One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Ch.19: Road to Reparation
A nearly full moon with few clouds in the sky gave Randal enough light to make his way down the road. He kept the motorbikes light off to avoid drawing attention as he made his away back into the one of the many densely populated areas of City-T. As he parked in front of a run-down bus station for a ride, he wondered if that was Spade bad attempt at a joke. Ten minuets go by before a moving van drove around the corner and pulled up next to the motorbike, a black sedan was trailing behind it.
Five men stepped out, three from the sedan and two from the truck. They were all dressed in the same military gear Randal saw the night he and the other Heroes got in the way of Jackson's deal. Randal casually put up his hands as four pistols were quickly drawn on him. The remaining solider approached Randal to pat him down, starting from the feet and working his way up. Randal's cellphone was confiscated and the soldier's hand stopped at the left-side pocket of the leather jacket. The other soldiers were ready to fire, but relaxed once the man checking Randal pulled out a silver flask.
"Any chance you could top me off?" Randal asked, his hands still in the air.
The man who searched Randal handed back the flask with an unimpressed look as two of the others loaded the motorbike into the back of the moving truck. Randal was expecting to ride in the sedan, but was stopped before he could reached the door and told he would be riding with motorbike. He understood why, but that did not make it any less annoying as he climbed into the back of the van. With the bike next to him, there was little room to sit but one Jackson's men was nice enough to throw him a flashlight and a bottle of water. At least he would not have to spend the whole trip waiting in the dark.
As the convoy prepared to move out as ordered, Kathy was deciding whether to make a move. She had connected the tracking device to the dashboard computer installed in The Bulldog, allowing her a bigger screen to help her track Randal's movement. The map showed him waiting in one spot long enough for Kathy to start getting suspicious.
"This must be the spot." Kathy said anxiously, watching the monitor from the driver's seat. "I bet he's talking with Spade right now."
"But I thought we were looking for a power plant, not a bus stop." Mia remarked from the passengers side.
Well...maybe the Scrappers got the info wrong, or maybe there's one hideout, or maybe Spade told Jackson to tell Candy..." Kathy said, getting lost in her train of thought.
"Or..." Jeremy said, sticking his head in between them. "Maybe it's like that thing in movies when the bad guy puts a blind fold on the good guy so they don't know where they're going?"
"We're not in a movie Jeremy, I doubt it's something that...oh...he's actually on the move again." Kathy said as she noticed Randal's marker on the screen.
"Called it." Jeremy said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin.
"Should we start following?" Mia asked.
"Not yet, give it a little while to put some distance between us. Having this tracker means we don't have to tail them, it's also gonna give the Association time to get in gear." Kathy explained.
"Think they're gonna be able to help?" Jeremy asked.
"Here's hoping...I tried my best to be convincing." Kathy said, thinking back to the chat she had not long before this.
At first, Mia and Jeremy thought that Kathy went straight to them after seeing Randal leave. As they started to track Randal, she explained that there was actually one person she made sure to find first.
"Are you sure we can't spare anyone else?" The Bespectacled Worker asked, sitting in the back of the same limo the Irwin's arranged for him. "No, I understand. We'll just have to make do. Luckily, I have someone willing to lend an extra." He said while turning to the person sitting beside him.
It was hard to know how much time had gone by, but Randal assumed truck had been moving for about two hours. As the truck slowed down, he got to his feet and waited in front of the door for it to open. More of Jackson's men were on the other side, along with members of the others gangs involved with Spade as well. Randal stepped out to a crowd surrounding him in a half circle. Randal paid them little attention as he stepped out, the first thing he really noticed was the thermal smokestacks towering behind them.
"There he is." Spade's voice said as the crowd of criminals started to split down the middle.
Spade walked in between the large crowd of criminals. Candy, Simian and Tommy Escobar were walking with him on his left. Jackson, Bella Zerra and Rose were following at the right. Spade felt no need to hide how pleased he was to see Randal standing in front of him, his arms were out as they got closer as if he wanted to step in for a hug.
"It's good to see you Randy Boy, already got a room picked out for you." Spade said.
"Better be a private one." Randal said, standing with hands in jean pockets.
"Of course, only the best for our newest heavy hitter. Come on, we'll get you settled in and have a drink or two." Spade said, gesturing Randal to follow.
"Not yet. I wanna talk terms." Randal said, not moving an inch.
"What a surprise, he's already being difficult." Jackson remarked.
"No need to be so cold." Bella Zerra told Jackson teasingly.
"Hmm...looking good Tin Man." Randal said with small smirk "Hope you didn't spend too much time in the shop."
"Now, Now...let's all get along." Spade said, his arm going up to stop Jackson as soon as the cyborg tried to step forward. "We all know there's been some bad blood, Let's give our new friend a chance to make up for it."
"Got anything in mind?" Randal asked with raised brow.
"I'm thinking about setting you loose on other Heroes. You can try to show them the grass is greener over here, but feel free to batter them if they don't want to comply." Spade explained. "Think you can do that?"
"Sure, if you pay by Class and Rank." Randal said, shrugging his shoulder. "Just one condition, I'm not fighting the kids I was worked with."
"Not sure I like hearing that Randy...can't have you holding back when it really counts." Spade replied while scratching his chin.
"I'll fight anyone else you want without complaint, that includes trying my luck with somebody in S-Class. Send one of the others to deal with them because there is no chance I'm gonna do it." Randal stated sternly.
"In that case, I call dibs." Simian said with an eager smile.
"Well...I suppose I can do that much." Spade answered reluctantly." Anything else on your list of demands?"
"How bout free drinks?" Randal asked, his expression and body language more relaxed.
'Already on it, you got a stocked mini-fridge in the room and a nice bottle of rum waiting for you on the table." Spade said, stepping forward to stick out his hand. "We got a deal Randy Boy?"
Everyone watched Randal's next move closely, including Spade. Even though he kept smiling as one hand was stretched out, the other was ready to reach for the pistol tucked behind his back.
"Yeah, sounds good." Randal replied, looking Spade in the eyes as they shared a firm handshake.
"Glad to hear it." Spade said after carefully analyzing Randal's face.
Randal started following Spade and the rest of the crowd towards the center of the power plant. Randal kept calm, but he knew people like Jackson and Tommy Escobar were waiting for him to slip up. As he moved with the crowd of villains, Kathy and the other were rapidly driving down the highway. Knowing Randal was at a power plant was all Kathy needed to feel certain they finally found Spade's hideout.
"Call the Association, give them the coördinates." Kathy said, tossing Mia her phone so she could focus on the road.
"Right." Mia said as she quickly started dialing.
"Hold on Big Guy..." Kathy muttered under her breath.
Everything seemed to be going well, the crowd walked together at a steady pace as they approached the power plants main building. Rose had a small, wireless earpiece on her left side that was relying her information from the security team inside the compound. She lightly tapped the earpiece to whisper back a conformation and then stepped towards Spade without breaking her stride. Randal could not tell what she was saying, but as Spade stopped and let out an aggravated sigh he knew it that in not longer mattered.
"Something wrong?" Randal asked, not hiding his coy smile anymore.
"You tell me." Spade said, quickly turning around to pointed a 45. caliber pistol at Randal's head.
There was an interesting mix of reactions among Spade's troops. Some like Candy were shocked by their bosses quick shift in mood, others like Bella were annoyed that all this turned out to nothing more than a trick. Jackson, Simian, Tommy Escobar and many of the henchmen seemed perfectly happy with the sudden turn of events.
"Scans are picking up an armored car coming this way, couple more rides are not far behind." Spade explained, his finger on the trigger.
"Huh...wonder who that could be." Randal replied, his hands still in his pockets.
"So how'd you do it? I made sure the call wasn't tapped." Spade asked.
"Turns out the Irwin's wanted to make sure I didn't cause trouble, so they put a bug on me." Randal replied, enjoying Spade frown at his explanation. "I'd show you where it is, but I'll have to strip first."
"Or we could just take it off your frozen corpse." Bella Zerra suggested, grabbing the freeze-ray that was slung over her back.
"Hold it." Spade ordered, stopping Bella with just a look. "So what now? You really think I'm gonna let you walk outta here?"
"Don't care either way. I quit being a Hero before I got here and Kathy's probably not happy I took the old man's bike. It's not like there's much to go back to." Randal replied, he carefully took his hands out of his pockets to slip off the leather jacket. "Besides, you wanted a one man army right?" Randal said before tossing the jacket over his shoulder and giving his neck and much-needed crack. "So...who's going first?"
Multiple guns were drawn, all of them pointing at the single man facing a crowd of dozens. Rose wanted no part of the violence and too a step back, while everyone was just waiting for Spade to give the order.
"I gotta ask...is it hard to walk with that brass pair between your legs?" Spade asked with a laugh. "Spread out in a circle people, it's a good old-fashioned pit brawl!" He ordered to make his men surround Randal. "I want no guns, grenades or anything else you can make go boom! The rest is fair game."
The henchmen pulled out a variety of weapons. Jackson's men had police batons and combat knives. The Daddy-O had baseball bats and switchblades. Bella Zerra's henchmen had ice picks like last time. The Wild Pack and members of the Escobar Cartel seemed to be happy with whatever blunt or sharp object they could get their hands on. Among all the gangs, some were more than content to settle for their fists.
"On my mark..." Spade said while pointing his gun into the air.
There was moment of silent anticipation in the air. Jackson and the other Lieutenants stood by their leader, waiting to see what the lone Hero could do. Spade locked eyes with Randal, wondering if he would change his mind last-minute. Randal stared back in contempt, his fists clenched as he waited for the fight to start. Finally, the shot went off and all the henchmen charged Randal from every direction. He only had seconds to pic his spot, but when he spotted the weakest looking group in the bunch he rushed them without a single trace of fear or regret.
"Just a few more minutes." Mia said, checking the map for Kathy.
"Almost there...come on..." Kathy muttered impatiently, her index finger tapping the wheel as she drove at top speed.
A smile stayed on Spade's face as he watched Randal in action with his own two eyes. The man fought like someone possessed, almost every swing of his fists made contact and every chance was taken to grab someone and toss them into the crowd to thin out the opposition. With no worries about following some kind of Hero guideline, Randal was free to go all out. He bent arms hard enough to break them, kicked ribs hard enough to leave them shattered and left multiple henchmen on the ground with a severe concussion.
Most were beaten quickly, but some still managed to catch him off guard. One of Jackson's soldiers slashed his bicep with a knife, making him groan in pain. Randal knocked him out with a spinning, backhanded punch but that left him open form the other side to be hit in the head by a Wild Pack member with a metal pipe. To counter, Randal grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him into a headbutt that instantly knocked him out. He had enough time to catch two of Bella Zerra's men with a double clothesline, but that left his back turned to a Daddy-O who hit Randal in the back of the knee with a wooden bat. Groaning again, Randal dropped to one knee while the same Daddy-O stood over him to swing the bat down on the old man's head. Instead, the henchmen was left stunned as Randal blocked and turned most of the bat into splints with his forearm. Before he could run away, Randal made sure to stand and grab the Daddy-O by the neck so he toss the henchmen into a few of his friends.
"We've probably got more Heroes on the way, let me wrap this up so we can get ready." Jackson remarked.
'Who said you get to kill him?" Tommy asked with a band-aid on his cheek.
"He does make a good point." Rose said in agreement.
"Not quite yet...I haven't seen someone go berserk like this in a while." Spade replied, still watching the fight.
"Same here." Simian added. "Oh wow! I think he just broke that guys entire face."
With two thirds of the crowd on the ground Randal could see an opening, he ran straight towards Spade and his line of Lieutenants. Spade's smile dropped, looking disappointed before turning to Jackson and giving him a simple nod. The cyborg grinned before moving like a blur, Randal had just enough time to be shocked by Jackson's new speed before he was sent rolling backwards with a stiff push from Jackson's right hand.
Landing on his stomach, Randal was about to get up until he noticed a shadow cast over him. Jackson was standing in front of him, his right hand was open and pointed and at Randal's head.
"Let me guess...got some new toys?" Randal said with heavy breaths.
"That's right. Let me show you my favorite." Jackson replied menacingly.
Jackson was wearing his black trench-coat, covering most of the blue glow on his arm expect the light emanating from his sleeve. This was followed by small arcs of electricity running through his fingers. Randal had a feeling this was going to be worse than the shock Jackson gave him the first time they fought. With Spade and the other Lieutenants already surrounding him, he figured all he could do is hope his body was tough enough to survive.
"Hate to see it this way Randy Boy, but you brought it on yourself." Spade said with a hint of menace at the end.
The electricity around Jackson's hand became more intense, moments away from unleashing his new power on the man who left his last body in shambles. Randal could see the hatred in Jackson's eye, and decided to give the cyborg one more defiant smirk. Suddenly, a rifle shot echoed in the air and Jackson's arm was knocked away by a well placed bullet to his wrist.
"What the?!" Jackson yelled, pulling down his sleeve to make his parts weren't damaged by the bullet.
Spade and everyone else watching saw the shot come from the treeline surrounding most of the power plant. The bullet perfectly passed through one of the holes in the chain-link fence before hitting Jackson. Kathy was by one of the trees, panting after she ran through the woods with the tracker in hand to find Randal and make the shot just in time.
"Oh, I remember you!" Tommy Escobar yelled angrily while pointing at Kathy.
"Well...here they are" Rose said after getting another report in her earpiece.
Spade tried to step forward to have a closer look, but another shot from Kathy's rifle made a small burst of concrete in front of his feet. He scoffed at the attempt to intimidate, but as he noticed Mia and Jeremy hiding in the branches above their friend a wonderful thought came to his mind.
"Is it just them Randy? Or did you bring the cavalry along to?" Spade asked with peaked intrigue.
"Not sure...kinda made up this plan up on the fly..." Randal replied.
"Doesn't matter how many show up." Jackson said, charging up his arm again. "They'll all gonna end up like you."
New augmentations gave Jackson confidence in surviving a bullet from Kathy, he started in her direction like he was daring the Hero to stop him. There was another bullet fired, but not from Kathy. It came from behind Jackson, hitting the ground in between his legs. He looked back in confusion to see Spade with a pistol in his hands and the other Lieutenants having the same perplexed expression. The cyborg's eyes had a blue glow and his face was furious.
"Like you said Jacky Boy, we gotta get ready for war." Spade said with an excited gleam in his eye. "Besides, I wanna see Randy go out like a fighter. Not an old horse with a busted leg."
"I'm touched..." Randal said as he got to his feet. "That mean I can leave?"
"Only if you promise to come back with some friends. See ya soon Randy Boy." Spade said, looking totally carefree as he tucked away the pistol. "Take care of the others, if they don't woke up then drag them outta the way." He said to the still standing henchmen.
To be careful, Randal waited until there was some distance between him and the villains as they walked back to their stronghold. He noticed Jackson take a moment before finally doing what Spade said and walking away as well. After that, he began to step back before making a full turn towards Kathy and the others. Mia wanted to express relief, but just like Mia and Jeremy she wanted to be certain Randal got back to them safely.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Rose quietly asked Spade after walking ahead of the other Lieutenants.
"Maybe not, but I don't think one more Hero's gonna make a difference. What's the update on Nova?" Spade replied.
"The education process should be done within the hour." Rose said.
"Good, it'll be a nice surprise for Randy and the rest." Spade whispered vindictively.