125. And the Gregor goes to...

...not me.

I’d been so expecting to hear my name called that I actually started to stand up until Lenore pulled me back into my chair. She was visibly upset with me for not being in hospital anyway, so she didn’t offer any condolences. So I hadn’t won after all. Well. That was all right, I suppose.

But it wasn’t all right for Burbank. He is a superhero of justice. He knew that I deserved this award more. And of course that without it, the aliens might eat all the publishers.

I stood by terrified as Burbank stood on the table and leapt across the room using people’s dinners as lily pads. People started shouting, security guards started bumping into each other, and Lenore put her head on the table and covered her eyes.

Burbank, who knows six kinds of martial arts, leapt off the table in a Flying Agenda kick and pounced on Ginny Velvet, the unrightful winner of the award. The guards tackled him soon thereafter, but Burbank managed to snap off the disc on top of the award and stuff it in his pocket without anyone seeing.