Cyprus, the next day...
The atmosphere in the hospital room was tense. The eleven people, who were rudely torn from their already short R&R, found themselves contemplating the impossible. Nowhere was this more evident than the pale woman at the center of the room. She usually wore a smile, whether in the baking heat or the ice cold, in civil conversation or under fire. She was not smiling now.
"Got it. Whoever this guy is, he's good" Tojo said admiringly, hunched over his computer.
"Where's it from?" Lehm questioned. He began to reach for a cigarette, but five reproachful looks (including one from a passing doctor) made him abandon that quest.
"Lets see... Ah damn. Maryland. America" the japanese man reported, to the team's collective disappointment.
"Of course it has to be america" R muttered. Dark circles lined his eyes, courtesy of the red eye flight from Rome.
"What do you guys think? CIA?" Lehm asked them.
"Doubt it, not their MO" Wiley dismissed. From the bed in the center of the room, the occupant muffled a groan.
"Besides, wouldn't it make more sense for them to try to bust us in the middle of a job?" Valmet said tightly, a grimace threatening to take hold.
"Agreed. If they wanted to get rid of us permanently it'd be better to do it in the sticks" Lutz added. Mao nodded with him.
"So its not CIA. Who then? Some other group?" Ugo questioned.
"We're forgetting one important fact gentlemen" Koko interrupted. Rather than explaining, she turned to the last two members. Leaning against the wall was Jonah. Standing beside him was a downcast Black Rock Shooter with her arms folded. The very fact she didn't have her customary neutral expression was troubling enough.
"Rock" Koko said. The girl looked up to focus on her, letting her wandering thoughts leave her for a moment.
"Dead Master" Koko stated.
At once her face twisted into a snarl, her teeth baring. At once her hand untangled to slam her elbow against the wall, making a resounding boom. Sucking in a breath, Black Rock Shooter suddenly realized that the group had their attention focused solely on her. Each one (with the sole exception of the still frowning Koko) had wide eyes at her display. The air in her lungs was gently released, and she looked away in embarrassment.
"See? There's no way this 'black steel' could've guessed that. This is something that we need to deal with asap" she said grimly.
"So whatever this group's demands are, we have to accept them, is that where you're going with this?" Lehm asked pointedly. Koko's sigh was the answer he didn't like.
"Just a reminder boss, you and I are on the FBI's blacklist" Wiley reminded.
"I know. Honestly, that'll be the easiest part to deal with. Alright, once Valmet is mobile, we're going to america. Tojo, where was this place again?" she turned to ask.
"This medium sized town called Woodcrest. Its a few miles from the pennsylvania border" he dutifully reported.
"This guy was good enough to hack my private email, so I think he intentionally left his location open, right?" she asked, which he nodded to.
"To minimize the risk, we shouldn't stay there more than a few days. Once some law enforcement agency finds us we're in hot water" R advised. Lutz gently elbowed Wiley.
"Going home but can't stay. Thats gotta suck" he jabbed friendlily. Wiley waved it off.
"Only real family I got is my folks, and thats something I can live with. Besides, I'm from Virginia anyway" he shrugged off. Lehm chuckled.
"Lucky you. My folks held my funeral the day I left for basic" he joked. Five pairs of shocked eyes swung to him, making him laugh.
"Every time it's a different story" Mao shook his head.
"Focus people" Koko reminded, ending the good cheer "now, Rock, I know this is hard for you, but I need for you to tell us as much as you can about this girl. It is a girl right?" she asked. Black Rock Shooter nodded, pushing herself off of the wall to come closer. She fished the phone from her pocket, but Tojo carefully came closer to her bearing his laptop.
"Here, I downloaded a word program just for this" he said. She looked at the computer for a second before pocketing her phone. Her hands went for the keyboard to type, staring slow but growing into a clacking serenade. Lutz and Mao leaned over her shoulder to see what she was writing. Behind them, Jonah discretely did the same.
"Lets see...she is like me. She wears a black dress and has horns and claws. Simple enough" Lutz read. Valmet frowned.
"When you say 'like you', does that mean similar abilities? Fast, strong, weapons out of thin air, et cetera?" she asked. More clicks.
"Yes. I am faster but she is stronger. We are about matched on toughness" Mao read.
"Okay, now what about weapons?" Lehm questioned. She clicked a few more keys.
"Chains skulls and..." Lutz read, giving her a curious look when her hands halted. Seeing the wrinkled brow, Tojo retracted the laptop to do something to it. When he returned it to her the word program was gone, replaced by rows upon rows of pictures.
"I did an image search for hand weapons. Just pick the one that looks most like it" he said helpfully. She nodded, putting a finger to the scroller icon. It took a little more than two minutes for her to nod, with a hard expression of her own. Turning the screen around once more Tojo raised his eyebrow.
"Thats...a scythe" he reported, absentmindedly changing programs.
"Alright. Chains, a scythe, and you said skulls?" Lehm asked her for confirmation. Black Rock Shooter nodded, going back to the computer in front of her?
"How exactly is a skull a weapon?" Ugo asked in confusion. More clicks.
"They are big and tough. They can fly" Mao read.
"Define big" Wiley spoke. She held her arms up, flattening her palms out and holding them apart. The glasses wearing man estimated the distance as roughly a meter.
"...Well. Beachball sized flying skulls" he shook his head. Her hands hesitated for a moment before typing out one more thing.
"She also has a sword. What kind of sword? Like yours?" Lutz asked her. The way she looked away before nodding did not go unnoticed.
"Recap: she has similar abilities as you, is armed with chains, big flying skulls, a scythe, a sword, and wears a black dress with horns. That about right?" Koko questioned. The statement was met with a downcast nod. Seeing this, she made up her mind.
"Jonah, why don't you take her to that shop down the road and get her a treat? I think she needs it" she gently commanded.
"On it" he said dutifully. At once he went to the door, stopping long enough to wave for Black Shooter to follow him. She quietly sighed and trudged after him out the door. Koko waited until they were both out of earshot before she motioned for them to continue.
"Did anyone else get a bad vibe from that?" R asked them.
"Yeah. There's some personal history here" Mao agreed.
"You too? Whatever it is though, I think we should leave it be" Valmet said. Koko nodded.
"Unless it comprises the mission, thats what we'll do. Anyway" she swept her gaze around "the important right now is that the biggest item on the unknown list is down. Now Lutz, you told me before you had a contingency plan to kill her. Do you think it'll work against this Dead Master?" she asked pointedly.
"Mostly sure, yeah. Several high rate of fire weapons in overlapping fields. Maybe a few tear gas grenades to slow her down first. Nothing we don't already have" he answered.
"Can you incapacitate her with this?" she pressed.
"Maybe, either with fewer weapons or using more gas. It'll boil down to the situation" he said carefully.
"Thats our game plan then. We'll assume this is a high risk operation. As far as we know, black steel holds all the cards. Wiley, how soon can we be there?" Koko asked him.
"From here? Twelve hour flight, maybe another twelve for rest and recon" he answered.
"Hey boss, what about that missile deal?" R brought up.
"Day after tomorrow. That'll take a day...so, four days?" she proposed.
"Better make it five. I'll be close to a hundred percent by then" Valmet advised. Koko nodded.
"Then thats our timetable. Get your gear ready. Tojo, tell them five days and get a meeting spot" she commanded. The entire time he'd been typing away on her email.
"Its done" he said, tapping the send key.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Five minutes later...
Huey's phone began to ring. Halfway through the second of the generic beeping noises, he snatched it from the coffee table it was resting on to bring it to his ear, clicking the call button in the process.
"Its me" he said quickly. Three pairs of eyes, two brown, one green, abandoned what they were doing to focus on him.
"Your lady associate just sent a reply" said Quiet Storm from the other end.
"What'd it say?" he said quickly, ignoring his brother's urges to tell him what was going on.
"Its a yes" to that Huey sighed in relief "they'll be here in five days. She wants to know the meeting location" the prostitute/tech specialist reported. After a nerve wracking day of waiting that even a round at school failed to sooth, the confirmation was enough to excite him.
"Alright, tell her the MBS café at the corner of Beech and Seventh avenue in Woodcrest, at noon. Got that?" he pressed. Out of all the locations that he researched for the upcoming meeting, his decision of the unassuming shop would hopefully give him an edge. Considering what little he knew of the woman, he would need every advantage that he could get.
"Got it, sending it now" Quiet Storm reported.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Two minutes later...
"Got a response" Tojo said excitedly. The few members of the team that began to filter away stopped in their tracks go listen.
"Coordinates?" Koko questioned. He paused for a second.
"None, its a location. Looking it up now, got it. Its a café" he reported disbelievingly, making several eyebrows rise.
"Really? They're either amateurs or pretending to be" Lehm shook his head.
"Lets assume the latter. I'd rather be prepared than careless" Koko dismissed.
"So yes?" the japanese man asked her.
"Of course. Once you're done find out everything about the area. Law enforcement, population density, sniper perches, the works" she ordered. Just before he clicked the send key R leaned back in from outside the door.
"I'm doing a coffee run, who wants what?" he asked.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Its a yes" Quiet Storm told him. The youth took a deep breath.
"Thanks for your help" he said gratefully.
"As long as you got the coin, anytime. Besides, I haven't had a challenge like this in a while, so thank you" the prostitute told him. The line went dead, and he lowered the phone.
"So, whats the word?" Robert asked directly.
"In five days an arms dealer is coming to town. She's experienced and has a ton of guns. She also knows more about her kind" he pointed at Dead Master "than I do. With luck, we can have a civil conversation. In the meantime, we need to prepare in case it doesn't happen" he explained. The horned girl frowned.
"You expect me to get along with them?" she asked coldly.
"No, I expect you to behave yourself so the air to lead ratio doesn't become lethal. Grandad, if you want out of this, nows the time" Huey told him. The old man blanched.
"Well, I, uh, want to be, um, supportive..." his grandfather stuttered nervously, causing Riley to snicker and Dead Master to roll her eyes.
"Grandad, its alright. If you could do me a favor though, see if you can't get the Dubois's out of town too, okay?" Huey asked him. At that his glasses covered eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly.
"Yeah! Yeah, can do. You can count on me" he said quickly, failing to conceal his relief. Huey kept his gaze neutral as he turned to his brother.
"And you?" he posed. Riley smirked.
"Goin to have a showdown with a gun dealer? I'm in" he proclaimed. Huey shook his head.
"There won't be a showdown if everything goes as planned. Still, the more help I got the better the odds. If you can, try getting ahold of Ed and Gin. They're two trigger happy morons, but if things go south they'll be good to have" he suggested.
"On it n****. Say, you think this bitch'll sell me a piece?" Riley asked mischievously. He ignored him.
"Thats makes five. This Hekmatyr woman has at least eight other bodyguards" Dead Master brought up.
"Fortunately, I know two people that can help" he countered, reaching for his phone.
"Who?" his grandfather asked.
"I'll tell you when I know for sure" he dismissed, making a call. Robert shook his head, wondering if his grandson was getting in over his head. In doing so, he noticed that Riley had a rare contemplative expression on.
"And what're you thinking about?" he questioned.
"Just wonderin. Whaddya think this Black Shooter girl doin right now?" he asked, disregarding Dead Master's hard frown.
"With luck, they keep her locked in a cage" she snapped.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Black Rock Shooter stared in wonder at the shelf. The simple corner mart was nothing special, the same type of thing she'd seen from London to Cape Town. Yet before her was something that she couldn't have come up with in her wildest dreams. Just as she thought she was becoming used to humans, they threw a brand new surprise her way. For a short time she wondered if she would ever stop being astonished. She reached out to pluck the plastic package off of the shelf.
Jonah stopped his searching for a good brand of tea when she did, not surprised at what she had clutched in her hands.
"You sure you want that?" he asked. The caramel apple bobbed a little as she nodded.
"Alright" he said, holding his hand out. She visibly hesitated before giving it too him. He was willing to bet she was already salivating over it.
Four minutes, a compromise on brands, and twenty american dollars later the two strolled out the door. Inwardly Jonah was glad the cashier was male; women's reactions to his appearance got old quickly. Outside he turned on his heels to begin the hike back. When Koko said 'down the road', it translated to two miles. For a car, it was no issue. On foot, it was. An hour had passed already, and it was going to be roughly forty five minutes before they returned. He had the suspicion it was intentional.
Jonah didn't need to look to know that Black Rock Shooter was flanking him and boring holes into his spoils, much less check to see if she was following him. Bringing the generic plastic bag up, he ruffled around inside for a few seconds before grabbing ahold of what she wanted. Without looking he held the treat out. She snatched it out of his hand and began to immediately tear it open.
"I have a question" he said. Her movements stopped.
"In the desert motel, after you punched me, you said you knew about love and heartbreak" he began. He had a feeling of what would happen when he brought the subject up, so he was prepared when she stopped in place. His boots ended their forward march, the feet within doing their part to rotate the boy so he was facing her.
"Every mention of this girl makes you uncomfortable. I think I know why" he stated. Her valued treat was held by her waist, forgotten. Her free hand already had her phone out. A part of him noted that she was now able to type one handed.
She is someone i have fought before. She is an enemy, it read. Her hard expression told him a different story.
"You wouldn't look away every time it gets brought up if she were just an old foe" he seamlessly countered. Even through her gloves he could see her knuckles tightening.
"I don't care who she is or what happened between you two. All I want to know is when the time comes, what are you going to do?" Jonah questioned. A flash of something over her face indicated that he had hit close to the mark. Her expression morphed into a scowl, and her fingers pressed down on the phone with more force than what was needed.
I will do as i am told. No more no less, she wrote to him. He nodded.
"All I needed to know" Jonah said blandly. He reached back into the bag and withdrew a bottle of clear liquid to present to her. She didn't grab it at once, since she was irritated with him. Only when he waved it did she take it, looking away in annoyance. Scanning over the bottle she became aware that she didn't recognize what it was.
"Thats flavored water. I figured you would like it" he answered her unspoken question. He turned to walk away, and after hastily reorganizing her stuff she trotted after him. Once she had a good grip on her caramel apple she unscrewed the top, feeling a hiss of carbonation. Giving it a second to settle, she raised the top to sip. Her eyes went wide as the sweet peach flavored liquid coursed over her tongue.
He figured right.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day...
Huey stood in front of the thick mahogany door. Just beyond was both the one man he hated the most and the one man he needed the most. He had agonized over his decision for a day now, but even with hard logic to console him he was hesitating. No matter how much he thought it over, on the other side of the door was someone that he needed if his plan was going to work. There was no alternative, no matter how desperately he wished for one. He took a deep breath.
"Okay, I'm ready" he said quietly. The waiting butler, the same one that had tended to them for the robbery, nodded. His immaculately white clove reached over to the doorknob to open it. Just before it swung, he whispered "good luck."
Inside was more or less what Huey expected the personal office of the most powerful man in the state, possibly the country, to look like. Soft colors toned the room. On one wall was a sizable shelf of leather bound rare books, for decoration. On the other were pictures, many of the man himself shaking hands with other powerful or wealthy people. Near the far wall was a large acacia desk, the thick old man behind smiling dangerously. The room was impressive and ostentatious. For anyone else, it would be almost tacky.
"Huey my boy! C'mon in" invited Ed Wuncler the First. Steadying his nerves, Huey entered, the door behind him quietly swinging shut. Every step closer to the desk was one he wanted to take in the opposite direction.
"So, you wanted to borrow some of my time for this meeting. Something to the tune of 'needing my help,' is that right?" warmly asked the plutocrat, the gloating underneath all but obvious.
"Thats right" Huey answered through gritted teeth.
"Luckily for you, I'm feeling quite indulgent. What do you need?" he asked with a smirk. The youth took a breath.
"In four days a very dangerous person, practically a terrorist, is coming to this town. In their entourage is a being similar to the one currently at my home. What I want to do is to talk in order to find out everything they know, but I also want to be prepared just in case" he outlined. Wuncler's hands came up to rest his chin.
"Go on" he said.
"I know you have the local and probably state police in your pocket. I've already picked out a meeting location, so I need for them to give the group a clear path from the airport to here. If possible, I want a SWAT unit on standby. An FBI team too if you can manage it" he explained. Wuncler chuckled.
"That all? I can have that settled in five minutes. Is there anything else?" he asked smirkingly.
"A few guns. Small, easily concealable. That's everything" he answered tightly. Wuncler leaned back in his thick chair, smirking mirthfully.
"Child's play. But all the same, you invited terrorists into my town without checking with me first. And another alien too" he said. Huey wasn't surprised, though he did wonder how much the man knew.
"A necessity. If I have to I can get by without your help" he said dismissively. Wuncler's smile grew.
"That is a bull faced lie and you know it. But as I said, I'm feeling indulgent. So here's the deal" Huey stiffened, fearing the worst "I'll tell the cops what to do and give you some guns. In exchange, I want you to read this out loud" he reached under his desk to hand over a sheet of paper. Huey slowly grabbed it, suspicious of what it could be. When he scanned over the document his heart skipped.
"You're not serious" he said flatly.
"I'm a hundred percent serious" Wuncler replied.
"How long have you had this?" Huey asked suddenly.
"Quit stalling and read the damn thing. Try to put some sincerity into it" he commanded. The youth exhaled.
"I, Huey Freeman, humbly ask the generous Mister Wuncler the First for his assistance. I acknowledge that I cannot solve this problem on my own and-godamnit" Huey stopped in disgust. He sent an angry glare at the old man, who merely smiled.
"Go on" he gloated.
"This is fuckin ridiculous" Huey angrily snapped.
"You know, inviting a terrorist to a peaceful town is against the law. Not just regular laws, the federal level. It's, dare I say, treason" Wuncler wistfully suggested. The youth scowled.
"You have a lot to lose too" he shot back.
"Do I? Because it looks like I did the public a good deed by getting a domestic terrorist arrested before he could get foreign help. Who knows what kind of nefarious scheme he could've enacted?" the plutocrat gloated.
At that moment Huey realized he had been outmaneuvered; it was by no accident that the man in front of him had as much power as he did. His best option, his only option, was to do what he wanted.
"So?" Huey gritted his teeth.
"Fine" he answered through clenched teeth. The paper was wrinkled from where he grabbed it, but to his regret enough was still legible.
"Start over. And try some enthusiasm" Wuncler sakd.
"I, Huey Freeman, humbly ask the generous Mister Wuncler the First for his assistance. I acknowledge that I cannot solve this problem on my own, and only through his beneficence and generosity can I succeed" Huey felt bile at the back of his throat. The words alone stung at his pride and dignity, and who the speech was for made it infinitely worse.
"*click* I, Huey Freeman, humbly ask the generous Mister Wuncler *click*" The afro'd youth snapped his head up incredulously, his eyes now tracking the small tape recorder in Wuncler's hand.
"A little something to help me sleep at night. And don't worry, this goes nowhere" he gloated. Never before did Huey want to commit first degree murder more than that moment. He was certain that if he had a weapon on him he would be lunging at the man, never mind the cost.
"As for your request, consider it done. Send me an email later about the details" Wuncler finished. Huey gulped down the lump of raw anger.
"Thank you" he said, coming out in a strained hiss. He smirked and steepled his fingers.
"Anytime. Out of curiosity though, what is the name of this 'practical terrorist?'" he asked. Huey needed a second to breathe, before he screamed in frustration.
"An arms dealer named Koko Hekmatyr" he said lowly. The old man's smile dropped.
"Koko Hekmatyr? Of H&C Logistics Incorporated?" he asked suddenly, making the youth blink.
"Y-yeah, how do you..." he trailed off. He had a reasonable guess of the answer.
"I own a large amount of stock for that corporation. Figures you had to go tangle with one of their people" he grumbled.
"So you've met her" Huey said hopefully, which was dashed by Wuncler shaking his head.
"Met her brother Kaspar once. Pale fucker, gave me the creeps. But enough about that. Whatever you do, don't try to get in a gunfight with those people. I have enough trouble cleaning up after my jackass grandson" he warned.
At some unseen signal the mahogany door swung open. To Huey, it was his cue to leave. Out the door bitterness began swell within him at last. The only thing that tempered it was the secure knowledge that he now had what he needed. Errantly he wondered how the Hekmatyr woman was preparing for the encounter.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day...
"Just sign here and we'll be all set" Koko said friendlily, holding the clipboard out for the client to sign. The warm sun beat down on the pair, while a large ship lazily plowed through the sparkling Mediterranean sea in the distance.
"I'm aware that I've said this repeatedly, but I can't thank you enough miss Hekmatyr" the client, a thick intermediary, said gratefully. She politely waved it off.
"The pleasure's all mine mister Wyzekli" she gently accepted.
Two more minutes of small talk passed in order to make sure the money went through, making Koko give a satisfied grin. She made a short call to the HCLI owned cargo ship, relaying news to the client. In twenty minutes it would dock to begin unloading its cargo: japanese manufactured derivatives of an american SAM missile design, three hundred of them. It would be a chore to do that, one she was all too happy of avoiding.
With her part in the deal concluded, she gave one last handshake to the client and turned away to return to her awaiting car, Mao and Lutz falling in behind her. Like a gentleman the chinese man opened the door for her, closing it once she was inside. Ugo gave her an expectant look at her while he waited for the men to get in themselves. She waited until they were all in to give a fist pump.
"Score!" she cried out triumphantly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day...
Waiting patiently by the entrance to the park, Huey double checked his watch. According to the phone call, he was supposed to meet the man at that exact location by two o'clock p.m. on the dot, alone. It was past the time by four minutes, yet there was no sign of him. Sighing, he glanced back to the park, idly remembering the last time he was at this spot. He shuddered a little as he recalled how that went.
His watch ticked past the five minute mark. Just as Huey decided to leave, a black sedan pulled up to the curb. Tracking it, he watched with interest as it's driver killed the engine. The car was a shiny black that had tinted windows, with no identifying marks or emblems to give any clue to its owner. Huey relaxed somewhat, though he internally reflected that he normally would've been at best suspicious of it. The drivers side door opened, its occupant stepping out.
"Good afternoon mister Flowers" Huey greeted neutrally. The white man had red hair to go with his own neutral frown. His outfit was different from the last time he saw the man; it was a generic government issue black suit, complete with a blue tie. Nondescript, at a glance.
"Huey Freeman, long time no see" greeted Jack Flowers, terrorist hunter extraordinaire.
"I hope you had no problems with your superiors over this" he said. He shook his head.
"NSA are a lot looser with their operations than my old agency. Taking a few days off from an active investigation though, that I need a good reason for. Mind telling me why you called me back out here?" the agent asked. In response Huey yanked a crumpled sheet of paper out from his pocket to hand over. Wordlessly Jack took it, scanning over it with all his years of professional investigative experience at work. Seconds later he had to read over it again, surprise cracking through his hard won exterior.
"Arms dealer. This the real deal?" he asked quietly. Huey nodded sagely.
"How many others know about this?" he suddenly demanded.
"A dozen others. Only a few of them know about the finer details though" he answered. Jack lowered the paper.
"Anything else I should know?" he questioned sternly. His crotch kicking days may have been behind him, but his record of excessive force remained unchanged.
"Apart from the aliens? Nothing else" he answered drily. Jack blinked, then grinned.
"Alright, you got me hooked. What do you got for organization?" he questioned at once.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day...
"Now, do you want the good news, the bad news, or the worse news?" Schokolade said over the phone. Koko sighed.
"Start at worst I guess" she said resignedly. Apart from Jonah and the girl, she was alone in the hotel room. The others were out running errands, either preparing for the mission or catching up on rest. The two she was with were doing both; Jonah was methodically tending to his Browning (thinking of replacing her team's weapons in the next two weeks made her wonder how well he was going to adapt) and Black Rock Shooter was curled up inside of a thick mound of blankets in the corner, sound asleep the last time she checked.
"Okay, the investigation into those hitmen in Alexandria went cold. They pulled the detectives off the case. The lone witness is still a no go" the american reported sadly.
"That stings. But i suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Anyway, the bad?" Koko changed the subject.
"Your meeting? There's a dozen different groups that could've set it up in the town alone. A local power magnate, organized crime, a domestic terrorist, competing intelligence agents, and so on. The one who hacked your email in the first place though was a former IT student turned prostitute" she said, making Koko pick up.
"Oh. That's unexpected" she said after a moment, mindful of the children in her presence. Internally she laughed; the boy had a double digit body count, and who knew how many she killed?
"Yeah. I'm so glad that I'm keeping Scarecrow out of this. Imagine how he'd react to this" she suggested. Koko giggled, which Jonah gave her an odd look for.
"I'm picturing it now. Anyway, whats the good?" she asked.
"You're gonna like this. I've been on the lookout for odd incidents, you know, like what you've been going through. Found several incidents in the same town that you're going to. A double homicide, a few inquires from residents, and a bank robbery. I emailed you what I found so far" Schokolade told her. Sure enough, when Koko opened her computer she found a new file in her inbox.
"Thanks. I owe you for this" she said gratefully. Letting her eyes wander, she caught Black Rock Shooter's arm crawl out from under the mass of blankets to creep towards a candy bar.
"Speaking of which, any luck with what I asked for?" the american asked hopefully.
"No dice so far. Gotta get the right time for it otherwise it won't work" Koko answered enigmatically. Again she planned getting Black Rock Shooter into a bikini to pose.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
That evening...
"Alright" Huey began, looking around the gathered circle around the backroom table that was his best hope of getting through the next day.
He didn't like what he saw: two hoodlums with more money than brains, an NSA agent that had a long history of brutality, a spineless police chief that was there solely to make sure his officers were in the know, Dead Master, his wannabe gangster brother, and himself. None of them had the skill to pull off what he had aimed to accomplish. His sole hope was that the Hekmatyr woman was just as curious about his knowledge as he was about hers.
"Thats the plan. Any questions?" he asked them. Jack Flowers was the first to speak, though not before sending a glare at Ed.
"Whats our contingency plan in case someone starts shooting?" he asked.
"Escape from the routes here. With Chief Berklin-" he started.
"Berdlin" the cop corrected.
"-Berdlin's help, he can either arrest them or force them to flee. Our mission here is paramount, but I don't want any one of you to get yourselves killed" he explained. Jack nodded, and Gin spoke up.
"How'll we know if you succeed? You're askin us to trust your operatin skills, when we don't know how good you really are" he pointed out.
"As long as there's a civil conversation going, that's your sign. Anything else?" he asked them. A black clawed hand rose from its owner's side.
"What happens when I see her?" Dead Master asked coldly.
"Behave unless things go wrong. If Hekmatyr is smart, and I have no reason to think she isn't, she won't play that card immediately. If she does anyway...just wait, okay?" Huey said instead.
He saw doubt across the group's features, making him worry. In truth he had little idea of what he was doing, he was just doing what he thought was the best choice under the circumstances. Unlike them however, he knew exactly what would happen if he screwed up. It was like walking through a minefield, all he could do was keep going and hope that his mistakes wouldn't cost any of the people in front of him their lives.
"Thats all? Good. Get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us" Huey announced.
Lets pray it won't be our last, he thought, but kept to himself.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: decided whatever, spilt it one more time. For the fight you guys really want to see, I won't bore you by mixing in any of this 'drama' garbage in. When it comes, It'll be all by itself, clearly marked for your convenience.