EIGHT: (sigh) Oh nothing, nothing… Four can take my spot. I don’t care any more than you care about me. SIX: I will gladly give away my spot to him, Master! SEVEN: See, problem solved! THE OCTOPUS: Okay then. So Seven is Four, Four is Six, Six is Seven, and Eight is still Eight. EIGHT: Pffft! (From henceforth, SEVEN is NEW FOUR, FOUR is NEW SIX, and SIX is NEW SEVEN, and EIGHT is still EIGHT.) NEW SEVEN (to EIGHT): Hey! Don’t disrespect our Master like that! He is the reason why we are here in the first place! He is glorious, regal, immaculate, inequitable, diegetic— THE OCTOPUS: W-Well thank you Si ... er I mean, Seven. I am glad that one of you is behind me and the plan. NEW SEVEN: Yes, yes of course! I love this plan of yours! Wait ... what was the plan again? THE OCTOPUS: Ugh ... Okay, I am going to reiterate THE PLAN. You just have to listen: THE PLAN entails ... THREE: But why? THE OCTOPUS: I’m sorry. THREE: Why should we listen to you? Each of us has our own brain that is just as fit as yours; hell, the only difference between you and us is that we can actually move your sorry ass around. (TWO and FIVE stop fighting) THE OCTOPUS: That profane language is—
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The Talon 2022
