open. Boots stomped into the
room. A familiar voice shouted, “Karnage!”
Karnage turned around. There, standing in front of a line of
Dabneycops, was Riggs. His tall, lanky frame had filled out. His hair
was grey and pulled back in a ponytail. Crow’s feet had sprung up
around the eyes. But there was no mistaking those eyes. It was him.
“Riggs?” Karnage stared at his former sergeant. His fist stayed
closed around Huang’s throat.
“Mercy,” Huang weakly clawed at Karnage’s tightened fist.
“Please . . .”
A Dabneycop beside Riggs cocked his rifle. “Let the doctor go or
we will be forced to open fire!”
“Negative!” Riggs pushed the Dabneycop’s rifle down. “Nobody
fires until I give the order! Do I make myself clear, Murtaugh?”
“That’s not how Sydney would have us play it, sir.”
“Sydney’s not in charge here!”
“We found your dog tags. Half-melted, lost in that sea of rubble.
How could you . . . ?” Karnage’s fists clenched tighter around Huang’s
throat. Huang gasped in his grip. Karnage growled: “You ran. You
got scared and you turned tail and ran! Riggs The Roach. Always
comin’ out okay! Always! Right up until the end. Right up until the
goddamn end!”
“John—”
“We were counting on you to hold your position. When we came
back, there was nothing there but a pile of smoking rubble. Nobody
to meet us but Uncle Stanley. They came outta the hills like hornets,
Riggs. Like a goddamn swarm! We thought for sure you were dead.
The Roach had finally been crushed. We shed tears for you, you
asshole. We shed goddamn tears!”
“I can explain—”
“You left us behind!” Karnage’s fists tightened around Huang’s
neck.
“John, you’re killing Huang!”
“You left us, Riggs. YOU LEFT US!” Karnage dropped Huang and
lunged at Riggs.
Murtaugh levelled his weapon. “Open fire!”
“NO!”
Riggs’s cry was drowned out by the pop-pop-pop of automatic
weapons fire. The rounds slammed Karnage in the chest, throwing
him into the cracked mirror. It shattered. Karnage fell through. He
landed in a tumble of desks and screams on the other side.
The wounds in his chest went from hot to cold. Karnage
looked down. Brightly glowing ping pong balls covered his chest. Tranquilizers , Karnage thought. The icy coolness spread from his
chest to his limbs. He lost consciousness.
CHAPTER TWO
Karnage woke in a holding cell. Its thick metal bars were covered in
barbed wire. Blue sparks danced and crackled from the wire to the
bars. He stood up.
“Where the hell am I?”
A monitor on the wall behind him came to life. A DC logo splashed
across the screen. Dabby Tabby bounced onto the screen and leaned
against the logo. He was decked out in an orange prison jumpsuit.
His ankle sported a ball and chain. A gentle, female voice wafted
from the screen.
“Welcome to the Dabney Correctional Executive Class Hospitality
Centre. We hope your stay with us is a pleasant one. Please enjoy
these pastoral images and soothing mood music while you await
trial and sentencing. And remember—at Dabney Correctional, we
believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And it shows.”
Treacly music blasted from the walls and ceiling. Karnage
clamped his hands over his ears. The music vibrated through his
body and threatened to shake the fillings from his teeth. It was
unbearable. “Jesus Christ!”
The gentle female voice returned, now at a much higher decibel.
“Rather than use offensive language to express yourself, try to
articulate what you’re feeling.” Dabby Tabby unrolled a list of words
on the screen. “Please feel free to use this vocabulary of handy
alternatives to many common expletives.”
“You want vocabulary? How’s this? Shut up, you fucking
fuckknuckle!”
“Rather than use offensive language to express yourself, try
to—”
Karnage screamed in frustration and kicked the wall. His neck
buzzed. “Warning. Sanity Level
room. A familiar voice shouted, “Karnage!”
Karnage turned around. There, standing in front of a line of
Dabneycops, was Riggs. His tall, lanky frame had filled out. His hair
was grey and pulled back in a ponytail. Crow’s feet had sprung up
around the eyes. But there was no mistaking those eyes. It was him.
“Riggs?” Karnage stared at his former sergeant. His fist stayed
closed around Huang’s throat.
“Mercy,” Huang weakly clawed at Karnage’s tightened fist.
“Please . . .”
A Dabneycop beside Riggs cocked his rifle. “Let the doctor go or
we will be forced to open fire!”
“Negative!” Riggs pushed the Dabneycop’s rifle down. “Nobody
fires until I give the order! Do I make myself clear, Murtaugh?”
“That’s not how Sydney would have us play it, sir.”
“Sydney’s not in charge here!”
“We found your dog tags. Half-melted, lost in that sea of rubble.
How could you . . . ?” Karnage’s fists clenched tighter around Huang’s
throat. Huang gasped in his grip. Karnage growled: “You ran. You
got scared and you turned tail and ran! Riggs The Roach. Always
comin’ out okay! Always! Right up until the end. Right up until the
goddamn end!”
“John—”
“We were counting on you to hold your position. When we came
back, there was nothing there but a pile of smoking rubble. Nobody
to meet us but Uncle Stanley. They came outta the hills like hornets,
Riggs. Like a goddamn swarm! We thought for sure you were dead.
The Roach had finally been crushed. We shed tears for you, you
asshole. We shed goddamn tears!”
“I can explain—”
“You left us behind!” Karnage’s fists tightened around Huang’s
neck.
“John, you’re killing Huang!”
“You left us, Riggs. YOU LEFT US!” Karnage dropped Huang and
lunged at Riggs.
Murtaugh levelled his weapon. “Open fire!”
“NO!”
Riggs’s cry was drowned out by the pop-pop-pop of automatic
weapons fire. The rounds slammed Karnage in the chest, throwing
him into the cracked mirror. It shattered. Karnage fell through. He
landed in a tumble of desks and screams on the other side.
The wounds in his chest went from hot to cold. Karnage
looked down. Brightly glowing ping pong balls covered his chest. Tranquilizers , Karnage thought. The icy coolness spread from his
chest to his limbs. He lost consciousness.
CHAPTER TWO
Karnage woke in a holding cell. Its thick metal bars were covered in
barbed wire. Blue sparks danced and crackled from the wire to the
bars. He stood up.
“Where the hell am I?”
A monitor on the wall behind him came to life. A DC logo splashed
across the screen. Dabby Tabby bounced onto the screen and leaned
against the logo. He was decked out in an orange prison jumpsuit.
His ankle sported a ball and chain. A gentle, female voice wafted
from the screen.
“Welcome to the Dabney Correctional Executive Class Hospitality
Centre. We hope your stay with us is a pleasant one. Please enjoy
these pastoral images and soothing mood music while you await
trial and sentencing. And remember—at Dabney Correctional, we
believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And it shows.”
Treacly music blasted from the walls and ceiling. Karnage
clamped his hands over his ears. The music vibrated through his
body and threatened to shake the fillings from his teeth. It was
unbearable. “Jesus Christ!”
The gentle female voice returned, now at a much higher decibel.
“Rather than use offensive language to express yourself, try to
articulate what you’re feeling.” Dabby Tabby unrolled a list of words
on the screen. “Please feel free to use this vocabulary of handy
alternatives to many common expletives.”
“You want vocabulary? How’s this? Shut up, you fucking
fuckknuckle!”
“Rather than use offensive language to express yourself, try
to—”
Karnage screamed in frustration and kicked the wall. His neck
buzzed. “Warning. Sanity Level
Similar Books
