[pshrynk]

Vera stood up as the door crashed in and whirled around to witness the March of the Faux Mexican Peasants. Suppressing a snicker, she toyed with a chair back to judge its weight. Being a woman, she felt no compulsion to fight fair, and, judging by their mode of entry, the Germanomexican peasants were spoiling for a fight.

The nearest one reached the pilot and swung wildly at him. It was obvious that the thug had no intent on making it an interesting combat, just a quick one. Amazingly, the pilot dodged under the swing and landed a fist in the peasant's belly. Followed quickly by a foot to the groin. Vera nodded approvingly as she swung the chair from the floor into an arc that connected with the head of the howling peasant.

"Thanks," said the pilot as he waded in to the next fray.

"No problem!" Swing the chair up through the arc and back down on the head of another peasant. She was happy that they were wearing uniform disguises. She'd been in a few brawls where you couldn't tell friend from foe other that the amount of complaining that followed giving them a good smack.

One of the black pajama'd squirrels yelped out a high pitched battle cry and launched itself toward her head. Vivaldi yelled, "Squirrel!" and jumped up five feet from the floor and nabbed it by the tail. She lost track of them as the squirrel started expressing its dismay at having its tail bitten by a talking dog.

Spinning around with the momentum of the chair, she noticed several things as if they were a series of photos.

Howard Hughes was busily counting the number of peasants in the fray and needing to start over every time one went down.

Montsnmags was talking to the air, as if in deep conversation.

Handsome was busy scooping all the chips from their table into his oversized pockets.

The American Ambassador was cringing under the table.

Biggles went up to a peasant and went into some sort of strange stance that had his hands up above his head and one leg pulled up and balancing on the other foot. The peasant back handed him lightly and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

A handsome thin man in a black suit, standing by an enormous dog, had just entered the back door.

The squid was on the phone to his agent, enquiring if the electric eel was available to do stunt doubles.