The Job: Chapter 3

Watching through binoculars, I noted the bored guard reading a magazine before traversing to one of two patrols circling the house. Thankfully neither had dogs.

"A frontal attack is a horrible idea," I muttered quietly. Currently we were a good distance away. The rooftop we were observing from was far less guarded and the best vantage to our target.

Next to me, Jess's chin was resting on the back of gloved hands. Hair done up in pigtails and frosted in hot pink and saffron. Make up done to make anyone think 'clown' and easily further obscuring not just Jess's identity, but gender. Today that meant half the face in lime green, the other in neon yellow with thick black around the eyes and mouth.

At least I talked them out of the bells.

To the best of my knowledge, it was the longest running prank in the history of pranks. One Jess trolled endlessly at every opportunity they could. I'd known Jess for almost as long as I'd had memories and I felt pretty sure I was the only one who knew the punchline of the joke being played. And that wasn't just that Jess changed identities on a whim. One moment he might be Jessie, turn a corner, and she's Jessica. Or whatever name they were using at the time. Knowing Jess, Jess wasn't even the right name to use here. Nor had it been for some time. This also included cape identities. Last I heard, it was a Musketeer theme named Adhoc. Today it was clowns and Circus.

Who knew what anything involving Jess would like be tomorrow.

Circus shrugged. "It's not like we couldn't take the fuckers out. There's only five of them."

Resisting the urge to sigh, I kept observing the historic estate. I didn't know, and Circus couldn't be bothered to find out, who it originally belonged to, but it looked like a modernized colonial style home. I'd seen a few others in this area like it but this one was the biggest. And the only one this well guarded. The good news was that it also made it a bit more isolated as the grounds spread out for some distance from the house to the wall.

That was also the bad news but it could have been worse. There could have been dogs.

"If you wanted to do this job like a common thug, why did you call me?"

"Oh?" Circus drawled complete with raised painted eyebrow. "Think you're hot shit now, Gambit?"

"Better than Deck," I groused. If I ever got my hands on the idiot who stuck me with that name in the Protectorate, we were going to have words. The only grace was that it never caught on within the media. That would have been tragic.

And painful when I figured out who the laughing moron was and settled accounts. It wasn't even better than the stupid name Devin gave me when I ran with the Street Rats. Then again, what could I expect from a thug who called himself, Rat King?

Circus laughed. Thankfully quietly. Well, for Circus.

"And to answer your question, I do have an alternate plan," I said instead of commenting further. "If you think you can keep up, mon'amie?"

Circus's smile became a smirk. "Show me what you got, kid."

Giving one last check to make sure I had my timing right, I handed back the binoculars to Circus who put them wherever it was that the cape put stuff.

A short slide along the roof put both of us on the ground and moving where Circus said a blind spot was in the camera coverage. Trusting in the tidbit for my plan -as when Circus bothered to do any homework it was always done right- we sprinted across the street heading for the cast iron wall of our target.

Extending my staff, I pole vaulted over the wall landing easily on the other side. Turning showed Circus climbing a ladder to get over the same wall. I blew a kiss. Circus flipped me off.

Waiting only long enough for Circus to get to the top, I turned and bolted. My target being a huge tree that had probably been there longer than the estate. Flinging myself upward grabbing a branch I twisted my body to wrap my legs around it. Letting my upper body hang with my arms extended.

Despite being slower over the wall, Circus wasn't that far behind me. Grabbing my arms I let her use me as a swing to get to the next branch over. Once Circus let go, I got my feet under me with my back to the trunk.

Turning the corner of the house, one of the pair of patrolman approached to walk below none the wiser to our presence.

Smiling at each other we waited until they got further away before leaping to the next tree to repeat the process gaining access to the roof. From there we crossed over keeping the high peaks and decor between us and the roving patrols until we reached the skylight I noticed earlier.

"You've gotten better," Circus chuckled once they joined me.

"Lot's of practice," I whispered back trying not to flush at the incredibly rare compliment from the normally surly cape. "And I cheat."

"If you're not cheating, you're doing it wrong," Circus said. "Why here? I told you he has all the windows and doors wired to the security system. You can't even break the glass without triggering the tumbler sensor and then the alarms."

"Who said anything about breaking anything, mon cher?"

Instead of explaining I touched the skylight window twice. A half circle then a full larger one around all that before lightly making the smiley face nose.

A light crackling hum erupted along with a slight flickering as my power consumed the glass panel in it's entirety, and nothing else. Looking over the roof peak next to us showed the guards below didn't see a thing.

Turning back I gave Circus my best smirk while they bite down on their knuckle to keep from laughing at my antics.

Leaning in I was easily able to see the alarm sensor and disable it. It wasn't like it was tinkertech. Those things were notoriously finicky. You couldn't trust logic to anything cape related.

Extending my staff, I braced myself before taking the rope Circus offered me and tying it off.

"I have to ask, where do you even hide that thing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I teased.

"Yes," Circus replied all attention on me. "I would."

"Hush, ma chère. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. You first."

Done, Circus shimmied through the skylight sliding down the rope. I followed quickly.

"So, where is this 'thing' we're here for?" I asked.

"That way," Circus pointed. "Next room."

Letting Circus take point now that we were inside, I followed looking around. It was a mix of modern and old style in the same manner as the exterior. Whoever lived here even went the extra mile and acquired what looked like authentic pieces to complement the design while also contrasting it with very expensive looking modern pieces.

And this was just the kitchen area. "You never did tell me who we were robbing."

"Some douchebag named Max Anders," Circus answered quietly, leaning against a door before peeking.

"And what did he do to warrant you stealing his shinys?"

"He's a pretentious bastard who thinks his shit doesn't stink," Circus answered before entering the next room. The next comment whispered over the shoulder. "That and he stole my parking spot at Starbucks."

"Oh for the love of," I hissed. "You dragged me into the cold for that?"

"Hey," Circus whispered harshly, spinning around to face me. "I spend my working days like half the schmucks in this city working a shit job for a fucktard boss. My Starbucks is the only thing that makes looking at that great big ball of fire in the sky worth it. Do you have any idea how fucking bright that damn thing is?

"That was my spot. I always park there. The stupid waitress knew it. Those idiot soccer moms who are always around knew it. Even the fucking dickweed manger knew it. My spot and piss hole stole it. So I'm taking something of his."

Opening my mouth to reply, I didn't. Yes, Circus was petty, but I highly doubted that they called me all the way from New Orleans just to piss off someone they barely knew.

...

No, now that I thought about it, that was exactly something Circus would do.

Sighing, I shook my head and waved Circus forward. Thankfully she turned around heading deeper into the room.

Looking around to avoid thinking of the crackpot reason we were here I took in the decor. It was more of the same, but more suited for an area for entertaining guests. Bookshelves lined with leather backs, various bits of artwork and furniture. An oak bar fully stocked with expensive looking liquor.

Running my fingers along the spines of a few of the books, I noted the titles. I didn't recognize any of them, much less the language they were written in. Opening one didn't help.

Shrugging I put it back, turning to find Circus. Wasn't hard to find, Circus was standing next to a piano in a dark finish.

I blinked. Circus was running gloved hands lovingly over said piano.

"Seriously?" I hissed marching over to her. "You want to take his piano!?"

Smirking at me, Circus replied, "It's a nice piano."

"Do you even play piano?"

"Why the fuck would I want to play it?" Circus snorted. "I just want it because I think it will be hilarious to whip it out and drop it on the next dumb fuckhole that tries to chase me down. Besides, imagine the look on Ander's face when he wakes up tomorrow and it's gone and the only evidence anyone broke in, was through his skylight!"

I decided right there; I hated Brockton Bay. Circus was never what even I would call sane for capes, but there had to be something in the water here to turn them this insane. I also decided that Circus was going to pay me quadruple. Just for dealing with this crap.

"I want to go home."

Chuckling and ignoring my impatient stare, Circus smiled down at the piano. "Come to mama..."

XxXGambitXxX

We left the same way we entered and were gone just as silently as we'd arrived. The whole way Circus had this weird dreamy troll look which just creeped me out to no end. Not to mention, made me feel bad for whoever earned the piano of doom.

Sighing I leaned back into the chair Circus left me. A leather back that was surprisingly comfortable, but totally inappropriate for being left on a cigarette strewn dirty rooftop in the middle of abandoned buildings, factories, and long disused roads.

One of Circus's safe houses, they told me, and my home for what was left of the night and however long I risked staying in this city. It was situated deep into what Circus called the Docks. The main benefit was the isolation from just about any and everyone while only being about half an hour's walk to the waterfront and Boardwalk. Case in point, there was only a single car in sight.

While the view was depressing around here, this spot did offer a fair view of the bay. Getting up I leaned against the wall to watch the sunrise over the water.

The crunch of gravel from below caught my attention. That car I noticed slowed and parked in front of the gated fence to the buildings across the street. It was only then I noticed the fifteen men milling around in front of that gate.

The driver got out, saying something to the small crowd. The assembled men and women nodded back respectfully. One of them clapped the man on the back as he unlocked the gate.

I smiled. I'd seen similar scenes before when I ran with the Street Rats. Sitting on rooftops watching people do the exact same thing. Labor workers greeting a well liked boss. Start of day jokes and good natured complaints.

I was so envious of them back then. Jealous they had such a simple thing and took it for granted. Something I wouldn't have. Even now, I didn't have that easygoing camaraderie those men had with each other. At best, I scared people to shaking by looking at them and it took a long time talking with them before they would accept me enough to stop wondering when I was going to ask for their soul.

One of the men turned to say something to the woman behind him when he spotted me watching. He tapped the boss on the shoulder and pointed.

I almost fell off the roof when he turned around, his face highlighted by the sole working street light in the area for the first time.

Older guy in his late thirties or maybe early forties. Dressed in business casual in a way that didn't make him look like a suit, but more like one of the guys around him that just had desk job. Slightly balding and thin enough that from here I wandered how he was still standing. He adjusted his glasses as he returned the favor and looked back at me.

But none of that was as noticeable as the clench in my gut that hit me like sucker punch. It was like the girl scout badge and the pier, but only four times as powerful.

The men and women who waited for him formed a semicircle around him. All of them looking my way. The man in glasses took a couple of steps forward and shouted something to which I didn't answer.

Instead I stood perfectly still, staring. I didn't turn away from the man or the feeling until I noticed the others were shifting in place and several had large wrenches in hand.

Glasses shouted again. Not challenging, but in a way that meant he expected a response. My mind was consumed with that feeling of familiarity and whatever it was he said, I didn't hear. But I didn't' need to. His people's body postures said enough.

You're not wanted here. Go away.

So I did.

Turning around and walking away, I tried to focus my mind. All thoughts of sleep abandoned to the new thoughts running a mile a minute.

Why did I keep getting this feeling?

What the hell was going on?

Who the fuck was that guy?

Did this have anything to do with my missing memories?

Was this connected to what happened to me two years ago?

I didn't have any answers but I knew one thing. I was going to find out.