#strexpr

... disconcertingly driven, but she seems... alright enough...

hey, this is an aggregate Lucy, the one who's aware of the whole multiverse and plotting things that go on? I have to say, there are not many people who make me mad, but you, Sara Pauline Hamilton, you have done it.

yeah, sure, I get you're ambitious, but how dare you toss Jim aside like that. and for what, so he wouldn't take up your precious time while you file your teeth sharper? so that he couldn't have the chance to tell you to your face what a slatteritching coward you are? or that any endgame in which your friends mean nothing isn't worth it?

do you have any idea how much you mean to him? not 'meant', 'mean'. do you have any idea how screwed up it is that you have to tell somebody not to trust your best friend because she will eat you alive?

Well, anything, really! It’s bound to change at any time. If you’d expect to see it coming soon at a Wal-Mart, or a K-Mart, or Jeb’s Hometown Bait and Animal Bladder and Liquor One-Stop Shop, then you can expect to see it at a local StrexCorp® SuperStore retail location!

And we’ll let her know you said that!

That might've been useful when Sara was up here with us and not attempting to figure the place out on her own...

…Ducharme? Oh, yes. This could not have gone better.

Thank you! But we can’t bring her up just yet. There are some… preparations. We’ll tell you more when we can. For the moment, place her into the elevator and gently speak aloud: “take this one to the deep.”

There were no more helicopters. No more screaming or fighting. The masked warriors had all retreated. The lab had survived and Jim had no reason to still be on its roof.

And yet there he was.

Sheila was nestled into his hair, sleeping off the excitement of the battle. He hugged his flamethrower, long since out of fuel, to his chest and let his eyes wander the scenery. He was okay, he was, as long as he didn't get too close to the edge of the roof.

People were filtering back into the city, and into the offices. Back to work, as usual, but out of habit or fear, he didn't know.