26. Patriot Acts – The Boys from Blue

 Police cruisers surrounded the building within minutes.  The SWAT team was busy getting into position.  Phone calls to the pharmacy were being ignored, and so was the sergeant on the bullhorn.  Outside, it was generally agreed that the terrorist inside was serious.

            Inside, it was generally agreed that their hostage-taker was short a full deck.  He walked around the back of the store lecturing them about the government, saying they were all brainwashed by the drugs and shouldn’t trust the Patriots.  He lectured for a half hour on how to free your mind from the enemy.

            In the middle of a dissertation on the evil brainwashing techniques of television, a loud sound came from the back room beyond the pharmacist’s counter.  Jeremy drew his pistol and went back there to investigate.  Then, while he was out of the room, one of the big side windows shattered in a spectacular fashion as a man in armour swung down from above and crashed directly through it to land acrobatically.

            Jeremy came out of the back room screaming, firing his gun at the man in armour.  He held up his hand, protected by heavy gauntlets, and light flared from the palm.  A ripple effect struck Jeremy, bouncing him backwards to fly into a shelf of pill bottles.  It was almost as if the recoil of the gun had dramatically increased.

            Jeremy lurched to his feet and a man dropped onto him from the ceiling.  The customers had been amazed to see him crawl across it like an insect when Jeremy opened the door.  He had crouched above Jeremy and jumped him once he was disarmed.

            The man from the ceiling stood up, his target unconscious.  His skin was completely white and his eyes were purple.  The man in armour shook hands with him.

            “Nice work, Jabberwocky.”

            “Thank you, Lunar Hawk.”