Copyright 1999 -- Robert Baer Jr

The Renegade Files - "A Cry in the Wilderness"


PROLOGUE
>
>
>This is the story of a superhero, The Computer Renegade, as told through
>the eyes of his faithful bionic German Shepard Otto.  Disguised as
>Accountant Nathan Lovejoy, the Renegade and his friends fight a never
>ending battle against crime, injustice and danger.   This is yet another
>entry from Otto's 'personal' log.
>
The Renegade Files - "A Cry in the Wilderness"

Vacationing in the mountains has been a fun experience for me, my wife,
and our masters!   "Roughing it" in our rustic cabin, having the chance to
relax and enjoy ourselves for the first time in months.   We all had
agreed to refrain from using our super "abilities" while on vacation, but
I couldn't resist using them yesterday when Nathan and Wanna came up
'empty' on their fishing trip.  Instead of leaving the creek 'empty
handed' I 'zapped' some fish out of it and quietly snuck them into my
master's fishing net.   At first, he was upset with me but then realized
that we were all very hungry and wanted fresh trout for dinner!  

Being in the outdoors was a fabulous learning experience for me.   In the
nighttime, while I was cuddling next to Samantha, I'd let my enhanced
hearing record and analyze the various sounds of the forest:  owls,
crickets, and so forth.   Some humans collect stamps, others collect
sports cards and other such things, I collect sounds.   It's one of my
many private hobbies.   Last night, however, my audio receptors heard a
sound that I hadn't heard in many years, a sound that chilled me to the
bone.

"Samantha!" I shouted to my sleeping wife,"WAKE UP, PLEASE?"

"OMMMMM!" Samantha yawned as she looked up at me,"what's the matter,
honey?"

"Something's wrong out there!" I shouted,"I've triangulated the exact
position of the sound, I must leave NOW, before it's too late!"

"Too late for what?" Samantha asked,"what's going on?"

"No time to explain!" I shouted,"track me with your collar, wake up our
masters, tell them it's very URGENT, I MUST GO NOW!"

With that, I activate my black box circuitry and in a flash, I was inside
of a cabin, approximately 3.3 miles away from the cabin we were staying
in.  As I had feared, there were two people in the far bedroom, a man who
had a terrified young lady pinned against the wall.  My loud entrance
startled them both.

"Bertha, you left the door open and this mangy looking mutt came in!" the
man roared,"now I'll have to punish you for that, too!"

"YOU WILL NOT STRIKE THE YOUNG LADY ANYMORE!" I shouted,"LET HER GO NOW!"

"A talking dog?" the man questioned,"so you're a talking dog!  Beat it,
Fido, my wife and I are having a discussion!"

"A discussion that involves physical violence!" I roared,"this is NOT
acceptable human behavior!"

"SHUT UP, RIN TIN TIN!" the man screamed as he turned and slapped his wife.

"NO YOU DON'T!"  I barked as I fired a blue ray at him and made him float
to the ceiling.   The young lady was so frightened, she turned from me and
began to cry.   I was very relieved when Samantha and my masters arrived
in the room!   Wanna (in her Masked Melitta costume) went over to the
young lady and hugged her.  Samantha was the first one of the group who
understood what had happened.

"That young lady looks like she's been beaten," Samantha whispered to
me,"that's her husband floating around up there, isn't it?"

"Yes," I whispered back.

"He beat her, didn't he?" Samantha whispered with a hint of sadness in her
voice,"I know what that's like all too well, my first husband used me for
a punching bag many times......"

"It's alright, my love," I whispered,"we got here just in time."  It was
then when I noticed that my master, in his Computer Renegade costume, was
simply standing there, as if he was in shock.  It was only when the
'floating' man yelled at him that he finally 'snapped' out of it.

"HEY ZORRO!" the man yelled,"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

"You will stay up there until I summon the authorities!" I shouted up to
him.

"Don't bother, mutt!" the man laughed,"she won't press charges, she never
has before!"

"My preliminary scan on your wife detects deep bruises on her arms and
left leg, as well as lacerations in the face and a possible broken jaw!" I
reported to the man,"she needs medical attention!"

"NO!" the man yelled,"we don't need your help!   Darling, tell them!"

The young lady stood on her feet, blood dripping from her mouth, looked up
at her husband and shouted,"NO!!!  NOT THIS TIME!!  I'M LEAVING YOU,
DOUGLAS!"

"You can't mean that!" the man said sweetly,"you know I love you!"

"Your kind of love could kill her!" Samantha barked,"I know what's that
like, Bertha.  My first husband would beat me viciously, every time, I'd
forgive him, cover up for him, all because I still loved him.   One day,
after yet another beating, I left him and never came back!   You must do
the same, before he severely injures you!"

"ARE YOU GOING TO LISTEN TO A TALKING COLLIE, OR ME?" the man screamed in
rage.

"The collie makes sense!" Bertha answered,"you have a serious problem,
Douglas.  I can't take your abuse any longer, I'm leaving you!"

"YOU LEAVE AND I'LL KILL YOU!" the man screamed,"AND YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE
CHILDREN AGAIN!"

"Don't listen to him!"  Samantha begged,"my dad and my sisters are
attorneys, we'll see to it that you and your kids will be protected!"

"Samantha's right!" the Masked Melitta added,"and we have a friend who is
a counsellor, someone you can talk to and will help you through all of
this, alright Bertha?"

"Thank you all!" Bertha said with tears in her eyes as she hugged Melitta
once more.  I 'zapped' both an ambulance and a squad car to the cabin, and
the officers arrested Douglas, and the paramedics tended to Bertha's
injures.   I looked around and my master was nowhere to be found, he was
outside, on the front porch, sitting and near tears.  I slowly walked up
to him and sat beside him.

"Renegade?" I asked him,"what's wrong?  I noticed you didn't say a word
while all this was going on."

"You wouldn't understand, old friend," the Renegade sadly admitted,"this
whole situation reminds me too much of an incident three years ago."

"I think I know what incident you're speaking of," I said sadly as I
turned my face towards him,"there was nothing you could've done about ...."

"YES THERE WAS!" my master screamed,"I could've stopped him!"

"You had no idea that your first wife's uncle was going to ...."  I
couldn't finish the sentence, my master was in tears. 

"Nathan," I whispered to him,"you had no idea he was going to rape her,
you must not blame yourself.  You've discussed this with the Counsellor
before, remember?"

"I know," the Renegade sobbed,"but seeing that poor young lady in there
brought back a flood of memories.  All the emotions I felt back then, the
utter feeling of helplessness..."

"I know that feeling all too well, master," I said sadly.

"How could YOU possibly know how I feel?" the Renegade said sarcastically.

"I'll tell you," I explained,"my former master used to act like this all
the time.  Before my auto accident, before I became self aware, there were
times that I was told to stand guard while my master and his wife
'argued.'  I just thought it was normal human behavior, until after Uncle
Buford repaired me and placed that computer into my body.  It was only
then that I realized that I had witnessed countless incidents of spousal
abuse.  That's how I knew to come here, I had heard this type of 'scream'
before many times, when my former master would beat his wife!  There are
still times that I feel deep regret that I didn't stop him, I was there, I
could've intervened...."

"But Otto!" the Renegade turned and looked at me,"you didn't know what was
going on, you weren't 'self-aware' back then, how could you've known ..."

"NOW do you see my point?" I said,"neither one of us understood back then,
did we?  Can't you see, my friend, the past is gone.  No one can change
it.   Look at the lovely wife you have now!   Or have you forgotten how
your first wife left you to live with another man?"

I could tell that my master's mood was changing.   "You're right, Otto!"
he said as he hugged me,"thank you, I needed that!"

"Anytime, Renegade," I said,"I'm man's best friend, remember?"

"You sure are MY best friend, Otto!"  my master said while still hugging
me.

Everything turned out fine.   'Douglas' was arrested and charged with
spousal abuse, Bertha got her divorce, custody of the children and a big
divorce settlement (Samantha's dad did a great job representing her in
court!).  As for my master, well, he'll be alright.   He is seeing the
Computer Counsellor regularly for help.   Perhaps I should also see her. 
Even though I have a computer-enhanced brain, there's no computer program
or high-tech way to deal with emotions.   That requires a 'human'
touch...................
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