The Devil's Trill
Chapter 3: Connections
Angel landed lightly on her feet, surveying her surroundings. It was currently dark out, the lights of the streetlamps being the only source of light for miles around. Most people were probably tucked away in their beds, resting up for another busy schedule the next day. Most people being most normal people, that is. On the flip side of the coin, night was when the real parties began, a time when the young would break free and attempt to let go for a few hours. It was also the prime time for crime. Most of the time, prime hang out spots were so blatantly obvious, they might as well have had a neon sign hung right above them that said "Bad Guy Hideout, Members Only." And then there were those that were tucked away, so indistinguishable that any person could pass them without a second glance. And the best part was, they were hiding in plain sight. Only a person with connections and a good eye would be able to find them. Despite being a teenage girl, Angel had learned how to get around pretty quickly. She had to admit, though she had absolutely hated them with a passion, those required seduction classes taught back in the academy could be pretty useful at times. Most men are easy to fool when they're too busy thinking with their balls rather than their brains.
Angel peaked around a corner, glancing back and forth to check if the coast was clear. Satisfied, she continued on, making her way into a dingy little hole-in-the-wall bar. Inside, the place was fairly empty and quiet with the exception of the few drunks draped over the counter snoring loudly. Making her way over, she hopped on a stool and called the bartender over. He looked at her dully, all the while polishing a glass.
"I'll have the 'good stuff' if you don't mind. You know the one."
"ID?" he asked without skipping beat.
She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? Have you even looked at me?" she asked, her wings flapping once.
"ID?" he asked again.
She let out a feigned huff of annoyance and slapped her H.I.V.E. academy ID on the counter in front of him. He picked it up with one hand, his eyes darting between her and the picture. After a few seconds more, he handed it back and set the glass down on the counter. "This way," he said, making his way towards the back. She jumped off the stool and followed him. Once they'd reached the back of the bar, away from prying eyes, the man led her into a tiled room. Placing a hand on one of the tiles, he pressed it in, causing a side of the wall to slide up revealing a small dark tunnel. She nodded to him once before stepping into the tunnel, the wall sliding back in place.
After following it for a few minutes, gradually did the noise begin to pick up until she found herself in a huge cavern of flashing lights. All around, various villains were having one heck of a time. Gathered around the bar, Johnny Rancid was downing a pint of beer as his peers around him chanted "Chug, chug, chug!" Off to the side a couple of others cheered as some sloshed blond girl named Kitten danced seductively on a table, her pink dress falling to her knees. She also caught sight of Phobia and Dr. Light playing pool at one of the pool tables. But none of them meant anything to her. It took about an hour of searching and a half a glass of gin and tonic before she finally found her target. Straightening her shoulders, Angel let out a breath and made her way over to him.
"Punk Rocket, fancy seeing you here," she said lowering her eyelashes.
"Oy, haven't seen you in a while Turtle Dove," Punk Rocket slurred in his heavy British accent.
"Yes! It's been rather boring without anyone here to play with."
"Been in the slammer for far too long, and trust me Love, they don't have very many ladies in there!" he laughed. Judging from his breath and demeanor, he was about one drink away from passing out. Perfect.
"Listen, a friend of mine is looking for someone, someone special."
"Aren't we all?" he replied.
"Yes, well, it's very important this time around but I have no idea where to start looking. You wouldn't have happened to see him, would you?" she purred, scooting a little closer to him, just enough for their shoulders to touch.
"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Depends on wot you're willing to offer if you know wot I mean," Punk Rocket muttered as he threw an arm around her, crushing her against him. It took all of her willpower not to puke!
"Oh, I'm sure I've got plenty to offer," she said coyly, her index finger twirling around his chest. "If you just follow me to the lavatory, I'm sure we could…negotiate something."
"Don't mind if I do!"
Off in another part of town, See-More walked aimlessly through the streets and alleyways. The neighborhood he'd chosen was dead silent with only the occasional crow making a sound. A light wind picked up, chilling him slightly. He wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm, wishing that he'd designed a suit that sustained a bit of heat. Then again, it helped him cool off when he was running from the enemy. More so, he usually didn't hang around in dark, damp, and cold areas such as these. The teenage boy found himself wondering why on Earth this guy chose a place like this to hide out! Then again, it was kind of secluded and isolated from the rest of the city. Looking at it from that standpoint, it was the perfect place for a villain to hang out.
After a couple of minutes of searching, he stumbled upon a boarded up building that looked like it had been abandoned for quite a while. Pushing against the creaky door, See-More managed to open it just about enough for him to slip inside. Had he been any fatter though, he doubted he could have made it without getting stuck, which again led him to wonder why on Earth the guy had chosen this place. Walking up the old stairs to the next floor up, distant sounds made their way to his ear. A couple of grunts and yelling, as well as some electronic noises that were all too familiar. It was nearly impossible to find him in any other state. Well, at least he knew he was in the right place. Once the staircase ended, he found himself in a long dark hallway with only one door at the very end. All of the noise seemed to be resonating from behind it. Standing in front of the door See-More sighed, mentally steeling himself for what was to come, and walked through it.
Inside, he found himself staring at the back of a large sofa with multiple screens alight in front of the room's single occupant. "No, no, no! Get it- Grrr! Almost there…YES!" he yelled.
"Hey Control Freak, what's up?" See-More asked.
At the sound of his voice, the tubby man jumped nearly five feet into the air. "See-More!" he cried, whirling around. "When did you get here?!"
"Uh, just now? You really need to get a lock for your door," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
"Not right now! I'm busy trying to beat this level of Racing Version 6! I've already spent nearly two days beating the first seven levels. Only ten more left to go!" he answered eagerly, turning back towards the screens.
"I can see that. Or rather, I can smell that," See-More said, covering his nose. "Look, there's this guy I need you to help me find. Seeing as Gizmo is currently locked away for the time being, you're the only other person I know who could possibly hack some of the security systems for intel."
"Uh-huh," Control Freak said with little interest. His attention was still directed at the screen in front of him, fingers flying across the controller.
"Hey, are you even listening?!" See-More was so close to slapping himself in the face. He was just about to until he noticed something else off to the side of the wall. "Fine, we'll do this the hard way."
"Huh, what?" he asked, eyes never leaving the screen. That is, until the screen suddenly went black as all the power left it in an instant. Control Freak gasped. "HEY! I was almost at the eighth level!" he complained.
"Good to see that I've finally got your attention," See-More announced, power cord in hand. "Listen, I really need your help finding this guy!"
"And just why the heck should I help you?" Control Freak demanded, crossing his arms.
"Because I could make it worth your while. Here's the deal: the newest HD version of Mega Monkeys 7 isn't supposed to be released for another two months. I just happen to know the location of where they're storing them all. You help me, and I could possibly get you a pre-release copy with my five finger discount!"
Control Freak rubbed his chin in thought. "A pre-release copy eh?" he said. Though he was obviously trying to sound neutral, he could help that little bit of excitement and intrigue drip into his voice. "Does that include the secondary game that goes along with the set?"
"That, AND the limited edition game controller for selected copies only. I hear only fifty of those were manufactured."
"DEAL!" he exclaimed, taking See-More's hand and shaking it vigorously. See-More nearly laughed at how easy it was to bribe the coach potato.
"Ok, so when do I start?!"
"You know Love, when you said negotiate this wasn't exactly wot I had in mind!" Punk Rocket yelled from where he dangled upside down. Once the two had made their way into the one-room wash closet, he'd been taken completely by surprise when she'd suddenly slammed him against the wall with one of her enlarged wings, knocking him out instantly. Next thing he knew, he found himself tied up and hanging from the ceiling.
"Fine, we'll 'negotiate'," Angel said from where she sat on the sink with his guitar in her lap. "Lovely guitar by the way, you sure do take good care of it. How about this? You tell me where I can find him, and I won't damage it too much!" she threatened.
"You wouldn't!"
His statement was met with a loud snap that resonated across the walls of the small bathroom. With one daring stroke, she'd snapped one of the metal strings clear off. Punk's mouth dropped in shock.
"Still think I'm joking?"
"You're out of your bloody mind you are!" Punk yelled back.
"Tell. Me. Where. He. Is." She emphasized.
"I'm not telling you anything!" Another snap resonated within the restroom walls. He gritted his teeth.
"By the way, just a thought but is this thing waterproof?" Angel asked innocently.
"If you even THINK of sticking that under the faucet, the moment I get down-,"
"Faucet? Please! Let's try to be a little more creative! I heard the toilet here is notorious for clogging every day. Care to test that theory?" Making her way over, Angel dangled the musical instrument over the smelly whirlpool of muck, angling her body just enough to give him the perfect view from where he hung.
"Come now Turtle Dove, let's not be hasty…" he muttered nervously.
"Down the hatch!"
"NO WAIT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. She stopped with her arm just barely over the toilet bowl, the guitar just about to be submerged. "There's a jewel, a ruby that's said to be arriving in Jump City in four days. It's called the Siren's Heart. Rumor has it that he plans to steal the jewel before it goes on display!"
"That's more like it. And where is this 'Siren's Heart' supposed to be displayed?"
"At the museum, about two miles from here!"
"And when exactly does he plan to steal it?"
"I don't know maybe sometime in the next three days? I've heard that he plans to steal it once it arrives at the museum and not any earlier!"
"Hmm. I see," she muttered, lifting the guitar back over her shoulder. "Anything else?"
"No that's all I know, I swear!" he cried desperately, swinging back and forth.
"Alright then. In that case, thank for your time. I'll be leaving now." Thoroughly satisfied with how things had played out, Angel set the guitar down on the ground and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
"OY, AREN'T YOU FORGETTING SOMETHING LOVE?" he yelled from above just as she gotten the door halfway open.
"Don't worry. Johnny Rancid usually comes by after he's had about seven drinks or so. I'm sure he'll be here very soon," she replied. "And enough with the 'Love' nickname, you're so not my type it's not even funny."
He snorted. "That's right, I forgot. You're into the tall, dark, and silent types, am I right?" he sneered.
"Shut up!" Angel exclaimed, knowing exactly who he was referring to. "And if you ever grab my ass again, I will castrate you with your own guitar strings!" With that, she slammed the door shut, leaving him hanging high and dry.
"Bloody Tart," he muttered.
And here's chapter 3! Hope it was worth the wait. As you can tell, Kyd Wykkyd didn't show up in this chapter, but he'll be back in the next one, as well as the Titans and someone else.
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