Insecta, Episode 11

Since its my bday weekend, I'm handing this blog over to "The Paul". Here is Episode 11:

Insecta
episode 11
“Count Beaumont hits the big time”

Count Beaumont had fallen off of Detective Mangy’s shoulders in her mad dash to meet up with Insecta. In her adrenaline rush, Mangy hadn’t notice. Beaumont was able to flap his penguin wings well enough to break his fall and not hurt himself. He waddled back to the Strip, uncertain of what else to do. When got to the strip, he went into the Stardust to play slots while he tried to figure out what to do next.

The slot machines slowly siphoned off all his quarters so he took his last $100 and bought in to a poker tournament. After a series of ill-advised all-in bets, he found himself at the final table, much to the chagrin of the other human players. As fate would have it, he quickly won the tournament and found himself $576,000 richer. Count Beaumont began to do his victory jig on the stale, bourbon stained carpet of the casino floor.

Dizzy Tombeau, Lion Bree, and Cheetah Kittens arrived at precinct headquarters, in the mean time. Immediately, Dizzy contacted Detective Mangy and was filled in on the showdown. He told her to hold the injured Insecta until he got there.

Lion Bree noticed a help wanted sign that was posted in the precinct headquarters which read, “Wanted: a decent district attorney to serve Las Vegas.” At first, he thought it funny but then he considered what had happened since his stay in Vegas and begin to feel he could offer the city an added measure of protection having had a first hand experience of what could go wrong on a Vegas vacation.

Cheetah Kittens was surrounded by news reporters who were more than curious as to what had happened to her after her kidnapping and long imprisonment. She quickly re-did her makeup and pinned her showgirl hat back in place.

“All the details will be spelled out in my upcoming book, ‘Caged Cheetah’ and there’ll probably be a movie as well. I could play myself but I think we all know Meryl Streep would be prime for the role,” Cheetah exclaimed, “I was never worried. It was just a matter of finding a way to get out. Count Beaumont, the penguin, was instrumental in my rescue.

Then, out of her new found happiness she began to sing, “Can’t take my eyes off you,” complete with leg kicks at the appropriate places.

Meanwhile, back at the warehouse explosion site, Mangy kept a close eye on the now unconscious Insecta. The villain had begun an unusual morphing process which was covering her skin with a filmy, thick paste. Slowly, it seemed a cocoon was forming around her body.

“It must be some kind of recovery process,” Mangy thought.

She waited, watching the process slowly cover Insecta completely until her body was indistinguishable and only a large, oozing mass remained. At that point, Captain Tombeau arrived.

“what’s that mess?” he asked.

“It’s Insecta. She was injured in the fight we had,” responded Mangy with her hair hanging out of place, scrapes and scratches about her body and her new pumps, scuffed up and torn.

“But she looks like a blob of goo,” Tombeau responded.

“Arrest the blob,” announced Lion Bree, who’d followed behind Tombeau unnoticed. He had taken the application for the District Attorney job and when he turned it in, the Mayor, Spike Marino hired him on the spot.

Mayor Marino wore a tall black top hat to distinguish himself from ordinary citizens. He’d followed Lion to the scene as well to take advantage of the photo ops in all the local papers.

“Yes, yes. We’ve caught the bandit Insecta. Las Vegas is safe once more. Detective Mangy will receive a commendation, Lion Bree is our new district attorney, and Cheetah Kittens is free to entertain once more,” Mayor Marino said smiling to the clicking cameras.

Mr. Z had fled the city in the fracas, uncertain how it would all play out. He was on his personal jet plane when he received all the news.

“That idiot. I should have never trusted Insecta. Cheetah’s free. Beaumont is rich. And Mangy will never marry me,” he said disgruntled, “Pilot, make a course for Key West. I need time to think far away from here.”

And with that, Mr. Z’s plane changed course for the Conch Republic where he kept a lavish home.

Count Beaumont had seen the news on the television in the casino and quickly had a limousine drive him to the scene to reunite with his friends. Needless to say, everyone else was surprised to see the penguin pull up in a limo, get out, and show off his new gold necklace which had giant golden letters spelling out “the Count.”

Once the group was together again, they begin to exchange stories of what had happened and when, to fill each other in. As they spoke, a tentacle begin to puncture through the large, oozing cocoon near where they stood. No one seemed to notice....

As Mr. Z’s plane was turning towards its new destination, he watched the plane’s television as it featured the whole news story of the day’s events. He shook his head in disgust. Suddenly, the t.v. flashed pictures of Cheetah Kittens talking about Mr. Z and his evil plot.

“That looks like precinct headquarters. Only right now, all the cops are out at the scene. Pilot, land this plane. We’re going to Key West, only we have one more passenger to pick up...”

to be continued.