Week 9.2 – Ripped Off

Sorry for the missed update. Trying not to make it a habit.
Previously: Twain disappeared from the fight with the Big Apple Corps, along with Invictus’s right arm. And now…

Twain sighed with relief as his van came into view. He dug the keys out of his pocket and pressed the remote. The van unlocked with a chirp.

“About time.” Digger landed on the pavement beside him. “Is that the shirt from your cowgirl outfit?”

Twain was still wearing his suit pants, but instead of the dress shirt, suit coat and tie, he wore a white long sleeved shirt with frilly cuffs, like the blouse he had worn under his buckskin vest. “Yeah, I had to improvise. I couldn’t stay in the suit; Invictus saw me change.”

“Was that before or after you ripped his arm off?” Digger asked.

“That wasn’t me,” Twain said, opening the driver’s side door of the van. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll tell you on the way.”

“On the way where?” Digger asked.

“I’ll tell you that, too,” Twain said. “Get in.”

As they were pulling out into the street, Digger said, “So how did you do that to Invictus?”

“I didn’t,” Twain answered. “You saw the weapons I was carrying. I had the cap pistol and the taser with ultra-discharge capacitor. That was it.”

“So what happened?” Digger asked.

“I don’t know,” Twain said. “I changed, and suddenly, Invictus was right there. I figured I was caught, but then this hole opened up in space, like a wormhole or something, and these tentacles came out and wrapped around his arm.”

“Interdimensional tentacle monster? That’s what you’re going with? Seriously?”

“It must have been sent by one of their enemies,” Twain said. “I mean, they must have enemies, right? Anyway, I turned and ran. I heard him scream, but I didn’t look back. I stopped a couple of blocks later to switch my outfit around, and then I headed back here.”

“And you seriously expect me to believe that,” Digger said.

Twain shrugged. “Either that, or I somehow managed to tear the arm off an invicible hero.”

Digger waved the comment away. “He’s not invincible. That’s just P.R. You ever look at their press releases, notice the weasel words. It always says, ‘never been beaten in a fair fight.’ Because his adaptive powers make him able, in theory, to beat anyone with enough time to learn their weaknesses and develop a counter. Which also means that any fight he loses is by definition not fair. Guy’s a douchebag.”

“Why doesn’t anybody call him on it?” Twain asked.

“Who you gonna believe, some bad guy who wants bragging rights or the leader of the most powerful super-team in the country?” Digger asked. “But if he was attacked by some monster, why didn’t I hear it? All I heard was the scream.”

“It was quiet,” Twain said. “Ever heard an octopus roar?”

“No.”

“Come on, surely you saw something in Hell like that thing,” Twain said.

“I saw some freaky stuff,” Digger admitted, “but nothing like that. So where are we going?”

Twain smiled. “This one will be easier, trust me.”

“Please stop using that word.”

Where are they going? And what word gives Digger problems? Is it ‘trust’ or does he have some phobia with ‘easier?’ Join us later today for the next exciting episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…

Or to read the next episode, click here!