The Chase AND the Night of Terror

(In roughly the same continuity as this.)

"He's gone mad, Dr. Kelseg," Mr. Feinberg (no longer of the civilian sector) confided to his fellow assistant. "The poison of the Dankek tribesmen has twisted him - turned him into some manner of madman!"

Dr. Zweihander hooted and capered, holding aloft a heavy pack in the air. He seemed to be taunting Mr. Feinberg.

"And what's worse," Mr. Feinberg continued, "He has taken my pack, which contained many valuable instruments for my trade."

"Your trade?" Dr. Kelseg inquired.

"Why, assassin, of course," Mr. Feinberg clarified. "The others are safely stored away at one of my seven domiciles."

"One apiece?" Dr. Kelseg asked.

Mr. Feinberg waved his hand. "More or less. It matters little. We must return to the matter at hand: the madness of our employer, Mr. Zweihander."

"It occurs," Dr. Kelseg sagely noted, "That you are possessed of a bicycle; that, even now, you are mounted upon it."

"Your point?" Mr. Feinberg asked, not impolitely.

"Could you not simply ride him down, and thereby reattain your possessions?"

"Immaterial. A superior plan is mine: to wait him out, allow him to tire himself, and then strike when he is weary and slow."

Dr. Kelseg shrugged.

It appeared that in his maddened state, Dr. Zweihander had some odd fear of Mr. Feinberg. Upon his approach, the Doktor would flee consistently; running back and forth, screaming and hooting animalistically. For a time, Mr. Feinberg ran him ragged in this manner; then the Doktor wisened up, positioning obstacles between himself and Mr. Feinberg, circling around them as he did. The two assistants exchanged a knowing glance; then they moved in, attempting to seize the Doktor through use of a pincer manuever. The poison lent him a beastial strength, though, and even as Mr. Feinberg rode to Mr. Kelseg's rescue, Herr Doktor broke through his arms and escaped.

The two led a leisurely chase. They walked, or in Mr. Feinberg's case bicycled, slowly along in the Doktor's trail. They would occasionally spot him, prompting him to flee, running as they ambled along behind him, chit-chatting on small matters.

At last they lost him; but he had left Mr. Feinberg's pack behind.

"Most curious," Doktor Kelseg noted. "What does it mean?"

Later that night, Doktor Kelseg related the discovery to Doktor Zweihander. "And then!" he exclaimed, laughing, "We thought you had dropped it!"

All three laughed uproariously, only to be shushed. "Quiet!" said the elderly woman behind them. "The third act is about to begin!"

The curtain rose, and the opera resumed. All three, Doktor and accomplices, sat back in their seats, returning their attention to the stage. Still, Doktor Kelseg could not restrain one last comment: "Surely," he confided to Mr. Nicholas, "You will agree that the bicycle would have simplified things rather, had you simply pursued him with more vigour at the very start!"

Mr. Nicholas shrugged sheepishly. "Well, perhaps," he admitted. "And I wouldn't have had to use the needle!"

Doktor Zweihander glared; it was, after all, he into which the needle had been stuck. Yet in the end even he was forced to grin, considering the situation in new light. The three relaxed, enjoying the rewards of a hard day's work.

A grand adventure all around!