For those of you who have read my heart saga, well, I hoped you enjoyed it. For those who 
haven't, well, GO READ IT FIRST! You won't understand a lot of things if you don't. But 
enough of that. The show must go on!

Note: This story is based on a true medical disorder. 

ALIEN PAW	

	Roger sat in his cell, reminiscing over old times. He looked at his left paw, 
thinking of the damage that it had done. 
	'You killed them', he said to it. 'You killed them.'

A WEEK EARLIER..

	 Jake sat on the sofa, laughing his head off at David Litterbin. Sami also found him 
hilarious, as she held her sides to keep from falling off the chair. Chance was reading an 
extremely good novel his sister had given him for Christmas. Personally, he didn't find 
Litterbin funny. The only thing that really cracked him up was a good Scaredy Kat cartoon. 
As he browsed through the novel, Ann Gora's voice caught his attention.
	'We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin. The Enforcers have 
arrested a kat named Roger Kale for murder. According to eyewitnesses, Roger suddenly 
reached for a young she-kat standing beside him and strangled her with his left paw. Reports 
from the witnesses say that he was yelling for his paw to stop, tugging at it with his right 
paw. We now go to Commander Ulysses...'
	Jake turned off the TV set. Sami was stunned. 
	'What kind of a kat would strangle someone just for standing right beside him?'
Jake shrugged.
	'I don't know Sami, and I don't want to know.'
	'Well whatever the reason was, he sure can't do any more harm in jail.'
She was wrong. Very wrong.


Roger was on the rampage. He had twisted and broken his cell doors, strangled the sleeping 
guard, taken his gun and shot two more Enforcer guards, all with his left paw. When he was 
finally subdued, he was screaming like a madkat, begging for them to cut off his left paw.


	Sami had moved in with Chance and Jake at the salvage yard. With her life savings, 
(About three thousand dollars) she had built an annex to the salvage yard. Felina, chipping 
in some cash, expanded it for herself. Sami was reading in her room when she heard a knock
on the door.
	'Come in.'
The door opened as Jake and a younger she-kat entered. Sami scrutinized the she-kat. She had 
copper fur, like Jake's and short golden hair. Her tail was long and had silver stripes.
	'What's this? Got a new girlfriend, Jake?' 
Jake smiled at her. 
'This is my niece, Kristina. She just moved to Megakat City and wants to come and visit.'
Sami arched an eyebrow.
	'Your niece?'
	'Yeah.'
	'How old is she?'
	'Fifteen.'
Sami's eyebrow arched another centimeter.
	'Fifteen? Jake, you're twenty-seven, and she's fifteen?'
	'Hey, wasn't my fault. Some guy raped Evette in an alley. Damn, I'll kill the guy if 
I ever find out who he is.'
Kristina reached over to shake Sami's paw when suddenly, she heard a soft meow. Jake rushed 
over to the cot beside Sami's bed and picked up his kitten. It was Kristina's turn to arch 
an eyebrow.
	'Married, Uncle Jake?'
Sami was deeply amused. Uncle Jake? That was a good one.
	'Yup.'
	'To whom?'
	'Go figure.'
Kristina looked at Sami. 
	'Oh.'
	'Kristina, meet Ariel Kranen Clawson.'
Kristina looked back at the silver kitten and gently shook it's paw.
	'Hi Ariel.'
	'Meow.'
	'I think she likes you, Kris'
Kristina laughed and tickled the kitten's chin. Ariel purred.


	Rogers' left paw tugged at the bars of the window. He was trying to stop it, pulling 
at it, biting it in desperation.
	'No! Stop! Please!'
It's only response was to tug harder.


	'Jake.'
	'Huh, what?'
	'Wake up buddy.'
	'What is it?'
	'The strangler's back.'


	'What do you mean, you couldn't catch him?'
	'He was too fast Commander. His left paw punches like Mike Tyson.'
Feral growled. This Kale guy had broken out of jail three times and killed seven of his men, 
not to mention two civilians. He heard the Turbokat overhead. Too late. He had escaped. 
Feral growled again.
	'I want every Enforcer in this city searching for this psycho. NOW!'
	'Yes Commander.'


	Kristina was walking back to the salvage yard from school, whistling a tune. She was 
not in a hurry, knowing that her homework wouldn't be a problem. As she walked, she thought 
she heard something in the alley beside her. She looked into the alley. Nothing but 
darkness. She shrugged and continued to walk on. Suddenly she felt a paw grab her neck in a 
choke hold. She turned and screamed. 


	Razor was surveying the area from the Turbokat when he heard a scream. It was 
unmistakable.
	'Kristina!'
	'Hang on bud. I'm bringing her around.' 
T-bone pulled towards where the noise had come from in a tight circle.


	'When you assess people, it is like mining for gold. You don't look for the dirt, 
you look for the gold.'-Andrew Carnegie
	
Roger looked guilty as Razor entered the interrogation room with T-bone and Kristina. 
	'My niece here tells me that you tried to strangle her.'
Roger shook his head violently.
	'It wasn't me. It wasn't me!'
	'Then who was it?'
	'He did it!', pointing at his left paw.
Razor raised an eyebrow. 
	'What do you mean, your paw did it?'
	'It killed them. I can't control it. It's wild!'
	'Move it for me.'
	'What?'
	'Move it for me.'
Roger flexed his fingers.
	'Clench your fist.'
Roger clenched it. 
	'Cup your paw.'
Roger tried to cup it but couldn't. Razor pushed the sides of his paw and cupped it for him. 
It suddenly grabbed at Razors wrist. Razor was shocked. The force of the grip was cutting 
the blood flow to his paws. Roger was pulling at it with all his might.
	'Stop! Please, Stop!'
Razor pinched a part of Roger's arm and he immediately released him. Roger pulled Razor to 
his face. 
	'Please, stop it. Take me to jail, put me in Alkatraz, throw me in the loony bin, I
don't care! Just stop this, thing, from hurting anyone again!'
Razor pushed him down and then spoke in a gentle voice.
	'When did all this start?'
	'When I was twenty, I think.'
	'When was that?'
	'Seventeen years ago.'
	'How?'
	'One day, I was riding my motorcycle through Main Street when an eighteen wheeler 
crashed into me. I survived, but my left paw started doing weird things. They were minor at 
first . Then they became serious and violent.'
	'What was the first thing it did that really mattered?'
Roger looked up at Razor.
	'It made me do it. I didn't want to, It made me!'
	'Do what?'
	' In the alley behind the Fish and Chip restaurant on Dillicker Street fifteen years 
ago. It,', Roger couldn't get the word out.
Kristina felt something, déjà vu, if she was not mistaken. Razor had a sudden surge of 
anger. He held it back as much as he could, being the nice person he was.
	'Was she light copper, with gold stripes on her cheeks?'
Roger nodded.
	'Short, brown hair, long tail with silver stripes?'
Kristina's mind clicked. Her mom fitted the description perfectly. Down to every last 
detail.
	Razor took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He looked at Roger, who was now 
crying. 
	'I didn't want to do it.'
	'I know you didn't.'
	'No one believes me.'
	'I do.'
Roger was dumbfounded. 
	'You do?'
Razor nodded slowly.
	'I do.'
Just then the Enforcer guard came into the room.
	'Times up, pals.'
As they left, one could see Razor trying his best to stay calm. Kristina turned to him.
	'Well, at least now I know who my dad is.'
T-bone, who had been silent all through, spoke up.
	'What makes you think he's innocent? This guy is a psychotic!'
	'I saw the look in his eyes. This guy doesn't want to do what he does. He lives in 
fear of himself. Fear of what he will do next.'
	'Whoa, spare me on the details, I didn't know you suddenly became a psychoanalyst!'
	'I didn't. I just know that this guy IS innocent.'


	Jake picked up the phone and dialed his younger sister's number. She picked up the 
phone.
	'Evette?'
	'Jake?'
	'Yes it's me.'
	'Excuse me for a minute.'
There was a brief pause.
	'Hello.'
	'What did you just do?'
	'Switched phones. Dad's visiting.'
	'Oh.'
	'So why did you call?'

	'I have a few questions I want to ask you.'
	'Fire away.'
	'First I have to ask you a very important question. Please answer sincerely.'
Evette sounded worried.
	'Why?'
	'Just do so.'
	'Okay.'
	'Do you mind If I sort through some times in your life that you may not like me to 
bring up?'
Silence.
	'If you want to, I can end this conversation right now.'
	'No. Please, ask all you want.'
'Remember fifteen years ago, in an alley?'
Deep silence.
	'Hello?'
	'Yeah, I'm here.'
	'Do you remember?', Jake said the words out slowly.
	'I remember.'
	'What did he do?'


	Chance came in to find Jake hanging up the phone. 
	'Who was it?'
	'Someone I just got more evidence from.'


	'So she told you that he was yelling about it not being his fault and stuff like 
that?'
	'Something like it.'
Chance looked at Jake.
	'You STILL think this guy is innocent?'
	'He is, no doubt about that.' 
	'What makes you say so?'
	'The eyes are the mirror of the soul. His eyes, Chance. His eyes.'
	'What about his eyes?'
Jake sighed. 
	'You don't get it do you?'
Chance shook his head.
	'He is a nutcase. A loon.'
	'He's innocent.'
	'What evidence have you got?'
	'First, from the interview when he suddenly gripped my wrist. The look of surprise 
and horror on his face. The force of the grip nearly cut off the blood flow to my paw. 
Second, Evette gave me the rest of the proof that I needed. He did not want to do it. 
Seriously.'
From the look on his face, Jake could see that Chance wasn't buying.
	'Fine. Don't'
Jake got up and left.


	Roger stood before an entire Enforcer battalion of tanks, troopers and choppers. 
Megaphones screamed at him but he was too scared to do anything. Suddenly, his left paw 
pushed him away from the wall behind him. 
	'NOO!'
	Roger tried to run, but the Enforcers were firing at him. He ducked behind a wall, 
hoping, praying that the firing would stop. It did.
	'This is Commander Feral. Come out with your paws in the air.', Feral announced over 
the megaphone.
He then gestured for three Enforcers to go in and take Kale. Roger heard them coming and put 
his paws in the air. He then slowly walked out from behind the wall. He saw the Enforcers 
headed towards him. As one reached for his paws to handcuff them, his  left paw grabbed the 
Enforcer's rifle. It held up the gun, shooting the Enforcer. Immediately, the rest of them 
opened fire. Roger screamed as he fell to the ground. He didn't feel any pain, just calmness.


	'We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin. Serial killer Roger 
Kale was shot dead at the Megakat Maximum Security Prison when he tried to escape ten 
minutes ago. Roger has been brought to Megakat Morgue. We now go to Commander Feral for 
comments.'
	Ann brought the microphone to the kat beside her.
	'Commander Feral.'
	'I only have one comment, Ann. Megakat City is rid of another psychotic. Now 
citizens can rest...'
Jake switched off the TV. Chance looked triumphant.
	'See? Even Feral thinks he's guilty.'
Jake looked at him.
	'I think that it's just a damn shame. Another guy just died for nothing.'
	'Another psycho, you mean.'
	'Forget it.', Jake rolled his eyes and left the room.


EPILOGUE

	Jake pulled away from the computer with a frown on his face. He had been right. 
Disconnecting the modem, he called Sami at her station, hoping she was there.
	'Hello?'
	'Sami? Are you at your computer?'
	'Yes, why?' 
	'Get ready for a fax and E-mail.'
	'What about?'
	'The Kale file.'
Jake hung up the phone. On Sami's computer, she saw an Internet link as a piece of paper 
came out of the fax machine. Clicking on it, she was sent to a medical site. After reading 
several pages, she stopped. 
	'I'd better give this to the commander.'
She printed it out and took the fax. She then headed for the Commander's office. 
	'Come in.'
Sami opened the door and entered. She put the file down on Feral's desk. He picked it up and 
started to read. After a while he looked up
	'Where did you get this?'
	'Internet site.'
Feral pushed a button on his intercom.
	'Janine, re-open the Kale file. I think I've got something new on this.'

The end.

Note: Excerpt from an Internet file:

	Alien paw, as it is more commonly known, is caused by a severe bump to the head. The 
only symptom is the inability to control left paw at times. Certain cases have been known to 
strangle themselves while sleeping. The patient is not responsible for control of his/her 
paw and any criminal charges should be ignored.