Mina stood in the lobby with her cellphone pressed firmly against her ear. She had selected the chief's name from her phone's inventory and waited for Rita's deep, mom-aged voice.

*Click* "Hawkins, is that you?" O'Law's voice sounded from the speaker

"Yes!" Mina exclaimed. "Super yes!"

"Did the court go to recess? Who's winning?"

"Ermm..." Mina felt her ears heat up. "Farabutto. Nobody believes he's a criminal and I've only managed to get sympathy for him."

The chief's hardboiled voice replied curtly, sounding straight out of a film noir.

"It would be sympathy for the devil if our hunches are true. Now gimme the dirt, Hawkins. You must know something..."

"Yes..." Mina nodded. "Yes to the eleventh power!"

"Ok," the chief said. "Spit it out, math nerd."

"Farabutto said, 'he doesn't know where Chet is, but if he did it would probably be in some 'two bit joint'."

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"So..." Rita O'Law answered. "You think they're holding Cody hostage in some sleazy tavern..."

"Well..." Mina smiled beside her E-Phone. "He would, but that's not thinking like a gamer, chief! It's not two-bit like sleazy, it's two bit like in pixels!"

"Duh..." the chief answered, her voice suddenly quite illuminated. "The old Two-Bit Arcade! The one they shut down due to the Centipede infestation."

Mina raised her eyes in surprise. "You mean, they had too many Centipede Arcade machines?"

"No," the chief laughed. "Actual bugs, Hawkins. But thanks to you, I have a good feeling we'll be able to corner Farabutto and beat him at his own video game!"

Mina nodded. "I just hope he hasn't taken a warp pipe to his knees!"

The chief's voice was smooth and consoling in its baritone pitch. "Deep breath, Hawkins. You said, Farabutto thinks he's winning. He won't be putting the kaputz on any knee caps in that case!"

Mina sighed in relief. "You're right, chief. I just have anxiety."

"Join the group therapy session called planet Earth, Hawkins! Now then..."

The towering bailiff called Mina's name from the door. "Recess is over. You are required back in the court room."

"I must go!" Mina said with a sigh.

"Just keep the court stalled as long as possible," the chief shouted. "I'm sending my best squad over to the arcade right now! Hopefully things won't turn into a real Shoot-Em-Up! But if so, I call dibs on our rocket launcher!"

"Please protect them, Chad," Mina said, her eyes shining as she looked out the window into the clear blue sky.

"Dunno who Chad is," Rita answered in her deadpan delivery. "But I'll take it! Otherwise, I'll see you in hell! I'm out."

Mina folded her hands together with her phone in between them. She prayed for Chad's protection in this dire, dire situation.