Thunderfunk the Superchicken - Chapter 7

The Vill-ee-an Returns...eth

Thunderfunk, the Superchicken, strode briskly down the hallway, pressing the nose of the greatest evil mastermind, and his own personal hero, Tommy Douglas, to open the secret passageway. Stepping quickly across the threshold he stood on the moving platform, leaning casually against the railing as it moved towards the cavernous room that housed the device. The platform stopped, allowing him to dismount. He looked at the distance it covered and wondered, not for the first time, if it was worth the energy it used to move the ten feet. Plus it was slow. He made a mental note to decide on the issue later. For now he had the clean up of a messy extermination to supervise.

Entering the cavernous room, the first thing that he noticed was his aide whistling. Straw did not like cleaning up messes, and he never whistled while he worked, despite the advice of those seven diminutive miners of cinema fame.

The next thing he noticed was that the device was put away, all clean and shiny as he demanded from his minion. But he had only stepped out for a moment, so it was definitely too soon. The device had many nooks and crannies that required extra attention. Something was amiss.

"What," he began, a menacing edge to his voice to indicate his displeasure, "is the meaning of this?" He hoped that Straw had not noticed the squeak that had worked its way out.

Straw looked up, rather guiltily. "They, uh..." he paused for a long time, as though trying to choose his words carefully. Or his lie. "They got away." He shrugged rather lamely, offering up a weak smile. "I keep telling you that the device needs a redesign to make it more secure."

Pounding his fist against the railing which he had leaned against imperiously, Thunder positively thundered. "You are lying! You let them escape, I’m sure."

With a shrug, Straw went back to his sweeping. "Design flaw, let them escape, it’s all the same. The point is, they won’t return."

"And how can you be so sure."

"You caught and defeated five people without any problem whatsoever. They ran like whipped dogs. Their tails were between their legs, figuratively speaking. Although, I’m not convinced that Chameleon didn’t have a tail." He leaned on his broom, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

Impatiently, Thunder strode down the stairs to the floor. "I should box your ears soundly for such impudence, but we have other concerns. But rest assured, your pay will be docked." In a fit of malevolence he grabbed the broom and broke it over his knee. It took two tries, but he eventually managed. It was hard to walk back up the stairs without limping, but maintaining the illusion of invincibility was important.

Tripping on the stairs only made him more angry. Straw’s half-stifled snort of laughter did not help. Glaring over his shoulder, Thunder rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "We must go prepare," he spoke finally, softening his tone somewhat. "Events have sprung into motion that require our full attention."

Tossing the pieces of his broom into the pit with the device, Straw walked to the stairs. "What’s going on?"

"He’s bafk," said Thunder, crumbs falling from his mouth to the ground. The woman may be a pain, but these cookies were divine.