Ch. 2
After few days of robbing from various houses, stores and banks, the super villains managed to collect two hundred grand which they believed would be enough to hire the Four. Just outside the warehouse, Professor Stretch was inside the phone booth, dialing the number that he received from the Artful Archer, while his fellow villains watched him making a call to the Emerald Swan corp.
"This is Emerald Swan corp. How may I help you?" asked the woman from the other line.
"Um, yes. This is Professor Stretch and I would like to hire some assassins," Professor Stretch replied.
"I see. Whom do you want to be assassinated?"
"The Impossibles."
"You mean the rock band?"
"Not those Impossibles! I meant the superhero group. I'm a super villain for crying out loud. What purpose can I gain for killing off some rock band? Gosh!"
"My mistake, sir. How much are you willing to pay for our service?"
"About two hundred grand. Will that be enough for me to hire your very best assassins like the Four?"
"Yes indeed, sir. Would you like to have the Four to work for you?"
"Oh yes, I do. When can they start?"
"They can start once after you meet up with them today. Where would you like to meet the Four?"
"At the abandon warehouse just outside of London," said Professor Stretch, giving the thumbs up to the other villains.
"All right, sir. The Four will meet with you immediately. Good day, sir."
Professor Stretch hung up the phone and walked out the booth with a satisfied look on his face. "Good news, everyone. We finally have the Four working for us." The villains cheered with wicked joy until the Spinner looked around and noticed that the group is missing a couple of members.
"Hey. Weren't Artful Archer and Terrible Twister with us a moment ago?" asked the Spinner.
"Who cares! Now that we have the Four working for us, we don't need those losers anymore," said Mother Gruesome.
"So what do we do now?" asked the Paper man.
"We just need to get back in the warehouse and wait for the Four to meet us there. And what are you doing here, anyway? I thought you didn't want to be a part of this," said Professor Stretch, pointing his finger at the Paper man.
"I don't, but I am curious about what the Four are really like and I want to see them for myself."
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get back inside and wait for them to show up," said Professor Stretch, and led his fellow villains back inside the warehouse.
"Did the secretary say the exact time those guys will meet us?" asked the Spinner as he and the other villains sat down on their assigned seats.
"No, but she did say they will arrive immediately so I think we'll have to wait an hour or two for the Four," Professor Stretch replied.
"You called, mister?"
The villains jumped up in fright while the Spinner clenched to his chest and fell off his chair. Professor Stretch and the other villains looked over their shoulders and noticed four figures hiding in the dark corner of the warehouse.
"Th-th-the Four, I presumed?" asked Professor Stretch, still shaken from the sudden shock.
"That we are," said one of the shadowy figures as the Four walked into the light to reveal themselves "and here to take your request."
The assassins were dressed in different attires, but the only similar trait that they shared was that they're all wearing glasses with colored lenses. The one who spoke, presumably the leader, was dressed in trousers with suspenders and a derby hat which were dark blue. The leader was also wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt and holding an icy blue cane in his right hand. His hair was also icy blue and his skin was completely white like a blank canvas. The assassin standing at the leader's right side looked like a colorful wizard due to his stereotypical witch's hat, which is magenta colored and the tip was bended. His loafers and Victorian overcoat, which reached to his knees, were also magenta while his pants and his glasses were dark green just like his hair.
The other member standing at the wizard's right side was the tallest of the group, even without his top hat. His arms and shoulders were shrouded by his cape that reached to his ankles. His attire was pure black, except for his violet glasses, vest and combat boots which made him look like a more intimidating undertaker. The forth member standing at the leader's left side was the shortest of the group, yet a foot taller than Coil man. Like his tall teammate, he was wearing a cape, except it's red and was shaped like a pair of wings. His tight pants were orange that match with his beret and a mask that resembled the head of a hawk while the lenses of his glasses were red.
"Hey, wait a minute. You guys are just a bunch of kids!" exclaimed Mother Gruesome.
"Just ignore the old hag. Her sense of judgment is not what is used to be," said Professor Stretch.
"Hey!"
"No need to make excuses, mister. We are already used to that reaction. After all, talented youths like ourselves are always doubted by the old ones," said the leader coolly with an unbelievably sane smile across his face. The blue assassin walked to the edge of the table, waved his hand and a small stair case of ice appeared just by the table. "Let us begin, shall we?" he said still calmly as he climbed up the stairs and up on the table. Once the leader was atop of the table, the super villains noticed that he wasn't wearing any shoes at all.
"Not long ago you yanks used to roam and rob the streets of your hometown with heads held high, but now you are too scared to even step out of your own hiding spots. No matter how far you are from the States or how long you keep yourselves distant from the public eye, you can still feel those three little thorns pierced into your skins. Surely, you know by now that avoiding them won't make that agonizing sensation go away," said the leader as he looked down at his clients, strolling back and forth like a male model on the catwalk. "And that is why we're here. I assure you when we are done with the Impossibles, you will be fully satisfied with the results."
"Ha! Everybody has already tried to squashed those pests and failed. What is it that makes you guys so special that you can pull this off?" Paper man replied.
"Who said that?" the leader asked without turning around nor changing his smiling expression. The other villains quickly pointed at the Paper man as he sat up and his eyes bugged out. The blue assassin looked over his shoulder and gladly walked towards Paper man while humming a little tune. Smiling down at the paper themed foe, the leader pounded his cane against Paper man's hand and kneeled down facing him while Paper man bit his lower lip trying to hold in a yelp.
"You're that villain made out of paper. Skin and all, hey?" said the leader calmly and Paper man just nodded his head. The smiling assassin narrowed his eyes and said, "So tell me, mister. Can a man of paper still bleed?"
"I don't know," the Paper man squeaked.
"Shall we find out?"
The Paper man quickly shook his head.
"Ooh. I like that kid's spunk," Professor Stretch whispered to Mother Gruesome.
"I'll say. I like to see those buttinskies try and go against someone like him. Hee hee hee," Mother Gruesome cackled in glee.
"Alright then," the leader replied as he took his cane off of Paper man's hand and stood back up. "Now that we have that out of the way. How are you willing to pay for our services?" asked the leader, repeatedly tapping his cane against his own palm.
"We have the two hundred grand right here in this bag. I don't know the amount it is in pounds, but surely it's good enough for you, fellas," said Professor Stretch and handed the money-filled bag to the assassin.
"Ta," the leader thanked Professor Stretch as he took the bag, leapt off the table and landed on his bare feet as he walked towards his teammates. The Four huddled and started whispering to each other while the super villains waited and stared at the assassins. Once the Four were finished with their conversation, the small assassin unfolded his cape, which spread like large wings, he then jumped up and soared out of the window.
"Where did that shrimp flew off to?" asked Mother Gruesome.
"I sent him off to set up a meeting with our 'targets.' Speaking of which, our resources indicated that they are in our hometown and we need to be on our way," said the leader as he and his fellow assassins tapped their hats and bowed at the super villains. When the Four walked towards the door, they stopped for a moment as the leader whispered something to his tall associate's ear, he replied with a nod and quickly pulled a gun out of his cape. The villains didn't know what happened due to the tall assassin's incredibly fast reflexes, but all they can hear were a gun shot and a scream. Paper man fell off his chair and held on to his arm as blood started to drench out of his wound. The super villains were shocked and baffled as they looked down at the wounded villain screaming in agony.
"Oh, look at that. A man made of paper can bleed after all," said the leader cheerfully as he and the others exited out the door.
After gaining consciousness, the Spinner groaned as he climbed back to his seat. "So, what did I miss?" asked the Spinner. The other villains just turned and glared at the spider-themed criminal.
