Week 10.5 – Caveat’s Crib

Previously: Caveat Maledictor, Carpe Noctem, and Biggus Stickus confronted Digger and Twain as they were stealing a special crystal from Caveat’s mansion. And now…

“Stop wasting time,” Carpe urged, “and just hit him already.”

Digger snapped the Drillers back on.

“No, let’s hear him out,” Caveat said. “There’s nothing you can say that scares me. You can only make things worse for yourself.”

“Fine,” Digger said. “Well, we both know the dart pistols were a bust.”

“Only because you were wearing those stupid pants,” Caveat said. “If the darts had penetrated your skin, you’d have gone down.”

“They did penetrate my skin,” Digger said. “A few, anyway. Made my legs kind of numb. But you were too timid with whatever you coated them with. Which is the real problem: you always underestimate me.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, which is weird, becaue you don’t do it with anyone else,” Digger said. “There’s just something about me personally that gets under your skin and makes you stop thinking straight.”

“I think everybody has someone like that,” Carpe said. “You end up either hating them or loving them for no good reason. I married mine. Biggest mistake of my life.”

“We don’t think about him any more, dear,” Caveat said, reaching back. Carpe took his hand. “What’s your point, Digger?”

“My point is, whatever else you have prepared for me is probably not going to work. You’ll have to think bigger, and you don’t have time to build something new. Which means you’ll have to use whatever you’ve prepared for them.” Digger pointed at Stickus and Carpe.

Stickus frowned. “What is he talking about?”

“He’s talking nonsense,” Caveat said.

“Hero 101, Stick,” Digger said. “You join a team, the first thing you do is figure out their weaknesses, so you can take them down in case of mind control or something. You think a guy who’s partners with Deus Ex Machina would not be prepared for a mind control-induced problem? I’ll bet he had something built to take care of you before you were even hired onto the team.”

Stickus turned to Caveat. “Is that true?”

“He’s grasping at straws, trying to turn us against each other!” Caveat said.

“That’s not a denial.” Carpe pulled her hand from Caveat’s grasp. “You have something designed to stop me? You’re carrying it right now?”

Caveat spread his hands. “It’s just meant to neutralize you, honey. In the gentlest way possible.”

“Neutralize?” Carpe’s eyes flashed angrily. “Where is it? Show me!”

“Yeah, and mine, too,” Stickus said.

“I can’t show them to you,” Caveat said. “If I showed them to you, then I’d lose the element of surprise when I…”

“When you what?” Carpe asked, tossing her hair. “When you attacked me? And what happens if you get mind-controlled, huh? Now that you’ve got some ready-made weapon to attack me with?”

“Well, that’s the beauty of it,” Digger said. “He wins either way.”

“Shut up!” Carpe shouted.

“And get the hell out of my house,” Caveat growled.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Digger said. He nodded to Twain. “Come on.”

The sounds of the argument rose behind them as they left.

Now that they have all the elements they need, how will Digger and Twain use them to save the hostage? Find out next week in the next chapter of Run, Digger, Run!

To read from the beginning, click here…

And to go on to the next episode, click here!