It began with Bob sitting in the TTK headquarters jail, humming off-key and rattling the bars like a raccoon who'd discovered caffeine.
Stranger spotted Lady Kara lurking in the shadows — which was suspicious, because Kara doesn't lurk. She stalks with purpose. Bob heard her boots and immediately launched into a full-volume performance of: "HELP, I'M INNOCENT, THEY'RE MAKING ME EAT THE TAC—" Stranger slammed his clipboard down. "Bob, shut it or I'm taking your water and you're eating the extra-spicy tacos alone." TTK, as always, did not observe the Geneva Convention. Stranger even ordered more guards and personally sprinkled additional hot spices into Bob's next serving like a man seasoning vengeance.
Kara stepped out of the shadows with the confidence of someone who absolutely wasn't supposed to be there. "Hey boys," she said, flipping her hair in a way that made three guards forget their job descriptions. While they were distracted, Funky Lion dropped from the rafters like a chaotic housecat with a mission.
He popped Bob's cell open with a lockpick he definitely shouldn't have had. Bob burst out dramatically. "I KNEW YOU'D COME FOR ME! I TOLD THEM! I TOLD EVERYONE!" Stranger turned around just in time to see: an open cell, a swinging vent grate, a trail of taco crumbs, and Bob sprinting away yelling, "FREEDOM AND GOATS!" Stranger blinked. "…What just happened."
Kara, Funky, and Bob returned to APX like heroes returning from war — or like a trio returning from a Taco Bell run gone wrong. APX celebrated Bob's return with cheers, confetti, and at least five people whispering, "Why did we bring him back again?" Bob basked in the attention anyway.
Back in TTK, the alliance stared at the empty cell, the confused guards, and the spicy taco tray still steaming. Everyone slowly turned to look at Stranger. Stranger sighed the sigh of a man who had lost a prisoner, a dinner, and his sanity in the same hour.
"Fine," he muttered. "Blame me. Again."