Postby Tattooedman » Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:12 am
The Devil You Know: Devilish Dealings
It never ceases to amaze me how few people look up when their out in the streets.
Especially in a place like Freedom City where it’s not unusual to see members of the Freedom League, FORCE Ops, or the Albright kids moving through the skies by various means, or more importantly, me as I arrive on a rooftop just across the street from the club known as the Skidz.
Say what you want about Rey Cruise, or as he's better known on the streets Watts, he is much smarter than he looks; he bought this building because it takes up all of the small block it sits on so that it has no buildings next to it that people like me can use to get to the top of the Skidz. Plus he’s put all kinds of surprises out for those who can leap a couple dozen feet in one jump or those that fly, things designed to hold someone in place until the police arrive and Cruise can press charges for trespassing.
Don’t laugh. He’s done it before, and that poor guy couldn’t take the humiliation and left town that week, and no body has heard anything about him since then now that I think about it.
Fortunately for me, or unfortunately (it all depends on how you’d care to look at it really), I don’t’ have to worry about any of that. I landed in the right spot to be picked up by the camera’s Cruise has in place to watch all around the Skidz so he already knows I’m here, I’m just giving him enough time to let his goon at the door know it and tell him not to try anything with me since the last one that tried had to take three months off for the fracture I gave him to heal.
As I give Cruise the remaining minute I’ve been mentally counting down I spot something just off to my right; an odd glint in the street light, one that shouldn’t be this high up. After carefully moving towards the spot in question I finally recognize what I’m looking at – a surveillance camera. And it’s a damn good one too, military grade from the look of it if it’s the model I’m thinking it is. Then I spare a glance towards the Skidz and realize that from the angle the camera has been set that it would be virtually impossible to see from across the street. This means that someone is keeping tabs on Cruise and his business, but who? It’s not really that big of a list if you consider the players here in town but I don’t have time for that now, so instead I pull a small container out of my belt and quietly take some of the substance held inside it on the tip of my finger and then apply said finger to the camera lens. Moments later I’m done, and once the gel dries the camera will be worthless.
Sorry to whoever, but I like my privacy.
As I take one last look at the camera I raise my arm, point the grapple launcher then press the small button with my thumb and wait for the line to tighten up and pull me away. As soon as I touch down I find the young man at the door holding it open, waiting on me so I don’t waste any time and just walk right in. I don’t get a guide since I know the way and I’m too paranoid to trust one of Cruise’s people in this short, cramped hall. The only source of light is the tube of LED lights that run along the base of the wall and floor on both sides of me, not that I really need it mind you but most other people do. Otherwise a person would just be bumping into the walls at every turn of the mini-maze that’s been built in here to disorientate people unfamiliar with its set up.
Once I finally reach the stairs I take them two at a time, but I barely make any noise. It took me a long time to learn how to run almost totally silent and earned me a good amount of lumps for taking so long. At the top there is a small landing, just large enough for me alone to fit, another bit of custom modification that’s been done and proves that Cruise is almost too smart for his own good.
I ring the doorbell as I look up at the video camera, keeping my face from showing any sign of how I’m feeling. Have to be careful with guys like Cruise, they know how to spot the usual tells. Almost immediately the door swings open and I’m greeted by the large, red headed man whose street name is Kayo, whose eyes instantly start looking me up and down for several seconds before he moves back two entire steps to allow me passage inside the office where I find Rey Cruise, also known as Watts, the owner of the Skidz and one of the best sources of street info in Freedom City. Behind him is the other goon he always keeps around, Magnum. He’s a beefy 180 lbs from the look of him, with a shaved head and a bit of hair on his chin that’s supposed to make him look mean. What’s really mean about him is held under his coat in the twin shoulder holsters, which combined with his reflexes he can literally shoot someone dead before they could even finish reaching for their concealed weapon.
As usual Watts is powered up. He’s a metaman, electrical powers of some kind, and while he’s no Captain Thunder I’m sure he knows how to use them to get the most hurt possible. But the big thing is that he’s figured out a way to surround his body with electrical energy so tightly that it hugs him like a second skin almost, or at least enough that it doesn’t singe his clothing when he uses it. That kind of control is dangerous, and he’s all smiles as he greets me, which put me in mind of a jackal looking at it’s prey.
“Foreshadow, it’s been awhile hasn’t it?” Watts jokes just before taking a sip from the glass he held in his hand. Oddly enough the energy surrounding his face opens up as his mouth does then retracts back more to expose just a hint of his skin so the liquid doesn’t touch it. Makes sense if you think about it, and I do then tuck that small thought away for another time.
I grunt noncommittally to his opening statement to which Watts chuckles.
“Aww, sounds like you might have missed me.” Wonderful, he’s in a joking mood. This could take longer than I want.
“Wouldn’t know Watts, I haven’t tried hitting you yet.” As I say this I’m put on a cold smile that stops his enjoyment of his own bad humor quickly enough as Kayo takes a step towards me, but a single, silent gesture from Watts stops him.
“I see. It’s going to be one of ~those~ visits.” He says. His tone of voice tells me that I’ve made my point. This is a business visit, I’m not here to play games.
“It is.” I answer back, my voice coming out harshly and full of gravel like I want.
Watts gives a frustrated sigh as he sits back in his plush, leather chair. “Fine then, ruin my fun. It’s been a slow week. Who or what are you looking for now?”
“Sergei Romanov. I need to find him, as soon as possible.”
Watt’s eyebrows arch up. “Really? You realize he keeps his people’s lips shut tight, that makes it very difficult for me to hear anything from their corner of the world, so it might take me a bit of time.”
I shake my head. “Don’t have it to spare. Need a location tonight.”
“Well that isn’t really my problem. Best I can do is tomorrow.” Watts’ voice is a bit louder, he’s getting irritated with me and I quickly, but carefully, palm a small item I keep stashed in my wristband.
“It’s going to be your problem soon….” I start to warn him but stop myself before I say any more. I can’t share the facts of the coming days as I know them, but the damage is done I realize. What I said could be took as a threat and this time when Kayo takes a step Watts doesn’t stop him as Magnum’s hand starts to move and I realize that now is the time for me to make my move.
The smoke bomb flies from my hand to land on the floor between the two super-powered goons and it lies still for a hundredth of a second before filling the room with inky, black smoke that makes it impossible for a person to see their hand held up in front of their face. As Magnum, Kayo and Watts all begin to curse the dark I make my move towards the goons, because the thick, almost choking smoke doesn’t give me any trouble at all.
The threat with Kayo is that his power allows him to channel energy into his hands that he can release with explosive results - I’ve seen him punch through solid brick walls and leave a hole the size of a basketball. Otherwise he’s only human, granted he’s an ex-boxer so he’s tougher than most but he’s still human and that means he’s got weak points I can exploit.
Like the nerve cluster in the collar bone. It’s funny just how sensitive well muscled people are to that one; I’ll have to ask Doctor Henderson about it next I see him. But Kayo instantly follows my lead as I grab both of the small, squishy spots between his neck and shoulders tightly then pull his head downwards towards the floor as I bring my knee up as fast and hard as I can manage.
As I feel his nose break I follow up with an elbow to the back of Kayo’s neck and my ~other~ sense lets me track his falling to the floor while telling me that Magnum is still trying to get a bead on me despite not being able to see. So I quickly get back on the move to make myself a more difficult target as Watts has already pieced together what’s happened.
“Magnum! DON’T SHOOT! You might hit me!” This statement causes the thug to somewhat relax his shooting stance as he considers what could happen if he tries to take a shot at me and misses. So I waste no time in relieving him of his namesake weapon then deliver a nerve jab to a specific spot just behind his jaw and below his ear which takes immediate effect and he limply falls to the floor with a thud that leaves the room silent for several moments as I help myself to a few choice items from the bar.
Watts finally breaks the silence, his voice having just a hint of nervousness to it. “Alright Foreshadow, you’ve made your point. Nobody screws with you.”
I’m sure my answer isn’t what Watts’ was expecting as a bottle of water comes flying at him only to be hit by one of the few throwing blades I keep on me, which sends the water spraying all over Watts. His electrical fields reaction is the one I’d been hoping for as it surges and sizzles with several spots arcing in reaction to being soaked before suddenly snapping and crackling rapidly before finally shorting out and leaving Watts without his usual means of protection.
As the smoke starts to clear I quickly move in and grab him up by the collar of his oversized jacket so that he and I are eye to eye. “I don’t have time for your games anymore Cruise.” I growl at him. “The only reason I’m coming to you at all is you’re snooping around is normal while mine tends to raise red flags, and I don’t have the time to be sneaky. So you’re going to do this for me. For free. Then you and I are done. The next time you see me will end with you going back to jail.”
“Understand?”
Watts eyes go wide for a moment as I haul him in close, worried as to what I’m going to do to him now that his powers have been dealt with for the moment. Then after I tell him how things are going to be his face hardens as he regains his composure. “Fine. You want to play it this way, I’m ok with that. I’ve just been trying to make a living.”
He glances over towards his desk where his phone sits. “Mind letting me go so I can do your $#%& work?”
Fifteen minutes later I'm swinging away from the Skidz, mentally working out the quickest route to one of the couple addresses Watts had managed to dig up. I'd already stopped by the hidden camera and cleaned off the lense so whoever had planted it could still use it, no sense in denying whoever their opportunity to maybe get the drop on Watts. He'd be watching for me to be the one to come kicking his door down now and might get a bit sloppy.
Right now I had other things to take care of.