Realistic or Modern The Vigilante Code

[WritingMan]

Erica felt like a fish out of water. To say the least, she was a bit overwhelmed by the words and information that was being thrown around. While Erica had thought she was still "in the loop" with the latest of Nico's murder, that seemed it wasn't the case.


Erica, for her part, didn't have a particularly strong tie to Nico. Her work with the National Guard and deployment overseas had ensured that by and large she had lived a different life up until now than most of the group. Granted, she knew who she was with, but years of separation can change people. Certainly, it had changed her. As such, she had taken the opportunity to let the others speak, and let her observe. Taking in every minute detail yielded some interesting details. The Dark Knight had been right, some of them were too close to the subject matter of the case. And yet, listening to Arachne's logic, she was also right. The Dark Knight was very close to his case, too. It was fairly clear to her, that out of all of them, she was the one who was the most neutral in the case.


Clearing her throat after having not spoken so far, Erica stepped into the front of the group. "Lady Sleuth," she said, giving a nod towards the Dark Knight. "Now, I'd like for us to cut to the chase. This work, obviously, is very important to you. That much is clear, but if what you said is true, you're in way over your head. And you know it." Erica took a moment, pacing for a moment before continuing.


"Now, let's clear the air here. We each have an equal amount of leverage on each other. Rest be reassured, I could just as easily deduce who you are easily as you think you could deduce me. I have as many nukes pointed to you as you have at me, not even including everyone else here. So please, for the sake of avoiding armageddon, let's not make paltry threats that you have no intention of backing up.


"As for the case itself, it's very important to you. But not just the victims of the case. Your work defines who you are. It's your identity. And just like any workaholic, you crave approval through your work. And who do you think will approve of all of your work? No one will, except for us. So whether you want to admit it or not, you want us - and need us - for the approval and admiration you crave."

 

[Mitheral]

Dark Knight hated to admit it, but he liked Arachne. The woman had a sharp mind. He could only imagine what she could accomplish with the right training. There was something in her words that stung. It reminded him of his last text conversation with his informant. Random Stranger hadn’t answered his questions.


“Fair enough. Arachne, you’d make a decent detective. All of you, there is something I want you to understand. I still want to tell all of you to go home. I’d rather ridicule you into giving up with words … than have you discouraged later by bullets. Because if you keep going, the bullets ARE going to be next. And that is where I speak from experience.


“Lady Sleuth, I haven’t threatened anyone but Batman there. Admittedly I offered to give him another smackdown if needed. But beyond that, any threat you perceive is in your own mind, not of my making. Sure I told you all to go home. I just explained why. I COULD make threats. I just see no use in it.


“I did not get into this for approval, nor even vengeance. I put on a mask to search for the truth. And I only did that because all doors were closed to me to pursue my investigation otherwise. The difference between me and all of you is that you seek vengeance. I seek to protect people - even the ones I don’t like.


“Your other charge - that I am in over my head - might be valid. I am just beginning to realize that. Arachne was correct, I have been getting help. Thing is, I think my help has been running me in a circle all this time.”


Dark Knight pulled out his phone. It was a burner phone. “Stranger, it is time you and I had a face to face. We need to discuss the flow of information. Face to face - NOW. Or I crush this phone and we never speak again.” He crouched down and laid the phone on the ground.


There was an immediate text. Dark Knight held up a hand to keep the others back. He waited. Another text. Then another. He finally picked up. The texts simply told him to wait. He just texted back. “Well?”


The next text read: “I was protecting you - and myself.”


Another text: “Stand by for new App.”


Dark Knight held up a finger to let the other know to hold on one moment. The App started downloading. After a few minutes the phone rebooted. This time instead of a text a video came up. Only the image on the screen was a comic book looking avatar. Words printed out. “Put me on speaker.”


Random Stranger appeared athletic in a deep purple costume with a grayish featureless mask similar to the DC character The Question or the Watchmen character Rorschach. The avatar moved about naturally as if the image was a perfect mirroring of the real person. They were clearly seated - probably at a computer.


“I am Random Stranger.” The voice was run through a voder unit, possibly complete artificial - probably. Random Stranger was clearly a little paranoid. “If you wish to meet, follow Dark Knight. All of you. No costumes, no visible weapons. Be discrete. Make sure you aren’t followed. Do not discuss your case enroute. Every microphone you pass can record you. Next time, you should all listen to Olympus. He was right. If everyone is hungry I can order delivery. There is an Asian restaurant that stays open for me.”

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Edwin nodded in response to the Dark Knights warning. It was advice from a professional vigilante to a novice one. Edwin could accept that. It was much more reasonable than when Dark Knight had mocked them—while saying essentially the same thing. His meager 22 years had taught Edwin that word choice had a powerful influence on how people respond to you. And the Dark Knight wasn’t delicate in the least.


Clever, but very direct and abrasive.


Cautious, but also confrontational.


An interesting combination to say the least. Edwin hadn’t lied when he said he wanted to work with the Dark Knight. The man was far from being boring. Professor W’s deductions about the Dark Knight made sense when she pointed it out. It certainly fit with what they knew about the Dark Knight. Granted, Edwin hadn’t really paid much attention to the Dark Knight’s activities—he hadn’t really thought he would become a vigilante at all.


Still…


Edwin frowned beneath his white mask as looked down at the Dark Knight’s phone. He couldn’t understand why someone like the Dark Knight would trust information from some faceless person called ‘Random Stranger’. In Edwin’s opinion, an informant whose information is subject to falsehood is practically the same as no information at all. Edwin found the entire thing rather shady.


Not to mention the fact that ‘Random Stranger’ was even more paranoid than Sean—and that was saying something. Under normal circumstances, Edwin would never agree to go along with this ‘Random Stranger’.


Yet…if what the Dark Knight said was true…this Random Stranger seems to know a lot about the case surrounding Nico’s death.


It was a risk, but Edwin would go along with it…to find and bring all of Nico’s murderers(direct or indirect) to justice in accordance to the Vigilante Code. For vengeance? Maybe.


The Dark Knight stated that he wanted to find the truth—to protect all lives.


Edwin wasn’t so noble. He wouldn’t have become a vigilante at all, if it weren’t for Nico’s death. No matter how much he agreed with his friends that villains deserved justice, he would have never taken the risk and donned a costume if it weren’t a close friend that died. Edwin wasn’t that much of a Good Samaritan.


And he was quite famished. Edwin hadn’t eaten since lunch…which had been quite a while ago.


“This certainly sounds intriguing,” Edwin said, keeping up with his Eidolon voice. He took off his white face mask. “I’d very much like to meet the man that could lead the Dark Knight in circles. ”


Fortunately, Edwin had double layered his disguise. Even with his face mask off, it would very difficult to distinguish his heavily make-up crafted face—which drastically changed his appearance to the human eye. Maybe a very potent face scanner + face recognition program might be able to distinguish him as Edwin Wicker. However, he was certain that someone who could create such an app would have found other ways to discover his identity anyway.


He was also fine with the no ‘visible weapons’ rule. All of Edwin’s props were hidden. It was part of being a Magician. And Edwin didn’t have any weapons except for his taser…which was also hidden. Well…unless one counted his flash paper, flash powder, smoke bombs, and his mini flame-thrower—all for special effects of course. Despite the fact that fighting was not his forte, Edwin was quite familiar with having to deal with explosives.


"What say you guys?" Edwin asked, directing his question to the vigilante group.

 

[Mitheral]

(Joint Post with Sharlene79)


Dark Knight looked at the group. “How about we find some place to get changed where some gangbangers won’t walk up on us in our skivvies? Or … my home is on the way. You are going to see me anyways. I have a two car garage. We can leave the cars and take a taxi. That’s as good a place as any to get changed too.”


Jennifer had to go back and get James who had waited faithfully. James wasn’t alone. Rather he was with a man who looked a little desparate. James looked at the man. “Costume party.” Then conspiratorily he added, ”I told you she was smoking hot.” Back to his normal voice. “You should see MY costume. I look sort of like the Rocketeer. I loved that movie.”


“Yeah, yeah … like the scene where he stands on the top of the building, takes the flag, looks up and shoots into the air. Iconic.”


“Look, call that number I gave you tomorrow. If I don’t answer, leave a voicemail. If this party runs too late … and I’m not sent to sleep in the garage to sleep … we’ll talk. Otherwise I may just be out cold and sleeping like the dead.” James smiled calmly.


As James started up the car, Jennifer got in and ask. “Who was that?”


“Just a mugger. I talked him out of it. Not some junkie. Just a desperate man. So how was your evening?”


Jennifer stared at him. “Night’s not over yet … Mugger …?”


+++++++++

Note: Dark Knight’s apartment isn’t as stand alone as the building above, but the four story section is about twice the size.)


As soon as the garage doors were closed, Dark Knight reached up and removed his mask unceremoniously. The face that looked back at the group was none other that the CSI intern that had been unofficially running the investigation from the Lab end - Kevin Brady.


Kevin ’s apartment was a four story building, large enough that it seemed unlikely that a simple intern could afford the entire site. He opened both doors, parking his own car quickly so he could get out and move his motorcycles. He owned a Kawasaki Ninja - his fast street bike - and a dirt bike. The latter was heavily scarred from so many wrecks that it was a miracle Kevin was alive. He looked over and grinned like a fool while he moved it. Truth to tell Kevin had loved the dirt bike for the simple fact that it levelled the playing field a bit when competing against other kids.


“Well, now you all know. Jennifer was right on target. Just curious, what gave me away?” Kevin asked.


James piped up. “The visors. So .. THIS is what you needed them for?” He looked intently at Kevin. “I guess I should have known. May I?” He reached out to touch the armor. “Sure beats the scuba suit you must have been using before.”


Kevin flushed a bit. “Yeeeahh. But even this stuff --”


“Crap!” James’ finger went through a large hole. “What the hell? Why aren’t you dead? That looks like 50 cal!”


Kevin shrugged. “Good question.” He didn’t answer the question. Instead he turned to Eddie. “Well, he you can be quick, disguise away. But don’t worry about me.”


James shook his head. “Me neither.”


Jennifer agreed with James. “Same here. Guys, James here designed the visors Dark Knight and Sean use. I knew that Kevin and James were friends. That is really how I recognized who Kevin had to be. The rest … that was just me finding other ways to justify my leap of logic.”


++++++++++++++

Spoiler

Random Stranger


It didn’t take long to get to her apartment. It was just a small flop over street level shops. Her place was right over a small Asian restaurant. She answered the outdoor buzzer a little too fast and buzzed the group right in. Kevin had expected her to be more paranoid than that – unless she already knew they weren’t followed.


What greeted them came as a surprise. She wasn’t in costume. Lori Stevens was a rather pretty blonde bound to a wheelchair. They could just make out the scents of vacuum cleaner efforts, Fabreeze, strawberries, a little perfume, lots of books, and glue. It looked as though she had tried to straighten up the clutter. But there were stacks of magazines, newspapers, books, CD’s. There were over a dozen widescreen LCD computer screens daisy chained around the room. It was like a miniature NASA Control center in her place. Her tastes in reading material ranged from fact to classic literature. They also noted a weight set and exercise machines.


She looked around nervously. “Uhm. Hi.” She blushed. “You caught me a little by s-surprise. Uhm .. Lori … L-lori S-stevens.” She stuck out a hand.


(OOC: We need to get some sleep ... sending what we have. Not our best work. To many interruptions here.)

 

[WritingMan]

Erica wasn't entirely sure about meeting this Random Stranger. She didn't like the idea of having to remove her costume and mask. It made her feel exposed. Granted, she already was exposed, more than she had thought. When she had first donned the costume and mask she hadn't expected that some of the first people the team would come into contact with would likely already know who they were. It was a bit unnerving, realizing that there already was far more people who know that Erica was now a Vigilante than what Erica was comfortable with. How long, she wondered, before someone who they didn't want to know found out? How long before the police showed up at her doorstep?


If what the Dark Knight said was true though, this Random Stranger had information vital to death of Niko. It was information that could go a long way towards finding who was responsible for the death. Erica wasn't expecting anything mind blowing, but simply the next bread crumb that led down the rabbit hole. She didn't know what everyone else's expectations were, but Erica did know one thing now that she felt fairly confident in. This task, finding vengeance for Niko, would not be quick nor easy.


"What choice do we have?" Erica stated plainly in response to the question. What choice did they really have? If they wanted the information, they'd have to go with the Dark Knight and see this Random Stranger. If they chose not to go see the Random Stranger, they could still work the case, but they'd have a long, long shot, Erica felt, of ever putting everything together and finding the real killers.


It seemed like the rest of the group was in agreement that the best course of action was to go see this Random Stranger in the flesh. And so Erica went and grabbed her motorcycle from the area she had hidden it early, pulling the vehicle around to meetup and follow the rest of the group as they apparently headed towards the Dark Knight's home.


When they pulled into the home, Erica went ahead and removed her helmet mask along with everyone else. At first, Erica didn't realize who the Dark Knight was, even without a mask. It took a few moments before Erica realized that the man was Kevin Brady, a CSI intern who had been working Nico's case from the lab before. It wasn't a huge surprise to learn the identity of the Dark Knight. After all, Archanae seemed to have basically deduced who the Dark Knight was even before the mask came off, even if she didn't deduce a name.


As she parked her motorcycle in the garage by his other bikes, she couldn't help but notice the Kawasaki Ninja. "Very nice," she said to Kevin, eyeing the bike with interest. "You have an excellent taste in bikes," Erica complimented Kevin. She wasn't being insincere at all. The Kawasaki Ninja was one of Erica' favorite bikes, even though she drove a Honda NC700XA.


Erica was so distracted by the bike that she completely missed the side conversation others were having with Kevin. She even missed the question that was asked to the group too, cocking her head up in confusion. Then, upon realizing that they were talking about some light disguises, Erica shook her head. "If we're going to do this, we should all go in disguise free. If we even wear some makeup, this Random Stranger might use that as a reason to not give us the information we need. After all, they've already shown they are extremely paranoid. I don't want to give them any excuse not to work with us."


Standing outside the Random Stranger's "apartment", Erica was a bit surprised to find that they didn't have to wait long. For some reason, Erica had been expecting that the apartment would be empty, save for a phone or a computer, at which point in time they'd have to contact the Random Stranger again and jump through another hoop to try and earn the Random Stranger's trust. To find out they were actually in the Random Stranger's real apartment was surprising.


Erica smiled politely at the woman in the wheelchair, a bit amused to see that the Random Stranger was about the same age as they were. Vigilantism must be what all the cool kids are doing these days, Erica mused to herself. "I'm Erica. It's a pleasure to meet you Lori," Erica said, giving the woman a pleasant smile and a firm handshake. "Thank you for agreeing to see us." Erica had debated directly giving the woman her name, but at this point they were here unmasked anyways. And given the level of technology Lori seemed to be adapt at using, she had no doubts that Lori could find out their real identities easily enough anyways.

 

[sharlene79]

(Another JP … my turn to post though. Bit more sleep this time.)


Lori Stevens’ eyes did their best to avoid looking at Kevin Brady. Kevin, on the other hand, stared at her. He was a little shocked to discover that Random Stranger was female. But he was quickly getting over his shock. He was not as easily manipulated by a pretty face as Lori might have hoped.


“You have some explaining to do.” He held up the burner form she had sent him.


Lori stole brief looks at him, clearly having a hard time - both with confrontation - and so many guests. He arms folded in around her as she nodded. “I know. And I promise, I will. The food will be here shortly. Can we wait so that there are no interruptions. there is going to be a lot I have to show you - and I do not want my friends downstairs to see it. The less they know, the safer for them.”


Kevin nodded.


It wasn’t long before a young man and two women arrived with trays of sushi, with all the accompanying sauces, crumblies, spices. There were lots of specialty sushi. They were labelled in kongi, of course. Also there was hot herbal tea, ice water, several kinds of hot soup on heaters. There were steamed dumplings with spicy garlic sauce. The meal was set up with short tables and chairs, turning the living room into a makeshift restaurant on minutes.


Lori spoke fluent Japanese, and apparently Cantonese. The hosts bowed with something suggesting deep respect as though Lori was a feudal Lady. For her part Lori looked extremely embarrassed, but smiled and was clearly thankful. She tried to pay them, but they clearly refused. More bowing and gesturing to the rest of the group.


Once they had left Lori was closing her eyes, still quite embarrassed. “I’ve never had anyone over in years except deliveries. And .. I sort of took care of a problem they were having. I hope everyone else is hungry. Oh … I forgot to ask for forks … Oh .. they thought of that.”


Sean just grinned. “What is everyone else going to eat?”


Matthews, of course, just stuck to tea and soup broth. He asked if she had any orange juice - pulpless or tomato juice. As it turned out she lived like a bachelor - minus alcohol. She tried to order some, but he shook his head and smiled. He seemed to twitch every now and then, rubbing his ears.


Once everyone was eating a little and things began to calm down a bit she started messing with her computers. “If everyone would, please remove batteries from all cell phones. So easy to record everything in range of their microphones, track them by GPS. At least you people were smart enough to shut off GPS functions. For some reason I can’t get track or get sound off you, and you…” She pointed at James and Jennifer.


James smiled. “Cell phone cases. Lined with aerogel. Tempest shielded with an antenna switch.” He looked at the others. “I can make more. I just need dimensions. Kevin, Sean you never asked.”


“Oh! Brilliant! Best insulator there is for the cost and weight.” Lori nodded appreciatively.


Kevin cleared his throat. “Guys, powercells.” Damn but Lori was paranoid.


Lori wouldn’t even start until she felt sure nothing said could be transmitted. She pressed more buttons and Matthew perked up. “That’s better!” What was that? It was giving me a headache.”


“You could hear that? Low level scrambler. I use it when I need to speak without my voder. If my voice ever strayed to someone’s echelon program, a strike team would probably get dispatched - and they wouldn’t leave witnesses.” Her shoulders sagged “I witnessed a double homicide years ago by the same people who killed Kevin’s father, Detective Mitchell’s brother and family, and Nico … and others. What has Kevin upset was that I linked the murders to the presence of a particular ship - which is currently in port.


“Kevin, I was … trying to protect you. If you went up against these people alone you’d die.” Lori explained.


“Don’t you think that’s MY decision?” Kevin sounded a little upset.


“No … I don’t. What if I DID tell you everything - JUST you? Would you tell them?” She gestured to the group. “Or would you tell them go home; you are out of your league? Because, you - alone - ARE out of your league.”


Kevin’s mouth opened to object, but nothing but silence came out. He stared at her, mainly to keep from looking at the others.


“Man … she has YOUR number,” Matthew piped up.


Kevin turned and glared at Matthew. Unlike Matthew he didn’t get worked up though. Truth was, Lori was right whether he wanted to admit it or not.


(OOC: Pausing there to give people a chance to respond before Lori starts explaining things.)

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Kevin’s House


As soon as Jennifer and her husband showed up, and the garage door was firmly shut, the Dark Knight unveiled his mask. Then all the revelations were revealed. Any normal person would be gaping, eyes-wide, with all the information going around, but not Edwin. Edwin, talented as he was, kept his face straight the entire time his friends were happily chatting away like old chums. Apparently Sean’s visor was designed by Professor W’s husband, James, who just happened to be friends with the CSI intern that was unofficially running the investigation on Nico’s case. That same CSI intern just happened to be the Dark Knight who also his visor designed by Professor W’s husband.


Huh. He should have noticed the visors were similar…but he had been too busy trying to make sense of the info, the Dark Knight—Kevin—had given them to notice.


So in the end, everyone knew each other. Except for Edwin—who apparently had been left out of loop. Edwin pouted, directing a glare at Sean. “Geez, man. How could you not tell me that Jennifer’s husband was the one who designed your visor?”


Edwin didn’t know anything about James, other than the fact that he was Jennifer’s husband and that he was against Jennifer becoming a vigilante. Based on that fact, Edwin had assumed that James would be a bore…but that didn’t seem to be the case at all.


“Edwin Wickers,” Edwin said to James. “But I’m sure Jennifer’s already told you all about me.”


It was sort of awkward introducing himself to James when he wasn’t even wearing his real face. Erica did have a point. Someone as paranoid as the Random Stranger might be insulted if he caught them wearing disguises. Even if Edwin was confident in his skills, the disguise would be a risk. That’s assuming of course, that Random Stranger didn’t already know their identities…as he probably did Kevin.


“In that case, I’ll go wash my face,” Edwin said heading to the Dark Knight’s bathroom. He dragged Matthew with him. “And YOU seriously need to take better care of yourself! It IS possible to get an infection from second degree burns, you know!”


He still didn’t trust the Random Stranger. However, he wanted answers more.


Lori’s Apartment


Edwin devoured the sushi as he listened to the conversation around him. He had been more hungry than he had previously thought. Well, it had been quite a day—finding out a friend had died, deciding to become a vigilante, meeting the Dark Knight, meeting Jennifer’s husband, and meeting a rather pretty and paranoid woman in a wheelchair who apparently didn’t have guests over often.


“3.3 inches long x 1.8 inches wide x 0.8 inches thick,” Edwin told James happily, while simultaneously slipping out his phone batteries. He liked the idea of owning a cell phone case lined with aerogel and tempest shielded.


After, Lori was finally satisfied that everything they said would be unheard, she began her explanations. Edwin’s brows furrowed as he listened to Lori speak. Jennifer was right. This was personal for all of them.


He grinned amusedly as Lori lectured the Dark Knight about necessity of teamwork. The fact that Lori cared enough about Kevin to pull one over on him impressed Edwin as well. It took a moment for all of Lori’s words to register. When it did, Edwin’s eyes widened.


“Wait. Were you keeping tabs on us? Because there’s no way you would have known we’d be there, at the docks, to question the Dark Knight about Nico’s case…right? I mean, we only decided today to become vigilantes... ”

 

[Mitheral]

(And another JP)


Edwin and Matthew


Matthew smiled a little at Eddie’s jab about infections. “Never been sick. Ever. And you do realize I am a doctor? P ... H ...D. Dawktorrr.” His smile grew to a grin. “But thank you for your concern. You’re as bad as Nico.” His face squinched a little in pain as the very mention of the name hurt. “Not so worried about the burns. I think I’m bleeding. My back. That fight with Kevin. Not his fault. Old wounds reopening. Not serious, but I had to be careful not to get blood on Sean’s seats.”


Matthew shed his duster and inspected it. Only the inside was bloodstained. His black tee shirt, however, was streaked with blood in spots. He shed his shirt. His back was a mass of whip scars and burns. Or were they made by red hot wire lashes? His stomach sported a stab wound with burn scars around it. Someone had stabbed him with a sword straight out of a forge? He ignored any looks he got from Eddie, his mood immediately going from his manic state to his depressed state.


He pulled out a large water flask from his duster and opened it up to start downing the fluid within. Judging from the stains on his lips it was straight blood. “Don’t worry. It comes from donors, checked for contaminants, and I pay them well. Most of the blood from my blood bank goes into my practice or Red Cross though.” The wounds on his back sealed at a visible rate. “And I don’t even remember how those happened. It was before St Michael’s.”


Lori’s Apartment


(OOC: Please note that with the disappearance of a couple players the exact scenes from earlier don’t quite work out, so I am ad libbing a little.)


Lori nodded. “I have my own Echelon Algorithm. It assigns values to certain aspects of your lives and generates a percentile rating as to your personality and future actions. I wrote it over 10 years ago. I’ve been very patient. Of course, what I looked for and the values assigned changed over the years, but I started collecting data back then. No, I didn’t really know about you - but my computer did. You got flagged for various potential activities. If you ever watched the TV show Person of Interest, my program works in a similar fashion - though nowhere near as powerful as that.


“But that isn’t what alerted me to your actions today. No, Sean was right.” She looked at Sean, and reached back to hit a button. The conversation from the Library earlier that day had been filtered from background noise. Multiple screens lit up from various angles on the group. The first person it homed in on was Eddie waiting patiently for Nico. There was a time hack at the bottom of the screen. Eddie was highlighted as a POI with an assigned number. Lori tapped the screen on Eddie and a folder popped up with numbers. She swiped it and another screen lit up with a profile of Eddie. She swiped sub folders and more profiles appeared with photos of the group, Eddie’s family and closest friends. She reverse swiped and folders collapsed.


Lori tapped and held a button and the scenes blurred forward until the other group members started to show up. She brought up the Contact List from Eddie’s phone to show the Group Text entry. She expanded this to show folders of each member of the group. She collapsed that and fast forwarded a little and played a short speech by Sean.


The stuff that was probably already online in some trending blog - it was the Where and How that hit Sean. Burned to death right in front of his mother’s house. “That was a personal message, not just some gang hit. It also sounds racial. But I just can’t see Nico getting into that sort of trouble. You suppose maybe he narced on someone? No .. wait. Then he wouldn’t have been killed so publicly. Like I said, it was a message. But for who?


“The question is who knows something that the people who did this - or had it done - want silenced? That might lead us to Why and Who.”


Sean stopped. “Guys … stuff like this happens all the time. That is why we started this club. We always talk about … you know.” He looked around. “This isn’t really the place to talk about this. We need to go off grid. I mean way off grid. Because … if we are going to do anything more than talk about this, we have to start thinking with paranoia.” He pointed. “Security camera .. there … there … over there … and there … Laptops and cell phones everywhere that can be tapped into to record everything we say - not to mention the fact that they usually have webcams.”


Lori’s smirked slightly. “Ever since a body was found burnt in front of Mrs. Kincaid’s home I had an Echelon program following the words - names - Nico and Kincaid. That alerted me to your meeting. The fact that you were all in close contact, and had high percentile numbers raised a flag. Add that some of you were close friends of Nico’s and that spelled … this. It was enough to trigger a Watch. Then you ended up outside NYPD HQ and met up with one of Nico’s closest friends and a research associate - the one who had been supplying grant funds - raised an even redder flag.


“Your profiles read like comic book character origin stories - fortunately minus most of the deaths of parents in alleys and such. Anyways, after that all I had to do was monitor traffic cams. I lost them near the docks …” Lori winced as Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Sorry? … Okay, so I didn’t want you evading them.


“Truth is, like I said, if you try to board that ship, you’ll be caught and killed. The only way you could get close to anyone there would be … disguise.” She smiled and looked at Eddie. “I am very good at disguise. HE’s better. A lot better. And I think he has better stuff to work with. I have disguises prepared in case I need to evac. But it isn’t something I was really taught.


“But if he tried to get on board on his own, he’d probably get stopped at the ramp. I know how they do things. Passwords, security measures. He would need to air drop in or climb up the side.” She looked at Jennifer “like her. And you couldn’t go in as a group for long. Milling around as a group of seven would get you caught. It is a job for one or two. I don’t know. This is where my skills fail.


“But I know this organization better than most. I … grew up with them. My ‘aunts and uncles’ were mercenaries. I thought they were cool people. I never drove a car, but I drove a mobile SAM unit, a main battlefield tank and an APC. I only steered the APC. My feet wouldn’t reach the pedals. When I drove the SAM unit I asked with that squeaky child’s voice if I could shoot one too. The mercs laughed. But that was when my mother showed up and chewed them out. My parents worked for them … until we tried to leave. They were both in that category of scientist that Nobel Prizes normally get awarded to.


“Back then I didn’t know they were terrorists. I think my parents were terrified of them. They waited until we were in the USA to try to make a run for it. But we got chased down. I ended up in a wheelchair … and .. uhm … they didn’t make it.


“I said you were out of your league. You may still be. But together you have a chance. Let me clarify just how dangerous these people are. My mother was a power systems engineer. She came from the old Soviet Union where she used to work with nuclear weapons disarmament. I think she was forced to work with the black market there - or they tried and she defected. My father was a propulsion systems engineer. Together that means nuclear ICBM’s. They had the knowledge to make top of the line weaponry.


“This organization has been working to destabilize countries while selling weaponry to either side. Now they appear to be planning to destabilize the USA by flooding the streets with military hardware and drugs.”

 

[WritingMan]

It seemed that they were out of their league. Well, not just slightly out of their league, but way out of their league. When Erica had first heard the Dark Knight ... er Kevin talking about the groups involved in Nico's death, it sounded like something that would be tough work, but not entirely impossible to do. After all, gangs had risen and fallen from power before. It would have taken more than just Kevin, probably all of them, and still pushed them to their limits, but it seemed like it was something that would have been doable. What Erica was being told now was that what Kevin had told them didn't even seem to scratch the surface.


Nuclear ICBMs? International terrorists? Black operations? Destabilizing countries? At what point did this whole thing go from being investigating the simple homicide of one college student to going after an organization which likely had more power, money, and influence than they could ever dream of? Erica didn't know, but suddenly she felt like she wasn't treading water anymore, but drowning instead. When she had first decided to become a vigilante with her fiends, this is not what she had in mind. Hell, she had to wonder if this was something that she wanted to get involved in at all.


While the others might not be considering the costs of doing this kind of work, Erica was evaluating such a thing in her head. Clearly, they hadn't been as inconspicuous as they thought. Lori had proved that with her recording and information. What's to say that this organization didn't have the same information or technology to do this? Whoever this organization was, it seemed pretty clear from what Lori was saying that they didn't mess around. They wouldn't play by the rules. If they went after this organization, and they learned who they were, no place would be safe. They'd come after their families, friends and loved ones. Nothing was off limits when you are talking about destabilizing entire countries.


"I'm sorry," Erica said bluntly to Lori, "but what makes you think we, a half dozen 20 year olds with a sense of justice, can take on an organization such as what you've just described? What you're talking about isn't just dangerous, it's plain suicide. We only just decided to form up today. We haven't done an real fighting as team. Most of us are inexpierenced. I signed on to find a single killer, not to go taking down some global terrorist organization."

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Edwin was flabbergasted by the sheer brilliance that was Lori – or rather by the sheer level of her paranoia. It was kind of unnerving to hear the conversation they had at the library replayed back at them. If what the woman in the wheelchair said was true—which Edwin had little reason to doubt was indeed the case—she had been keeping an eye on all of them ever since Nico’s death. No, even before Nico’s death. They had been in her radar ever since their personality got flagged by her ‘personality/potential activities determination program’ thingy.


Ten years ago she built that thing? Lori looked to be in her twenties—thirties at the latest—which meant she must have been as least as Edwin’s age when she built that program…probably even younger. Edwin was sorely tempted to find out how old she’d been, but he had enough class not to ask a woman her age—at least until they got to know each other better.


Instead, he kept silent as he listened to Lori explain in thorough detail the people they were up against. It was all very surreal. Not just a gang but an international terrorist group? Erica was right. This was way beyond anything they had ever expected. Even if they did succeed in their goal of taking down Nico’s murderers, they would make enemies with a dangerous organization that, according to Lori, was not forgiving in the least.


It might not just be him that was in danger either. If he did go through with this, he would be putting his Uncle and the entire Gilded Masquerade troupe in danger as well—especially if they had the same resources that Lori did. Edwin’s teeth clenched in frustration. As much as he wanted to bring Nico’s murderers to justice, the risk was far greater than he had originally anticipated.


There was always a chance of course.


If they did succeed in their mission, they would need to ensure a security of their identities. Lori certainly seemed to have the knowledge and capabilities to do so—if her paranoia and apparent genius was anything to go by.


The question was…did Edwin want to bet on her?


“Erica’s got a point, Lori.” Edwin said. Depending on her response, Edwin would make his decision. “What make’s you think we can handle this?”


 
Edwin and Matthew (cont)


Edwin’s eyes widened at the sight of Matthew’s body. What kind of abusive past did the guy have to have so many old scars? However, he was tactful enough not to comment or ask questions. Everyone had their own dark past and Edwin didn’t think he had the right to pry.


Instead, Edwin checked Kevin’s bathroom cabinets for bandages, grimacing at the bloody wound on Channing’s surprisingly fit body. He wasn’t really squeamish at the sight of blood. At least, not enough to pass out at the mere sight of it, but he couldn’t deny that it made him a bit uncomfortable. That was one of the reasons Edwin disliked violence.


However, when he saw Matthew drank from a water flask—which healed his wounds—Edwin paled, and dropped the bandages. “Did you just—?”


The red substance on Channing’s lips, which made Edwin distinctly uncomfortable, looked a lot like blood from his perspective. Matthew’s following words confirmed it.


“What the hell, Channing? Don’t tell me the rumors on campus about you being a vampire are actually true?”


The only reason Edwin hadn’t run out of the bathroom screaming was that Channing hadn’t tried to hide the fact that he healed by drinking blood.


That meant Matthew wasn’t planning on secretly drinking all their blood in their sleep.


Probably.

 

[sharlene79]

Edwin and Channing (Too good to pass up)


Matthew couldn’t resist a practical joke on Edwin. The opportunity was simply too good to pass up. He always carried around a set of fake fangs. They weren’t the traditional fangs. These were no more than a flat strip of flexible plastic that fit between his upper teeth and lip. The fangs were in that perfect spot. The advantage of this pair was that they could be hidden away for when opportunity presented itself - as it now did. He had just needed that moment when Edwin wasn’t looking.


Just in case though, he was ready to calm Eddie down.


“Bleh!” he said with a bad Transylvanian accent. But he was laughing a little as he said it. Then he pulled the fangs out, licking the blood off and showed that they were fake. “Nah. But yes, this is blood. I can’t eat regular food like most people. Just blood - or any pure liquid - water, wine, orange juice - pulp free. Anything solid and I get very, very ill. I need nourishment to heal. Oh it would have healed on its own eventually. I mean I AM alive. Vampires aren’t.”


Lori’s Apartment


Most if the others were thinking pretty much the same thing. Not Matthew of course. He was just a smiling, then looked confused at everyone’s doubts. “Aw c’mon guys. I’ve snuck onto one of those ships before. Lots of times in fact. So long as I can get close, I can get aboard.”


Lori held up a hand. “So fine, we take down one killer. But getting to him may mean taking down a few others to get close. The arsonist is known as the Hellburner. I do not have a real name yet, not any idea where he keeps his money or how he is paid. He IS part of the same small group of highly paid terrorists as Pale Rider, Scorpia, and a few others.


“First, we need to locate Hellburner. Then we need to isolate him. Odds are he is on that ship. To get on the ship you will need to infiltrate. Now the ship is of South African registry, but they employ all nationalities. English is the lingua franca. However there will be subgroups they are native to other languages like Spanish. The subgroups don’t always get along. Think of them as rival gangs that all work for a much stronger gang. That much stronger gang has its own henchmen who tend to be elite.


“Two ways to infiltrate. Get recruited … and Stealth. Now getting recruited is just not something for James of Jennifer. You have classes to teach - unless you can both manage a leave of absence. Erica and Sean might fare better. One of the most common talents they look for is combat abilities. For a background check, they will be looking at criminal pasts and mercenary work. They have uses for those with no records.


“Stealth. Matthew, do you think you could sneak Eddie aboard?” Lori raised an eyebrow.


“Hell yeah! Just has to be at night.”


Lori nodded. “The recruiting operation I think I know about is at night. Illegal cage fighting.”


“Now in the meantime - until they can get recruited there is no point in trying to sneak aboard. But once you do, the Stealth team’s task will be to do spy work. Locate Hellburner. Find out if he plans to leave the ship. If so, it would be safer to take him on shore. If you can, tag other heavy hitters, but only as targets of opportunity.”


“Pale Rider killed my father, didn’t he?” Kevin asked.


Lori nodded. “Again, easier to take on land. My guess is that he will be assigned as a sniper to the next big weapon smuggling operation. So if the scout teams can keep their ears peeled.


“But for now, there are two other jobs Edwin and Matthew could work on. One is a stakeout of a custom auto shop. The owner - John Hughes - has been applying for a license to do customs inspections. His shop also converts foreign cars to US standards. Hughes has a membership at Scorelli’s - a private night club that is mafia owned. Membership costs more than any of you make in a year. The place has a high level of security and armed guards.


“There is a related mission for you two that is related. I have a very high flag on one of the dancers. She has a brother - or son - that part gets confusing - who has been in and out of the hospital numerous times. The salary can’t possibly be covering the bills. The boy has a depressed immune system and lives in a germ free environment at home. My guess is that the family has borrowed money from loan sharks. Thing is, loan sharks don’t do charity work. So how does she pay the bills? Now here is what raised her flag level so high. I spotted here very close to the pier where that ship is.”

 

[WritingMan]

Much to Erica's relief it seemed that at least someone else in the group was on the same page as her. Erica nodded in thanks to Edwin, grateful that he had vocally backed Erica. Edwin was a bit strange to Erica. While she knew of him from what he heard of the others, Edwin and Erica had never really had much of a conversation before. Edwin had joined the group when Erica was overseas in Afghanistan, and when Erica came back they didn't really seem to have any common interests other than their sense of justice. And Erica, who was still working at the National Guard full time, hadn't really made any effort to reach out to him. Perhaps I should do that soon, Erica thought to herself. Granted, depending on how the flow of this case went that could be some time.


While Lori vocally seemed to cave in to Erica and Edwin's concerns, it seemed like the end result would still require them to go up against a lot of this terrorist organization just to get one killer. Even though Lori stated they were focusing on just the one killer, Erica had a feeling that somehow things would become more complicated than that before everything was finished. Life had a funny way of throwing a wrench into the best laid plans.


Erica's eyes grew a bit wide when Lori suggested that Sean and Erica get recruited. Namely, there was the fact that they would have to interact directly with this terrorist organization. They'd not only have their names, but likely other information too. Or perhaps Lori intended on creating them false identities? Erica hoped that was the case. Besides, it wasn't like she had some kind of history of mercenary work.


With the mention of Sean though, Erica cast a glance over all the tall man. For whatever reason, Sean had been relatively silent ever since she arrived. She had barely heard a word out of him all night. It was a behavior unlike his normal self. Did she have something to do with that?


Honestly, she wasn't sure if her and Sean working alone was the best course of action. Erica suspected that most of the group had no idea that her and Sean had once dated. It happened when they were both younger, before they wound up in college. Still, that didn't change the fact that Erica to this day still had feelings for Sean. Regardless of the fact of if Sean still held feelings for her, she was concerned that if they worked together she might not be able to prioritize properly.


"Would we be using our real identities to be recruited? That seems a bit risky. Can't you use your technomagic to create us fake ones we can use?" Erica asked Lori directly, hoping that Lori would agree the risk was unwarranted.


"And Sean, you've been oftly quiet. How do you feel about this?" Erica asked him, hoping to get some sense of where his head was at. Sean had always been something of an enigma to her. It seemed like it was impossible for her to figure out what he was thinking.

 

[Mitheral]

Sean’s face was intense. It took him a second to register that he had even been spoken to. and even then he had to stop and think. But as he looked at Erica a slow smile crept back onto his face. “Well there, Cheesecake, I have been itching to hit something ever since this morning. Might just be therapeutic. But the odds of us even getting noticed aren’t that great. And even if we are, it may not get us aboard. They may do their training on land.


“If you want to do this,” he started out looking at Erica, then shifted to Lori. “We’ll need the sort of false ID’s that only money can buy. But leave them with holes. Dig deep enough and they’ll get to the truth. I’ll have my ‘real’ story ready by the time they see through our ID. No disguises - except maybe hair color changes, or … “ He paused. “My beard stays.” He flushed a little, trying not smile. Then a little defensively he added. “I have a good reason. Vanity. I am going to WANT them to recognize me.


“Erica … I would suggest being there just because of me. I dragged her into this. If they dig deep enough they’ll find she and I share a past. They’ll assume that has been rekindled. And … I have other reasons for keeping her close …” He flushed again avoiding Erica’s eyes. “Not that … my brother.”


Sean’s older brother, Samuel, had gone after Erica. Samuel had been bigger and stronger than Sean. And in those days, Samuel had been the sort of bully that stuffed kids in lockers and played rich kid pranks. He was also the sort that didn’t like to take no for an answer and looked at girls as decorations and conquests. He and Sean had ended up in a pretty bad fight in which Sean had ended up losing. But Sean had done well enough to piss Samuel off enough that he decided he didn’t want Erica anyways. He ended up calling her some pretty ugly names - hurtful ones that mentioned her family.


Sean explained. If Erica or any of his friends were going to get involved in this they had the right to know. “My brother may be a part of this. This organization sounds a lot like something he’d be into. He may even be hiring their people to do his dirty work. So I have no illusions that my cover won’t get blown. And there’s a chance he’d recognize Erica if he came down and checked me out personally.”


Kevin nodded. “I’d go, but I’d almost certainly blow the cover. And I doubt anyone would believe me if I told them I was going dark. Like Lori said, I’m not exactly subtle.”


James spoke up. “I could go with you guys too.”


Sean’s jaw dropped. “Uhh … James … cage fighting is rough stuff. They will put you in a hospital fast or a morgue. Places like this have their own body disposal squads. Guys … these won’t be terrorists. In fact most won’t have anything to do with our investigation. Think of this as a sporting event with talent scouts watching in the crowd. The trick is to be good at what we do and desperate enough to need the work - any work. Sorry James, but you look too much like a pretty boy.” Sean shook his head.


As for the other proposed team up. Matthew’s head was snapping back and forth. He was already starting to get a little excited with the idea of messing with … whatever they called themselves. Did they even have a name? The organization? Sounded pretty lame. Hydra! Yeah, that would work. Or Cobra! Or the Legion of the Evil Brotherhood!


Now this stakeout business sounded pretty boring. It sounded as if Lori wanted them to stalk some girl. No wait, some guy? Watch his auto shop and wait for him to leave. He’d either drive home or to Scorelli’s - where they couldn’t go. Wait for him to finish staring at girls and follow him home. What a waste of a night.


The girl sounded more interesting at least. Medical bills on the scale Lori had spoken of would likely mean the girl owed into the millions. Stripping and turning tricks wasn’t likely to make that sort of money unless she caught the eye of some rich guy.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Edwin and Matthew (End)


Heart racing and already high strung from his suspicions, Edwin had been ready to bolt the moment Matthew opened his mouth, revealing his fangs in--what appeared to Edwin at least--a hungry manner. He didn’t bother to check to see if the fangs were real. Only dead men hesitate at the sight of danger, and Edwin didn’t fancy ending up vampire food.


Hand already on the knob of Kevin’s bathroom, Edwin would have turned it…if he had not Channing’s following giggles. Edwin’s face flushed a bright red.


“Jesus!” Edwin scowled, swiveling around to face the doctor who was laughing. “Don’t scare me like that!”


Edwin simply raised his eyebrows as he listened to Channing’s explanation. The scientist’s condition sounded anything, but normal. Only liquid diet? Immunity to infections? Visible wound-healing from nourishment AND UV-sensitive skin? Was Matthew even human?


Edwin placed his hand on Matthew’s bare chest, feeling relief when he felt a heartbeat. Matthew hadn’t been lying about being alive, at least. Whatever Matthew was…he wasn’t a blood-sucking demon.


Edwin pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ok fine. You aren’t a vampire—just a person with a very different constitution than average.” Boy, was that an understatement.


Edwin walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet, washing his face. “Though I’ve got to admit, you’re the strangest person I’ve ever met. One of these days, you’re going to have to tell me how you came to be that way.”


Grinning at his real appearance in the mirror, he dunked his head under the water to wash the gunk from his hair and began the tedious process of re-curling his locks. He had a million more questions to ask Matthew, but now was not the time. They had a date with Random Stranger and Edwin didn’t want to keep the others waiting. One thing was for sure though. He was keeping an eye on Matthew Channing.


“If your wounds are taken care of…let’s go.” Edwin said, fixing his appearance with a tiny comb. Expertly twirling the comb in his fingers, he slid it back in his trousers when he was finished. Edwin may not know who Random Stranger was, but he would be damned if he met the guy looking like a slob. After all, the key to a successful relationship was a good first impression.


Lori’s apartment.


Edwin listened to Lori’s plan, watching the woman’s face. Lori might not have answered his question, but she understood their reluctance and was willing to concede to their desire to take down Nico’s murderer. That was something at least.


Hellburner? Edwin felt adrenaline pump through his blood at the name. With a name like that, Edwin had little doubt that was the guy who had torched the Kincaids and burned Nico’s body. Edwin was going to enjoy bringing Hellburner down.


Edwin was grateful that Lori had enough common sense to put him on the stealth team. There was no way he was surviving a cage fight. A normal fight, maybe, but a cage fight…where there was no escape…not likely.


Edwin tilted his head when Matthew claimed he would be able to sneak Edwin onboard. Judging from Channing’s body and the fact that Channing challenged the Kevin to combat, Edwin guessed that Channing must have been better at fighting than Edwin had originally thought. How much? Edwin had no idea. He was actually pleased to be assigned the mission with Matthew. It gave him more opportunities to observe the abnormal scientist who had sparked, or rather ignited, his interest.


Edwin didn’t fail to notice the byplay between Sean and Erica. However, he didn’t really know the connection between his two older friends. He knew Erica had a history with Sean before Edwin and Sean had met, but little else. Instead Edwin focused on the relevant matter at hand. He was surprised to learn that Sean, or rather his brother, might have connections with the terrorist group. Then again, Sean’s family was filthy rich. Who knew what sort of shady connections the wealthy might have? He decided to let his friends deal with their mission as they saw fit. Sean seemed to have a plan up his sleeve. If the big guy needed any help with disguises, he would just have to ask.


After all, Edwin was always available.


Rather than pay attention to the interaction between Sean and James, Edwin faced Lori.


“What’s so important about this John Hughes guy?” Edwin questioned, curiously. “If the dancer’s the one with the red-flag, I could just try swiping the Scorelli pass from Hughes, disguise myself as him, and investigate the girl myself. Why go through the trouble of a stake-out?”


It had been a while since Edwin had stolen anything from anyone, but Edwin was still confident in his shifty fingers—which had been further enhanced when he took up a profession as a freelance magician. Ever since he had met Uncle Donny, Edwin had refrained from doing anything that would disappoint his Uncle. However, this was a special case. He was exercising his skills for justice…for Nico.

 

[sharlene79]

(JP’d a short section here. Too brief to be a stand alone post.)


Jennifer actually balled up a fist and punched James’ arm. “The HELL you’re going to cage fights. If you want to watch, fine. Didn’t think you had that sort of interest. But of you think I am going to let you walk into a cage to fight, you can kiss that idea good bye. You aren’t getting out of your vows THAT easy! You still have some work to do with me.”


James flushed a bit as soon as it hit him what she meant by that last part. “If I’m not going, you’re not going.”


Jennifer faced off with James, stopped and looked at the rest. “Sorry peeps. James and I have some things to hash out.”


“Nothing to hash out. If you think you can risk your life and I can’t, then what is the point of talking?” He frowned. “Why don’t we take one of the other assignments? I happen to KNOW John Hughes. That auto shop? It is Momentum Custom Auto … right across the street from where we live. We can watch him. And we can talk about the other stuff later.”


Jennifer was still worked up, but arguing now was going nowhere and if she kept going things might get ugly. “Fine. What about Kevin?”


Lori nodded and glanced at Kevin. “I have another angle for him to work on. And he needs to get ready for another day of work. CSI?”


Kevin looked at Eddie and Matthew. “Before you two go home I’d like to talk to you … in private. I have a personal favor to ask of you two.”


“Kevin,” Lori started, “I know what you are thinking. Don’t let this get personal ...”


“No … you don’t.” Kevin looked serious.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Edwin chuckled when Jennifer punched James. It must suck to be the wife of someone both smart and could kick your ass in combat. He certainly respected Professor W, ever since he first met her. His friend was only one year older than him and already had her PHD while Edwin hadn't even completed his BS yet. Granted, Edwin's goals didn't really require him to go to college at all. However, his parents would be pissed if he went all the way to New York City with his Uncle had nothing to show for it.


"None of this answers my question," Edwin repeated, breaking out of his thoughts. "What's so important about this John Hughes character?"


Not that it really mattered, since Jennifer and James seemed to want to claim the job of watching Hughes. Still...Edwin was curious and he didn't like being ignored.


Edwin frowned when Kevin approached he and Matthew with a serious expression. For some reason, he had a feeling this wasn't something good. The fact that Lori thought so as well, put Edwin on guard. Edwin glanced briefly at Matthew, before flicking his eyes back at Kevin...the Dark Knight. "What do you need?"

 

[sharlene79]

“What’s so imp --?” Lori seemed surprised. “I thought that was obvious. If John Hughes can do customs inspections, then he would be a way of smuggling small things into the USA like nuclear detonators, radioactive materials, biohazardous materials, and other techy items of mass destruction. He has a former convict working for him named Eugene Banks. That guy looks like hired muscle at the shop. But both men appear to be keeping their noses clean otherwise.


“I ran a background check on John Hughes. He looks pretty clean. I mean he has lots of minor legal issues. He’s got a number of speeding tickets. And there were some infractions for illegally souped up cars. He’s been under investigation for running a chop shop - but there’s been no proof. And he’s threatened to sue NYPD for harassment.


“Janice Mueller, on the other hand may be a domestic source of military technology - small stuff like military chipsets, small prototypes, and such. I don’t think she is a source yet. I think she is being tested. Do I need to explain my reasoning? Maybe I should anyways. She makes semi regular visits to a fence. She only very recently stopped. And at that time there were exchanges of moneys that correspond to her estimated debt to the Scorelli Organization. Someone bought out her contract. That same account was associated with the account that money was sent to prior to the deaths of Shawn Brady, Nico Kincaid, and Marcel Cantrell and his family.


“I do NOT believe she has stolen anything vital … yet. My guess is that they will test her on some high end thefts. I think she is a cat burglar. Once she has succeeded at some high priced thefts they will probably go after prototype electronics of the military variety.”

 

[QuirkyAngel]

“I see,” Edwin murmured, intrigued by Lori’s line of thought. It would make sense that Hughes might be connected to the terrorist group…given that the custom inspection license he was applying for would make it easier for him to smuggle certain inappropriate items to the U.S. Certainly not a large red flag, as all of Hughes ‘illegal activities’ were just speculation and there was no guarantee that Hughes was connected to the group that they were after at all, but he supposed it made sense that Lori was cautious.


Janice, on the other hand, sounded like a large red flag. Edwin’s lips quirked in amusement at Lori’s speculation that the dancer might be a cat burglar. Interesting. “Since James and Jennifer happen to know John Hughes and live near his shop, I think they would be better at keeping an eye on Hughes. Matthew and I can try and check out Miss Mueller.”


Naturally, Edwin was motivated by his desire to solve the case. However, he couldn’t deny that a small part of him was thrilled to be able to get the chance to visit the exclusive night club Scorelli. For someone like Edwin, who was short on funds, it was a once and a lifetime opportunity.


“I don't see many ways to get us through Scorelli’s heavily barred doors. Unless, you can find a way to produce a fake Scorelli pass that would allow us to bypass their security…,” Edwin said, glancing at Lori. “I could try stealing the pass from Hughes, or…,” Edwin winked at Sean. “I could borrow Sean’s pass, disguise myself as him, imitate his mannerisms, etc, and enter Scorelli that way." Edwin paused to glance around. "Anyone got any better ideas?”


Well, in all honesty, they didn’t have to enter Scorelli at all. He and Matthew could simply wait until outside Scorelli until Janice finished her work and trail her to her home—cornering her there. Better yet, have Lori track Janice to where she lived then talk to her that way. It didn’t necessarily have to be Scorelli…but where was the fun in that?


Edwin and Kevin


When the discussion and planning at Lori’s apartment was finished, Edwin was exhausted and ready to head home. However, he hadn’t forgotten about Kevin’s request for a private favor. Therefore, Edwin stayed at Lori’s apartment after everyone had returned home...everyone except for Lori, Kevin, and Matthew.


“Alright…what is it that you want?” Edwin asked, directing his question at the Dark Knight.

 

[Mitheral]

(Another JP)


Sean laughed a little. The idea of Eddie trying to disguise himself as someone a foot taller was kind of funny. But there was a much more practical reason that he thought his friend shouldn’t try. “Eddie, even if you COULD manage to make yourself my size, copy my voice and pass, they have a handprint scanner and use personal recognition. If my brother is there, you’d never manage. It would honestly be easier to buy a couple of memberships. But that takes a little time - a day or so.”


Lori raised a finger and gave a polite cough. “Might not be necessary. I have the Mueller address. It is about 0200 now and she doesn’t live but a few blocks away. 14th floor of one of those fire trap homes for the income challenged. Lot of elderly in that building. Maybe I should brief you a little on what I know of her past.


“Her own mother was a drug addicted prostitute commonly referred to as a crack whore. Her father had been a two bit thug - pimp and small time armed robber. odds are that he tried to get his daughter addicted and turned her into a prostitute - somewhere around the age of 13. He had even tried to get her hooked, but the needle had broken off when she flinched. He had beaten her, but she just ran away. The man had also beaten the mother.


“Janice’s first stroke of luck had been when her angry father had chased her down the street right in front of a squad car and flashed his gun at them right in their headlights. I have video footage. She was pretty messed up - and I mean beaten on. When her father had made his one phone call, Janice’s mother had answered, but didn't speak. She just hung up. That was three years ago. I suspect it was really Janice who answered the phone. Her mother was probably drugged out of her mind and had no idea what was going on.


“At age 13 Janice’s grades were straight A’s and B’s. She dropped out at 15. Her mother’s attendance to work at Scorelli’s improved and she managed to get a regular 9 to 5 job as well - which satisfied Child Protective Services. I strongly suspect that was also Janice. I can’t even be certain her mother is still alive.


“Now then, seeing as I have THAT information, it means I have her … address …that building there, apartment 1435. I have her picture. And She normally gets home around 0400 to 0500. That’s in 2-3 hours - plenty of time to walk a few blocks.”


Edwin, Matthew and Kevin


(slight misunderstanding … Kevin doesn’t want to discuss this stuff with Lori)


Lori had NOT been happy with the idea of Kevin discussing things in the open. But Kevin was not to be dissuaded. He promised her that he would take “precautions.” As it turned out, precautions amounted to going to the tops of buildings.


Once they were alone and between obstructions that blocked them from sight by taller buildings, Kevin spoke. Matthew kept his eyes peeled to make sure they weren’t followed as well.


“If you guys can get aboard there are some things I’d like you to keep an eye out for. Shipping logs. I want a complete record of where and when that ship has gone, its fuel consumption, crew compliments. My guess is that they smuggle. And they use ports they don’t report. I want to narrow down where they might be manufacturing weapons. I also want you to procure some samples of their weapons - both stuff being sold … and not. And schematics would help. Don’t get caught.”


He seemed to hesitate for a long time, clearly debating whether to voice his suspicions. Finally he added. “She said her parents were Nobel Prize smart. Considering the sort of things they worked on, it sounds a little suspicious that they would kill her parents. She was a little vague about that part. How did she hurt her back? And when she did, how did she make it out on her own?”


Matthew shook his head. “She didn’t. A random stranger witnessed the scene and pulled her to safety and smuggled her to St Michael’s.” This revelation came from out of the blue with no explanation. “Sanctuary,” he added, as if that explained everything.


Kevin just stared for a long moment. Matthew was a man full of secrets. He wanted to ask, but decided it wasn’t something to take the time for just now. “So you know about when that happened? That’s how far I want you to look. I have a theory that they may have recaptured her parents. They would need Lori to fully coerce them. But odds are they have been forced to keep working. I am hoping any samples of prototype weapons - especially any rockets or power systems - might indicate they are still alive. I know it isn’t part of the mission to get Hellburner, but I’d be grateful.”


Matthew grinned. “I can’t wait to get on that ship. I wonder if they will have another container of money. I built my clinic with the first donation I got from them.”

 

[sharlene79]

It was probably a good thing is was July and not the dead of winter. Neither Edwin nor Matthew had a car. So they were stuck with standing in the shadows of an alley or climbing on top of a building or breaking into some unused apartment if they could find one. Of all of the options the shadows of an alley offered them the best chance of moving to intercept Janice away from her apartment - and her brother. There was no point in dragging a 13 year old teenaged boy with an immunodeficient system into this. The only real risk was the possibility of getting mugged and Matthew said he had that problem handled with one of his usual smiles.


Well, if there was trouble for them Edwin never saw any signs of it. Either Matthew ‘handled it’ or the trouble decided two men was not worth the risk of bothering. So no muggers. Matthew spotted her first. She was walking home, either from a subway or a bus stop on the far side of the street. But when they spotted her it was pretty obvious she had her own trouble. This trouble came in the form of a car following along side her slowly. At first it looked like it was just some John, a client looking for a good time. But soon her body language made it clear she wasn’t interested. Then the car stopped.


Now in the Big Apple they say it is never a good idea to get involved. But then neither Matthew, nor Edwin, was a typical guy. The conversation was too far away for Edwin to hear. Matthew, on the other hand had hearing that was inhuman. He just looked calmly at Edwin and spoke softly. “Guy’s trouble.”


Janice knew who the man was. He was a pimp, a pimp to whom she had once owed money. And she knew why he was mad. Losing her meant losing his best business. Angrily she tried to ignore him and told him what he could go do. Her head turned sharply as she heard the car jerk to a stop a moment later and the door opened.


In seconds Rafael was out of his car and grabbing her, throwing her up against the car brick wall and holding her off the ground with her feet dangling. “What the hell did you say to me you little (bleep)?!” A massive backhand dazed her for a moment. Oddly she didn’t try to protect herself except to duck her head a bit. Then he slammed a fist into her gut. She tried to double over but couldn’t. As if that wasn’t enough a driver stood up out of the car. He was a brutish looking thug and probably the pimp’s real muscle. Janice knew him as Garth.


“Now you think you don’t owe me anymore, but you got it wrong. You owe me two whores.” Rafael oily hair glistened. He reeked of cologne. “Until you replace those, you pay me.”

 

[WritingMan]

At the Meeting





Cheesecake. Erica winced at the name. It was name Erica hadn't been called in a long time. Granted, she hadn't really spoken to Sean much during that time, and he was the one who called her Cheesecake. While the others might wonder about the name, Erica and Sean both knew the story behind the name. In fact, just hearing the name caused Erica to start to reminisce on those memories.


It was Sean and Erica's first official date, and Sean had taken her, despite her insistence otherwise, to a nice, ritzy restaurant in New York. It was the kind that Erica wouldn't have stepped into in a thousand years, but for Sean it was nothing out of the ordinary. They had been having a wonderful time together, but were beginning to get ready to leave. They had both gotten desert, but instead of finishing it all they decided to get boxes to go. And so, Erica put the cheesecake in her box and headed out with Sean to his car. Of course, it was as they were walking out that Erica tripped, her heel catching the back of her dress. As she forward, the box of cheesecake fell out of her hand onto the ground, the top opening up. A few seconds later, Erica's face smashed right into the cheesecake. When Sean helped her to her feet, he couldn't stop laughing at her appearance and dubbed her "Cheesecake."


Ah, those were the days, Erica thought. Back then, it was Sean and her, an unstoppable combo of love that was going to take over the whole world. She thought back then she was the luckiest girl in the world to have Sean to herself. If only reality hadn't set in. Perhaps they would be married now. Could that still...stay focused girl, Erica reminded herself, realizing her mind was drifting. Now wasn't the time nor the place for such thoughts. Later, perhaps, but right now there was more critical things to focus on, like their objective.


The plan was something that didn't sit too well with Erica. No IDs? No masks? The idea of these terrorists looking into her and knowing about her was enough to make Erica feel nervous. Both Sean and her would be completely exposed. If something went wrong, not that it will... But if it did... that wouldn't end well for either of them.


And then there was Samuel. Erica hated Samuel. She could feel her fists clenching just at the thought of him. He had come to epitomize everything Erica disliked in a person. Brash, rude, arrogant, and most of all self-serving. There was no lost love between them. Before Sean and her had officially started dating, Samuel had tried to make a pass on her. And while Erica had played along nice at first, never intending to take it anywhere, things got hairer the longer she kept up the act. There had been words and fists and kicks thrown, not only by Sean but by her too, although Sean never knew about hers. Erica hadn't even been thinking that Samuel might be involved in this whole mess, but now that Sean mentioned it made sense that he might be. Just another thing about the job that Erica would probably hate. This whole job was shaping up to be a real fun time.


As the meeting wrapped up, Erica headed back home, having to get into work early the next morning. She planned to head over Sean's first thing in the late afternoon though to clarify what plans he had in mind.


The Next Day, Sean and Erica





It was 7:00 pm by the time Erica made it to Sean's place. Originally, she had planned to come over much sooner, around 4 or 5, but an emergency had come up that she needed to deal with. Nothing major, but it had set back her time. Now, they only had a hour before the cagefighting would be starting, and Erica still wasn't sure what Sean had planned.


Getting off her motorcycle, Erica grabbed her backpack, currently packed with athletic wear. While they hadn't discussed much yet, Erica knew that they wouldn't be wearing their regular outfits tonight, and if they were going to be fighting Erica wanted to be in something loose and comfortable that would let her breathe. Walking up to the door, she rang it once, waiting for Sean to show.

 

[Mitheral]

For someone who had grown up in a family that was Bruce Wayne rich, Sean lived far below his means. Back in their high school days, Sean had done everything he could to hide his wealth. He had been embarrassed about it. At least now that he was an adult he didn’t hide it quite so much. Instead he used it to try and make the world a better place. And he lived far more comfortably than most. His home was one of those warehouse apartments with a multi car garage.


He opened a garage for Erica, with a stern look on his face. She was late. They were both late. At this rate they might not even be able to get entered into the fights. Normally he would have been full of banter but instead all he did was gruffly tell her where to park.


“We’re late. Let’s go.” And that was it. Sean rarely showed anger. And he had always been patient where Erica was concerned. But then he was probably thinking about his brother - and that always put him in a foul mood. They hadn’t gotten along in well over a decade.


Sean’s choice of cars were among his Lotus - which he stopped at. That was the car he had originally thought to use. It was a car thief magnet. So was his vintage 1930’s whatever it was. And his 1200 hp muscle car. Sean loved his cars. As a teenager they had been one of his few allowances for his wealth. But he seemed more interested in impressing Erica (or many of the other girls Erica had to chase off). If Erica didn’t seem to like the car - no matter how many others did - the car went away.


But Sean wasn’t one of those guys obsessed with a car’s innards. That had never been his engineering interest. No, he left that to grease monkeys. But he knew enough to maintain a car and could appreciate how cars changed over the years. He had once spent an hour explaining the evolution of a distributor cap and an ignition system. At the time he had a real Model T … real. Well, it was real in that the thing actually ran. But it was a modern replica that Sean had assembled from scratch. He had cranked it up and taken Erica for a short ride. His family had donated a genuine Model T to a museum. He had asked about using it to take “a girl” on a date. The replica had been their response.


Sean’s family hadn’t approved of Erica. Sean’s response to that was to fashion a license plate with Erica’s name on it for the Model T. Samuel’s response to that was a lewd suggestion by asking if he could ride Sean’s car.


The Model T now sat in a corner of the garage covered with a sheet to keep dust off it. Those had been simpler times. Seeing as most of his cars were theft magnets and they were headed into a rougher part of town, Sean chose to use his SUV.


He wore no disguise. He had said he was going to do at least a minimal disguise. But he hadn’t even bothered - except perhaps to try to abandon his clean cut look in favor of a rougher one. Anyone who knew him would recognize him. Of course, driving her personal vehicle - with license plates that could be run - would figure out who he was.


Worst plan ever. This was NOT like Sean at all.


As he drove - Sean spoke. “Simple plan. My cover is that I want in with a more powerful crowd - one that can set me up in a position to challenge my brother’s interests. Family squabble sort of thing. Partly based on truth. I am not going to ask YOUR reason for coming along. My brother - if he is there - may assume we’ve resumed old relations. If we have, let me know now. We’ll have to play the part.”


Illegal Cage Fighting Arena


June 28, 2015 1945 hrs


Sean was right. Sign ups for the evening had started at 1900 (7 PM). They arrived and got parked by around 1945. Sean drew every eye in the room when he entered. He hardly seemed to notice. He was simply so used to it. 6’9” tall? Yeah, he was going to draw attention. And that was why he hadn’t bothered with disguises. And … there were high resolution security cameras at the sign up desk that probably ran facial recognition software to screen for police and press.


Sign up segregated fighters into categories: male, female, general weight classes and fighting styles. Noone really cared except as far as marketing went. Fighters had to give a name. Again, noone cared. Most used a fighting name anyways much like pro wrestlers. There was a registration fee to fight in the veteran classes. Sean covered that easily for both of them with a roll of cash.


But all that was the mundane drama that surrounded every fight night. What made this different were the talent scouts. Oh sure, talent scouts came and went all the time. These talent scouts were very, very different. These wore masks and were dressed up like ninja masters. And those were just the equivalent of law and order for the place - to break up unscheduled fights. The real scouts didn’t show up right away, but after Sean and Erica had been in line for a few minutes.


One of the scouts was a beautiful hispanic woman. The way she walked was carefully measured, the way someone with many years of martial arts training and perhaps a attendance at a finishing school might have. She looked a bit older than Erica and carried herself with a self confidence that made her seem like she might be the most dangerous person in the room. Her presence commanded immediate respect from the ninjas. This woman might actually be Erica’s equal or superior in a fight. That was rare.


But it was the man with the woman that Sean and Erica recognized. Truth to tell, Sean had hoped to get much further before being recognized himself, but there was no way to hide himself. Samuel Reed had already recognized his younger brother. Samuel’s flitted across Erica’s form briefly and moved on as if she weren’t important. But Erica was sure he had recognized her. It had been several years but he hadn’t forgotten her either..


The hispanic woman walked up to them. Samuel followed, seeming more like a lapdog, practically subservient to the woman. That was almost shocking. What the hell kind of a woman could put a man like him in his place? Or was this just some sort of game he was playing? The woman offered her hand to Sean. “Juanita Vasquez. I must admit. I am surprised that a fighter of your caliber graces these halls. The arenas haven’t seen your presence in years - not since you were beaten by that kid…?”


Sean flushed a little. The woman was referring to Kevin Brady. “They guy was tougher than he looked. I’d like to see anyone else take the pounding he took that day. And he was fast. He simply scored more points. Correct me if I am wrong, but we don’t keep score here?”


The woman smiled. “Last Man Standing rules.” Her eyes flitted over Erica’s form. “Or woman.” She smiled. “I see you brought a cheerleader.”


Sean had to fight a wince. He had a feeling the woman was baiting Erica. He decided to think fast to say something to before it was too late. He shifted his attention to Samuel. “My cheerleader beats up your cheerleaders.” Sean even managed a slight swagger. He meant it. And he hated to admit it but he was a little proud of that fact.


Juanita smiled genuinely. “So I take it she wears the pants?”


Sean grinned. “Pants, dress, nothing at all. Whatever she feels like. I’m fine with removing any of it she’ll allow. But if she isn’t in the mood, that’s a good way to lose your manhood. My brother can attest to that.” There was no point in maintaining a false ID. “But I came here to fight.”


“You think you’re up to it?” Vasquez asked. “I haven’t heard of you taking on challengers in quite some time.”


“I’m up to it,” Sean nodded. He held up the money.


The woman nodded again. “Your life. Your health.” She admired Sean’s form, running a hand over it. “I hope you don’t get too roughed up in there. Rules are simple enough. No weapons. You can tape up. Two men - or women - enter. One victor. There are no draws. If you don’t fight; you forfeit. You’ll be called 5 minutes before your fight. If you miss the 3rd and final call 30 seconds before your fight, you forfeit. You can cry for mercy, but your opponent is under no obligation to accept it. These fights are brutal and meant to weed out the weak. Oh … and if a fighter dies, it is never spoken of - ever.”


“Winners get 20% of the purse which is depending on betting. You should have been on time.” Juanita offered no condolences.


Sean smiled. “Money isn’t why I’m here. At least not the sort of money you mean.”


Vasquez seemed to be distracted by Sean - probably as Samuel’s younger brother. She was taking advantage of her authority here to get way too close to him, making physical contact. A few times Erica caught Juanita’s attention drifting her way. It was almost as though she was provoking her.


Samuel took one of the moments when Sean returned the favor - much to Juanita’s delight. The woman was a flirt. Samuel didn’t seem to care except to pester Erica. He took one chance and grasped Erica so hard she couldn’t break free right away as he got way too familiar with her, suggesting something about reliving old times. Then, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear.


“If you care at all about Sean, get him the hell out of here.” He followed through by copping a feel and leaving himself just open enough for retaliation - by both Erica and Sean. And he gave one of his cruel smiles when he saw that he had provoked his brother.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Edwin, Matthew, and Kevin.


Inwardly, Edwin was still pouting as Kevin led him and Matthew to the top of a building—though his face showed no indication of the fact. Naturally, he had agreed to Lori’s more reasonable suggestion of visiting Miss Mueller at her apartment. It was the more logical option. However, he was disappointed he wouldn’t get the chance to check out Scorelli.


Ah well…maybe next time.


Besides, if what Sean said was true, the security at Scorelli’s was so tight that they had handprint scanner and a personal recognition system. There was little chance that Edwin could successfully infiltrate Scorelli anyway. Edwin frowned. The fact that the Nightclub was so cautious about their members made Edwin suspicious. He couldn’t help, but feel that the club was hiding something…possibly illegal activities? Sean mentioning that his brother occasionally frequents the club also fueled Edwin’s suspicions. From what he had heard of Sean’s brother…and Sean’s family in general…they were bad news.


Despite his weariness, Edwin listened somewhat patiently as Kevin explained his request. Shipping Logs? Sure. He’d find them if he could. Edwin wasn’t opposed to helping the Dark Knight take down the terrorist organization indirectly responsible for Nico’s death. However, he wouldn’t risk his life to get them. Weapon sample…why?


Edwin tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the Dark Knight undergo some sort of internal debate. When the Dark Knight spoke, Edwin didn’t bother to hide his surprise. He had suspected that Lori had been hiding something as—like the Dark Knight said—she did not reveal how she ended up in a wheelchair when telling them her life story. However, Edwin had simply thought that such a topic was too personal for Lori to talk about. Just like with Matthew, Edwin figured everyone had their own dark secrets that they had a right to keep to themselves.


However, he never would have gone as far as to suspect Lori’s parents of still being alive. That seemed a bit far-fetched to Edwin, but he did not voice his thoughts.


“We’ll keep an eye out for them,” Edwin said, referring to all the items that Kevin requested they search for.


Edwin was also surprised when Matthew revealed that he knew Lori’s rescuer, but the young actor/magician was coming to realize that there was a lot more to Matthew than what he thought he knew. Therefore, Edwin did not comment on what Matthew meant by Random Stranger…or Sanctuary. He figured he had enough on his plate without trying to figure out the mystery that was Matthew Channing. However, Matthew’s next comment startled Edwin enough to speak.


“Container of money? Donation?” Edwin frowned at Matthew. He remembered Matthew mentioning he’d snuck on the ship plenty of times before, but the young scientist hadn’t mentioned that bit of info. “Were you stealing from that ship?” Edwin narrowed his eyes. “Sure, the ship probably contains a bunch of criminals, but you shouldn’t have known that before we met Kevin…”


While Edwin didn’t really have anything against stealing for an overall greater purpose, he wanted to know if he was working with a former criminal. Of course, a being vigilantes already made all of them criminals…of sorts…


Edwin sighed.


He really was exhausted.


Edwin, Matthew, and Janice.


Edwin grimaced as he watched the oily-haired, well-dressed, thug man-handle Janice Mueller. Judging from the body language, Edwin guessed the guy was either a wealthy, sexually-deprived, maniac who was not getting what he wanted or was someone Miss Mueller knew… and not a friend either—if his actions were anything to go by. Edwin didn’t normally like dealing with violence and would often avoid getting involved if he could. Calling the police seemed like a good idea. In fact, Edwin was just about to tell Matthew to do that.


However, when a large, muscled brute stepped out of the car and cracked his knuckles, Edwin re-thought his plan. Taking the time to do so, might end with Miss Mueller hospitalized—if not killed—and they couldn’t have that happen.


“Can you handle the big guy?” Edwin asked Matthew. “Just in case talking doesn’t work out, of course.”


He suspected Channing to be a good fighter, but he hadn’t actually seen it for himself. He supposed if Matthew had fought with the Dark Knight, a thug—no matter how muscled—shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the scientist. After all, Edwin had no desire to face off against such a tough looking opponent.


He could…if he had to. Edwin had his taser with him the moment they decided to transverse through the dark alley way. If Edwin was scared of men who were both much bigger and stronger than him, he wouldn't have been friends with Sean at all. Edwin would fight the muscled brute if given no other choice--not fairly of course, but "fair" hardly seemed to matter when facing an opponent probably twice his weight . However, Edwin didn’t really want to. Plus this was a good opportunity to see Matthew’s skills.


Edwin grinned at Matthew before approaching the greasy looking guy who had Janice pressed against a brick wall. He cleared his throat loudly.


“Excuse me, Sirs, but I don’t believe that’s any way to treat a lady,” Edwin shook his head, eyeing Janice’s injuries with distaste. “If there’s a problem, I’m sure we can solve it using much more civilized methods…”


Edwin honestly didn’t think anyone who would resort to brutally assaulting a woman would be willing to consent to talking, but he had seen much stranger things.

 

[Mitheral]

Edwin, Matthew and Kevin


“Container of money? Donation?” Edwin frowned at Matthew. He remembered Matthew mentioning he’d snuck on the ship plenty of times before, but the young scientist hadn’t mentioned that bit of info. “Were you stealing from that ship?” Edwin narrowed his eyes. “Sure, the ship probably contains a bunch of criminals, but you shouldn’t have known that before we met Kevin…”


Matthew gave his best look of innocence. “Thou shalt not steal. I prefer to think they made a nice donation to building my clinic.” He glanced over at Kevin. “I told you he sucked at stealth. I tracked the money to that ship over two years ago. Most of it is drug money, gun smuggler money, extortion money …”


Kevin nodded. “They probably fill up a container every time they visit. One container would pay for a lot of mercenaries. Just how much did you take?”


Matthew shrugged. “About 3/4’s. Then I got bored and burned the rest. I never really counted it. Don’t worry. I went to confession. I gave some to the poor box. It isn’t so poor now.”


Kevin couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “I suppose it isn’t.”


Edwin, Matthew and Janice


“Oh yeah. Big guy? No problem. But hey, if you run into trouble we need a safe word. How about … “ he furled his brow enough to be noticeable, then brightened, “I got it! Holy Greaseballs Batman!” Matthew was rapidly donning his black gloves.


Yep .. Matthew was definitely manic depressive.


Two men working their way across the street did not go unnoticed. Garth, the driver, tried to get Rafael’s attention. Rafael glanced over his shoulder with an expression of annoyance and told Garth to deal with them. Then he belted Janice so hard her eyes lost focus and her vision explodes into stars. For several long moments she thought she was going to be sick. But she didn’t dare defend herself. Instead she protected her side.


Garth turned now to face the approaching men. And that meant Matthew. His hands started to creep around to his backside. Matthew smiled. He slowed to stroll nonchalantly jamming his hands into the pockets of his duster. As Matthew approached within the last few steps Garth extended his right hand back to grab his pistol, then stopped in confusion.


Matthew grinned and pulled his hands out of his pockets. In one hand was Garth’s pistol. “Before you ask … prest .. pr .. prestid… magic.”


“How the hell did you do that?” Garth asked.


Matthew sighed. “If I told you it wouldn’t be fun anymore.” He jerked the gun’s muzzle to force Garth back. Then he set the gun down on the hood of the car and pulled his hand away and studied Garth with amusement. “I bet I know what you’re thinking. You can try to grab that before I could bitch slap you silly.” He grinned tauntingly. His eyes darted to the pistol and back suggestively. “C’mon … I know you wanna try.”


Rafael was no less brutish in his thinking. He looked Edwin up and down and sneered. What he saw was some rich pretty boy who had clearly lost his mind to be walking the streets at this hour. “Bitch owes me. You’ll stay out of my business if you know what’s good for you. Garth! Quit playing with that clown!”


“I’m tryin’ Raf … but he won’t let me get my gun.” Garth protested.


Matthew tried to look innocent. He looked away from Garth to smile at Edwin. One might have thought noone could be that dumb, but that’s when Garth decided to try again. This time he got belted twice so hard his knees nearly buckled.


Matthew grabbed the gun and twirled it on a finger. “You thought my last trick was good? Watch this one!” He glanced over and winked at Eddie. Eddie spotted the first sleight of hand. It was pretty good for an amateur. Matthew palmed the magazine from the pistol and threw it at the car so fast that it was barely visible. What they all saw was the pistol bouncing off the back seat onto the rear dash. “Yes! It worked!” He looked at Rafael, then at Garth. “And I’m the amateur.” Eddie noticed the driver’s side window had been rolled down. Even so, Matthew accuracy was impressive.


Rafael and Garth looked at one another. Then Rafael yelled. “Well? Get the gun stupid!” Then he turned on Edwin angrily. “I’ve had enough of you two already. You owe me money now - for my time and for my driver. Noone bitch slaps him and gets away with it!” Rafael tossed Janice aside - still more interested in protecting her side than the rest of her body - and reached out with both hands to grab Edwin.

 

[WritingMan]

Prior the Cagefighting


Erica scowled as Sean as he opened the garage door and turned back towards the cars. Sean, Erica knew, rarely got angry. That was something that honestly annoyed Erica about him. He could be very passive aggressive when it came to things. And if he was being passive aggressive, she had about as much of a chance as anyone else to get him to say what was bothering him. That is to say none. So this passive aggressive, short and quick responses, were what Erica had come to expect from Sean when he was in a bad mood. The problem is, she'd rather have him just yell at her and get over it. Instead, he had a bad habit of letting things bother him for a lot longer than they should.


Not bothering to give Sean a response due to his passive aggressiveness, Erica silently walked over to the SUV and got into the passenger's seat. Erica would have much rather talked about the plan more first. She felt like she was going in a bit blind, but she doubted that knowing all the intricacies of the plan, or lack thereof, would make her feel any better. It definitely felt weird, going off to do vigilante work with no cover, no costumes, basically completely exposed.


When Sean finally spoke, Erica eyed him curiously, a bit startled by some of the things he seemed to be implying. In fact, she let out a small cough in surprise. Did he just pseudo ask her if she wanted to date him again? "Just what exactly are you asking me, Sean?" Erica could have elaborated and made sure that Sean understood what he was talking about, but she knew he likely would anyways. And if that wasn't what Sean was asking, Erica would save herself the embarrassment.


Illegal Cage Fighting Arena


It didn't take long for them to find their way to the cage fighting. With how easy it was to find, Erica was surprised that it hadn't been broken up the cops long ago. Of course, Erica realized then that the cops probably already knew about it. If this terrorist organization and others recruited from here like the others had said the cops were probably in at least one of those groups' pockets.


Erica registered herself for a cagefight, just like Sean did, registering under the name of Lady. She it was an old name she had used in her martial arts days, so she figured she might as well use it here. After all, she couldn't go around using the name Athena. That would allow them to make the connections all too easily. Now, all they had to do was wait for their fights to come around, and the action would begin.


It didn't take long until they ran into an old face: Samuel. Erica couldn't hide the scorn from her face as she saw the snake of a man approach them, surprisingly following this hispanic woman, who introduced herself as Juanita Vasquez. From the first words this "Juanita" said, Erica didn't like her. If anything, Erica's first impression was that she was incredibly dangerous, not only because she had a man like Samuel behind her. There was a confidence underneath that woman that projected out of her being, a confidence that comes from the most powerful person in the room. And that wasn't political power, although Erica suspected she had some of that, but real power. The woman might even be able to take Erica in a fight.


Erica was about to comment cooly in response to Juanita's bait. If she thought that simply taking verbal jabs at Erica would produce results, she was sorely mistaken. Erica was made of thicker skin than that. It was then that Sean suddenly spoke, making an offhanded comment about her being able to take on others. Damn it, Sean, Erica thought in her head. Now he had made her look like a real woman in front of Juanita, unable to stand up for herself. That isn't what she wanted at all. It was too late though to do anything else, so Erica just remained silent, storing her anger for use later in the evening. It would come in handy when the fighting started.


Juanita wasn't just dangerous, she knew how to use her body, her position to get what she wanted. That much became clear to Erica quickly. At first, Erica wanted to beat the crap out of Juanita for touching what she felt was her man. But then, she noticed the attention that Juanita was paying towards her. Well, well, Juanita, two can play at this game.





As Samuel began to bother Erica, she was about to growl something to Samuel about not wanting to lose his manhood, but suddenly Samuel did something unexpected. It seemed that he cared about his brother's well being or at least hoped that Erica cared enough about his brother to do something. If Samuel had expected her to do something, he was wrong. Erica quickly shot Sean a look that said, "Don't do it," worried that Sean might do something that would blow the whole thing. Samuel didn't know that Erica knew perfectly well the risks that this place posed, which weren't limited to just the cagefighting. It was the whole reason they were here.