Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 7: When Diplomacy Fails

The wide man, who had the build of a stretched JPEG image, had a heart attack and fell to the floor. The second perp ran out of the restaurant, and the third put his gun away and ordered at the counter like nothing happened.

"Okay, then." Annabelle turned back around and found Elizabeth still munching away at her burger. "Really?"

"Shut the fugg up."

"So, anyway— "

A bomb suddenly crashed through the ceiling and stuck half in and half out of the floor. People stared in shock at first, then panicked.

"Everybody hold your horses!" said the rappelling cashier. He detached himself from the rope and fell on the floor, shattering his night vision goggles. He walked over and inspected the weapon. "This is a thermonuclear bomb."

Everyone screamed and beelined it for the exit. Elizabeth and Annabelle stood up from their seats. Something nuke related was what caused that big boom at the rebel base, and they were able to put two and two together.

The man yelled, "I can fix this! Yeah, I'll be a hero!"

"How can you fix it?" Annabelle asked, ready to summon anything to protect herself and Elizabeth.

"Watch this." The cocky cashier took out a sharpie and scrawled a big "NO" with a circle around it. He tapped it with the other end of the marker and looked at the confused patrons with a grin. "See that? That's all it took. The nuke can't detonate if I don't consent."

Elizabeth and Annabelle glanced at each other and then ran out of the restaurant.

"Fucking pussies," Cashier said. "So ungrateful. They'll come back and thank me."

Elizabeth and Annabelle jumped back into the ship's cockpit and desperately tried to start it up.

"Hey, Katelyn!" Elizabeth yelled.

"What is it?" Katelyn responded.

"There's a big bomb that's about to detonate! Get us out of here!" Annabelle said.

"Expedited startup initiated. Please wait— "

Fucking fuck fuck, Elizabeth's brain was on fire. She was dead, both her and Annabelle. At least she could rub how right she was in that witch's face for the rest of eternity.

"Elizabeth."

That was her! Now was her opportunity to call her a dumbass.

"Elizabeth, wake up! We're okay!"

She reluctantly opened one eye, then when she saw the brunette sitting in front of her, she widened both in surprise. They were in a purple bubble that had no room for standing, and it was transparent enough to see the cosmos. "What the fuck? How?!"

"This is a protective sphere for when things get really bad, like it just did."

Elizabeth sat up and sighed. "I still don't have a clue about how this technology shit works, but I'd say them nukes are bad for our health."

"I concur," Annabelle said. She took a moment to absorb the situation... and the fact that Elizabeth still had her burger. "I get it if you wanna go back to Gladexus."

"Oh no. Now I'm pissed." Elizabeth chomped down. A drip of barbecue sauce hit the floor. "Motherfucker thought he could vaporize us? With a feather or a snap or whatever? Fuck this rooster. I wanna spit-roast him."

"...Wait. You dragon-slaughterers have super strength."

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you just throw the bomb when it came crashing in?"