“Oh, and how would you know?” Carver grumbled. “You don’t even know what the actual trick [i]was[/i]. This was just an accidental bonus…”

Jewel returned -- wearing a gas mask with connected oxygen tank, and brandishing a pair of thirty-inch wrought iron tongs -- just in time to see the pumpkin creature stick several vines out the newly created opening in his chest and rip off one of his creator’s gloves while the doctor struggled in Shock’s grip.

“Hey Shock, hold his arms down, will you?” Carver pulled the glove into his body and used it to retrieve the juice-soaked pepper. He only got a few seconds to wave it in front of Finkelstein’s nose before Jewel made it across the room.

The mask hissed as the female scientist breathed through it. “I will take that now, thank you very much.” She pinched the pepper between the very tips of the tongs. [i]Hhhhnnn…. ksssssssh…[/i] “Nice to see it’s not an [i]actual[/i] adderpepper.” [i]Hhhhnnn…. ksssssssh…[/i] “The taint won’t last nearly as long. This will be safe to dump into the sewers with the rest of our usual toxic waste.”

Jewel held the tongs out as far from her body as possible as she walked. A lead-lined iron box opened with the tap of a foot pedal. In went the pepper, the lid slammed shut, and only then did she remove her gear. 

“I [i]was[/i] going to suggest allowing my husband the use of the mask while he worked, to avoid further complaints, but I see someone has already taken care of that…”