The Wild Ones
There was something wonderful about watching your hard work grow over time. If you were a small business owner, a C.E.O, a hero or even a mob boss; the feeling remained the same. At his late age Don Vincent Perignon realized this feeling could be outdone by another. The pride of watching his son and successor become an able man that might surpass him someday. He had worked so hard on building his empire in his youth he didn't realize he needed a successor until much later. For a while, he had been worried he wouldn't get to see his son become a man, for such was the life of people like him. However, as they sat across from each other for their weekly dinner, he saw his son had become soft. He didn't live the harsh life he did in his youth or have to work for anything that was on their plates at the time. So, how could he be anything but soft?
Weeks ago he placed him in charge of finding whoever was uniting the little gangs in his territory, providing them high caliber weapons, and hitting his cover up businesses. Once again, he came to him empty handed and with a simple smile. He probably thought that this too shall pass like every other obstacle they had come across, but he didn't get things were different this time.
The cops were starting to ask too many questions and even with all his contacts he knew he wouldn't be able to keep things under the lid for much longer. Then, there were the damn Titans. They sprang out of nowhere like weeds. In the past two weeks, they had changed the whole game. For starters, his greatest rival the Escorpiones were out. Any idiot would think, well isn't that good? Of course not, the vacuum they left behind was being filled out by scum who wasn't afraid of doing anything to get the upper hand. It made business more difficult and violent than necessary.
The Titans were making greater progress than his own son in capturing the Wild Ones. His son seemed to think this was good, what he didn't get was that at one point they would come after them as well. He wasn't a maniac, or a genius, or had magic, or weapons like the ones he used to read in the pulp fiction magazines when he was a child. He was an old fashion mob boss with little hair left and a decaying eyesight but refused to wear glasses.
It wasn't so much of a problem when they watched the news. He just closed his eyes and imagined he was listening to the radio.
"In the latest news, the Blue Beetle and an unknown vigilante stopped a group of robbers who called themselves The Wild Ones, who had just assaulted a Perignon jeweler store. According to witness statements the robbers carried potent weapons such as bazookas which they didn't doubt to use in public spaces-"
"Those idiots," he said after turning off the TV.
"Aren't you glad they stopped them? That would have been a great loss," his son said with his phone already out. He hated the darn things.
"The blue alien did fine; the problem is that some imbecile is giving trash like that weapons that can bring the city a lot of attention. There is a reason why Gotham has a bunch of those capes. Crime to them is like pollen to the bees," and that's why he had worked so hard to maintain a clean image before the world.
"But what's the point anymore? The Titans are now in our city. You heard the major's announcement. They are here to stay," his son said before playing a small part of the message.
"Superboy and Kid Flash are sticking to their own cities and it will continue like this unless we make ourselves a bigger threat. The reason they are here to teach the new capes is because we keep it low, so they don't get hurt until they grow and they move to other places," so what if they stopped some robberies or demons. His deals worked deeper underground.
"Like that girl from India," his son said finally pulling the pieces together.
"That's right. We are nothing but a training camp, so as long as the kids leave when they get the needed experience we will continue to strive," most of the city's underground knew it was thanks to him that they had stayed off the radar for so long. He made sure no one made deals with psycho clowns, or aliens, or attacked anyone important in their city while visiting. Yeah, his business could be more prosperous if they did, but for how long until the capes found out?
"Wouldn't it be better if we got rid of them?" his son said before the few hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"I am not saying I like them, but they are necessary when the maniacs and monsters show up. We just had a damn demon attack a hospital. As long as we don't do stupid things like the Escorpiones, or sell drugs at parks, we will be well," he wasn't a good man. He had blood in his hands, but not the blood of children. There were lines he just wouldn't cross.
888
San Francisco had a lot to offer to people like him, the Question. People let their guards down all the time and he was able to gather information effortlessly. It seemed The Wild Ones have only been targeting Perignon's businesses. Though most people would never believe it, he knew the old man had quite an underground empire. He had been smart enough to keep under the radar and prosper somehow. Whoever was behind the rising of The Wild Ones had something against the old man because now earnings were being evaluated and things didn't add in as they should.
It was ridiculous how much information he could gather about the man in one day, yet nothing on Jaime Reyes. The boy was almost too ordinary at first sight. He had seen him work, go for lunch with a younger kid, work some more before going home before going for a run. He tried looking into the other kid wondering if he was a friend, but he lost him in the subway. There was something fishy about the kid. Maybe he was Reyes' dealer? But Reyes didn't seem like the kind to be on drugs.
"Did you come to kick me out of 'your' city?" he asked when he heard people land behind him. The particular sound when someone flew and then landed was a giveaway. He had been sticking to the rooftop and watching one of the businesses owned by Perignon.
"Not friendly, is he?" he heard one of them say before he turned around. He saw the Blue Beetle standing a bit to the side from the rest. Was he trying to show disassociation? The other three were a red and meaner version of the bug, there was a Green Lantern though he didn't look like any of the ones he had files on, then a blond who didn't bother hiding his face but wore mainly green with a red star on his chest.
"We came to ask for your help," the Green Lantern said first floating forwards.
"My help? I am not buying you any alcohol, or cigars," he said before he saw the blond greet his teeth.
"We got from a good source that you are an excellent detective," The Green Lantern went on.
"Compliments won't get you anywhere, but go on," he said crossing his arms. At once they all looked like they didn't want anything to do with him. Good, the feeling was mutual.
"Guys?" the Blue Beetle said before he realized he was there as a moderator. So, he was where the learning curve started.
"We are new at this," the Green Lantern said after taking a deep breath.
"No shit," he said before the other two accompanying the Lantern started to look even more upset.
"Let them finish," the Blue Beetle said placing a hand on his shoulder, which he was fast to shrug off. What really bothered him was that he was able to get close to him without his realizing.
"We want to learn how to investigate, find things out before someone gets really hurt," the Lantern said still trying to keep civil.
"We want to stop the Wild Ones and we need someone to teach us how to infiltrate," the blond kid said.
"There is a reason why I don't have a sidekick," he told them.
"Because of your drinking problem," he said smirking; he would have wiped off his face if it wasn't for the armor.
"That damn Elongated man. Either way, I don't work with kids," he said wondering how he could take revenge on his old friend.
"We are not kids," the blond said before his hands caught on fire. The Blue Beetle actually ran a hand down his face in exasperation.
"Save it sparky. I have told the Bat to shove it more than once, you don't scare me," he told them before the teen got rid of the fire but kept glaring at him.
"You heard him, let's go. I have done things like this before, we will be fine," the red beetle said before a pair of wings opened on his back.
"Meet at the randevú, I will catch up in a few minutes," the Blue Beetle said before watching them leave, "a simple no would have been fine."
"Your kind isn't known for listening," he said looking for a reaction, but the Blue Beetle only stared at him with accusatory eyes.
"We all want to help people," Blue Beetle said. "That's why we do this."
"Grow up kid," he told him before he narrowed his eyes on him. He hated it when people looked at him like that, "and have you thought about changing the name. You are nothing like the Blue Beetle I knew. He was a real hero." Though he had only worked with the guy a handful of times, he was efficient.
"I know I will never be as good as him, but that doesn't mean I am going to stop trying," the kid said taking him by surprise. "Look, we are going to keep looking into those guys. So, like it or not, we are going to cross paths."
888
Blue Beetle landed at their meeting point which was their warehouse. He had known the Question might not help because of his reputation. Still, it pissed him off he talked to them like that. When he went inside the warehouse and into the clothing room he saw Thorax, GL, and Red Stars talking among themselves in hushed tones.
Detecting high levels of testosterone; suggesting leaving area as soon as possible.
I wish it was that easy.
"You know Red bugged the whole place and can hear everything you say, right?" he asked them as he shed his armor and pushed his hands into his pockets. "So, Red told you not to do anything unless the Question agreed to help us."
"How could we have forgotten?" Thorax said crossing his arms, "what are we supposed to do then?"
"I will handle it," he said as he started to go through the racks of clothing. Now, what would he wear if he was in a gang and handed powerful weapons?
"C'mon hombre, let us help. We will do everything you tell us," Thorax said shedding his armor too, "and you know I have done things like this with the Posse. I got the whole Vato Loco thing already going, you know homme?"
"No," he told them sternly though they were all older than him, "you are going back to Red's place and wait for further instructions."
He left with two sets of clothing he thought would fit right in after throwing some dirt on them. He left his car at the garage and asked to borrow a different car. Never again would he place his baby in danger if he could help it.
"Vaz a llegar tarde mañana?" the boss asked him he would be arriving late the next day.
"Espero que no," he told the man he hoped that wasn't the case.
"Niño, you are not a man yet but you sure like to act like one," the man said handing him the keys to the other car. Somehow the man was able to tell he was up to something more dangerous than usual.
"No ofensa, but I am tired of people telling me I am a kid. I am no niño, and haven't been for a long time," he said as he got into the car, "ehm, gracias por todo."
The old man shook his head in disbelief after he thanked him, "I am not saying you are wrong, just remember to enjoy being a niño while you can. Time goes by too fast."
After a quick change, makeup, and a fake scrub he headed to the lowest point of the city. It wasn't hard to find people who claimed they were part of The Wild Ones. It seemed like all the rage with the gangs. The issue was finding who was saying the truth.
I need you to check the records in their cells and find me who really has contact to the Wild Ones.
Five potential targets located in the establishment to the right. Jaime Reyes, the assistance of the others is suggested. All of the objectives carry highly dangerous weapons.
I am not engaging with any of them. I am going to sit close to them and try to gather information.
Keeping commination channels open with the Red Robin.
That actually hurt.
Red Robin has been briefed on our location and activity. He has confirmed backup will be in proximity if necessary.
Escarabajo, would you stop? We will be okay.
Correction Jaime Reyes, I will not be damaged but without my protection the probabilities of an injury increase for you.
Fine, I get shot once and you turn into my mother.
He went into a bar, not even getting his ID checked though he went through all the trouble of getting a fake one. Well, Cirilo Cisneros would get his day some other day. He sat on a stool near the members of the Wild Ones. He ordered a beer and did his best not to cringe as he drank it slowly. Khaji was doing his part by clearing the alcohol from his blood. He hated the feeling. It was as if someone was scrubbing his veins from the inside.
It didn't help the most he heard the members of the Wild Ones talk was about women, motorcycles, and how that stupid of Esuperio Selva screwed Roland Sparre's wife and got nicked because of it. Batman had been the one to teach them how to infiltrate back on the Team. He wondered if he left the part about it being a complete bore on purpose. He had made some use of the skills back when he was investigating La Dama. However, this was the first time he went completely incognito.
"Hey there cutie," he almost jumped out his skin when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to meet a beautiful pair of eyes, in a beautiful face and… well; he wished he wasn't wearing a fake scrub and makeup. "Want to invite me a drink?"
"Whatever you like," he told her before motioning to the barkeeper to get her a drink.
"Aren't you sweet?" she said getting a drink he hoped wasn't too expensive. "I have never seen you around. New in town?"
"Yeah, just moved," he said before realizing the Wild Ones had taken notice of him. "Things weren't going so well in Oregon, so I decided to try my luck here."
"I bet you are doing well," she said taking a small sip.
"Could be better, but I can't resist a beauty in distress," he said trying to not act like the virgin he was. Thankfully, the makeup was helping.
He spun a whole story to the beautiful woman and evaded all the telltales Batman had warned them about; minimal self-reference, negative language, and convoluted phrasing. He created a whole new person out of thin air. One that was interesting to the woman but also the Wild Ones. He could fight, use a gun, and wasn't afraid to do dirty jobs. In the end, he allowed someone else to snatch the woman away from him. It was sort of disappointing, but at least he knew he got it… well, not him but Cirilo Cisneros did.
"So bad so sad man," one of the Wild Ones said leaning on the bar, "she was something else."
"Women like that is only trouble," he said like a sore loser.
"Well, what I can tell you. So, you looking for a job?" of course they would look for new guys after the ones he captured the night before.
"Depends, if is fast and pays well I am up for it," he said with a cocky smirk.
"Man, you are going to be able to get any woman you want after it," the man said before showing him a stack of cash.
"Sounds good to me," and he was in.
888
His head was killing him, and his skin itched. He swore he would never drink on his own accord. After he had said yes to the job, the rest of the Wild Ones invited him for some drinks. Khaji Da had worked extra hard to keep him clean, but it wasn't perfect. He got the feeling of the hangover, plus all that cleaning of his blood made him want to stay in bed that day. Work was sluggish as he did more small jobs around the garage. At the end of work he headed to his borrowed car before driving into town, his disguise and everything else he needed in the trunk.
There was a meeting that day with the boss of the Wild Ones. It looked like they figured all the Titans wouldn't all be in town until the weekend rolled in. He had already told Red Robin about it. They had to do something to make them realize they would always be around. As he parked the car in a garage not too far and got changed, he got more warnings from Khaji Da. Until he showed his partner that he could survive without the exoskeleton, he knew he wouldn't calm down.
He went into a club reserved just for the occasion. It seemed their leader was someone with big money to throw around. Near the entrance, he met with the lot who had invited him. He followed them inside astounded by the many groups already drinking and laughing to their hearts' content. It was time to start taking names down. Most of them carried phones which Khaji Da had no trouble accessing and finding out who they were. After a quick rundown of some of the names, he realized the person who led the Wild Ones had a gift for getting people from every background. Some did stand only with those who were of the same race, ethnicity, and so on. But, it was mostly mixed up.
Jaime Reyes, the Khaji Da Ru is in the vicinity. Further scanning showed the Green Lantern and the Red Star are also in the area.
He was going to get those three for this. Red Robin had told him they would be outside and out of sight as his backup.
"So, how is the guy like?" he heard a familiar voice before he spotted Vic Sage though the man dressed in a motorcyclists outfit barely resembled him.
"Dude, like it's going to blow your mind," his companion said. "The guy is sort of a diva, but he makes it look less gay."
"I got to see it to believe it," Sage said with a smoke.
He kept his distance from the reporter. He was probably also after the story of the gangs. It wasn't so strange nowadays for reporters to do a risky thing like that.
Send Thorax the information we got on Vic Sage and tell him to keep an eye on him.
That would keep them busy. The man was an infamous reporter and didn't pull his punches back. If they messed up somehow, the man would make look like they doomed the whole city.
He was dragged to get more drinks. He wondered when those guys gave it a rest. At least they didn't pull him to the corners where another stuff was being handed out. Finally, when he thought nothing was going to happen all the lights went out. Everyone shouted in excitement. His body went rigid with apprehension. Then the beams in the front turned on. On the stage, the masks of drama shone in golden light as tall as a grown man. Between the masks, a man in a complete red suit and tie stood using a white smiling mask with flaming eyes and mouth.
"WELCOME MY CHILDREN!" the man shouted making a court bow with the grace of a dancer. "WELCOME TO THE FIRST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES! YOU MAY CALL ME MUSE!"
People shouted with eagerness.
"Tonight," MUSE said walking with the sleekness of a cat, "we have formally become a torn on Perignon's side. He fears us and soon everything that is his will be ours!"
There were more shouts.
"Let the old pass and the new come onwards. All of those of you, new to us come now forwards. Let us see what the future of this city looks like!"
"You didn't say anything about that," he whispered to the people who invited him as they pushed him forwards.
"It's an initiation thing," one of them said.
Soon, he spotted Paco, Kyle, and Leonid also being pushed forwards. Right behind him, he knew Sage was also being pushed forwards. There were at least twenty more besides them. Soon, they were all aligned before the stage facing the man with the mask.
"Wonderful," Muse said leaning down extravagantly and tilted his head to the side. "All of you look like you got potential but here just like in the real world you have to earn your place. The way we do it here is through duels. No guns or swords mind you; just an old fashion fist brawl. The one that remains standing at the end of it all will become a leader of a group. In the next meeting if you defeat all other leaders you will become a lieutenant. It's simple yet effective even if I say so myself," the man walked up and down the stage making motions with his hands, much like a stage actor. It was almost entrancing.
"Fight, fight, fight!" those who were already members started shouting.
"For God's sake," he heard Sage say before he threw the first fist. Thankfully, it wasn't at him. After that, they all broke lose. He landed punches when needed, dodged others before turning their strength against them. All of the hours of training with Black Canary had paid off though he was still uncomfortable fighting women.
In the end, there were only them; the Titans and a reporter. He couldn't take on Sage. He couldn't risk the man recognizing him. Those three were supposed to be his backup, so he started with Paco. He didn't give his friend even a chance to say 'what?' as he landed a right hook on his face. The shock made Paco hit Leonid. Kyle, on the other hand, was fighting Sage and was getting his ass handed to him.
"What the hell man!" Paco communicated through the scarab.
"You wanted to go undercover, deal with it," he said to him before dodging his punch with a simple side step.
Leonid was a decent fighter, but the other two were terrible. There was no technique behind their movements and he feared they would get killed if they weren't careful. He allowed Leonid to land a punch in his gut and gave him a glare that spoke volumes. Leonid got the message before landing another blow on his face. They had to make it look real.
"How lively, how lively!" the leader of The Wild Ones sang as ran through the stage, "how wonderful!"
One of the others had pushed him before he hit someone with his elbow. Then, whoever that was landed a hit on his ribs. He spun around and took hold his arm before flipping him over his shoulder and made them land flat on his back.
"What a fuck kid?" Sage said looking up at him with wide eyes. "Where the hell did you learn that?"
He turned away from the man before knocking Leonid off his feet with a quick swift kick. Leonid had already taken care of knocking Paco and Kyle down, which left him the only one standing.
"Magnificent!" Muse said raising his hands into the air. Then slowly he lowered his head and remained in silence. The air around them became thick with anxiety. He had to guess this was something rare. Muse then said in an even, polite tone "on any other occasion we would go on with the celebration, but I am sorry to say tonight will end on an even higher note. Don Perignon is on his way now and he thinks he will take us by surprise. Well my Wild Ones, it won't go his way but ours."
Almost like a well-oiled machine everyone started moving into other rooms and pulling out weapons and handing them out.
"We have to act now," he whispered to Kyle helping him stand up.
"Now, now. I don't recall you coming with them," Muse said from the stage. Even through the rush the man had been studying them thoroughly.
"He didn't," he heard Sage behind him. If he had the time, he would turn around and punch the man.
"I knew something was strange about you," Muse said drawing a gun from a holster on his belt. In that fraction of a second, he covered his body with his armor. The others followed in his steps and soon they had left the whole place in shock
"Perignon is the least of your worries," he told Muse before taking flight.
"Kill them!" shouted Muse stumbling back and almost dropping his gun.
"Go!" he shouted before they spread out through the club.
The Lantern blocked all the access to the rooms with the guns as Red Star and Thorax kept them from escaping. The next thing they would do was tie them down for the authorities. He went after Muse and his guards after he stapled down some of the Wild ones with his Staple Gun. It wasn't too hard because of their inebriated state. Muse was an idiot and not a very good leader. Did he really think a bunch of intoxicated punks would stand a chance against them?
He flew through the inner halls of the club taking down his guards one by one. He reached the farthest corner of the club and saw a door leading outside wide open. There was no chance in hell that he was going to let him get away. The problem had to be taken out from the root. The moment he got out he was blinded by the lights of multiple cars. He was ready for showdown until he heard an unknown voice.
"Stand down cape. I am only here for that freak," it was the voice of an old man. The lights were dampened and he saw Vincent Perignon standing in front of the cars holding a rifle along with some old fashion mobsters. Muse was huddling in a corner changing the direction of his gun every time he thought someone moved. He was trapped and he knew it. Perignon's men all had their weapons pointed at him.
"I don't think so. Stand down Mr. Perignon," he said turning both of his arms into Sonic Canons.
"Don, call me Don Perignon," said the old man walking towards him with a confident smile.
"Don Perignon, I am taking him into custody. He will pay for all his transgressions against you and everyone else in jail," this wasn't the first time the old man did something like this. The way he moved and talked told him he enjoyed the whole spectacle.
"At least your elders taught you some manners but not enough. You see boy, you are new in this town. You don't get to tell me what to do with the-"
"Down!" he pulled the man down barely helping him dodge a bullet.
"You bastard!" the old man shouted as his men started shooting at Muse with all they had.
"Stop!" he yelled, but he knew it was too late. Muse's body slumped against the wall before slumping down without a breath. Immediately his blood started forming a pool around him. He hurried to the man and removed his mask only to find a young face staring back at him covered in tears and fear. "You didn't have to do that!" he shouted as he closed the young man's eyes.
"Of course I had- Richard. Richard!" the old man shouted kneeling before the young man, "what? Why!"
He knew enough about Vincent Perignon. This young man was his one and only son.
"Why?!" the old man looked at him for answers but he couldn't give any. The man inside known as Muse seemed to be driven to take Don Perignon down. Was it some type of revenge against his father? Or a hostile takeover?
The old man wept over his son's body as the sound of the ambulances got closer and closer. All of his followers started to drive away, none bothering to try to get to the old man. They knew when someone was too broken to be of any use. Probably, something the old man had taught them.
"It's over sir," he told the old man when the police cards finally made it to them.
"Why didn't you save him?" the Don asked him as the officers approached.
"The question you should be asking yourself is why you chose this life for him?" he said as he pulled the man up.
"What did you say to me boy!" the man became furious and tried to struggle out of his grip.
"Why did you choose this life for your son? You had enough wealth to give him another kind of life, but you decided to teach him this one," he motioned to the young man on the ground, "what did you think would happen?"
The old man stared at him with wide, shocked eyes. He had to know this sort of life was usually short. He already had enough so his son could be something else, something better. Wasn't that what parents were supposed to want for their kids?
"Confess, you have nothing else to lose," he said as the officers dislodged the gun from the man's hand. As if woken up from a dream Vincent looked at his hand where his finger pulled the trigger. He shot his own son.
He gave the information he gathered to the officers before taking off. That night almost two hundred Wild Ones were arrested. Some were hurt, others just too drunk. Over three hundred high caliber weapons, among them twenty bazookas, and ten rocket launchers were retrieved. A room full of their successful robberies estimated to be in the millions worth got boxed. One of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in the area was dismantled by the founder. Vincent Perignon gave every single name without pause.
And, there was one casualty. A young man named Richard Perignon, twenty-four years old. When he was younger, his father told him he couldn't be an actor as long as there was the family business to take care of.
He sat on the roof of a building watching the whole thing, but his eyes kept coming back to the place where that man died. There were blood and the white chalk form of where the body had been. He sensed someone behind him but didn't bother to turn. Whatever he had to say, he would take it. He deserved it. Vincent Perignon had failed his son, but he failed both of them. Maybe he was over his head with the whole thing. Maybe, he should go back to the Team.
"I didn't see that coming," the Question said as he stood next to him and watched the scene below, "you actually did an okay job with the infiltration."
"Until you gave me away," he said wishing he would just get it over with.
"You had already given yourself away," the man said not bothering to deny who he really was. "You were too good of a fighter to be street scum. Who taught you that?"
"Black Canary," she never taught them about being too good, but it sort of made sense.
"Oh yes, I remember now," Question said before they continued watching the scene below. Only until a few police cars were left to guard the scene, did he speak again. "You can't save everyone."
"He is dead," he said wishing for him to say something else. Call him on his mistake.
"Many more would have died if you and your friends hadn't stopped them," Question said before he had enough.
"He is dead!" he shouted at the man who stood before him unflinching.
"And you haven't seen people die before?" he said and those words hit him like a fist to the face. Of course, he had. In El Paso where La Dama's creatures tore apart those people. In Bart's time where they fought the Reach, there were countless casualties. But all that had been out of his hands this wasn't. "I thought so. Look kid; it is sad. I am not saying it's not. But the fault is not only yours. It's mine too. I gave you away, yes. But, I should have talked to those kids. Teach them a thing or two. Who knows? Maybe things would have been different otherwise."
He couldn't find words anymore and turned away from the man. He was still angry at himself. He wished for someone to tell him how bad he messed up.
"Escarabajo," Thorax said after him and the rest landed on the roof, "man, sorry. We didn't think it would turn out like that."
"That's your problem, you don't think. You just want to be in the middle of things, but sometimes that is not what your team will need. They will need you outside in case they need backup," but his words weren't angry, but he knew they would sting. "Esta vida tal vez no es para ti." They had to know there were times when they had to break the rules and others when they shouldn't. Paco was used to going against the flow. Maybe, as he told him, this wasn't the life for him.
"What? How can you say that after- maldita sea! I am trying!" he stomped towards him. Though he was taller and more muscular than him, he stood his ground.
"Then listen. All of you; you could have stopped him by telling me or Red Robin, but you didn't. You are supposed to know better," they were all older than him; they were supposed to know better, right?
"Me lleva la-! But we don't," Thorax said before sighing. He looked defeated before Jaime remembered his friend had also seen his fair share of death.
"Blue, we are being called by Red Robin. I am really sorry for all of this. We got caught at the moment," Kyle said before Leonid gave a simple nod of agreement.
"We will talk later," Thorax told him, "we will." Then the three of them left.
"So, you really are human," the Question said giving him a curious look, "you are bilingual and from the sounds of that slang-"
"Don't, you don't have any right," he said before the man raised his hands as if surrendering.
"You know who I am. Next time you need help I will be there."
8888
The next morning as he worked in the garage he listened to the news everyone was watching for the exception of him. The news had a field day with the story of Vincent and Richard Perignon, especially the man's dramatic death at hands of his own father. The Titans were mentioned only in good light, which was making his head hurt. A man died; a father lost his son. Didn't they get it?
"So, how much longer?" and to top things off, Sage was there asking him to fix a car which he could tell right away it was rented. The tracker was a dead giveaway. The car was perfectly fine, but he still went over it as his boss asked him to.
"All done," he said closing the hood, "ready for your twenty minute trip to the airport."
"Jaime, trata bien a mis clientes," the boss told him to treat his clients well.
"Lo se, lo se," of course he knew, but not every client was after his secrets. Still, he couldn't be mad at the man anymore. He was one of them. They all had to make a living.
"You really are something else," Vic Sage studying him.
"What are you talking about?" he asked a little freaked out. The man leaned towards him trapping him against the car. The rest of the garage was still enthralled on the news so they didn't notice.
"You are lucky I don't write stories on capes, let's just say that," Vic Sage whispered to him before handing him his card. "I meant what I said. If you kids need help, give me a call."
And with that, the Question drove away disliking capes a little less.