CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT - BILLY THE BOY (COP) WONDER

After enduring several beatings while tied up for hours in the tenderizing room, Mike began to quickly weaken. He was sure he was breathing his last. He thought to himself, "God, I always knew this day was gonna come, but I didn't think it'd be like this. Thank God we saved that other guy - at least we..." he grimaced when suffering a sudden pang, "...did our...job". His head fell forward. Was he dead? Was he unconscious? Was he just resting his eyes?

Eddie felt he was beginning to lose the struggle, too. There were now open welts all over his body from being bitten by fire ants. The bites didn't even hurt anymore, as Eddie was beginning to lose all feeling. He also didn't think he would go out in such a grisly manner. He always imagined himself being gunned down in battle - at least he was fighting - now, he was captured, sedated, tied down, and eaten by poisonous insects. "If this is the way I'm supposed to go out, then, all right", he thought. "I had a good life - I did good", his eyes getting heavier, til he finally passed out.

Meanwhile, Boy Cop couldn't be more agitated. He'd been pulling against the ropes whoch had bound him from the ceiling. He, too, had begun to lose all hope, then, suddenly, he heard a pop from over his head. It was a few strands of rope fiber, breaking off. "Wow - it's getting loose - it's starting to fray - all RIGHT!" He yanked more ferociously as the video was playing non-stop.

"Come on, you son-of-a...." he growled as he yanked non-stop "Just keep going!" He yanked away until one of his arms finally came loose. He gave one more good yank, then his left arm was free! Then he reached over and untied his other hand, then hit the ground running. He considered the open window - his first thought was to come to the aid of his newly-found friends.

He leaped out of the window to his torture chamber and headed straight to where Mike was being held. He knew exactly where it was before he was captured. He looked inside and saw Herman undo Mike's bonds, take him by his arms and drag him over to the shredder. Without any regard to his own life, Boy Cop leaped inside and confronted Herman.

"Unhand my friend you contemptible cretin!"

Startled, Herman dropped the barely conscious Mike to the floor and was set for battle with Boy Cop.

"Hey! Baby-Cop! How the hell did you get loose?"

Slowly walking toward Herman, he snarled, "that's none of your business. I may have prevented you from pulverizing Mike, but you still face a boatload of charges - the least of which is what you've done to the three of us so far."

Herman took a threatening stance. "I gotta warn you, Baby-Cop - you better not take another step - or else."

"You're bluffing and not very well. You know I gotcha."

"Nope - looks like I got you."

With a sleight of hand, Herman brandishes an open switchblade. His opponent stops dead in his tracks, arms somewhat upraised. Is he surrendering? Hardly. He's very carefully anticipating Herman's every move, plotting his defense strategy.

"I might not need the shredder for you - this'll do just fine - you'll be dismembered within seconds."

"Holy ginsu"

Seeing the knife in Herman's right hand, the cop thrusts his left hand over and grabs hold of Herman's right wrist and aims it upward. As the two struggle, the cop pushes Herman backward, extends his leg behind him, tripping his adversary knocking him to the ground. The cop continues to pound Herman's hand against the ground, hoping to jar the knife loose and possibly get it away from him. Instead, Herman regains his sea-legs and pushes the cop back, but the cop isn't letting go of his wrist. The cop punches Herman in the chest with a right hook and sends a left jab right to his jaw, but with a sleight of hand, Herman strikes and cuts the boy cop right across his left bi-cep, just underneath his tee-shirt sleeve. He screams in pain as he grabs his left arm and staggers backward upon impact. Herman then grabs the cop by his throat and forces him over to the shredder - holding the cop down with one hand and switching the dreaded saw on with the other. The cop is hopeless to break loose from Herman's grip and starts shouting, "no - no". Herman pushes the cop's head closer to the shredder blades and it looks as if the boy's life is finished when, suddenly, Herman is sent flying across the room.

The cop looks up and nearly cheers as he discovers Mike has regained his strength and is about to subdue their opponent. He grabs one of Herman's hands and shouts out, "hurry! Grab his other hand - let's get this bastard up against the wall!"

"RIGHT!" he exclaims as they pin Herman to the same spot from which Mike was hanging helplessly. His hands are tied, and the cop spots the taser Herman was armed with, grabs it and aims at him, but not before some interrogation.

"Where are you holding Detective Robinson and what are you doing with him?"

Seeing no way out, Herman relents and tells them the room number of Eddie's torture chamber. Then the cop zaps Herman with the taser. Mike looks on and grins with admiration.

"Gosh, Detective. Thank my lucky stars you came around. I don't know what I would've done."

Mike smiles and puts his hand on the cop's shoulder. "I thank my lucky stars, too, kid. Worst case scenario, you would've given your life for your fellow law enforcement officer - and that's the noblest thing any man can do - but ya came through with flying colors. We saved each other's lives. Nice going, son. Nice going."

The cop beams from ear to ear, yet a look of sadness comes over the cop's now-downcast eyes.

"What's the matter kid?"

The cop doesn't say anything and it occurs to Mike that he's thinking of his late partner.

"Thinking about your guy, huh?"

The cop grits his teeth and nods. Mike puts his arm around the wounded officer, holding his bleeding arm.

"That dirtbag over there - had me tied up and forced me to watch a video he made of my partner's killing. He said if I had better aim, then he'd still be alive."

Mike gritted his teeth and snarled, "cretinous crumb"

"Don't you pay any attention to any kind of crap this guy dishes out to ya. Rememember, your guy was still alive when you popped that perp - and popped him good. You couldn't do anything about your guy's bleeding to death, but ya stopped this dirtbag from killing anyone else, including you. You saved my life and I'll always remember that - and now you're gonna help me save my guy's life, too."

"Gosh! Detective Robinson! We gotta go get him."

"It's Eddie! Let's GO!"

The terrific twosome sprint down the hall to Eddie's torture chamber, and on the way, Mike asks, "you know our names pretty good - what's yours?"

"Officer William Gervis - it's Billy to you guys."

Meanwhile as Eddie is wracked in agony, slowly being devoured by the killer fire ants, Herman's mother walks in to check on his "progress".

"Detective, please forgive me - I never wanted any part of this."

Struggling to find his next breath, Eddie plaintively gazes upon the old woman and begs, "then...why...are you...doing this?"

"I love my son - and I'll do anything for him."

"Including murdering me?"

Mother just looked away and said nothing.

"You...don't have an answer for me...do you?"

Then the door flies open with such force, it nearly comes off the hinges, much as Mike and Billy are about to.

"You get the hell away from my boy!"

The dreamy duo are stunned to see what's happening to their crimefighting comrade. Mike notices a glass-boxed fire extinguisher and breaks it open, as Billy reaches inside Eddie's tool belt and produces a wire cutter, which, of course, enables the fire ants to start nibbling at his hands and arms, too. Mike sprays the two of them, eradicating their enemies. Billy pounces on Mother and holds her hands behind her back.

"You got cuffs?"

"Always!", says Mike, as he throws Billy his pair. Eddie is cut loose, the ants are dead and Mike looks about the room in order to secure it, as Billy calls the police to collect the crooks, as well as placing a call for an ambulance for our wounded warriors. Mike's whole being is overtaken with fury as he spots a video camera on top of the door, taping the attempt on Eddie's life. He yanks the cord out from the socket, causing some sparks to fly, and he opens his coat to shield Billy and Eddie from the flickering fireworks, and takes the hit while protecting them. He then turns and moves slowly to Mother and snarls, "you goddamned motherfucking BITCH!".

He raises his hand to her and is about to strike when Eddie interjects, "Mike - she's...a lady."

"No - she isn't!" as he backhands her across the room. He lunges for her throat as he shouts, "tell me why you did this! What the hell was the point in all of this? WHAT? WHAT?"

Billy goes over to Eddie's bedside to see about him. Eddie had regained some strength to sit up on his bed. "Can you stand up, ya think?"

"I'm gonna try." He reaches out for Billy's hand and Billy helps him up to his feet, but Eddie had weakened so badly, he nearly collapses on the floor, but Billy catches him in time.

"Don't think you better try that just yet."

Eddie sees the bleeding cut on Billy's arm - "what happened to you?"

"Sonny Boy cut me - but it's nothing that can't be fixed. I'm really worried about you - you've got to get help right away - I called for an ambulance."

Eddie takes a deep breath and nods and says, "thank you. I'm glad you guys...got here in time. Mike always..."

Eddie's eyes close as his head goes back, but he still manages to say "...does..."

Billy sees Eddie fading out and screams to Mike, "MIKE! GET OVER HERE! IT'S EDDIE!"

Mike loosens the grip on Mother's throat as he rushes to his boy's side, "what ABOUT him?!?"

"He's fading fast." Billy feels Eddie's wrist and sticks two fingers under Eddie's neck.

"Good - he still has a pulse, but I can't say for how long."

Billy hears the distant sirens and rushes outside to meet the police and paramedics as Mike goes over to Eddie, picking him up and hugging him, sobbing, "no - please God, not Eddie! PLEASE!"

UNBELIEVABLE - IS MIKE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PAIN AS BILLY - HELPLESSLY WATCHING AS HIS BELOVED CRIMEFIGHTING CRONY SLOWLY SLIPS AWAY? WILL MIKE PICK UP THE PIECES AND TAKE BILLY ON AS HIS NEW SIDEKICK? WHY NOT? HE SURE DOES LOOK HOT IN THOSE TIGHT TEES, HAS A "HOLY" VOCABULARY AND CAN TAKE A HIT AS WELL AS HIS PREDECESSOR!

HOLY DICK SARGENT!

BUT WAIT - THE BODY'S NOT EVEN COLD - WHAT THE HELL AM I TALKING ABOUT? SHAME ON YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER AND SEE IF YOU'RE RIGHT!