Dynamic Duo: Gauge & Polly

Chapter 4: Three

Polly's voice was patched through to Gauge's wristband. Finally, he had information. "Yep. It's a stickup. Two people are inside the front section, and one is in the back... I think he's looking for a safe?"

"Oh well, that's counterproductive— doesn't he know that no one carries physical bills anymore?"

"No one. These guys are idiots. Look at their strategy." Polly exasperated a laugh, amplified by the vent's metallic interior; Gauge glared at his wrist device, "Polly..." He grumbled, and he heard the mouse shuffle in the vent before he came back on the line. "Whoops, my bad," Polly said. He was being loud, so Gauge issued a warning. Then, after a few seconds of quiet, he heard Polly move around again before the unmistakable sound of metal lit up the voice channel. Polly yelled in terror, and a thud followed by a loud bang flooded the channel. Then static. "Polly?" Gauge asked again, still motionless. "Polly?! Damn it!" Gauge lowered his wrist and saw his friend being held at gunpoint, but like a charger, Polly was already in a fighting stance, not even brushing off the air vent dust that plagued his skin. 

Gauge's heart raced as he watched the tense scene unfold from that window in the front of the shop. Despite the odds, Polly seemed ready to confront the armed assailants... on his own.

The tension in the air thickened as Gauge desperately tried to assess the situation. His mind raced through possible actions, contemplating how to assist his friend. With no time to waste, Gauge idiotically flew at a speed so fast he somehow managed to destroy the window with the wake of wind that had generated behind him. He didn't mean to... but sometimes he didn't know his strength. Polly managed to scurry to protect the shop owner, a petite old lady who was also unprepared for Gauge's sheer strength. Polly threw his hands up in shock as he observed the glass shattered around them, "Dude!?"

"Dude!" Gauge responded, his face turning to an equally horrified gaze. Avoiding property damage was also a part of their lessons... the criminals managed to freeze in place; as Gauge examined the situation, he looked up toward the air vent hanging open from where Polly fell through. "That's what you get for moving around. You're an Omeocoon. Your entire job is being discreet! I'm the muscle. Do you think criminals just messing around is funny?" Gauge crossed his arms and lowered himself to a levitating height where he could easily communicate with Polly, "I wouldn't have fallen through the vents if they weren't so fragile!"

Polly, brushing glass shards off himself and his hostage, who was silent until now, was Earthen, but she wore a hood over her head so Polly couldn't tell what sub-species of Earthen she was, no matter. Polly gave a mock glare as Gauge spoke. "Fragile? Well, they're designed to ventilate a space, not survive acrobatics. Maybe you shouldn't have been up there messing around. What are we going to tell our boss?!"

"That he should make the check out to whatever this place is called?"

The armed assailants, seemingly caught off guard by Gauge's unexpected entrance and the banter between the two, eyed the two heroes with confusion and fear. The old lady behind Polly was cowering, grateful for the incredible rescue.

Polly took a step forward, a confident smirk on his face. "Alright, guys, why don't you drop those weapons and think about your actions? Or we can make this less pleasant for you." Less amused by Polly's boldness, Gauge decided to add a more intimidating tone. "I'm not trying to hurt you; just stand down." 

The criminals hesitated, glancing between Gauge's imposing figure and Polly's determined expression. Slowly, he lowered his weapon. Polly nodded in approval. The third man, the one Polly was tracking, burst out into the room, firing off rounds from a loaded weapon. The gun in question was an automatic piece, and the operator was hoping for something more along the lines of 'spray and pray.' Gauge retorted with powerful beams of light originating from his hands in bright purple; they were blinding to anyone who wasn't expecting it. 

"Gauge, no!" Polly shouted; he didn't even realize he just let names slip; they were never that but in the supposed-to-do moment... Polly's efforts were in vain anyway; it was too late, much too late. He wasn't ready to use that power yet; it was still semi-new to them. Polly was quick to shield his lady, and sure enough, the recoil was enough to knock Gauge over as he yelped at the power of this beam; it shot up into the ceiling and exploded violently, causing the entire building to collapse over them.