AN: Special thanks goes to Story's Shadow for writing the second half of this excellent chapter.
-Two Day's Later-
"You sure we can trust this guy?" Angela whispered as she kept fidgeting with her ski mask that covered her face.
"Positive. I've done business with him many times." Avery replied calmly.
He noticed a car puling into the back alley where they intended to do the deal.
"Looks like our man." Avery whispered as he quickly slid on his ski mask.
He walked towards the car that had stopped moving, Angela a few steps behind him.
"Gene?" Avery asked as soon as the man had exited his car.
The man simply nodded his head silently.
"Trust me when I say, we've hooked you up with some a quality deal. These jewels that were taken from across the board will have rich rewards for their return to their rightful owners," Avery said with a smile that couldn't bee seen due to his mask.
"If what you are saying is true, then they will certainly pay top dollar," Gene replied with a friendly smile on his face, "But first I must inspect your product–"
"Doesn't my reputation count for anything anymore?" Avery asked in a fake insulted tone, which made Gene chuckle.
"It does count, it's the reason I picked up the phone in the first place." Gene began with a smile on his face.
Something was eating at Angela, but she wasn't sure what it was.
"But you know I have to inspect any product that I sell. So please, let me see these jewels." Gene politely requested.
"The greens?" Avery asked.
In response Gene opened the back door of his car.
"1.7 million, the amount we agreed upon. Now the jewels?" Gene asked.
In response, Avery nodded his head and he and Angela walked forward and opened their duffle bags and showed Gene all the jewelry they intended to sell.
"Now the money?" Angela asked quickly.
Gene nodded silently as he opened up both briefcases, revealing stacks of cash, which made Angela smile under her ski mask.
"I think we have deal, don't you?" Gene asked with a friendly laugh as he held out his hand for a handshake.
"Damn straight we have a deal." Avery said with a friendly laugh as he reached out and shook Gene's hand.
Avery's hand had no sooner made contact with Genes, when an energy blast hit Gene in the back, and then struck Avery in his chest, causing them both to drop to the dirty alley ground.
"NYPD, Freeze!" echoed all over the alleyway.
Angela's look of shock had now contorted to rage as several police officers quickly jumped out of hiding places, weapons drawn.
"Put your hands in the air!" another cop shouted as he pointed his weapon at Angela.
Angela's response was to point a finger at the cop and tendrils of shadow quickly began snaking their way towards the police officers, but just as they where about to reach their target, a large object mad contact with the back of Angela's skull, and she quickly fell to the ground, unconscious, courteous of Captain Stacy's police baton.
-Later-
Angela awoke to find herself strapped to a hospital bed.
"Shit!" Angela cursed.
She instantly tried to use her powers to teleport herself out of the room, but due to the lighting in the room, there where no shadows for her to escape into. With a muttered curse she tried to move her arms, only to notice they where handcuffed to her bed.
"Look who's finally awake." a voice called out to Angela.
She had been so distracted with trying to escape that she didn't notice a man enter into her hospital room.
"You are?!" Angela hissed angrily.
"Captain Stacy, NYPD," came Stacy's answer.
He gave her a cold glance with a hint of a smirk.
"I'd like to ask you a few questions, Ms. McKnight," Stacy said in a calm tone.
"Go to hell," Angela snarled.
"That's no way to talk to police captain, young lady," Stacy said.
Angela saw the baton at his hip.
"It's the way to talk to a guy who hits a girl," Angela spat.
Stacy frowned.
"You're a thief," Stacy replied.
"Oh, so if I take a little money that makes me no longer a girl? Gee, I had no idea," Angela sarcastically scoffed.
"So you were just at the store for the money?" Stacy asked.
"Oh no, the place had air conditioning," Angela replied, a sarcastic smirk on her face.
"This is serious, young lady," Stacy said.
"Oh really? I thought you just enjoyed rubbing your little stick," Angela said, a wily grin on her face.
Stacy glowered at her.
"I can't help you if you're not serious," Stacy grumbled a reply.
"I'd say the knot in my head begs to differ to that statement," Angela hissed, her tone shifting back to anger.
"Maybe your friend will be more cooperative," Stacy said, standing up.
"If you touch one hair on his head I'll kill you! You hear me cop?! I'll kill you!" Angela growled, straining against her cuffs as she tried to launch herself at him.
Stacy saw the utter hatred and disgust in her eyes. Her teeth were clenched as she struggled to free herself. He'd seen anger towards him before, but having the look of someone looking down on his very existence struck him in a way that he didn't understand. But he shook that off.
"Against my better judgment, someone else wants to speak with you," he said as he started to leave the room.
"If you hurt him, you coward, I'll make you regret!" Angela continued to roar.
The door shut behind him. After a few minutes someone else walked in. A young woman not much older than Angela sat where Stacy did. Angela looked at her with confusion, but with anger remaining. If she was there, she was with the cops...or allies or whatever with him.
"Angela, I'm-" she started to say.
"I don't care who you are. Where's my friend?!" Angela interjected.
"He's fine. I've come to talk to you. My name's Daisy. I've come to you with an offer," Daisy informed.
"Rat out my friend? Hell no. You bastard's might not get this, but there is honor among thieves," Angela hissed.
Daisy didn't betray any emotions in response to this, but Angela knew she was studying her.
"No, not that," Daisy said.
"Than what?" Angela hissed.
"You did something wrong...but-" Daisy started to say.
"Wrong? Surviving's and trying to improve your crappy life is wrong? Ohh sorry, I didn't mean to step on your 'high and mighty, self righteous' crap," Angela interjected.
Daisy did show a bit of shock to this, but her face shifted back to its original visage.
"You have skills...powers...that can be used for good. I'm part of a group that uses them for that very matter. I'm offering you place there. There's more people like us in this group. We stop-" Daisy said.
"People like us? Yeah, I've heard stories. People like us: people struggling to survive in a world that despises us, that we have to do 'bad things' because we don't have the same privileges as those not like us do," Angela spat back, her anger rising.
"You're a thief. There's no reason to be one," Daisy said.
"Maybe for you there isn't! But not all of us have perfect lives! Not all of us get to be rich or have society favor or whatever! Some of us have experienced nothing but crap our whole lives! We do what we do to survive!" Angela snarled.
"...But you're breaking the law...you and your friend..." Daisy said.
"What has the law done for either of us except for spit our faces?" Angela hissed.
"I'm giving you an opportunity here...but maybe Captain Stacy's right...maybe you deserve jail," Daisy mused.
Angela tried to lunge at her, but the cuffs held her back.
"You enjoy being a policeman's toy do you?!" Angela roared, utter hatred in her voice and eyes.
Daisy looked at her with surprise at this, but managed to shift her expression back to a calm one.
"...This is a chance Angela...for you to use your powers and get out of the gutters you've been living in. There's a place where you can stay. You won't have to struggle for scraps or have to steal to have a better life," Daisy said, but this time she expressed emotion in her voice.
Angela's anger slowly subsided and she contemplated this.
'Maybe...maybe it's a chance...but she better not expect me to a be a puppet. And any crap given her 'friends' about me being a thief and they'll regret it,' Angela thought to herself.
"What about my friend?" Angela asked.
"I don't know what Captain Stacy has planned for him exactly," Daisy answered.
"Him too or not deal," Angela instantly demanded.
Daisy slowly nodded and started to leave.
"If this is a trick or you all try to use me against more people like me, you'll pay for it," Angela warned.
Daisy didn't respond to this.
"...I'll go see about your friend," Daisy eventually said then left.
To Be Continued...
AN: Please tell me what you think...