This is still just fan based amusement and no money is being made...
Harris looked at the two unconscious people -- a man and a girl -- and shook his head. Now things had got complicated and it was all Flick's fault. He had two hostages to take care of now and the chance of getting caught was also much greater.
The door opened and a man stepped in. He stared at the scene in confusion. "What is this? Didn't we just have to kill him and take his body away?" he asked.
Harris shrugged. "Change of plans, Ned. We have to get them out as soon as possible. Then we can kill them."
Ned nodded. He was a strong man who was becoming bald very fast and whose blue eyes reminded most people of mice. He was an agent from Section 4 and had come with Harris to help him.
"Let's hurry then," he said. He didn't know all of the details of this operation, but questioning Harris wasn't part of his job. And besides, he was pretty sure of that by doing this someone would replace Black soon.
And that was always a good goal.
He wasn't very young anymore, but was still a common field agent. Most of his peers had been resigned to higher missions and he didn't like it the least. He thought he had laboured enough for the Sections and yet they had never paid him any attention.
That would change. Harris had promised that he would give him a raise as soon as this was over. It was an offer Ned just couldn't have refused.
He didn't feel bad at all when he packed the unconscious duo into a small cart and covered them with a white sheet and laundry. If nothing unexpected happened it would be very easy to deliver the prisoners away to be killed.
"We can go now," he said and the two left. The guard Harris had knocked down was still unconscious and he was now lying in a pool of his own blood. The man wouldn't recover in time to blame them.
Everyone in Section 13 was busy and had neither time nor the desire to stop them. Especially since Harris -- Black's trusted teacher -- was there and talked with Ned like they were old friends.
Only one of the agents who they med stopped to look at them in confuse.
"Laundry service," Ned said before the other managed to ask anything.
"Oh. Our Section sure has started to get dirty," the man said and continued on his way. There was no change of expression on Harris and Ned's face, but they were both relieved. Only a while more and then the dangerous part would be over.
After they got out they headed for a truck that Ned had parked nearby. Everything was just as easy as they had expected and no one saw them. Harris climbed in the back with the still unconscious prisoners and Ned took the wheel.
Harris let out a sigh and leaned his head against the truck. He had done it. He really had.
They would soon notice that he was gone, but he knew that no one could start blaming him for something. Tag and Chan might try something, but those two really couldn't do anything as long as Black was gone.
And besides, rebellious agents often got into strange accidents...
He turned his thoughts to what he had to do now. Flick had promised to send his group to look for Black if he got Chow. Harris didn't quite trust the criminal's word, but it was good for both of them if Black was found and got what he deserved.
Everything had gone according to the plan, but there was just one slight exception
The girl.
Harris glanced at the unconscious form of Jade and for the first time during the operation he felt guilty. The girl had nothing to do with the mess, she wasn't a criminal and hadn't hurt Harris at all. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That couldn't be helped now. The girl had seen too much and he had to get rid of her as soon as possible. Jacey could do that for him. The man's hands were already covered in the blood of young children.
The hideout of Jay Flick was actually much tidier than what Harris had been expecting, and yet a rat hole that he wasn't used to. It would have been easy to believe that Flick was hiding in some warehouse at the docks, but he had moved in an old pet shop. The shop had been empty for a while now and the owner probably had no idea of what his property was going trough.
Flick himself hadn't bothered to come to greet him, but had sent his gang to do it.
"How fascinating," Benjamin said as Harris stepped out. He glanced at the criminal. What a small freak...
"Shut up and help me to get the prisoners in," he said. Benjamin didn't even move, but Jacey was ready. He, Harris and Ned carried Chow and Jade in.
"Return to the Section and tell that I will be gone for a few days. Say that I travelled to Washington to ask for help," Harris said and Ned nodded.
"Clear."
The atmosphere inside was just as nasty as was to be expected. The first thing that Harris noticed was Jay Flick who sat in a fine arm chair caressing his pet bird. Anger and despise rose inside him, but he forced himself to calm down.
"I did what you wanted. Now help me," he said.
Flick glanced at him in curiosity and stood up. He walked to Chow and Jade and gave them a small kick.
"You brought me an extra prisoner and didn't kill the first one," he pointed out.
"I had some trouble. The girl appeared just when I was about to take care of the job and I had to bring them both. Do whatever you want with them," Harris replied. He eyed his nemesis, it was time since he had really seen him.
"What do you say Darling? Has Harris done well?" Flick asked the bird's opinion.
"Chirp chirp!" was the happy reply and Flick looked pleased.
"Fine," he said. "Jacey, lock them up and go to find Black."
"We think the Dark Hand has him," Harris remarked.
Jacey glanced at the prisoners in suspicion.
"Shouldn't we kill them now before it is too late?" he asked.
"I agree. Something unexpected can happen and it is good if we have got rid of at least two witnesses," Harris added.
Jay Flick frowned. "Are you trying to give me advice? Only my beloved Darling is good enough to do that!" he snapped.
"Chirp!"
Jacey and Harris glanced at each other.
"Right..." Harris said slowly. Huh, Flick was even moreof afreak than before. His place was in a round room, not prison.
Jay Flick didn't waste any time keeping his promise and in a while Jacey, Barbara and Benjamin were on the street again. They had had brilliant plans of capturing Ratso, but they hadn't tried any of them.
"This way we can save some time. Once we find the Dark Hand we get Black too," Barbara said.
"How fascinating."
Jacey shook his head.
"This operation has taken longer than it should have. And we haven't got paid either," he stated.
"Hey, that's true! Why didn't I realise that?" Barbara asked angrily. Jacey and Benjamin exchanged looks.
"Maybe Flick is fed up with that we haven't done anything, or..." Jacey started.
"Or what?" Barbara asked. She had joined this thing in order to get money and have some fun, but she had had neither.
"Or he can't afford to pay us. Think about the place we live in! And didn't we come here because the situation in Las Vegas is bad?" Jacey reasoned.
"That makes sense. Is he going to pay us at all?"
"I don't know, but he better should. We have served him loyally for years and it would be sad to see that change."
"Change?"
Jacey shrugged and snorted.
"It could be that if we don't get what we were promised the San Francisco take-over fails miserably. Just like Hay Flick himself."
Barbara smiled.
"Oh. Now I see."
"How fascinating."
"Really," Barbara said. Then she thought of something. "How do we find the Dark Hand? Do you know where their HQ is?"
"No. Flick gave us a difficult mission," Jacey admitted. "But that doesn't mean that we can't find them. Anyone will sell them for the right price."
"But we haven't got paid and Flick's pocket is also empty," Barbara pointed out.
"Who said we should pay them? It's enough if we promise not to kill them," Jacey replied.
"Works with me, but we also have to find someone who knows where they are."
"That shouldn't be too hard. They are the only functional crime organisation around here and everyone has to be involved with them."
"I meant that will we find anyone. Black has been busy and San Francisco is cleaner than some other cities."
Jacey chuckled.
"Don't worry about that. A clean city doesn't exist and never will," he said.
"I knew that!"
"How fascinating."
Jacey sighed and rolled his eyes. Sometimes he had to wonder why he, an intelligent and talented man was stuck with these two idiots. The other one had no sense of reality and the other kept repeating three words all the time.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. But let's do it instead of just arguing." he said.
Jacey had been right when saying that not even San Francisco was free of criminals and crooks. It didn't take too long to find a small bar that with its dirty and miserable customers seemed to be exactly what they had been looking for.
"Come with us. We want to talk with you," Jacey said and grabbedthe poor victim with him and dragged him out of the bar.
"Hey, what are you -- " the man asked and tried to resist. It was useless though, he looked fragile and was just as weak as he looked like. His face was pale and his clothes looked like he had spent most of his life in some garbage.
"Shut up and talk when we ask something!" Barbara hissed angrily and from her eyes the man saw that she was serious. He glanced around himself looking for help and trying to find someone who might feel compassion towards him.
"Help!" he pleaded, but no one even gave him a look. They were all used to situations like this and thought the man had just waited for too long before paying his loans or something.
They left the bar doors banging and headed deeper to the heart of the city. The man dragged by Jacey whimpered and Barbara glanced at him in despise. What a pathetic idiot.
The man's name was Tom, or that was what everyone called him. He was a miserable thief who never managed to get more than what was enough for a drink or two. No one appreciated him and he didn't mind. What he desired was peace and a nice amount off booze.
"What do you want from me?" he asked and exclaimed when Jacey thrust him against a wall.
"Shut up! We make the questions here!" Barbara snapped. "Understood?"
Tom swallowed and nodded quickly. He glanced at Benjamin who hadn't said anything yet.
"Okay. Where can we find the Dark Hand?" Jacey asked.
"Da -- Dark Hand?" Tom repeated. "I don't know!"
"Wrong answer," Barbara said. She pulled out a knife and pressed the blade on Tom's throat. "Think again."
"But only the members of the Dark Hand know where the HQ is! I am not one of Valmont's men!" Tom insisted.
"No wonder. This guy is too pathetic even for that British bastard," Jacey whispered to Barbara. She chuckled in amusement.
"Then what do you know? You better know something," she said and pressed the knife just enough to make a few drops of blood trickle down Tom's neck. She was getting furious and wanted to rip him apart. Maybe when they had all the information...
"I... uh... I..." Tom stuttered in fright and tried to find a way out of this mess. God, he had never been this afraid! Who were these people and why had they chosen him?
"Yes?"
Tom felt the knife on his throat. He could almost feel it bite deeper...
"Okay... I know where they live," he said quietly.
"Who? Valmont?" Jacey asked.
"No, his Enforcers."
"They live together? That can make me think of something..." Barbara said.
"I -- I don't know! Go and ask them!" Tom said.
"We will. Once you've told us where to find them," Jacey promised.
And Tom told them. After a minute he was no longer alive, but lay on the street throat cut open.
"Did you have to do that?" Jacey asked and glanced at his clothes in disgust. "I just washed these!"
Barbara shrugged and tasted the blood on her knife.
"I just felt like it."
"How fascinating."
Jacey sighed.
Hak Foo sat on a roof and kept an eye on the street below him. This had been his idea, but now he wasn't sure if it was that good.
Because of those imbeciles he would never get the Ox Talisman.
He didn't like the Talisman and didn't want to use it, but the fact that it existed drove him mad. No matter how much he practised, anyone could beat him with the Talisman.
That disturbed him and that was why he had to get it.
Suddenly he noticed something that seemed suspicious. There were people on the street like always, but three strange persons were there too.
Two men and a woman weren't necessarily very dangerous, but something in them told Hak Foo that they would cause problems. He was experienced enough, could read people and didn't think he could be wrong.
In the next moment he was moving and on his way to warn his partners. They had been so concentrated in Black and Section 13 that had completely forgotten that Jay Flick existed too. If he had been alone he would have remembered, but the presence of those two idiots must have made him slip too.
Hak Foo was fast and reached the others way before Flick's gang.
"Hey, you came back soon. Didn't you just leave?" Ratso asked not looking very surprised. He was making a sandwich. Hak Foo paid him no attention.
"They are coming," he said sharply.
"Huh? Who?" Finn asked. Had Section 13 found them this fast?
"Flick's men. There are three of them," Hak Foo replied.
"Heh, we are four," Ratso said. Everyone glanced at him.
"Ratso, I don't think we can count Black in," Finn stated.
"Well, then we are just as many as them."
"You two are no good. Only I can fight," Hak Foo said.
"Hey, that's not true," Finn stated.
"How can you know they work for Flick? Only Chow has seen them," Ratso asked.
Hak Foo gave him an angry look. "I just know," he said darkly.
Finn sighed. "Fine, whatever. But what are we going to do? We can't just wait here and invite them for tea and cookies," he said.
"We have cookies?" Ratso asked.
"First we need to get Black out of here. He means nothing to them so they might kill him and he is our only card. Once we have got him somewhere safe we can probably fight them," Hak Foo said.
"Pretty good plan," Finn said.
"It's not a plan, it's a solution."
"Um, shouldn't we go now? I think someone just knocked at the door," Ratso said. Everyone froze.
"Damn!" Finn swore and ran to the back window. "We have to go down. Black too," he said and glanced at the man who was tied to a chair.
"And I was just getting used to this sitting around," Black said. To be honest he was grateful for this interruption. Now the criminals had to free him so that he'd be able to escape too and that was his best chance to run from both gangs.
"Don't even try anything stupid. Hak Foo has got no nicer," Finn said while freeing him. He didn't care if he was rough or not and the skin in Black's wrists didn't like the treatment.
The knock at the door could be heard louder.
"Open! We know you are there!" Barbara shouted.
"Not a sound," Finn whispered and gestured everyone to get to the window. Ratso went first, then Black, Hak Foo and finally Finn himself. The fire steps were old and rusty and it was not a good idea for them to go down all at once.
Finn had just got out of the window when the door to the apartment was kicked open. Jacey and Barbara rushed in while Benjamin followed calmly. He walked behind his partners and watched as they ran around opening closets and peering under the beds.
"They must have been here just a while ago!" Jacey said and threw Ratso's sandwich on the floor. Benjamin pointed at the fire steps.
"How fascinating," he said. He tried to knock them just to amuse himself and was very pleased to notice that they fell down when he pushed them.
Ratso had got down when the steps started falling. The situation wasn't very dangerous to him since there was only a slight chance they would fall on him. And even if they did the old rusty pipes wouldn't hurt him any more than some other injuries he had suffered in his life.
It would be much nastier for those who were still up. Hak Foo knew how to react and jumped down before it all came down, but Black and Finn weren't as fast. They fell with the steps that crashed loudly to the ground.
Finn was the first one to stand up and held his head.
"Ow, that hurt," he muttered and thanked his luck for that he hadn't been at the top of the steps. The fall hadn't been toohigh for either of them, but the iron parts that had fallen on them had hurt. He glanced at Black, but he didn't seem to be hurt either. Or at least he didn't show it. They would both be on bruises the next day.
He looked up, but there was no one in the window.
"We better go, they must be on their way down," he said and shook his head once more. His body ached everywhere, but he guessed he'd survive a while.
And then he realised that Black was gone.
"Hey, he's getting away!" he exclaimed and pointed at the direction where the man had run. Hak Foo rushed after him and Ratso and Finn followed.
"You sure you can run?" Ratso asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about me. They better try harder if they want to hurt me," the Irish man replied.
Black was not very pleased with himself. He ached and his head hurt worse than in a long while. Usually he felt like this only when he and Jackie had had a rough night. That hadn't happened in years though.
He wasn't seriously hurt, but wouldn't get far if he didn't find a place to stay. Hak Foo wasn't the most intelligent person in his books, but he was a great warrior and Black didn't want to be caught by him.
Section 13 was far from where he was and he didn't think he'd reach any of the secret passageways in time. The best thing to do was to hide somewhere until the criminals gave up. They couldn't chase him for too long because Flick's gang was obviously after them.
And so he headed to the docks. There were more hideouts than anywhere else. He glanced behind him, but saw no one and hid under an old lifeboat.
It was dark and almost quiet around him. Now Black had to think about the situation and make some plans.
Firstly, everything was obviously better now than a moment ago. He was free and the Flick gang had come to keep the Dark Hand busy. Now all he had to do was to find his way to Section 13 and that wouldn't be difficult at all. What could go wrong in a city that was full of people? The criminals couldn't try anything as long as there were witnesses.
Suddenly he heard steps but didn't dare to peer who was coming. He had to settle with listening instead.
"He has to be somewhere here," he heard Finn say.
"He is hiding. We will find him," Hak Foo replied.
"Maybe with time, but what about Flick? They'll arrive here any minute," Finn pointed out. It was silent and Black figured Hak Foo was thinking of something.
"We have to stay and fight them," the warrior decided.
"Hmh. Great plan Hak. Especially if you want to commit a nice suicide," Finn stated.
"Idiot! Only you and I stay. Ratso goes to get help from Valmont while we hold them," the warrior snapped.
"Hey, that sounds better!" Ratso said.
"Well, why aren't you going then?"
Bennett sat in his car on the way to San Francisco. Now he was finally holding all of the pieces of this puzzle and all he needed were Black and Naoise. Then he could reveal the juicy truth to both of them...
He smiled to himself. Just thinking about the expression on the duo's face got him on a good mood!
Jackie glanced around.
"Strange," he said.
"What?" Tag asked.
"Jade isn't here. Usually she's always around when something is going on. It is suspiciously quiet..."
Tag shrugged. "Maybe she believed you and went to school?" he suggested.
Jackie lifted a brow.
"... Ah, I see. I'll tell everyone to keep their eyes open," Tag said once he understood.
School? Hah! What had he been thinking?
To be continued...