[ WP ] In a world full of supervillains , one man has a very unique job : Finding a practical use for all those wacky doomsday devices .

Inspector Cage peered at his notepad, then back at the crate dangling above the pit dug into the loamy soil, the chain connecting it to the small rented crane creaking in the wind. `` What's this one?'' His voice was tired; two layovers and a night in a Best Western will do that to you. He had n't gotten as much information about this'project' as he usually did. According to his superiors, it was a bit of a last minute job, and the aide from the Anderson-Coates Manufacturing & Engineering Corporation hovering anxiously was part and parcel with that. It also explained the last-minute travel plans and this construction site 
 
 `` It's very special, Mr. Inspector, sir,'' the aide said. She was youngish, blonde, very nervous. Cage reflected on his unwarranted fame in this very narrow field for a moment as he always did when confronted with someone impressed by it. 
 
 The world had gotten a lot weirder after Professor Hawking had unveiled the Quantum Disentangler five years back. Lots of stuff thought to be safely in the realm of comic books and expensive science fiction films had become possibly, seemingly overnight. Computers talked back now. Cars drove themselves. They were building a base on the moon. 
 
 And of course, superheroes were real now. Incredible powers, granted by new technologies or medical processes, were being discovered every day. 
 
 And of course, with the superheroes came the supervillains. The first ones had stuck with the conventional stuff, of course: bombs, guns, swords disguised as umbrella handles. Later, they got organized, and they got *weird*. Bizarre, possibly dangerous devices began piling up in government warehouses and evidence lockers. Politicians had to start making decisions. 
 
 And so the Department of Reuse was created. It employed five people in total: Inspector Cage, Inspector Cage's personal assistant Luna, and three guys named Frank, Frank, and Franco, who took turns driving the DOR truck. 
 
 Nobody ever said the decision had to be an expensive one. 
 
 `` Sir?'' The aide waved a hand hesitantly, then caught herself and lowered it. `` The device?'' 
 
 Cage rubbed the bridge of his nose, then stuck a finger in the air. `` Look, usually this process is very simple. I look at a thing. Sometimes, that thing is dangerous, in which case I give my friend Solus Supreme a ring and he flies over from his Sun Citadel and chucks the thing into deep space.'' 
 
 The aide nodded. `` And the other times?'' 
 
 Cage shrugged. `` Other times, the thing is n't dangerous. Or not so dangerous. And somebody pays the United States to get to use it.'' 
 
 The aide kept nodding. `` Just as my company is prepared to do.'' 
 
 Cage kept his finger in the air. `` Ah, but here's the rub: I still have n't received the information packet from you on what this particular'thing' even is. So, I'm not prepared to do anything until that happens.'' 
 
 The aide pulled an iPad from her messenger bag. `` I could show you the diagrams of it. Venom called it the Bee-plicator, which I admit is a very-'' 
 
 Cage shook his head again. `` You mean,'the convicted multiple felon Benson Gowdry, AKA `` Venom'' *slash* `` Dr. Sting'''''. He shook his head. `` You have one of his thingies? I thought your corporation was implicated in the funding of his research?'' He pulled his phone from his pocket. `` This is all *super* irregular, miss. I think I'm going to call my boss and see what's going on.'' 
 
 The aide waved her hands desperately. `` We're just going to put the machine to its original use, which is to replenish local swarms quickly and...'' Her eyes drifted to a point behind and above Cage's head. `` Oh no...'' 
 
 There was an ominous creaking as the crate twisted a little too fast in the wind. Some of the workers began running from the crate as the spin got faster and faster. Cage could only watch in amazement and horror as the chain twisted, bent, and snapped, sending the crate tumbling into the pit with a sickening crack. There was a moment of silence, then an angry buzz filled the air. 
 
 `` Oh no. Not the bees,'' Cage whispered, his notepad dropping from his hand. [ `` Not the bees. `` ] ( https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=-1GadTfGFvU ) 

