One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Ch.7: It's All About the Game
"Great job everybody!" Kathy with an extra amount of enthusiasm, she was the last one to make it to the rendezvous point in the alleyway where the Bullldog was parked. "That was smooth as silk, and we did it without anyone getting hurt!"
"Not quite..." Horace said, standing next to Ted as he pointed behind Kathy.
Kathy turned around to see Randal standing next to Chuck, who was sitting with his back against the wall. A charred hubcap was cradled in his arms, the last piece of the van he owned for decades that was destroyed during the fight.
"She deserved better man..." Chuck whimpered.
"I know buddy, I know." Randal said as he gave his friend a comforting pat on the back.
"Hey Chuck, I'm really sorry about what happened." Kathy said honestly after walking up to Chuck. "I know it wouldn't be the same, but is there any chance a sports car will cheer you up?"
"A...what?" Chuck asked in disbelief.
"I called Daddy on my way back here, I told him what happened and he said he was getting tired of last years Corvette anyways." Kathy explained. "So, what do you say?
"Umm...sure." Chuck replied with a faint smile.
"Hey, wait just a minute." Horace said. "We risked our necks to, where's my new car?!"
"Hmm...Good point. Ted, how does a car sound to you?" Kathy asked casually.
"Hell yes!" Ted replied with a very big smile. "We got the money and new rides, best job ever baby!" He said as Ted and Horace gave each other a high-five.
"So does that mean we're all good Ted?" Randy asked.
"Oh yeah, we're good. Now we just have to lay low for a while and then we can start spending." Ted replied as he held up the money bag from the deal.
"Don't get cocky yet pal, these guys are still around and might not be happy about you getting away with their cash." Randy warned.
"I know, but I don't think that's gonna be a problem." Ted said very confidently.
"Oh yeah, why's that?" Randal asked out of curiosity.
"Because I know you're the one on their case Randy." Ted replied with a smirk. "And after seeing what you and these kids can do, I think Spade's got a lot of trouble coming his way."
"Aww come on Ted, don't get soft on me." Randal said as he tried to hide his appreciation. "You guys need a ride?"
"Beats catching a cab." Horace remarked.
"Alright, then let's stop wasting time and get everybody home." Kathy said as he opened the back door of the Bulldog. "That means you to." She said while looking at Jeremy.
Jeremy didn't even turn around from the wall he was spray painting, Seeing Jackson and his cyborg enhancements gave him an idea for a picture of a metal skeleton surrounded by fire.
"Yeah...be there soon." Jeremy replied, barely listening as he kept working on his art.
"Now Jeremy!" Kathy said lie a mother scolding a child.
"Fine..." Jeremy said reluctantly.
Mia had been quietly observing what Jeremy was working on. Just before heading to the Bulldog, she noticed a small puddle of dark red where Jeremy stood that
did not look like paint. She also noticed a trail of small red drops that lead to Jeremy and a dark stain on his pants around his left calf.
"You're hurt!" Mia said, horrified as she realized it was Jeremy's blood. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"Oh...it's just a graze." Jeremy said as he tried to calm Mia down. "And it doesn't even hurt that..."
"Sit down, right now!" Mia said while pointing at one of the back seats in a much more assertive way then normal.
Jeremy and Kathy didn't hear Mia use that tone often, but when they did they knew it was time to be quiet and do what she says. As he took a seat, Mia opened the glove compartment to take out a first aid kit. She knelt down beside him, pulling up the leg of Jeremy's pants so she could fully see where the bullet had grazed him.
"You can't just keep this to yourself, do you want to get an infection?" Mia said, scolding Jeremy as she cleaned the wound before applying bandages.
"No...I'm sorry." Jeremy replied shyly, he was glad that his painting mask was still on because it covered most of the red on his face.
Kathy just rolled her eyes at Jeremy's usual behavior and got the Bulldog started. Randal, Ted and the rest of the older men couldn't help but chuckle and give each other knowing looks. They were all that age once, so it was easy for all of them to see what was going on.
With their job done, Kathy took everyone home but still kept her radio on in case there was more news about the soldiers they dealt with. Jeremy was first, getting dropped off at an apartment complex just a few blocks away from his parents house. Mia was next, she was taken to a building that resembled a Buddhist temple and was surrounded by a large yard with Peach Blossom trees. There was also a small pond on the left side and what looked like a dirt covered sparring ring on the right. Ted, Chuck and Horace had all lived in the same neighborhood for years so they all got out together. That left Randal as the last to get dropped off, before he left Kathy had something to give.
"Don't forget your prize." She said with a very smug look on her face and a human sized teddy bear in her arms.
"Great...have a good night." Randal said sarcastically as he took the giant stuffed animal inside.
The Heroes and their friends enjoyed a good nights sleep, the same could not be said for Jackson. He still had a monster to deliver to his employer, and he always made sure that his mission was accomplished. He was offered the chance to rest once he arrived at the abandoned power plant but Jackson insisted on meeting with Spade right away.
"Bloody hell...it looks like you went through a trash compactor." Spade said as Jackson entered his office, he was casually sitting at his desk with his shirt off.
"There was...a complication." Jackson said as he took a seat, trying his best act professional and not show how frustrated he was. "We were ambushed by a team of Heroes, four to be exact."
"Well, sorry to hear that" Spade said non-nonchalantly while lighting the cigar in his mouth. "Did they get the monster?"
"No, but the buyers managed to get away with the money. I wouldn't be surprised if both groups worked together." Jackson replied, his fists clenching. "Just give me the order and I'll make sure they are hunted down and eliminated...painfully."
"I could do that, but I won't." Spade said in a very blunt way before tagging a long drag from his cigar. "You got what I paid for, that means I'm satisfied."
"Are you kidding me?!" Jackson asked, slamming his hands on the desk as he stood and stared down at Spade. "I have multiple men injured, not only that but one of those lowlifes you made me deal with actually used your name." Jackson said angrily as he tried to drill the point into Spade's head. "Can you still tell me this isn't something to be concerned about?!"
"Why would I be concerned? This is all just starting to get interesting." Spade said with a devious grin before blowing a large amount of smoke directly into Jackson's face.
For a few moments, Jackson thought about killing Spade and being done with all of his nonsense. But the sad truth was, even if his body wasn't mostly broken Jackson knew just how capable the man who employed him was.
"You might not like hearing this Jacky Boy, but I want those bastards at the Hero Association to know that its me. It won't be enough to just want to beat them, I want to sit back with a drink in my hand and a nice looking bird on my lap while I picture the twats that tried to wipe me out pissing their pants cause they know I'm coming." Spade explained, his body swaying as he slurred his words. "I say let them find out, I plan to show the whole world just how daft it was to underestimate me." He said with a pleased smirk, but then noticed the sour look on Jackson's face. "Is that going to be a problem for you?"
"No...it won't." Jackson replied reluctantly. "But if were going to be fighting Heroes head on, I want those upgrades you promised along with my pay."
"Well...I suppose you do need them now." Spade said, looking up and down at Jackson's broken body. "Talk to Jenny, if she doesn't fix you up then somebody else on the payroll will. Anything else?" Spade asked after he blew more smoke towards his employee.
Jackson walked away, he left the office without saying anything else but his expression showed how ridiculous he thought all this was. Spade didn't care, he just took another drag from his cigar before standing up and walking to the very lovely looking woman who was waiting for him in bed.
The next morning, Randal woke up to his phone ringing again. It was Kathy, who explained that the Hero Association wanted to meet with all of them for a debriefing about what happened last night. Kathy picked everyone up in the Bulldog and then drove them to the nearest building owned by the Association. Randal could tell this was being taken seriously right away as he entered a room with two executive members of the Hero Association waiting to meet them.
"Good morning everyone, please have a seat." Sekingar said to the four Heroes as he sat next to The Bespectacled Worker.
"We appreciate all of you coming so soon after what happened." The Bespectacled Worker said politely. "The Association would also like to congratulate you all for your work."
"But that's not important right now, we have asked you here to give us a detailed description of what happened last night." Sekingar added.
Everyone took their turn explaining what they saw and heard that night. The two executives listened carefully to every word and took notes when they considered it necessary. After they were done listening to the Heroes, both of them had one part of the story in particular on their mind.
"And you're sure that your friend said Spade? That's what almost lead to them being shot?" Sekingar asked Randal.
"That's right, as soon as Ted said it he knew that Jackson wasn't happy." Randal replied.'
"I see..." Sekingar asked, his fingers rubbing his forehead in frustration.
"We'll have to inform the others..." The Bespectacled Worker said to Sekingar ominously.
"Is there something we should know about?" Kathy asked as she noticed their reactions.
"Yes...I suppose there is." The Bespectacled Worker replied with a sigh. "We believe that Spade is code name used by a former Hero. This man is named Liam Deathmister, but for a short time the world knew him by his Hero name; Motor Ace."
"Hmm...doesn't ring any bells." Jeremy commented as he sat in his chair without any posture.
"I remember him." Randal said. "He's the guy that rode a Harley and always dressed like he was in a metal band, didn't he disappear or something?"
"As far as the public knows...yes." Sekingar answered somberly. "Three years ago, Motor Ace joined our ranks. He had always lived the life of a thrill seeker and was very clear about the fact that working as a Hero was just another way for him to chase excitement."
"Before becoming a Hero, he lived a very eccentric life. Extreme sports, lavish parties, an unbeaten record at more then one underground fight club; it was more then likely that all of these things were payed for by illegal means. Despite this rather shady past, we hoped that his strength would prove to be an asset" The Bespectacled Worker explained.
"Sounds familiar..." Randal mumbled to himself.
"So, what actually happened?" Mia asked with a worried look.
"At first he was quite effective, multiple monsters were killed and hundreds praised Motor Ace for the work they saw him do. He was quickly rising in rank and made it all the way to Class A Rank-4 before he started to cause problems." Seikngar answered. "He took every chance he could to bask in the glory that the public gave him, then he started demanding a ridiculous sum of money for his "full service." The Association refused, and that was the last time we officially saw him. Not long after, there was huge spikes in crime with only the ace of spades playing card left behind at every scene to tell us who it was. A total of six heroes have been sent over the years to track him down, none of them have been heard from since."
Sekingar's speech made everyone realize just how serious the Association was taking the situation. Kathy was excited at the idea of taking down someone the Association had been after for so long while Randal just sat quietly and wondered how dangerous the people they were going up against really were.
"Since then, we've had to be very careful about who we allow to become a Hero. Especially if they have a criminal past, I hope that helps you understand the way you were treated at first Mr. Hogan." The Bespectacled Worker said.
"It's fine, you were just doing your jobs." Randal replied casually, shrugging his shoulders.
"Wait, what?" Jeremy asked before suddenly realizing what they were talking about. "Do you...have a criminal record?" He asked while looking at Randal, but then looked at Kathy and Mia when he noticed something else. "And why aren't you surprised about this?"
"We...might have already known." Kathy admitted.
"I really did want to tell you." Mia said, feeling guilty.
"Well that's just fantastic..." Jeremy said as he crossed his arms, showing that he was unhappy to be the only left out of the loop.
"It doesn't matter." Randal said sternly, making it clear that he didn't want to keep talking about his past. "Do you have a plan to catch this guy?" His asked the two executives.
"At the moment, we are trying to find the most likely place for his criminal operations. The biggest spikes in crime have taken place in Cities S, T, U and V but that still gives us quite a lot of ground to cover." The Bespectacled Worker replied.
"If he's buying and storing monsters, Spade is going to need a lot of space." Kathy commented.
"I agree, with any luck the base will be found soon. Until then, we need every Hero to remain vigilant and be ready for any major criminal activity." Sekingar said. "Thank you all for sharing this information with us."
The meeting was over and the four Heroes left together, as they walked to the Bulldog they all wondered about the former Hero they were up against in their own way.
"Do you think it was just money?" Jeremy asked as they walked. "Top ranked Heroes seem like they get payed pretty well, so that seems like a pretty stupid reason to me."
"Maybe he just let the fame go his head?" Mia replied.
"Hmm, maybe." Kathy said as she listened to both theories and then looked at Randal. "And what would you're expert advice be?"
"Am I an expert because I can think like a criminal?" Randal asked in an apathetic tone.
"Well...yeah." Kathy said with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, what do you think?"
"I think this guy has been laying low for a long time. Long enough to put his own crew together. If he really was strong enough to almost get into the top rank, I doubt it would take much to get other people to follow him." Randal explained. "After that, he probably set up an operation somewhere out of sight. But you were right Kathy, if he's keeping monsters as pets it would take a lot of space and probably a lot of power to." He said while thinking hard about all the different possibilities.
"Right, so we need to visit places with no people and plenty of plug-ins. Easy enough, let's get going team." Kathy said with a perky smile as she climbed in to the Bulldog.
Everyone loaded in to the Bulldog to begin their search. Randal was quiet as the vehicle moved, his mind stuck on Motor Ace. At first he was going over ideas, but then he started thinking about something else. He wondered just how easy it might have been to go down a similar path. If Randal never met that strange, unassuming bald man months ago; would he be doing the same thing as Spade?