Week 13.3 – Plan B

Previously: After failing with the Cup of Regret, Twain has explained to Digger his Plan B: to use a magical mask to restore the function of Digger’s Driller Beam Generators. And now…

“Use my Drillers…” Digger mused. “But what good is that? I don’t have anyone to use them on.”

Twain shrugged. “Well, you’d have to find some way of tracking them down, either the hostage or the Cobalt Czar or both.”

“Find some way?” Digger asked. “You mean you don’t know how already?”

Twain shook his head. “That why it was Plan B. But you should know somebody, right?”

“I know a few guys, but…” Digger stared at the approaching Manhattan skyline, lost in thought. Then he sat up straight. “Of course. It’s simple. Deus!”

“Deus Ex Machina?” Twain asked. “The guy whose group we just fought twice? Why would he help us?”

“Well, we explain it to him,” Digger said. “And once we’ve given the cup back…”

“Give the cup back?” Twain sputtered. “What do you mean, give the cup back?”

“Well, it’s no use to us, right?” Digger asked. “And giving it back would show that we’re acting in good faith.”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]”I’m the one who had to fight Deus and Caveat and Stickus. And I’m the one who had to get the crystal. What the hell did you do?” Twain looked at Digger for a moment. Digger couldn’t read his expression. “I convinced you to do it.”[/blockquote]“Good faith,” Twain muttered. “You wanna know about faith? Faith is all the hours I spent searching for documents and doing translations and putting pieces together because I knew I was on to something big. Faith is traveling clear to the other side of the world chasing a legend that you can’t be sure is true. Faith is being held prisoner by the most terrifying man in the world and somehow turning that certain doom into a way to get your hands on that same legend. You know what faith isn’t?”

“Giving the cup back,” Digger muttered.

“It isn’t giving the damn cup back!” Twain shouted. “I worked too hard getting it to just give it back.”

“You worked hard?” Digger asked incredulously. “I did most of the work! I’m the one that guard shot at. I’m the one who had to fight Deus and Caveat and Stickus. And I’m the one who had to get the crystal. What the hell did you do?”

Twain looked at Digger for a moment. Digger couldn’t read his expression. “I convinced you to do it.”

Before Digger could come up with a reply, Twain held up his hand. “Look, let’s compromise, okay? It’s a long drive to Chicago, so we have time to think about it. After we’ve confirmed that the mask thing will work, if we haven’t come up with a better way to track them down, then we’ll take the cup to Deus. Agreed?”

Digger didn’t trust Twain–there was some other agenda behind those easy smiles of his–but he didn’t have any better answers. “Okay,” he said, “You promise?”

Twain nodded. “Giving the cup back is Plan B.”

“I thought the mask was Plan B.”

“I meant the Plan B to Plan B. Plan B-slash-b.”

“So Plan C.”

“No, Plan C is I stop the van and shoot you in the head if you don’t stop talking, I swear to God,” Twain said.

Digger looked out the window and smiled. He was starting to enjoy this trip.

Will the mask work? Will they need a Plan C? Join us tomorrow for more adventure in our next episode!

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