They shot the hostage
with the shrink ray.
And before the kidnapper
could get their bearings,
they blasted the tiny hostage
with their replicator beam.
As duplicate hostages
swarmed the tarmac,
like ants at a picnic,
a voice boomed from
the hidden megaphone–
We are giving you
thirty seconds to choose
whether you prefer to
battle a thousand tiny
lightly-armed hostages,
or one gargantuan
unarmed hostage.
As the kidnapper lifted
a boot to squash
the nearby clones,
a drone swooped in
with a payload of
a thousand tiny swords.
Excellent news,
boomed the voice.
We all hoped
this is how
it would end.