"Are you sure you re up to this?" I ask. From the way Cain growls at me, I must have asked it before. I frown and bite my tongue. I mean give a zipper head a break! I'm only working with half a brain here. DG says I function incredibly well for only half my marbles.

Speaking of, she usually protects me from Cains temper, or pats my arm to make me feel better. Where is DG?

I think as hard as I can. DG needs to be nearby.
We wouldn't leave her alone.
Did we find her parents and send her home?

No or she would have hugged me goodbye. Maybe she was taken.

Oh! The mobats in the Northern island!

Northern Island Heh I was wondering what happened to that palace.

Cain crouches down by an embankment and watches the witch s tower.

"DGs in that awful place?"

" I hate to think of the poor kid in there." Cain growled " We gotta get her out."

"How?" I ask. We're going to need a stratagem. I used to be good at those.

Cain shrugs. "Not like we can waltz right in there."

"Why not? I'm a good dancer." I don t know why we're talking about dancing at a time like this.

Cain snorts derisively.

Hmmph I bet that rusty old tin man can't dance at all.

"I'm not saying they called me 'Twinkle-toes' or anything, but I cut quite a rug. Oh, you can make a face Cain, but it's true. There was a time I was a fantastic dancer."

I taught Leona to dance. Ah she was sweet.
Always brought me cupcakes. I wonder what happened to her. I hope she's someplace safe and happy. Not like me wandering all over the OZ with half a brain and a grumpy old tin man.
What would she think of me now? Now that I only have half a brain.

I can still dance though.

"She may have taken my brains, but rhythm, that comes directly from your... "

"Do you have any bright ideas on how to get in there?" Leave to Cain to invade such nice memories with something so trivial as... what were we doing?
Something to help DG no doubt.
I like helping DG.

" I mean...I don t mind taxing my half a brain for DG but just once I would like for someone to acknowledge me for my rhythm. Which as I was trying to saybefore I was so rudely interupted comes directly from the soul." I smile and remember all the lovely dances I had gone to in my youth. I didn t have the ladies lining up to dance with me though. In fact the generally ignored me

Like Cain was doing right now

"Sometimes Cain you make me feel just like those ladies at the dance did. Like I blend right into the wallpaper."

"That's a good idea"

What?!? I look over to Cain like he's lost HIS marbles. If he did we're in really big trouble.

"You- wanna dance?" I ask in surprise.

He laughs. Actually laughs.

Now I'm really scared.
Cain doesn't laugh.

He groans, pulls his gun, or if he likes you, glares... a lot. Cain doesn't smile. My dad was a tin man and tin men just don't smile

"I'll lead, you follow."

I follow Cain down the hill toward a group of Long coats. "I never met a tin man who could dance just goes to show you anything s possible-"

Cain turns and clamps a hand over my mouth. "We need to be quiet for this to work." Cain growls. "If we can sneak up on those long coats and take their uniforms we can get into the tower and rescue DG and Raw"

"Oh right" Good idea why didn t I think of that? Maybe I did. I cant remember.

Oh well, I'll ask Cain later.

Cain creeps up on the long coats I follow just behind.

"Sh sh sh" Cain turns and makes certain I m being silent.

I am.

I prepare to spring, but let Cain make the first move.

I know a thing or two about Tin men Tin men are strong.
Tin men are brave.
Tin men cant take a punch to save their lives.

I mean one punch and Cain was out of the game. Pathetic.

Guess its up to me then. I leap over Cain and catch two Longcoats in the back. Only one gets back up.
I knock his legs out from under him easily and send him sprawling. Then Step on him just for neatness' sake He goes down too. If his friends have any sense they ll surrender immediately.

Of course, Longcoats aren t very smart or they wouldn t have joined the sorceress.
Longcoats don t have very much rhythm either. their attacks are obvious and easy to dodge. I could probably take out the entire army at this rate. But we have to get Raw and DG out first. Bracing against one, I kick the another in the face, then flip him over my shoulder.

Heh that was easy.

I dispatch the last one with three punches and a roundhouse kick and smile proudly. Cain looks dumbfounded.
He s so busy staring at me he doesn t notice the patrol rounding the bend. Now would be a really bad time to get spotted. I push Cain against the wall to hide us from general view. We re both so muddy at this point we blend right in.

"You re a deep well Glitch." Cain intones

Must he always state the obvious?

I grin wider. "Its all about rhythm."