"What exactly are you trying to tell me here?" Alfonse Treeder growled. He was sitting at the large desk in his make shift office. The large desk was steel with a black leather chair. The office was in one of the back rooms of his penthouse and he wanted it to be as imposing as possible. Everything in the room had the feel of a sterile cold place. Even the bar on the right hand wall was cold hard steel. He kept the room dark except for one black desk lamp on his left. It felt like morgue. That's the feel he was going for. It served as a reminder of where you would end up if you cross him.

"Well, we seem to have had some problems with the shipment. It came into the city O.K. but where it went from there…we don't know." Ralf said nervously. He was the #2 guy and he knew what kind of temper his boss had. He only hoped he'd still have his head in the morning.

"You mean it's just GONE!" Alfonse replied, "How could it just be gone?"

"Well, we're not sure…like I said, it came here alright. Then we just lost radio contact and the tracking beacon just……..disappeared."

"Disappeared?" He felt his face getting heated.

"Yes. The guys are missing as well. We are trying everything we can to figure out what went down but it's starting to look like someone hit it in route." Ralf hesitated for a second looking at the angry face of his boss and thought carefully about what he was about to say. "I think…..I mean WE think it might have been…well.."

'Don't even say it!" Alfonse cut him off. "I am sick and tired of this same excuse! He's just one guy. How come you guys can't handle ONE GUY! This is nothing but gross incompetence! You have 24 hours to find out what happened to my shipment. Is that understood?"

"Yes." Ralf turned on his heels and headed towards the door. His 6'3" large frame seemed to be somehow smaller now. His head hung low as he looked down at his feet. His long brown hair was just covering the nervous look in his eyes. He opened the door and exited. He knew he may only have 24 hours to live.

Alfonse returned to the computer on his desk. This freak had cost him $2,000,000 in revenue so far. While not a huge amount considering the $10,000,000 he made so far this year, but each year this crack pot had been doing this, the money has been adding up and it's just unacceptable. He lost over $37,000,000 last year and since it was only the end of February, he was sure if this nut wasn't taken down soon, that amount may very well it the 50's this time. That would be over half of what his take had been before this freak…..this nut in black…..started his vigilante thing. It HAD to STOP!

He sighed heavily and was so in thought he didn't seem to notice one of the shadows on the wall move. He put his head in his hands, closing his eyes. He couldn't see the dark figure move to within inches of him. He didn't hear a thing. He was too busy wallowing in his self pity to know he was there.

"It's time for a chat, Alfonse."

His head shot up and his dark brown eyes were as wide as saucers. He felt his heart jump into his throat. His mouth hung open as if to scream, but no sound came out.

"To me you are nothing." The figure in black growled. "You are just some bug that I could take out at any minute. I want to know who is behind all this. Who is your supplier?"

The figure's red glowing eyes glared down into his soul. His mouth was dry. His heart started pounding hard in his chest. He had never been this close to him before. He had seen him sure…..but never here. Never face to face.

"How did you get in here?" Alfonse stammered.

The figure reached out and grabbed him by the collar and started lifting him out of the chair. Alfonse started to tremble. The figure pulled his face to with in an inch of those glowing eyes. Alfonse was terrified.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! WHO IS YOUR SUPPLIER?" The figure yelled in that bowel releasing gruff tone of his.

"I….can't tell you. They'll kill me!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I COULD DO TO YOU! WHAT'S THE NAME!"

From outside, Alfonse could here his men yelling through the door trying to get it open. He couldn't make out the words. The only thing he could concentrate on were those eyes.

"I don't know the main name. I just get instructions on disc," he said weakly.

"YOU'RE LYING!" He was pulling him out of the chair completely. His feet barely touching the floor.

"I swear…God, please…I swear!" Alfonse pleaded.

The figure threw him across the room and he crashed into the glass case of statues on the left wall. Glass shards ripped through his shirt and pierced his skin. His head hit the floor with a resounding thud. He heard the door start to crack and finally break open.

"Boss? Boss?" Ralf was running across the room to his side. He kneeled down next to him. "You alright?"

Alfonse looked up to where the figure had been. He was gone. The window was open. He sat up and stared at the window. He knew things were going to get bad. Really bad.