Bandana laid in bed, holding a picture of him and his colleagues in the Lead Crossers. Out of all the people in the photo, only he, Studs, and his former lover Hoops were still alive. That shitty gang war 9 years back sent half of them to the grave and the rest trickled away one by one either due to bad luck or their own stupid choices. He sighed. What he wouldn't give to turn back time and change it all. At the very least, smack some sense into his younger self. He then heard his phone vibrate, placed the photo on his night stand, and answered.
"Genesis Residence. Bandana speakin'." He said.
"Genesis? Is that really your fucking surname?"
"Oh, hey Ruka." Bandana sat up, "Sorry but if you wantin' to hang today, I gotta pass. I'm busy right now."
"That's not why I'm calling. I need your connections with the Crossers."
"What damn connections? Nearly every Crosser in the city sees me as a traitor."
"Nearly? So there is still someone who'll speak to you."
Bandana leaned forward. "...There is. But I don't know how much help that fool would be to you."
"Any help is good help right now. Now get in touch with him and tell him to meet us between Gunk Ave and Octovald Boulevard."
"Us?"
"Yes, us. Gonna need your help too. I'll swing by to pick you up. See you then."
"Now just hold on a damn-" Before Bandana could utter another word, Ruka hung up. "Goddamn motherfucker." He mumbled. While he appreciated the demon's company, his abruptness became quite annoying. Left with no choice, he dialed the number for the only person left in the city that he truly trusted: Studs.
"My man Bans!" Studs exclaimed as he answered the phone, "Haven't heard from you in days! What's good, dawg?"
"Hey, Studs. Listen, can you come by to Gonk and Octovald?"
"What for?"
"You know that new friend I've told you about?"
"Ya mean that angry mothafucka that's been draggin' yo ass around town the past couple weeks and who ya kept sayin' was a demon or some weird shit?"
"Yeah, that one. He needs help. Somethin' related to the Crossers and you're the only man I trust that's keepin' eyes on them."
"You sure he ain't a fuckin' cop?"
"Told you this multiple times, man. He ain't no cop."
"In that case, he willin' to pay for my services?"
"Just be there, please? And when you get there, don't say anything that could piss him off and don't tell anyone about this meetup."
"Sure, sure. I'll be there in an hour. Later, Bans."
Bandana ended the call then wiped his hands down his face. What the hell did he just dragged into?
"So, can Studs be trusted?" Ruka asked, taking a swig from a bottle of vodka as he and Bandana waited for Stud's arrival in the parking lot in front of the local StankShop, a store chain that sold pretty much everything. Food, tools, guns, building materials, solidified zyklon-B, you name it.
"Couldn't've asked me that on the phone?" Bandana replied.
"Gonna get the info I need out of him one way or another, but I also need to make sure he won't squeal about this to his boss because if there's a chance he will, well…"
"Studs and I go way back. He may be a fool, but he ain't nothin' if not trustworthy."
"We'll see. That him?" Ruka asked as a red car pulled up into the lot.
"Yeah, that's his car. Let's go." Bandana replied then the duo got out of the black car they were sitting in and approached Studs' vehicle.
"Bans!" Studs exclaimed as he stepped out and embraced his childhood friend, "Good to see ya!"
"Right back at ya, brother." Bandana replied, returning the embrace. After that, he gestured to Ruka, "Now Studs, I'd like you to meet Ruka, the friend I've been telling you about." He gestured to Studs. "Ruka, this is Studs." Studs himself was rather surprised to see that Bandana's friend was indeed a demon.
"Guess you really weren't bullshiting about the demon part." Studs commented, "I thought you was tryna get back on good terms with the Lord."
"He is." Ruka interjected, "I'm just making sure he stays alive long enough to do it."
Studs scoffed. "I'm sorry, but I doubt a short-ass, billy goat-lookin' mothafucka like you could do much in a fight."
"What the fuck did you just say to me?!" Ruka snapped, taking a few steps forward before Bandana pressed his hand against the demon.
"Let it go, Ruka. Like I said, he a fool."
"No, I'm not taking that from some fucking two-bit thug!"
"Goddamn Bans, ya weren't kiddin'. Don't take much to step on this guy's toes." Studs said, taking a step back.
"Which is why I told you to not say anythin' that could piss him off, dumbass." Bandana said then turned his attention to Ruka, "Can you please just tell us what you need help with?"
"Right, right, sorry." Ruka said, regaining his composure, "To make a long story short, me and my associates have reason to believe that the Lead Crossers' leader is working with my boss's rival, Beret. I need to know if Studs here has noticed anything unusual going on."
"Like what?" Studs asked.
"Paranormal activity, disappearances, mentions of machines parts. Anything related to those three."
Studs stroked his chin as he tried to recall. "Ya know, now that you mention it, some of the guys lately had this weird look in their eyes. Normally, I'd assume they were high or some shit, but they were real quiet. When I invited Lil' Puk to play some cards, he straight up ignored me, like I wasn't even there."
"That is strange. It ain't like Puk to turn down a card game." Bandana commented.
"Let's look into it then." Ruka said as he finished the reminder of vodka and tossed the bottle aside, "Take us to your hideout."
"Now hold on a goddamn minute." Bandana protested, "We can't just walk in there and start snoopin'."
"Why not?"
"Two reasons. Firstly, Crossers are liable to shoot me on sight. Secondly, you a demon, you'd stick out a sore thumb."
"We'll figure something out. Now unless you two want your remaining friends and loved ones to get murderfucked in another war, we should get going. We'll take Studs' car."
"Wait a minute, what do you mean another war?"
Ruka rolled his eyes. "What the fuck do you think I mean? If we don't stop Chain, he and his goons will make the War of The Penis look like a fucking picnic. Now let's go already!"
As the trio made their way to the Lead Crosser's main hideout, Ruka took the time to explain Beret's plan to Studs and Bandana. While Studs didn't care too much and focused on driving, Bandana paid attention to every detail and the more he learned, the more concerned he became. He never liked the fat bastard, but the idea of him helping demons corrupt mortal souls wasn't something he'd do. Chain saw demonic influence as a threat to his own control over his slice of the city and rightly so. You'd had to be a special kind of stupid to trust a demon.
The car soon stopped and the trio stepped out into a parking lot. From where they stood, just across the road, was an old abandoned FizzJizz factory.
"A fucking soda factory?" Ruka asked, " I know you guys are stereotypical poor-ass street thugs, but seriously?"
"What were you expectin', red man?" Studs replied.
"I came here with no expectations at all and yet somehow, I'm still fucking dissapointed."
"At least we ain't livin' in the sewers like those goblin freaks."
"Yeah, that's true."
"Hey!" Bandanna interjected, "Focus, you two. We need to figure out we're all gonna get inside without getting shot at."
"Maybe we could start a fire." Ruka suggested.
"And risk blowing up the whole damn factory?!"
"It'd save us the trouble of digging around the place if Chain is in fact helping Beret."
"Didn't you say your boss doesn't want your angry ass killing humans all willy nilly?"
"Doesn't have to be me lighting the fuse."
"But you're the one who suggested it. That alone makes you an accomplice."
"Why not just use disguises?" Studs asked.
"I mean, that could work for me, but not so much for him." Bandana answered, pointing a thumb at Ruka.
"No, it could." Ruka contested.
"Really? How?"
"Watch and learn."
Ruka then stepped back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. As he exhaled, his skin began to change color and his horns shrank until they disappeared from his forehead. When the transformation was complete, he opened his eyes and rather than the demonic orange/yellow pupils, they were simple yellow pupils, much like a human's.
Bandana and Studs simply stood wide-eyed at the demon's new form. That is, until Studs began stifling with laughter and Bandana pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. For Ruka's disguise was that of a 1940's caricature of a black man. Skin dark as charcoal and big red lips.
"What?" Ruka asked in confusion, "Are the lips not red enough or something?"
"Words...cannot express how much I wanna smack ya right now." Bandana replied.
"Isn't this how you lot work? The darker the skin, the more respect you have among your peers?"
"No! It is not! Ya know for a demon that used to be human, you're pretty damn ignorant on how humans function."
"Well, sor-fucking-ry. I haven't been on Earth in over a hundred years and it was something I read on an Impper post."
"You saw a post on social media and took it as fact?"
Ruka shrugged. "Made sense to me at the time."
Bandanna sighed. Surely, not all demons are this stupid. "At least change your skin into something less racist."
"You saying this wouldn't work?"
"No, it wouldn't. In fact, It'd piss them off."
"I think it's kinda funny." Studs added, wiping a tear from his eye.
"You'd laugh at a wet fart."
"Alright, alright fine." Ruka said and took another deep breath, his skin and lips changing color once more, this time into a shade similar to Bandana's. "Better?"
"A lot better." Bandana answered, "Now the only real problem left is your voice."
"Don't worry about it. I can mimic accents pretty easily."
"How so?"
Ruka cleared his throat and licked his lips before speaking. "Yea, officer. That's the mothafucka who stole my bike. Cuff his bitch ass."
Studs at this point was rolling on the floor, his sides having long been sent into orbit. Bandana, meanwhile, wasn't as amused. "Right. Let's suit up then." He said, walking to the trunk of the car and taking out a duffle bag, tossing it to Ruka, "Put those on."
Two guards stood watch outside the entrance into the factory, though it was really one as the other decided to take a nap. When the awake guard noticed Studs approaching with two men in tow, he woke up his buddy. "Back already, Studs?" He asked, "Pretty quick trip for some dinner."
"I just got myself a burger and ate on the way back." Studs answered. The second guard took note of his companions. The one to Stud's left was tall and wore a dark hooded jacket and white face mask engraved with a red cross. The one to his right, by contrast, was shorter than Studs and shirtless, his revealed torso and arms covered in scars. He wore no mask, but he had a mean look on his face. "Who these two?" The guard asked.
"Couple of new guys I met at the burger joint. Said they needed a lift here." Studs answered.
"Really now?" The second guard inquired, "Didn't see either of them initate themselves."
"That's cause you weren't here durin' it. Both of y'all were out dealing with that GL business last week, remember?"
The two guards looked at each other for a moment. "Still. I would've heard something about newbies joining up." The first guard said.
"Can ya dense mothafuckas just let us in already?!" The short man yelled abruptly, "I didn't join this crew just be stopped at every goddamn point o' entry because y'all can't recall every damn face ya see!"
The guards were a bit surprised at the short man's outburst and would've questioned him further, but there was something in the short man's eyes that made them feel...unnerved. Afraid even. Something telling them that they shouldn't mess with this guy. Taking the scars into account, that something was probably right. The second guard then opened the door into the factory and let the trio through.
"Took a big risk doing that, Ruka." The tall man whispered.
"Got us inside, didn't it?" Ruka replied.
"Yeah well, I wouldn't do it again. Gonna blow our cover if you can't control your temper."
"I took my meds before we got here. I'll be fine."
Entering the main machine room, the trios were greeted with the sight of dozens of Lead Crossers. Some dutifully stood watch on the catwalks above, others were either cleaning their weapons, discussing business, or engaging in leisurely activities. All the while music played on the speakers throughout the building.
"How many fuckers do these guys have?" Ruka asked.
"Before the War of the Penis, we had roughly seven hundred members. Now, we got over three thousand." Studs answered.
"Gang my red ass. It's a fucking army."
"An army that'll get it's shit kicked in if what you say about Chain is true." Bandana added, "I'll make my way to the offices and see what I can find. In the meantime, find Lil' Puk and figure out what this Nullsoul bullshit does to people. And remember: Do not blow your cover and no fooling around. Got it?"
Stud and Ruka nodded then walked off to start their search. Bandana looked around for a moment to recall the building's layout before setting out. "So," Ruka began, "What does this Puk fucker look like?"
"He wears tinted glasses and one of them bowler hats. Pretty hard to miss." Studs replied as he lit up a cigarette.
"Tinted glasses and a fucking bowler hat? Sounds like a hipster. Also, you can not smoke that shit near me? Can't stand the smell."
"Man, you really need to quit yo bitchin'. Let loose or sumthin'."
"Last time I 'let loose', I reduced two men to bloody lumps of meat and broken bones and sodomized a third one with a stop sign."
Studs just blinked at the vivid description. "Damn, you are one crazy mothafucka, ain't ya?"
"Yo, Studs!" A voice called out, "Get yo ass over here and introduce us to your buddy!"
The two turned and saw a Crosser waving to them from across the room, sitting with others. "You know him?" Ruka asked.
"Yea. Ballcap. He's pretty chill." Studs answered, "Wanna meet him?"
"Didn't Bandana say not to fool around?"
"He also said not to blow your cover. Which would you rather do?"
Ruka shrugged. "Fool around, I guess."
"Then let's get to foolin'." Studs then grabbed Ruka's arm and led him to the table, "Bally! What's good?"
"Ah ya know, man. Same old, same old." Ballcap replied, "Up for some cards?"
"You know it!" Stud took a seat and urged Ruka to do the same.
"Aight." Ruka cleared his throat as he sat down, "What's the buy in?"
"Twenty green ones." Ballcap answered. Ruka reached into his pocket, pulling out a twenty dollar bill, and placed it on the table. As the cards were dealt, a player next to Ruka offered a beer and to which he, being the true alcoholic he was, accepted it. But when Ruka took the first sip, he spat it out.
"Yo, what the fuck is this?! Horse piss mixed with dog shit?!" Ruka exclaimed.
"It's Jacker Light, man. We drink it all the time." Studs answered.
"Well, y'all got shit taste then! I wouldn't sterilize wounds with this shit!" Ruka then stood up and began walking away.
"Hey man, where you going?" Ballcap asked.
"To get us some real fuckin' booze!"
Meanwhile, a single guard sat next to the door to the factory office, sleeping with a magazine over his face. Terrible for whoever owned the place, but perfect for Bandana to sneak by. But first, he had to carefully pickpocket the keys from the guard's pocket. Once he succeeded, he quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside.
It wasn't much different than when he had left it a year ago. Same table, same computer, even the shrine dedicated to Wristband was still there. Bandana decided to take a moment to pay his respects to the man who was the closest thing he had to a father then began searching the office. Ruka mentioned something about emails so he sat at the desk and logged into the computer, which, thankfully, was still the same password Wristband used.
But as he scrolled through the emails, he heard the sound of a gun being cocked. "Long time, no see Little Banny." A voice said. A voice all too familiar to him. He looked up and out from the shadows, Chain stepped forward with a loaded gun in hand. "I was wondering when you'd show your sorry ass here again."