The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 48: Setup
DETAILS: Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #47 Format: Kindle Vella Story Read Date: February 23, 2024
My fear was rising quickly.
It started with the sensation of my stomach being empty. Then the nerves in my entire body switched on, ready to run or fight.
My money was on run.
The Story So Far…
A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.
He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.
Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down. One thing leads to another—Zero and Bonaduke’s magics don’t mix well (at least until they understand what each other can do?), and they end up in a video-game race against the squatters in a tricked-out version of Eric (the clerk’s) car. Note, I said video-game race, not a video-game-style race. They’re actually in one. When dumped back into reality, he’s surrounded by bruised and broken bodies (of people and cars). And then he gets into a supernatural fight and survives…just.
Or maybe not. But he gets better. And then his new…friends? Acquaintances? People who keep popping up in his life?…start explaining exactly what’s going on to him while they set up a new HQ and try to teach him about his abilities (and everyone tries to understand them).
What’s Setup About?
We come In medias res, Bonaduke and the rest are starting some sort of heist of a book. It becomes clear pretty soon that the member of the team who knew the most about the book and the security around it (and therefore came up with the plan) was less than forthcoming about the details surrounding the book’s security and who was transporiting it. I’m not sure if that’ll be addressed in the future, but I’m pretty curious about why.
Anyway, they’re committed now and have to move—the big question is: will the plan still work, or are they well over their heads?
So, what did I think about Setup?
There’s at least two meanings to the title of this episode—it may not be the first time Slaywood’s done that in this series, but it’s probably the most effective (I honestly don’t remember that). And that was only the first thing he did right with this.
Good rising tension, some good character moments from several of the characters, we see some new abilities from Bonaduke’s allies (for lack of a better term), and we start to see some of what the Omnicrats are capable of—which seems like a lot.
I don’t think I really have much to complain about—and I’m very glad about that. This was good build-up for the next episode or two, and I’m eager to read on. It’s not a complaint or a quibble, but I am very curious about what “two small silver guns without barrels” would really look like. I’m sure they’re magical and don’t need barrels, but my imagination is having a hard time conjuring this image. Still—bring on episode 49.
