The dead wind swirled wildly as the little form of Arturo zipped around the large confines of the old toy factory base. Most of the facility was closed off and unusable like the structure of the east wing; it was a collapsed mess of crushed support beams and blown out windows. It was extremely dangerous for any of them excluding Big Billy who resided there until he got worse and needed constant care. He had to speed closer to ensure that the area was deserted taking a moment he slowed. His chest wheezed as he took in the cold icy air as he came to a complete stop.
A horrible choice that he instantly regretted the familiar burn in his arms licking up his arms as his power stopped it course through his veins. His eyes squeezed shut for a moment as he tried to ignore the horrible sensation. Taking another breath he trudged on with his previous mission moving along the blown out wall he paused and waited. He had a feeling one the churned his insides uneasy jitters filtered through his stunted body.
As if on cue by some ugly fate he was completely right to feel uneasy as a woman approached their facility slipping out from the darkness. Her black inky hair flared around her heart shaped face. Her deep red blouse and pencil skirt clung to every curve and crevice of her body. Her heels crunched against the crumbling concrete, her fishnet stocking running up the length of her pale legs.
"Hello there little man." Her voice was alluring brimmed with mockery that caused the man to narrow his eyes. "I didn't expect someone to be waiting for me. I thought you'd all be inside licking your.." She paused her eyes flicking over his arms before her smirk widened revealing the deadly canine behind soft whine lips. "Wounds" she finished her words dripping sultry insults.
"It's the 13th it wasn't that surprising." He glared up at the women who only took his defiant look with excitement.
"So you know what I want then?" She smiled widely, her clawed hands coming to the side of her head before she clasped them together eagerly. "So you have the money."
Arturo frowned; he knew they would come back because of course they weren't finished with them. It was the whole reason that he tried so hard to convince Ace to turn in those girls. They would have some kind of leverage which was better than the jack shit they currently had.
"That look is not promising, I'm guessing you don't." Clicking her tongue in faux disappointment she began to circle him like a wild animal who had caught her prey.
The tresses of her hair began to stand on edge coiling and compressing before striking, snapping into the man's sleeved arms. The pain was excruciating; the already swollen skin seemed to tighten at the impact. His involuntary scream echoed into the black sky before dying.
"No money and yet you're still living on this property." She snapped another coil of hair colliding harshly with his wrist shattering the glass on his watch. "And your power that's just greedy little man tell me is it just you. Are you the only one left" She snapped again as more inky locks collided with his elbow then forearm. He heard it in her voice the slight break she was lashing out from pain and fear though that still did nothing to relieve his pain.
His legs gave way from the pain though she didn't stop the assault using her ringlets as her own personal whips she rained them down pelting him in more than just his arms.
Her laugh came out as a broken unattractive cackle as it bounced off the blown out walls as Lil Arturo groans turned to screams of pain. In her fit she failed to notice the icy chill creeping up her legs until it was already up the lengths of her waist.
Her head whipped to the side to look in the direction of the man who was currently freezing her. The long stretched out limb quickly snatched up her prey, rearing back fast enough to get him out from under the women.
"You're alive." it came out as more of a whisper as she composed herself .So just three of you left? Shame Grubber didn't make it; he was the only brains your little group had." She frowned her hair flattening knowing exactly what a motivated Ace could and would do to her precious locks.
"What are you doing here Seduca?" Ace bit her name out harshly like it was poison on his tongue.
"I'm here to collect dolls, rents due!" Her voice became flat, a fleeting feeling passed over her as she stared down at the pathetic remnant of the once handsome gang leader.
"You can tell those bastards that they are not getting a dime from us. After what they did they can go fuck right off." Ace barked as Snaked checked over Artorio who was whimpering in pain.
"They tried to help you, it's not their fault you weren't successful. You five had potential but you just couldn't do it, you couldn't conquer one city, you're the one who lost your edge, your nerve." She snapped his covered eyes hid most of his emotion but she could see his stubbled jaw tighten.
"This city is the problem, not us!" His words were as tight as his pale sickly jaw.
"You said you could do it, you said that this would be easy but you couldn't. Can't you see it, Ace why you're being punished this city was supposed to make you and you let it break you. You all just let this huge opportunity slip through your fingers." Laughing bitterly her hair started to rise again she felt insane as she walked closer. Her figures longed to stroke his jaw watch as it loosened while her hair thirsted for the infected blood under his green skin.
"This city is unbeatable, nothing we ever did ever worked out, not a single person we ever sent out completed a single mission. Not a single heist was ever pulled correctly. We never made a single dime from this place. It's damned! It's been a curse to every member assigned here and I was stupid to think my boys were sent here for anything other than a death wish." He hissed his chest heaving from his long winded rant.
A strand of hair moved on its own accord to strike the leader in the face.
"Why are you talking like that! Like you already gave up. You said you would rule this town and six months in your giving up. Get your damn hands dirty don't send some lackey do it yourself damn it Ace!" Her voice choked as she steadied herself, straightening pulling on her blazer smoothing it out.
"Don't be ssssympathetic now bitch." Snake hissed out.
"Look at me! Looks at my boys, the one you were just whipping on! You know damn well what they're doing to us. They don't expect us to rise above them. They never did, this is a death sentence."
His Italian accent coming out as strong as ever as defeat took over his features. Taking a moment she looked between the group before as if her entire personality switched. The insanity of her affection taking over as her face softened her mind springing into action making plans and ideas.
"Fine but I'm not going back with nothing! Just cause you're all disappointments doesn't mean I have to go down with your sinking ship. So here's the deal: I'll stick around for a week or so and you're going to get me that money then I'll tell them I disposed of you. Just lashed out and lost myself. They'll forgive me as long as I have the money. Then you know what you can go on with your merry little lives." She said, smirking a twisted sly fox grin only to get a glare in return.
"Were dying women what part of that don't you get!" Snake screamed enraged at the woman. He never really liked her; he just put up with her for Ace's sake.
"Then steal something that will benefit the both of us." She already had an idea swirling around in that devious pretty head of hers Ace saw it the moment her features softened on her pretty freckled face.
"Ace, we shouldn't trust this witch. We have no idea what she gains from this and I don't like those odds." Artoio said his head felt heavy. The woman who just lashed him was now trying to help them. What kind of bipolar crap was this? Looking at his boss's face he could see the way that he stared right straight ahead almost completely ignoring his left hand man and it was at that moment he was sure that Ace had the same adoration in his eyes he always did when the women came around. Sighing he turned his head knowing that the chances of Ace listening to him was as slim as him not going along with the women's plan.
"What's your idea? I know you have one Seduca." The woman's grin was positively devilish.
"There's a buyer in the black market willing to pay top dollar for a certain gem that's going to he in this very city in a couple days. If you can get it we'll split the money."
"Snake." Arturo groaned as a warning knowing his leader was already gone as stepped closer to the seductress he tired the second in command.
"What gem? And how much?" Grinning like the cat who caught the Canary she pulled out a paper, a clipping of an article from the city's newspaper.
"The diamond of despair." She breathed in awe the black and white beauty on the page.
"And how are we supposed to get that?" Snake asked both members now, ignoring the smallest of their gang as the women started stepping forward.
"The exhibit will be one of three so the museum staff will be stretched between the three. That makes things dangerously tight but this city is cocky which comes to our benefit. We take the diamond while the exhibit is being constructed. Its opening will be the third in the three day grand opening so it will just be sitting around just begging to be stolen." Her farel face tilted upwards; she was only a foot away from the leader.
"We split the money and go our separate ways."
"And you think I'll just trust you?" Ace asked, his eyes narrowing under his glasses though it was obvious to everyone there that he was going to go along with any silk words that came from her mouth.
"Have I ever let you down before Acey?" She purred strategically adding her pet name, her fingers ghosting his chin.
"And with this information why do we need you?" Snake asked, rolling his eyes, his hand going to his boss's shoulder.
"Cause I have the contact so are you in?" Moving away from the women that he shared a bed with for so many years Ace turned to the man he slept with now.
"Ace what are you thinking?" Snake asked in a low breath his long pointed nose pointing toward the ground in his uncertainty.
"We could pay for the doctor's treatment. Be legit about it, well sort of. If we do this they'll think we're dead and we'll be free." Snake shifted uncomfortably seeing this Ace cupped his face tenderly.
"What if she's lying? We do what we're told and she turns us in. I know you trust her but look at what she did to Lil Arturo." His words hissed softly like when they were children, the softer more exposed side revealing itself. He hadn't expected this ambush not this person not this women.
"But if she's not lying we can't let go of this chance. The next person they send you knows there's gonna just beat us half to death or kill us there won't be any kind of chance. You know that." Snakes slitted eyes darted over to the seductress who was waiting rather painterly for their decision.
"This could be our only shot. Listen we've lasted this long without that damn antidote we can go another week we have to try not just for us think about about Grubber about Billy" Nodding he looked over at Arturo who was already coming to terms with his fate despite the welts on his arms combining with the puss and swelling.
"Were in." Aces said suddenly his accent came out strong in his voice.
"Then let's get planning."