Popstar Comics
Author's Note: Thanks to all my readers who have read up until this chapter, and those of you who left reviews including Aurawarrior13, prowessMaster, Zulera301, SolarEnergy, Kinkajou, flowslikepixelz, Light My Crazy Diamond, Dario Flaman, RecklessBaka, and Cowtits the… Udderly Glorious… seriously? That's freaking awesome! Ahem, anyways, sorry for the long wait, but finally I have the next chapter, and it's not anything too crazy. It's really just here to help push the story along, although we will be meeting another new character this chapter, as well as another group of Nintendo-related characters that I bet no one will ever be able to guess the reference of (hint: check the chapter title). Let's continue!
Chapter 7: Malicious Intent Institute
Ask anyone and they'd tell you their least favorite thing about the weekend is the fact that it's over way too soon. In my case, Mondays almost never seem to come. Weekends mean I get to spend two whole days in the same house as Pit, sitting around while he works on home renovations ("Apartment Cleanup Time" as he calls it). I make it a priority to vacate the premises as soon as I can, else I'm shoved with mundane jobs not unlike the crap Falcon gives me at work. My idea of day-offs are more adventurous, like the time I stumbled upon a litter of stray kittens in an alleyway. I'm not much of an animal person, but seeing them so helpless and alone kindled a spark of compassion in my heart. Just that one time though. I took them in and nursed them back to health in less than a day, releasing them back in to the city where they would likely get eaten by a dog or run over by a car or something. It's a miserable life for everyone but we all gotta take our punches while the punching is good.
Not this weekend though.
Right now it's almost eight o' clock, but I'm already on my way to work. I wanted to come in earlier, but my stupid alarm still isn't working. Today becomes a day like any of the others past, where I wake up late, throw on some clothes, and barely have enough time to brush my teeth and eat something before I'm strutting up to Fourside. I remind myself of my purpose on this day, and why this day, May 2nd, is so important to me. Today is the day I officially resign from Popstar Comics and get my old life back. Yes. I'm gonna do it. It's time to say good-bye to the Popstar Bunch.
I'm not kidding; I'm gonna quit. I didn't even bother wearing my badge today. I'm just gonna walk in there, take my paycheck from last week, and walk out. No words, no exchange of any kind, just hello and good-bye. And good riddance.
But don't think that I'm not going to give them anything in return though. I've got the comic books that Villager stole right here in this plastic bag. At least I have the courtesy to give these back to them (because I sure as hell don't want 'em).
As I make my way down the street on this overcast Monday morning, I notice that farther down the road is a police cruiser with its sirens flashing. For a second, I see flashbacks to the week prior, where officers had questioned me on the identity of the character who had stolen the stack of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire comic books.
"There he is," says Falcon, pointing at me, and then beckoning for me to come over. "Kuro, here."
I reluctantly approach, noticing a string of police tape has been laid out around the sidewalk just outside the comic book store. One of Popstar Comics' windows had been smashed wide open, a steel chair half-hanging out of the display where comic books and t-shirts were once set up. The inside didn't look any better.
"What the…" I mutter, a flurry of confusion washing over my face.
"We had a break-in last night."
I glance at Falcon, who was in the middle of explaining the situation to two helmeted cops. As usual, he was dressed in his flashy Captain Falcon getup, probably expecting today to be a regular day just as I was up until now.
"Seriously?" I say, but really I was at a loss for words. In my hand, I literally had a bag full of comic books that the thief from last week had stolen. Unlike that robbery however, this one appeared to be of a much grander scale, as a lot of the building seemed to have been damaged as if some sort of riot had taken place here.
"Didn't you get my phone call?" asks Falcon.
I probably did, but I missed it. Hopefully I can get home and erase the message before Pit hears it by the end of the day.
"No." I make my way to the door, noticing that Dedede and Lucina are also inside talking to another cop. Before I can enter, one of the officers stops me.
"Are you Kuro?" he asks me.
I hesitate, my mind panicking for a moment as I debate whether or not I'm about to be apprehended for whatever reason.
"Yeah," I reply flatly.
"He's one of the new guys," Falcon explains.
"I see. We're just trying to tally how many employees we got here. I hope you don't mind us asking you a few questions." The officer is writing something on a pad, yet I steal a glance at the mess of the store's interior again. Unlike the window, the door to the building seems relatively intact, but I couldn't say the same to some of the merchandise in there. Dedede was probably fuming right now, or at the very least crying.
The other officer mentions something else, but I barely hear it as I shove through the door. "Don't worry about him; he's always like this," I hear Falcon say behind my back. My footsteps bring with them the crinkling of broken glass, and apparently that's enough to tear the current attention in the room away from the crime scene and over to me. A tall woman wearing a large brown overcoat turns to face me, her conversation with Dedede and Lucina obviously derailed because of my sudden interruption.
"Welcome to the party, Kuro," murmurs Dedede, his eyes sagging and half awake. It doesn't look like he got a lot of sleep last night.
I drop the bag on the floor.
"You've gotta be kidding me," I say incredulously.
"This one of your guys?" says the woman in the overcoat. Dedede nods, and the next thing I know she's reaching out to me, and without choice I'm forced to shake her hand. Her grip is firm and her hands are covered by leather gloves. "Hello, Kuro. I'm Samus Aran, the NSPD chief of police."
I notice the large badge over her heart partly covered by her long blonde hair. Despite her title, I don't recognize her at all.
"Hey," is all I say in response. Lucina also gives me a hello in the form of a wave, but her eyes soon fall on the bag of comics.
"Are those the…?" she stops herself.
"I managed to track down the thief from last Friday," I say quickly. "He got away, but I saved the comics. Not that it makes much of a difference."
Part of the ceiling collapses a few feet away, covering loose pages and other knocked down merchandise in debris. The whole store looks as though someone had thrown a massive party here last night, as there were comics scattered into every nook and cranny of the room. The glass cabinets containing the figurines had all been knocked over, while ripped posters and dusty shirts littered the tables. Seeing the place turned upside-down like this was really starting to make my blood boil, what with all the work I had put into cleaning it just a few days prior.
"Good man," chuckles Dedede. "That's why I pay you the big bucks."
"That's what they were telling me just now," says Samus. "So there was a crime that took place here last Friday night?"
"Friday afternoon," corrects Lucina. "There were only three of us running the store at the time and it was packed. One of the customers—a small boy I believe—grabbed a stack of comics and ran out of the store. Kuro went after him, but the boy managed to escape." She smirks at me. "Although now, it looks as though Kuro already took care of business for us."
"Not bad, kid," says Samus impressively. "I guess those wings aren't just for show, huh?"
My feathers fold behind my back without a second thought.
"Yeah…" I reply, averting my gaze to a dent in the wall. "So what happened here last night anyways?"
"That's what's strange," says Samus, glossing over the mess about the room. "The break-in took place at some point between two and three in the morning. As far as we can tell, not a single item was stolen from the store last night—not even a comic book. Hell, even the cash register is still full."
"It's fine that they didn't take anything, but I wish they kept their grubby paws off my stuff!" grumbles Dedede with clenched fists. "They broke into my office and rearranged all my anime figures! You know how long it took for me to get those poses right!?"
That's what he's worried about?
"Why would anyone do this though?" asks Lucina. "If they didn't come for the money, then what were they after?"
"There are two possibilities," says Samus. She begins pacing across the room, although her boots never once touch anything but carpet. "Either our suspects were looking for something that they didn't find…or they wanted to take their revenge out on someone who works here."
That second option gives me a bad feeling all of a sudden. And for some reason my mind goes back to the Villager I spoke to a few days ago.
"Revenge!?" blurts Dedede. "I knew it! I knew the Gerudos would send someone after me!"
"The Gerudos?" mutters Lucina. "Who are they?"
"The Gerudos," repeats Samus. There's a burning scorn in her voice. "They're a gang, probably the biggest one in the city. They started off small years ago by a man who used to work for Nintendo, but was fired because his work was deemed too offensive for the general public. No one knows where they get their funding from, but normally they stay out of trouble unless they want something. It's hard to recognize them because their sign—the three black triangles—can only be seen on their backs."
She hit the nail on the head, and again I feel my wings folding to cover up my back completely. Regardless, my tattoo is always covered by my shirt, but hearing it talked about in the open like this makes me feel uncomfortable.
"If you see anyone that you may suspect as a member of the Gerudos, please report it to the police immediately," Samus affirms with Lucina who quickly nods her head in response.
"I don't owe 'em anything though!" cries Dedede. "I haven't seen 'em in over four years!"
"Well, I can assure you that the Gerudos are not the ones responsible for this crime," says Samus strongly.
"What? Really?"
She reaches into the bowels of her overcoat, retrieving a clear plastic bag from its depths. The bag contains what appears to be a paper mask with a cartoonish face drawn on it.
"This was found at the scene of the crime this morning," says Samus. "It belongs to a member of the Malicious Intent Institute."
Well, there's no subtlety in that name. According to Samus, the Malicious Intent Institute (otherwise known as MII) is a new gang of thugs in town, although these guys are lowlifes compared to the Gerudos. They're just a group of wannabe tough guys who go around town vandalizing private property and beating up people on the street. They're leader is anonymous, but their purpose is obvious to anyone who bothers to learn the meaning behind the acronym. Destruction is their reward, and they will do whatever it takes to make anyone's day a miserable one. I guess Popstar just so happened to be this week's unlucky pick.
"Creepy mask," says Lucina, and I completely agree with her. The mask is oval-shaped, round enough to cover the face but sharp enough to grip just below the chin. It comes complete with a black patch of hair that spikes in all directions, with two dots for a pair of eyes. The nose is large, square, and sits just above a claw-mustache, all packaged together with a toothy grin scarce of any innocence.
"Reminds me of my cousin," mutters Dedede.
"All members of MII are sworn to wear these masks at all times, although they have been known to leave them as their mark. To them, crime is just a game, but it seems they've started leaking from the east end of town. We believe that they've been recruiting more and more members every day for the past two months now."
It's no wonder I haven't heard of them before. The Gerudos used to rule these streets, but I guess the lack of Kuro lately has caused other groups to expand their territory. I suspect that it's only a matter of time before these bozos become a real threat, but if I know the Gerudos, they won't have any of that. Not while the Grinning Man is still in charge anyway.
"Well, I don't have any beef with them," pouts Dedede. "You guys oughta put a stop to them before they ruin other people's stores!"
"We've been tracking this group for the past month or so," replies Samus. "Just keep an eye out for anyone wearing a mask. A member of MII could be walking around in broad daylight, but no one would ever know unless they had their masks on." She hides the bag back in her coat. "You must understand that these guys are not mere street thugs. And do not be deceived by their harmless appearance, for they always travel in packs. Why, just last week we had a call from a woman who was nearly beaten to death in an alleyway all because she just so happened to be walking alone at night."
"Oh my goodness," says Lucina incredulously.
"I doubt they would target the store a second time, but it still doesn't hurt to take extra precautions. Never be out after dark, especially if you're in Smashopolis' east end. And if you are, at the very least be in an area where people can see you."
That's one of the perks of hanging around Station Square. It may be dark out when I go there, but at least I'm among the crowds.
"Don't worry, Chief," says Dedede. "If I see any of those MIIs wandering around here, I'll be sure to clobber 'em with my trusty hammer."
"Do not provoke them." Samus' tone remains serious. "If you see any signs of suspicious activity, just call the local police department and report it. We have a whole unit dedicated to tracking down this group twenty-four hours a day."
Well, if I see one of those MIIs, I'm definitely going to bust a few teeth in. Like the Villager incident, I take it as a personal offense whenever someone messes around with my business. I wonder if any of those thugs would recognize me.
"We'll be on the lookout," I say all of a sudden. "There's a button under the counter that makes emergency calls automatically." Now that I think about it, I should've hit that button when the Villager first struck last Friday.
"Look at that," chuckles Dedede. "Kuro taking the initiative as always! That's what I like to see, kid. If you keep this up, you might even get your own office like me!"
"You know, now that I look at you, you look kind of familiar," Samus says to me. She takes a step towards me and narrows her eyes. I didn't just blow my cover, did I?
"I-I get that a lot," I reply, cursing internally for stuttering like an idiot. "I have an identical twin brother who delivers the mail around here."
"No, it's not that," she says, and her gaze analyzes me to the point where my wings fold into their defensive stance again. I start to get anxious, wondering if she has x-ray vision and can somehow see the Triforce tattoo on my back. Or perhaps she's heard of me. Plenty of cops have, although very few of them have actually seen my face. "I just feel as if we've met somewhere before."
We have, but only once. At some point during my nightly runs on Station Square I had accidentally bumped into her when she was leading an investigation on one of the Villager kids. I recognized her badge and immediately fled as fast as I could, but that one second of our eyes meeting made all the difference.
"I dunno," I say with a shrug. "Lucina said the same thing when we first met, so I guess I just have one of those faces."
She still doesn't buy it.
"Chief Aran, sorry to interrupt," comes a voice from the door. It's one of the other officers. "Could you please step outside for a moment?"
"Right away," replies Samus. "Excuse me." She gives me one last glance before strutting past me and leaving the store.
"Damn, Kuro," chuckles Dedede. "You're pretty popular with the ladies, aren't you?"
I respond silently with a glare, but the fat penguin is unfazed.
"Do you know her?" Lucina asks me. "She seemed rather persistent."
"I think she just mistook me for my brother," I say flatly. That was honestly the safest answer I could give.
"Well, if he's around, you can tell him to come on down to help fix the shop," replies Dedede. "We're going to need all the help we can get if we're going to clean up this mess."
Do I dare resign at this point? I still haven't been paid for last week's work, but asking about money now would definitely not be a good idea. Not to mention, if I were to quit today, that would just make Samus all the more suspicious of me, and the last thing I needed right now was New Smashopolis' chief of police knocking on my door.
"So I take it we won't be able to open the store today?" I ask curiously.
"If you bust your butt and get this place up to snuff by noon then yes, absolutely!" replies Dedede sarcastically. "That ain't gonna happen though, and especially not with those cops outside. I don't even know if we're allowed to move anything yet since this is still technically a crime scene."
"Oh, eheh," mutters Lucina. "I may have already started cleaning some of this up earlier."
Samus eventually gives us the OK to go through with the cleaning, which I expected since there really wasn't much more for her to find here. If nothing was taken from the crime scene then there was no reason not to fix the place. We started packing up the comics, grabbing some boxes from the backroom and restacking them. Alphabetizing was going to have to be left for another day, and who knows how we were going to get that window repaired. It's kind of a shame too since prior to this whole incident, that window was practically spotless from the wipe-down that Lucina gave it last week.
"Kuro, do me a favor a sweep up that glass outside, will ya?" asks Dedede as he hands me a broom and dustpan. "I don't want to get sued by some shmuck who can't watch where he's goin'."
I take the broom and head outside where the cops are still talking. Falcon is out there as well, although he doesn't look at me when I emerge from the store. He's not saying anything at all as a matter of fact and continues to glare at Samus with his arms crossed, similar to how she was trying to interrogate me before. They're still talking about the crime, but they don't say anything to me until I finish sweeping.
"Son, we'd like to ask you a few questions really quick," says one of the officers as he approaches me.
"I just started working here," I say instantly. "I doubt I'll be much help in your investigation." Whether that made me sound more suspicious or not I didn't care; I just wanted the cops off my back. I hate having to answer their questions.
Surprisingly, Samus puts an arm out to defend me.
"He's clean," she reassures her subordinate. "I got everything I needed when I spoke with him inside."
She gives me a glance, but it's neither cold nor spiteful, and honestly I think she was actually trying to stick up for me. Silently, I return to the store to dump the broken glass.
We continue cleaning up the room little by little. Dedede had actually disappeared into his office not long after I went outside in order to reorganize all of his crap, which left Lucina and I to handle the grunt work. Falcon did not once come inside and remained standing in the midst of the officers' conversation, but his gaze seemed to be fixated on Samus for some reason. It was strange to me though how he didn't say to two words to her all day. It's not like we couldn't hear them speaking through the broken window.
"It's kind of scary when you think about it," says Lucina as she scoops up torn posters and stuffs them in a trash bag, "how anyone could be a member of that Malicious Intent group. This could have been done by someone we know, but we would never have the evidence to prove it even if we wanted to."
I fit another box under the table and start picking up more stray comic books.
"I don't understand why they would target us though," I reply. "It doesn't make any sense."
In all seriousness, it's not like we were working at a bank or a superstore. We sell comic books for a living. The register wasn't missing a dime either, which only leads me to believe that this attack was premeditated, but against who I'm not too sure.
"Do you think King Dedede has some lifelong enemies that are coming back to haunt him like he said?"
"I doubt it." I also doubt that Dedede even has lifelong enemies to begin with, except maybe his local plumber. "Let's just hurry up and get this done. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of here."
"Uh, right. Sorry to distract you."
I glance over at her, but she's staring at the ground as she continues to work.
"You're not distracting me," I say. "I just want to be done so I can go home. I didn't think I'd be spending my day reorganizing the entire shop."
"Well, you're not alone at least. I'm here with you."
Her words are reassuring and they linger in my head much longer than they should have. You know, Lucina's not that bad. She's proven to be a dependable partner in the few days that I've known her, but other than that there's not much else to say. She doesn't fight, she doesn't argue, and she's probably one of the most polite people I've ever come to know.
She'll likely be the only thing I'll miss if I ever leave this place.
"So…" she says, trying to start up another conversation. "How did you manage to retrieve those comics anyway?"
I suppose I don't need to tell her the whole truth. Not yet at least.
"I bumped into the thief on Friday night when I was in Station Square," I explain. "He recognized me and tried to make a break for it before dropping the comics. I really didn't have to do much since he did most of the work for me."
"Oh, and here I thought you did something heroic like pin him to a wall and interrogate him or something," she replies.
"Nah, that's not my style. At least he made me look good today."
She laughs, although it's surprising to me. Did I say something funny?
"You can be so abrasive sometimes," she says. "I can't tell if you're a bad guy or a nice guy trying to play the bad guy."
Good guys and bad guys again, eh? Heh, well I already know where this one is going.
"Believe me when I say that I'm a bad guy," I say straightforwardly. "The good guys are the ones that always win in the end."
"Not all the time. If you ever read Ocarina of Time, you'll learn that the story has three possible endings, one of which the bad guy wins in the end."
"Ocarina of what?"
"It's a Zelda comic," she explains. "I think you'd like it. It's got a lot of action."
I notice I'm holding an issue of Zelda in my hands as I pack away comics. The front cover depicts a young man in green clothing wielding a sword atop a cliff with a shining light coming from behind him. He looks like the stereotypical fantasy hero, but I'll admit that the cover does look cool compared to half the other stuff I see in here. Maybe one of these days…
No, stop. Comic books are for nerds, remember?
"I'll get around to it someday," I say. "If I feel like it."
"There you go again," she says with another laugh. I don't try to stop her this time.
It wasn't exactly the Monday I was hoping for, but it was a Monday nevertheless. Now I couldn't afford to quit because of that stupid Malicious Intent Institute and Samus Aran. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing though. Under the guise of a Popstar employee, I could easily scout out for any of those MIIs, and potentially find a link to their leader. I'd like to figure that out before the police do in all honesty. And hey, at least I was still getting paid.
"There's no such thing as overtime pay in this store! Put your backs into it!" Dedede hollers.
If I ever get out of here I swear I'm gonna strangle that penguin with my own bare hands.
Author's Note: Some people reading this are itching for more of that KuroxLucina action. Rest assured, that's coming next chapter. Stay tuned and I'll catch you on the flip side!
