Lemme get this posted before I have to work. This'll be quick.

Nate and Crash belong to Naughty Dog; Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles belong to Sega Corporation; and Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper belong to Chuck Lorre Productions and CBS. (Is that everything?)

Was I losing it? Most likely. But it was for a good reason.

I couldn't just let him get away with what he did two nights ago. People get locked up, lose jobs for attacking a minor. And that was what I wanted. I wanted this guy away from me – off my danger radar – off VLADJI's danger radar, more importantly. And putting on a big scene seemed like the best way to do it.

You're small, not much, I remembered Tails saying to me once – before I met DJ and Amos and before my life became much more complicated. They'll think you're easy to beat. Don't make it easy. But you can use that too, if you can.

Lucky for me, using what I had was a natural talent of mine. Another thing I inherited from mi papa.

Hollins squirmed his way out of the duct tape. Dios, he must've been strong to get out of it so easily. He moved toward me. "It's all right–"

"Don't say it's all right!" I screamed, putting my best notes of panic into my voice. "You attacked me. You hit me in the leg. Just to get your stupid device back. How do I know you won't hit me again?"

That question hit the gathered crowd of adolescents like a blast of arctic air. The protesters on our sidewalk backed away from Hollins, as if afraid he might attack them as well. Christina's grip on the camera became shaky from her trembling, and Ellie caught Carmel as she fainted at the news. Miriam shrieked and jumped away from Hollins, with a hand on her waist and the plushie bandolier on it. (Did she sleep with that?)

The only avatars I'd talked about it with were Tails, Carmen, Amy and Lara – the last three had heard it in the video filming, the first had witnessed it. That statement, for one reason or another, was edited out of the final product. I didn't figure those four avatars were blabbermouths, either. At least, if it wasn't the Sega Gang, the ranking avatars in Philadelphia, that they were talking to. Which meant that Sonic and Knuckles had basic knowledge of the incident, and Nate, Kori and Crash had none at all.

They reacted about as well as you'd expect. Kori let out a roar, turning her pistols on Hollins and calling him all sorts of filthy names (which I will not repeat). Nate scowled at Mitch, and Stryker, sensing his master's hatred, snarled and lunged out at Hollins, knocking him to the pavement. Crash snapped, "Child murderer!", and I got the suspicion he would have blown Hollins to Baltimore if he wasn't so burned out from curbing the protesters. Knuckles' hands ignited again, and worse than when Sonic had ribbed him about showing up late.

"Calm down, avatars!" the mayor snapped. Then he turned to Hollins. "You attacked a little girl?"

"Don't ask him," Tails said coldly. "Why don't you ask the offended party what happened? That was your main focus. And we don't know what Hollins will say."

The mayor flinched at being reminded of his party's priorities. But Tails did have a point. Hollins might throw shade on me, say I started it, when the reverse was true. I was all too familiar with how he was able to twist things around.

Un momento, girl, a part of my brain realized. We have a guy who can do that, too!

Sonic seemed to read my thoughts. "How do you know he's not going to put her in his class? Or lie to you about his role?" he asked, his throat stripe glowing again. "Let her tell her side of the story. Or better yet, ask her father."

I wondered how he'd known I'd need Papa's help. But Sonic was right. True justice looked for both sides of the story to deliver punishment. Besides, there had been witnesses other than me. And one of those witnesses had given Hollins the immediate punishment for his actions – with a kitchen utensil. I highly doubted Hollins was going to mess with Papa. And it would go down a lot better if an adult backed me up.

The mayor turned to Papa. "Is this true, José?" he asked.

I was thrown by his addressing Papa as José. That implied he thought of Papa as his equal. Judging from Hollins' shocked expression – which, by the way, was absolutely priceless – he hadn't been expecting it either.

"It is true, Mayor," he said softly. "I heard her screaming. Twice. And he hit her in the leg. Hard enough that he could've seriously hurt her. I threw him out for it."

The mayor flinched. "I don't blame you," he said. Then he turned to Hollins, his right eye twitching. "I'm afraid I'll have to hold you in custody. Property damage, public disruption – and now I hear you attacked a child. In her own house."

Hollins' right eye twitched so hard I thought he was trying to outdo the mayor's tic.

"And furthermore," Thomsen added, "I will speak to the school board about revoking your teaching license. I cannot have a child abuser in William McKinley. Especially since everyone seems afraid of you now. And when word gets out about it–"

He let that hang in the air, but I imagined it would have reflected poorly on the mayor if he'd let Hollins get off attacking a minor scot-free. More than poorly, in fact. It would make him downright unpopular in Philadelphia. And him running for the Senate.

Hollins spoke up, stumbling to his feet. "What–? You can't–"

"I can, Mitchell," the mayor snapped. "I can, I have to, and I will. For the good of this neighborhood, and for Philadelphia. I am also charging you with payment for the damage you caused!"

Two cops came and slapped cuffs on Hollins.

"Wait!" came a voice. It was Hardwell. How did he get here? "I have something for him."

"And what's that, Horace?" Hollins asked.

Hardwell approached. He was wearing more casual attire – a bright red polo, khakis, and sneakers – but he still cut a figure. Once he was within arm's length of Hollins, he brought his arm back and punched Hollins in the face, knocking him senseless.

"And that was for stealing my car," Hardwell growled, walking back to us.

"Jeez," DJ muttered. "Did he–?"

"He works as a bouncer," I replied. "He's only got to be strong enough to yank drunks out of the bar when they get loco."

"And I bet they're heavy ones," Amos remarked, getting punched by Imira for it. "Ow! What did I say?"

Sonic whistled. "Friend of yours, Vinny Lee?"

I smiled at him. "An acquaintance."

The cops took Hollins away. I caught his blond hair – tousled from hitting the pavement when Hardwell punched him. His suit also bore shredded elbows from his first fall on the asphalt, when Stryker attacked him. I found that downright satisfying, and I was sure Nate would be glad that his dog had gotten a hit in.

"Five years in jail for him?" Knuckles asked, extinguishing his hands. "Or was it life?"

"And probably a sentence for these guys as accomplices," Kori said, as some other cops came in and cuffed Hollins' aides.

"Well, he'll get his due one way or another," I said.

"Thanks anyway," Hardwell said. "Chalk up another victory for you kids. It appears I was wrong about you."

"Gracias, Hardwell," I responded.

He smiled at me. "Please, call me Horace."

The mayor glanced around at all four of us. "I just can't seem to get you out of everyone's business."

"Well, too many people are getting in ours," Imira replied, which got a bit of laughter out of us.

"Yeah, if they'd just left well enough alone, we wouldn't be in this situation," DJ responded. "Alas, that phrase seems foreign to them."

I started spinning to emphasize the point – and a quarter of the way through quickly noticed Leonard and Sheldon were no longer there.

"The geeks!" I shouted. "They're gone!"

Oh, boy. Hate to leave you with that twist, but - oh, wait. I don't.

Verse for the update: Isaiah 5:7.

Please review! No flames! And stay tuned!