He Who Laughs Last
Starring Kole Larson’s Tops versus Marvin E. Fuller’s Comedic
 	in Albert Temple's Furriston (forum version).

It was a relatively dry day in Furriston, wedged somewhere between a damp Sunday and a soggy Thursday.
In one of the city's parks, a snake-like monster with at least twenty long necks was pinned to the ground by a trio of three-foot anthropomorphic triceratops busy tying the monster's necks into knots.
"Take him, Curly!" cried out one of the triceratops when the final neck had been knotted..
"OMEGA STOMP!" a fourth miniature triceratops leapt into the fray, his foot smashing down on the monster.  Twenty identical expressions of shock crossed twenty serpentine faces just before Curly hammered the monster into the ground.  It detonated in a blast of light and sound.
"Noooo!" shrieked one of two onlookers to the fight.  The speaker could have passed for a normal human dressed in a gray suit had his head not possessed the unsettling appearance of a giant bloodshot eyeball.
"Yes!  Now, leggo!" his prisoner, a female raccoon of college age, twisted in his iron grip and kneed him in the groin.
"OOOO!!" the eyeball-headed man squealed, his voice two octaves higher.  He let go and hopped away in ignominious pain.  "I'll get you, you Tops!  You'll see me again when I return!" he squeaked.

"All right, Lisa!" whooped one of the Tops.
"Thanks, Boxcy," replied the raccoon.  "Damsels in distress is soo gauche."
"Well, that's great," wondered another Tops, their self-styled leader.  "But where's Kole?  We were supposed to meet him here before Doctor Eyeball dropped in on us."
"I don't know, Toppy," agreed Lisa.  "It is strange that he'd be so late."
"Yeah, it's not like he'd pass up another opportunity to think about dating you," the fourth Tops winked cheekily at the raccoon.
"Duh, date?" puzzled Curly, the dimmest of the Tops.  "I thought all he did was blush at her."
"And stammer a bit," agreed Boxcy, digging his elbow into Toppy's ribs.
"And faint a couple of times," grinned Toppy.
"And he's still not here," pointed out Lisa.
"You're right.  He's never this late," frowned Toppy .  "Something must be wrong."
"Duh, maybe he just got the wrong bus," suggested Curly.
"Don't worry guys, I'm sure Kole will get here," said Lisa, referring to the Tops' human companion.
"I hope so," sighed Boxcy, the complainer of the group.  "We'd be in big trouble without him."
At that point, a familiar voice hailed them.
"Good morning, Tops, Miss."  The five turned to see I'brolent, a lizard member of the city's special security force, approach them.  "We have been looking for you four Tops specifically."
"Good morning," chorused the Tops, drowning out Lisa's greeting.
"Whatcha got for us today, sir?" asked Boxcy.  "Walking eyes?  Alien assassins?  Hate-filled gangs?"
"How about a shoplifter?" gulped Socky, the least confident of the Tops.  "Maybe a litterbug, instead?"
"No, nothing quite like that," said I'brolent.  "But your help would be appreciated on a certain matter."

Elsewhere in Furriston, Dr. Eyeball finally managed to walk normally before entering one particular warehouse.  The inside was dim and shadowy.  The door shut behind him, cutting off the sunlight.  Were circumstances different, this would have been a place he would have liked to lurk in.
"'Eye' see you!" a menacing voice grinned.  Eyeball jumped, winced, and tried to cover it up by whirling indignantly.
"Shut up, skunk!  I need no lip from you!" screeched Eyeball, peering into the dimness.  Bathed in shadow, the other tutted disapprovingly.
"Come, come, didn't I warn you that upsetting the Tops now would be ill-advised?" the other asked.
"My Hydra should have beaten them!  They just got lucky!" Eyeball complained, a bit of a whine entering his voice.
"Herakles didn't have three super-powered brothers, just a pal with a torch, and he still defeated a Hydra," pointed out the other.  "You don't think things through that well, Screwball."
"Eyeball," corrected the villainous doctor.  The other ignored him.
"The power should be back on - now!" said the other.  Right on cue, the lights flickered on.  Eyeball gulped as he recognized the four forms revealed hulking around him.  "Get him, boys," continued the other.  Mechanical chuckles reverberated throughout the warehouse as the hulking forms grabbed Eyeball.
"No!" shrieked Eyeball.  "They're my creatures!  I brought them over from their dimension, not you!"
"If there's one thing their kind knows, it's treachery," sneered the other.  "Like I said, Eyebulb, you don't think things through."  He laughed, spinning dramatically.  "As for me, well, let's just say that when the Tops come, they'll lose."
"They'll beat you just like they do me," glowered Eyeball with diminishing bravado.
"They'll lose," the other's voice dipped, chilling Eyeball's spine.  "Even if they win."

At the police precinct headquarters, the Tops, Lisa, and I'brolent were crowded into the office of Captain Nathaniel Brockstripe, a badger who took his job seriously.
"Are you sure bringing them in on this is a good idea?" demanded Brockstripe, leaning on a TV sitting on a cart with a VCR.  "I'd feel better if this was left to my boys and girls."
"Don't worry about us, Cap'n," said Toppy.  "We can handle it."
"It's not [i]you[/i] I'm concerned about," groused the badger.
"Trust me, Nathan," said I'brolent.  "Roll the tape, please."
Brockstripe [i]harrumphed[/i], but otherwise said nothing.  He pressed a button on the VCR.  The TV flickered on, revealing a confusing shot of someone's ceiling.
[i]"Is this thing on?"[/i] that someone asked.  The picture shuddered and slewed, coming to rest on the face of a striped skunk.  An almost unnaturally wide grin split his face, his lips stained crimson by some cosmetic.  From his nose to where it ran under his foppish purple fedora, his white forehead stripe was dyed an emerald green.  A gleam of brilliant madness glimmered in his eyes.
[i]"Good evening, ladles and germs,"[/i] a menacingly jovial voice oozed out of the TV as the skunk flopped into a beaten easy chair sitting beside a small table stand set in front of a sickly green felt-covered wall.  [i]"Welcome to the Furriston edition of the Comedic Hour promo shoot, starring me, your unfriendly, neighborhood lunatic, the Comedic,"[/i] at this the skunk sat up straight and doffed his hat.  [i]"And let's put our paws together for my special co-star, Yorick, here."[/i] The skunk plopped the hat down on the only thing on the table, a battered, department store mannequin head painted to resemble a goofy skull.  [i]"We just flew in from Beavner and, I must say, Yorick, you really should cook those beans better.  Hah!"[/i]

[i]"But first, a word from our sponsor,"[/i] continued the Comedic.  He held up a placard showing a fairly good drawing of a pharmacy bottle used to hold medication.  "LEOZAC" was written clearly in large, bold letters across the bottom of the placard.
[i]"Leozac!  The number one, pharmacist-recommended drug useful for curing what ails you!  Depression?  No problem!  Sanity?  Takes care of that too!  Side effects include insomnia, insanity, sickening cheeriness, and an extra gummy taste in your mouth when you wake up in the morning."[/i]  The skunk tossed away the placard, then leaned down to the mannequin head's level.  [i]"What's that, Yorick?  You thought that business in Beavner was the end of all this madness?"[/i]  The Comedic picked up "Yorick" in his nattily-gloved paw, studying it thoughtfully, the big grin still plastered on the skunk's face.  [i]"Therein lies a dull story.  Suffice it to say that on my visit here in sodden Furriston, I needed a refill on stomach medication.  Imagine my surprise when I find the quacks here don't all wear feathers!"[/i]  The skunk cackled for a moment.  [i]"One incorrect prescription later and I'm ba-a-ack!"[/i]  The Comedic abruptly leaped at the camera, flinging his arms wide.  A faint and distant smash followed.
[i]"Look out, Yorick!"[/i] cried out the Comedic, cupping empty paws to his snout.  [i]"That first step's a lulu!"[/i]

The Comedic turned back to the camera.
[i]"You know, I've often found the expository part of any story to be among the dullest parts, so let's just move on to the comics, shall we, kiddies?"[/i]  The Comedic yanked into view an easel filled with a pad of paper.  A goofily stylized drawing of the Comedic was scrawled on the front.  [i]"Ste-raight from the files of the [/i]Beavner Post[i] comes Beavner stuperheroes, Foxfire and Waterdog!"[/i]  The Comedic flipped the front page up to reveal enlarged photos of a fiery vixen and an otter seemingly made out of water.  Both had figures that would have turned heads with enough force to cause whiplash.
[i]"Upstandin' members of society, seekers of justice, doers of good, the whole ball of wax.  Until I came along, of course."[/i]  The Comedic winked slyly at the camera.  [i]"You see, kiddles, they had a wee problem.  All those long hours of selfless community service was gettin' them down, sapping their energies, and just really ruining their days.  Of course, in the superhero industry, that means it's time for makeovers!  Behold!"[/i]  The Comedic flipped the page to reveal a photo of a soaked and distressed vixen streaking across a suburban street.  Black bars blocked strategic places on her body.  [i]"I give you the new and improved Flopfire, folks!  See how energized she is?  As for her fellow crusader, hah!"[/i] again the skunk flipped a page, revealing a photo of a crisped and panicky otter racing across the same street.  [i]"At least the newly remade Waterslob had enough sense to wear undershorts now that he's a real hot item!
"And now, you're wondering, what all this has to do with Furriston, considering the city's unusually short supply of superzeroes,"[/i]  The Comedic let out a chuckle before flipping the page yet again.  [i]"And I do mean short!  Witness, the Tops!  Toppy, Boxcy, Curly, and Socky, the Four Cretaceous Stooges!  And, just to cheese them off, I invited a special guest victim to the studio!  He's right over there."[/i]  The Comedic reached a paw out to the camera and swung it around.  Now revealed was a large vat sitting on the floor.  Above the vat, a human-sized figure swung on the end of a rope, thankfully not tied around its neck.  The Comedic popped back into view.  [i]"I'm sure he'd like to tell his Mommy 'Hi', but I'm afraid he's [/i]alll[i] tied up at the moment!"[/i]  The skunk burst into laughter at that, a chilling sound that twisted the gut.  [i]"You'd best be quick, Tops, 'cause when it's dentist time tomorrow, your ol' pal will be slaw, nothing bigger than a king of gnats.  Adieu."[/i]
The screen went blank.

"We got that last night," said Brockstripe, turning off the VCR.  "Frankly, I don't see the need to bring you four in, but the Mayor's Security Boys thought it best to get you in on this quickly."
"That has to be Kole he's referring to!" gasped Lisa.  "Slaw as in 'Kole'slaw and king of gnats as in Nat King 'Kole'!"
"And dentist time would be two-thirty, that is, 'tooth-hurty'," added I'brolent.
"So that's what happened to him!" said Boxcy.  "He's been Kole-napped!"
"So it appears," agreed Brockstripe.  "Of course, I've got a detective out checking just to be sure."
"Let me at 'em!" growled Socky.  "I'll moidilize the bum!  I'll turn 'em into perfume!  I'll tromp on his bunions!"
"Let's get 'em, guys!" exclaimed Toppy.
"What, now?" hesitated Socky.  "M-maybe I should stay here in case a new lead pops up."
"Get movin', Leadfoot," growled Boxcy.  Without further ado, the other three Tops hustled Socky out of Brockstripe's office.
"You don't even know where he is," admonished Lisa, too late.

"Actually, we just might," said Brockstripe.  "We wired off to Beavner last night about any info they had on this Comedic.  Turns out his real name is James StinCoy, a former grocery store courtesy clerk who quit his job after several shrewd investments in the commodities markets.  According to his present doctor, he's something of a grouchy recluse but honorable and honest and [i]definitely[/i] not a criminal.  Her emphasis on that last."
"Wait, 'his present doctor'?" asked Lisa.
"Yes," Brockstripe nodded.  "Like he said on the tape, StinCoy occasionally suffers from stomach problems and has to take medication for it.  Unfortunately, as all too often happens, his less-than-competent previous doctor prescribed the wrong medication.  Instead of stomach medication, StinCoy got an anti-depressant geared for felines."
"Let me guess, this Leozac he mentioned," said Lisa.
"Yes," chimed in I'brolent.  "It works fairly well for cats, but it's not so effective on other species.  Dogs just get sick, primates develop depression, but in mustelids and related, it causes temporary changes in behavioral patterns.  They're mostly minor in most species, except in skunks.  With them, they become what's often described as 'maniacally deranged'.  As long as they're taking the medication, skunks become [i]very[/i] happy and [i]very[/i] whacked-out in the head.  In all case studies so far, they take on a new personality that's a blend of their real self and of typically repressed frustrations.  In Mister StinCoy's case, his hidden frustrations mixed with a big dose of eclectic eccentricy.  He adapted the look of a well-known comic book villain and called himself the Comedic.  Before his medication ran out last time, the Comedic roused the Beavner police into action and embarrassed two of the city's superheroes."
"Was he arrested?" asked Lisa.
"No," said Brockstripe.  "He got away from the fracas clean.  They only found out who he was later when a detective put all the pieces together and tracked him down.  No charges were ever made.  The police were thankful for the 'floor show' while Foxfire and Waterdog were too embarrassed and too much the 'heroes' to sue.  Besides, he didn't break any laws.  Weirdest supervillain I ever heard of."
"We found out this morning where Mister StinCoy is so what we need the Tops to do – ah, speak of the little devils," I'brolent nodded towards the four chagrined Tops as they trooped back into the office.
"Forgot to ask where the Comedic's hideout was," grinned Toppy.
"How far did you get before you realized that?" demanded Lisa.
"City park," like the other Tops, Toppy's face was red.
Not for the first time, Lisa wondered if this was what Kole had to put up with every day.

At noon, the Tops assembled outside of a warehouse within one of Furriston's suburbs.
"Duh, is this the right place?" asked Curly, scratching his frilled head.  "It don't look condemnified or nothin'.  I thought bad guys always used condemnifated buildin's."
"Maybe this ain't the right place," shrugged Socky.  "Let's go check out that nice, safe parking lot over there, just to be sure."
"Oh, come on, you chicken," Boxcy grabbed at Socky to keep him from scurrying off.
"Let's do it, Tops!" cried Toppy.  They raced at the nearest door, smashing it to splinters.  As they took stock of their surroundings, they found themselves confronted by a maze of walls made of used cardboard.  Somewhere, a scratchy loud speaker squawked to life.
[i]"Owie!  My ears!"[/i] complained the distorted voice of the Comedic.  [i]"You know, short stuffs, the door [/i]was[i] unlocked."[/i]
"We'll get you, Comedic!" declared Toppy.
"And your little dummy too!" added Socky.
"Hey!  That was my line!" griped Toppy.
[i]"Don't be too sure, kiddies,"[/i] grinned the voice as the Tops started into the maze.  [i]"You'll have to find us first.  Right, Yorick?"[/i]
"Duh, we'll get you, 'cause we're the good guys and good always wins out over evil!" exclaimed Curly.
[i]"Ri-i-ight,"[/i] scoffed the Comedic.  [i]"We'll see, won't we?"[/i]  Manic laughter fell down over the Tops.

Several wrong turns and dead ends later, the confused Tops found themselves right back at the door they had smashed in.
[i]"Oh, come on!"[/i] heckled the Comedic.  [i]"Theseus would be embarrassed by you guys!"[/i]
"Arrgh!" Boxcy snapped.  "We're gettin' nowhere!"
"I don't know," said Socky.  "It's a pretty good place to be.  Better than where the Comedic is."
"We can beat this," Toppy said.  "We just gotta use our heads."
"Duh, okay," Curly brightened at the suggestion.  He raced at the maze and rammed into a wall.  Cardboard went flying as he plowed through the maze.
[i]"Well, what do you know?"[/i] commented the Comedic.  [i]"You four have only half a brain amongst you.  Figures it's the half-wit who's got it!"[/i]
"That's it!" shouted Boxcy.  "We're comin' for ya, skunky!"  The three Tops charged after Curly, catching up with their brother on the other side of the maze where Curly was picking cardboard out of his horns.
"Hey!  Thanks to my suggestion, we're through!" said Socky.
"Your suggestion?" Toppy glared at the boastful Tops.  "I was the one who told Curly to use his head!"
"Um, guys?" Boxcy tried to say.
"Oh, yeah?" Socky stuck out his tongue at Toppy.
"Guys?" Boxcy tried again.
"Yeah!" Toppy nearly jumped on Socky, but Boxcy stopped him.
"Duh, we found him," said Curly, pointing across the warehouse.

[i]"A-maze-ing!"[/i] his voice still amplified by the loudspeaker, the Comedic grinned madly at the Tops.  Behind him sat the vat, with the figure still dangling over it.  The Tops could not make out exactly who it was, but there was no doubt in their minds that the figure was their friend Kole.
"Now we gotcha!" Toppy defiantly started forward, towards five mounds covered by curtains.  The other Tops - Socky pulled along by Boxcy and Curly - followed.
[i]"Unh-unh-unh!"[/i] admonished the mad skunk.  [i]"We haven't had enough explosions yet!  Tah-dah!  Today's Quadruple Jeopardy question, 'Who's the biggest, nastiest dinosaurs around?'  Answer courtesy of your ol' pal Doc Eyeball!"[/i]  Holding his mike in one paw, the Comedic yanked the curtain off the middle mound.  Standing revealed was the Tops' archnemesis, Doctor Eyeball.  Glaring balefully at the Tops, the eyeball-headed human was decked out in a pink, frilly dress with high-heels, hat, and purse to match.  The Tops unsuccessfully stifled a chortle.
[i]"Isn't he just precious?"[/i] taunted the Comedic.  [i]"He came by a couple days ago when he heard what I was planning for you four.  Not quite what you had in mind, right, Beanball?"[/i]
"Razzin' frazzin'," growled Eyeball.
[i]"Oh, don't be so shy!"[/i] laughed the Comedic.  He slapped the walking eye-man on the back.  Eyeball stalked past the Tops, who were too busy rolling on the floor with mirth to do anything else.
[i]"Don't forget to wri-ite!"[/i] the Comedic burst into a fit of maniacal laughter.  Eyeball jumped out of his high-heels in fright and raced out of the warehouse.
[i]"Anyways,"[/i] with an effort, the Comedic pulled himself together.  [i]"Now it's just you boys against me, skunko-a-Toppo.  Soon, it'll just be all about me."[/i]
"Don't - haha!  Don't be too sure, ha-ha-ha!" guffawed Toppy.  "'Cause we ain't out yet!"
[i]"Key word being 'yet',"[/i] The Comedic's voice lowered in gleeful menace, chilling the giggles right out of the Tops.  [i]"Thanks to the walking iris, it's time for the long-awaited debut of the four forgotten Dinocons!"[/i]
The four remaining curtains shuddered as four massive robotic dinosaurs shook them off.

[i]"Harkening from a metal planet chock-full of living robots, meet the Dinocons!"[/i] introduced the Comedic.  [i]"Tricked into becoming bad guys, they're plain too stupid to know any better!  Meet Thrash, the ankylosaur; Slasher, the deinonychus; Killcrunch, the pachycephalosaur; and Guttwister, the styracosaur!"[/i]
"EEP!" the four Tops gulped in unison.
[i]"It's Dino-Smackdown Time!  Get 'em, guys!"[/i]  At the Comedic's words, the Dinocons tromped towards the Tops.

"Hold still, squishy," slurred Thrash, advancing on Toppy.
"No way!" exclaimed Socky.  "THUNDERSHOCK!"  Bolts of lightning zapped out of the Top and crackled across the robotic ankylosaur.
"AAAA!" shrieked Thrash.

"Gonna slice ya and dice ya!" Slasher leaped at Socky, who barely dodged.
"Oh, yeah?" Socky shouted.  "Take this!  TORNADO TWIST!"  He suddenly spun into a blur, creating a vortex that yanked Slasher off his feet and slammed him into the stunned Thrash.

"Rarr!  Guttwister destroys Top!" exclaimed the mechanical styracosaur, launching himself at Curly.
"Duh, rarr yourself!  DINO TOSS!" Curly slammed a hand against Guttwister's horn and flipped the robot onto his back with a thud that shook the warehouse.

"Blahh!" Killcrunch raced at Boxcy, head down.
"HYPERRUSH!" yelled Boxcy.  He charged Killcrunch, passing under the Dinocon's head and slamming hard into the robot's chest section.  Killcrunch was thrown back onto the other three Dinocons.

"YEAH!  WE'RE THE TOPS!  THE BUTT UGLY TOPS!" celebrated the four Tops.
[i]"You got that right,"[/i] agreed the Comedic, now safely broadcasting from a catwalk over the vat.  "Yorick" was cradled in one arm.  [i]"And look at my floor, Yorick!  I just washed it this morning and now I can't do a thing with it!"[/i]
"Tough!" cried out Toppy.  "We beat your goons and now we're comin' for you!"
[i]"Eeh,"[/i] sniffed the Comedic, unworried.  [i]"I think you're just going to surrender or your buddy gets a very unpleasant bath."[/i]  The skunk indicated the figure dangling above the vat.
"And what makes you think we won't try an' stop yoo - oh," Toppy's question went unfinished as he realized he and his brothers were now surrounded by the Dinocons, now transformed into powerful humanoid robot modes and wielding blazing red energon swords.
The Comedic's laughter rang throughout the warehouse.

Outside and across the street, a police surveillance van monitored the situation inside, bouncing a laser off one of the high-up windows in the warehouse to eavesdrop on the goings-on inside.
"Sounds like things are going as we expected," said Brockstripe.
"Are you sure it was a good idea not to tell the Tops about the whole plan?" asked Lisa, excited despite herself that she was allowed inside the van.
"Trust me, Lisa," I'brolent assured her.  "Despite all their good qualities and powers, you have to admit that they tend to see the world in black and white.  They don't see the many shades of gray in between.  They would not understand that we're not here to arrest Mister StinCoy but take him to the hospital for detoxification."
"True," Lisa grudgingly allowed.  "I hope they don't hurt him."
"Don't worry," I'brolent said.  "We've got people stationed around who will step in if something goes wrong."
The back door of the van opened, revealing one of I'brolent's fellow agents, a dog named Martin.
"I'brolent, we've got a wrench in the works," the canine announced.

The Tops hung from the rafters, tied up in the rope formerly used to hold the Comedic's first prisoner.  Below them was the vat, filled halfway with a clear liquid.  On the floor beyond, the Dinocons stood behind the Comedic who held "Yorick" in one paw.  The bundle that was the figure formerly hanging over the vat now lay at the skunk's feet.
"You've got us!" cried Boxcy.  "Let him go!"
"Who him?" asked the Comedic, now without the amplification of the loudspeaker.  He glanced down at the figure before him.  "What do you say, Yorick?  What's that?  Sure!  Why not?"  The Comedic tugged the bundle free.
The Tops gasped.

"Kole!" gaped Lisa.
"Hi, guys," the Tops' human companion waved at his friend.  "Sorry I'm late, but I caught the wrong bus.  What's going on?"
"All units!" Brockstripe hurriedly barked into a radio.  "Close in!"

"Hey, Yorick!  We found the rest of you!" laughed the Comedic, plonking "Yorick" on the top of the mannequin's body now revealed.  He ignored "Yorick"'s head as it promptly fell off.
"Hey!" shouted Boxcy.  "You said you kidnapped Kole!"
"Moi?  Are you nuts?" the Comedic put on an expression of mock-hurt.  "Do you know how expensive it is keeping hostages?  There's food and water, not to mention the licenses and accompanying fees!"
"Grrr!  We'll getcha, Comedic!" shouted Toppy.
"Once we get past this acid," added Socky, glancing at the vat below the Tops.
"Acid?" the Comedic laughed.  "Where the heck do you think I'm going to get a vat of acid from?  It's water, you lackwits!"
"In that case..." said Toppy.
"IT'S CRUNCH TIME!" yelled the four Tops.  With a burst of super-strength, the Tops ripped out of the rope and splashed into the vat below.  They smashed through the side of the vat, releasing a torrent of water.
"Fun time, Dinocons!" the Comedic retreated past the four robots.
"YEAH!" exclaimed Thrash, Slasher, and Guttwister.
"Plah!" agreed Killcrunch.
The fight was on!

Ignoring the bone-jarring ruckus behind him, the Comedic pranced across the floor to the door the Tops had smashed in.  He jounced out only to hop back in as I'brolent blocked his way.  Skunk and lizard reflexively ducked as one of the Dinocons was thrown through a wall not far away.
"All right, Comedic," said I'brolent, regaining his composure first.  "You're coming with me."
"Better you than the pipsqueaks, I think," the skunk said, his smile still stuck on his snout.
"You got it," I'brolent said, mildly surprised the Comedic had already figured out the security agent's next threat.
"Oh, I knew sending those Dinocons against those Tops was a bad idea," lamented the Comedic as the last standing Dinocon was tossed through the roof of the warehouse, only to reenter a minute later and crash into the floor.  "Not only is my warehouse wasted, but the worst of it is, well, do you know how what transforming robot fanboys would do just to get one life-sized action figure, much less four?"
"You should have thought of that before," I'brolent said as he finished checking the skunk's wrists before snapping on the handcuffs.  The lizard did not want the Comedic to suddenly reveal that his handcuffed paws were fake just in time to slip free.
"Oh, I did, yes, I did," the Comedic said, watching as the defeated Dinocons glowed and vanished, returning to wherever Doctor Eyeball had gotten them from.  "Doesn't really matter in the end."

"We won!" exclaimed Socky as he strutted over to where I'brolent was leading the Comedic to an ambulance.  The other Tops, looking worn from their battle, followed triumphantly.  Brockstripe, Martin, and Kole, his hand fiercely possessed by Lisa, were gathered around.  Behind the Tops, several police officers were already busy securing the remains of the warehouse.
"It was a tough battle, but I showed those robots who was boss!" Socky puffed out his chest.  "How's it feel to have your goons defeated by Socky, the greatest Top?"
"Hey!" The other three Tops glared at Socky and would have jumped him had not Kole stopped them.
"Not now," Kole said.
"You mean my legally-hired, if somewhat unusual, security force?" if it was possible, the Comedic's grin seemed to get bigger.  "All protecting [i]my[/i] warehouse, all bought and paid for out of [i]my[/i] pocket and filled with junk legally salvaged or bought?"
"You're just put out 'cause we beat ya!" Boxcy crowed.
"Duh, 'cause good always beats bad!" Curly added, triumphantly.
"And we're the good guys!  Right, bros?" Toppy exchanged high-fives with the other Tops.
"YEAH!" they cried.
"Do you think they'll ever learn anything?" murmured Lisa to Kole.
"Nope," Kole whispered back.
"Eesh, neon signs in Las Vegas, they are not," remarked the Comedic as I'brolent stopped him behind the ambulance.  Paramedics opened the back doors.  "They have no clue I tricked them."
"Nope," said I'brolent, helping the skunk into the ambulance.  "You might say your stunt backfired."
"It did, didn't it," amused, the Comedic considered that as I'brolent climbed in after him.  "Then the joke's really on me, eh?"
As the ambulance drove off, the Comedic's laughter howled back to the ears of those left behind.

_______________________

Kole Larson, Lisa Raccoon, the Tops (Toppy, Boxcy, Socky, and Curly), and Dr. Evil Eyeball © Kole Larson
Furriston, I'brolent of the Tribe I'brel, and Martin Kanine © Albert Temple
James Theodore StinCoy/the Comedic, Captain Nathaniel Brockstripe,  "Yorick", Leozac, Beavner, Beavner Post, Foxfire, Waterdog, and the Dinocons (Thrash, Slasher, Killcrunch, and Guttwister) © Marvin E. Fuller
story © 2008-2023 Marvin E. Fuller