Chapter 11
By the third bar Raiden knew he was getting closer to his mark but also knew he was getting the run around, though honestly, he could've cared less. His body language and walking stride let anyone who even entertained the possibility of giving him grief; know that it would be a very bad idea.
As he started to walk into a nightclub with the name "Jet" on a nearby marquee sign, Reggae, flanked by a couple of the bouncers, obviously friends of his, walked out. As Reggae saw him, made eye contact with him, Raiden saw into his soul. For it was true what the poem said, "The eyes are a window to the soul." In only a few seconds, Raiden had seen Reggae's entire life. His choices, his triumphs, and his mistakes; he also saw what he most feared. Reggae had met with Shang Tsung and he had already given a piece of his soul to the Sorcerer in exchange for power. Reggae's eyes went wide. Raiden spoke first, "Reggae. I've been looking for you. I need to ask you some questions. Please come with me." Reggae gave Raiden the finger and started to walk away, almost nonchalant, thinking his friends could stop the 'suit'.
As Raiden stepped forward, the first bouncer put his large right hand on Raiden's shoulder and said, "Club's closed mister and our staff don't like to be bothered when their off the clock." Raiden looked down at the hand and said, "Take your hand off of me or you will regret it." Raiden's well-bottom voice had sounded with the last few words and the bouncer was momentarily surprised but recovered quickly enough as he said, "Make me, if you can Fed."
Raiden chopped the offending hand away with a left ridge-hand strike strengthened with just a touch of electricity, and hit the bouncer full in the gut with a right uppercut and at the moment of impact, imparted a much larger electric jolt. The bouncer was knocked off his feet by the second hit and lay on the ground motionless as his fellow bouncer said, "Son of a bitch," and drew a taser from a hidden holster behind his back, flicked the on-switch with his thumb in a practiced and smooth motion, put the red laser dot in the center of Raiden's chest and pulled the trigger.
The electrodes flew out of the cartridge on the tip of the taser in a "V" with the top electrode coming straight and the bottom one angling down. Raiden felt the probes impact and stick in his chest. But instead of tensing up with the flow of power, he only smiled at the 'crack-crack-crack' that sent 50,000 volts into him.
As the first 5 second cycle ended, and Raiden still stood there, the bouncer released the trigger to reset it and pulled the trigger again. Raiden smiled again and absorbed the entire battery pack's energy, ordinarily good for over 1500 charges in moderate weather.
Raiden pulled the electrodes out of his chest with a sharp tug and said, "A little heavy on the electrons, but still good for a quick pick-me-up." The bouncer barely had time to mumble, "Oh shit," before being grabbed by the neck, lifted off his feet and being slammed against the wall. Raiden wasted no words as he looked up into the eyes of the bouncer who looked back into the face of the 'suit'. Raiden held the bouncer against the wall with his left hand as he took his right and extended his forefinger and pinky finger in a two-tine shape and touched the bouncer in the center of mass and gave the man a tasing he wouldn't likely forget anytime soon.
Reggae, still walking down the street looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the 'suit' on the ground. When he saw one bouncer friend on the ground and the suit drop the other one from where he was pinned against a wall instead, he made a run for it only to hear a voice echo to him as if from the bottom of a well, "You won't escape Me boy. I will find you soon enough." Reggae just ran harder.
Detective Basil rolled up on the entrance of Club Jet to see two men on the ground. Stopping her car, she got out to look them over. She recognized them as bouncers for the club but only one of them was in any condition to answer questions. She knelt down and checked for a pulse on the unmoving one and found it. She turned her head to the other fellow who was struggling to sit up against the wall. He looked pale, sweaty and weaker than a newborn baby.
"Who did this to you and your pal here?" The man finally got into a sitting position and said, "Don't know him. Some kind of Fed I think. He had a black suit like you see those secret service types wear on TV. I juiced him with a taser and he didn't even flinch! I juiced him again and I swear it was like he drank the battery's power like a beer! Then he held me by the neck and tasered me with his fingers!"
Basil decided to placate him by saying, "Sure pal, whatever you say. Maybe you should lay off the sauce yourself for awhile there." The man said, "I'm not joking and I'm not drunk. The bastard zapped me and my unconscious friend there and walked down the street after one of the odd-jobbers who works around here from time to time."
"What did this Fed look like? Do you remember?", she asked. The man chuckled weakly and said, "When a guy drains a taser battery like its nothing, you don't forget his face. Kind of a big guy; six foot tall maybe. Dark hair, fair complexion. He wore a black suit like I said before. Went down the street that way," as he pointed.
Basil said, "Thanks, I'll call the EMS before I go, but I'll want a statement later."
"Whatever you say cop."
As Basil finished calling for EMS and another unit to take statements on her car's radio, another message came in from the first unit she sent, "Detective? We've got Reggae cornered about eight blocks from the club. Do you want us to take him down before your arrival, over?" Basil though a moment and called back, "Negative on that 54. I'm enroute to you and will be there in ten minutes, over." The unit answered, "Copy that. Ten minutes, out."
Ten minutes later, Basil pulled up on unit 54 and made contact with the officers. The structure was small as warehouses go and judging from the smell had been used as a squatter's hotel. One uniform drew his weapon to high carry and ran around the back as the other flanked Detective Basil. Both the detective and the uniform drew their service weapons, simultaneously remembering one of the cardinal rules about entering potentially hostile situations, 'action beats reaction', and walked in with her, scanning carefully, weapons in high carry against their chests, ready to fire if needed.
There was the sound of empty cans being kicked around by someone trying not to be found. Basil called out, "Reggae? This is Detective Basil with Kirkland PD. I just want to talk with you. Come out with your hands where I can see them. Okay?"
Reggae called back with real fear in his voice, "Is that Fed with you? I ain't coming out if that Fed is with you." Basil replied in a calm tone, "There are no Feds with me right now but if you don't come out so I can talk with you first, the Fed will, and take you away."
Reggae came out from behind a stack of old pallets with his hands up just as the uniform that entered from behind came up on him. As Basil and the flanking uniform came up to face him, a voice came from behind them, "There you are Reggae. I told you that you wouldn't escape and now here you are; how very fortunate for both of us."
Basil turned around to see a man walk in who fit the description of the Fed from the club. She recognized him almost instantly but at the same time almost didn't. There was something so different about him that she couldn't help herself when she blurted out, "Roni?"