10-18-2013, 03:25 AM
Triumph flickered across Crispin's face as the thrown watch exploded into a mass of cords weighted so they'd wrap around whatever they hit. The footpad fell to the floor, tangling himself tighter as he cursed and struggled. The metal spider began crawling over him then, taking loose ends of cord and tying them into neat knots.
One enemy neutralized, the erstwhile hostage began looking for a way to take on the others. He could hear them getting closer, apparently following the source of the noise that had sent them away. Suddenly, almost without warning, the noise-making stranger plummeted to the ground in front of Crispin. He wasn't dressed like the others, and something about his attitude seemed trustworthy. He sprang to his feet before there was a chance to offer assistance, just as the remaining thieves arrived, and was ready to defend himself... with the device Winters had been searching for when he was accosted!
Crispin was frozen with surprise for a moment in which time the three ruffians converged on Spade. Even after he recovered from surprise it took precious seconds before their tight formation broke up enough to join in without risking the other man. The thieves were still ignoring Winters in favor of the more obvious threat, which gave him a significant advantage. The one who hadn't lost his knife suddenly staggered into another as the elegantly dressed man jumped onto his back with the world's most civilized war cry. "Throw down your weapons, you blackguards!"
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