Steel bars, dirty long corridors, overcrowded cells and prison warders sadistic as well as corrupt. The Petropolis jail wasn´t really a nice place. The most dangerous and notorious criminals of the whole country sat there and also criminals like Snaptrap, Birdbrain or the Chameleon. But luckily for them they weren´t imprisoned at the moment.
Since they knew that Scratch was in the city every criminal kept calm just stay out of his way. Well, except this one time a few days ago where they helped him. But since then they really kept calm. And even if Scratch wasn´t in the city every criminal tried to avoid to get into this jail.
Of course it was the nature of every criminal to avoid prison but especially this jail was the one they tried to avoid the most. You could spent days to explain why this prison is so bad but the best and most impressive explanation would be a statistic that a local Petropolis newspaper published almost a year ago.
According to it was it more likely to get killed on the prison-yard than in the rat´s nest, the most dangerous and criminal part of Petropolis. And that although shootings and robberies were part of the daily routine of the rat´s nest.
This statistic always brings a smile to Scratch´s face. Young was in this jail and that statistic clearly implied that Young wouldn´t have a good time there. Especially because Scratch knew some people in there that helped him to give Young a bad time.
"I once had the pleasure…" meant Parva shivering as she and Scratch walked down one of these long dirty corridors.
"Really?" asked Scratch surprised and stroked over his false mustache. He always had the feeling that this thing would fall off any minute.
"Yeah, I was their guest for two days… the worst two days of my live."
"…By now." added Scratch smirking.
"Thanks for the encouraging outlook on my live." Parva looked over to him. "Could you stop brushing through your mustache?"
"I try but I hate false beards. They itching like someone put itching powder on my face. Anyway, how you´re doing? Does the wig fit?"
"I have to admit that this thing is quite comfortable. Of course nothing I would wear every day because, you know, I prefer braid and not this open worn long hair." She pushed some strands of her false hair of her shoulder while saying that.
"If I were you I would think about wearing my hair open. You look really cute." Said Scratch with a father like tone and scratched his false beard.
"Thank you" replied Parva blushing a bit. She wasn´t used to get compliments, especially not from Scratch. He wasn´t the guy that says to you that you look good. No, Scratch just compliments if you did your work properly and that also not too often.
"By the way…" he finally abandoned his facial hair and turned with her left into another long dirty hallway. "… how are your education plans progressing?"
"Pretty well. I have some exams soon. I´m nervous but I think I´ll make them." Parva suddenly stopped walking and eyed Scratch suspiciously. "Why do you ask?" she asked while Scratch just walked on.
She knew that there was a reason why he asked her about school. Scratch wouldn´t ask these questions if he didn´t want something.
"So, you have no problems there?"
"No." Parva jogged a bit to catch up to him again.
"Then it would be definitely no problem for you if I give you some extra work." There was it, exactly like she expected it. The whole school dialogue was just a way for him to approach to this topic and to sound out if she had time for that.
"What kind of extra work?"
Scratch started to grin. He must have understood this enquiry as a sign that she´ll accept this job. Out of the dirty coat, which was part of his disguise, he pulled a photo and handed it to her. "You know that we´re working against two enemies this time. The conspirators and T.U.F.F."
"So?" Parva took a look at the photo which showed a young squirrel in a suit that was much too big for him.
"Well, we need someone in one of these organizations to know what they´ll do and…"
"Come to the point." Sighed Parva annoyed and gave Scratch a look which underlined her tone of voice.
"Scientia potentia est, Parva. And you´ll be my source for that."
"I still don´t have any idea what we have to do." Admitted Parva a bit confused.
"Spies like to work with bugs. Microphones. If you place them in the right you can listen to everything your enemy plans. But sometimes that´s not the best way to get a direct eavesdrop on your enemy."
"Aha." Parva looked at the picture of the squirrel again. "I suppose the best way has something to do with this guy?"
"And again you proofed that you´re the best in your class." Mocked Scratch. "But yeah, he has something to do with that. As I said, sometimes it´s not enough to use a bug. We need to control our enemies or in our case just one enemy. And even if he is just a little piece in the big machinery he´ll do his part. I ask you Parva." Scratch stopped walking in front of an ugly green door with a steel door knob and gazed in a very spooky way into her eyes. "Are you ready for your first single side mission?"
"Oh my god yes." She screamed like she just accepted a marriage proposal by him. Finally, a single mission. That´s was what she wanted the whole time. Finally she had the chance to proof herself and show that she´s not just the kid but a full team member.
A sustained "Good" came from Scratch, approving her decision. Smiling he pulled a phone out of his coat and thrust it into her hand, then he asked "Do you know what the honeypot is?"
"Honeypot… honeypot…" she repeated pensively and stroked through her false hair until she came to the conclusion that she had no idea by saying "Nope."
"Seduction and eavesdropping of an enemy agent… or in your case pretending a relationship with this enemy to squeeze everything out of him… not literally… or literally, that´s up to you."
"Okay and what does this squirrel… Oh no." she sighed realizing.
"Oh yes." Replied Scratch almost laughing.
"But he´s not even my type, this… this… suit-wearing momma´s boy."
"Well, that happens sometimes." Giggled the dog like he enjoyed that. "You don´t always get the subject you want."
"And what about me? I´m 17! Don´t you think that I´m a bit too young for him."
"Well, first, he is just 21 and if my clock doesn´t lie to me…" Scratch pulled his right sleeve up and took a look on his expensive looking watch which was actually just worth 20 Dollar.
While others would never wear such a cheap imitation of an expensive clock, Scratch saw the whole thing pragmatically. In his opinion it doesn´t matter if the thing costs 10 or 10,000 Dollar as long as it shows the time properly. "… You´ll become 18 in about 9 hours."
"Yeah… But… I… Oh damn… Okay…" Parva let her head hang down and accepted her fate. What else should she do? Scratch played his cards fantastically. He lured her, with a mission she always wanted to do and a beforehand assurance to do the job, into the trap.
"Right, girl. Don´t mess with the master." stated Scratch lively. "Oh and don´t worry. This should be an easy honeypot. Our friend got an internet dating profile so he seems to be pretty desperate."
"Well at least something… and for what is this cellphone?" Parva finally remembered the phone in her hand.
"That has nothing to do with the honeypot. That is another thing I want you to do… it has something to do with something I would call your 'birthday present'. I know you´re want to see Young again and to take pleasure in his sufferance but this has a higher priority."
"Birthday present? Okay. What do you want me to do?"
"In about five minutes this cellphone will ring." Explained Scratch. "And when it does so, just answer it with the words 'Happy birthday'. Got it?"
"Of course, do I look like an idiot?" Retorted Parva cheekily. Scratch just answered with his standard phrase to that. "No, you look like you." and then went into the room.
Like everything in this prison, the room was dirty and small. A glass-wall separated it into two parts. Part one was the one for the prisoners. A few bored looking warders, that should prevent the prisoners from killing each other, stared into space and waited for the time that they could punch the clock. The other side was for the visitors and was relatively empty.
Just a white female dog with blonde fair curly hair who talked with a big nasty looking crocodile. Over some small holes in the glass they talked with each other. Obviously those two were lovers. Scratch realized that by seeing their hands which were laid on each other just separated by 3 centimeter of bulletproof glass.
And on their faces, this special look they had in common. This unworldly, almost idiotic, seeming spark in their eyes. Like they forgot everything around them. Even the fact they were in this prison.
Inner disillusion spread in Scratch. What had he to expect from this visit? Love? No, just the murderer of his mother and hundreds of other people including Parva´s father.
The only thing he could expect was maybe satisfaction. But nothing more, nothing beyond that. Sometimes he wondered if that was the only thing life had up its sleeve for him. He didn´t know if he could get more than that anymore. But at least that was still something that he could get.
Scratch sat down on one chair which were on both sides of the wall and waited. Luckily, for him, not too long. Another bored looking warder led a prisoner into the room. And it was once again like he looked into a mirror that showed his face before it was pressed into the forge fire.
"Ah, Mr .Scratch." grinned the dog and sat down on the chair on his side. Even if behaved relaxed and cool the wrinkles in his face and his deep eye circles told Scratch something different. For a short moment he thought "That would have happened to me if I went astray." The guy must be treated very bad here what made his heart leap in joy.
"Mr. Young." Scratch giggled. "How are you? How is it to get raped in the shower almost every day?"
"You get used to it." Not even a crack was visible in Young´s grinning façade. "How is momma doing? Still dead?"
But the same countenance Young had Scratch had, too. "I think so." He meant baldly. "But I think we both know why I am here."
"Of course, of course." Repeated Young nodding. "But how about taking of this false mustache? You really look ridiculously."
Scratch didn´t answer. He couldn´t take of the beard. Only being here was a risk, but if he took of the beard it would take about one hour and he would sit in the cell next to Young.
"Still a coward, Scratch? Well, some things never change."
Scratch leaned partly unbelieving partly impressed back in his chair. "I have to admit Young, I´m impressed. Really. I mean I do everything in my power to make the rest of your life to hell. You get insulted, beaten up and even raped almost every day but you swallow everything without… ha… without a scratch…"
"You did that?" Young raised an eyebrow. Finally a sign that his façade would crumble.
"Impressed?" laughed Scratch. "It´s actually quite easy. I mean half of the people in there owe me something and the other half would kill so that I owe them something."
"That… doesn´t impress me."
"Really?" probed Scratch. "I mean big Jim hasn´t visited you yet and, to be honest, he isn´t called big for nothing." Together with his last words he indicated with his finger to his crotch and received a long stare from his nemesis. "Cracked" thought Scratch triumphing. He had interpreted the signs in Young´s face right. He had just played the cool guy.
"But…" began Scratch again. "Just as I´m able to make your martyr worse I´m also able take the squeeze of you. You just have to tell me what you know."
Fast Young looked furtively to the sides and then leaned towards him. "And you can… make that they´ll leave me alone?"
"Sure."
"Okay…" The killer took a deep breath. "I don´t know much. Really. I´ve never got my orders from the head of this all directly. Richards allways called me…" Young stopped as Parva entered the room who eyed him with hateful glares.
"Speak on." Ordered Scratch.
"… okay. Anyway. As I said, Richards just called me."
"That´s not even almost enough." Meant Scratch shaking his head. "I don´t think that I can…"
"Wait wait wait… there´s more." Interrupted Young quickly. "I received all these calls in the mayor´s office."
"So mayor Willson was present while all of these talks?"
"Yes, he was and more. Willson seems to be the voice´s right hand... or left hand after Richards. I think everything that comes from the voice converge in him. Just Richards is above him. I bet that both of them knew the voice´s identity."
"Interesting." Scratch scratched his false beard. "That was really a valuable piece of information."
"So we have a deal." Young sounded pleading and not so relaxed like at the beginning of the conversation.
"Yep… kind of." Scratch stood up and gave the crocodile at the end of the room a little nod.
"Hey, what´s going on here?" It was too late as all alarms went off in Young. He was so deepened in the talk with Scratch that he also hadn´t realized that the warders behind him left the room minutes ago. The giant crocodile tramped undisturbed towards the dog.
Young was maybe faster and more talented than the crocodile but he had no chance against its sheer muscle power with which it rammed the self-made knife into the throat of the dog. "Carotid artery, direct hit" analyzed Scratch in his mind. "Maybe he has just a half a minute left."
With both hands pressed Young desperately on his wound and gargled with his last strength looking at Scratch. "Bastard…"
"REALLY?" screamed Scratch bursting into laughter. "YOU REALLY THOUGHT THAT I WOULDN´T KILL YOU?!"
But Young couldn´t hear these words he already negotiated with the ferryman for the ride. Scratch enjoyed this moment a few seconds longer and he could hear how Parva behind him breathing heavily. She started to laugh like she had never expected that this would happen or that this would be so great. Whereas the female dog that had talked to the stabber just screamed in disbelieve "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"Time for us to go, Parva. Before they close off everything here." Whispered Scratch after his eyes had finally tire of looking on his bleeding enemy.
"Yep, you´re right." Agreed Parva and followed him down the dirty floors. This time they walked faster so that the warders wouldn´t get them. And fast they breathed clear free air again.
"See?" panted Scratch exhausted. "I told you that it would be great. And by the way, happy birthday."
"Thanks." Replied Parva "Even if you were pretty cruel in there. I mean you betrayed him ice cold."
"I know…" grinned the dog. "But he didn´t deserve anything else. I did nothing he hadn´t done. And, according to your laughter, you enjoyed that too."
"Yeah, sure… it was an interesting feeling, almost invigorating. But now I ask myself… if we handle things like he did… where is the difference between him and us?"
"This time… I think there is no difference between him and us." Mumbled Scratch pensively. "Damn you just spoiled the whole thing for me, you know that?"
"Then forget about it." Sighed Parva changing the subject. "Oh, I almost forgot. A guy named… Ronald called before the other call. And he said something about an important business deal. And that he want to meet you in New York"
"Oh, damn… Ronald?" Scratch asked pulling his beard of his face. Ronald didn´t call often, just if it was extraordinarily important. He was the guy in which hands Scratch laid the whole drug trafficking thing on the west coast. A really talented financial genius who also had some creative ideas for laundering the money. The thing that made it all odd, why did Ronald want to meet him in New York? Scratch was controlling the west coast drug trafficking. Of course they had a little office in New York but just for expansion purpose.
"Yes, Ronald. And he said you should come and take care of it."
"Hm…" meant Scratch. As already mentioned, Ronald was talented. Something really serious must have happened that made him beg for Scratch help. "Okay… we have to redispose. Parva, go to Seneca and do the first thing without me. You two will make, don´t worry."
"And what are you doing?" wondered Parva.
"I?" Scratch asked. "I have to catch a flight."
- "Scientia potentia est" = "Knowledge is power"-
-Okay, another chapter is done. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D-
