CHAPTER 3
Alex alighted on the rooftop of one of the warehouses at the end of the docks as the two black town cars pulled up in front of the one across the road. He motioned for Hierro to crouch down, and together they watched several people climb out. A man with muscles that strained the material of his expensive suit got out the passenger side door of the first car and walked to the back door, opening it for middle aged man, similarly dressed in a tailored suit and just the right amount of gray in his dark, close-cropped hair. The door on the other side swung open and a woman in a leather bomber jacket unfolded herself from the backseat. She slung a heavy metal baseball bat over her shoulder and indulged in a wide yawn. She sauntered over to the warehouse door and leaned against the doorframe before lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag.
Three men in slightly cheaper suits holding large black cases piled out of the second car and greeted the middle aged man coldly but courteously. The bodyguard gestured for them to step into the warehouse, but his boss paused for a moment to say something to the smoking woman before following them inside. The woman palmed a pokeball from her belt and tossed with a languid flick of her wrist. A massive Aggron appeared in a flash of light and growled something. The woman shrugged again and said something back. The Aggron lumbered to the other side of the door and hunkered down.
Alex swore under his breath as he adjusted his mask and checked his batons. He hadn't counted on Gwendolyn Culain being here. The owner and sole employee of Aegis Security hired herself and her Aggron out to anyone willing to pay her exorbitant prices. When she had first arrived in Clarus City a few years ago, the various factions had not known what to make of her. The so-called Iron Maiden had no interest in pro bono hero work, nor did she seem to have any interest in carving out a niche in the underworld. A few members of the Clarus City elite had engaged her services as a private security detail when they felt that the city's less desirable elements were targeting them.
Over time, Gwen had developed a reputation for cold professional ruthlessness, quickly and efficiently taking care of any duties her employer set her to. In time, Clarus City's myriad criminal organizations had approached her to contract her services, and Gwen had taken their money and done what was asked of her. Alex had heard that she refused to do anything illegal, for liability reasons, but she had no problem standing outside a meeting between Lust and Keita Kuromori to ensure that no one got in the way of a treaty between the two factions, or ensuring that no one interfered while Gluttony and her thugs roughed up a reluctant "business partner" or terrorized the leaders of trade union.
People who did interfere tended to get hurt, though she generally stopped short of permanently crippling or maiming. Generally.
But now in spite of her reputation, she was in Hawlucha Man's way. He had reason to believe that the Baron was brokering a deal for some seriously dangerous weaponry tonight, and he couldn't in good conscience allow the kingpin of Avenbrooke to get that kind of firepower, terrifying security detail or not. He took a deep breath and stepped back so he could have a running start. He soared out over the edge of the warehouse, Hierro just behind him.
When Gwen saw the two shadows flit by over her head, she glanced up and swore under her breath. "Guess I have to earn that paycheck. Up and at 'em, Maximus."
Hawlucha Man dropped out of the sky and drew his batons. "Things will go a lot easier for you if you step out of the way."
Gwen shouldered her bat. "Yeah, probably. But a contract's a contract." She pursed her lips. "Listen kid, you want to make this easier on all of us and just walk away? I really don't give a damn."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
"I figured. Your type always says crap like that. Hard way it is." She hefted the baseball bat and closed the gap between them in an instant. Hawlucha Man barely managed to bring his batons up in time to parry the blow, and even then the shock of the impact reverberated up and down his arms. He tried to counter, but Gwen lazily swung her bat back around and knocked his strike out of the way. Hierro chose that moment to swoop down and attack. Gwen winced as the Hawlucha's kick connected with her left shoulder, but she didn't falter. "Hey blockhead," she called over her shoulder. "Earn your keep, yeah?"
The Aggron lurched to his feet and lowered his spiked head before charging at Hawlucha Man. Alex managed to roll out of the way, and Hierro winged his way back up into the air. Alex whistled to his partner and pointed at the Aggron. Hierro dove again, this time battering the Aggron's face. When the steel type tried to retaliate, Hierro soared back up and out of range.
Gwen and Hawlucha Man traded blows, warily circling around each other. "It's nothing personal, kid," Gwen remarked casually as she swung down with the bat. "I've got nothin' against you. But business has been slow lately and Pirozzi pays well. I got bills to pay, you know." She feinted, and when Hawlucha Man took the bait, she swung the bat across his ribs. Alex fell back with a gasp, clutching his side. Gwen looked a slightly impressed. "I didn't hear a crack. That suit padded?"
"A bit," Alex managed to say. "Reinforced material too."
"Nice. But you're going to have some nasty bruises if we keep this up. Last chance to back off."
"I'll take the risk."
They traded another series of blows, and this time Alex managed to score a hit on the arm Hierro had injured in his first pass. Gwen grimaced muttered a curse. "Come on, Maximus, help me out a bit!"
Maximus turned from his futile struggle to hem in Hawlucha Man. Alex ducked beneath a swing of the Aggron's heavy arms, knowing that he had nothing in his arsenal that could hope to scratch the steel type. Brute force was more Hierro's department. He heard his Hawlucha shriek angrily over Maximus's head, but that quickly turned into a cry of dismay as Maximus launched jagged stones from vents on his back. Alex ran out from beneath the Aggron and sprinted for the door.
Gwen's bat connected with the back of his knee, knocking him to the ground. "You're a persistent bastard, I'll give you that." She sighed. "But look, I've really got to wrap this up. I'll just have Maximus knock you out for a bit and we'll stash you somewhere Pirozzi won't find you. No one has to know you were here tonight. You wake up, you go home, you pop some painkillers and we forget this ever happened, yeah?"
"Can't do that."
"Unfortunately, it ain't an offer, kid. Just letting you know why your head's going to hurt like a bitch for the next few days. Maximus!" The Aggron lumbered towards Alex, but before he got close, Hierro landed in front of his trainer and spread his wings as wide as he could, puffing out his feathers and lunging at Maximus. Instinct took over, and Maximus turned to swat at Hierro with his tail. Hierro's foot connected with Maximus's tail, and he turned to kick into a push, launching himself back at Alex and seizing his trainer before the two of them crashed through the warehouse doors.
Hawlucha Man stood up with a groan and ruffled Hierro's feathers. "Nice move, buddy." He twirled his batons and turned to face Gwen again, but the woman had lit another cigarette and was sitting on Maximus's knee. She stretched out her legs, patted her pokemon's flank, and winked.
"That's all for us, big guy," she said. Gwen waved at Hawlucha Man. "Pirozzi's just paying me to keep everyone out. You got in. As far as I'm concerned, you're out of my jurisdiction. Do whatever you think you gotta do." Hawlucha Man couldn't help smiling and touched two fingers to his forehead in salute. He and Hierro turned towards the dark floor of the warehouse, but Gwen stopped him by raising a hand. "Hey kid. I like the suit."
Alex's grin widened underneath his cowl as he and Hierro ran into the gloom of the warehouse. A small light flickered at the back of the cavernous space, the shadows occasionally shifting as someone moved in front of it. Alex and Hierro slid to a stop just outside the circle of light, though the sound of their footsteps against the concrete floor had long since alerted the Baron and his guests to their presence. The Baron himself sat behind a small, utilitarian desk with several papers spread across it. Two of the men in cheap suits stood off to one side in front of their bulky black cases. The third man sat across from the Baron, poised to sign one of the papers. The Baron's hulking bodyguard stood just behind his employer's shoulder, fingering a pokeball with one hand and the other on his sidearm.
"Might as well give it up," Alex called, making sure his voice was loud enough to echo throughout the warehouse and cover the sound of his and Hierro's light footfalls. "I've got half of the Eleventh outside waiting to take you down."
"Now we both know that isn't true," the Baron said, his voice low and smooth, carrying none of the coarser accents that Avenbrooke was notorious for. "Hiding in the shadows ill becomes you, Hawlucha Man."
"You willing to call my bluff, Baron?"
"Even if you were telling the truth, there is nothing illegal about me brokering shipping contracts slightly outside of normal business hours." Alex gritted his teeth. That was what had made the Baron so notoriously hard to pin down. By day, Carlo Pirozzi was the wealthiest and most influential shipping magnate in Clarus City, but in less reputable circles he was a notorious smuggler and arms dealer. The criminal empire he oversaw was intimately tied to his more legitimate operations, often using his legal shipments to smuggle in illicit materiel or drugs. Because his operations were so effectively hidden in his shipping company, it was difficult for law enforcement to pin anything on him, simply because it was so hard to prove he had actually done anything wrong. He was very careful to make sure that the racketeering, black market sales and occasional execution his subordinates carried out was very far removed from him, or at the very least ensured he had an ironclad alibi. The Baron smirked. "And I highly doubt that Ms. Culain would allow the boys of the Eleventh to surround her without finding some way to alert me of the situation. How she let you slip through, I can't fathom."
"I managed to get out of her jurisdiction."
The Baron sighed. "Mr. Giordano, please remind me in the future to be more fastidious in my wording in Ms. Culain's contracts."
His bodyguard nodded. "Will do. You want me to take care of the kid, boss?"
"Please. I would like to conclude here quickly."
Bruce Giordano tossed out the pokeball he had been toying with, and after the flash of light cleared, he placed a hand on his Blastoise's shell, muttering instructions. Hawlucha Man snapped his fingers, the signal for Hierro to burst from hiding. The Hawlucha leapt at the Blastoise's forehead, in between the sights of both of the jets on the water type's back. Hierro delivered a sharp kick to the turtle's hard skull, making Blastoise lumber back a pace. Giordano drew his pistol and fired off three rounds, but Hierro had already winged back to the cover of darkness, and the shots went wide. Hawlucha Man darted in on Giordano's periphery and brought one of his batons down hard on the the bodyguard's kneecap while he swung up with the other hand to crack Giordano's elbow. Bruce hissed and inadvertently dropped his gun while Hierro distracted his Blastoise. The water type fired off several blasts of pressurized water, but Hawlucha Man's agile partner proved too quick.
Hawlucha Man kicked away Giordano's gun and boxed out the large man's ears, momentarily stunning him. Blastoise changed tactics and fired a blast of icy air from its jets in a wide arc, striking Hierro's left wing. The flying type crashed with a shriek, and Alex waved him back. "Get clear! I've got it from here." Hierro shook his head. The Hawlucha struggled to his feet and charged at Blastoise. He swept his legs low and knocked the heavy water type off balance before somersaulting backwards and disappearing into the shadows before the water type could respond. Blastoise teetered for a second, but could not regain its center of gravity and fell backwards, struggling in vain to right itself.
Hawlucha Man twirled his batons and pointed one at the Baron. "I don't know what you're doing here, but I know it's probably in Avenbrooke's best interests to stop it."
The Baron sighed. "You have been a thorn in my side for quite a while, Hawlucha Man. I'd rather not do this, but you leave me no choice." He reached into the inside pocket of his tailored suit and flicked out a pokeball. A towering Empoleon appeared and regarded Hawlucha Man with a dispassionate sneer. The Baron waved his hand. "Augustus, do what you must. Now, Mr. Nakamura, if you would be so kind to sign here and here."
The Empoleon swung down with his sharp claws, and Alex only barely managed to throw up his baton in time. Augustus huffed out a breath and wrenched the baton from his hands, tossing it out into the dark with a clatter. Hawlucha Man tried to punch the water type, but its rigid feathers made it feel like he was striking a sheet of solid iron. The Empoleon swiped Hawlucha Man off his feet with a backhanded strike from one of its fins, and Alex struggled to rise as Augustus trudged over to finish him off.
A red and white blur tackled the Empoleon, causing the torrent of water Alex was about to be blasted with to go wide, making a crater in the concrete just two feet from his head. Hierro battered the Baron's pokemon with his wings, having chipped off the ice in the shadows. Alex seized the opportunity to jump to his feet and sprint past the two battling pokemon. The man in the cheap suit sitting before the Baron flew up from his chair and ran to his associates. One of the other men had called out his Kadabra, and the three of them vanished in a flash of light, taking the large black cases with them.
The Baron slammed his fist down on his desk as Hawlucha Man ran up. "Well, I hope you're happy," he snapped, his calm and polished demeanor evaporating in an instant. "It took me months to put this meeting together, and now all that's for nothing." He rose from the table and recalled his Empoleon, making Hierro kick through empty air as the pokemon disappeared back into its pokeball. The Baron roused Giordano with the tip of his imported leather shoe, and the bodyguard rolled to his feet with a groan.
"Where do you think you're going?" Hawlucha Man said.
"I have no business here anymore," the Baron replied. "So I'm going home to get some sleep." He waved his hand lazily at the contracts on his desk. "You can bring those to your friends at the Eleventh if you like. Without the last few signatures, they're worthless to me. Of course, they aren't going to find anything to tie them back to my business, but you might have enough to put that coward Nakamura in some hot water with Interpol."
"Bastard deserves it," Giordano grumbled.
The Baron scoffed, his coldly polite persona back in place. "Normally I frown on speaking ill of someone behind their back, but in this instance, I'll allow it." The two of them exited the warehouse, and Alex soon heard their car drive off into the night. It made no sense trying to pursue. There was nothing to charge the Baron with. Alex fetched his baton from where the Empoleon had tossed it, and he and Hierro limped back out into the night air. Gwen Culain had vanished as well, leaving the two of them alone in the shipping yard.
"Ugh." Alex put a hand against his aching ribs and shook his head. "Have I mentioned that I really hate that guy?"