The pair had been bickering all morning. Suzu wanted to work the north side. Anna wanted to work the south. Suzu wanted sushi for lunch, Anna wanted ramen. Suzu wanted to get started late and finish early. Anna was hard to stop.

Then, they stopped bickering. They stopped doing most things for a while. That’s what happens when you get knocked out.

Suzuki and Anna had their backs to the clear glass wall. They exchanged worried glances. Psychic tendrils lashed at them. Synthetic pigeon feathers fluttered to the floor from Suzuki’s outfit. Anna had long since misplaced her adorable paws and red panda ears.

“I think it was Sun Tzu who said, ‘the best time to start a fight is when your opponent is adorable and busy’.” A clip-on tail disintegrated in his hand. “I’d say I found just the right combination.”

Suzu’s fists clenched. Her personal whirlwind kicked up. Her pigtails flew flapped around wildly. Scraps of paper crinkled and fluttered through the air. She looked at Anna. They shared a nod. The redhead’s fists crackled with psionic energy.

“You already lost, remember?” He laughs. “You two were jumped, I won, and you are enjoying your last moments. Rather poorly, if you ask me. Most prisoners prefer to grovel instead of wasting their time trying to escape.” He tapped on the plexiglass prison. He pressed his face against the clear wall.

Did you know most kidnappers are less effective with a face full of psychically accelerated glass?

“And that’s how we had to break a window to beat a bad guy.”

“Wasn’t technically a window. Doesn’t count.”