One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Chapter 13: Born to Raise Hell
Randal used a taxi to get to the hospital, but ran the rest of the way when it got stuck in traffic.. Police were already on the scene, some of them were talking to the people inside the hospital during the raid. One of the officers tried to explain the situation, but Randal ignored him and focused on walking into the hospital. He was about to go through the front doors, but was stopped by two men walking towards him. Both of them were of average height and had a fairly athletic build. Their cloths were casual, since they had both finished work before coming to the hospital.
"Excuse me..." The man on the left said. "Is your name Randal?"
"Yeah..what of it?" Randal replied, not in a mood to answer questions.
"I'm Carter, this is Sadhil. We're Jeremy's parents." Said Carter.
"Oh..hey guys." Randal said with a bit more respect. "Are the kids okay?" He said while trying to mask how concerned he was.
"Seems like it, they're all inside talking with someone from the Association." Sadhil replied with a nod.
"Great, thanks for the tip." Randal said as he tried to step inside the hospital but was stopped by Carter again.
"Hold on." Carter said with concern. "We just have to ask...are we gonna be safe? If this Crime Association is bold enough to attack someone like Kathy, what's stopping them from going after regular people like us?"
"Crime Association?" Randal asked, his brow raised in confusion.
"Jeremy came up with the name." Sadhil explained.
This put Randal in an awkward situation. Carter and Sadhil had every right to be afraid, they could be easy targets to lure Jeremy and the rest of them into a trap. He wanted to ease their worries, but he also did not want to lie.
"Look...maybe you can talk to the Association about getting some body guards. Kathy might be able to arrange that to." Randal suggested, even though he did not really believe in the solution.
"She already talked to us about it, but knowing we need people watching our backs all the time doesn't make me feel any better." Sadhil replied, clearly frustrated by everything going on.
"Me either..." Carter said with a tired sigh.
"Sorry fellas, that's the best advice I got right now." Randal said in a matter of fact way before walking into the hospital.
Randal walked in to find Kathy, Jeremy and Mia talking to Sekingar. A team sent of the Association was investigating the crime scene and he was the one leading them. Kathy looked okay except for her arm still being in a sling, taking at least one worry off of his mind.
"Ahh, there you are Savage Senior. Outback Girl has just finished her debriefing." Sekingar said, standing straight and upright like a soldier on duty next to Kathy.
"You can just say my real name..." Randal mumbled while rolling his eyes. "Was it Frosty again?" He asked Kathy, referring to Bella Zerra.
"Nope, I described the guy who looked like he was in charge. Sekingar said it was probably Tommy Escobar." Kathy replied, still in her silk pajamas.
Jeremy sat close by on one of the waiting area chairs with Mia sitting beside him. Mentioning Tommy put a sour look on Jeremy's face as he remembered how smug the cartel leader was while getting away. Mia could tell he was upset and put a gentle hand on his shoulder to help him relax.
"Yeah...sounds about right." Randal said, noticing a few bullet holes in the city. "I didn't read a lot, but the bits I did look into were enough to show me Tommy's probably a trigger-happy dick. Guys like that always pissed me off."
"His personality doesn't matter, and please mind your language." Sekingar stated with a stern expression. "The fact that Spade is willing to send his top agents out to cause havoc so casually is a serious cause for concern."
"I agree..." Mia said, hoping they wouldn't have to keep watching their backs.
"So do I, but that doesn't mean we can't handle it." Kathy said, not letting Sekingar's cynical outlook keep her down. "We've fought off their best and beat their monsters, if you give us more Heroes for backup I know we'll be able to beat the Spade Syndicate."
"Crime Association sounds better." Jeremy said in a very blunt way.
"I'll do what I can, but monsters and other disasters are keeping Heroes across the world busy." Sekingar said.
"So you can't even spare one S-Class to help out? Not even the creepy guy who spends most of his time in prison?" Randal said.
"Some of them are helping in their own ways. Metal Bat is barging his way into every criminal hangout he can find and Child Emperor has been trying to pinpoint Spade's location. His research brought up something new, and it makes me worry that Spade is only getting started." Sekingar explained.
"Let me guess, he found more crazy people to help him out." Randal said while shrugging his shoulders.
"You could say that..." Sekingar said reluctantly. "It turns out that Spade has acquired the assistance of Doctor Jennifer Nova. She is a scientist known for being obsessed with trying to evolve mankind and doing dangerous experiments that have left many unfortunate test subjects dead."
"You mean like that Genus guy from the House of Evolution?" Kathy asked.
"Yes, but unlike him Dr. Nova did not have the funds needed for experiments. She's been known to help criminals in a variety of ways in exchange for money donated to her research. If Spade's operation fits our estimates, she could easily have the means to create a method for controlling monsters." Sekingar said with a dire expression.
"Just when I thought this couldn't get any worse..." Mia said in a dejected way.
"Who cares how many mad scientists they have?" Kathy said, looking at Mia to try and lift her spirits. "We can take on anything these assholes throw at us!"
"Language, please!" Sekingar yelled, he at least wanted the Heroes he worked with to act like professionals. "Confidence is important, but without knowing what we're up against it can just lead to running in unprepared." He said while staring at Kathy to make sure she got the message.
Mia and Jeremy could see Kathy holding back what would more then likely be a very loud rant. She stared the authority figure down until Randal walked in between them to break it up.
"There's other stuff to think about right now. I just talked with Jeremy's dads and they seem pretty spooked about all this." Randal said.
"Don't remind me..." Jeremy mumbled, rubbing his forehead as he imagined a long talk with his parents.
"Outback Girl has arranged their protection. I will make sure to notify all nearby Heroes and tell them to patrol the Lacroix's neighborhood." Sekingar said, acting like the matter was already solved.
"Mom and Dad are getting a team together right now." Kathy added.
"Yeah, well I don't think that's good enough." Randal replied, not caring if Sekingar did not like backtalk. "Finding them won't be too hard with the way you run things."
"What was that?!" Sekingar said, clearly offended.
"Oh dear..." Mia said, predicting a very unpleasant argument.
"Randal, that's enough." Kathy said seriously, she didn't want to get in a fight with the Association.
"No, it's the truth. These guys put us all over T.V. and sell merch with our faces on it. For gods sake, there's a guidebook with all of our stats that kids buy. What's stopping someone from using that to figure out our strengths and weaknesses huh?! Do you want some lunitic to run around and go on a hero hunting spree?!" Randal said, letting out frustrations about working as a Hero that had been repressed for some time. "Maybe, if you and your bosses weren't so focused on making money off of us there wouldn't be family members scared for their lives!"
"That book does seem kind of silly..." Jeremy said, but softly enough to make sure he didn't end up joining the discussion.
"You are out of line Savage Senior! I will report you to the executive board for this!" Sekingar yelled, making all the workers around him stop what they were doing.
"Can we all please just calm down?!" Mia said with a look of distress.
"Calm isn't getting us anywhere Mia!" Randal said without concern for how it made her feel. "Tell me Cyber-Eye, you get any info out of the goons or are they still keeping their mouths shut?"
The whole room watched as Sekingar and Randal argued. Even though the executive had plenty of insults to throw in Randal's face, he tried his best to be the bigger man and keep doing his job.
"We've tried every conventional means of interrogation. Do you have any better ideas in mind?" Sekingar asked with a hint of aggravation.
"Yeah, throw conventional out the window and leave them alone in a room with me." Randal said with an ominous tone.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Kathy asked, not liking where Randal was going.
"What do you think?" Randal replied, knowing that was enough to answer her question.
"There is no chance of that happening." Sekingar said, looking disgusted by what he just heard. "This Association operates under a strict code of lawful justice. If all you have to offer is the opinions of a thug, then your presence here is no longer required."
"Oh really?" Randal asked as he took a step closer to Sekingar even though Kathy tried to stop him.
"Yes, really." Sekingar answered without being intimidated. "I've got more important things to do then write you up, so either walk out of here on your own or I can tell my men to escort you."
It looked a fight could start in the hospital again. Jeremy and Mia were ready to jump out of their chairs if need be, but Kathy was the one who broke the conflict by pushing Randal towards the exit.
"Please...just go home for now." Kathy said reluctantly, trying to stop Randal from getting himself in any more trouble. "I'll come by in the morning and pick things up where we left off, I promise." She said sincerely.
It was a pain to admit, but Kathy was right. An uptight, suit wearing stooge like Sekingar was never going to listen. Even if Randal did make good points, they'd probably be ignored because of they way he was seen in that mans eyes..or eye in this case. He left without saying another word, leaving the rest of his team looking very worried about him.
After another quiet and rather expensive cab ride home, Randal stepped inside without knowing what to do next. If the Association wouldn't listen to his suggestions, he could only imagine how bad the reaction would be if they found out about Randal's meeting with Spade. Kathy and the others already had enough to worry about, but if they found out on their own it could take away the trust he seemed to build up with them. It didn't help that his head was still spinning a bit from the scotch that Spade left behind, but that also made Randal think of something.
Spade went out of his way to offer Randal a job, but left without mentioning how to reach him. There was no address, no number, no special place to meet; the only thing Spade left behind...was a bottle. He picked it up from the table and looked inside to see something at the bottom. It was something Randal noticed when he was drinking, but at the time he thought it was just some kind of liquor company logo. Now that he was paying attention, he realized it was something else but the liquor in the bottle clouded the image. It felt like a waste, but Randy poured the rest of the scotch down the kitchen sink so he could have a better look at what was in the bottle.
"Sneaky bastard..." Randal whispered to himself, he only saw tricks like this in movies.
There was a white sticker on the bottom of the bottle with a thin layer of plastic over it to make sure the phone number written on the sticker did not get wet. Randal was proud of himself for figuring out Spade's hidden note, but then frustration set in when he realized there was one more secret to keep.
As Randal spent most of the night pondering what to do, Tommy Escobar arrived at Spade's headquarters. He was expecting a warm welcome for a job well done, which made him disappointed when he only saw Rose waiting for him.
"Hello sweet Rosa." Tommy said with a sly grin as he stepped out of the car. "Couldn't wait to see me come back, huh?"
"Not quite..." Rose said, maintaining her professionalism as she held back the urge to vomit. "Spade wants to know how things went right away. Please follow me."
"Lead the way baby." Tommy said happily, letting Rose walk ahead so he could enjoy watching her hips sway.
Tommy's men were told to go where most of Spade's forces were garrisoned at the compound. Meanwhile, he was lead to the elevator by Rose to go directly down to Spade's office. Once again, Tommy was picturing the boss telling him good job and giving him a raise. He entered the office but was confused by what he found inside. The boss wasn't at his desk, but Jackson was standing beside it. He also saw Bella Zera, Candy and Sergei Sutherland who they all refereed to as Simian. They were sitting at the bar on the side of Spade lavish office/room.
Since he considered himself an old-fashioned businessman, Tommy never understood why Spade surrounded himself with freaks. Jackson let someone cut his body up to replace it with wires and gears, which would explain the metal rod he always seemed to have up his ass. Bella was a mad scientist who probably did her experiments in some ridiculous, giant igloo. Simian just looked like a college kid who took way too much acid and then there was Candy. She was a small-time player before Spade brought her in, but Tommy had a feeling she made up for that in other ways.
"We got a meeting or something?" Tommy asked, looking at each of them to try and find an answer.
"You could say that..." Candy said mischievously before having another sip from her cocktail.
"More like a demonstration..." Bella Zera remarked before enjoying her chilled wine.
"Kay...so where's the boss?" Tommy said, still very confused.
Before he could wait for an answer, Tommy felt a hand on his right shoulder. He looked over to see Spade, who proceeded to punch Tommy in the face. One of Spade's rings split open his cheek and the punch made Tommy stumble forward until he caught himself on the desk.
"Hehehe...here we go." Simian said like someone excited for a movie to start, he even had a small bag of popcorn while sitting with crossed legs on the bar-stool.
"I told you to scare the rich girl, not blow her up you careless wanker!" Spade said, cracking his knuckles and taking his time with approaching Tommy. "You must be getting high off your own stuff again, because nobody could this stupid sober."
"Hijo de puta..." Tommy mumbled in Spanish, reaching into his suit as Spade approached.
Spade grabbed Tommy by the back to make him turn around, but was hit with a suprising punch to the jaw. A small, studded set of brass knuckles were on Tommy's right hand. The hit was hard enough knock Spade back a few steps, but he still stayed on his feet.
Candy and Bella were surprised to see Tommy fight back and Simian was just happy that he wasn't going to watch something one-sided. Jackson could have stopped Tommy from throwing a punch, but he knew that Spade wanted to make a point. Rose nonchalantly watched from the doorway, savoring her silent moment of satisfaction.
"Hmm...not bad." Spade said, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth. "You been working out?" He asked like someone impressed.
Embarrassed and enraged, Tommy tried to hit Spade again. Two quick, but sloppy left jabs were easily dodged. He followed with another hook from his brass knuckles but Spade was able to expertly duck and knock the wind out of Tommy with a stiff punch to the gut. As Tommy fell to his hands and knees, Spade approached the wall across from the bar that was full of mounted, medieval weapons.
"You...you said they were tough, I knew one little rocket wouldn't do the trick..." Tommy gasped while struggling for breath.
"You know, I never understood why you always feel the need to lie." Spade said while casually deciding what to pick off the wall. "It's not like you're any good at it." He said with menace in his voice as he grasped the handle of a demonic looking war-hammer.
As he watched Spade get closer and looked around to see the amused faces of everyone else, Tommy understood there was no getting out of this. In his mind that left just one choice, he reached into his sock to pull out a very small pistol and tried to kill Spade first. Spade let Tommy point the gun, just so he kick it out of his hand with a surprising amount of flexibility. To finish the idiot off, Spade brought down his foot to ax kick Tommy in the head.
"Ooohh, nice one!" Simian said, laughing at Spade's display of skill.
"Yup...he's done." Candy said as she watched Tommy on the ground, barely conscious.
A stream of blood ran down the middle of Tommy's forehead, he groaned in pain and desperately tried to crawl away. Another cry of pain was let out as Spade stepped on his wrist and then brushed the brass knuckles off of Tommy's hand with his boot. Through the corner of his eye, Tommy looked up to see Spade standing over him with the war-hammer raised over his head.
"Noooooo!" Tommy cried out in terror as Spade swung the hammer down.
Stopping with just millimetres to spare, Spade let the head of the hammer hang over Tommy's head until he noticed the shock leaving his face. Everyone watching got the message loud and clear, but they still wished Spade had followed through with his swing.
"You're lucky I still want the cartel and the money it brings in." Spade said as he looked down at a pathetic excuse for a man. "You get one more chance Tommy-Boy so try not to blow, smoke or snort it." He remarked, only half-joking as he took a small towel off his desk and then tossed it next to Tommy's head. "Now bugger off and go clean up, the rest of us have work to do."
At this point, Tommy knew he was beat and stumbled out of the room. He mumbled every curse in Spanish and English as he tried to shake off the concussion ringing in his head. After he left, Spade put his weapon back on the wall and then turned to address the rest of his lieutenants.
"Good riddance." Rose said with a soft smile while adjusting her glasses.
"So...anyone else feel like going off script?" Spade ask to make sure everyone understood.
"Not when you're running such a good show." Simian answered with an eager smile.
"The question was rhetorical..." Spade said with a sigh, already tired of Simian's usual antics. "Candy, you're gonna take over for Tommy in the next part of the plan." He said while behind the bar to fix himself a drink.
"No problem boss, anything you want." Candy said in a flirtatious way, her finger brushing along Spade's shoulder.
"No need to brown-nose love." Spade mentioned with a smirk. "But if you want, we can go over the plan in private later."
"How come I never get such an offer?" Bella asked in a joking way.
"Because you're too much woman even for me." Spade said, joking as well but it still made Bella smile. "Alright, let's focus people. The Heroes aren't getting off our tits anytime soon. Nova still needs time to finish her big project so we'll need to raise some extra hell to keep them busy." He said after downing his drink.
"I still can't help but question her claims." Bella Zera commented with a hint of skepticism. "While biology is not my expertise, I have studied enough to know that the good doctor is making some very big promises."
"I agree, we should focus on improving our own forces instead of waiting for scientists to make some kind of super-weapon." Jackson added.
"Test-tube stuff was never my thing, I got Rose to keep track of her progress." Spade replied.
"All the data for her predictions seem to be correct. Considering how much she wants the project to succeed, I doubt Dr. Nova would lie about the results." Rose said as she looked at her tablet.
"It ought to be correct with all the money I've spent." Spade said, irritated when he remembered how much Dr. Nova's team and equipment cost. "But let's drop that for now, the docs let me take a few more pets out of the pen. Bella, Candy...you're both gonna transport these critters to different parts of City-T. That should keep all the Heroes around us occupied for a while. Jackson, you're gonna be on security detail for this place until you used to those "Improvements" of yours."
"I'm still adjusting to the new legs, but the doctor said the feeling should ware off soon." Jackson replied to let the boss know he was in shape for combat.
"Good to know, that just leaves..." Spade said with an indignant look, turning his head towards Simian. "Monkey-Boy..."
"Don't worry boss, already got some of my friends together. They know what to do and I just cannot wait!" Simian exclaimed, shaking on his bar-stool from excitement.
"Listen to me you hyper-active twat, this is not your usual smash and grab type of job. You do exactly as I say, or you can be the next thing I feed to the monsters." Spade said bitterly, leaning over the bar to be face to face with Simian.
"I know, that's why I'm gonna do my very best to get under his skin." Simian said with a carefree smile.
"Shouldn't be too hard..." Jackson muttered under his breath.
"Now boss, don't get me wrong..." Candy said carefully, wanting to make sure she stayed on Spade's good side. "Usually I'm totally down for what you got planned, but this I just don't get. Having more muscle around is nice but is doing all this really worth getting one guy on our side?"
"Again I agree, we're better off just killing him along with his friends." Jackson said with cold indifference.
"That's just you wanting some payback talking." Spade said with a grin towards Jackson, who just scowled back. "I'm not surprised you can't see the same potential, it was personnel experience that made me come up with it." He said while pouring and downing another drink to get in the right mindset to explain. "When I look at Randy-Boy, I see someone at that bloody Hero Association thinking they can try the same thing with me again. Some stiff in a suit wants to show that anyone can be a Hero and then smile for the cameras while they shake the old mans hand. Getting Randy on our side would make people question the Association's competence. Along with that, getting one Hero to realize the grass is greener over here could make others think about doing the same. Who know's, maybe we can have our own little squad of Heroes for hire."
As Spade talked, everyone could see how much Spade believed in his own words. Even though most of them had their own hang ups about the way Spade took charge, they all knew from experience that Spade knew how to make a plan come together. The boss filled his glass one more time and raised it high in the air as he looked at each one of his lieutenants. Bella and Candy did the same. Jackson just stood with his arms crossed and Simian held up his popcorn bag.
"Here's to making the world make sense again!" Spade said like a someone ready to party.