Silver flashed as Alpha’s sword sprang from his sleeve, prompting gasps from the onlookers. “I—ah—don’t mind dismantling you, Rho. You weren’t that—ah—difficult to put together in the first place.”

“Hold on a sec,” I said, making a stop sign with my right hand, standing up straight, and turning my back on them to face Maggie. “Believe me now? You see what I’m talking about?”

“Y-yes!” she said, obviously petrified.

I was gambling that Alpha and the suits weren’t going to jump me from behind—or maybe it wasn’t a gamble but rather a keen instinct that they weren’t moving, even though I couldn’t see them.

“‘Oh, no, a sword out of his arm, that’s so far-fetched!’” I mimicked in a high-pitched voice as I flailed my arms, then mouthed to her, “Run!”

“Come on, Jordan,” she shot back. “I thought you said it was a big, sharp sword. That thing is puny and pathetic. I wouldn’t use it on butter.” Then she mouthed, “No.”

Alpha and the suits were preparing their attack; I could feel it. I turned to the crowd as if I were about to juggle for money.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” I announced. “If you think things in town have been a little weird, here are the people with all the answers, and they’d be happy to take your questions.”

“Ah—folks—sorry to disappoint, but the show is now over,” Alpha announced, and Scar and Goldie were suddenly on either side of me, holding down my arms. I could take these guys; I knew it. But it was better for me to go along than to instigate a bloody brawl here in the street.

“Okay, okay,” I said as they led me toward the SUV.

“Jordan!” Maggie cried out.

“It’s fine,” I said.

Scar opened the back door, and a montage of potential next moves flashed through my mind. But before I could do anything, I heard a roar and charging footsteps.

“That’s my teammate!” Luke bellowed, and he swung his crutch into Goldie’s temple while Troy took down Scar in a vicious knee tackle that on the field would’ve been flagged for a personal foul but was quite welcome here. I swung free, elbows flying, and here came Tico, gunning for Alpha.

“No!” I called to him, and Alpha’s sword came swinging down toward my friend’s ducked head.

But Tico is an elusive dude, and he managed to sidestep the blade and get his arms wrapped around Alpha’s midsection to take him down with a clattering crunch. I stomped on the base of the blade, pinning Alpha to the pavement, and Luke, having incapacitated Goldie, threw his body over the grotesque scientist in an expert wrestling move.

The onlookers shouted and screamed as if horrified but also invigorated by this scene. We’d fared well so far, but I knew what these guys were capable of, and we needed to extricate ourselves from this situation with as little bloodshed as possible.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp and “Arrgh!” Alpha had sprouted a dagger out of his right foot à la Lotte Lenya in From Russia with Love and kicked it up into Luke’s side. Luke arched his back in pain, and that was enough to let Alpha back on his feet, and his blade came down swiftly on my former nemesis.