At Retro Anarchy, another BOB bit the dust. By now, Ruby had beaten so many of them she could write a sequel to Sun Tzu’s classic and call it ‘The Art of Beating Bobbies.” A lesser person might have gotten overconfident. Arrogant, even. But not Ruby. Not the Super Dear’O. After all, as the man Sun Tzu himself once said, “The consummate leader cultivates the Moral Law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in her power to control success.” And she wanted to lead Anarchy. She wanted to be in control of her own success, because she did not believe in fate. And she knew that beating Oswald would require her to pay a physical and mental price that few people would be willing to pay. Their earlier history could be darned into oblivion… the Billion Dollar B.O.B. was on arguably the best run of his career, and was looking to do what Dolly, Miss Fury, Atara, Osira, and so many others had failed at: defeat, overthrow and ultimately dethrone the Banana-Lime Blur.

As Ruby stood along the rooftop’s edge, the threat of Oswald hanging above her like the sword of Damocles, she tried to keep her vision straight and focused. Her in-ring success was important to her, yet the safety of the public was imperative. And the fact that one was interfering with the other was bothering her. Every person rounding the corner bore Oswald’s face, every step and every swift movement activated her Ruby-senses, making her ready to jump and pounce, only to realize that nothing harmful was happening.

That was the thing about the Brotherhood of Baddies and all of its lackeys. A group like that could make you paranoid if you weren’t careful. Their sheer force of numbers could overwhelm, both in body and in spirit. Ruby knew she had to be careful not to fall into their trap. It was a cleverly constructed one, but she had to believe she could manipulate it to her advantage. After all, as Sun Tzu had once said: “She who can modify her tactics in relation to her opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.”

The Banana-Lime Blur saw another sudden movement, but this time her senses weren’t cheating her. A classic purse snatch from a motorbike on an elderly lady. Ruby leapt off the edge and spread her caped wings, gliding along the streets much faster than the assailant. She lifted the pickpocket off his bike and threw him to the sidewalk before pouncing on him and knocking his lights out. It seemed spectacular and thrilling, but to Ruby it had become routine; no more exciting than pouring a bowl of cereal in the morning. Of course, if those cereals were Ruby-Oh’s, it was still pretty exciting, but you get the picture.

Ruby sighed and shook her head before taking the purse from the unconscious criminal. She threw it over her shoulder and looked at the fellow. He seemed young and innocent, but there were clear lines of wear and tear on his face, and tooth decay that indicated poor diet and drug use. Ruby couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She took her own wallet out of her utility belt, wrote a note saying ‘Please turn your life around, I hope this helps… Your friendly neighborhood Super Dear’O!’, and folded it inside a hundred dollar bill that she slid into his chest pocket.

Ruby: “I know it’s not much, but I hope you don’t spend it all in one place. That one place being your dealer.”

Ruby was frustrated. She wished she could do more, but she also had to remember that old lady whose purse she was going to return… She had made a difference to HER. Maybe she had a hard time getting by, living on a minimum pension. And what else could she do, but try and make the world a better place, one person at a time?

She switched on her Go-Pro and sat herself down next to the unconscious cutpurse.

Ruby: “Well flip my dippies and color my undergarments blue! What a time to be alive, eh? It seems like the more things change, the more things stay the same. I beat Miss Fury, I sent Dolly flying, and here we are again, defending against another Baddie. It almost feels routine at this point, but that’s the danger, isn’t it? When things start to feel routine, you take them for granted. And if there’s one thing that I shouldn’t take for granted, is that the B.O.B. will try to take control of Anarchy.”

She put her hand on the criminal’s shoulder.

Ruby: “It’s not like I blame most of you B.O.B.bies, I mean this dude-o is living proof that desperate people are driven to desperate measures. And when it’s crystal clear you can’t hack it by your lonesome, it only makes sense for you to do something as desperate as join up with a group that makes you feel like you belong. But if you wanna SHOW that you belong, big Ozzo? Then don’t just talk the talk. Walk the walk. Come at me, and prove it. Take me down, I double-dare you.”

Ruby got back up and adjusted her mask.

Ruby: “And if you want an ounce of credibility, you’ll do it by yourself with no B.O.B. shenanigans involved. But will you? Do you have the guts, the testes and the spine for that? I’d like to believe so, but you can be motherflippin’ sure of the fact that this Anarchy title won’t come easy. If you want my belt, if you want my hide, if you want my skin, it’s gonna come at a cost your dollars won’t be able to afford. Whether you do it honorably or not. In any case, believe one thing, my dude. The insolvency of Billion Dollar “Big Money” Oswald is upon us. Don’t miss it on Anarchy!”

Ruby winked and ended the broadcast.