Chapter Twenty-Seven:
Tyron tossed his hood up and walked briskly through the dark streets of Queens. The streetlamps hardly lit the street and made it harder to see, but Tyron didn't mind.
He saw a few cars drive by, some blasting music that should have woke up the entire neighborhood, but none of the apartment lights turned on.
Tyron shivered slightly, with winter coming, his clothes now would hardly be acceptable, but he had nothing else.
Actually, he did, back at the Tower, but Tyron knew he couldn't go back. Never again.
He finally made it to a small, open bar, and walked inside. It was pretty much empty - probably because it was Monday night and nearly three AM. A woman turn to him, eyebrow raised. "What are you doin' here, kid?" The bartender demanded.
"Can I jus' get some water?" He asked quietly, keeping his head down. The woman sighed, but turned around, and a second later, handed him a glass of water. The television was on beside him as he slowly sipped the water. It was broadcasting a news outlet. The sound hadn't been on, but captions ran under the screen, a few seconds out of time with the reporters lips.
"... Congress getting a lot of backlash for this new bill, but we have been given some word from a few saying that it could change the way Mutants in the future. By restricting the access Mutants have, it will keep the public safe. Mutants, according to the bill, will have to be registered as Sub-Humans, and follow strict guidelines. Those who don't follow the bill be facing significant jail time."
Tyron stared at the screen and the woman watched him as she wiped off a glass. "I guess you haven't heard about that yet then, huh?" She said. "Poor bastards. It gets sent to the President this friday, and since he's always been Anti-Mutant, judging by his agenda, it'll probably go through."
"But... But ain't that illegal!?" Tyron demanded, shocked, "They can't do that! We-Mutants never... They never did anythin' wrong!"
"It's not that they didn't," a man grunted from a few seats down the bar stool counter. "It's that they could. Lives are at stake here. It's a dangerous time for normal humans, ya know."
"Oh, hush up, Larry," the woman said, brushing him off with a swat from her rag. "Look kid, it's out of our hands. Especially with that kid that died recently, people are talking about a civil war-"
"Wait wait," Tyron narrowed his eyes. "'Kid that died'?"
She nodded, "Mm-hmm. The kid from Queens that got shot up by police and nothing happened? Supposedly, people came into his house and... Well, bashed his head in. Happened 'round noon today, and everyone's talking about it online, apparently. People trying to stir up a riot because of the kid, and since people are so divided against mutants and humans," she shrugged and sighed. "I'm just gonna say that if something did happen, it sure as hell wouldn't be a fair fight."
"He..." Tyron swallowed. "He's dead...?"
"Yeah," she said, giving him an odd look. Tyron felt on the verge of tears, and he probably looked like it too because the woman gave him a look of pity for a moment. "I'm sorry, kid, was it something I said? Did... Did you know him?"
"I..." Tyron inhaled and turned away. He pushed the half-empty glass of water that he hardly sipped away. "I gotta go," he murmured and then proceeded to run straight out into the night again.
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
Tyron spent the rest of the night trying desperately to keep his tears at bay. He failed a few times, but managed it for the most part. He also wandered the streets of Queens. He stuck to the shadows and made his way to across to Brooklyn without being stopped.
Tyron walked the familiar streets of the rundown slums of Brooklyn. He closed his eyes and inhaled. The sent of stale gas and - probably his - body odor. He sighed, did he really want to go through with this? He could just leave. He could leave and never come back, just... Forget.
But, if he didn't do anything, and that hill was past, what did that mean for him? What did that mean for anyone like him? For Lars, who was so confused and scared when he went to visit him in the hospital. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, he didn't deserve to die like he did.
Tyron exhaled and turned the corner, it anything, he was going to do this for Lars, and the people like Lars who suffered for just being themselves.
"For Lars," he mumbled to himself as he came face to face with the entrance of Baron's 'Yard.
Tyron moved to Willy's window and tapped on it. The man inside was dozing peacefully, but sat up straight when he heard. He had a gun in his hand and it was pointed at Tyron. "Goddamn it, kid!" He hissed, sitting up straighter and stretching. "The hell do ya want!?"
"I need to talk to Baron," he told him.
"Come back tomorrow, when it's not... Three AM, damn it!"
"I need to talk to Baron, Willy," Willy froze. The only person who ever called him Willy was Tyron. He never told him his real name, so Tyron gave him one. It was a joke he made when Willy wouldn't let him in. He'd called him a 'Willy big dick'.
"What the hell are you doing back here, boy?" Willy demanded. He moved his hand to subtly pick up the communicator in the booth.
"I need to talk to Baron," Tyron said, crossing his arms.
"What is it?" A familiar voice demanded crabbily on the other end. "What do you want?"
"I've got someone here to see ya," Willy said and before Baron could argue more, he said, "It's the metal kid."
There was a silence. Then, Baron said, "Send him in."
"Got it." Then, Willy hung up and pushed a button on his control panel, causing the doors to open. "You're a real dumbass, ya know," he told Tyron as Tyron began to walk. "If I were you, I'd get out of the goddamn state."
"Yeah," Tyron muttered as he entered his own personal hell. "I'll take tha' into consideration."
- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -
When Tyron opened the door to Baron's... Center of control, he saw Baron sitting on his usual leather seat, a woman on his leg. She was hardly dressed, and was just barely wearing what was considered lingerie.
Baron smiled and made a hand motion for Tyron to close the door. He did, but he didn't lock it.
"You were the last person I'd expect to see back here," Baron mused. "What have you been doing, Tom? I've missed you..."
"Don't lie to me," Tyron narrowed his eyes. "Ya miss ya money. Where's ya lil' goons that followed ya everywhere?
"Hmm? They've been... Taken care if," he shrugged dismissing the topic. "Anyways, I hope you have a good reason to be waking me up this early. I could have you killed."
"If ya wanted m'killed, ya would've done it already."
"You don't know that."
"I do," Baron's eyes narrowed and the woman on his lap shifted positons, getting restless and annoyed by the conversation. Tyron was also getting annoyed, but it was because of her presence. "Does she have to be here?" He demanded and Baron chuckled, stroking the backside of the woman, making her practically turn to liquid in his lap.
"She goes where I want her to," he said coolly. "And both of us will be going back to sleep if you don't start speaking something that makes any kind of sense."
Tyron scoffed, but crossed his arms. "I want you to start a riot," he told Baron. Baron, for his part, seemed surprised and rose an eyebrow because of it.
"And why would I do that? In fact, why would I even consider that?"
"Because," Tyron straightened. "Ya heard the news, the one about mutants. If this bill gets passed, ya know we'll all be absolutely fucked. What will ya be without your lil' band of misfits, hmm? If they find out that ya are runnin' something that protects mutants, or that ya are a mutant too? Wha's that gonna do, Baron? How ya gonna make money?" Baron's eyes narrowed, he hated being reminded that he was a mutant too.
"So you think rioting will fix this?" Baron scoffed but Tyron rolled his eyes.
"Nah. I think a riot would be a good cover for wha's next," Tyron glanced towards the window that had been covered. The overhead lights were still on, though, and a bit of it shined through the window. "People've been sayin' tha' the world's changin'. We're the people tha's causing the change. An' they're gonna kill us because of it." Tyron looked back at Baron, a ferocity in his eyes. "I refuse to die because they can't let mutants coexist wit' humans."
"And what are you going to do because of it?" Baron asked, curiously.
"We're gonna to make 'em listen. We're gonna to kidnap Tony Stark."
Hey! Last update for BAM for the year! The official last update will probably be Bloody Red, if I can finish it in time, and then that's it.
Just so you know, on the first, I'll post chapter one of Withering Wishes, and then the hiatus will start. I'll still write, but I won't be publishing anything after that. Hopefully, by the end of the month, I can actually provide a consistent schedule for you guys.
That's it for now, I'll see y'all next time and remember...
Don't melt~!
- Happyritas OOO