Zapps trotted happily along the sidewalk, his Buzzer-transplant was working out quite well. Behind him, holding his leash, skittered Nicole.

Passerby found nothing out of the usual with this scene. This was Fortress City, bitches. If they could be bothered by the sight of a fifty ton insect walking a man like a dog, they'd never get anything done. A job ain't gonna do itself, and a man's gotta get paid if he doesn't want to end up in one of the many, many varieties of confinement facility used to dispose of the city's undesirables.

Zapps did his typical Zapps stuff. Sniffed a butterfly. Peed on a fire hydrant. Sniffed at some waste another dog left in the grass. Peed on a guy's leg. Barked at a lady and her daughter. Zapped a passing car while saying 'Zippity'. Peed on Nicole's leg.

Nicole sighed, and was beginning to understand why Tofu hated doing this chore so much. As a car behind her exploded and caught into flames for some reason, she pulled out a rag and spray bottle from her apron, she cleaned the Zappinator's marking fluids from her leg. After a small but heated internal debate in her mind, she did not spray Zapps with the spray bottle.

Why couldn't one of the goons do this?! She was a very busy egghead, and there was a bunch of them playing cards. They had free time!

It was for the first time that she thought 'the rules' at her workplace were more than a little stupid. This 'Zapps duty' chart that insisted everyone had to take turns walking Zapps, so as to foster a sense of 'equality in the workplace'.... felt like it was made up yesterday. Specifically to force her to go outside.

When she asked her boss Socket why, if it was to promote 'equality', wasn't he or other members of senior management on the chart, she got bopped in the head with a screwdriver.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Zapps began to go into his 'indiscriminate butt-sniffing of strangers mode', so Nicole tightened the leash. There were some things she was willing to endure for a paycheck, but she didn't want to bother other people with her problems. (This uncharacteristic empathy you'd almost never see among the residents of Fortress City is why she's such a doormat to bullies, for the curious reader that hasn't realized this fact about Nicole.)

Zapps began to whine and paw at his collar. Nicole's heart, which is normally made of play-dough, hardened like a stone at this little liar's bullshit. Unlike others, she had read the manual on Zapps. And knew all about him: He liked to trick people to let him off the leash.

Not on her watch, buster! She knows the score: Buzzer has very few parts left to transplant.

Zapps showed a little bit of aggression at this leash nanny's steadfastness, but quickly lowered his lip. Aggression rarely wins him this fight, and often cuts his walkies short!

And so on and on went the cat and mouse game. Or the scorpion and Zapps game, if you prefer. Zapps would think of a swell idea to get him off this chain, so he could sniff some butts and hump some leg. Nicole would see right through it because she wasn't a dumb Zapps.

It was really quite exhausting. You feel bad for Nicole, don't you? FEEL BAD FOR HER!

Despite some close calls, no innocent bystanders got bit, no Zapps got hit, and he didn't break free of her grasp and escape down a sewer drain. The only damage done is a few people got damp. With a special kind of water that's a little more clingy than most.

All in all... are you not relieved? There isn't an arc where Nicole squeezes through a tiny hole to chase after him. Doesn't that make you happy? Feel thankful.

FEEL THANKFUL, DAMN IT!