Chapter 11: Don't Let It Slide
"A suspect who attended a party for Jack Hench is wanted. During the festivity, the suspect entered the party with another man's invite. While also assaulting Hench and murdering several guards. A man who was knocked unconscious, said the suspect got the drop on him while he was smoking."
The broadcast showed the man Ron strangled that evening. "I didn't see him, he was behind me… and he put me in a headlock. Next thing I know, I'm tied up in my trunk." Ron overheard the broadcast while brushing his teeth. 'What else was I suppose to do, ask for the invite and tell him to go away?'
"The suspect then attended the party and murdered several of Hench's bodyguards. Police say that the victims were identified with criminal backgrounds." A policeman was shown on screen.
"We can say that the suspect had no interest in harming the party attendants, but was more focused on targeting Hench and the men employed by him." Spitting and rinsing off his mouth. Ron smiled to look at his teeth. 'He's right on that one.' Ron thought.
"Eyewitnesses said that the suspect and Hench were in a fistfight, where Hench pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the suspect, but the knife was disarmed and stabbed into Hench's shoulder. It was then eyewitnesses saw Hench being thrown from a ledge. He is now being treated in a hospital with severe injuries." Ron turned off the TV and went into 'his' room. His phone vibrating, he picks it up to see the caller I.D.
"Felix, huh?" He murmurs. He answers the call. "I guess all in a days work huh?"
"Yeah I just… uhh… just wanted to make sure you're okay."
"Really?" Ron asked him.
"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" He asked.
Sitting down on the bed and closing. "You said you'd be my eyes and ears right? You said to me 'two guys are with Hench', but there were three."
"Sorry, I didn't see him until the last minute."
Ron lies down, spread eagle, giving out a sigh of relief. "If you want to be my eyes and ears, you gotta be more aware of this." Silence happened for the both of them, Ron shifting in the bed could be heard around the phone. "Is there anything to report, something going on?"
Felix cracked his knuckles, "Hold on, lemme check." Typing on his computer, he sees something worth Ron's interest. "Here's something, remember when you put Hoodie in the hospital?"
"Yeah, I threw her off of a building. Why, what happened?" He looks outside the window to witness the darkened skies.
"She escaped the hospital, prior to Jack being admitted. Some staff members were hurt but nothing too serious. Camera's show she was in a crazed state. Saying that no one can keep her safe, you're coming for her, stuff like that. Kim went to investigate, but nothing came up in the search."
"We'll start it tomorrow morning, at this point, Hoodie will be in hiding. She'll want to leave the city because of me. She's still around, so we can wait."
"Alright man, I'll see you in the morning." The call disconnected.
Ron raised a brow. 'Crazed state? She's panicking, after killing her friends, I made her terrified. Kim couldn't find her and some of the GJ agents are recovering after what I did.' He covered his face with his palms. "Why did it have to be this complicated?" He groaned. He jolted up after feeling a vibration on his chest.
"Gah! Another call! Who…" His mood brightened a bit after looking at the caller I.D. "Hey Monique, what's going on?"
"Hey Ron. Sorry, I couldn't really sleep. Thought I could talk to someone to pass the time." She folded her legs while sitting on her bed. "I heard you and Kim were hanging out and got jumped by a couple guys."
"Hehe. Don't worry about that, we're both fine. Not a scratch on us either, you should see the other guys."
"Yeah, I guess. But then she took you out for a little bit?" Monique adjusted herself, sitting upright.
"We just had breakfast, my apple was no more good after the fight. She treated me, so I guess it was a thank you."
"Okay, just checking. It's just that things got a little more interesting, right at the time you showed up at the school."
"Aww c'mon, I didn't do most of it. You think I'm some sort of…" His words were muffled over the phone. As he performed a 'certain' action. "… bad luck magnet or something?" He finished his sentence.
"What was that?" She had a coy smile on her face.
"Nothing, I just took my shirt off."
Monique's face lit, not in lust to be precise, but surprise. "You took your shirt off?! Why are you telling me this?"
"I dunno, I just wanna leave something to your imagination before I go. S'gonna be a long day tomorrow. See ya later Mon."
"Ok Ron, I'll let ya go. Good night." She hung up the phone. Leaving Ron to his thoughts.
'I need a more permanent solution, hospitalizing them isn't enough. Obviously Hench needs to go down, but I got a little personal thing with Hoodie. I even have Kim hunting me down and ready to lock me up. Man, this isn't as easy as I thought it would be.'
Dwelling on this further only deprives him of rest. So as his eyes closed, his mind drew blank, for now.
Kim was running ragged all night, ranging from being on a Hoodie manhunt and investigating Jack Hench being assaulted in his home during a party. Everything falls into one suspect; the vigilante… again. What is that sadistic bastard trying to prove? Why prey on Hoodie and Jack. Hoodie may be a criminal, but it's only a petty theft, albeit some charges pertaining to assault and kidnapping. It just seems odd to her, there's a puzzle missing, but what was it?
Jack Hench on the other hand is a criminal through and through, having the people see him as a businessman, anyone buying his BS may as well be his upcoming victims or accessory, depending on the context. Investigations haven't even shown progression, whether by witnesses randomly 'disappearing' or lack of evidence. The law hadn't cracked down on him yet, and even when it was Kim's mission for several months there was barely anything to tag him with.
She sighed wondering how long will the madness continue. Slipping off her shoes and flopping on her bed, the redhead's body became enticed with the warmth of the blankets and the comforts of the mattress. Her phone rang and she slightly growled at the timing. The caller I.D was of course Josh, she didn't want to answer due to her exhaustion, but she wanted to say something to him, to make sure she wasn't stonewalling him. So she wrote a text.
'Sorry Joshie, The Director had me all over town, I'll call you in the morning, yea' She sent the message and placed the phone on the nightstand. "Ugh, this is so exhausting." She mumbles to herself. She's been doing all of these missions on her own for years, not much call for partners, at least. Monique, her mother, even her little brothers took part. She wouldn't want them to participate now, especially with a hack and slashing maniac on the loose.
She needed something… no someone to help out. Someone outside of her family, capable of protecting themselves yet not afraid of getting their hands dirty. A mission was coming tomorrow, she knows it. Drakken and Shego might make a move soon. The missions with Hench were becoming stagnant and repetitive for awhile, honestly a part of her felt grateful, not for his hospitalization, but rather a different case can be investigated. She turned her head to the window. "Maybe he would help." She muttered before she fell asleep.
The sun rose for Middleton, and a young heroine cocooned in her blankets awakened at the sound of her Kimmunicator ringing, wriggling an arm free, her hand dancing on the night stand, feeling the device, she grabs it and brings it to her face.
"Mmm… hey Wade, what's the sitch?" Not completely awake, her eyes were closing and opening, drifting back to sleep and waking up. 'This is torture.' She thought.
"Drakken and Shego, they're going to be on the move soon. Phone records say they're going to start the whole 'take over the world' thing today."
"When?" She asked.
"After school. At least somewhere around 5."
"What, they need a schedule to take over the world now?" She joked. Sitting up from her bed, stretches her arms and legs.
"Drakken does apparently." Wade indulged her.
"Look I might bring a new person along, if that's ok." Kim got a nod from Wade, then ends the call with a push of a button. She got up to change out of her pajamas and onto her everyday clothes.
"Kimmie, breakfast is ready." Her mother called out to her. As she looked at the window, she could've sworn that a front door was closing, with someone entering the house. Why is it that she paid attention to that house in particular. It was Ron's.
"Wonder what he was up to?" She muttered. Before she could head down, she began to take her diary and write.
'Today won't be a stagnant day. I mean last week wasn't the same old stuff. Guess I have that vigilante to thank. But today, it's back to the classic grind for a change, me against Drakken and Shego. Easy as pie and nostalgic right? But after running this manhunt for Hoodie and investigating Jack Hench's place. I dunno, I think it's getting boring. Also, I think I might need backup, that isn't team impossible or Will Du or any of my family and known friends. I mean Ron is a friend, but he's not well known, at least not yet. Plus he can handle himself, that counts for a lot. I want to ask him if he wants to go on a mission with me, I just hope he wants to help out. I saw him going into his house, Well I saw his door close. But I'm sure it was him, what was he doing out so early in the morning? With that, the attacks and the vigilante, things aren't as simple as before.'
Feeling: Puzzled and Suspicious
Ron had left early in the morning to check on Bueno Nacho, hopefully there wasn't another scumbag bothering Ned. There shouldn't be, but leaving things to chance really isn't a comfort. But he got a text from Felix earlier.
'She's on the move, I'll keep you updated.'
Obviously Kim and Monique are going to be out this early. He already deduced what Felix meant. With a hood, pouches and a backpack. He made his way through the fast food restaurant. But he saw something catching his eye. The mop and the mop bucket lied on the floor, the water contents spilling and soaking the floor and making its way under the tables and chairs. Straws, cups and lids also spread across the floor. There was a hand he saw, from the edge of the counter. Ron swore he saw the hand move.
He ran inside to look and see for himself. Going to the other side of the counter, Ron sees Ned, beaten and barely conscious. His shirt had slight tears and wrinkles, signs of grabbing. His lip was bleeding, and a bruise was on his cheek.
"Ned? Ned, can you hear me, Ned?!" He looked around to see the cash register was open and the cash was taken.
"R-Ron?" Ned asked.
"Take it easy, I'm here. Tell me who did this?" He looked around, to see if the crooks were still there.
"Hoodie came by… grabbed me, ripped my shirt, slapped me and… kissed me. Never imagined my first kiss to be like this man."
A feeling of rage flooded his mind. His eyes widened and his hands shook. He let that bitch live, told her to not hurt Ned or set foot in Bueno Nacho again. His words unheeded, fallen upon deaf ears, the carelessness, the ignorance. He spared her life, only to let the innocent kid get hurt again. He was beaten, defiled and robbed.
"I'm gonna… I'm gonna" He cursed under his breath. That was when he saw Ned tense up and look somewhere else, behind Ron specifically. Ron rolled away, charged at the assailant and tackled her to the counter, causing her to fall onto the other side.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He roared at her, as she tried to get up and retrieve her weapon, a baseball bat. As she grabbed it, Hoodie tried to get up, only for Ron to do a push kick and knock her back to the ground. His left hand grabbed the back of her neck, his right grabbed her torso. Ron threw her at the wall. She sat herself up, only to meet a boot kicking her right in the face, being crushed between the blonde boy's foot and the wall. With a burst of speed, she made a beeline for the exit.
"GET BACK HERE!" He said as he gave chase. They didn't go far as Ron grabbed her, his arms wrapping around her waist, he lifted her up and slammed her to the pavement. Mounting on top of her, Ron punched her in the face, his left hand covering her mouth, his nails digging into her cheeks. His right hand, patted her down to find something, he found a small plastic bag. He searched another pocket and found car keys. Feeling her squirm, his grip on her tightened.
He pressed a button and found a silver car. Ron punched Hoodie unconscious and put her into the trunk of the car. Getting into the drivers seat, he contacts Felix.
"Wheels, I need you to get an ambulance at Bueno Nacho, Ned needs a doctor! HURRY!" He said as he turned the keys to the ignition and quickly left the premises. As Ron drove in a certain direction, it left him to his conflicted thoughts.
'I've been too soft, I didn't go for the kill… I could've. No more games, I have to do it… I have to.'
"Dammit. Just… AHHH!" He slammed his hands on the steering wheel, sometimes hitting the horn, making it honk. His breathing was rough, flaring.
"Calm down, keep it together, man. Killing them just like that… it's time to prove a point. So, next stop… Middleton Hospital."
Arriving at the hospital, Ron contacted Felix. "Hey, I have a favor to ask. Look I'm looking for Jack Hench, do you have any idea where he…" Ron stopped to see a couple of guards overlooking a certain floor, obviously in suits.
"Never mind." He shot the rappel towards the window, crashing through the window, he kicked one guy in the face, leaving him to crash onto the door. A second guy was about to attack, he was about to do a right jab, but Ron countered by using his right hand to grab his wrist and used his left elbow to strike his chest and threw him onto a wall. Ron grabbed Hench by the back of his neck. Before more guards could enter the room, Ron threw Hench out of the window and jumped after him. Grabbing him, he used the rappel to get himself and that waste of a human to safety. Grabbing Hench again, he slammed his face onto the trunk of the car, opened it and shoved him in along with a still unconscious Hoodie.
Quickly driving away from the premises, he had to drive away from the main roads and into the woods. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "Here we go." He mumbles as he gets out of the car with his sword and a small knife in each hand, he opens the trunk of the car.
"Get up!" Ron snarls at the pair. Dragging each of them out of the car, he slashes both of their knees. Causing them to hiss in pain.
"Hi, you guys uhh… we had a little run-in." He said through a cheerful facade. "Y'know, I break in your homes, I kill some of your friends and send you to the hospital. Yikes that's ahh pretty much a bad way to start isn't it?"
"You son of a bitch! You think you can…" Jack hollered at him, but he was met with a swift kick to his face. Followed by a crushing feeling in his jaw… Ron stomped on it. The blonde boy then presses his knee onto his throat.
"Shut up." He says. "You think I'm some red headed softie, I'm not. You want to live a bit longer, you're gonna do as I say. Otherwise, I'll just leave the both of you here with your throats slit. Play along and one of us will still be breathing." Hench complied, fearing for his life. Seeing this made Ron stand up and let Hench cough and try to breathe.
"Now, you two were my targets, one for business reasons, another personal. Blah blah blah… now one of you wronged me and took advantage of my generosity one day. The other… well I still have a job to do, so here's what we're gonna do." Ron drops the small knife. "One of us will be leaving here alive, but only if… one of you… kills the other."
Seeing the criminals look at him, Ron gave them a glare indicating that he was serious. "Don't make me wait for long. I have stuff to do." He leans onto the car, crossing his arms.
Hoodie was the first to grab the knife, she stabbed Hench in the shoulder, reopening the stitches from the previous wounds, both of them were on their knees, on at least one of them. Jack reached for Hoodie's wounded knee and squeezed it tight causing her to fall back. Jack mounts her, grabbing the knife and stabbing her in the hip. Hench then, grabs her by the throat and strangles her. Slowly, life drained from her eyes as she kept kicking the ground, trying to slip away. Her thrashing stopped to a point where she couldn't move. Then a snap was heard, the snapping of a neck no less. It was clear, Jack Hench killed Hoodie.
"Is this what you want you sick fuck?!" Jack exclaimed.
"Yes." Ron answered. He kicked Hench in the face again and dragged him to the car.
"I know I said someone was going to live. But here's the thing, I said one of us will live. 'Us' includes myself, meaning one out of three. Plus you'll live, just a bit longer."
"What are you going to me?" Hench says groggily.
"I'm gonna drop you off somewhere and then… I'm gonna prove a point. She'll come for you, don't worry. Actually freak out, because she won't get to you in time. Hope you had a good breakfast, cause I'm not cooking for two. So try to get some sleep, meditate or something… kay bye." He places him at a certain location, still locked in the car and went home.
As he went inside the house, he removes some of his ninja gear, knowing that he's gonna head to school soon. As he got dressed in his everyday clothes, a knock on his door was heard.
"Ron, it's Kim. Is everything alright?"