Ririko stared at Oswald onstage, hastily pulled out her phone, and dialed Dick's number.
He picked up after one ring.
Ririko said quickly:
"That penguin's been hypnotized! Stop him!"
"No problem!" Dick hung up.
Onstage, Oswald suddenly stopped walking.
He turned his face woodenly and stared blankly at everyone, reaching into his suit's inner pocket and pulling out a handgun.
The audience instantly erupted in screams.
"He's got a gun!" "Run!" "Call the police!" ... The crowd scattered, knocking over chairs and spilling coffee and other drinks across the floor.
Oswald pressed the muzzle against his temple.
His finger rested on the trigger, his knuckle bending slightly.
A dark figure dropped from above the stage. Dick landed on Oswald, pinning him under his full weight, one arm locked around Oswald's neck while the other twisted his gun hand behind his back.
Butch rushed onto the stage. Between him and Dick, one using rope and the other tape, they bound Oswald tightly until he looked like a penguin packaged for shipping.
Butch slung his boss over his shoulder and left the campaign rally.
The audience area was a mess.
Ririko straightened up, her gaze lingering briefly on the seat where someone should have been sitting.
Tetch was gone.
Ririko returned to the Dark Web with Dick.
The metal door closed silently behind them.
Bruce sprang out of his chair and came over to them. Only after confirming that neither had lost a limb, been shot, stabbed, or hypnotized did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you both all right?" he asked with concern.
Dick plopped down on the desk, knocking Harvey's Three Years of Judicial Exams, Five Years of Practice Tests onto the floor.
"Good thing Ririko caught it in time, or that penguin would've been on his way