Standoff

The burning on Frankie’s stomach was rushing back to her. She’d stayed too still for too long, and the pain of the gunshot resumed unabated. Still, the fear helped. As right in front of her, her doom awaited- clad in colorful spandex.

Bozo was probably the least physically intimidating person in the world. Both the girls knew that in any other set of circumstances, they could crush him. However, with his trickery in play, the fight had been thrown more than enough in his favor. 

So long as he could throw a punch or utter the word “Venge-“ he could harness unreasonable strength, not to mention high-speed flight, at the drop of a hat.

He quickly did just that; finally distracting from Frankie’s terrible stomach pain with a few flying blows to her face. He didn’t pay Katie much kind at all- he saw Frankie, though he knew not her face, as the one solely responsible for all his troubles.

The big sister’s plan wasn’t to take advantage of this- she was just angry at watching her sister get hurt. Even when the trash can hit him, Bozo wasn’t paying enough attention to be confused- until it threw his flight off-course, at his fist crashed into the side of the alley.

“NOW!”

“URgh-… what in-“

“GET HIM!” Katie yelled violently to Frankie, pulling the bleeding fighter to her feet to rush the collapsed Bozo together.

They both tackled the old man, Katie pressing her hands against his mouth while Frankie tried to keep his arms secure. In a mess of limbs, they overpowered him, fighting against his struggling.

“Mmph! MMPH!”

It was no use. Without activating his trickery, he couldn’t fight even two wounded girls. Once again, he’d been humiliated.

“MMMMPH! MMMPH!”

 But there was still one truck up his sleeve, and not the cybernetic kind.

He couldn’t punch, and his legs were held down too, but his hands could feel Frankie’s upper body still close to the ground. And her head… her mask… was right- next to his fingers-

He grabbed as hard as he could. Pulling some hair with it, he felt Frankie’s concealing veil come flying off.

“N-No!” Katie gasped, forcing her other hand over his eyes, weakening the hold. With her scrambling to put her mask back on, it weakened even more. Bozo crooked his neck, struggling harder and harder- any second now, he’d break out and see the face of his culprit.

“I- I-“ Katie looked to her desperate sister. For a still moment, her dream died. Frankie had dropped her mask, like she’d given up entirely. And they couldn’t hold Bozo any longer. It was- at least, the way things were- was over.

“KEEP HIS EYES SHUT!”

Frankie whipped her heel into his head, bruising it against the wall along with Katie’s hands, which she tried to keep gripped to the CEO’s face at all costs. But by the second kick, they slipped off entirely.

Bozo tried to get a look. Purple, aching eyelids rising, he thought he could spot just a bit of a girl’s face- someone young, with a frowning expression…

Then the girl’s next kick surrendered his entire view.

She drove him back into the wall, his focus breaking. Sent into a black haze, he was knocked out in an instant.

The girls gave themselves a few seconds to catch their breath and look at each other, exchanging their mutual relief and terror alike.

Then they ran.

As far as they could.