I couldn't find Burt after the explosion. I figured he'd rush right over, but he never did. I stood there in shock for a few minutes. scanning the crowd. Expecting to see his arms waving above. But that never happened.

I went back to where we had gotten off the subway. Still no sign of him. I even started walking in the direction he had gone to get the cigars. But that was to no avail.

I waited around for another few hours. Watching the crime scene being cleaned up. I gave a witness report to an officer. Though I don't think he believed me when I mentioned the exploding cat.

By the time it started to get dark again. I went and checked Burt's office. He wasn't there. I went to the diner and talked to Donna. She hadn't seen him either. Finally I checked his house. I knocked and knocked.

I start to wonder if Burt had made it to Frank's cart before me and had been in the explosion.

With no clear sense of direction. And no clue what to do next. I start wandering the streets. I'll find a hotel to settle in to for the night. But it feels to early for that at the moment.

I find myself on a quiet street. Most of the stores on it have been shuttered and boarded up. So there's little to no foot traffic. Taking the opportunity I pull out my radio and hold down the button.

"Germaine. Germaine. Do you read me."

A few moments of silence pass before.

"Loud and clear Levi."

A sense of relief washes over me as the comfort of a familiar voice comes out the radio.

"Germaine. I wish you were here with me. It's only been a day and already I feel so lost."

Germaine tells me how Jed is doing. And I continue on to fill her in on everything that's happened so far.

"An exploding cat?"

She asks. Having heard me but not sure she fully believes what I said.

"Yes, what media could that be from?"

I ask.

"I'm not sure. I can't thing of anything with exploding cats. I'll have to ask Choren if he can think of anything and get back to you on that."

"Okay. I'll let you know if I can dig up any other recent deaths. If they are all as weird as this one was. Maybe we can figure out what the media source is and I can use that to narrow down my search."

"That's what I'm here for."

Germaine reassures me.

"I've been wondering something. What kind of MP would want to run a coffee stand? Just one I could understand it being one of those double lifers you've mentioned before. But There were MPs at the gas stations. And all along the supply chain making sure the gas station was fully stocked. And hot dog carts. And waitresses in diners. There are just so many of this minor roles. I thought it could be other survivors. But it seems like there's rarely a need for money here. I'm not even sure they'd actually get paid. so why would they do it."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Was it a run down diner?"

"It wasn't anything fancy."

I reply.

"Was the waitress surly?"

"She was flirty to me. A bit surly to Burt. But I suspect that was flirting too."

"Okay, she sounds like a normal MP. That's a pretty common character type."

Germaine says.

"Okay, but what about the rest?"

"Support characters."

"What?"

I ask, not understanding.

"Support characters. I have been discussing this with Choren lately. Like constructs made by the bugs. Just like you said. All these minor roles that have been filled. Choren hypothesized that since the bug were able to replicate before. They could conti..."

The radio is snatched out of my hand. I see a kid on a scooter speeding down the street with it.

I chase after him. He gets a large lead ahead of me. But I can still see him in the distance. Bolting across a street he nearly gets hit by a taxi. I catches the tail end of his scooter and he spins out. Hitting the pavement. The scooter skidding into the middle of the intersection.

The kid scrambles up to his feet. And I watch him, as he watches the scooter, get run over multiple times. Being bent beyond repair. The kid leaves it and keeps on running.

I'm closer to him now but still not close enough. He ducks into an alley way and a full thirty seconds go by before I get there.

I turn down the same alley, running to the end where I'm met with a chain link fence at least eight feet high. There's no sign of the kid.

I hear a woman scream behind me and turn around to see one standing near the entrance to the alley. A man is holding her at knife point.

"Give me the purse bitch!"

He roars out.

"Hey!"

I yell to them.

I run in their direction and try to wrestle the knife out of the mans hands. He looks pretty skinny and I doubt he knows how to use a knife.

I've almost got the knife away from him when he suddenly stops fighting. Looking up to the sky behind me. A look of terror consumes his face. He pulls his wrist out of my grip and begins running for his life.

The woman adjusts the purse strap back over her shoulder and with a curt "thank you" walks away.

"Good work citizen."

Booms out from behind me. I turn around but there is no one there.

"Up here."

The booming continues. I raise my gaze to see a man in very tight and shiny green clothing. Covering him from head to toe. Only his mouth left uncovered.

I'm left speechless as the man floats in mid air. He begins descending as he continues talking.

"But next time leave the work to the professionals. You could have gotten hurt."

The man gently lands in front of me.

"Who are you?"

I blurt out in disbelief.

The man extends his arm for a handshake.

"I am Manbug. Protector of this fair city and those who dwell within. When the cops let you down, I will lift you up. When police fail, I prevail. When officers drop the ball, I stand tall."

Fearing there would be no end to this introduction, I interrupt.

"My radio was stolen."

"You're radio you say?"

"Yes, it's like a walkie talkie but different."

I don't know how different it is. But that's how Professor Choren described it to me. I'm hoping the description makes more sense to Manbug than it did to me.

" A kid on a scooter took it. But he lost the scooter and got away on foot."

I continued.

"Er..."

Manbug hesitates a moment.

"That's a little more small scale than the crimes I typically deal with."

He regains his verbose and continues.

"But rest assured citizen. If I come across this radio ruffian. I'll nick the nasty nabber and return your radio to you post haste."

He puts his hands on his hips with closed fists and ascends straight up into the sky once more. Rocketing off to the side once he's cleared the buildings height.

This city just keeps getting weirder and weirder.