Chapter 12

Raiden strode forward. Peripherally, he saw Kay and her gold badge. His heart flipped in his chest figuratively, and in his mind he yelled out, 'Kay? Sweet, sweet Kay. I wish we had met under better circumstances than this my dear, sweet Kay, but the furies must be brought into balance. I have so much larger responsibilities than to you or the friendship we shared once."

Reggae's eyes bulged and he practically ran over the uniform behind him as he yelled, "That Fed is gonna kill me! Don't let him kill me! You have to protect me!" Basil had recovered her poise by this time and said, "No one is going to be killed here, so just settle down." She looked to Raiden as he held up his ID, "I'm Agent Ron Ingrid, FBI. Reggae here is a 'person of interest' to us in the Bureau and I'm afraid I'll have to take him off your hands here Detective."

"Just what are you going to do with this man Agent Ingrid?" she asked. As he stepped forward, Raiden created some handcuffs in an inner pocket, reached for them and started to cuff Reggae. As he clicked them into place and double-locked them, he said, "I'm afraid that information is above your paygrade Detective. I know that's not polite or tactful, but it's the only one you're going to get at this time."

Basil knew full well that she was over her head in this so she said the only thing she could say as she turned towards the uniforms, "We're done here. Thanks for helping me out, but Agent Ingrid is within his rights. Let's go." The officers stared daggers at Raiden as they holstered their weapons, but said to Basil, "Anytime Detective Basil, anytime," and left. Basil holstered her pistol as well on her way out behind the departing uniforms and turned to Raiden, "If I or the Kirkland Police Department can be of further assistance Agent Ingrid, don't hesitate to call," and handed over her card.

Outside, as the two uniforms got back into their cruiser, one of them said, "I thought I heard you call him something. Do you know him?" She looked back at the warehouse a moment and then back to the officer and said, "I did. Or at least I thought I did. It was a long time ago now. Why do you ask?" The officer said, "I've been on the beat for a long time now and I've easily seen the entire spectrum of emotional response and I can tell you that Reggae was genuinely scared for his life back there. See you later."

The cruiser drove off and Kay stood there a moment, debating between going back to make sure this 'Agent Ingrid' was her old friend or not or going back to the station, but decided the other way, got back into her car and went back to the station.

Back inside, as soon as the uniforms and Kay had left, Raiden pointed a finger at the cuffs on Reggae's wrists and dissipated them with a small electric arc. Reggae rubbed his wrists and said, "The boss said someone like you might come. Now what? Are you going to kill me?" Raiden looked sad a moment and then sighed loudly and said, "Yes." Reggae said, "Thought so. But the boss taught me something really neat, and I guess now would be the time to share it." Raiden said, "What might that be Reggae?" The only answer Reggae gave him was a fireball to the chest.

Caught off-guard, the blast sent Raiden backwards off his feet. As he hit the floor, he turned the fall into a reverse roll and was back on his feet. The blast had hurt of course, but did no real damage. Reggae ran behind another stack of pallets, laughed out loud and taunted, "Maybe you ain't so strong after all. I guess the boss was jumping at shadows." Raiden let his voice resume its natural echo as he walked towards the sound of Reggae's voice and with an act of will, exchanged his black FBI suit for his usual trappings of godhood, the same as he had worn in Thailand and said, "You are playing with powers you can't possibly comprehend boy. Do you think your 'boss' gave you this power without something in exchange?"

"What of it? He wanted a drop of blood. Why the hell should I care about one drop, I've got lots more to spare." Raiden's anger flared, "YOU FOOL! That was all your 'boss' needed. You've given him the one thing, the only thing he wanted from you from the start." Reggae laughed again from behind the pallets somewhere, "What do you think he wanted it for bright boy. For a drop I've got the power to throw fire from my bare hands and not get burned. What might happen if I gave him a pint?"

Raiden teleported and reappeared behind Reggae. As he turned around, Raiden struck Reggae in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. As he doubled over, Raiden grabbed him by the chin and forced Reggae to make eye contact with him, "You've lost your soul already with that one drop, now, before you lose your life and go to your reward, tell me where to find the other four like you." Reggae squeaked as he gasped for breath, "H-how can you . . . you already know about them?"

Raiden looked him in the eye and said, "Yes, and unless I stop them, the very whole of Earthrealm could be in jeopardy because the ones to come are not yet ready for the Tournament. Tell me where to find the others. Your soul and your life are already forfeit. Maybe I can stop the others before it's too late."

Reggae tried to reassert his bravado by saying, "Screw the world. Why should I care?" Raiden said, "I'll be sure to tell your mother what you said as her soul is consumed by the demons that would be let loose upon the earth if I can't stop Shang Tsung, your 'boss'. That got Reggae's attention as he spat out, "Don't you dare touch my mom. She's still the best thing in my world of shit."

"I won't, but if the evil that you have helped to bring into Earthrealm should win the day, she too will burn forever just like every other man, woman and child on the face of the planet." The stone cold certainty in Raiden's voice got through to Reggae. "I only know the others by their street names. Roller and Dice are together. They run an underground poker game in a sealed, secret access room back at Club Jet. Piano Man hides out at a lounge somewhere on the west side, where all the rich people go to drop a hundred-dollars-a-plate and feel like their 'roughing it' away from their personal cooks wherever home is for them and the Ice Witch, I don't know where she goes to spend her time or what she looks like for certain. I only know that her hair is natural bleach blond, practically white and that the only jewellery she wears is diamonds . . . you know, ice. She's also the coldest, most heartless bitch you'll ever meet. That's why everyone calls her the Ice Witch."

Raiden let Reggae go and said, "It may be small consolation, but thank you for the information. Maybe this gesture from you may help your soul gain forgiveness after its release someday. SHINU-TOKI-GA-KITA!"

Raiden made a claw-like gesture at Reggae's face as lightning poured fourth from his fingertips into the young man's head. His body arched and his arms shot out to the sides as a visceral scream of agony ripped from his mouth right before his head exploded.