In the distant town of Cypress Creek, a man arrived at his work bright and early in the morning. He walked into his office building with his face buried in the morning newspaper. He stopped in front of his secretary before going into his office and commented on what he read.
"My goodness can you believe this? A prominent scientist out in Springfield recently lost his family. His wife and oh my, his ten year old son were murdered. It is suspected that these incidents are work related. Now what way is that to run a business? Why would someone kill the family of their employees? That really disgusts me!" He yelled waving his hands around as he pointed at the article.
"Do they know this for sure?" Asked the secretary.
"No, of course they don't know for sure. It's mere speculation. They have no proof of anything." He read on. "Hello, he works for Thanatos Industries. One Professor Frink. The poor chap, he should be working for us. Thanatos, eh? Now I KNOW it's work related. You know what? I want this Professor fellow brought here." He said still waving the paper around.
"Should I set up a meeting?" Asked the secretary.
"No, no. There's no need for that." His eyes shrank as he thought the situation over. "I shall handle this personally."

Evening. Frink finished up his last minute touches on some orbs on his workbench. He took a deep breath knowing full well what he was getting into. Not only did Thanatos Industries do research into making computers and software but it was a multinational corporation that also dealt with the manufacturing of weapons. Security was tight, still Frink had worked there long enough to know where the weaknesses were. He would take them on. It did not matter now if he failed. He placed the orbs in a leather pouch and stepped outside. He hopped on his hover bike and drove off down the road straight to the Thanatos building. Frink passed the security checkpoint with no problem at all. The guard thought he was coming into work like he had every other day. As he rode past, one of the orbs dropped for his side and rolled into the guard booth. Frink hit the gas and took off down the parking lot. A few seconds later a deafening sound like thunder, shook the place. Frink looked back to witness a fireball rise into the sky from the location were the booth had stood. This was only the beginning. His orbs were in a sense, smart grenades. All Frink had to do was input his commands and they would roll to their target as they were instructed to. There wasn't much time now that they knew his intentions.

His hover bike roared into the air and he pulled out his death ray from under his coat. Like a child at a carnival trying to hit moving targets Frink fired randomly at the buildings bringing down entire walls in blazing explosions and crushing anything or anyone that was unfortunate enough to be standing below. He noted that the intensity of his blasts were still not at optimum levels but it was not bad for the second rate supplies that he had to work with. Frink steered his bike to a far wall that had no windows and with his free hand pulled out another orb from the pouch on the side of his bike. His fingers rapidly entered the coordinates and he tossed the silver ball through the air. It exploded on impact sending hunks of concrete, metal and dust sailing through the air. Frink observed the explosion unflinching, only his hair fluttered back from the wind burst. People ran frightened below him trying to evacuate the premises. He pulled his flying motorcycle close to the gaping hole, set it on autopilot and leaped inside. He turned back to see the hover bike fly away. It would circle the area and return for him in five minutes. This was the best way to keep it safe. The opening he'd made in the wall led straight into the hallway of his sector. Frink walked past the frightened masses that were making their way toward the emergency exits. Everyone was on their way out and Frink was the only one making his way into the building. He shoved his way against the flow of the crowd and grabbed a young lab assistant that by the collar that tried to run past him.
"Where is Owen Marsh?" He demanded as he pressed the youth against the wall.
"He…he's not here today."
"Are you sure of that?" Said Frink as he shoved him harder.
"Yes, yes I'm sure. Ow. He wasn't supposed to come in today. Please let me go!! Don't hurt me!" Frink threw him back into the crowd and watched him stumble, regain his footing and disappear down the stairs. Furious he blasted a hole in the adjacent wall with his ray sending more dust and debris flying. People screamed and ducked out of the way as new flames were born from the chaos. In his anger Frink had not planned this assault well. His main target wasn't even on the grounds, still it was not a total loss. He now walked the corridors alone as everyone had fled in terror. He made his way to his lab and kicked the door open. They had used him, they had abused him but they would not have their way. He fired his death ray at anything and everything in his lab, destroying months of hard work. The electrophages would be his and his alone, and Frink would leave nothing behind of his technology that could be copied. He stood in the inferno of his lab and was drawn out of his thoughts as his watch beeped noisily at him. He heard footsteps rushing up the stairs. Time was definitely up.

Before leaving the crumbling laboratory, Frink threw down four of his orbs and they made their way to the four corners of the room. He ran through the door and down the hallway as several of Thanatos' security teams rushed onto the floor with their weapons pointed at him. Just when the first wave made their way past his lab the orbs went off engulfing the foot soldiers in waves of rolling flames. Frink heard the agonized screams behind him and kept on running toward the aperture in the wall. More of Thanatos' Soldiers came for him now. Frink stopped at the entrance of the hole. His chest heaved in and out as he tried to catch his breath. It was a long way down. Where was the hover bike? It should have been here by now. He gasped as he saw the shadows growing on the walls, they were coming for him. He looked back out the hole and at last in the distance he saw the hover bike returning, yet flying labouredly. Black smoke trailed from behind it and it was obvious that some of Thanatos' men had tried to shoot it out of the air.
"Come on, you can do it. Just a little closer!" Called out Frink as he watched the hover bike approach him. Before it even reached the ledge Frink leaped out of the building and barely caught hold of his bike. He struggled to get it under control and at last did so taking off in a trail of smoke. This was his worst failure yet. He had acted on anger not planning out his assault well. Owen wasn't even there. It had been a complete waste! He had always thought things through and now this was what acting on his emotions had gotten him. Of course over thinking a situation was equally as bad as he found out when he felt a backbreaking jolt strike him from behind.
"Gwahey!" He screamed as he tried to regain control of the motorcycle that was now spiraling out of the sky. Flames erupted front his tail fin as he was struck by a projectile fried from a rocket launcher.

Still clutching the death ray in his hand he fought with the controls and tried to turn the handlebars in the opposite direction that he was spinning out from. The bike sputtered protesting against the shearing forces that threatened to tear it apart. Frink managed to lift the nose slightly out of its dive and pulled up in an extremely unstable flight. He was a good distance from the Thanatos building now and only had to concern himself with correcting his flight for now he was a falling burning star in the night sky. The flames were mounting and he could feel them burning hotter against his back. His eyes went wide as he remembered that he was still carrying several explosive orbs with him and the flames were coming dangerously close to them. He didn't have the strength to continue to fight the controls. The flight was over and the best Frink could do was chose a good crash sight. It was difficult to see with all the turbulence and his view bounced up and down uncontrollably. But then he spotted it, there was a grassy area near a street. Was it the edge of the park? It didn't matter now, that would have to do. Frink let go of the handles, placed his left foot on them, braced his right foot against the seat and surfed the bike down in a steep flaming dive. When he was about fifteen feet from the ground he leaped out into the air. Frink hit the ground on his side and rolled down the grassy hill. He couldn't slow down from the momentum of his fall and found himself rolling onto the sidewalk. He could hear his green lab coat tearing every time he came in contact with the cement and was glad that it wasn't his skin that was doing the tearing though he still receive several nasty abrasions. At last he stopped when he hit a lamppost. The ground shook violently when his hover bike plowed into the earth in an enormous fireball. Frink sat up holding his head and watched the smoldering wreck. It was gone. Max's bike had been completely destroyed. He hung his head down and clenched his teeth, as he stood weakly in the light of the street lamp. But at least THEY didn't have it, he thought. They would NEVER have any of his technology. It was better this way.

He trudged drunkardly down the sidewalk still holding onto his death ray and babbling incoherently. "Go hay din hey, bwah hai um n'gey." Owen had won. He had taken everything he loved and held dear and completely destroyed it. In the dark a strange black limo turned on its headlights and pulled up slowly along side him keeping pace with him as he walked. Frink ignored it or did not notice it until it had opened its back door and he was pulled inside by his arm. To Frink's left sat a strange man with red hair and a beard, a purple sweat jacket and blue pants. He smiled at him and said in a cheerful voice, "Professor Frink I presume? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm…" Before the man could finish Frink drew his death ray, pointed it and fired. The red beam just missed the stranger's head as he ducked into the back of the seat and left a huge gapping hole in the wall of the car.
"WOE!! That's some death ray you've got there." He said more impressed than frightened. Frink aimed at him again, but before he could press the trigger the man grabbed the ray by the barrel and aimed it away from his face.
"Professor, please stop that!!" He yelled. The two men struggled for the gun while the chauffeur drove on casually as though this kind of thing happened all the time. He only raised the glass between his passengers and himself. At last the man was able to pry the death ray from Frink's hands. Frink freaked when he did so and began frantically pulling on the handle of the door trying to escape. The man pushed him back into his seat by the shoulders and held him there. Frink kicked, screamed and struggled to get loose.
"Professor, please calm down!" He might as well have been talking to a brick wall because Frink did not listen. "I said STOP THAT!!" He yelled as he held the death ray to Frink's head. "AAAHH!!!" Cried Frink as he at last stopped struggling and cowered back into his seat.
"Oh good gracious!" Said the man as he placed the gun behind him and out of sight. "Can we start over, this time without the gun? Just hear me out. My name is Hank Scorpio, owner of the Globex Corporation. But you can call me Hank." Frink just sat staring at him unimpressed.

"Listen, John. John. Mind if I call you John?"
"Yes I do mind." He said finally responding to him.
"Oh, alright. Well shall I call you Professor? What shall I call you?"
"Just call me Frink. Everyone else does."
"Alright, Frinky it is. Listen Frink. I know about what happened to your family and I'm really sorry. As a businessman I know how important families are to my workers. When I read what had happened to you it really disturbed me and I felt the need to help you out."
"What do you want from me, Mr. Scorpio?"
"Please call me Hank. You're a smart guy and you know where this is going. I believe in honesty within a business so I'm going to level with you, Frink. I want you to come work for me. Uh, uh, uh." He said holding up his hands. "Now before you say 'No' listen to what I have to say. If you came to work for me you get your own modern state of the art house out in Cypress Creek. I'm sure you don't want anything to do with the unpleasant memories here in Springfield. You'll have your very own lab. If you want I'll even name a wing after you. You could work on anything you want there, do your research, take equipment home if you so desire. You could work on anything, even build equipment for your revenge. You would finally have the funding to build your death ray properly. I'm completely behind you on your quest for revenge against this Owen Marsh fellow. It's an offer I think you can not refuse." Frink found it very tempting indeed but was still cautious.
"And what do you get out of this?" He asked.
"I get your help, and I get to help. You and I are very much alike, Frink. And we need each other's help or we cannot accomplish our goals. You would finish designing the Thanos project for me, and I have a feeling you have it all finished already. Of course I'd have to change that horrible name to something friendlier like The Scorpio Project. My goodness Frink, what ever made you take a job with a horrible name like 'the murderer project'?"
"I don't know. I was stupid I guess. I didn't see it as a warning of things to come, but that's exactly what it turned out to be for me. I still do not see what you and I have in common though." Said Frink eying Scorpio.
"Many things. We value our families for one, we believe in honesty and openness, and you may not know this but I too have a rival. My rival is Thanatos." He said the name with fire in his eyes. It was plain to see that Hank Scorpio harbored many negative feelings against Thanatos. "For years we've been at each other's throats, trying to get ahead of one another. So far we've been evenly matched. I hate to admit it but it is true. I try to expand my business and he's there first. I try to export arms and he's doing the same. It is very frustrating and I know you understand. I haven't been able to get ahead but with YOU I can, and I shall be able to put him out of business permanently. With your rival being Owen and mine being Thanatos we are facing the same enemy. But Thanatos made the mistake of no taking care of you."
"And just what would you use my electrophages, that's the name I gave them um hay, for?"
"Electrophages. I like that! Well I would use them for the same thing that Thanatos was going to use them, for terrorist acts and infiltrating computer systems. You see that's the part he didn't tell you. That's why he hired you, to use you and knowingly forced you to work with your rival. But you don't care about any of that right? You just want to get back at Owen and I think you should." Scorpio said with a big smile.
"And how do I know that you aren't going to use me like he did? How do I know you aren't going to take advantage of me?" Said Frink crossing his arms.
"You don't. You're just going to have trust me." Responded Scorpio.
"TRUST YOU?!?" Yelled Frink. "You kidnapped me and held me at gun point with my own death ray and I'm supposed to trust you?!?!"
"You can't do this by yourself. I can't do it by myself either. We need each other's help for this thing to pull through. Don't do it for me, Frink. Do it for yourself. Do it for Max and Caroline. Do it to finally set your soul at rest. Eventually you're going to have to trust someone." Scorpio said holding out Frink's death ray in the palm of his hand. Frink stared at it surprised for a moment, then carefully lifted it out of Hank's hand and placed it back in his coat. Hank handed him a card.
"Think about it, Frink. When you are ready give me a call. I believe this is your house." He said as he pulled up to Frink's driveway. Frink stepped out of the car and shut the door. He watched them drive away and he went inside. He would think about it, though he felt he already knew the answer.

"FOOL! What the devil were you thinking?!?!" Yelled Thanatos as he confronted Owen Marsh in his dark office. "Didn't I tell you that we NEEDED Frink for the Thanos project? And didn't I tell you that you could have your way with him AFTER he built it for us?!?" He circled around Owen as he stood in the center of the floor and yelled each sentence into whichever ear he happened to be at in his loop around him. Owen stood with his teeth clenched, eyes closed and struggling with his anger and fear. His hands were balled into fists. This was one of the few times when Owen was frightened and he had every right to be so in the presence of Thanatos. The man had a nasty scar on his left cheek that he had received years ago in a knife fight. It was rather unnerving that he had a nearly identical scar on his right cheek. This one was self-inflicted after he had attained the first one. It was said Thanatos gave it to himself to even things out and have a symmetrical face. That scarred countenance was now looking straight into Owen's. "I told you ahead of time I would hire him so that you would be prepared, and I thought you would be able to control your rage until this was finished. But no, I see I was wrong. You had to go and murder his family, when you could have done that at the end with the help of MY professionals. Your men didn't even do a good job killing that child in broad daylight in front of a crowd of witnesses! It is not what I expected from a bright man like you, Owen."
"I…I'm really sorry Mr. Thanatos. I just couldn't contain it, the hate." He said holding up his hand like a claw.

"That is because you are young and still have much to learn. Use your head not your heart. You have a great one but you acted off your feelings. Now look at my complex, it's ruined and now we have a mad genius out there seeking his revenge. He is a threat to us."
"Why not call the police to…"
"Call the police?" Said Thanatos with a laugh as he cut Owen off. "Just how much has your IQ dropped in the past few days? Remember what we do here!! We are a corporation that deals in terrorism. I cover our tracks extremely well because we are the best. Do you think it is WISE to let the cops and the FBI waltz in and start poking around?"
"You're right, sir. I'm sorry. I just didn't think that…"
"That's right! You DIDN'T THINK! That's the problem!" Yelled Thanatos. He noticed how distraught Owen was over all this and that he actually hadn't meant for all this to happen. Thanatos softened the expression on his face and said, "I have already fed the media the story that it was an accident, nothing more, nothing less. And as far fetched as this may sound I DO understand why you did what you did. I have my share of rivals, and I was once like you."
"Then you're not…"
"No I'm not going to fire you." Responded Thanatos before Owen could even ask. "I like you too much for that. You remind me of myself when I was young, I made my share of mistakes but I learned from them and I learned to control my temper. You're a dark soul, Owen Marsh. You are the kind of man my company needs and it is why you are my head scientist and advisor. But you need to listen to your boss and learn a few things. You are still green. Had you done it my way, you wouldn't have had to go to the trouble of offing his family. I would have helped you off him, then you could have come in and just taken his woman and done what you pleased with the boy."
A smile slowly crept onto Owen's face. Thanatos burst out laughing and Owen soon joined him.
"This will not happen again, Sir. And you can be assured that I shall be the one to finish the Thanos project for you."
"Very good, then get to work."

It didn't take Frink long to think it through and a few hours later he found himself dialing the number on Scorpio's card.
"I'm ready." He said into the receiver.
"Don't do anything. I'll send someone over to pick you up." He said.
Frink looked out the window and saw a large moving truck making its way up the road. Scorpio had provided everything and they would pack and move all his belonging to his new home. Once settled in, Frink walked around his new house. Everything he could need was there, including a basement ready to be made into a lab just like before. The home was luxurious but Frink hardly noticed. He was completely focused on his task. All he could think about was making Owen pay. Hank Scorpio showed him around at work. Normally Frink would have flipped out at all the equipment and supplies he had access to and that were his but he did not, all of this was now just a means to an end. He did take the time to finally work on his death ray and a few other things he might need. That evening he arrived home and headed straight to his garage. Caroline's surprise was finished at last. It was extremely late, but it was finally finished. He stood before his creation and pulled off the white sheet that covered it revealing a shinny red hover car. It had no wheels and just floated about a foot and a half above the ground. It worked on magnets and was propelled forward by two powerful jets on the back that produced a blue exhaust when they were in motion. To slow down they simply reversed course. In fact it was more of a flying car as it could change its altitude by increasing the amount of magnetism. The incident of his remote control car becoming airborne and getting lodged in the tree when he was a child had never left his mind, nor had all those visit to the museum and looking at the magnet exhibit. The floating magnets lined up like pole to like pole and the toy car had been inspiration for his latest creation here, the flying car.

"It's finished Caroline. This is what I made for you." He said out loud as he jumped in from the side and flew it out into the driveway. "Of course I added some extra things to it for pay back time. I'm doing this for you and for Max." To test it out he flew it to the Globex Corporation on his way to work. It rode fast and smooth for it was a sports car after all. Frink was very anxious and more than ready to get started. He went straight up to Hank's office and threw a disk onto his desk.
"Oh my gosh, you finished already Frink?" Said Scorpio with wide eyes.
"Yes, Sir. All the schematics, directions and instructions are on that. I have explained to your engineers what has to be done to put these together and how to control them. And I made some for myself."
"Don't call me Sir. Wait a minute, you made some already? Have you tested them? Do they work?" He asked. Scorpio's computer suddenly flashed red and blue and its speakers came on saying,
"Good evening Mr. Scorpio. All the bugs are now out of your system. Have a good day."
"I do believe they work." Said Frink with a bit of a smile.
"You put them into my computer? How did you do that?"
"They are airborne. Of course, n'gey they don't travel far so they need a vector to carry them. You could place them on something so simple as a disk. They'd reside on the surface and once opened up they'd fly through the house, building, structure what have you and make their way into computer systems."
"This is excellent. It would be so easy to gain control of everything this way. Why I would give these out for free. We'd call the disks something like 'U.S.A On Net' or U.S.A.O.N. Each letter would be pronounced" Said Scorpio all excited. Frink nodded in agreement.
"I just wanted to thank you for all your help and I have to go now, I still have a debt with Owen."
"Woe, hold on there Frinky." Said Scorpio grabbing him by the shoulder. "You still have no idea how to go about this. You have no experience committing nefarious acts."
"Blab I suppose I don't." Said Frink thinking about the difficulty of the situation. "But I'm not a…"
"You're not a what?" Said Scorpio cutting him off. "You're not a terrorist, a villain, a criminal? Yes you are, Professor. You crossed the line. You are on my side now. What little Innocence you had became Lost when your son died." Frink frowned at the thought, but it was true.
"No they are the ones that lost their innocence. They were thrust into this cruel world and taken before their time. Taken from me!" Said Frink nearly breaking into tears.
"Yes, the three of you lost your innocence. But you can do something about it, you just don't know how. That's why I'm going with you."
"WHAT?" Said Frink shocked. "But sir this is my fight. I really appreciate…"
"It's our fight, remember? I still want Thanatos and we can literally kill two birds with one stone." He said laughing madly. "I already have someone on the inside, Frink. He's informed me that in two days both Owen AND Thanatos will be working late in the night. That's when we'll strike! You aren't the only one with fancy toys that you're dying to try. I have some goodies that will help us out as well. Meet me here that day in the evening and we can carry out our little plan." Frink thought a moment and with an expressionless face nodded in agreement.

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