Time/Space Poe leaped and dove around the madly grinning figure of Roosevelt, who cried “Bully! Bully! Bully!” with every shot.

The dark-eyed writer, though fueled by an alchemical mixture of Ultrabsinthe, was tiring quickly. Roosevelt grew stronger as the fight went on. His mustache bristled more and more as he roared, “Bully! Bully! BULLY!”

Poe’s footing slipped and he stumbled. Roosevelt leveled his barrel into the wheezing man’s face. “Bully,” he chortled, and pulled the trigger.

mew?

Roosevelt’s massive brows knitted. He pulled the trigger again and again.

mew! mew!

‘Teddy’ pulled the breach open and revealed a one-eyed black cat with a white mark on its chest like a gallows.

“Can you hear your heartbeat, sir?” panted Poe.

lub-dub, lub-dub

Roosevelt placed his hand over his chest, but the sound was coming from elsewhere.

Poe pulled a gristly red object from his pocket. “It is the beating of his hideous heart!” he cried, then threw it into the air. Verne fired all of his cannons at once.