Free The Games of Supervillainy (The Supervillainy Saga Book 2) by C. T. Phipps Page A

inhibitor based on 40 th century technology ,” Cloak muttered. “ Dammit .”
    “ A what in the who now ?” I asked.
    “ A magic suppression device ,” Cloak said. “ Very rare. He must have gotten it from one of the higher-tech villains in the city. Possibly the Chillingsworths or Doctor Dinosaur.”
    I frowned and tried to turn insubstantial. Nothing. That was going to make things…difficult.
    The Ice Cream Man, himself, was eating a hot fudge sundae in front of us with an eyeball and finger inside it. His smell was somewhat disguised with a cologne which smelled of chocolate, sprinkles, and strawberries. Except, now it just made me smell ice cream then rotting corpses then ice cream again, making the two smells co-exist. A remote resembling a television one was attached to his belt and I assumed that was related to my current condition of powerlessness.
    Turning my head, I saw Cindy, Diabloman, Angel Eyes, and Mandy. They were similarly suspended and tied up. There was a hissing noise coming from below my head and looking down, I saw a gigantic cauldron of green acid bubbling beneath us. Turning up, I saw a weird mechanism of locks and chains which seemed to lower us all if any of us escaped. The old Prisoners Dilemma, except this one was designed around the idea they would want to protect each other. While it would probably work on the Nightwalker or most civilians, I wasn’t sure it would be so effective in our rather villainously-inclined group. We were still on Angel Eyes’ stage, only the Ice Cream Man had cleaned off his miniature house and covered us with a set of spotlights before a red curtain. Apparently, our execution via death-trap was going to be part of a show. A show for one since I didn’t see anyone but the mutilated remains of Angel Eyes’ gang in the audience.
    “Wow,” I observed. “I’m suspended over a cauldron of acid. I’m not sure whether I should deride the originality or applaud his revival of a classic death trap.”
    “Acid tutti-fruity,” the Ice Cream Man said. “Flesh-melting ice cream is sort of my signature.”
    “I confess, though, this is kind of lacking,” I said, looking up at him.
    “Excuse me?” The Ice Cream Man said, narrowing his gaze.
    I shrugged, which was almost impossible upside down. “It's just I've been put in death traps by the best. The Cackler arranged for me to be put in a chamber filled with laughing gas in front of a TV of Bugs Bunny cartoons, only to deliver increasing electrical shocks the more I laughed. This is weak-tea by comparison.”
    “Weak tea!?” the Ice Cream Man hissed.
    “Gary, don't antagonize the supervillain,” Mandy said, looking decidedly less than impressed with me. I, on the other hand, was quite impressed her slinky dress was staying down. She must have taped it to her legs.
    “Wasn't the Cackler a space god or something?” Cindy asked, her bunches hanging down over her head.
    “No, that was the second Cackler who appeared after the first one died. The second Cackler was the son of Entropicus from the planet Abaddon at the End of Time. It turns out the second was psychically possessing the first for most of his crimes,” I explained.
    Cindy stared at me. “I hate this town so damn much.”
    Angel Eyes sighed. “We've been awake for a while, Merciless. Frankly, you've been delaying us considerably from our confrontation.”
    Diabloman said, “It is not right we begin until our leader emerges.”
    Angel Eyes snorted. “Your leader, not mine.”
    Cindy shrugged. “Gary's a light-weight. After two beers, he was anybody's in high school.”
    Mandy snorted in agreement. “It was part of his adorkable nature, though.”
    “He's no Angel Eyes but yeah,” Cindy said, smiling.
    “I'm hanging right here ,” I said, appalled.
    The Ice Cream Man was still fuming, getting more so the more we bantered. “You are in a death trap! How can you be wise-cracking when I have you all suspended over a cauldron of acid?! This