All Hooked Up

[bubbles, shards of rock, bits of shredded underwater foliage, and silt flowing outward]

(*&^%$##@!  SHELOB!

[entering medbot] Arriving. Describe injury (-ies) or cond-

Fishhook! Stuck in my largest blue tentacle! *&^%!! THAT HURTS!

[pressing on neural interference point similar to human accupressure point] One moment. [wire cutter appendage cuts through hook, magnet pulls pieces free, microresistor cauterizes one edge of wound selected as most likely infection point] Done.

^%$#! Thanks. Fishhooks really hurt. There are times I'd like to see a few certain people get metal stuck in their skin--

Research request granted. [neuralink information burst]

[choking noise] Yuck.No wonder people are so cavalier about using fishhooks on fish. They hook themselves too. I thought those metal bits were glue-on.

Those exist too. However, pierced ears common. Herr D has picture of fetishist 'supervillain' assassin.

Really? I missed that one. Get that for me, please? Herr D's incommunicado. Can anyone explain this?

"Metalhead Vaults Into Action," Herr D, heromachine.com, rights reserved.