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    Rex Rewind launched out of bed, mohawk flopping, as the rooster’s crow ripped through the morning like a banshee with a megaphone. “Loop fifty-something-plus-a-cluck,” he crowed, grinning at the pineapple wallpaper. The burnt-toast stench was a familiar punch, but Rex was riding high. The Cluck-Zapper 3000 had stunned the Doom-Meow-Tron—briefly—and he’d blown a chunk out of it with the Boom-Blaster. Captain Catastrophe was still a slippery bastard, but Rex was closing in. “Today,” he said, spiking his hair with Chrono-Grease, “we fowl up that kitty’s day for good.”


    He zipped on his jacket and bolted downstairs, where Penny waited, perm bristling, newspaper poised. “Rent—”


    “Triple pay, bonus, tacos,” Rex interrupted, striking a heroic pose. “We’re hitting Gabe’s, grabbing Tony’s tacos, and storming the factory. The Cluck-Zapper’s our ace—let’s zap that cat into next week!”


    Penny smirked, lowering her weapon. “Fine. But if you die again, I’m raising your ghost’s rent.”


    They hit Tasty Taco Tony’s first, scarfing double-spicy beef—“Fuel for the fowl fight,” Rex said—then raced to Gadget Gabe’s. Gabe greeted them with a grin. “Rex! Still looping?”


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    “Till I purr-ge this nightmare,” Rex said. “Cluck-Zapper and Boom-Blaster again—add some smoke bombs and maybe a net gun. Gotta net-work this kitty.”


    Gabe tossed him a tangle of webbing attached to a launcher. “Web-Warden 2000. Sticky as hell—don’t trap yourself.”


    “Sweet!” Rex said, arming up. “Penny, smoke and cans—you’re my chaos queen.”


    They reached the tuna factory, the stench a wall of misery. Captain Catastrophe was mid-rant, the Doom-Meow-Tron humming. Rex signaled Penny—“Cents the chaos!”—and she lobbed smoke bombs. Fog billowed, and Rex charged, Web-Warden firing. “Hey, Cat-astrophe! Time to get tangled in your own mess!” Webbing snared the captain’s legs, tripping him.


    “You pest!” he shrieked, clawing free. “My kitty’ll claw-n you!”


    Rex zapped the Doom-Meow-Tron with the Cluck-Zapper, freezing it, then fired the Boom-Blaster. A grenade exploded against its flank, shredding steel. Minions rushed, but Penny’s tuna cans—“Fin-ancial justice!”—and Rex’s zaps dropped them. The captain, untangled, hit the remote, and lasers fired. Rex dodged, webbing a minion to the wall—“Stick around!”—but a claw crushed him—darkness.


    Rooster crow. Rex sat up, cackling. “Web-Warden’s a net-gain! Next loop, we stick it to ‘em!”