“But he’s dead.”
“If they didn’t find a body, he’s still alive. Being a hero is not the kind of thing you get to quit.” Gus says this with an air of disgust. He scans the around the room. “Where are my boots?”
“You don’t have any personal effects Mr. Doe. Besides, you couldn’t possibly leave in your condition.”
“Can’t do anything else,” says. He falls back onto his pillow in exhaustion. “There’s rules you know.”
Nurse Kim has no idea what he’s talking about, but his voice is so raspy it causes her pain. “Can I get you a glass of water?”
“The bad guys don’t get to win. No matter what. It’s not over. It’s never over.” Gus is wracked by another coughing fit.
“Please, Mr. Doe, calm down. A man in your condition, you’ll kill yourself.”
“No,” croaks Gus, growing weaker by the second. “Not yet. I’ve got a funeral to go to. A tall man. A man so tall, they’ll have to build a custom casket.”
“You’re delirious. Let me get you some water.”
“Water? Yeah. And find me some cigarettes. I could just about kill for a cigarette,” says Gus as he passes out.
Table of Contents
Prologue: Song
Chapter One - A Lot of Words He Doesn't Know
Chapter Two - Vorld Domination
Chapter Three - Ghosts of Clients Past
Chapter Four - A Child of Faded Empire
Chapter Five - It's a Par Four Life
Chapter Six - There's Money and Then There is MONEY
Chapter Seven - Excelsior on the Beach
Chapter Eight - A Giant Laser in Space
Chapter Nine - What Do You Want Mr. Windsor?
Chapter Ten - Cindi with an 'i'
Chapter Eleven - Edwin Dresses for Dinner
Chapter Twelve - Empress Josephine?
Chapter Thirteen - Following the Protocol
Chapter Fourteen - Just a Consultant
Chapter Fifteen - Using the 'Asset'
Chapter Sixteen - Edwin Makes His Pitch
Chapter Seventeen - Search Your Feelings
Chapter Eighteen - Nothing Right for Agnes
Chapter Nineteen - Excelsior Fights the Hurricane
Chapter Twenty - Marauding Through The Night
Chapter Twenty-One - The Rescue
Chapter Twenty-Two - 23 Seconds
Chapter Twenty-Three - A New Suit
Chapter Twenty-Four - Cotton Candy
Chapter Twenty-Five - Barry BASH!
Chapter Twenty-Six - Enlisting the Little Savage
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Reasoning with Barry
Chapter Twenty-Eight - Wrecking a Building
Chapter Twenty-Nine - A Blackjack Toting Angel
Chapter Thirty - Topper Gives a Pep Talk
Chapter Thirty-One - Calling Forth Nemesis
Chapter Thirty-Two - How to Make Advantage from Avalanche
Chapter Thirty-Three - Down But Not Out
Chapter Thirty-Four - The Cromoglodon is Born
Chapter Thirty-Five - Taking a Meeting
Chapter Thirty-Six - The Pitch
Chapter Thirty-Seven - Excelsior Speaks
Chapter Thirty-Eight - A Giant Illusion in SPACE
Chapter Thirty-Nine - Somewhere Over Kansas
Chapter Forty - Mr. The Magnificent
Chapter Forty-One - Agnes vs. Mistivio
Chapter Forty-Two - The Death of Culture
Chapter Forty-Three - Edwin Dresses for the Funeral
Chapter Forty-Four - A Eulogy for Agnes
Chapter Forty-Five - Negatively Buoyant
Chapter Forty-Six - Serving the Process
Chapter Forty-Seven - Backrooms
Chapter Forty-Eight - A Reasonable Disagreement
Chapter Forty-Nine - Get Him to Pop
Chapter Fifty - Gus in the Hospital
Chapter Fifty-One - Excelsior Throws Down the Gauntlet
Chapter Fifty-Two - The Front Nine
Chapter Fifty-Three - The Turn
Chapter Fifty-Four - The Back Nine
Chapter Fifty-Five - The Last Hole
Chapter Fifty-Six - Out of Business?
Chapter Fifty-Seven - The Trap is Baited
Chapter Fifty-Eight - The Reckoning
Chapter Fifty-Nine - Hero or Villain?
Chapter Sixty - The Man in Room Three
How to Succeed in Evil - 02 Page 29
