James Cameron and Charles Eglee own Dark Angel. My use is in no way meant to challenge their copyrights. This piece is not intended for any profit on the part of the writer, nor is it meant to detract from the commercial viability of the aforementioned (or any other) copyright. Any similarity to any events or persons (either real or fictional) is unintended.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my earlier story, 'The Becoming,' and part of what I currently am planning as a three-part series. That part is still up in the air, as I'm not certain whether a) I'll ever finish the series, and b) whether, if it is in fact finished, it can be done in as little as three episodes. Whether the series continues past this story or not, I assure you that the plot threads of this fic will be wrapped up, so you won't really ever be missing anything. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and please take a few seconds to review. It'll not only be appreciated, but as this is a work in progress, you might have an impact on where this story goes. The opportunity for such interactive reading and writing should be kinda fun, I think.
Way of the Warrior
by
Nevermore
Prologue
Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge. – Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
A shadow skipped from one rooftop to another, seemingly unconcerned with the four- to five-story fall that awaited at the slightest misstep. No noise accompanied its movements, and not a single citizen of Seattle would even have expected that such an individual existed. Swathed in black, covered with a ninja outfit and a heavy black cloak that billowed around her, Max raced across town with an acute sense of urgency, hoping she would arrive at her destination before it was too late. She had an important appointment to keep, and did not want to even consider the consequences if she missed what might be her one and only opportunity.
After almost a full half-hour of moving at a sprint, Max arrived at her destination – Murray's Liquor. She scanned the alley on the north side of the building, her genetically modified eyes picking out two shapes that, to the average onlooker, would likely go as unnoticed as she herself would. Seems they know what's good for them, she mused silently. They were smart enough to wait around for me.
Max moved across to stand directly above the two men in the alley, and then jumped from the roof, falling twenty feet and touching down with as much grace as any human possibly could. Her sudden appearance caught the two men by surprise.
"What the hell?" the shorter man asked. His long, stringy blonde hair shook almost as much as the rest of his body as Max glared at him.
"Hello, Dave," Max said, her voice sounding almost as if she was snarling. She looked over Dave and his friend, and noted with joy the look of fear in their eyes. Max knew she looked scarier than she ever would if these two men had run into her during her Jam Pony days. Max was well aware of the reputation she was slowly developing with the city's lowest tier of criminals – they feared her, more than they feared the police, and almost as much as they feared their own superiors. In the case of Dave and his friend, Francis, not even their superiors frightened them as much as Max did. That was how she was able to get information.
"H-h-hi," Dave stammered. "W-where did you come from?"
"Where is he staying right now?" Max asked, avoiding any pleasantries. She had no desire to be friendly with Dave. He was a small-time drug dealer, mostly working with pot, x, and glow, and under most circumstances he would be worthy of nothing more than a thorough beating. However, Dave also happened to be the brother of one of Cameron Dean's chemists. He knew where Dean's constantly moving labs were located, and more importantly, he was reportedly able to say where Cameron Dean himself would be staying every time he moved. Max wanted that information. Badly.
"Can't we discuss price first?" Dave's friend asked.
"Shut up Francis," Max spat.
"Don't ever call me that," Francis said, his face becoming absolutely pouty. "My name's Tex."
"You're name's gonna be 'Guy Missing a Few Teeth' if you don't shut up," Max growled. She then turned a dark, menacing stare on Dave. "Where is he?"
"What's in it for me?" Dave asked. "I mean, what's to stop you from taking the information and just walking away?"
"The same thing that's to keep me from beating you half to death and taking back the money after you give me the information," Max shot back. "You have my word. If that's not good enough for you, I guess I could forego allowing you to serve your sentence through a plea bargain, and go directly to administrative punishment."
"No, I'll tell you," Dave said, cowering back a few steps in fear. Max was well aware that Dave had heard of Administrative Punishment, the sentence that she carried out on most of the street level criminals that she had encountered thus far. Several broken bones were generally involved, and one minor, permanent injury was usually meted out. Usually Max decided to leave her victims with a limp. The threat of such treatment was more than enough to get information out of most people.
"So?" Max asked.
"He's in a new apartment on Pine," Dave said, obviously reluctant to give any specifics. "I'll give you the whole address when you give me my money."
"Fine," Max muttered, reaching into her pocket. She knew she could easily beat the address out of her newest informant, but that would serve no true purpose. She would very likely want more information from Dave in the future. By paying him and leaving his fragile body intact, she gained someone who would know in the future that she could be trusted to keep her word. This reputation would get around, and eventually she would be able to get information out of other small-time hoods. Then administrative punishment would move up the criminal food chain to the next level of criminal, while the small fries became a large pool of informants. Then the process would begin all over again, as a whole new group of people learned the price of crime, and the benefits that could be gained by working with Justice.
She handed over a small wad of bills, and Dave took a moment to count the money. Once he was satisfied he turned a rather suspicious looking stare in Max's direction. She began to wonder whether her new toadie was considering double-crossing her already. "The address is 86 Pine Street," Dave finally said. "The building used to be some fancy-ass hotel or something, but Norton Koch bought the building and gutted it shortly before you whacked him."
"I didn't kill Norton Koch," Max replied evenly.
"Sure ya didn't," Tex put in, his tone making it plain that he did not believe a word of Max's denial. Her only further response was to turn an intimidating stare in Dave's sidekick's direction, and Tex immediately began to whither under the scrutiny.
"I'm taking a big chance by trusting you, Dave," Max muttered. "There are worse fates than administrative punishment. If you're leading me astray with this information, I advise you take this last opportunity to set things right. Because if you're sending me into a trap, I can guarantee this – the authorities might find your body... eventually... but I doubt they'll ever be able to identify it with any certainty."
"I-I-I-I'm bein' straight with y-ya," Dave stammered, obviously believing every word of Max's heartfelt threat.
"Fine," Max spat. "Now get your ass in motion and clear out of here. I'll be in touch." Without another word, Dave and Tex hurried out of the alley, neither one speaking to the other until they were well out of earshot for even Max's heightened senses. She smiled with satisfaction at how easily she had frightened them into submission. Two hundred dollars, she thought with amusement. They just gave up their employer for only two hundred dollars. If every other petty criminal turns as easily, it's gonna be cake to bring this city under control. And the best thing is, it didn't really cost me a dime. She was satisfied with her process of using the cash she had lifted from another drug dealer the night before to pay for information on a higher level criminal.
It looks like the cat is gonna have a chance to swipe at the mouse, Max thought with pleasure. She had been waiting for her chance to get Cameron Dean. Now it seemed she'd finally be able to take him out, and she was willing to use any means, no matter how violent, to achieve her goals. Justice would punish the guilty.
To be continued........................