“Yes.  Give me a second.”  She fumbled with the gun, trying to adjust the small controls with her gloved hands.  Finally she raised it again, sited, and pulled the trigger.  This time there was no splat on the octa-beetle.  There wasn’t any damage either.  The bullet just seemed to ricochet off the carapace.  Fortunately it didn’t come straight back at them.  That would have made for a great epitaph.  Killed themselves while hunting egg laying octa-beetles.

            “God damn it.  I’m an idiot.”  Sebastian hung his head.

            “Yes, you’re an idiot,” intoned Buttercup in a deadpan voice.  “Care to tell me why in this particular instance?”

Next Chapter: A Snippet from Chapter 9