"He thought you tried to attack me, so he gave you a right smack. I'm very
sorry."
"I knew it," it growled. "It's always me that has to get BATTERED! Battered
by that gang, battered by people's feet, battered by you, what next?"
Felicity dashed round to Shoyru's aid. Shoyru was on his feet and tried to
apologise for the incident, but the electric Shoyru only backed away from him.
Wingman, who was watching them all the time, stood up sharply.
"I've had enough of this," he growled. "Let's get moving before sunset."
"Where are you going?" the electric Shoyru asked.
"We don't know yet," said Wingman, "but we've got to get a home. Come with
us if you like, but stay out of trouble."
"OK, I'll come," it said, but it looked deeply worried. The team stood up and
walked into the city. Shoyru was walking silently alongside; he dared not say
another word. Kacheek was trying to entertain him with a few somersaults to
keep him out of his misery, but he remained silent and very sad. Wingman and
Felicity were silent too, and so was the electric Shoyru. Feeling thirsty, Shoyru
ran to grab a loose can hanging of the edge of a curb and took a swig.
"Come off it," said Kacheek, "you lot are far too down about these things.
Our plan of home may have gone wrong, but at least we have a new friend here.
Shoyru are you OK?"
Shoyru didn't answer. He stared blankly at the electric Shoyru not knowing
what to say. Then the electric Shoyru gave a sigh.
"Shoyru, look I'm sorry," it said. "Next time I'll not look so suspicious."
Shoyru only gave a slight smile. He walked a few more steps and tripped up.
Struggling to his feet he shook hands with the electric Shoyru. It looked relieved
after that handshake, at least after the little squabble at the train station,
they were now friends.
"He doesn't look at his best, though," Kacheek pondered. "Even after a vacation!
Just what is wrong...? I forgot to ask..." Kacheek said to the electric Shoyru,
"what are you called, anyway? I've never seen that species of Shoyru before..."
The team stopped walking altogether. Instead they pulled into the edge of the
curb away from the road and squatted down outside a restaurant.
"Voltager," she replied. "I'm the only one of it's kind, seeing as it was sort
of, 'genetically modified', if you like to call it that, but whatever created
this breed happened by accident."
"WOW!!" Kacheek gasped. "It's a very rare kind too! Only one of its kind! Tell
me what happened!" he begged, desperate to know more.
"Well," Voltager started, hesitating, "it's sort of a mystery how it happened,
how I got electric powers and how I survived when it happened. It all started
as a plain yellow Shoyru really, but I fell headlong into a hole, full to the
brim with liquid tar...-"
In complete surprise and shock, Kacheek hiccuped and nearly fainted, Shoyru
did likewise, but with more shock. Wingman and Felicity, who were listening
too, dropped to the ground and were fainting. Soon they recovered and Kacheek
urged Voltager to continue.
"Then," Voltager continued, "of course I was scorched almost to death, I nearly
stopped breathing too. I was taken into hospital where the doctor tried to revive
me using this electric shock thingy. However, instead of just reviving me it
jolted thousands of volts into the tar, which is what created the black part
of my body. The electricity doesn't hurt me now I've got this coat of tar on
me."
"Incredible," Wingman gasped when Voltager had finished, "a fine specimen of
a miracle breed of Shoyru, that's what you are. It may never ever happen again."
Voltager blushed.
"That's what gave me my name," Voltager said proudly, "the ability to physically
shock somebody and...Shoyru are you all right?"
Shoyru was yet again on his back and close to fainting, constantly hiccuping,
choking and sneezing. Voltager took one look at him and panicked.
"That... that looks like Neomonia!" she shrieked.
Felicity gaped in puzzlement. She shifted Shoyru off the ground and lifted
him onto her back.
"But Neomonia doesn't get as bad as this," she said, calmly but quite quickly.
"Take Shoyru into hospital. We need to diagnose this before anything else happens."
To be continued... | 
