In the main office of Morningstar Shipping headquarters, Talbot sat facing Gregory Masterson. James Cross, Masterson's personal bodyguard, stood at the doorway.
"And those idiot security guards just stood there and let this 'Green Hornet' get away?" Masterson said will ill-concealed anger.
"I guess so, Mr. Masterson. I was unconscious. The Hornet hit me with some kinda knockout gas or something."
Masterson sneered. "Is that it, or did you just faint?"
Talbot stood up indignantly. "Hey, this whole thing is not my fault, all right? Two masked nutcases break into the office and start pushing me around. What in blazes am I supposed to do? Blame those idiot security guards who couldn't find there way out of an empty room with a map!"
Masterson's tone turned ice-cold. "The guards have already been dealt with."
Talbot gave a nervous start. He knew perfectly well what "dealt with" meant.
"And you'll get what they got," Masterson continued, "If you ever smart off to me again. Understood?"
Talbot nodded weakly.
"Good," Masterson replied. "Now, what about damage control? How much is necessary?"
"Practically none, Mr. Masterson. The Hornet didn't get away with anything at all. I double-checked everything."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course. The only thing left to do to put this behind us is get the cops off my back so they don't find out about the shipment coming in. And I have an interview with Britt Reid scheduled tomorrow to try and play this down so that nobody thinks its worth snooping around our operations."
Masterson grunted. "Reid...that arrogant little milksop and his blasted paper have been making things hot for us too long. We're gonna need to shut him up one of these days. What about this Hornet? Did you get a good look at him?"
"He was pretty up close, but with the mask and hat, I couldn't make anything out. Same goes for his friend."
Masterson said nothing, looking intensely at his copy of The Daily Sentinel. The Sentinel may have given him a rough time, but they always got their facts straight, unlike those other scandal sheets. "The Sentinel thinks that The Hornet may be a new boss in town, trying to take over. What do you think?"
"I dunno. I don't know many bosses who like to get their own hands dirty. Then again, what The Hornet pulled took a lot of guts."
"Either way, he may be trouble. With tomorrow night's big shipment, I don't want to take any chances. Cross, tell the boys to keep their eyes open and watch their backs. Things may be starting to heat up around here."
***
The Daily Sentinel was in an uproar when Reid arrived. News of The Green Hornet had hit the city like wildfire, and copies of the Sentinel were selling almost as fast as they were being printed. Meanwhile, reporters were debating about The Hornet and what he was after.
As Reid approached his office, Lenore Case was talking on the phone with someone while sorting out some papers. He overheard her telling whoever was on the other line to read the afternoon edition for further details. She sighed in exasperation as she hung up the phone.
"Having a nice, relaxing morning, Miss Case?" Reid asked with a mischievous smile.
Casey smiled also, glad to see Reid back in good spirits again. "Our article about The Green Hornet is getting a lot of attention."
"Axford gave it a good write-up. And the daring exploits of a mystery man are always good for grabbing attention."
"Still, if it weren't for all those statements by the police, I'd have thought Axford had made the whole thing up."
"Axford's not like that. Speaking of which, have him come to my office as soon as possible, will you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks, Casey. And thanks for holding up the fort. I couldn't do this without you."
As Reid walked into his office, Casey smiled. Reid really was in a good mood today. She wondered why.
Axford came in to Reid's office half an hour later. "Well boss," Axford said, "whaddya think of the story 'bout The Green Hornet?"
"You come on pretty strong here, Mike."
"Yeah, well, a lot of people think he's bad news. Especially with the police. They all think that The Green Hornet's a new crime kingpin in town. And personally, I agree with them."
"But all they have to go on is the word of a possible gangster – by the way, thanks for remembering to include the word 'alleged' this time. Why do you play this Hornet guy up like he's a criminal?"
"He breaks into an office building, roughs up some guards, does some damage and tries to swipe some papers. A guy like that doesn't have pure motives in mind."
"Perhaps. Meanwhile, keep looking into this. I want as much information on this 'Green Hornet' as possible, okay?"
"Got it, chief. You can count on me."
Reid smiled. "I'm sure I can, Axford."
***
That night, Britt Reid once again donned the mask of The Green Hornet. Kato had The Black Beauty all set to go.
From the back seat, The Hornet checked out his equipment, loading gas cartridges into his gas gun. "Hornet Gun...check. Hornet Sting, check. Let's roll, Kato."
The gleaming Black Beauty soared through the secret passageway and once again onto the streets of Detroit. Both men had learned from last night, and were not planning on making the same mistakes twice.
"Where to, boss?" Kato asked.
"Masterson's place. I think it's time we throw down the gauntlet."
"Straight into the lion's den," Kato said, smiling eagerly.
"We have to start somewhere. We might as well start from the top."
Almost invisible against the curtain of the starless night, The Black Beauty headed towards a large, old-fashioned mansion on the edge of town.
When The Black Beauty pulled to a stop, The Green Hornet said, "Activate the Scanner, Kato. Let's get a lay of the land."
Kato pressed a button. The trunk door of the Black Beauty split apart, and the two sections rose until they were vertical. The Scanner, a small device slightly resembling a helicopter slowly rose out of a compartment of the trunk and rose upwards, hovering towards the mansion.
Kato watched on the monitor in the front of the car. The Scanner had a built-in miniature television camera, and was now displaying the front of the mansion. Two armed guards were stationed there, with several others roaming the grounds. The view zoomed out, revealing several cars. "Looks like we've arrived just in time for a party," Kato said.
"And we didn't even bring a gift," The Hornet said with a mock sigh.
"I don't think we were on the guest list anyway."
"That's their problem."
They silently exited The Black Beauty and headed towards the mansion, occasionally hiding behind the trees and bushes to avoid detection. A group of three guards was nearby, keeping their eyes open for intruders. "We have to get rid of these thugs," Kato whispered. The Green Hornet nodded in agreement.
As one guard came to the tree they were hiding behind, The Hornet seemed to materialize out of nowhere and gave him a shot with the gas gun. He silently tumbled to the ground.
"Billy?" a second henchman approached, drawing a revolver. "What's going on?"
Before he could get an answer, Kato sprang out from behind a nearby bush and took down the man with a leaping kick. A third came running towards Kato, but The Hornet stopped him in his tracks, and knocked him out with a right cross to the jaw.
"So much for these guys," The Hornet said. "Give them a shot of the gas gun so they won't bother us for a while."
Staying in the shadows, the two men quietly walked towards the door. The two guards didn't even see them by the time they attacked. The Hornet dispatched one guard with a solid punch, and Kato disarmed the other with a kick. The guard threw a punch, but Kato seized the man's arm and flipped him over his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.
"So much for the preliminaries," The Hornet said. "Now for the main event."
***
In the conference room of his mansion, Masterson sat at the head of a massive mahogany table, around which the heads of the various "business enterprises" were seated as well. Masterson stood proudly as he regarded the nobility of his kingdom.
"Mr. Cross," Masterson said, "any word from our foreign investors?"
"Yes, Mr. Masterson. We're currently waiting on a delivery of heroin arriving from the Golden Triangle. It's already made its way through Canada, and will be sailing across Lake Michigan to us very soon."
"When is it supposed to arrive?"
"If everything happens on schedule, as it usually does, it should arrive in Detroit in tomorrow night."
"And how much will the shipment be worth?"
Cross smiled. "Approximately ten million dollars."
Whistles and gasps were heard around the table at the large amount. Masterson grinned broadly. "Excellent. Now, what about - "
All conversation faded as they heard a sharp, high-pitched buzzing noise coming from the other side of the closed door. Suddenly, there was a small explosion, tearing the doorknob to pieces. The door flew open, and the grim figure of The Green Hornet slowly walked into the room, Kato following behind as silent as a cat.
"Am I interrupting anything?" The Hornet asked.
Masterson's smile faded into an unfriendly scowl. "You must be that Green Hornet character who dropped by Morningstar Shipping last night. What are you doing here?"
"Throwing you a retirement party."
Masterson was unfazed. "That's funny. I wasn't aware that I was going to be retiring any time soon."
"Maybe you should. Things are changing in this city now."
"Oh really? And exactly what changes to my city did you have in mind?"
"Well for starters, it's no longer your city. It's mine now. Or ours, if you play along."
Masterson looked surprised. "Ours? You want to cut in on my action?"
The Hornet smiled. "Smart boy. Throw in with me, we handle jobs together, and we can make an unstoppable team. I can keep the cops and the other syndicates off your back, in exchange for a cut of your profits."
"How much did you have in mind?"
"Fifty percent," The Hornet replied casually.
Masterson decided this had gone on long enough. "Just who do you think you are? Who do you think you're dealing with? You think you and your sidekick can just waltz right in and start making demands? Boys, get this nutjob out of here."
The Hornet's eyes gleamed dangerously from behind his mask. "My partner doesn't like being referred to as a sidekick. Kato, show them what a sidekick really is."
Kato smiled. "With pleasure."
As one of Masterson's henchmen approached, Kato lashed out with a side kick, striking the man full in the chest, sending him flying across the room, and smashing into the wall. Two more tried to attack, but Kato delivered side kicks to each one, taking them both down in tow seconds. The Hornet, meanwhile, took on two more thugs with his fists, knocking them out with a series of solid punches.
Cross angrily went for the gun in his side holster, but Kato beat him to it, striking Cross's hand with a dart. Kato's fists finished the bodyguard off, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Anyone else feel like taking a shot?" The Hornet said.
None of the other men answered, amazed at the display they had just witnessed. Masterson tried to look casual, but he wasn't doing a good job.
"Now, Mr. Masterson," The Hornet continued, "I believe we were in the middle of a business negotiation."
"Get out of here," Masterson said with obvious false bravado. "You're crazy, if you think I'm going to..."
"Do you want to try and throw me out too? You're welcome to, if you don't mind getting what they got. And I don't think that would be very good for your health."
"Your concern for my well-being is truly touching. But I've done very well in this town relying on myself and my own people. Now if you please, I have a busy night ahead, and I'd like to get to work."
The Hornet gave a mock polite bow. "As you wish. But think it over. Consider my offer. I can be a very helpful ally...or a dangerous enemy. It's your choice."
The Green Hornet and Kato left the room as suddenly as they had entered. Nobody dared to stop them.
***
"Well, that certainly got his attention," Kato said form behind the wheel of The Black Beauty. "Now what?"
The Hornet smiled grimly. "Now we make good on our threat and put the sting to Masterson. We'll start muscling in on some of his minor operations, just to make him sweat. To do that, we need info. Head over to some of the local bars. We'll try to recruit some stool pigeons."
"They're going to be afraid of Masterson. We might not get much out of them."
"Then we're going to have to make them more afraid of us."