always been
sufficient for me, but even if it weren't, there's the
small matter of nine or ten invisible grenades."
"Oh, yeah," Darien replied, smiling slightly. "Yeah,
that was a good one."
"Obviously not good enough. Story of your life,
Fawkes, which is why you'll be dead and I'll have the
gland, but not until after Jessica is safe." Arnaud
turned forward again and looked out the front window.
A few minutes later, "Ah. We're here."
Darien looked over a guard's shoulder. "Jessica's
house."
Arnaud's head whipped around. "And you know that how?"

Part 13 by Maxdout
"Well, It's too small for a villain such as yourself,"
Darien remarked cautiously but slyly. Arnaud seemed
unimpressed so Darien added, "and your oversized ego."
Arnaud still seemed unconvinced, "I suspect it was
just a lucky guess."
The driver opened the door and Arnaud got out while
staring at Darien probingly. Darien glanced at
Arnaud's thugs as he pointed to the door and said,
"Ladies first."
They were not amused. They grabbed Darien, one on
either side, and pushed him out the door. It was
apparent they were fighting the urge to throw him.
They all walked together up the drive to the door of
Jessica's house and Arnaud rang the doorbell. Just
then Darien became very afraid that Jessica's parents
might recognize him from Jessica's painting of Ralph.

Part 14 by liz_Z
Mrs. Semplar opened the door, a curious expression on
her face. "Arnaud, what are you doing here?"
Arnaud gave her a wan smile.  "I'm here to help find
Jessica."
Mrs. Semplar's lip trembled for a moment, and then she
broke down into tears. Arnaud immediately pulled her
up in a hug, whispering soothing words in her ear.
After a while Mrs. Semplar began to calm down. Darien
watched in surprise. He had never thought that Arnaud
was capable of anything like compassion.
Mrs. Semplar frowned and gestured at Darien.  "Who is
this?"
"Someone who can help us."
"He looks familiar...  Oh well, it must be my
imagination.  His face just reminded me of... a
painting Jessica made..." She broke down into tears
again.
Arnaud frowned.  "What painting?"
"The one of... her invisible friend..."
Arnaud pulled her up in another hug, but his eyes were
filled with cold anger.  "I see."

Part 15 by IMFreak
After a moment Mrs. Semplar took a deep breath, pulled
away from Arnaud enough to wipe her eyes briskly, and
said in a voice that sounded as though she were trying
to be cheerful, "Well, where are my manners? Come in,
come in."
Arnaud kept an arm around his sister and after a quick
glare backward at Darien they walked into the house
together. Darien was practically hustled inside by the
two bodyguards behind him. Once they were in the
living room, Mrs. Semplar sat down on a couch, Arnaud
beside her. She gestured toward the other chairs
arranged in a semi circle around the room for the
others to sit in. Subtly, the two muscle men pushed
Darien toward one that was pretty much between the
other two. Just enough nudging so that Mrs. Semplar
wouldn't notice.
"Thanks. How are you holding up Mrs. Semplar?" Darien
asked once he had sat down, a look of sincere concern
on his face.
Mrs. Semplar, who had been looking more at the beige
rug than anything else, brought her head up sharply to
look at him. "Fine, thank you." Her voice was a bit
tight.
"It's alright, Dear, I told you. He's here to try and
help."
She looked earnestly into Arnaud's face, "But why?
What makes you think some stranger can find Jessica
when the police can't? I mean, how well do you know
this man?"
"Trust me. He will do his best to find her." Arnaud
looked at Darien with stern eyes that seemed to add
"or he will be very, very sorry" to his last
statement.

Part 16 by Mandy AKA fawkesieladyandEd
"I'm sorry." Mrs. Semplar said to Darien. "I just
can't get over how much you look like Ralph."
"Ralph?" Darien asked trying to sound confused.
"Yes. Jess's invisible friend." She said as she stood
up. Mrs. Semplar left the room and returned a moment
later with the painting. "See, this is a painting of
Ralph."
"Wow." Was all Darien could force out of his mouth.
Mrs. Semplar sat down wiping away fresh tears. "It's
alright dear." Arnaud said as he put his arm
around her shoulders. "We'll bring her home safe."
He looked at Darien with angry eyes. "May I speak with
you a moment?" He said through clenched teeth. He had
tried to sound friendly, but his sister flinched at
his tone.
"Sure." Darien said and left the house with Arnaud.
"Do you want to tell me why Jessica painted a picture
of you?" Arnaud asked when the front door was closed
behind them.

Part 17 by bookwormgirl
Darien stepped up to Arnaud real close and said, "Do
you want to find Jessica or do you want to waste time
with a history lesson?" 
Arnaud stared back at Darien.  "We'll talk later,
after Jessica is safe.  But trust me, Ralph," he said
with venom in his voice, "we will talk."  With that,
Arnaud opened the door and the two reentered the
house. 
"Is there a problem?" asked Mrs. Sempler. 
"Not at all, my dear.  We were just discussing the
best place to start our investigation.  Mr. Fawkes and
I have different," Arnaud paused, "techniques." 
"Mrs. Sempler," asked Darien, "did the kidnappers
leave a note? A clue of any kind as to who they are or
what they would want with Jess?"

Part 18 by Veronica aka Scout
Mrs. Semplar ran into the kitchen and returned with a
piece of paper and something else in her hand. "Here
is what we found on the front stoop yesterday morning.
A letter and a dead butterfly.
What does it mean?" Arnaud shrugged his shoulders and
looked confused.
Darien knew exactly what the butterfly meant,
"Crysalis."
Arnaud grabbed Darien's arm, "What?"
Darien repeated, "Crysalis is behind this and I know
why they went after Jessica."

Part 19 by RGtwilight
Arnaud's grip on Darien's arm tightened even more and
Arnaud seemed to turn purple.  Darien turned away from
Mrs. Semplar and quicksilvered his arm. Arnaud quickly
released his grip and said "Merde!"
"What is Crysalis?" asked Arnaud's sister wondering
why both men seemed to be so agitated with each other.
Darien shook off his quicksilvered arm and studied
Arnaud-he seemed to recognize the name Crysalis!
Darien then said "Look I am sure these people won't
hurt Jessica but I think we should stay calm and look
at the note to see what they want."
Arnaud, still agitated grabbed the note from his
sister and began to read it. But before he finished he
looked up at Darien and hissed, "What do you know
about Crysalis?"
Darien asked Mrs. Semplar "Can I use your phone?" Then
he dialed a number and looked at Arnaud and said, "I
really think I am going to need help with this. I need
Bobby Hobbes. He will know the best way to infiltrate
Crysalis. Now what does the note say?"

Part 20 by Sasscat
Arnaud pressed his lips together for a moment, then
handed the note over. "Very well, but warn Mister
Hobbes not to come armed. I don't think he'd like the
consequences."
"Armed?"  Jessica's mother looked worried. "Arnaud, is
this man dangerous?"
"Of course not, _ma chere_," Arnaud said soothingly.
"You know I would never do anything to put you at
risk."  He looked daggers at Darien, as if daring him
to argue.
Darien managed to keep his mouth shut, barely. He
turned his attention back to the phone, rattling
instructions off to Bobby as he held the note up to
the light.
_In lieu of promised payment, the girl is ours.
Consider your debt discharged.  J.S._
Stark.  Darien scowled and resisted the urge to
crumple the note up into a ball.  It looked like
Arnaud and Chrysalis had had some business dealings.
But Arnaud had double-crossed them, and they'd trumped
his  double-cross.
If Jessica weren't caught in the middle of it, Darien
would have been inclined to sit back and watch them
fight it out.  Instead... well, he could only imagine
the things Chrysalis could do with an impressionable
kid.

Part 21 by fawkesieladyandEd
"Story?" What the hell does that mean?" Darien asked
as he looked at Arnaud.
"You are the one that knows Chrysalis so well, you
tell me." Arnaud returned.
Darien thought for a moment, "I don't know." He said
finally.
"Hello boys, good morning Mrs. Semplar." A voice
called from behind them.
Darien turned, "Hobbes? What are you doing here?"
"You called Darien."
"Yeah, but you never answered the phone."
"Let me see that." Hobbes said as he took the note
from Arnaud. He read the note then looked up at
Darien. "It was Chrysalis, and they want a story."
"We figured that part out Hobbes, but what kind of
story?" Darien asked.
"This is a clue Darien. Chrysalis wants us to have a
little treasure hunt. The next clue is in the
children's section of the library."
"Alright then," Arnaud said, "Let's go."

Part 22 by KAT_bboard_lurker
Apparently, the local library didn't realize a girl's
life was on the line. They had yet to open the
massive, locked doors, when Darien, Bobby, and Arnaud
arrived. Arnaud thought it best if his sister stay
behind and his thugs guard her.
"Go find a way in, Fawkes," he barked.
"Yes, my Swiss Miss," Darien said under his breath.
Bobby started to follow, but Arnaud stopped him dead
in his tracks by firing his gun so close to Bobby's
face, he could feel it pass by.
"Oops, I missed," Arnaud said innocently enough. "I
wonder if I will next time."
"I think I'll stay here with him, Darien," Bobby
squeaked out.
Darien walked behind the building. There was a small
window, towards the ground, perhaps to a basement. He
climbed down into the black abyss. What's that moving?
He couldn't see. "Oh my." he thought. "HEY YOU GUYS!!!
YOU BETTER COME LOOK AT THIS RIGHT
NOW!!!"

Part 23 by dakFinv
Arnaud and Hobbes ran to where Fawkes had entered the
library. "What is it Fawkes?" questioned Hobbes.
"It's one of Stark's guys. He looks pretty beat up,"
answered Darien
Darien helped Arnaud and Hobbes into the library.
Fumbling around in the dark Hobbes found a light
switch and lit up the dark room. The room was
completely trashed.
"Whoa. It looks like a wrestling match took place down
here," said Hobbes.
"You. What happened here?" Arnaud snarled as he shook
the already half-conscious Chrysallis agent.
"I...I...I can't...a struggle...gunshots...other
people...other than Chrysallis," stammered the man. He
slowly started to create more understandable
sentences. "My partner and I were supposed to wait
here and watch you while you were at the library, but
there were other men here other than us. I don't know
who they were, but they took my partner."
"You have no idea who they were?" asked Darien.
"No, but they left this. Maybe it will help."

Part 24 by Kimpire
Darien reached out to take the note from the Chrysalis
agent, but
Arnaud slapped his hand away and grabbed it himself.
While Arnaud read the
note to himself, Hobbes pulled Darien over. "Why the
hell is he offering
this information up to us?" he asked.
Darien frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Hobbes, "That if this guy really was
attacked by someone
else, he wouldn't freely tell us that. It's obvious he
recognizes us,
so why is he volunteering information?"
Darien paused for a moment. "Hobbes..."
"Trust me, Fawkes, I'm the expert here, and we're
being set up, my
friend."
Darien sighed. "Well, only one way to find out." He
turned to Arnaud,
who had finished reading the note. "What's it say?"

Part 25 by iwomans_sister
Arnaud looked at Darien, than back at the note. "It
says: There are new players on the team. We have the
girl, and we want the Invisible Man in trade. Signed,
A.F.C."
Darien and Bobby's mouths dropped open. "Aw crap!"
they both said, at the same time. Darien started to
fidget a little.
"What, do you know who they are?" Arnaud asked.
"Lets just say we have ran into them before." Darien
answered.
"Listen Fawkes, if we are going to find Jessica you
need to tell me what you know."
"This could take a while." Darien replied.

Part 26 by Quicksilvermad
Meanwhile...
"Where's my mom?!" Jessica strained her little arms
against the duct tape and tried to blink away the odd
feeling of the same tape over her eyes. Her captors
had her stuck to a very uncomfortable chair. No answer
came to her, and she began to wonder.
*Did they just leave me?  Are they going to kill me? I
wish Ralph was here...*
Ralph? Where did that come from? She hadn't really
thought of him in a while.
Jessica's chin jerked up from its place on her chest
as the door to...wherever she was clicked open.
"Who's there? Where am I?"
An unexpected tug came on the tape over her eyes, and
Jessica shrieked. She swore that most of her eyelashes
and eyebrows came off with it.
"Shut up, kid! We're waiting for someone, okay? Just
shut up until he gets here!"
Jessica couldn't help it. She tried not to look at the
guy. "Who gets here?"
The man raised his hand as if to contemplate cuffing
her, and she cringed.
"The Invisible Man."
Jessica's eyes widened.

Part 27 by Fawkesfox
The door suddenly fell in. Two enemies stood together,
focused on a common goal. Though no one could see
either of them. Darien had quicksilvered Arnaud so
that they could get Jessica out safely.
"Jessie! Are you okay?" Arnaud shouted as he punched
one of the kidnappers.
Jessica looked up, "Uncle, Arnie? I'm okay. Why can't
I see you?" Jessica scanned the room, still unable to
see Arnaud.
Then she heard another familiar voice.
"Hang on, Jess. We're going to get you out of here."
Jessica looked up again, "Ralph?" She said as more
sounds of fighting echoed through the room.

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