hiro.jpg (49640 bytes)            Hiro Protagonist has successfully reached the Raft's edge, but not without the loss of his three companions from the Kowloon: Vic the sniper, ex-skipper Elliot Chung, and the mysterious "Fisheye." Abandoning his wreck of a lifeboat, Hiro rescues some food and presumably drinkable water; his two swords; his nine-milimeter gun (and 2 rounds of amunition); and Fisheye's REASON, which should definitely come in handy. Just as he is about to leave, he is startled by the Filipino cabin boy, who asks to go along...

            "Hiro remembers Eliott's warning: Don't go onto the Raft itself without a local guide. This kid must be a Refu that Bruce Lee recruited from some Filipino neighborhood on the Raft.

            "The kid's name is Transubstanciacion. Tranny for short. He climbs into the zodiac before Hiro tells him to..." Hiro also discovers an antenna attached to the skull of one of the fallen in battle, who is still emitting babble despite the loss of much of his head. Hiro thus learns that "L. Bob Rife has figured out a way to make electrical contact with the part of the brain where Asherah lives. These words aren't originating here. It's a pentecostal radio broadcast coming through on his antenna."

Please continue reading to follow Hiro and Tranny on their journey...