I've been hanging around

I was grasping desperately to the clock. The Dreadnoks threw me out the window and I was lucky that I didn’t make a big mess on the street below. I’m not out of trouble yet, though. Clearly this clock hand wasn’t designed to be dangled from like this.

I’ll have to climb up and then get my feet onto the window ledge to my side, all I have to do is…

Be careful that the whole clock face doesn’t tear loose and take me down with it.

I stretched my left leg out to try to get my foot on the ledge but I couldn’t quite make it. I heaved my legs to the right, then threw them to my left again and stretched. The clock face gave a disapproving groan and I felt it give just a little bit more but I also felt my toe tap on the ledge. I stretched some more, and just as I felt the clock face tear loose, I urgently threw myself to the window and managed to grab the frame.

I swear that I heard oohs and ahhs from a crowd below, but I dared not look down. Don’t look down is what they always say, right? I steadied myself in the window and then climbed up into it.

The three Dreadnoks were congratulating each other and walking to the door with their backs to me.

“Another job well done, eh mate?” Ripper laughed.

“Har, I bet Zartan’ll give us a big bonus for this one, eh?” Torch added. “We c’n celebrate with some frosty root beers!”

“’Ow about grape sodas instead?” Buzzer suggested.

“Even better, mate!”

“Not so fast.”

The three bikers turned around, shocked to see me standing there.

“Wha--!?” Ripper yelped.

“Looks like we still have a job to finish.” Buzzer turned towards me with a malicious grin on his face. His comrades flanked him with their own malicious, albeit somewhat dumber, grins.

“Now normally I would say something clever and then launch myself into you three goons,” I said. “I’m a little worn out and it’s getting late so I think I’ll just do this.”

I fired my sonic disrupter at them. The trio howled in pain and clutched their ears. They dizzily stood there holding their ears as I stalked up to them. I dispatched Ripper and Torch with a simultaneous left and right to their jaws. Buzzer’s face grew white.

“Heh heh, remember it was just a job, right mate?”

“Right,” I answered as I heaved my fist back. “Try not to take this personally.”

He fell back against the wall and crumpled to the ground from my right hook. I dusted my hands together and let myself grin as I admired my handiwork. I also noticed the radio that I had used against Buzzer’s face earlier had been on and was transmitting. I quickly dialed up the Danger Sled and had it triangulate where this signal was going. When I got confirmation that my ship’s sensors triangulated the signal, I shot the radio with my blaster Betsy.

Now I’ll just hook up with my ship and head out to investigate this—

“Freeze! Don’t move!”

Then again, maybe I won’t.

All along the clocktower

“Har har!” the greasy biker laughed as he threw punch after punch at me. “You fell for our trap right good, oy?”

“Finish ‘im off Torch, then we can head back home for chocolate donuts,” the blond biker laughed.

“Yeah, and grape soda, too!” his companion laughed.

“Just fall down and this’ll be over, right,” Torch’s punch connected with my jaw and I felt myself getting dizzier and dizzier from the beat down. “You can barely stand as it is.”

“It’s more your smell… than you punches,” I managed to wheeze.

“Oh yeah, this’ll teach you to mess with the Dreadnoks!” Torch hauled his big paw way back and let loose with a wild haymaker.

Except I caught it.

Then I executed an excellent circle throw and tossed him over my shoulder.

“Haw haw! ‘e showed you good.”

“Shut up, Ripper,” Torch growled as he hauled himself up. “I’m no’ through with ‘im yet.”

As he stood up, I kicked him right in the stomach and he doubled over.

“Oh yes you are,” I replied as I gave him an uppercut that sent him sprawling to the ground.

“Ay! ‘e punched out Torch!” Ripper howled.

“Get ‘um!” Buzzer yelled. I responded by picking up a radio and smashing him with it. He crumpled to the ground but his buddy Ripper kneed me right in the stomach.

“Har, sure was clever of Zartan to delay you with that clue to give us time to set the trap, eh?” he laughed as he landed several punches.

“Ripper, you certainly do talk too much,” Buzzer added as he picked himself up and grabbed me. “Push him out the window now!”

I struggled against them, but they managed to overpower me and shove me against the window frame. Torch crawled back to his feet and joined his comrades and my head tipped out the window, followed by my torso.

“Not fair, man,” I gasp. “Three against one and all.”

“Try not to take it personally,” Buzzer chided. “It’s just a job, y’know.”

The three bikers laughed as I felt myself tip over backwards out the window. The wind rushed past my ears as I desperately grasped at anything to try to stop my fall.

Suddenly, I felt cold metal dig into my fingers. I instinctively grabbed for dear life as the clock hand became the only thing saving me from a long, bad fall.