the exit, first tentative, then in a mad panicky rush. Pistola watched them go, and then turned to look critically at her new hostages. “ Llévelos, Puño. Vayamos a los caballos. ” Pistola slipped some printing dies into her belt.
The largest of the cowboys easily lifted both Sally and Jack under his arms as if they were no more than bags of charcoal. Jack looked up at him pleasantly. “Hi, handsome. In town long?”
“ Qué? No… no entiendo, ” stammered the huge man.
“ No hable con él, Puño, ” ordered Pistola. “ Consiga listo para luchar. Get ready to fight.”
The five robbers activated their various parapowers. Ball bearings whizzed around Pistola like miniature planets. Fresh ribbons of red energy crackled from Azote’s hands. The bonds he’d laid around Sally and Jack showed no signs of weakening. Sally wondered how many ribbons he could maintain before his control started to waver. Espada’s forearms lengthened and stiffened into bony, razor-sharp blades. Puño’s hands were full of Sally and Jack, but he was probably just as tough as he was strong and wouldn’t shirk from fighting when it erupted. Cañón, who was almost as big as Puño, hefted the large roll of paper as easily as if it had been a balloon.
“Going to just ride off into the sunset while the closing credits roll?” asked Jack. “Retire to Bolivia and have a whole flock of little pistoleros?”
“Shut up!” Pistola screamed.
“Are they outside?” Sally mouthed to Jack. He winked back.
“Do you see anything?” Espada whispered to Pistola as she scanned the street outside.
“No… that’s what worries me. Escudo and Cuchillo are gone. So are the horses.”
A cool breeze played across Sally’s face. She didn’t think much of it until she also saw a trail of mist float past as well. Jack’s smile grew wider as he saw it as well. “Well I sure hope nothing bad happens to you guys.” He spoke with emphatic clarity. “ Especially to the guy holding the red energy whips.”
Sally got the hint and gathered herself for a quick getaway. Even tucked under Puño’s meaty arm, she could still shake herself free of his grasp by shifting her weight at top speed. All she needed was a moment of freedom from Azote’s bonds. She knew Shannon was in the room with them; an ace in the hole, but without any offensive powers. All she could do was become invisible and insubstantial. Sally didn’t see how Shannon could possibly be any use, or what Jason could see in the little slut for that matter. Her temper rose quickly through the dull roar in her head.
Shannon materialized suddenly to one side of Azote. She faded into vision and solidity, already spinning around in midair, one leg tucked underneath her and the other whipping around toward Azote’s head. She caught him by surprise before he could react with his whips. Shannon’s foot connected with his jaw. It sounded like a baseball bat striking a punching bag. Azote’s eyes rolled back in his head as he tumbled to the floor, unconscious or maybe dead. Sally caught a glimpse of a superior grin on Shannon’s face before she faded from view again, just as one of Espada’s arm-blades cut through the space in which she’d stood.
“Wow,” said Jack, just their bonds faded into nothingness. Sally shook herself free at super-speed. For Puño it would have felt like trying to hold onto a jackhammer. She dropped to the ground and immediately ran to the far end of the lobby to get her bearings. Her head still buzzed from her collision with the printing press. With a crash of glass, Jason smashed through one of the arched windows into the lobby. Sally smiled. He loved to break stuff and lived for good brawls. From the look of excited anticipation on his face, he was ready to go toe to toe with whoever dared stand up to him.
Doublecharge flew in through the broken window. Electricity spat and crackled off her hands. “Just Cause,” she announced. “Surrender now.”
“
The largest of the cowboys easily lifted both Sally and Jack under his arms as if they were no more than bags of charcoal. Jack looked up at him pleasantly. “Hi, handsome. In town long?”
“ Qué? No… no entiendo, ” stammered the huge man.
“ No hable con él, Puño, ” ordered Pistola. “ Consiga listo para luchar. Get ready to fight.”
The five robbers activated their various parapowers. Ball bearings whizzed around Pistola like miniature planets. Fresh ribbons of red energy crackled from Azote’s hands. The bonds he’d laid around Sally and Jack showed no signs of weakening. Sally wondered how many ribbons he could maintain before his control started to waver. Espada’s forearms lengthened and stiffened into bony, razor-sharp blades. Puño’s hands were full of Sally and Jack, but he was probably just as tough as he was strong and wouldn’t shirk from fighting when it erupted. Cañón, who was almost as big as Puño, hefted the large roll of paper as easily as if it had been a balloon.
“Going to just ride off into the sunset while the closing credits roll?” asked Jack. “Retire to Bolivia and have a whole flock of little pistoleros?”
“Shut up!” Pistola screamed.
“Are they outside?” Sally mouthed to Jack. He winked back.
“Do you see anything?” Espada whispered to Pistola as she scanned the street outside.
“No… that’s what worries me. Escudo and Cuchillo are gone. So are the horses.”
A cool breeze played across Sally’s face. She didn’t think much of it until she also saw a trail of mist float past as well. Jack’s smile grew wider as he saw it as well. “Well I sure hope nothing bad happens to you guys.” He spoke with emphatic clarity. “ Especially to the guy holding the red energy whips.”
Sally got the hint and gathered herself for a quick getaway. Even tucked under Puño’s meaty arm, she could still shake herself free of his grasp by shifting her weight at top speed. All she needed was a moment of freedom from Azote’s bonds. She knew Shannon was in the room with them; an ace in the hole, but without any offensive powers. All she could do was become invisible and insubstantial. Sally didn’t see how Shannon could possibly be any use, or what Jason could see in the little slut for that matter. Her temper rose quickly through the dull roar in her head.
Shannon materialized suddenly to one side of Azote. She faded into vision and solidity, already spinning around in midair, one leg tucked underneath her and the other whipping around toward Azote’s head. She caught him by surprise before he could react with his whips. Shannon’s foot connected with his jaw. It sounded like a baseball bat striking a punching bag. Azote’s eyes rolled back in his head as he tumbled to the floor, unconscious or maybe dead. Sally caught a glimpse of a superior grin on Shannon’s face before she faded from view again, just as one of Espada’s arm-blades cut through the space in which she’d stood.
“Wow,” said Jack, just their bonds faded into nothingness. Sally shook herself free at super-speed. For Puño it would have felt like trying to hold onto a jackhammer. She dropped to the ground and immediately ran to the far end of the lobby to get her bearings. Her head still buzzed from her collision with the printing press. With a crash of glass, Jason smashed through one of the arched windows into the lobby. Sally smiled. He loved to break stuff and lived for good brawls. From the look of excited anticipation on his face, he was ready to go toe to toe with whoever dared stand up to him.
Doublecharge flew in through the broken window. Electricity spat and crackled off her hands. “Just Cause,” she announced. “Surrender now.”
“
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