18. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
High as a kite, drunk on adrenalin and cheap vodka, I felt liquid courage rush through my body. Despite being decked out like a degenerate 90s Ned Kelly underneath my get-up I floated like a butterfly and was ready to sting like a fucking swarm of African killer bees.
Spirits up like the winter sun above me I finally kicked in the door of this nondescript warehouse just outside of Chinatown in the southern dock area, which was about to play host to a set-piece, that would hopefully hold up as the climax of act one in the movie, that was my life.
I couldn't help it, excitement and laughter were bubbling just underneath the surface. Dozens of heating patches generously spread over my body, my armor and the steel plates along my limps all made me feel like a big invincible toasty cinnamon bun.
"Crazy!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, probably to the consternation of the handful or so gang members mingling around.
The guy right near the door, and to his misfortune, easily within my reach didn't even fully turn when one of my machetes cleaved right through his collarbone all the way down to his guts.
"…, but that's how it goes…" I hummed under my breath as my eyes settled on two guys about to draw their weapons.
Grip firm, my machete easily slid out of the first guy and I leaped towards them like a furious monkey, I could feel my smile grow as I saw sheer terror bloom on their faces. Landing in a crouch before them I trusted my arms forward and my blades directly into their chests.
"Millions of people living as foes…" My humming got louder to a tune only I could hear.
By now I heard the shots and more importantly felt the bullets impact my armor. Turning, I scanned the area, desperate to catch a glimpse of my female co-star, the dragon in this particular episode.
"Maybe…" A bullet pinged against my steel helmet, which made me miss a beat. More importantly, however, it made me stagger, I shook my head, desperate to get rid of the ringing in my ear and my bearings back.
Suddenly, the bullets stopped, and my vision was filled with three extras feeling the need to earn their keep. The one closest received an ungraceful kick, which made him drop like a sack of potatoes after I felt his rips cave in exactly where I squarely planted my foot.
As if a curtain was dropped, my good cheer melted away and the stakes of this whole shitshow began to creep into the back of my mind.
This was the first time I was actually gunning for some B-Listers and I really wasn't sure how I stacked up against them.
Tune gone, I could only hear my blood pumping and the shouts of the two attackers in front of me.
Aided by my strength and speed I managed to rip my machetes up faster than the two could bring down their blades, which meant, their shouts turned to horrified screams as their hands were cut off at the wrists.
Watching them pull back their bloody stumps I prepared to bring down my machetes to finish them off when without warning all of my breath was driven out of my lungs. I went rigid, my arms still up. Despite my desperate desire to stay focused real panic started to swell when I still couldn't draw breath. Arms lowering a fraction, a fresh wave of pure agony ran through me and I realized what happened.
Under my right armpit, just above my armor, something was rammed deep into my body.
Knees getting week I felt a presence next to me.
Slowly I turned my head as far as I could, and there she was.
Lynx, the enforcer of the Ghost Dragons in Gotham City and the right hand of Edmund Dorrance, King Snake.
Seeing my movement, she began to chuckle and viciously ripped out her katana, which had been the only thing keeping me on my feet. Without it, I slowly sank to one knee.
I wanted to groan in relief as I felt my body repair itself under my skin. I bit on my lip, however, desperate to keep my mouth shut, keeping up the act of struggling for breath. Instead, I settled my gaze on her.
Which she immediately seemed to pick up on as she began to chuckle. Her lone eye never leaving the visor of my helmet as she stepped from my side to stand right in front of me.
Her katana was held loosely in her grip, her posture now relaxed, almost cocky.
"Just who dares…" I watched in slow motion as her unoccupied hand reached out. I felt her fingers wrap around the bottom of my helmet, fully intend to rip it off and reveal my identity.
Still on one knee, my hands hanging limply down my sides, my machetes lying uselessly on the ground out of my reach, …and obviously still suffering from a mortal wound. I was the picture of defeat.
Which was perfect, because the second I felt my helmet lift just a fraction I exploded into motion.
My hands shot up like snakes and my leg catapulted me up and forward. In less than a heartbeat, I was well within the deadly woman's personal space.
Credit where credit was due, she instantly backpedaled and in the corner of my eye, I saw her blade come around.
Too late.
My right hand got a vice grip on her jaw, while my left hand found purchase at the back of her skull. Momentum still carrying my body forward I used my inhuman strength and twisted. I didn't feel resistance, but I heard the vicious results.
In the blink of an eye, I went from kneeling in front of her to holding her limp form up by her skull.
I stared uncomprehendingly at the head in my hands until a particular observation hit me.
I had never killed a woman.
'Huh…' Unsure what that meant or how to feel about it in this case I was left unprepared for a hit, that felt like a sledgehammer even through my armor right to the center of my back.
Spreadeagled I was launched forward by a force that would have surely broken my back if it weren't for the plates of steel. Somehow, thankfully, I managed to divert my momentum enough to end up in a crouch facing whatever hit me.
Whatever was a man some twenty feet away.
Hand still outstretched in a palm thrust, dressed in white pants with a matching white dress shirt, which had its sleeves rolled up. A prominent tattoo on his chest peeking out from under the open upper part of his shirt leaving no doubt of who I was facing.
Edmund Dorrance, King Snake, the big bad I had prepared for. Two weeks of research, observation, and preparations for these handfuls of moments
"A lot of armor…and steady breathing, despite Lynx' efforts." He muttered just loud enough for me to hear, suddenly he cocked his head…and smiled.
"I will break you like a lobster and carve out your flesh, boy." He told me with vicious glee, while his eyes had remained shut for the entire time he stood in front of me.
Despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile myself, this was as good as a confirmation I was going to get, that the guy was, in fact, blind as a bat.
It wasn't his blindness, that made me confident. No, it was, what he just revealed. I didn't know what he did or how he managed it, but by now it was an open secret, that the guy somehow pushed his other senses well beyond peak human limits… and today it would be his undoing.
We squared off a good twenty feet apart.
Then he was on his way, hellbent on following through with his declaration.
I wasn't idle, however, at the first sign at so much of a hint of motion on his part I exploded into action as well.
My left hand dived into my coat pocket and wrapped around one half of my life insurance, while my right hand shot under my coat and pulled out the half.
Twelve feet, both of my hands now free again.
Unwilling to waste another single heartbeat I activated the emergency air horn with my left and watched with immeasurable relief how my would-be killer faltered on his next step.
Arms raising to protect his ears, his mouth open in a silent scream of pure agony he stumbled right into the hail of bullets I unleashed with the MAC-10 in my right.
Air horn silent again, I kept my finger firmly on the trigger even long after the mag had run dry. Eyes and gun still pointed unerringly at the bloody mess that had slid to a stop just five feet in front of my feet I was suddenly assaulted by a deafening silence.
"Aha…" A shocked laugh escaped me, and I dropped the machine pistol, scrambling I reached into my coat and retrieved the little revolver I got from Paulie all those years ago. With a forced calm, I slowly put the sights on the back of the prone figure's head and pulled the trigger. Lost for words I watched the bullet disappear into King Snake's skull.
This wasn't a ploy.
"Aha…Hahahaha!" I raised my arms up in pure ecstasy. "Yes, yes, yes!"
Getting myself back under control I quickly retrieved all my stuff, gave Lynx' body an unreadable gaze, and clasped my hands together in anticipation.
'Now I can work on the important part.'