Metro City, to think this hell hole used to be a decent place to live. Once it was a safe place to walk outside at night… now everyone is afraid of the dark like vampires roamed the streets. If only we were that lucky. Long ago it was safe because we had guardians watching over us. With them around, no criminal dared to cause trouble. They were our heroes… and then, one night, they disappeared. Leaving the city at the mercy of the scum who would take advantage of their absence. The police were no match, those that tried were eliminated, and those that survived settled. The law began to let these bastards have the city at night while the rest of us had to hide in our homes and hope our security systems were enough. But not me, I won't have it. I won't spend my nights hiding. Everyone else has given up, but I know the guardians will return to protect the city and save us all. And until they do, I'll do what I can to give them a city worth coming back to.
Nightfall had once again fallen on Metro City. With the vanishing of the sun, the businesses closed and everyone went home, where people locked their houses and readied their extra defenses. Those without homes scrambled to find places to hide, be it in dumpsters or the sewers. For a moment, there was oppressive silence except for the humming of street lights coming on.
Then there was a howl, that of a man rather than a beast, and after it cheers and cries of savagery. The gangs and thugs of Metro City came crawling out into the dark like cockroaches, ready to go wild with anarchy. Glass shattered as rocks and bricks were thrown through windows. Bullets flew through the air as hooligans shot guns like children playing. Cars and motorcycles raced down the roads like a blockbuster movie. It was truly the kind of place that would make one think that the Purge had become a real thing.
On the edge of the city away from the chaos, there was an old factory that had been closed for a decade. Yet the fence surrounding it wasn't chained or locked in any way. A group of people snuck out of the shadows and went through the fence as quietly as possible, moving through the empty parking lot. They avoided the one light there, but one member did get exposed. It was a young girl, seventeen years old, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing all black like a ninja except her outfit had a hole to expose her generous cleavage and had no sleeves.
"Marian, are you sure about this?" An African-American man accompanying the girl asked as they searched for a way to enter the factory.
"Very sure, Blaster. My inside guy says this is the place. This is where they create the drugs." The girl, named Marian, replied, checking the windows. Despite the fence not being locked, the doors to actually get inside were.
"So what do we do?" Another man there asked, this one on the heavier side compared to the others present.
"Sheesh Kona, what did you forget? All we need to do is get in, then we plant the bombs that Chop & I made. Then we get out and blow this place to hell. The drugs will be gone along with how the criminals make them in the first place, thus we'll deal a critical blow to the gangs in this sector."
"What about Linda Lash? You know she's the Shadow Warrior controlling this area." Blaster reminded everyone.
The Shadow Warriors are a massive criminal syndicate, massive enough that they control virtually all crime in Metro City, sans the occasional lone hoodlum. Fourteen years ago they rose to power, making a deal with the police which gave them control of the city at night. Once that happened, lesser gangs not affiliated with the Shadow Warriors started to run wild until the Shadow Warriors made a deal with them too. The lesser gangs were allowed to do as they wished on the condition that they paid tribute to the Shadow Warriors. Those that didn't agree were killed off, and those that did agree were now causing the destruction happening right now. It was a win-win, the Shadow Warriors got extra money with less work as well as a smokescreen to their true size and power while the lesser gangs were now free from retribution from the police as long as they never got caught during the day.
Marian shook her head. "She won't be there."
"How do you know?" Kona asked.
"My inside guy said she'd be out this time. Would we be here if she was? By the time she gets back, we'll be long gone and this place will be rubble. Now look for a way in so we can get done faster."
They had to get around to the back, but Marian and her team managed to find their way in via an unlocked door. Once inside she could see a dark loading room where the shipping trucks would have brought or taken stuff. Now it was filled with several tables adorned with chemistry equipment, boxes underneath, a fridge connected to a generator, and lamps providing the only light available. It almost looked like what you would expect a meth lab to look like.
"This is the place. This is where they make Oblivion and RPM." Marian stated.
The Shadow Warriors didn't remain in power just via deals with corrupt cops, they had several ways of staying in power, and one such way was controlling the drug supply within Metro City. Along with providing two drugs unique to the city and in high demand by the more zealous criminals. The first was Oblivion, a designer drug absorbed through the skin like a cream. It caused instant euphoria and a bit of deliriousness, sort of like a form of marijuana and ecstasy that didn't need to be smoked or injected. But in the inebriated state that came from it, the user was highly prone to becoming stupidly reckless and a danger to themselves and those around them. Those that had been treated for it described it as being incapable of feeling fear. The second was RPM which was different but no better. Those that take it instead experience a tremendous amount of energy, like adrenaline, but the drug compromised the brain chemistry, overproducing hormones that triggered anger and fear. As a result, the user became hostile and paranoid as well as energetic.
Either drug in the hands of a criminal or someone under the control of a criminal was a recipe for disaster.
"Okay boys, set up the incendiaries. Once we're done, we get the hell out of here, and when we're all far enough, I'll set them off with the detonator." Marian ordered.
Everyone went to work, setting bombs in different places.
"Okay, all the bombs are set." Blaster assured.
Marian nodded. "Okay, now let's scram."
"NOBODY IS GOING ANYWHERE!"
All of a sudden, all the gates to get into the room shot up, revealing trucks blocking the way. Then the doors that employees would have used to get into the room flew open with dozens of people charging in, all dressed in gimp outfits and carrying guns, surrounding the group on the ground and in the rafters. Through it all, the lights went on and one person stepped towards them. It was a woman, long blonde hair and dressed in a stylized black leather dominatrix outfit, complete with whip.
"Linda Lash." Marian hissed, clenching a fist with the desire to slug the woman.
"Well well well, you brats almost got away with it. But too bad for you, the rat in my gang failed to tell you about my security system. Did you not think I'd have something like a silent alarm?" The leader of the local gang mocked.
'Damn!' Marian cursed, keeping her eyes on Lash.
"Oh, by the way, I caught that little rat and fed him to my cat." Lash mocked, then laughed like a horny Wicked Witch of the West.
"You bitch!"
"Oh, this has been fun, but thanks to you I had to cut my deliveries short tonight. So we'll just send you all to hell now and then we can get back to business. OH, BOYS!" Lash called out as she pulled out her whip & whipped the ground like a lion tamer.
Suddenly all her men aimed their guns at the group. Just as the gimps readied to fire, Marian removed the detonator's safety.
"if this is the night I go down, I'm taking as many of you down as I can with me!"
Just as everyone was about to move, all the gates suddenly slammed down, confusing everyone.
"What was that?" Lash asked.
Then the lights went out, except for the ones on the tables, then they began flashing on and off again, like someone was trying to induce a seizure. Everyone got disoriented, covering their eyes from the flashes and losing their footing. A few stray shots went off, panicking everyone. During the confusion, Marian was briefly able to see at least two figures moving around fast, taking out Lash's men. One red, the other blue.
"What's going on?" She asked, shielding her eyes from the inconsistent lighting.
The sound of grunts & yells came from all around, along with things getting smashed. No one could keep track of who was moving where.
"ENOUGH!" Lash roared, attempting to counter-attack with her whip, hitting anything that her weapon could hit even if it was one of her own. Then a red flash went before her and knocked her down, making her drop her whip. At the same time a blue flash passed by Marian, too quick for her to focus on.
Then the lights stopped flashing, and now they just stayed on.
"Everyone okay?" Marian quietly asked, rubbing her eyes.
"I'm blind, but alive." Blaster noted, doing the same.
"Same here for us too." Kona added.
When she could see better, Marian saw all the gimps were on the floor or laying on the rafters, some dangling over in danger of falling off. The sight of Lash like this made Marian smiled, especially the fact that she was acting as if someone had kicked her in the boobs. She also noted that the equipment on the tables had been destroyed. Before she could say anything, the gates rose again, revealing destroyed trucks, and all the cargo inside had been smashed.
"My cargo… my lab…" Lash bemoaned, seeing this too as she struggled to sit up. "You... YOU FUCKING BRATS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
"They did nothing, Lash." A mysterious male voice replied from out of nowhere.
"We did it." A different male voice added, also unseen.
"Who's that?" Kona asked, getting defensive.
Marian looked around, seeing nothing. That did not make her feel better.
Getting to her feet, Lash looked around too, trying to find where the voices were coming from. "You bastards, get out here and die at my hands!"
"Sorry, but the night is still young."
"And we still have a lot of work to finish."
"We suggest you take your men and leave. We'll let you all live this time, but we can always change our minds."
"This goes for those who came to destroy the lab too."
"Who are you?" Marian asked loudly.
"You'll learn soon enough."
"You all will, it's up to you if you like what you learn when you do."
"This isn't over." Lash warned, holding her stomach.
"No Linda Lash, it isn't."
"It's just getting started."
Gritting her teeth, Lash and the gang members who regained consciousness ran out of the factory, leaving behind those still knocked out.
"Should we leave too?" Blaster asked.
"Better not take chances." Marian advised.
Despite wanting to know more about who those voices belonged to, Marian's group swiftly exited the factory. Moments after they got out through the fence, an explosion went off, leveling the factory behind them.
"Was that ours?" One of the group member asked in shock.
Blaster shook his head. "No, the ones we had would have just burned the place to the ground."
"Weren't there still people in there?" Kona asked.
"I'm not going back to find out." Blaster replied. "But it seems new players have entered the fray."
"Are they friendly or foe?" One of the group members asked.
"I don't know, but there's something about those voices…" Marian said, leaving the area with them following.
Elsewhere…
Lash stormed through the city with what remained of her men in tow, her rage and fear rising with every step she took.
"Dammit, how am I going to explain to the master?"
Around midnight, she and her men reached a building with the men instructed to watch the perimeter while she walked inside. Once inside, she got to an elevator and opened a secret panel with buttons that read from 1 to 9. She punched in a code to activate the elevator's extra function. It worked and the elevator took her down, deep underground where others don't go, opening into a hallway decorated like a palace. Lash stepped into the hallway and walked down, her footsteps sounding emphasized in the emptiness. At the end she came upon a large door, with a man standing to the side. He was dressed in a black male qipao with red lining.
"Is he there… Duke?" Lash asked fearfully.
Duke nodded. "Yes, the Shadow Master is always here, and he's aware of your failure."
Lash gulped, and for good reason. The Shadow Master is the leader of the Shadow Warriors, and thus the ruler over all of Metro City's underworld.
The doors opened without any visible prompting, leading to a throne room. Said throne room had many black pillars with elaborate gold bases supporting the roof and black tiled floors. The imposing atmosphere is designed to instill awe and fear in all who enter, like a prisoner being sent to the execution chamber.
"Don't keep him waiting." Duke ordered, smirking.
Lash fearfully stepped inside, the door closing behind her locking her inside. A path on the floor led her towards a wall made out of black fire. Slowly, Lash approached the flames. As she got closer she could see a figure sitting on what seemed to be a throne behind the black flames. When she got close enough she knelt in front of the fire, which began to stir as a demonic presence pushed its face out of the fire. It was like the Wizard of Oz but onyx black with burning red eyes, and he looked down at the terrified woman who kept her head down.
"Lash, you really disappointed me tonight, and I had high hopes for you. That's why I put you in charge of manufacturing and distributing my products in the first place, but you failed."
"Master, I-"
"SILENCE YOU WORTHLESS WENCH! YOU SPEAK WHEN I ALLOW IT!"
"Yes, sir." Lash squeaked.
"Not only did you allow the shipment you were supposed to deliver tonight get destroyed, but you allowed children to destroy one of MY FACTORIES!"
"Please give me a moment to explain." Lash pleaded.
"Now, what is a suitable punishment?" The Shadow Master asked.
"Punishment!?" Lash repeated, worried.
"Yes, my dear. This failure must be punished. But killing you is too easy."
Lash became even more terrified at the thought of what horrific thing he was going to do to her. Would he burn her with the black flames? Throw her in a vat of acid? Turn her to stone? No one knew for sure what he was and wasn't capable of.
"Ah, I've got it. Maybe some time in my shadow mural will motivate you to never fail me again."
Lash gasped and got to her feet. "No master! Not that!"
Without warning, a hand reached out through the flames, grabbing Lash and bringing her over to a grey wall off to the side. Suddenly the wall transformed into a living mural revealing many twisted and disfigured people trapped inside, writhing and screaming in agony, like something out of a Clive Barker nightmare. Arms were reaching out to grab Lash, who was screaming in terror and trying to escape. Seconds away from being tossed in, the doors flew open with Duke rushing inside.
"Master, I have news."
"Speak, Duke." The Shadow Master commanded, pausing in his punishment for a moment.
"I just received word from Abobo & Willy. Both of their gangs were attacked tonight."
"What?!"
Duke nodded. "The recruitment tournament was shut down, the arena was destroyed, and the weapons cache that was en route to be transferred was attacked."
"Did they say who was responsible?"
"Abobo's men, the same with Willy's, said that all they could see were red and blue flashes moving around taking out their men." Duke replied.
Hearing this, Lash spoke up. "Master, please, that's what happened to me and my men."
"What?"
"I was about to end those brats, but those red and blue flashes appeared, saving them and destroying the factory."
Taking a moment, the mural disappeared and the black hand dropped her to the ground. Lash gasped heavily and moved away from the wall.
"If this is true, then you have earned a reprieve from your punishment. Now leave."
"Thank you, master. I-" She said, getting to her feet.
"GET! OUT!"
Lash ran for her life out of the throne room, leaving both Duke and the Shadow Master alone. Once she was gone, the figure behind flames stepped through, revealing a dark-skinned person wrapped in a hooded cloak who walked up to Duke and placed a metal hand onto the mural. In the light, one could see that his hand was made of solid black iron.
"Master, nothing has caused us this much trouble in fourteen years. Not since... well, them. What does this mean?" Duke asked.
"Loose ends. That's what it means."
End Of Chapter 1
