The metal of the top of the storage container creaked under my feet as I walked along it.
Victor was lay down, with his eye lined up with the scope on his set up sniper rifle. "You're early. Thought you'd be a late kind of girl." he stated, not looking up at me. The rifle was pointed at the docking point, which was around 120 metres away.
I shrugged. "I always like to be early, just in case. And I thought we'd be closer?" I retorted, sitting down next to him.
In our dark clothes, the two of us were nearly invisible, being covered by the blanket of Winter night darkness. It was very cold, but I'd wrapped up in a thick fleece jacket, gloves and a scarf; Victor wasn't so prepared, but he didn't seem to be too phased by the chill.
"We don't want to be seen too early, or for them to get the opportunity to call for backup. I was thinking I could snipe the guys out once you got here, and then go over and change into their uniforms. Then we can sit in the truck without raising too much suspicion."
"What if you can't use your sniper to take out all of them?"
"Are you suggesting something?"
I smirked. "If you let me use a gun, I could sneak over and take out any guys you can't get to."
He cocked an eyebrow, and finally looked at me. "You know how to shoot? Very interesting. But how do I know you won't screw this whole thing up?"
"I could say the same thing to you. Just because you're a professional doesn't mean you can pull it off every time. Think of me as a professional in training, or something."
He sighed, pulling a sleek black Glock 41 out of his holster, along with a matte suppressor, which he attached to the barrel. Reluctantly, he handed it to me. I smiled as I felt the now familiar weight of a weapon in my hands, it was starting to excite me and though it was terribly wrong, I actually liked the thrill of death that followed me.
"Don't go pointing it at yourself or anything." he warned, as I turned it around in my hand.
"I'm not stupid," I hissed, glaring at him. "It's just a nice gun."
He suddenly looked back into his scope as the purring of an engine sounded from the area in question. It was a truck, with sturdy metal walls, and a large GCPD logo slapped on the side of it.
"Bingo," Victor murmured, as he observed a man get out of the passenger seat and head around to stand guard at the back doors of the truck. One woman sat in the drivers seat, but turned the keys so the engine would subside, and opened the door so she could hang her legs out. "Two officers, perfect."
"I'll go up closer to get a better look, take the shot when you see I'm over there." I added, climbing down from the shipping container, which was much easier than climbing up. Landing quietly on my feet, I snuck around the other containers on the docks, which was an area around the size of a large soccer field. I hide behind some crates just far enough from the truck so I had a decent view of the female officer, but not so much that I was too exposed.
There was an intense sound of the wind resisting an object, along with a clunk as a body hit the ground with a grunt. A moment later, I aimed my gun at her face, firing the trigger, and hearing a noise similar to a branch snapping due to the suppressor. The driver slouched over into the passenger seat, and I breathed out a strangled sigh.
I hurried over to the drivers seat, and sent two more bullets into her head, just to double check she was dead. Leaning through the door on the driver's side, I checked the back was empty, and to my relief, it was. I suppose they didn't really care enough about poor Carl to up the security.
"You did alright there, partner." Victor's voice came, as he circled over to where I was standing.
I shrugged. "I could have gotten her in one hit, I suppose."
He walked over to the back of the truck, to where the dead officer was laying. Crouching down, he inspected the body, before starting to pull the clothing off of him, until he was left in his underwear and socks. Then Victor proceeded to start getting undressed as if I wasn't there, and I blushed and turned away.
"I'm gonna do the same with this officer..." I murmured, going over to the woman and struggling to get her out of the vehicle. With a heave I pulled her out, and she fell lifelessly onto the stone floor; I grimaced as I removed the clothing, but soon it was off, and I held it in my arms as I was unsure of what to do. I gave a sneaky glance over at Victor to see that he had the officer's trousers on, and was buckling them up, but he had no shirt on. His pale torso was lean and the outline of veins on his chest was evident, also with the many raised scars that littered his abdomen, shoulders and back.
I flushed red and looked away again. I had never seen a guy in a state of undress before, at least not in person, and it was kind of intimidating. Nevertheless, I turned my back to him, and began to change into the uniform right in the open. It made me feel quite uncomfortable just because I didn't have much privacy, but at the same time it was kind of thrilling, as the cold air hit my skin and goosebumps jumped up all over my body.
I really hoped my dad never found out about this.
"Done?" Victor asked, politely, as I pulled my hair out from under the top. It was just past my shoulders now, as it had been a short while since Violet cut it.
I turned back to him and nodded, the blush still strong on my cheeks and nose. He gave me a smile, and grabbed the female officer, lugging her over his head; he walked a couple metres, then threw her into the water. The body bobbed around, but then sank slowly into the deep bay. With almost no effort at all, he did the same with the male officer. He turned back to me and clapped his hands like he was clearing himself of the deed.
"Now we just get in the front seats and wait."
-
"So where are you from? You don't sound like you're from Gotham." he asked, as we sat a little while later in the truck, him in drivers seat, and me in the passenger. We had hidden our clothes in the backpack I had brought, which was now stuffed beneath my feet.
"I shouldn't really be telling you, but Baltimore. I only moved here recently." I answered, pulling a knee to my face.
He grinned. "Baltimore, Maryland as in Hairspray Baltimore?" he asked.
I gave him a surprised look. "I thought you'd be more of a Silence of the Lambs Baltimore person."
He shimmied his head from side to side. "I can appreciate any classic, not just ones that involve murder and crime. I think you're stereotyping me."
"To be honest, I didn't think there was much more to you than white snarky hitman."
His smile softened. "Well I'm glad I could surprise you."
We were interrupted by the roaring of engines pulling toward us. I peered into my side mirror to see a sleek black and white police boat, with Metropolis Police transcribed on the side.
"Stay here and don't say much, I'll open the back doors." he instructed me, rather seriously, and I nodded. He got out, adjusting the officer cap on his head.
Looking in the mirror once again, I could see him walk over to the truck doors, just as the boat pulled up, and three people got off. Two of them were in uniform, and were holding the third, who had his hands chained behind his back. Carl Kristoff.
The back doors were opened, and the officers shoved Kristoff inside the truck.
"You'll be hearing from my lawyer!" he spat after them, his voice a mix of Latin and Gothamite, as if he had been raised speaking Spanish, but had been around the criminals of this damn city far too long. He gave a laugh as the doors were slammed close, and Victor jumped back in.
He turned on the engine, and we drove seamlessly out of the docks, and onto the main roads.
"Maaan, there's no point in taking me to the GCPD. Even if I get sent to Blackgate, I'll be out of there just as quick as I get put in." he bragged, and I rolled my eyes. "So between you and me, homie, I think you should take me somewhere else."
I noticed a glimpse of Victor smirking in one of the mirrors. "Oh, don't worry, you're not going to the GCPD." he replied, his voice light.
The jangling of chains was heard as Carl moved. "Oh? Wow, that was easy." he murmured, surprise in his voice. "Could you drop me off at Penn Street and I'll have my boys pick me up there."
Victor tsked. "I don't think you're in the position to be making requests, Carl. But let's say I can drop you off, first you have to be a good boy for Daddy, and prove your life means something. So we're making a detour."
Carl's eyes widened, and I turned to look at Victor. "Erm, where are we going?" I asked, politely, as we drove at a moderate pace down another street, stopping at red lights just so we didn't attract any attention.
He gave me a quick smile. "We're headed to my favourite place, it's a surprise."
The armoured truck rattled as we drove, and it was slightly unsettling. Actually I didn't know if I was more unsettled by that, a man who was involved in my mom's murder being sat in the back, or that Victor could pull a full 180 and turn out to be a complete psychopath. Nevertheless he continued to drive, until it pulled into a wide alley, and he shut off the engine.
He got out, and I did too, slinging the bag of clothes around my shoulder. There was a door to one side of the alley, which looked like a fire exit. Looking up, I couldn't see much more than that the building was very tall, and was most likely built in the Victorian age of Gotham.
Victor opened the back doors, and dragged out a shaking Carl. Even in the dim light of the night sky, I could see that Carl was clearly terrified.
"Oh god, you aren't cops, who are you people?" he fumbled, his voice fluctuating from normal to high and scratchy.
"We're some people that have guns, and want answers." I replied, just as Victor kicked open the door. Carl gave me worried eyes, and I had to admit - it was sort of nice to have people be afraid of you like this.
The building was empty as it was nighttime, and in it there was a winding staircase, and a single elevator. We took the elevator up to the top, as Victor explained that we didn't have time to force this fuckhead up ten flights of stairs.
It wasn't until we were nearing the top that I realised where we were. "We're in a clock tower." I breathed, listening to the ticking of the large clock on the side of the building.
The doors opened and we stood out onto the very top of the clock tower, on a medium sized rooftop, lined by metre high railing. Looking from here the view was magnificent, the landscape of the dark, brooding city stretching on for miles in every direction.
My eyes roaming the skyline didn't last for long, before Victor grabbed Carl by the collar, and bent him backwards over the metal railing. The latter whimpered and tried to get away, but alas his hands were still bound behind his back.
"Now, Carl. You were busted by the FBI for being involved in a murder, correct? What, hmm, did you tell them?" the former grilled, his grip on the other man tight.
Carl shook his head. "I told them everything, I don't know nothing else about the puta!"
I neared him, pulling out my knife and twirling it in my hands. "That puta was my mother, so you're just gonna have to tell us everything you told them and more."
He visibly gulped hard, and nodded. "Okay, I was called into this by one of the other guys on the job, who ended up getting killed- I was working with a group of four guys, we broke into this little place in Maryland, I don't know why but the guy told me we'd get more instructions once we got there. Well the lady heard us come in, killed two of the guys, and then another guy bashed her over the head and we did a runner. I still didn't get paid, so if you let me go I could hel-"
"The man who bashed her over the head, that was Happy, wasn't it?" I asked, as Victor held him over further.
"Yeah, yeah! Strange guy, didn't talk."
"Describe him. Or do you need me to help your memory?" Victor snapped, as he was aware the railing was giving a little creak.
"No I don't- he was very tall, big guy, maybe 300lbs? White, always wore a mask so no one ever saw his face."
"A mask?"
"Yeah he's always worn it, even back when the two of us worked together for Pacino- rumours say he has a hideous scar across his face-"
"Did I ask you about rumours, fuckface?"
"I'm sorry, but that's all I know!"
"You know, I really don't believe you."
"Listen, homie, whatever you want, it's yours. Money? I got it. Women? Just name it, just let me go."
Victor tsked once again. "Poor choice of words." His grip on Carl released, and the man fell even further backwards with a yelp, before gravity did its job, and pulled him all the way over.
Victor and I watched as he descended almost a hundred feet, and I couldn't pull my eyes away until he was nothing but a mess on the pavement below.
"We're done here." he murmured, and I looked up at him.
We left without another word.
