up.”

“It’s are only chance right now, we swore to protect him even after are own death, and right now he needs us to wake up.” Kouken said, as he looked at his wife. Who looked upon Shade’s face, and remembered the young pup she used to hold in her arms.

“I’ll try.”

“Out of the mist of history, he’ll come again, Sailing on ship across the sea, to save a wounded nation.” As Kang sang these words the area around the extended family changed, the sky above them seem to light up slightly. “Signs of a savior, like fire on the water, It’s what we prayed for, one of are own.” As Kang sang she looked into the hurt face of her adopted son, while the others looked to the sky and could see something going on above them.

“Kouken what’s going on?”

“I don’t know Barbra, I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Kouken then looked at his wife. “Keep singing Kang.”

“Just wait, thought wide he may roam, always, a hero comes home.” as Kang kept singing the others could see something coming down from the heavens orbs of white light. “He goes where no one has gone, but always a hero comes home.” The orbs of energy landed softly around the family and each one soon formed into a person, a Wolf their cloths dating from different eras of time, Male, female each one of them had the same looks in their eyes, the look that Kouken had seen many times in the eyes of Shade’s father and mother. “Deep in the heart, of darkness sparks, a dream of light.” the figures slowly moved close to the family and placed their hands upon their shoulders. “Surround in hopelessness, he will find the will to fight.” as energy seem to slowly flow into the family and into Shade, Kouken and the other started to understand who these spirits used to be in the realm of the living. “There’s no surrender, always remember, it doesn’t end here, you’re not alone.” A smile crossed Kang’s face as she watched Shade’s body fill with the energy of his ancestors, knowing that it would be a beacon for him to find his way back to them.

“Just wait, thought wide he may roam

always, a hero comes home

He goes

where no one has gone

but always

a hero comes home

And he will come back

On a crimson tide

Dead or alive

And even though we know

The bridge has burned

He will return

He will return

Just wait, thought wide he may roam

always, a hero comes home

He knows

of places unknown

But always

a hero comes home

He goes

But comes back alone

But always

A hero comes home” As Kang finished singing the Wolfs around them let out a howl up to the heavens and Shade opened his eyes and bared his teeth as he let out his very first but primal howl, waking him up in the real world where he found Lupe still curled up in the floor as a guard walked in with a plate of food, who was quickly dispatched as Shade hit him with a dart. There was no time for Shade to question what had just happened he would have time for that later, at this point and time his concern was now drawn to Lupe who was in no shape to escape with him, at least not with out the enemy’s attention being somewhere else.

“Chief this is the Ghost I found Lupe, she’s pretty bad, and I’ll need a diversion to.” before Shade could finish what he was saying he heard an explosion at the far side of the building, as he looked out of the room he saw that a hole had been blown into the wall and cops were now in the middle of a gun fight between the lab workers. Once shade had moved Lupe into a hiding spot he made his way to the Chief. “I said diversion not surgical strike.” faster then Shade could react the chief grabbed Shade by the collar of his shirt and pulled him face to face.

“WHERE IS SHE!?” Shade grabbed the chief’s wrist and put pressure in just the right place to get him to let go.

“She’s safe, and your loosing it.” Baldwin was about to argue but stopped when looked up and saw Kage running up a flight of stairs.

“KAGE!!” As the chief knocked Shade out of the way he gave chase after the head of the drug ring.

“CHIEF NO!” As Shade got back to his feet he gave chase, he had to try and prevent the chief from doing something he was going to regret later. “Baldwin you can’t hurt him.”

“I’m not going to hurt him, I’m going to rip out his throat.” Baldwin responded, as he fired his gun missing Kage barely.

“HE HAS TO FACE JUSTICE!”

“HE’S FACING IT!!” another shot fired another near miss. Shade ducked as one of Kage’s thugs came out from a hiding spot and tried to hit him with a lead pipe only to be put under with a dart.

“BALDWIN YOU’RE A COP! YOUR JOB IS TO SERVE AND PROTECT NOT SEARCH AND DESTROY!” Another thug lunges from a hiding spot, with a knife cutting him slightly. “Oh for the love of,… I’M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR BOSS YOU IDOTS!” As Shade threw down several capsules clueing the thug to the spot and carried on his way as they started to get to the upper floors. “I really can’t believe I just said that,… I really can’t believe what I’m doing.” As Shade started to climb up the metal beams of the building to get to the third level of the building while the Chief chased Kage up the stairs. “YOU’RE REALLY PUTTING ME IN A STRANGE PLACE HERE CHIEF!” By the time shade reached the top he found Kage standing on the edge of railing while the chief was pointing his gun at him. “KNOCK IT OFF BALDWIN!”

“Shut up ghost, you said it your self this guy is scum and deserves to be put down.”

“I don’t recall saying we should put him down, but that’s not your job, your job is bring him in, to let him have a trail, to let the system run it’s course.”

“The system, more then half of the jerks this thugs has hired have been getting off light, more people are getting put in the hospital, the crime rate has been going up since his poison was introduced, and for you to tell me to trust the system is a laugh, do you know what it’s like not knowing if you can trust the people you work with?”

“No chief, I don’t, I just wear this mask for my health.” the chief shot a quick look at Shade who was sitting on the metal railing looking at him.

“Well maybe you do, but it’s been a nightmare for me, and the only person I could trust was Lupe and this dirt bag hurt her.”

“Are you talking about that fine piece of tail?” Kage asked, only to have the chief cock the hammer of his gun back bear his teeth in frustration.

“Don’t help Kage I’m trying to save your life here,… seriously chief you’re really putting me in a fix here.”

“I DON’T CARE I’M GOING TO BLOW THIS SLIME BALL’S HEAD OFF!!”

“NO YOU’RE NOT!” both Kage and Baldwin’s attention got drawn to Shade as he jumped down on the metal frame work. “He’s scum, I get it. You hate his guts, I get it. But you are not going to kill him, because we both know that jerks like these are like cockroaches, kill one another takes it’s place. You are a good cop, and when the next cockroach shows it’s head the station is going to need you to help take him down.” with that the chief looked at Shade then at Kage. “Don’t get me wrong he’s scum and you’re going to be showing him more mercy then he deserves but you can’t take his life.” Shade said, as he slowly walked up and reached for the chief’s gun.

As this entire ordeal was going on, down on the ground floor the officers had been able to take down the lab workers. As they started to gather them up and arrest those that had survived, everything stopped when the sound of gun being fired 5 times echoed through out the refinery. In a made dash several officers ran to wear the sound had come from and could see the chief on the third floor over hang holding something, they quickly raced up the stairs, worried that one of their own had been shot in the line of duty they made it to the top in only a few minutes, but once they found the chief they saw him holding Lupe both still in shock.

“Chief what happened?” one of the officers asked, getting the chief to look at them.

“H-he killed him, the Ghost shot and killed Kage.” Else where Shade wondered back to his lair, in his hand a gun recently fired, and in his head thing where still a turmoil, what he had just done was for the greater good, what he did was to help the city, and try and give Lupe some kind of closure, but the question that kept haunting him, the question that kept coming to him as he kept walking.

“Was it the right thing to do?”

*********

Epilogue

*********

That day Shade slept while the news papers and radios quickly went about their way on spreading the word that the Ghost had allegedly taken a life, and was now being hunted by the police to bring him in. As the news reached Winger City, the Cunningham family could hardly believe their ears. “I know it.” David said, as he slapped the dinning room table then pointed at the radio. “It was only a matter of time before the Ghost would cross the line, you see Elisabeth that’s why cops shouldn’t count on or work with people like that, sooner or later they think they’re above the law and start to break it them