This is Olivia Mitchell. What follows is the truth, recorded here in Jazz's journal for safekeeping. The spell that hides it will be broken on my death. I have sworn to tell no one these things while I live, but I am not a fool.

As Jazz notes, I was not, in fact, able to scry anything. So we armored up, loaded up and headed to the ambush site.

I did a check for any residual magics in the area and came up with a mass charm spell. I was also able to determine that all the bodies on both sides had been slain by a painweb spell. That same single spell killed everyone, and it was cast at a very high level of ability. Rodrick was also looking around at vehicles, their tracks and the spent ammunition.

Thinking out loud, I said, "If everyone was slain by the spell, that means that even the ones that were shot were slain by it. Are those gunshot wounds were pre- or post-mortem?" I checked the hands of the dead - none of them smelled of gunpowder.

I said, "Here's a potential scenario - see if it makes any sense to you guys. The mercenaries were hired to protect Rosalinda on the way to Vegas. Luxor's men attack. During that shoot out, a third party swoops in, grabs Rosalinda, and drops everyone else, indiscriminately, with a painweb. What do you think? In this scenario, I think we definitely talk to the fox woman."

Rodrick announced that who ever was involved kept their vehicles on the highway - there were no tracks to help out. "But there were also no skid marks or sign of a rapid deceleration. Was the enemy someone they knew? Trusted? Were expecting? And come look at this."

There was one vehicle, the command vehicle, he judged by the way it was equipped, that had its trunk open. Inside there was an armor case. "That's where their cash box should be. Someone bothered to rob them." He'd checked the commander of the merc company and had found a lock box key - still in his pocket.

We talked about it and decided to interrogate one of the corpses. We picked the leader.

"Explain the circumstances of your death."

"We had fulfilled our contract and we were waiting to get paid. Suddenly there was a purple light and great pain. And I died."

"What was your contract?"

"To bring some woman named Rosalinda to this point to meet her next escort who would continue the next phase of her trip."

"Who was the next escort you were to meet?"

"We thought they were people from Luxor, they were wearing his colors, but then a black helicopter arrived. They knew the I.D. codes and Rosalinda got in with them."

"Who did you have the contract with?"

"Lotus, Rosalinda's replacement in Kingman."

"Describe any markings on the helicopter."

"A dark circle with a black, winged wolf on it."

Jazz and I looked at each other - the Azrael crews all wear patches on their uniforms with that symbol.

"Was gunfire exchanged between you and Luxor's men?"

"No."

Yasai was still frustrated, so I pulled on some Power and was able to ask two more questions.

"Were you planning on meeting Luxor's men?"

"No."

"What is your interpretation of what happened here?"

"Someone set us up as patsies."

Still no good.

Rodrick and Yasai grabbed one of Luxor's men - a high-ranking one - and dropped his corpse in front of Jazz.

"Why did you show up here yesterday?"

"An informant told us that we could strike a blow against the enemy of our Lord. We were waiting for more information when the mercenaries showed up. Before anything could be resolved the Blackhawk with the weird paint job showed up. Then everything turned purple."

"Describe the Blackhawk."

"Standard Blackhawk model with Hellfire missiles, extra fuel cells and a chameleon paintjob - it changed from a silvery blue to sand colored as it landed. It also had some kind of unit marking on it."

"Did you see anyone get on the Blackhawk?"

"Some Drow chick with a lot of luggage and a couple of personal assistants to carry it. The crew fitted her with a helmet and buckled her in before taking off. I didn't see if anyone got into the second Blackhawk."

Second one? Rodrick went to check and found three definite sets of markings, all from Blackhawk landing gear. Around them were numerous footprints - army issue footwear. Lots of people had gotten off the helicopters.

Jazz continued with the questions, "Did you recognize any of the people on the Blackhawks?"

"No."

"Who was your informant?"

"They call him Josie the Pussycat."

Have you ever been to Area 12?"

"Once, at the end of September, when they were packing up all the Favor and bio-engineering stuff to move to the new location."

"Damn!" Jazz swore. "We blew it - we waited too long."

I pulled some power for more questions.

"Who were you taking your orders from, right before you died?"

"General Julio Marquez."

"Where did they take the stuff from Area 12?"

"Echo Bay Recreation Area."

Rodrick got a map and located it - northern Lake Mead.

We went over what we had learned and decided to continue on to Kingman. I wanted to speak to the brothel manager. Yasai did too, from the way he was ranting. On the way there, Rodrick spotted something and asked for a pair of binoculars. Leo stopped Scooby and Rodrick got out, explaining that he'd seen an eagle that appeared to be following us. Thru the binoculars he couldn't tell what kind of eagle it was, but it wasn't a Bald or Golden eagle.

He asked, "Ladies, could that be another familiar?"

Jazz took the binoculars for a look then handed them to me, "Olivia, could that be Mixah?"

I took a look, and said, "Could be."

"Mixah?" Rodrick asked.

"You know that bird?" Yasai asked.

The eagle circled and gradually came lower until it touched down and transformed into Mixah.

"How ya doin'?" I asked. "Why didn't you come down and talk to us?"

"Until you got out of the vehicle I was not sure that it was you. What brings you out here?"

I jerked a thumb at Yasai "His girlfriend was kidnapped."

"Girlfriend? I wouldn't go so far as to say that."

I think it was decided that Rosalinda was to be referred to as 'The egg-donor'.

"Did you see anything while you were cruising around up there?" Jazz asked.

"Blackhawk helicopters, mercenary groups?" I prompted. "And what brings you out here? It's an awfully big desert."

"I saw something unusual and I was following it," Mixah said.

Jazz asked, "What did you see?"

"A fox. A silver fox with nine tails."

"Really? We have some questions for her," I said.

Mixah asked, "You know where to find her?"

"In her office in the brothel in Kingman.

"Or at least she was there four months ago," Jazz said.

"I first saw her in Chihuahua," Mixah said.

"And when was that?" Rodrick asked.

"Two months ago. I was checking on the dragon."

"There's a dragon in Chihuahua?" Yasai asked.

"Yes, and the fox was conversing with it. The fox ran from the dragon's lair as if it were on a mission. It ran until it met up with some helicopters. It spoke to the people there and then the helicopters went one way and the fox another. It was moving north - very fast. Too fast to keep up with. That was a month ago. Tell me - does this have anything to do with the giant scorpions that have been dumped on Aztlan?"

"Oddly enough, no. That was the previous Lord Luxor's doing," Jazz said.

Mixah shrugged, "They have not been too much trouble for us - the dragon eats them like candy."

"So the dragon's helping you out, now?" Jazz asked.

"It is a new dragon - it defeated the old one that I had told you about and took its territory."

Yasai asked him what the dragon looked like and Mixah described some sort of giant, flying, fluffy mustache-wearing wienerdog from Hell.

I thought it might be an Oriental dragon - the mustache sounded right. Yasai agreed with me.

Mixah said, "I saw it once, sunbathing on a cloud, but it saw me and flew off. It took me quite some time, but I finally tracked it to a cave - that was where I saw it speaking to the fox."

"I really want to speak to that fox." I said.

"I really want to speak to that dragon," Yasai said.

But Mixah refused to tell us where the dragon could be found, "It's eating the scorpions, it defeated the dragon that was terrorizing the region. If I get a chance I will let it know that you wish to speak to it."

Jazz said, "Thank you for your help, Mixah."

He bowed, Changed and flew away. We moved out.

We pulled into Kingman and were allowed right thru the gates, this time. At the brothel the girls greeted us, "Oooh! Are you all here for a party?"

I said, "Is what's-her-name here?"

"We don't have a girl by that name," one of them said.

"Don't mess with me, I know she's here," I said. Yasai started blustering until a door that hadn't been there before opened and an older man in a three-piece suit walked thru it. He indicated that we should go thru the door, "Please," was all he said. We followed him to a sitting room where a middle-aged woman in a kimono was waiting - the Madam.

I said, "Hi. Remember us? Where's Rosalinda?"

Madam said, "Would you like some tea?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh Christ!" Can't anyone just answer a simple fucking question?"

We sat and Madam poured, then Yasai decided to re-enact the battle of wits scene from 'The Princess Bride' with the Madam. I'm not sure which one was supposed to be the little Sicilian guy. They both lived, so I assumed the tea wasn't poisoned. When they finally finished, I demanded to know where Rosalinda was.

The Madam sighed and made some comments about the quality of her help. She finished by saying that Rosalinda was fine.

"That wasn't the question," I said.

She went on to explain that she had never intended for Rosalinda to go to Yasai in Vegas. "But then you decided that she had to join you almost immediately. The plans we had which were to take six months had to be completed in two weeks. As a result, they did not go well."

Rodrick asked, "And Rosalinda was okay with this?"

"She was following instructions. First - to look for a partner with desirable traits that would help the Family in the long run." She pointed at Yasai, "Then you showed up. She enticed you and evoked a spell to guarantee pregnancy. All precisely as she had been instructed."

"I want the kid," Yasai said.

"But we can give the child something that you cannot - tradition, history."

"So?" I asked.

Yasai said, "I can do those things as well and I don't happen to embrace your culture."

I suggested that Yasai take the child to Vegas and Madam could provide a nanny to instruct the child.

"I will raise my child, "Yasai said. "And it will not kowtow to anyone."

Madam got very, very icy, "We do not kowtow."

"Oh I know! Wrong culture," Yasai said. "But Rosalinda follows your every order - my child won't do that."

"But Rosalinda is my granddaughter - naturally she obeys me."

Rodrick said, "I thought that the Yakuza was always led by men."

"Not here, not now."

I asked, "What does Rosalinda want?"

"What I tell her to want."

"You see?" Yasai said.

I ignored him - he's too involved - and said to Madam, "Look, we will find her and then there will be ass-kicking."

Madam dropped her disguise, revealing her fox head and nine tails and said, "You have no idea what you are dealing with." Then she said to Yasai, "I promise to you that I will not deny you access to the child. I may even accept you as a student." They bickered over the child's welfare for a while until I suggested that Yasai be granted 'visitation rights'.

Yasai interrupted and said, "May I ask, were you supernatural, before the Change?"

"I was a sorceress of some ability." My ring said she was lying - on the humble side of that statement. She continued, saying,, "Do you wish to be part of this child's life or are you afraid of the Power she may have?"

"Column 'C'?" I asked. They ignored me and spent some time working out the visitation anf all that. Everything was fine until Madam told Yasai, "We will send you a message when her time comes. And as for the rest of it? Stay out of Kingman."

Yasai shrugged. "Okay by me. I've got some things to check out in Chihuahua."

The room became totally quiet and very frosty.

"I hear they grow some large beasts down there," he continued.

Madam's face became stony and Power rose, filling the room.

"I WISH that you knew nothing of this place and nothing of me! I WISH that you were all back in Las Vegas where you belong!"

Everyone vanished but me. Madam looked at me with some surprise. "I am impressed. Go home. Forget about all of this. Your friends already have. Say nothing of what happened here, and they may live in peace. Now go!"

I asked, "Why is this such a problem? What bothers you so much? Is it Yasai having his kid or us knowing about the dragon in Chihuahua?"

"Go. Leave. We will make arrangements."

"For visitation or custody?"

"Whatever - just go!"

"I have your word?" I asked. She drew a sword and swore on it. I got up to leave and said, "Next time - will you just come to us if you have issues? No more of this bullshit? You have until one month before the baby is due. If arrangements aren't made by then - I'll tell them everything and we'll all be back."

"I gave you my word," Madam said. "In the meantime, tell them that you came here and discovered that Rosalinda was rescued from Luxor's men by my people and is safe in hiding. Swear to me, buy the oaths you swear by, that you will say nothing of this!"

I nodded and said, "Fine! Before Crom I give you my word, until my death or your treachery releases me." Then I turned and left - only to find that Scooby was gone, too. So I teleported myself back to the Hard Rock where I told the others Madam's cover story.

The last thing that anyone else remembered was Yasai calling us all together to tell us about Rosalinda being gone. Yet somehow they just 'knew' that Area 12 had been emptied and moved to Echo Bay. They accepted that.

So, there it is. The truth.

Oh, Yasai?

Wear a fucking condom next time!