Prologue
Noir was smoking, watching the grey sky just above his head and waiting for the praying inside the church to end. He was not a really religious man, but knowing his job, a little prise for the 'other life' was something needed to take care of. Not that he believed in that things but, yeah, Italian family traditions were hard to erase.
The people inside the church were starting to leave the building, Jack waited until the last parishioner had gone. He set foot on his cigarette and came in. The church was cold inside, and the smell of incense filled the place, giving Jack the feel of sacred he was used to.
He saw the silhouette of a man next to the altar, with two little figures at his side. He started to walk where the priest was, barely noticing the small horns in top of his head.
The troll was very short in comparison to others Jack had seen, the fangs, too, weren't as sharp as the usual ones. But the thing that captured his attention was the two bright red eyes that gleamed with mercy and calmness, a really rare trait in a troll's irises.
While he approached the troll figure Jack saw how he pointed to the children, signalling the altar and saying something like 'take care of it'. The human knew that Simon didn't like to have his sons around when he was in the church, something he could totally understand since Jack was the leader of one of the most important gangs in the city. The kids nodded at his father and started cleaning the altar, with a fluency in their movement that signalled how many times they had done that.
-Jack, is always a pleasure to see you again, in the house of our divine, the only and one. And tell me, how many of the devil's sins have you committed in this month while neither I, nor this humble church, haven't seen you?
-Shut your mouth before I get a headache.- Jack was fast to cut the monologue... as much as Simon's voice was soft and nice his constant rambling about the virtues of the Divine were enough to make him sick. - Are you going to confess me or what?
-Of course, my friend.-he said inviting Noir to take a seat, and ignoring his glare that was completely saying "I'm not your friend"- What sins had been this time in your sinful life?
-Some fuckers dead here, banks robbed over there, just the usual. Like if you wouldn't fucking know watching the news.
Simon stare briefly at him with one of his disapprovals looks, he had resigned long ago in intending to change the man, and Jack Noir was a lost cause. The dark skinned human was the leader of the Midnight Crew, where he was known as Spades Slick. His gang was only rivalled by The Felt, an organization that even have their own crazy religion and whose leader never had been seen, and where Jack's rival was.
-Well, I can't quite absolve you, you know. -With a sigh Simon touched his black hair, knowing that his words would be heard by deaf ears. -Why can't you be the man you want, Jack? I know that, under all the stabs and bullet scars, there is a man who can do good in our society.
Jack glared at him but, deep inside, he kind of was grateful for Simon's words, not that he considered himself a good man but because there was someone, apart from his gang, that actually give a shit about him. It was pretty consoling to know that the guy who was going to put you in a hole would actually know your name.
-Cut the bullshit, reverend. You know as well as me that my personality was fucked up since the same moment I was born so stop trying to convince me otherwise. I only want the penance and your word hole in silence. And I love the man I am, I have all I ever wanted so... why should I change?
Simon sighed sadly, knowing that Jack would refuse his words again, and looked at his sons. They had finished cleaning the altar and were now talking, the older brother more vividly for the exasperation of the younger. The reverend smiled happily; certainly he wouldn't know what to do without them.
Then, Simon felt a sudden pain in his chest. He glanced down, and saw blood slowly coming out of his torso but he couldn't believe at first what he was staring at. A cracking laugh broke the spell Simon was and he put his hand in his heart, noting its erratic beating and glanced at the woman next to the entrance with a smoky gun in her hand.
-Ups. Looks like someone has stuck a bullet in your friend's lovely torso, what will do you now Slick? –Threatened the woman with a curious false tone.
-Shit! Snowman, you bitch! –Jack shouted standing up- Run kids! Aren't you listening to me?! Run!–he shouted to the two boys who were in shock.
The older reacted and quickly took his younger brother away, at the same time that Jack Noir drawn his weapon. He knew that something like that, outside of his gang couldn't last, but he always had thought he was going to be the one who broke bounds with the reverend and his family of mutants to avoid situations like the one in front of him.
He should have known better. Fucking Snowman and her fucking timing, she should have entered the church at the start of the sermon and waited for him in there.
Jack aimed to Snowman's terrifying looking hat but, before he could pull the trigger, a hand reached for his leg and he saw a concerned look in Simon's almost dying eyes although he didn't say anything, waiting after Jack finished his business with the troll.
The human looked away from Simon and shot at his previous objective. Snowman's hat, with the number eight of The Felt in it, fell to the floor while they started interchanging bullets.
Miraculously no shot hit any organ, but probably neither of them was aiming for a deadly shot, in troll culture they were in a relationship that was called kismesitud, although Jack didn't knew that; the only troll friend, if he ever admitted that they were friends, Noir had was Simon, and obviously they had never talked about the quadrants.
The fire fight finished when both were out of bullets, Jack had a great injury in his right arm and, by the look of that, he wouldn't be able to use it, and bounds all around his body. Snowman conditions weren't any better, her left side was bleeding, and she had small bounds too.
Jack had a look at Simon's condition, he was running out of time, if he didn't took him to a medical attention soon he could die in any second. No, even with that he wasn't probably going to survive; the troll had lost too much blood.
Snowman was ready to retreat but first she had to give her black crush another lovely present. The female troll member of The Felt took a dagger from one of the secret pockets of her coat and threw it to the dark skinned human left eye, making it useless.
Jack made a pain sound when he took the knife out of his eye. He was ready to throw it back to Snowman, but she was already gone. Noir, now being able to listen to the crying and sobs that both the sibling trolls were doing, took his phone and called to his secret base in order to obtain help.
-Hello? Boss is that you? –responded a very happy and friendly voice.
-Of course is me, idiot. Who could even know this fucking number apart of us? –yeah, just what he needed the fucking bomb idiot to respond to the phone.
-I don't know, hey! -With a cheerful squeak Deuce started rambling - Maybe I have a secret admirer who thinks I'm cool and the very best! Like that pokémon trainer!
Jack restrained the almost unbearable feeling of face palming himself or Deuce chubby body for that matter... He was running short of time and the clock wasn't going to slower his pace for Simon's sake.
It never did for any of the Midnight Crew members. Fucking clocks and its incessant tick tock.
-Shut your trap Deuce, nobody gives a fuck about you so stop. Now- He heard how the other extreme of the line became static and the human continued. -The fucking Felt's bitch has paid me a visit. We have a damned civilian bleeding all over the St. Mary's church and, unlike you, he has two fucking children who are going to become orphans if you fuck up what I'm gonna tell you- He made his voice a little more harsh for giving it a threatening effect- Tell Droog to carry his fat ass here this instant and to Ms. Paint to be ready for an emergency surgery.
-Hehe! What a hard day, right boss?- The stupid laugh was received with a frustrated groan from Jack's throat.- Diamonds says that he is coming to your location in a few, see you!
The beep was the only thing that answered his subordinate's goodbye. Jack cut the call when he heard Droog was driving to retrieve them and, besides, he had more important things to do at the moment.
One of them was guessing how in the hell he was going to explain all of this mess to the two children who were hugging each other.
-Kids- He said to have their attention- you can stop hiding now. Help will come soon.
God, he didn't know what more to say to relax the boys, Jack had never been good with kids, and the situation made it even more difficult. The injured human took a look on the church state while the kids stopped crying; the floor next to Simon was covered in his red mutant blood, the same with him, the blood from his right arm and from his bounds was starting to stain where he was sitting and Jack could see teal blood from the huge bitch near the door. Some lost bullets had made their way to mark on banks and some important looking objects that Noir certainly wasn't looking forward to repair with his money.
The two trolls started walking to him, the older holding his brother carefully so that he wouldn't see the unconscious body of their father. Jack never had seen the brothers from too near, so now he could appreciate their aspect. Both had the same small and chubby horns that Simon had, Jack could see the trail of reddish tears in the face of the older, the younger was still crying. But the thing that caught his attention was the hatred on the eyes of the older, Jack wouldn't blame him, in the point of view of the children he was the obvious culprit.
Before anybody could said anything, the sound of a stopping car and steps interrupted in the church. From the door appeared Diamonds Droog, Hearts Boxcars and some other men of his band. Jack Noir was glad that Droog hadn't come alone, because he wouldn't know how in the fucking hell they alone would carry Simon in his condition, and especially with Jack injured.
Jack went to greet his companions but a small hand prevented him to go. The tall kid was staring at him with burning eyes, it was that intense that he could swear he saw the reflection of Simon's one in there, thing nearly impossible knowing the short age of the troll maybe, he thought, the gleam was caused by the fallen tears still wet on his eyes.
Spades Slick had come away of his grip before he could hear whatever the troll intended to tell him and was glad to be away of the kid's glare. He went to meet Hearts Boxcars at the entrance and ignored the stinging sensation of his spine, knowing what the cause was.
-You, retarded! - Jack said to Boxcars and signalled the bleeding corpse. - Help me with the civilian's body; god knows how much a troll's body weights.
But, before his subordinate was able to go somewhere near the injured man, the two kids put themselves in front of his father, sharp fangs bare and claws at their direction. Jack hadn't got the time to waste with two children trying to be heroes and, with little patience, pushed their weak bodies to Diamonds Droog's arms.
-You know what to do with this two- He saw the smirk at the human's face and was quickly to specify. -Don't that fucktard, only be sure to make them behave.
Boxcars carried Simon's body in the car while Droog and other two were tying the kids to make them stay still. Jack entered the car and greeted the female human that was the chauffeur.
-To Ms. Paint clinic, now. –Noir ordered when everyone were in.
-Immediately, boss Spades.
The travel was so sort that Jack was sure that they had broken more than a few traffic laws, but who cares. Slick took a mental note to give that chauffeur an ascend when they entered the clinic. Jack didn't need any indication; he and Hearts Boxcars went straight to the surgery room with the unconscious troll. There Ms. Paint, a short albino human woman that was a long acquaintance of the band, and three more nurses were ready for the emergency. Jack and his subordinate left the room, headed to the waiting room, where Diamonds Droog and the now not tied two troll kids were.
-Stay with them -He said to Boxcars- I'm going to need some fucking attention, too.
For Jack, taking care of himself was something only he was allowed to. He had had already too many bad experiences with nurses wanna be and doctors who asked too many questions for his taste. All of that changed a rainy day when he tough it was going to be his last and Ms. Paint took care of him without asking what happened... or without saying anything at all. That woman was a secretive one.
He could still remember the warm hands of the doctor that day, the blood loss had made him hallucinate and at first he though she was an angel...
Time to cut the bullshit, he had a bleeding eye that hurt like hell and God knew how many things broken, cut or bruised. Snowman was a bitch, but one with ability, he recognized.
Taking a deep breath, Jack opened the first care kit and extracted the antiseptic, some bands and a pair of forceps for the bullets he knew were still taking vacations in his arteries.
Jack Noir appeared a while later in the waiting room with his left eye and right arm bandaged, he sat next to Droog, near the kids but with a careful distance from the older troll with the red sweater. That kid didn't give Slick a good feeling.
Then Ms. Paint entered the room, for the look of her face Jack could tell exactly what happened.
-I am sorry, he didn't make it. We had done all what we could do, but he had lost too much blood by the time that the surgery started. –She said in the sweatiest way possible concerned by the look of the two kids.
Both kids started crying again, the first instinct of the woman was to hug them, and so did she.
-Who are they? –she asked right at Jack, who was surprised that she actually had questioned something.
-They're the sons of that man. –he simply responded.
-Sons? But trolls don't have that family structure. –Ms. Paint said still hugging the boys.
-He adopted us because we have the same blood. –was the muttered response between sobs of the red sweater wearing kid.
-Oh, dear... his blood colour.
Ms. Paint continued embracing the kids, knowing they needed some support at the moment. Being a mutant in troll's society was something terrible and it remembered her about her own mutation because, with pale skin, red eyes and white hair she was considered a fun show too. But she had her family when needed and now the children didn't even have that, sentenced to be outcasts and with no one to help them because of something as trivial as the hemospectrum.
-I want to see him. Let me see him.
Jack stared at the shortest one, realizing for the first time that he hadn't said a word in all the time that nightmare was going on, only relying in his brother for everything and was surprised to hear his so clearly and direct voice, without vacillation or the sadness his eyes showed.
-Karkat, our father's body is something too triggering for a little kid like you. The vision of his almost surely severed body, with the addition of the blood splattered all around his pale and broken body may cause nightmares and other traumas to people your age. Moreover, you are not psychologically prepared to face the death of the only support we had, the only troll or lusus in this world who would give something for us.
-Shut up, Kankri! I want to see dad. –the kid yelled, getting himself and the other troll off from the arms of the woman.
Perfect. Just what Jack Noir needed in that instant, two stupid children fighting each other. Well, at least he had now names to put at the kids.
He stood up ready to interfere when Diamonds Droog stopped him.
-What are we gonna do with the kids? –he asked with his arms and legs closed.
The cold tone in with he said it remembered Noir that they didn't have many options. Keep them or kill them, that was it. The kids had seen more than they should, even if it wasn't their fault.
Suddenly, Kankri stopped arguing with his brother and glared at him, like as he completely understood what that question was implying even when he was just a- what? Ten or eleven years old? Then Jack saw it another time, bright red in the troll eyes. It was just a gleam, but now he was sure that this was not because of the tears. If Jack allowed them to live, he knew that the kid was going to be very dangerous in the future. He simply knew it.
A quick look at Droog and Boxcars confirmed they could felt the hate emanating from the kid too. That only left one option, but… Jack looked at Karkat, he really didn't know what was going on.
-Hey, little one. You can go see your father with me. Is that okay?
Mss. Paint was lending her hand to Karkat, who looked at it with mistrustfulness in his eyes but was fast to take it without vacillation and, while he was walking with her, the mutant stuck out his tongue at Kankri's direction.
It seemed weird to Jack that the oldest sibling didn't go along with his brother but the answer at that behaviour was clean when the troll faced him, red sweater crumpled into his fits and a frozen smile on his face.
And, of course, the crimson was still there.
-You touch us, you regret it.