Free Renegade T.M. by Bernard Langley Page A

broadcast the illegal Renegade show through the invasive means of transcranial modulation, are currently somewhere on this planet. This criminal gang consist of the one they call Fendel, a short woman named Crinkle, an earthman named Pete Martin, and is masterminded by one of the most dangerous felons in existence, Slip McGroovy . Their images are being shown to you now .”
    “ Hey sexy thing ,” waved Slip to a forty foot holographic likeness of himself which suddenly appeared above the crowd.
    “ Short, I'll give them short ,” growled Crinkle, utterly oblivious to the fact that a thirty foot image of herself was currently hovering over her head.
    “ We the Co-leen, rulers of everything and anything else we may have missed in the course of ruling everything, demand the immediate capture of these criminals, a nd a reward of one hundred grewbles is being offered to anyone who can provide us with any information that leads to their arrest .”
    “ A hundred grewbles ,” gasped Slip , “ I could buy my own solar system for that ! ” he stated , imagining what colour he would want it in, before realiz ing suddenly th at everyone had started staring at him .
    “ Crink s ,” began Slip, an element of worry evident in his voice.
    “ Short, how dare they, I'm over four feet, I'll give them short !” she fumed, failing to hear Slip over her ranting.
    “ Crinkle ,” he repeated a little more urgently, aware now that about a third of the crowd was pointing at them.
    “ What? !” s he barked.
    “ I think it's time to leave .”
     
    By now, the crowd had cleared a space around Slip and Crinkle and were all pointing and shouting at them both. The Co-leen, catching on, began to close in upon them.
     
    “ Run !” y elled Slip.
    ***
    “ Yeeeaaaaaaaaa h !” s hrieked Fendel, befo re stopping to catch his breath for a moment.
    “ Yeeeaaaaaaaaa h !” h e continued.
    ***
    Slip and Crinkle started running with the Co-leen in hot pursuit. The crowd, who had but moments ago displayed their evident desire to see them both captured , through their collectively unashamed pointing and shouting, were now only too obliging when it came to getting out of the ir way as they ran through the crowd , ( though it should be said that the six foo t tall, fifteen stone plus figure of Slip pounding down on them, probably had a lot to do with this ) .
     
    “ Quick, down here !” Slip shouted, pointing at one of the slides , once they had broken free of the crowd.
    “ But Slip ,” started Crinkle.
    “ What ?” he int e r r upted, grabbing her and throwing her d own the slide, before jumping down after her himself.
    “ Slip ,” she sighed resignedly .
    “ Hang on, what's going on here? !” said a confused Slip, who was moving down the slide behind her at a speed that Pete would have called snail-paced.
    “ The sign said the slide of sloth ,” explained Crinkle , who then proceeded to stand up and turn herself around , so that she now faced him directly .
    “ Oh ,” he replied , realising that he may have made a tiny er r or of judgment .
     
    Moving down the slide a t a pace hardly noticeable, he had ample time to survey his surroundings, and looking to his left, saw no sign of the Co-leen.
     
    “ Hey Crink s , ” he began, “ you know we might have got away with this yet .”
    “ That way Slip ,” she suggested, pointing to his right.
     
    He turned to his right and was rather discouraged to see a group of Co-leen strolling leisurely beside them. After the Co-leen had laug hed a little at them both , and made some derogatory references to his weight, they then overtoo k the sliding duo, and went on ahead to wait for thei r eventual arrival. At last they emerged from the slide of sloth, only to be greeted by some twenty Co-leen with little ray guns pointing their way, Slip however, had a devastatingly cunning plan.
     
    “ Now we have you Slip McGroovy ,” declared a Co-leen.
    “ I think not ,” he countered , “