A/N: With this chapter, we are now over 100,000 words. And this chappie is a doosy. This is an emotional chapter, you'll understand at completion. Gar's finally in the mess of not just gang-war but... well... the heart is a horrible thing to fuck up. Damn rambling. I would've had this up yesterday or the day before but I GOT ME SOME WOOFERS FOR THE CAR! BASS, FOOL! Anyway, enjoy.
Redux 1: The Watchman
Number One With a Bullet...
Chapter Three:
October 1, 2007:
"By the start of October, I found myself sitting on a stool in one of Jump City's diners with a coffee in hand. And, despite everything I said in my life, no matter how hard I tried to come to this, I found myself becoming a hypocrite. No, I didn't become Beast Boy again, I didn't sell out to the gangs... My hypocrisy came in the form of my breakfast. The waitress had taken my order for one egg wrap, extra veggies, and a side of toast. Yes, I said "egg wrap." One particularly rough morning in August when Kris made eggs one morning, perhaps driven by hunger, I finally caved. I hadn't eaten in over a day and a half, add to that the morning-after buzz from one of my many nights of Jameson. Like my aspects of my changing life then, I wasn't proud of my decision to abandon one of my core beliefs for survival. After adopting firearms, explosives, and other less than savory means of fighting crime, this felt like another sin thrown on top of yet another sin. Especially given the taste...
The news was pretty boring that day as I recall. My sabotage against Desade's trucks a few days prior had gone largely dismissed as "an accident under investigation" by the Bay Area authorities. I'm sure Desade was probably equally just as furious as Bulletface was at that point but I couldn't be sure, I hadn't heard from either source since my meeting with Mao and Arthur Void. Personally that didn't bother me in the slightest; I could care less if any of those bastards wanted to talk to me. In fact, I found it beneficial for my health as everytime I'd think of one of them, that little voice in my head kept creeping in. It'd whisper about using those explosives to destroy their buildings rather than sabotage and using lethal force rather than subterfuge. Jinx probably wouldn't stuck around if I crossed that bridge and I can't say I would've blamed her.
Speaking of the little witch, our argument on the rooftop that night seemed to have blown over fairly well. If I'm being honest, I'd say she responded pretty well considering how intense we got. We returned to the garage to polish off that whiskey as she suggested and, heh, things started getting interesting for me. It was around midnight when we really got into the drink and even though we'd just been arguing, we actually got into pretty deep conversation about life and how far we'd come. She told me about her childhood, about her parents, and what led her to a life of crime. There was a part of me that felt so strange about hearing her talk about herself given that two years prior she'd been an enemy of the Titans. Now, after so long, there we were both talking about ourselves, laughing like we'd known each other since birth.
Of course, as we got to the bottom of the bottle, our friendly banter started to turn into something a little more, complicated. This needs to be stated rather delicately to understand what happened that night. For ten months, I'd been living mostly on my own or with people who only chose to for my education. No disrepect to Kristine but, for the first time since January of that year, I had the pleasant company of someone I could say understood my metahuman-ness just as I could understand her's. In this line of work, you don't meet many people who aren't off-put or star-struck by your abilities so to have the company of a woman who genuinely cared for you as a person rather than a persona, it touched on the loneliness I'd been trying to ignore.
She also felt somewhat alone; Kid Flash had returned to his home in December of 2006 and she'd been rooming with the Titans ever since. While she could make friends with the team, the fact was the men were spoken for. From what she mentioned in her buzzed-up haze, Robin and Starfire were a serious fling while Cyborg and Bumblebee had been trying to make a long-distance relationship work, to mixed results. For the first time in a long time, by her admission, she had the pleasure of being in the company of a man who made her feel like a woman and not just a teammate as the HIVE did. Scars of the heart, it seems, take longer to heal than those of the skin.
I won't suggest that alcohol is a proper excuse for two-timing, if you could even call that. While Kristine and I had something of a relationship growing, it wasn't full-time. If anything, it was something akin to a running fling. I could never put the work down long enough to seriously commit and she admitted that I probably wouldn't be the best boyfriend given my own, personal issues. Still, we had chemistry there and, looking back, I feel guilt for what Jinx and I did in that drunken state.
Granted, Jinx and I only made out. It wasn't as though we screwed on that dusty couch, far from it, but after the booze ran dry, there wasn't a need for words anymore. For years I tried and failed with so many women, failing horribly, and, in Terra's case, failing multiple times. With Rose Desade, it was a wild one-night stand fueled by a sort of a drunken hate-fuck; with Kristine it was almost like a fantasy relationship, imagining what a normal couple might feel like. With Jinx, I felt my year of sadness, loneliness, and longing coming out through our lips as she held me close. Again, there's no much you can do other than make out when you're both wrapped in a duster trench coat on an old couch, freezing in an abandoned building on the Bay.
"Here you go, egg wrap with extra toast."
I'd been staring into my coffee for so long that the waitress damn near scared the shit out of me when she brought the food over. I thanked her and apologized for startling her after I bolted upright in my seat. She was ok and I tried to calm my nerves with the breakfast. I tried to focus on my day while looking over the television for the local news.
"After I tipped off Detective Sinclair about their trucking operation based in Downtown, she extended her thanks as well as a friendly gift of information as a reward. Normally I'd take some cash or more firepower but, to my joy, it was an informant tip about another Bulletface operation in Jump City they'd just discovered. To their credit, the Jump City gangs sure know how to hide their businesses in plain sight. You pass by, day or night, and they look like your average businesses and factories. Of course, the closer you get, the quicker you realize they're anything but clean and friendly. Ever since Bulletface lost his newest warehouse in North Jump, he made sure to keep guard dogs on site.
It could be tricky sneaking into this building, especially with those bloodhounds sniffing out anyone suspicious. How would they tell though? Unless they had my scent, and they didn't, it'd be hard for them to even know I was there. Ignoring the dogs and the obvious goons, the real trouble would be how to stop latest this operation without repeating my North Jump sting a week prior. Having the JCPD raid them again might tip the Bulletface Gang off into thinking Desade wasn't involved; the JCPD would come under media fire to expose their insider; and even the Titans would face scrutiny about there possibly being a new vigilante they weren't speaking about. Either way you slice it, it wasn't good for my situation if I followed the same route. However, when you read enough Sun Tzu, you learn the value of changing your tactics to confuse the enemy. For my next raid, I'd employ a little lady luck and divide the enemy forces."
"Before I'd begin my attack, I took the time earlier that day to visit Jump City's Downtown Hyatt. Admittedly it isn't the kind of place you'd see someone like me in. One of the finest hotels in Jump City, spare no expense, and simply one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been to. At the end of that long entrance hall, a giant painting of Jump City Bay at dusk dominates the room; it's simply gorgeous. Hell, just stepping on that caramel-colored tile makes your feel rich. Inside when it rains, you can't even hear it from the soundproofing on the giant domes on the ceiling. It's a wild scene of bellhops and guests if you're not paying attention. Still, for all the trouble I get into, seeing the staff there made me glad I got a real job instead of regular shift work. It might be stable but I'm not a stable man.
Then again, my real attention was soon held by the women working the front desk, all four of them. Two blondes, a brunette, and a fire red-head of a woman at the end of the counter speaking with a customer. Forget the two blondes, they could tell who I was interested in. The brunette, as I've been warned before, was "off limits" so it was off to the red-head at the end. I couldn't resist a smile as the customer walks away while her face turned into a half-glare..."
"You're wet! Don't tell me you walked all the way here from North Jump." She wasn't too happy seeing me dripping all over the place. I might be lovable, at times, but she did say I still wasn't fully housebroken.
"I'm a man of many talents, Kristine, walking on water isn't one of them."
She just glared at me, sarcasm in her voice. "I wouldn't know. Then again, you're not the first North Jump smart ass to visit us today."
Kristine side pointed to her coworker, the brunette, who just waved back at the two of us. Through a not-so pleased glare, mostly at me, Kristine told me the reason of her dismay. "Her boyfriend, your best friend, was just here. I swear, Gar, just when I think you're trouble, in comes Mr. P.I."
After all the training and crimefighting I've been involved in. To be consider less of a hassle than Jake Dewalt? Hah! "I take offense to that."
"Don't mind her, her bark's worse than her bite." Her coworker, apparently Jake's rumored girlfriend, was much happier than Kristine could be. In fact, she seemed to take delight in the glare Kristine was giving her as her friend's arm squeezed around her shoulder. "So, Krissy, you gonna introduce me to this handsome man? You didn't tell me he was so tall."
While I might've felt guilty in that moment for my night with Jinx, watching Kristine's fiery glare at her coworkers words brought the sweetest feeling to my heart. "Oh, so you do talk about me when I'm not around? Tell me, does she say nice things or is it all just unjustified rumors?"
This woman just smirked and me and told me the trouble. "Krissy says you're trouble with a capital T. Then again, I'd say it's say it's probably only a lower-case at best."
Kristine finally wriggled out of her friend's grasp, cursing no doubt to be in this position. "Jake's trouble, Sarah. He's just a freeloader."
It was so strange hearing someone stick up for Jake; I swear I hadn't heard one person before the entire time I knew him. "Jake's only being a goof because he knows I'm here. Trust me, he behaves himself when I'm not around."
I wanted to laugh so hard at the idea of Jake being a pushover jokester but Kristine had other ideas. "Hey, Sarah, could you give me a minute with him please? I think I'm gonna kick his ass out the door myself."
"One thing I'll say is that when she's pissed, she doesn't care who she pisses off. While I'm sure smoking on the steps of the Hyatt is a no-no, she didn't refrain from popping out a cigarette as soon as we hit the misty air. At the very least, she was nice enough to let me light it for her with my lighter. I would've commented on how nice the damp weather was for a nap but she'd probably knock me out for that comment.
"So, I'm sure you're here for a reason. It's not like you've ever visited me at work in the past four months. And before you ask, I'm not getting you a free room. You want a place to crash, pay for it yourself."
I couldn't gauge why she was so upset but I had to proceed with this discussion; I hate not knowing sometimes. "Actually I was in the neighborhood and, like you said, I haven't visited you before. Since I'll be free late night tonight, I was going to ask if you wanted Italian or Chinese."
At that she just blew a puff of smoke in my direction. Someone else might not care but with my enhanced nose, it was a direct message. "I haven't heard from you in, what, six days? You know, when you leave, I still have a life. I still have an apartment, with rent, that I have to cover. I can't stay up every night waiting for you to stumble in just because I have a bed and leftovers."
Sometimes a landmine is a landmine but if you're fast enough, by a miracle, you might be able to escape. "I've been making progress lately. I can't go into details but it's looking like the two cartels might be turning on themselves. It's only a matter of time-"
"I don't care about that right now, Gar." She kept her voice down but she made sure to stand up on her toes so she could look me in the eyes. "Right now, I need to know if you're serious about us." Some landmines, however, cannot be escaped with mere speed. "I can't keep doing this if you're not serious about giving this up soon. I'm not going to wait forever while you play the hero."
I didn't care if the rich people with their rich cars and nice clothes were staring at us, in fact I would've have cared if the damn Justice League were there. Kristine was making a valid point and, frankly, she'd put me into one hell of a spot. If I was going to keep this up, things had to change... I knew what we had wasn't going to last forever. "Kristine, I told you before, I do this because I have to. You work at a job you hate to pay for a place you can't stand. I fight criminals who I can't stand to people who I'll never know safer. I don't plan to do this forever but I have to see this through. But I don't want to lose you either."
She dropped her cigarette and grabbed my by the collar. "I'm not someone you can just drop by unannounced, Gar. I know you have your own secret identity but when you come into my house, you can't just use me like a hotel and leave the next day. Are you really serious about us or not?"
Guilt started to creep up my spine again, about several things I'd been doing as of late. Still, a good thing is a good thing, and you don't pass it up just because of other options. "I don't want to lose you, Kristine. You've been one of the best influences on my life; you keep me wanting to be a good guy. It's hard every day to do what I do but I can't keep it going if I can't feel what I feel when I'm with you."
She took her time for a moment after that, releasing me as the words come out of my mouth. As she flicked the cigarette away from the entrance, she started for the door. However, before she could open the door, she turned to me with one hell of a look of determination. That "don't you fuck me over" look I've come to fear in the feminine species. "I'll be home by eleven tonight. I think I'll be having Chinese tonight. Make sure that has the non-vegan egg rolls and the spare ribs." In her own way I could feel her reassuring me that this would continue. In fact, I was sure of it as she opened the door to leave me. However, as she did, she cracked a small smile at me before reminding me of my status. "Freeloader."
"I'd need Lady Luck that night, in fact I'd need her to be a bit bipolar. If my good luck came to be, Jinx would deliver all the bad luck I'd need to make this plan go off without a hitch. As we gathered outside of Bulletface's operation, we took stock of what we were about to enter into. His guard dogs and goons would be trouble but, with clever distractions, they could be nullified. With her expertise in acrobatics and hex magic, their bullets and their dogs could be stopped before they'd get close enough to hurt her, a fact I could rest easier with. Thankfully, our time in the garage wasn't brought up. One thing about superheroes it seems, when it's time to get to work, it's like a razor focus. Everything else goes out the door when it's time to put on the cape, or holorings and magic when it came to us.
The plan was rather simple: She'd raise a hell of a racket outside while I'd sneak inside and find the utility hub. Once there, I could use explosives to set off a chain reaction which would burn down the building. She joked at me that I was just using her as eye candy for the guards but they'd never know it was her from the all-black clothing and magic-dyed black hair. I'd have to make due in a wool coat I bought from the Salvation Army complete with a Jump City Giants hat for a disguise. The duster would be too obvious if anyone got a picture so the poor man's look I'd have to adopt.
It only took a moment for my bat-form to fly inside the weapons building, passing the rows of firearms again as I did in North Jump days prior. It wasn't hard to spot the heating tanks and electrical boxes in the rear of the building. If anything, the hard part was the wait for some of the staff to clear out so I could reform my body and give her the signal.
When the time came, however, it only took a second to land in position and press the earpiece twice. Within a few seconds, she had the entire dockyard shaking, doing God knows what. You could hear the shouting inside about an attack as the crew scattered, looking for weapons. Barking, probably more from the noise of explosions than the attacker, sent the dogs running while men shouted to open fire. My distraction tactic was working beautifully, I had the window I needed. As I prepped the explosives on the heating tanks, I remembered the words Question taught me first written by Mao Tse-Tung in the Chinese Civil War: "Armies cannot win if they lose, Guerrillas cannot lose if they win."
As I prepped the plastic explosives, I switched on the devices for remote detonation. After placing them on the tanks, I could hear the sound of a very large caliber weapon chamber a round, the hammer pulling back and ready to fire. In an instant, I swear I could feel time itself slow down. I could smell the gunpowder, taste the sweat on my lips, and I swear I could almost feel the ten foot distance between my body and the barrel of the gun.
"Back away with your hands on your head." That commanding, Asian accent, speaking in such a regal-yet-direct tone. Those words will always bring a shiver to my spine thinking back on that night. "Press that button and you'll be dead before you hit the floor."
I complied by putting my hands on my hat but, even now, I'm still amazed at how calm I was. For those few seconds, everything felt surreal, as though it was all a dream. As quick as it came, however, it had passed via the shattering ground of Jinx's attack. At least I could count on her to buy me some time. "I apologize. I wasn't aware this was a Triad operation."
"You are in the wrong building. You are trespassing in Bulletface Bryson's property. Turn around, slowly, or I will kill you." Nothing wrong with following a few orders. However, as I turned and finally made eye contact with my would-be murderer, I almost felt my heart skip a beat. I've seen many Asian women before but what a sight. She had on the most beautiful black and white floral kimono, real silk given the texture. Her delicate fingers holding that hand cannon with such refined precision. Dear God those luscious eyes. They held the power of a thunderstorm but the grace of a flower all in the same, chocolate hue. To say I was smitten, at least for a moment, would be an understatement. "You have chosen to follow the wrong path, it seems. You should not listen to every word your allies in the JCPD tell you."
"I chose the wrong path?" I couldn't believe the words were coming out of my mouth, it's funny now thinking about it, but there they were, causing me more headaches. "You could've been a movie star with those looks. What made you choose Bulletface Bryson?"
"Nothing you need concern yourself with." She stepped a little closer, that gun still trained on my face though with no sign of flinching. "Before I end your life, tell me who sent the two of you? You could not have planned this alone?"
"Mind if I have a smoke first?" Being so close to death does funny things to a person. Some might freak out, others might cry, it looked like, that night at least, it made me rather bold. Stupid, probably, but bold at least. "Hey, if I'm going to die, let me have a smoke first while I tell you." She gestured to my coat, sensing that I was moving my hand towards the top chest pocket. "Yeah, I have a pack of Kools in there. Don't shoot, I'm not armed." Indeed, for such an occasion, I did happen to have a pack of cigarettes along with my lighter. As I placed the strip of tobacco in my lips, I snapped my zippo to life to set it ablaze. To my amazement, all I could do was cough as I inhaled the smoke. "I hate these things. They'll kill you."
She wasn't amused. In fact, as I said that, she narrowed the gap to around five feet. "You have bigger concerns. Who sent you, NOW!"
I'd been waiting for a moment Jinx's temper would get the better of her. As I stood there, cherry-lit cigarette with my hands on my head, I could feel the building shake as something large struck the side of the wall. Thinking now I bet she threw a cargo container, "by accident", at some goons and missed. Still, the opportunity was all I needed.
Before she could get her footing again, I threw the cigarette at her face. She took it well but her first shot missed the mark. I hit the floor on instinct as she fired towards where my head would've been. There was a window of opportunity so I lunged forward. I had the jump enough to knock the gun from her hand but she countered well. She put one of her feet into my stomach but I was smart enough to roll away before she could put her fist in my fast. Each time she closed the distance, I either tried to block her punches or roll away to help divert her energy. Changing my tactics, as she tried a roundhouse punch, I used her momentum to throw her, and myself by accident, onto the floor.
"You fight pretty damn good for a Bulletface girl." As I got back to my feet, she had already returned to her stance and was again trying to land a knockout punch. "Listen, I'm not one for dancing without knowing a girl's name-"
It would've been funny if it didn't happen to me but she stomped on my foot before kicking me once more in the stomach. Of course, while I was a bit winded from the kick, her endurance wasn't nearly as good as mine. "I am Daiyu, the Black Jade of the Bulletface Gang."
After coughing up some fluid from the waist kick, I waved her towards me to keep up the attack. "You can call me whatever you like, as long as it's not "late to dinner." Something about this woman and the whole situation just brought out the dormant humorous side of me. Robin would've yelled at me for laughing during a fight but I couldn't help it, everything felt so insane.
My words were badly chosen as she removed the two hairpins keeping her black hair in place. "You move with the reflexes of an alley cat. Perhaps I shall skin you before I break you!" Those hairpins weren't normal hairpins, they were sharpened blades designed for slashing and piercing flesh. Her speed with those blades can be downright frightening, especially when she's on a roll. It didn't even occur to me at the time but one of the swipes was so close to taking off my scalp that it ripped my hat right off my head, along with some of my hair going with it.
This fight was going on too long though; I had things to do and she was getting in the way. After one of her swings my way, I managed to get behind her and drive one of my feet into the back of her knee. I'm not one for violence against women but this one was trying to murder me. Remember, bend them but don't break them. The problem was, as she took a moment to regain her balance, I decided to jump for the .357 lying on the ground. If my fists wouldn't stop her, maybe her own gun would.
My back on the ground, I turned the barrel towards her and instead found myself pressing the cold steel into her waist. Lucky for me that action stopped her as she had her blades ready to drive into my face. Stalemate, neither side moving, all we could do was catch our breath and wait for the other to flinch.
"Pull the trigger or I will gauge out your eyes."
Something about this woman brought out the adrenaline in me. While I wish I could tell you I wanted to put this woman in jail, a part of me relished the thought of what else a woman who could kick my ass could do in a better setting. "And let all that beauty go to waste? That would be a crime in of itself."
She inched a bit forward but I kept that gun right where it needed to be. I needed it to keep her mind away from what was really about to happen. "Your flattery is as cheap as your clothing, not to mention as shameless."
This would be so sweet as I thought, everything was falling right into place. "Before we end this, I need you to remember something about tonight."
"What is that?"
I twirled the detonator in my left hand around for her to notice. "You blinked."
"By ten o'clock, I finally made my way back to North Jump. Oh my poor clothes, all burnt up and looking worse than the day I bought them. There was cuts, scrapes, soot... I wasn't very clean at all from the sweat and smoke of the fire. Still, at least I made it out of there accomplishing what I started. Now that I knew about Bulletface's ace assassin, I could factor her into my plans as well. Not that I minded, either, she was far too easy on my eyes. There was one last thing that needed to be done before I could finish the rest of my night. "Jinx? You there?"
"Now's not the best time to talk. Robin's watching the news about a warehouse fire Downtown. He looks suspicious."
Well that was going to happen sooner or later I figured. Lucky for me Jinx was home before he could've put two-and-two together. "Looks like this city has a firebug. Oh well. You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you? That was a pretty nasty fire in there. Everything still in tact?"
I patted myself a little bit, more for the humor than checking my body. "I'd say everything's still in good shape. Bulletface's assassin tried to cut my eyes out but I managed to deflect her. Seems like Bulletface arranged for that informant to leak that info through the JCPD to draw me out. I'll have to be more careful next time."
"Next time you better keep your hands away from those crazy assassins." I could practically hear the jealousy coming through the phone, along with a subtle wink of a warning. "I haven't forgotten about the other night, Gar. Once I put a spell on you, I don't let go easily."
This wasn't going to make things easier with Kristine but, for now, best to play the fool until things could be sorted out. "I'll be on my best behavior. In the meantime, I'm going to lay low for a little, let this blow over. Have a good night, Jinx."
"Yeah, thanks, a lonely bed on a cold night in the Tower. You really know how to keep a girl warm, Gar."
"Hours later, I called Kristine saying I'd be there shortly, that I just got into town. Maybe she got herself some whiskey early because she sounded extra happy to have me around a little longer. Hell, she told me to bring whatever I wanted, she'd be awake when I got there. At the time all I could think about was how lucky I was this wasn't going to be a fight. After nearly dying in that Bulletface warehouse, with that crazy Chinese chick trying to gouge my eyeballs, and nearly getting blown up by C4, I could use an easy night.
Getting the Chinese food wasn't that hard, these people will work double-tough for half the pay a normal cook gets. Not to mention they make some of the best tasting rice and noodles any man raised on vegetables could ask for. Just don't try to argue or haggle with them, they will put even Superman in the bitch without thinking twice. Big Blue would get maybe two sentences in before the cook would come out, swinging that clever, and yelling in Chinese or Korean that he'd be cutting up "Kryptonite Poison Fugu fish for pushy customer to choke on!" Just pay the cashier your twelve seventy-two for the meal and get the hell out. Hell, I've probably been a few of the animals they make the spare ribs out of, I think I heard them tell a customer "You want Peking Duck that goes Quack Quack? Well it don't, it goes "Woof woof""
Up those long steps, each time I went there it felt like my body hurts more and more from each successive fight. Nagging injuries, subtle tears of the ligaments and muscles, a testament to my rising age. The soreness comes quick when you get thrown through windows, concrete floors, wooden tables and it doesn't go away just because you fight the good fight. Finally at the door, I knocked, waiting for help getting the food into the kitchen.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and a red-head pounced on me. I didn't have a chance to gasp before her tongue made it's way into my mouth; her body wrapping around mine. The body took over for the mind at that point, I didn't realize I dropped the food just to keep us from falling over. Remember, I was no chick magnet, so all of this attention from the women at the time was new to me! Hell, when I tried to ask what was going on, she told me to shut up and bring the food in. I'm bold but I'm not that stupid: I did just as I was told. Judging from the pheromones in the room with that stare in her eyes, that demanding voice in my head was starting to sound a lot bit more like an animal than a man's. Kris started ripping off my clothes before we could even fall back to the bedroom. The last thing I could remember before Kristine threw me on the bed was the ironic joy entering my mind. To think that Jinx brought the bad luck against Bulletface earlier and that Kris was about to make good on my lucky day. The rest is not your business."
A/N2: Gar's gettin' his groove on, though he might be over his head coming up. No good deed goes unpunished. Then again, now that he's met Daiyu, shit could get a little more hairy. Still, you gotta hand it to those Chinese, they don't take any guff from anyone. Bulletface is NOT gonna be happy about this. Do you think Gar's getting over his head?
Trivia:
- FOUR CHAPTERS IN A ROW with Jameson reference.
- Kools cigarettes mentioned.
Rhetorical:
Gar's babies might look weird... and white.
