Councilman Thomas Higgs was in a jittery mood. He normally wasn't a jittery person; you couldn't afford to be when half your life was in the public eye. Especially now with the mayoral elections so close. Councilman Higgs had been the ideal choice for the next mayor of Seattle, young, energetic, good looking – the media ate him up. Not only that, but his civic achievements were just as impressive. He'd put more money into the civil and economic recovery department than anyone before him. Fortunately no one looked to closely at where that money was coming from. But somehow Eyes Only had gotten on to him and set that whore on him. She'd stolen his papers and when he confronted her it got physical. It had been an accident, but the press would crucify him.
One of his aides had directed him to someone who could make this problem disappear – for the right price. Which is what brought him to where he was now. Like so many other dilapidated buildings in post-pulse Seattle it had been abandoned in the chaos that followed. The perfect place for a little felonious activity. Higgs told his driver to wait and went inside. A powerfully built man in a suit and tie met him with a Mohawk and goatee.
"I'm here to see your boss."
The bruiser regarded Higgs through heavily lidded eyes, and then led him inside. Walking through the grimy halls and rickety metal stairs, Higgs could hear a variety of screams echoing throughout the corridors. The well-bred councilman didn't know what was going on behind the locked doors, and preferred to keep it that way. He just wanted a progress report on his situation and leave. The bruiser stopped in front of what had once been the building administrators office and knocked three times. Thomas pushed passed him impatiently and barged in.
"Is this what passes for manners these days?" Came an emotionless electronic voice.
"I don't have time for your false airs and graces! What's being done about - "
A figure stepped out into the dim office light. A man of medium height and build, with brown hair. He was dressed immaculately in a second hand Armani suit but it was his face that drew the most attention – it wasn't real. It was a finely crafted plastic mask, even the eyes weren't real – but they did move. This was the Detail Man.
Throughout the Seattle underworld (and parts of the west coast), the Detail Man was known for cleaning up the less than honest activities of the well-to-do: paper trails, physical evidence, the occasional body (although he personally never authorized an actual hit). An independent contractor if you will, it was his responsibility to make sure the rich and powerful never fell out of their ivory towers.
His real identity was a mystery, but the story was he'd once been one of Seattle's numerous gangsters until a poorly planned heist resulted in him being sprayed with hazardous chemicals. The chemical cocktail disintegrated his face and melted his vocal cords. He'd had a vocal synthesizer built directly into his throat, giving him the droning monotone that passed for a voice.
Higgs felt a shiver dance down his spine as he saw the fake, lifeless eyes move from him to the body behind him. Fortunately for Higgs, his life in politics prevented him from showing his true emotions.
"That will do for now, Mr. Laurinitas," then turned to Higgs. "Now, councilman, what seems to be the problem?"
"You know damn well what the problem his!"
The Detail Man gave an electric sigh. "Your problem has been taken care of – both of them."
"But the other girl is still out there. And you still haven't recovered the documents."
"The other girl is of no importance. And as for the documents, they were destroyed in the car explosion."
"You don't know that! When I came to you, you said you could handle this quickly and quietly, without media coverage. And in less than twenty-four hours, her body washes up on Seattle's shore."
"Dozen's of bodies wash up on the shore. Ms. McIntyre's demise was met with little fanfare. No one cared."
"Eyes Only cared!"
"Councilman Higgs," the Detail Man droned on tolerantly, placing an amiable arm around his shoulders. "Walk with me."
Higgs resisted the urge to remove the arm from his person. He was sure the Detail Man's bodyguard would take offense to his refusal of his boss' familiarity, so he allowed the Detail Man to lead him through the halls. Along the way they passed people carrying files, boxes, bags and variously roughed up individuals. Higgs did his best to forget these images – they couldn't be healthy in the long run.
"Councilman," the Detail Man continued as they walked. "I assure you, I and my associates are doing everything within our power to salvage the situation. More than your political career is on the line, my professional reputation is at stake. Which is why," they stopped in front of a steel door. "I am taking extra steps to ensure our success."
The Detail Man removed his arm from Higgs' shoulders to open the door and reveal a wretched figure danglingoff the floor. "Isn't that right, Mr. Cale?"
To Be Continued…
And you thought sim-r' cliffhanger's were evil?
(whahahahaha)