As the Moon Climbs

Blast Girl stared at the device in horror. “It’s a bomb!”

“How much time—” Jade Fist began.

“Fifteen seconds!”

They knew they wouldn’t make it out of the building before it blew up. Despite her explosive abilities, Blast Girl wasn’t immune to bombs, and Jade Fist could project concentrated psychic force but not create diffuse fields to protect them or contain the bomb itself.

“I’ve got it!”

Blast Girl and Jade Fist turned incredulous gazes on Armordillo. Incredulity quickly became horror as they watched him pick up the bomb and activate his impenetrable spherical shell, trapping himself inside with it. An eternal ten seconds later, they heard the muffled explosion.

“Did he just…” Jade Fist couldn’t finish the question. Blast Girl’s eyes welled up with tears.

“After all the times we made fun of him for being useless,” she said.

“Made fun of who?” Armordillo asked breathlessly.

They stared at him in disbelief. “How did you get out?” Jade Fist asked.

“Ejection seat, duh. Who are we making fun of?”

“It’s over, Armordillo,” Blast Girl said, tapping at his shell. “You can come out now.”

“What?” came the muffled response.

Blast Girl sighed. “Why do we even bring him?” she asked Jade Fist.

He shrugged and threw a psychic punch at a thug on the ground who had started to stir. “Stupid ones waste time trying to hit him while we deal with the rest?”

“And we can hide behind him, I guess.” Blast Girl cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted at the leathery shell. “I SAID, YOU CAN COME OUT NOW.”

Slowly, the plated ball that was Armordillo opened up to expose the man inside, lying on his back with his legs sticking up.

“We won?” he asked, and Blast Girl nodded. Jade Fist continued to monitor the unconscious evildoers.

“Oh, great!” Armordillo rocked from side to side, kicking his legs. Blast Girl finally triggered a minor explosion underneath him that flipped him over, and he waved a pointed glove at her in thanks.

“I don’t care what Mom says,” Blast Girl muttered. “I’m not bringing him next time.”