The sun was shining, birds were singing, and a horrendous traffic jam had merrily beached itself on the roads leading to and around the quarry. For some reason, there were people all along the edge of the road, looking into the quarry with bated breath. Diego was not at all interested in the reason [i]why[/i], but certainly did care about the fact that he, his car, and his carpool were trapped right in the middle of traffic.

"[color=yellowgreen]Oh, come on,[/color]" Diego groaned. "[color=yellowgreen]How can there be a traffic jam [i]here[/i]?![/color]"

"Well, we're in the middle of the island," said Pedro, quietly sitting in the passenger seat. "Maybe something big is happening down there?"

Diego leaned back in his seat, and pursed his lips. "[color=yellowgreen]It better be Santa Maria herself comin' back with her baby boy to justify this shit. Ay, Jose! Why don't ya check what people're saying online?[/color]"

Jose, sprawled across the back seat, stared at his phone. "[i]Nah, man. I don't get data down here. Why don't ya pull over on the shoulder and check it out yerself?[/i]"

"[color=yellowgreen]'Cuz I might lose my spot, stupid![/color]" Diego snapped.

"[i]You ain't going nowhere, though,[/i]" Jose remarked. "[i]Better to get some fresh air than sit here fumin', yeah?[/i]"

Pedro nodded sagely. "He's right, you know. I gotta whizz real bad, too."

"[color=yellowgreen]Fuck it![/color]" Diego yelled. "[color=yellowgreen]You want me to pull over, I'll fuckin' pull over![/color]"


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"[color=yellowgreen]This is actually [i]really[/i] nice.[/color]" Diego noted, leaning on the side of his car.

"[i]Toldja it'd make you feel better[/i]" Said Jose. "[i]Shit's easier when things ain't as shitty, ya know?[/i]"

Diego nodded appreciatively. The traffic jam, he considered, would pass in time. Whatever was down in the quarry would finish up, and all the pendejos up above would leave. There was no reason to worry. Something scratching at the back of Diego's mind worked its way into his train of thought.

"[color=yellowgreen]I ever tell you 'bout this weird belt I found?[/color]" Diego stated, almost unconsciously. Jose and Pedro looked at him weirdly but inquisitively. "[color=yellowgreen]See, last night I was waitin' for the client, y'know? But he didn't show. Instead, some dude came by and gave me a fuckin' belt and Bingo card![/color]"

Jose felt something sharp and heavy. Somehow, the exact same belt and card he'd been given had found its way into his hands. He didn't remember getting it from the trunk.

"[color=yellowgreen]So, y'know, I'm thinkin' 'me vale madre'. It's just some fuckin' toy or somethin', so I put it in the trunk and went home![/color]"

"[i]Why don't ya put it on?[/i]" Said Jose, eying the belt warily.

"[color=yellowgreen]'Cuz it's fuckin' stupid-looking, that's why.[/color]" Diego snapped. Still, Diego felt a weird urge to try it on. [i]What would it feel like? Was what that creep said earlier actually true?[/i]

Diego slowly looped the belt around his waist, and clicked the buckle shut. He felt ridiculous, but nothing else happened. Diego looked to Jose disappointedly.

"[i]Try the card?[/i]" Jose responded, pointing at the almost-exactly-card-shaped slot in the belt.

Diego slotted the LATIN card into the belt. Nothing happened. [i]What was it that dude said? You need to say [/i]something [i]to activate it? What did you need to say?[/i] "[color=yellowgreen][i]Transform.[/i][/color]" said Diego.

A tinny voice, from nowhere in particular, began shouting in broken Spanglish. "[b][u]L-L-L-L-L-LATIN! ENEMIES EN SERIOS PROBLEMAS, M-M-MEET EL ASESINO![/u][/b]"

At once, Diego was engulfed in a flash of light. When it faded, Diego looked down in horror. He was wearing [i]spandex[/i]. Not [i]just[/i] spandex, but skin-tight spandex, hidden only by oversized boots, gauntlets, [i]two[/i] ponchos, and a sombrero. When Diego scrambled to tear this horrible Mariachi uniform off, his hands smacked into his guitar. The one that he was [i]certain[/i] was hidden in a case at home.

Diego looked to Jose, who had already lost a fight against the urge to laugh uproariously at him. This wasn't the [i]worst[/i] thing that'd ever happened to him, but it certainly wasn't anything good. Diego could only hope that nobody else had seen this happen.