

Karl slumped over into a pile of refuse in an alley outside the Beirtinker alehouse. He had spent most of his day inside drinking away the last of his money, and the last of his will to live. Unfortunately, with very little money he had very little to drink and could not even have the pleasure of being drunk. He took out his last remaining possession, a ColHause Voltalic Pistol, put it to his head, and fired. The gun sparked, singing Karl's hair, but otherwise leaving him unharmed. "God damn batteries." Karl put the gun back in his coat. "First they take my newspaper, then they don't even have the decency to let me die." He looked at the sky. "Too bad it isn't winter, then I could freeze to death." A cat rounded the corner of the alley, walked up to Karl, and jumped into his lap with a loud meow. "Hello there little kitty," Karl said, scratching the cat behind her ears, "at least somebody cares about me." The cat rolled around in his lap and purred, headbutting every surface it could find. Karl gave his new friend a vigorous rubdown, and found a collar around its neck. A small medallion with a button on it hung from the collar. "What's your name?" Karl pressed the button. From the medallion a distorted voice played. "Hello Karl, it is sad to hear that your newspaper has been banned, but I think we can help each other. Please follow my cat, Sadie, she will bring you to me and we can discuss our future partnership." At the end of the message Sadie meowed and jumped out of Karl's lap. Karl stayed in the garbage as the cat walked to the corner of the alley. She looked back, and annoyed that Karl had not followed, gave a sharp and quick meow. "Well," said Karl, "I've got nothing else to do." He got up and followed the cat to wherever they were going. They went through dark alleys, past the trolley stops, and to the Rhine River. Karl stared into the dark water next to a small boat moored to the side of the river. "If you're thinking of jumping in, I wouldn't do that," said a familiar voice. "Friedrich?" The cat jumped into the man's arms. "You'll just wash up down river, wet, but alive." Karl rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to leave me alone." "Just what I said in the message, we can help each other.." "I don't need your help." "Come on Karl, this isn't what you think, I need your help as well. This is beneficial for the both of us." Karl moved up close to Friedrich, trying, but failing, to intimidate him. "I don't need your help." "I can offer you help nobody else is able, or willing, to give." "Put me to work in your factory making bolts of linen for twelve hours a day? I can do better than that." "I'd like you to work in my factory, but not doing-" Karl interrupted Friedrich with a punch to the face. Friedrich put his hand to his mouth, checking for blood, but the punch didn't break the skin. Karl, unaware that his punch did nothing, tried to further intimidate Friedrich. "Get out of here unless you want another one of those." "That's why I like you," said Friedrich, "you don't back down from what you believe even when you have nowhere else to go. Do you want to know what I believe in?