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Picking up the Pieces
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Picking up the Pieces is the final story in the chapter bROKEN, it deals with Torg's attempts to find and rescue Riff and Zoë, who he refuses to believe are dead.
Synopsis[]
The story begins just after Riff's funeral (which Torg fell asleep at) Zoë's family is holding a private funeral for her and is suing Riff's estate. Torg remarks that all the damage will be undone when they are rescued. Gwynn shouts at him that they are dead and that his belief otherwise is unhealthy. Torg accepts that she thinks that and remarks that he could use her help. He then reveals that in order to find the one dimension that Riff and Zoë were sent to he called the one person who ever broke the DFA's randomness: Sasha, designer of the DFA auto-return remote. As they reunite, Sasha says that she got a flat on the way there, and Torg remarks that Gwynn can change it. Gwynn says that she's never changed a flat tire in her life, though Torg remembers her doing so on the way to Driscoll's house. Gwynn then leaves, telling Torg that there's something broken in his head and commenting to Sasha that she "loved him too". Torg then tells Aylee to go with Gwynn as it's not safe where he's going, and that while Sasha will take care of herself, Aylee could get herself killed trying to protect him. She sadly and angrily complies, after slapping and spanking him. Torg then visits Bun-Bun, who escaped being put down by throwing the doctor out a window. Bun-Bun is wearing a face mask that covers his burns and is playing a pipe organ. Torg throws two briefcases of money at him, saying that he was paying off Riff's debts. He also says that he's going after Oasis and that if Bun-Bun wants revenge he should come with him. Torg then gathers ZHOAS, Chaz, and Sam to complete the team. After learning the natures of the other members of the team, Shasha asks if they are still good guys, which Torg waves off and Sasha just accepts anyway. Meanwhile Dr. Schlock is wondering how he managed to come out on top despite the fact that his plan failed to work. Frog assures him that everything is still going to work regardless. Reynold Strom then reports in saying that Torg and his team have completely vanished: all records of him were gone and that he didn't have any way of starting the search for them. Schlock angrily demands that he find them at all costs. It is revealed that Torg and his group had gone to work for the Minion Master, and that in exchange for a base, vehicles, and clean identities all they had to do was raid other supervillains and steal their tech. This would further their own goals as it could provide them with the equipment needed to find Riff and Zoë. Torg then visits the psychologist again and states that he's been having conflicting memories. The shrink suggests that his mind may be trying to cover up an unpleasant memory but the memory is fighting to get out. Torg looks inside and discovers that he'd been suppressing the memory of Gwynn finding Zoë's cursed necklace in the Mark 19 rubble, and that this points to Zoë being dead. Unwilling to lose another Zoë, Torg snaps and beats up the psychologist before leaving. Back at Minion Master HQ Torg has resumed being optimistic and cheerful and apparently buried the memory again. The last part of the story shows that Riff did in fact hit the DFA emergency exit button and had teleported himself and Zoë to an alternate dimension. He was alive but Zoë didn't appear to be so lucky. He was holding her in the rain when a squad of armored soldiers (wearing what they called REA-5 armor) approached and found him. After detecting no biochip in him, they declared that no biochip meant death sentence, despite the voiced concern that he may be from another dimension. They took aim and fired upon him and Zoë at point blank range as the chapter ended.