Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 41: Orange Chicken

Elizabeth took a chance and caught Hammer by his handle body. It was sheer luck and she thanked her guardian angel as she set Annabelle down. "So you thought you were just gonna nuke us like we're a couple of retarded droopy-eyed children?"

Annabelle rolled her eyes. "Always painting a vivid image."

"Let me go!" Hammer struggled against the blonde's death grip and beat her hand with his tiny fists.

"Why in the hell would I let you go?"

"Because you'd die a quick and painless death, bitch!"

Elizabeth clenched her hand. "Call me a 'bitch' one more time."

"Bitch."

Elizabeth wound her arm back to chuck him out of the universe proper.

"Wait!" Annabelle grabbed her bicep.

"Get the fuck off me, this little shit's got it coming!" Elizabeth snapped.

"And how do you know he won't fly right into a random city??"

"That's right, I got upgrades!" Hammer said. "Now my explosions have a yield of fifty megatons! You know what, go ahead, throw me! I win either way!"

Elizabeth shifted her gaze to the natural satellite nestled in the black night sky. "You know, I think that bright ol' moon could handle a little— "

The moon shrieked and flew away. The planet tilted and the temperatures immediately plummeted below freezing.

"She was joking! Please come back!" Annabelle yelled.

The moon returned with a smile on its face and the planet went back to normal.

Annabelle sighed and looked at Elizabeth. "Please don't threaten the moon again."

Elizabeth wound her arm back once more.

"Okay, okay, wait!" Annabelle reached into her cloak and pulled out Fuzzy. "I've got something for you to eat, little buddy."

Elizabeth cautiously held Hammer close to the rabbit's mouth while he kicked his legs and furiously pounded her hand. "Let me the fuck go, ya piece of— "

Fuzzy's mouth opened like an alligator's and ate Hammer in one bite. Elizabeth was surprised she still had a hand and not a bloody stump. "You sure he's not gonna blow us up?"

Fuzzy's stomach ballooned and then retracted to normal size. The process repeated a few more times before Hammer yelled a muffled expletive.

"Good job! Now please don't poop until we figure out what to do with him." Annabelle said.

Elizabeth felt something was off and turned around to see her clone rocketing toward her with a jetpack. They grappled in the air, crashing into the ground hard enough to send up a dust plume.

Annabelle saw them land a mile away and sprinted in their direction with Alexandre hanging on for dear life. At the speed she was running, she was going to cover the mile in less than three minutes.

The sound of a whining engine made her look right; another one of the lab creatures—the leopard woman with the chainsaw hand—was driving an armored topless sports car at a perfect intercept point to hit her.

"Crab," Annabelle swore. She saw Leopard didn't have any restraints that kept her in the car and instantly decided on her next move; she let the vehicle close in and did a front flip. Once she was halfway through the movement and fully upside down, she extended her arms and grabbed Leopard by the collar. Using her flip's momentum, she yanked Leopard from the car mid-air and slammed her down in one fluid motion.