Thingamabob checked his device as he waited on the roof of a little mom and pop


    store. He wanted to get things done so he could go back to his research. All he needed


    to do was take care of this last target.


    The others were spread out over the neighborhood. Finch was not out roaming the


    neighborhood, so they had to wait on her. Gaze didn’t have a lock down with his high


    powered eyes because he didn’t know what she looked like without a mask.


    The observers Watson had assigned to look for the mask had narrowed things down


    to this one stretch of Seattle. They hadn’t been able to narrow it down further.


    It was up to him to do the rest.


    He figured that he could locate the heroine with his device if she was powered. So far


    scans had been negative.


    He gave it some thought. Maybe they could use a variation of the same trap they had


    used on Corona. It had worked once, it should work twice.


    And Clown Girl wanted to test this heroine, so it was perfect for getting that out of


    her system.


    “I need you to cause some trouble, Clown Girl.” Bob didn’t like that, but some kind


    of chaos needed to be started to attract the target’s attention. “Maybe we can draw her


    out.”


    “I am all for that, Bob.” She laughed over the radio. “Watch me strut my stuff.”


    “Don’t go overboard,” said Bob. “We don’t want to attract a police presence.”


    “I got it,” said Clown Girl.


    “Everybody else, get ready,” said Bob. “As soon as Finch appears, we have to take


    her down.”


    “I’m ready,” said Gaze.


    “Ready,” said Puff.


    Troop grunted in his radio.


    “Go ahead, Clown Girl,” said Bob. “Let’s see who we draw out.”


    Clown Girl dropped down in the street. She ran up to the biggest guy she saw and


    dropkicked him in the face. The man rocked back on his heels, reaching for his face.


    She kicked him below the belt. She flipped to her feet and rammed him with her


    shoulder. He crashed into a window and kept going.


    She looked around for the next victim. Everyone was looking at her instead of


    running. She needed to fix that.


    Clown Girl punched a woman in the face. The victim went over the hood of a parked


    car. Some of the people on the street went to help the woman up. Some went after the


    woman in the makeup.


    “Finch is coming,” said Gaze. “I’ve got her real face.”


    “Get ready, Clown Girl,” said Bob. “Keep her busy until we can get in there and


    knock her out.”


    “Will do, boss,” said Clown Girl. She evaded capture by the citizens while handing


    out punches and kicks. Some of the people trying to stop her ran into things like cars


    and parking meters.


    Finch came out of an alley, wearing the gold and green fighting outfit that was her


    trademark. Her mask covered the top of her face. A frown covered the bottom. She


    pulled a baton from her belt and spun it in her hand.


    “You think you can take me on, sister,” said Clown Girl. She waved the fingers of her


    hand in a come on gesture. “I would like to see you try.”


    Finch advanced, baton spinning in her hand. She held up the other hand in a guard


    position as she waited. She didn’t have to hold this crazy for long. The police were


    already on their way.


    “As soon as they engage, Puff and Troop, I need you to go,” said Bob. “I need you


    to hold her in place long enough for me to dart her.”


    “Got it. It should be easy. Troop is a big monkey. No one can stand up to a big


    monkey,” said Puff.


    The two women traded blows in the middle of the sidewalk. It was obvious to Bob


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.that Clown Girl had met her match. Her skill and amazing luck was being tested by


    the golden warrior. Several times Finch made missteps that she seemed to know were


    not of her own doing.


    Bob expected Finch to compensate for Clown Girl’s luck and that would be it. His


    guys had to do their job first.


    Puff and Troop appeared over the fight. Then a lot of Troops appeared, falling toward


    the two women. Clown Girl jumped back out of the way. Finch couldn’t since the


    monkeys were right on top of her. She began delivering blow after blow with baton


    and fist, but then the weight of the multiple simians crashed down on top of her.


    Some of them made noises to show she was still fighting under the pile. If they


    weren’t weighing her down, Bob expected her to fight clear. He couldn’t allow that.


    “Come and get me, Puff,” Bob ordered into the radio. “Let’s wrap this up before the


    police get here.”


    Puff appeared, grabbed Bob’s arm, vanished from the roof. They reappeared on the


    street. One of the monkeys staggered away from the pile. He made small grunting


    sounds.


    “Ouch. That must have hurt. Glad it wasn’t me. I don’t like to get punched in the


    bajonies.” He stepped back from the action.


    Bob silently agreed. The last thing he needed was to get hurt in a sensitive area before


    they got the job done.


    He pointed his device at the pile. He didn’t want to dart all of the monkeys and Finch.


    He needed a better means to the end.


    “I need some type of exposure, Troop.” Bob walked around the pile. “Give me


    something.”


    The monkeys pulled a female leg out in the open. They held it down despite the shots


    they were taking from the other limbs. Bob darted the leg. He pressed down on the


    end of the protruding dart to make sure it had penetrated the cloth. A few seconds


    later, the blows were weaker and misaimed.


    That had worked despite the fact that Finch might have been able to take Troop if


    none of the others were around.


    They had lucked out that she hadn’t taken Clown Girl in a few seconds. That would


    have thrown the whole plan out the window.


    “Transport One, we have the package,” said Bob in his radio. “Prepare for arrival.”


    He gestured at Puff to do his thing. The teleporter dragged the drugged fighter into


    a cloud and was gone.


    “Let’s get out of here before the police arrive.” Bob started walking. “It looks like


    we’re on vacation while the boss figures out what he wants to do next.”


    “I told you I could take her,” said Clown Girl. “What do you say about that, Doubting


    Thomas?”


    Bob looked at her. Troop stood behind her, shaking his head. He wanted to say


    something scathing.


    “Good job,” said Bob. He resumed walking.


    Troop breathed a sigh of relief at the averted violence. He pulled himself together,


    trying to walk off the injuries that had been inflicted on him.


    Bob smiled. Things had gone better than what he had thought they would. Once they


    were off the street, they could head back to their hotel and pack up to fly home.


    Transport One would already be out of the city, and on the way south hopefully by


    that time.


    Puff returned. He grabbed Clown Girl and vanished in smoke. He returned moments


    later and grabbed Troop. A second later, he appeared and carried Bob to where they


    had left their own transport in an alley away from the street.


    “Let’s mount up and head out of here,” said Bob. “We’ll head back to the hotel and


    get our stuff. Then we hit the airport.”


    “You’re not going to let us hit the clubs?,” asked Clown Girl.


    “No,” said Bob. “We’re done. Let’s head home.”


    “What if we don’t want to go home?,” said Clown Girl.


    “Are you really pulling this?,” asked Bob. “You know the drill. Get in the van, or


    there’s going to be problems.”


    “You heard the man. Get in the van. We’re not here to have fun.” Puff slid into a back


    seat. He draped his purple coat around his purple suit.


    Troop climbed in the back of the van. He couldn’t manage one of the seats. He had


    to settle for riding in a clear space in the back, braced against the sides on either side


    of the back hatch. He made a grunt.


    “Let’s go, Clown Girl,” said Gaze. “The police are already cordoning off the area. We


    have to go.”


    Gaze got in the shotgun seat. His dark jacket covered the dark colors of his costume.


    He wore sunglasses for a mask. It should be enough to pass inspection.


    “Do what you want,” said Bob. He got behind the wheel of the van. “The rest of us


    don’t want to go to jail.”


    “Fine,” said Clown Girl. She took the seat next to Puff’s with a huff. “I’m not happy


    about this.”


    “That’s fine.” Bob pulled his hood back and let it drop behind his head. “You can


    complain once we get home.”


    “Fine,” said Clown Girl. The way she said the word meant it wasn’t really fine at all.


    Bob pulled the white van out of the alley. He turned and headed away from the fight


    scene. Watson Security glimmered on the side of the van as it passed under a street


    light. He drove the speed limit to keep from looking suspicious.


    Things had gone better than he had thought they would. Three targets up and three


    targets down. All he had to do was get back to base and help with the programming.


    The trio would soon be valued members of his team.


    He might be able to replace Clown Girl if they worked out all right. It would be a


    shame to let her go, but he wouldn’t have to listen to her wanting to play when they


    were supposed to be ducking out of a city.


    Everything had its trade offs, and he was willing to trade his prankster princess for


    someone who didn’t complain at the drop of a hat. Finch would fill that slot nicely.


    He put that in a back file as he drove under the directions of Gaze. The visionary was


    pinpointing the dragnet and getting them out between cars.


    “All right,” said Gaze. “Turn right up here and, then take the first left. That will take


    us straight back to our hotel. We can pack our gear and get out of town before the


    local masks come looking for us.”


    “Great.” Bob smiled. “A few more hours and we are all clear.”