So I randomly thought of this idea. Not sure how well it will be received, but at least there will be action! Other than that, I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 39: Hard Boiled
Earthland 849921-NOR-3
Magnolia City. June 19th, Year 788
Dirty smokestacks belched their disgusting soot over the industrial sector, staining the nearby factories a grungy black as a hard rain fell upon the city.
The humidity was thick, a sticky moisture that enveloped the air as summer made itself known.
Neon signs burned with electricity, advertising liquor, sex shops, and other rotting businesses that called this city home. Traffic rolled over cracked pavement and random bits of garbage, no one taking the care to make the effort of cleaning up the refuse.
Hell, even the towering skyscrapers of crowded apartments seemed to wilt and fade, their lights burning like haze in the deluge of falling rain as the ominous clouds hung among a gloomy sky.
Of course, other parts of the city dazzled with prosperity, their wealth on display as the towers of glass and steel burned like shining beacons.
Red and blue lights strobed and pulsed near an alley on Canal Street, the area cordoned off by several police cars as uniformed men in ponchos tried in a vain attempt to stay dry.
It had once been a vibrant center of commerce, condos and high end shops along the river decades ago. Now…now it was a rotting cesspool of rundown flophouses, drug dens, strip clubs and whorehouses.
Nobody lived in this area unless they had to.
A plain, battered sedan pulled up, its beige color flecked with rust. Opening the door as the flaring lights warbled and flickered among the rain and desolate gloom, Detective Natsu Dragneel stepped out.
Flicking his tan colored trench coat, he gave a sigh as the water already sluiced past his collar while soaking his hair into a matted mess that clung to his skull. Flashing his badge at the nearest officer, Natsu ducked under the crime scene tape. A few onlookers stood at the line, homeless bums by the look of most. A heavyset man huffed, his work apron a mess of stains before he returned to his dingy diner across the road.
"What we got?" He gruffly asked, the man never getting a chance to shave this morning. A weariness of the world seemed to pull him down, making him look ten years older than his age of thirty.
Striding into the alley as overflowing garbage cans, graffiti, and a sense of urban rot filled the air, Natsu already knew the answer.
"Dead body. Looks like the work of the Back Alley Strangler" The nearby officer informed as he hunched under his rain slick.
Natsu crouched down, looking at the deceased woman. Her neck was wrapped in piano wire, clearly the means of execution and this psycho's calling card. Black hair was matted to the concrete, some strands wavering in a rivulet of rain as her remaining clothing was soaked through. Dressed in fishnet leggings, a tube top and high heels, it was easy to conclude she was a prostitute based on the area of sex dens, brothels, and seedy crime.
"But then, the whole city seems to be rotting"
"Name?"
"Kagura Mikazuchi. Based on her state of dress, a simple street whore. No witnesses. And yes, detective. I already asked the few folks over in Manny's Diner" Cocking a thumb toward the eatery that blazed with neon signs advertising twenty four hour service, the dingy windows revealed a few customers inside that hastily looked away.
Natsu stood up, letting the rain plaster his salmon hair as his tired eyes studied the deceased woman, her life cut short. Maybe in another life she could've been a model, or a chef. But in Magnolia, a woman like her came cheap and easy.
"She have a pimp? Or worked at one of the brothels?"
"We're working on it. But you know how Canal Street is. Once they see the cops they shut up and say nothing"
"Yeah…" Letting the words hang, Natsu cocked his head as something gleamed near the pile of garbage this woman lay near. Stooping down, his frown deepened as the glint turned out to be an expensive watch half buried under rotting refuse.
"See if you can get the lab guys to pull prints off this watch. I doubt Kagura here could afford something like that" Letting out another weary sigh as he stood up, the forensic team moved in, though Natsu doubted they would find much even with the new found evidence.
Whoever this asshole was, he always waited until the weather was shit, letting the rain wash away everything.
"Fuck it. Get her wrapped up and over to the coroner. Then do another sweep, maybe somebody will say something, but I doubt it"
Earning a light chuckle from the uniformed officer, Natsu looked further down the alleyway of boarded up doors, spilled garbage and rats that scurried under the depressing rain.
A man shifted at the far corner of the alley a hundred feet away, his bright pink hair betraying him under a few flickering lights. "Hey you!"
"Awe shit!" turning to run, the street punk tried to lose the detective as Natsu quickly pulled his pistol from his hip holster while giving chase.
Two uniformed officers came with, their slick shoes splashing through puddles and rotting refuse as they rounded the corner in pursuit of the presumed suspect.
The rain fell in buckets from the rooftops above, a constant drumming that soaked both men as Natsu gave chase. "Stop you punk! Stop or I'll shoot!"
The criminal looked back, his nose ring and ragged hair adding to his guilty appearance. Spinning as he rounded the corner to the next street, the fleeing man tried to pull his own gun from his belt, but it snagged. "Shit!" Finally pulling it free, he fired, the first round going wide and smashing into fading brickwork of a graffiti painted flophouse.
"Heh. Dead to rights" Natsu stopped, leveling his own firearm with practiced ease and fired.
The report flashed, an ear ringing noise as the bullet slammed into the man's chest, blooming crimson as he fell backward.
Running up, Natsu kept his weapon trained on the perp, his backup doing the same. Kicking away the gun with a snarl, Dragneel grabbed the dying man by the collar as blood seeped from his lips.
Shaking the man violently as rain poured like the sorrow of heaven, Natsu didn't care as he roughed up the dying man.
"You kill that woman!? Are you the Strangler!?"
"Ungh…fuck. I just didn't want to get caught for robbing that…that liquor store" Laughing, the punk spat a wade of bloody phlegm at Natsu, his rasping laugh a cough of coming doom. "Fucking…pig…" Letting one last gasp, the punk died under the falling rain.
"Shit…this means more paperwork. Fuck. Let the meat wagon know we got another body"
"Don't worry, detective. He was dead to rights the moment he shot at us. Nothing will come of it. Just another piece of garbage to wash down the drain" One of the uniformed officers added, his face showing no remorse at the piece of scum laying in a pool of blood and falling rain.
"Just another lowlife dying by the end of a gun. Fuck, I need a good drink" Turning away, Natsu holstered his firearm, leaving the scene of death and rot behind.
Night had fallen, the paperwork at the station hardly worth the effort. A clean shooting by all regards, Natsu didn't even have to worry about suspension or a psych evaluation.
After all…it was just a street punk with a rap sheet half a mile long. He did the city a favor.
Looking out the window of his third story apartment, Natsu had taken a few minutes to change in a pair of beige pants and a tight-fitting red muscle shirt that gave a hint to his abdominals and well toned pectorals beneath the fabric. Feeding his cat, Happy, the grayish-blue furred feline was content to lay on the window sill, watching the city beyond as electricity burned from a thousand windows.
Giving the cat a small scratch behind the ears, Natsu locked up, knowing that he would have to clean up his messy apartment sometime soon.
Descending the stairs that creaked with age and use, he exited onto the sidewalk, the deluge of rain still pouring like a sieve. Turning right, the flares of traffic headlights, sloshing tires and burning signs of neon assaulted his senses.
But he didn't have to go far.
Cana's was a mere thirty feet away.
Stepping into the bar, the drinking establishment was barely more than a hole in the wall, but it was home away from home.
A few regulars were in the back, playing pool, their conversation muffled and low as a lone woman played darts with a beer in hand. A few other regulars were spaced along the bar, none really doing more than sucking down booze.
Natsu never bothered to know them.
Taking a seat at the bar, Natsu tried to shake off the rain, knowing some of his muscles showed through the now damp fabric.
"Hey Natsu. The usual?" Cana asked, her wavy brown hair and smile uplifting his mood. Her eyes momentarily wandered, eying up his physique before turning away.
"Make it a double. Rough day" Being pleasant, he watched the owner make his drink.
"I heard the Strangler killed again" Cana stated, the brunette bombshell sliding his drink across the polished surface of the bar.
"Yeah. But you know…ongoing investigation. Can't really talk about it. You still have protection?" Natsu asked, his eyes taking in the woman before him.
"You know damn well I have a twelve gauge under my bar and a .45 next to my pillow. I can protect myself"
Natsu of course knew. He had given Cana advice of protecting her life years ago, which the woman took seriously.
Glancing her way, Natsu tried to hide his wandering eyes.
She was once again wearing a bust hugging top that revealed her toned stomach, the cleavage more than ample to ensnare any man as the cut allowed a generous view of her cleavage. With long legs and a slender waist, she radiated a bright spot in Natsu's life of dead bodies, crime, and the weight of scum that tried to engulf the city.
It was easy to say Natsu had a thing for the seductive bartender that lived two floors above him in the same building.
Striding over to the old jukebox near the door, she put on some sorrowful jazz, adding to the unending rain that fell outside.
Natsu took a long drink of the whiskey, the ice clinking against the glass as Cana strode back, the woman leaning forward across the polished wood with that brilliant smile. Her large breasts rose, the soft flesh straining against the fabric in a desperate plea to escape.
"Careful. Your tits might pop out" Natsu smirked, earning a light laugh from the female.
"Like you'd complain. But hey, maybe I'll give you a show sometime" Winking, she strode along the bar to some sorrowful sad sack at the far end, refilling another drink.
Watching her walk away with a swing of her hips, Natsu knew Cana was too good a woman for a guy like him…but he could at least enjoy her smile and friendliness. Taking another drink, the alcohol burned down his throat among sorrowful jazz and falling rain.
The next day.
The weather had turned from rain into a muggy, thick mess of humidity that made clothes stick like glue.
At least Natsu had managed to shave this morning before shoveling down a hasty breakfast of eggs, bacon and coffee. Feeding Happy who meowed in complaint, the detective arrived at the station, the humidity thick like haze.
He was already sweating by the time he sat at his desk, the paperwork a small mountain. Situated in the corner, the desk was like an old battlehorse, ripe with stains, scars and blemishes from years and years of police men.
Sighing as he set down another cup of coffee, Natsu had barely started looking at the preliminary report of Kagura Mikazuchi's autopsy when he felt the mood of the nearby officer's shift. Looking upward while lifting his coffee, he almost spit it out.
It was like an angel had walked into the room.
She had a slim waist, long legs, and a balcony to die for that was practically spilling out of a low cut, maroon dress. Flowing, white hair spilled past her shoulders like a waterfall of silver. She radiated a softness, a femininity that had no place among the officers.
She approached Natsu with an awkward smile, each step allowing a small bounce of her firm breasts…which Natsu was positive the woman knew about.
"Excuse me? Can you help me?"
Her voice was like sweet honey mixed with a sunny day.
No way Natsu could have resisted even if he wanted to.
Leaning back in his chair, he tried to be cool, but he wasn't fooling anybody as he tried to force his eyes not to wander. Concentrating on her blue eyes and soft, angelic features, he coughed then indicated an empty chair nearby.
"How can I help you, Miss?"
"Mirajane. Mirajane Strauss" Pulling a photo out of her purse, she gave the object to Natsu. "I'm looking for my younger sister, Lisanna. She came to Magnolia to work as an actress, but I haven't heard from her in nearly a week now"
Natsu immediately frowned from that. Many women came from across Fiore to try and make it big in the movie industry Magnolia was known for, but most never made it to the audition stage. They usually packed up and retuned home, found a different job, or ended up as a sex worker.
Looking down at the photo, Natsu could instantly see the familial resemblance of facial structure and matching hair.
"If she hasn't made contact, she probably went to work in a brothel" Casting his gaze on Mira, he handed the photo back. "What was your last conversation? Did anything sound off to you?"
Mira actually smiled brighter, the movement dazzling. "During our last phone call, she was ecstatic. Lisanna had landed a small role in a movie. A sci-fi film I believe. She said she was going to call a few days later, but she never did"
"Would you happen to know the studio making this movie? There's nearly a dozen in this city"
"I think it was…Third Line Pictures?" Resting a delicate finger on her lips, Mirajane somehow got more attractive as every man in the room kept giving stares in her direction.
"One of the smaller studios. Have you called them? Maybe your sister is just busy on set?" Natsu suggested, only to earn a rapid shake of the head in disagreement.
"No. She would call. After our brother died and our parents during our childhood, we only have each other. To simply forget would be impossible for her. I'm worried something happened"
Taking a sip of coffee, Natsu could understand the worry. "If she was injured and ended up in a hospital, somebody would've contacted the next of kin within hours" Looking over at the B.A.S. case, Natsu hadn't made any progress even with a pile of victims.
For now, it was a dead end.
"Alright. I'll head over there, ask some questions. Mind if I keep this picture?"
Mira practically tackled him, wrapping her slender arms around him in a thankful hug. Of course he could feel her large bosom pressing against his chest…not that he minded.
"Thank you! Please find my sister! I'm worried sick!"
"Er…yeah" Disengaging from Mira, Natsu grabbed his car keys while pocketing the photo. "Go to a hotel in the meantime. Just stay in the area. Some places in this city…well, I wouldn't want to be looking for both of you"
"I understand. Just please keep me informed"
"Yeah"
"Odds are, Lisanna ended up in a brothel by now" Giving one last look to the angel near his desk, Natsu didn't have the heart to tell the older sister the likely fate of her remaining family.
Third Line Studios was one of the smaller movie lots, primarily filming low budget science fiction and b-rated action flicks. The actors employed were usually B-level at best, struggling men and women just happy to get a break even if their films just ran at midnight on cable.
At least they were entertaining in a cheap, amusing way.
Parking in the main lot, Natsu had gotten past the gate guard, a flash of his badge more than enough to gain entry to the movie studio that rose to a modest ten stories.
Stepping out of the barely working A/C of his sedan, Natsu felt the humidity attack him in droves…a swampy thickness that instantly caused sweat. Wiping his brow, it came away slick as he started toward the main entrance.
"Shit, hope nobody has to work in this crap. Could cut it with a knife"
Striding into the lobby, a wall of cool air washed over the detective, giving him a sense of relief. Flashing his badge to the secretary at the front desk, he really had no desire to sit around waiting for some suit to give him a line of shit. "Who's in charge of hiring the actors?"
"Mr. Fernandez does most of the interviews and auditions. Room eight twelve" Going back to filing her nails, the blonde woman really didn't seem to care. All she had to do was answer phones, take appointments and look pretty.
"Yeah. Thanks" Stepping into an elevator set into the back wall, the machinery clanked and rumbled, no doubt in need of an overhaul.
The eighth floor was decorated with posters of past movies, most unknown to Natsu as flimsy, wooden office doors line the hall. Stopping at the proper room, Natsu didn't even knock as he flung the door open.
The man behind the desk had blue hair, a red birthmark along his left cheek…and was quite overweight from a soft life of phone calls, meetings, and dining. The stink of cigarette smoke rose from a half burned cancer stick between his fingers, the pudge rolls almost getting burned. Stabbing the cigarette into an overflowing ashtray, the man turned a purple crimson in the face.
"Who the hell are you!?" the man snapped while rising, his fat rolls jiggling.
"Police. Your studio hired a woman named Lisanna Struass, correct?" Holding up the photo, Natsu moved closer, shoving the picture toward the casting agent as his face tuned to a scowl.
He already hated this man just for being a fat, fucking slob.
A hint of recognition crossed the studio mans face, but he turned away, gazing upon the shelf of liquor against the wall.
"No. Never seen her before"
Natsu knew the pig was lying. He'd seen that shifting gaze from a thousand pieces of scum in lineups and holding cells back at the station. That defensive body language, the uncaring eyes of a guilty man.
"BULLSHIT!" Grabbing Jellal Fernandez by the collar, Natsu pulled his gun and jabbed it under the fat man's chin. Cocking the hammer, Natsu leaned really close, the stink of sweat and smoke entering his nostrils.
"W…what are you doing!? You're a cop!"
"Yeah…a cop that gets shit done. Now do you recognize this woman!?"
"N..no! I swear!"
"Wrong answer" Leveling the firearm at the window, Natsu fired. Glass shattered as the stink of cordite filled the room, making the fat agent cry as the detective pushed him halfway out the window. Making sure to hold onto the sweat stained tie, Dragneel held the man like a worm on a hook.
"Damn…eight stories huh? I bet a fat sack a crap like you will make a big mess in the parking lot"
"Ahhh..AHHH!" Looking down with a twist of his neck, Jellal flailed as true fear entered his eyes.
Natsu pushed the photo of Lisanna forward, his face a hard scowl. "Now…why don't you take another look?"
Jellal gulped, feeling the tie loosen a bit. "Yeah…YEAH! I recognize her! She auditioned for a part in one of our movies!"
"Then where is she!?"
"Are you kidding!? She couldn't act her way out of a bag! I lied, sent her over to Dirkwood Films! I have a deal set up with the owner. I send him raw talent, I get a cut!"
"Those sleazeballs!? You trafficked her to a porn studio!?
"Yeah! I swear that's all I did! She had the body for it so why not make a few bucks off of her! But after that, I never heard from her again! That's it!" Panicking, the overweight man beaded pools of sweat from fear and humidity while waving his hands in panic.
Snarling, Natsu pulled him back in, letting him drop to the floor with a sag.
"Guess I'll pay Dirkwood a visit" Holstering his pistol, Detective Dragneel strode to the open door then quickly left, leaving the sweating ball of fat slumped near the broken window.
"Shit…SHIT!" Picking up the phone, Jellal made a hasty call.
His partner in crime picked up on the fourth ring, a voice filled with lust and sleaze.
"Jellal? What do you want? Got another girl for me?"
"Hey Dirkwood! The cops are on to us! They're on the way right now!" Slamming down the phone, Mr. Fernandez sneered, fear quickly replaced with rage and the possibility of lost finances.
"No way I'll give up this operation without a fight! I make too much money off these stupid bimbos coming to make it big!" Reaching into his desk, Jellal pulled out a .38 revolver, the weapon more than enough for self defense.
Rushing as fast as he could to the door, he leaned out, seeing the cop at the end of the hall waiting on the elevator.
"Hey asshole?! Think you can threaten me in my own office!?" Jellal fired, the agent's shot slamming into the wall ten feet from Detective Dragneel.
Natsu ducked into the open doorway of a nearby office, the female manager inside giving a startled scream as the officer fired back, the exchange of gunfire a cracking thunderclap of noise and stenches in the confined hallway.
"Another pile of scum that needs to be scraped off the street…" Natsu sneered. Leaning out, he fired three more rounds that landed center mass. Blood and tissue erupted, exploding outward from the fat rolls that almost seemed to sigh with relief.
"Sh…shit…damn…cop…" Jellal wheezed as he slumped against the doorframe of his office, the life leaving him in a pooling pond of red.
Looking backward, Natsu nodded to the blue haired woman behind her desk, a stunning beauty with a name badge of J. Lockser. "Sorry for the mess. Just taking out some trash" Leaving the office, Natsu stepped into the hallway as his elevator dinged, the doors sliding open.
Holstering the gun, he didn't give the dead body of Jellal Fernandez another thought as the lift closed, taking him back to the lobby.
Natsu sped through the streets, the magnetized siren attached to his roof blaring and flashing. Taking a hard left and narrowly avoiding a minivan, his tires squealed as one of the hubcaps came free.
"Dispatch! This is Detective Dragneel. Got a lead on a possible trafficking ring at Dirkwood studios! Requesting backup immediately!" Taking another swerving turn through light traffic on Donner Street, the empty coffee cups and soda cans rolled in the footwell of the passenger seat, inertia taking them toward the door.
The radio set warbled in his dash, the old plastic piece of technology needing an upgrade.
"This is dispatch. Units are enroute. Wait for back-up detective. We don't need you in the morgue"
"Sure thing, dispatch" Setting the handheld back on the cradle, Natsu increased his speed down Locust Avenue, his siren still blaring as the pornography studios came into sight on his left.
Three cars and a van erupted past the front guard house and gate, smashing the wooden barrier in an explosion of splinters. Screeching into traffic, several civilian cars swerved into each other, the crunch of metal and glass splintering across the road.
"Dispatch! Suspects on the move! Heading North down Locust Avenue! Three black sedans and a windowless brown van!" Accelerating, Natsu didn't bother listening to the police chatter as he switched the radio to some rock and roll.
Swerving around a hatchback, the car suddenly went out of control while Natsu sped past, creating a fresh traffic accident. Lining up behind the brown paneled van, Natsu yanked the wheel as the back doors popped open, revealing a man standing there with a shotgun.
The blast peppered the road and part of his car along the side, a sound like pinging hail.
"Heh…All of them are dead to rights" Grasping his own firearm, Natsu drove one handed and fired out his window, the cracking rounds flying over the road.
The first three missed, going wide as the van swerved in avoidance. Stabilizing, the driver went into oncoming traffic, creating a havoc of panicking drivers suddenly swerving and crashing into nearby buildings.
Two more shotgun blasts erupted, the shot pellets spreading into a wide cone. They dug into a passing city bus, an explosion of glass and screams.
Natsu fired again, hitting the shotgunner in the neck. Giving a Wilhelm scream, the trafficker tumbled into the road as his mangled body was quickly run over by that same city bus.
"Heh. Guess he didn't plan on being a pancake" Natsu joked before flooring the accelerator.
Three more men had lined up at the open doors of the van, each sporting compact sub-machine guns. Spraying a wall of lead, none cared if they hit bystanders as several more cars swerved into unavoidable accidents.
Natsu rushed past the van, coming level with the criminal driver on his right. Pointing through the passenger window of his trusty vehicle, the detective gave the punk lead poisoning through the head.
Slumped over the wheel in death, the dead driver yanked further right, re-emerging with the proper flow of traffic before slamming into an ice cream truck parked along the curb.
Both the van and ice cream truck exploded in a harsh fireball of metal and flying ice cream, creating an oily slick of acrid smoke in front of Evergreen's Flower Boutique.
Ignoring the damage to the nearby stores, Natsu pressed on as the rock and roll continued to play like the sound track to an action movie.
Two police cars joined in the chase, merging from a side street in a squeal of fresh rubber and straining suspension. Lights and sirens blaring, civilian traffic tried to pull out of the way in scrambled haste.
Men leaned out of the two trailing black sedans, filling the roadway with more deadly lead. One of the police cars was riddled with rounds, the engine smoking before hitting a nearby sports car. Flipping in the air, the squad car skidded across the wide road in a slew of sparks and screeching metal.
More bullets stitched across his windshield, a spiderweb of cracks and fissures.
"Damn scum! You're not even going to court, just the morgue!" Firing through the windshield, it broke with a shatter, flying away to break apart against the pavement in a shower of glass .
Natsu got lucky.
His last round of the current magazine hit the right-rear tire of the left car.
Exploding in a shred of rubber, the car of criminals lost control as the wheel sparked and slew across the pavement. Desperately trying to retain control, the sedan's driver failed as he drove straight into oncoming traffic. Crumping against a large truck hauling a brand new speedboat, the criminal driver flew through the window, his flesh cut to ribbons as the forward momentum unlatched the boat. Flying over the crumpled hood of the truck, the glossy red watercraft landed on the sedan of thugs, crushing them to death in an instant.
"I can't believe that happened again" Natsu grinned as he reloaded, remembering the car chase last month that resulted in the same type of accident. Swerving to avoid hostile gunfire, he fired through his own shattered windshield as blaring music pulsed from his radio. More bullets stitched and sparked off his hood, flinging haphazardly as the men in the last escorting sedan fired out the back window of their own car.
Natsu fired, his stoic face grim during the high speed chase down the wide avenue that cut through the city. Bullets punched through the air, killing one of the men, the body slumped over the black trunk of the escorting four door vehicle.
Swerving around a few cars, Natsu saw the culprits heading toward an intersection. The light had turned red, meaning traffic was stopped as cross traffic flowed across the intersection.
"Shit. Crazy bastards are gonna run it"
The lead car made it through the intersection unharmed, the occupants no doubt relieved.
A city bus t-boned the second black car, crumpling the right side like a pancake as thousands of pounds pushed it across the intersection. Glass flew as sparks screeched, the wreck spinning away toward the crosswalk as the city bus slammed on the brakes in a vain attempt to stop.
Natsu took a quick glance at the wreck, seeing the men inside a mangled mess of broken limbs, lifeless eyes and seeping crimson.
"Guess they should've looked before crossing" Smirking at his own joke, Natsu and the following police cruiser tore through the intersection in pursuit of Dirkwood.
Honking horns blared with screeching tires and the scent of burning rubber as the criminal took a hard right, his vehicle racing down a side street.
They were rapidly approaching the poorer parts of Magnolia again, the businesses turning from high end shops and restaurants to liquor stores, thrift shops and other low end businesses with steel bars across the windows that passed in a blur.
Natsu slammed his brakes while yanking his steering wheel. The back end of his car fishtailed, a burning stink of rubber before re-accelerating in pursuit. Quickly gaining on Dirkwood, pistol fire roared from one of the gun men as the driver tried to maintain their boss's freedom.
More bullets sparked and slew off the peppered hood, leaving long gouges as Natsu tried to stay low. Firing over the dashboard while trying to steer, he must've gotten lucky.
One of the tires exploded in a burst of ruin, the rubber flying away in pieces as it quickly wore down to the rim. Sparks and harsh cries came from Dirkwood's car, the driver trying to maintain a semblance of control.
The driver failed in that task.
Slewing hard in hail of sparks, the sedan jumped the curb at the next intersection, barreling straight toward a gas station. Flipping in a roll, the criminal's car crashed through one of the pumps…leading to the imminent spillage of gasoline.
Somehow, Dirkwood managed to emerge unscathed from the crash, crawling out of the overturned vehicle as more fuel pumped. Waving a gun as he stood, onlookers started to run and flee in terror.
"You'll never take me alive!" Sprinting into the street as Detective Dragneel screeched to a stop as the human trafficker fired a few errant rounds. Slamming into the engine of his bullet ridden sedan, Natsu fired back as the spreading gasoline from the nearby fueling station spread.
Practically rolling out of his driver side door with music still blaring, Natsu crouched low as the scumbag fired a few more rounds before running into a nearby apartment building.
"Piece of shit. I'll make sure he gets a good dose of lead poisoning"
Jumping up in a rapid sprint, he pressed against the exterior wall of the ten story structure, its crumbing brick a faded red.
"Call for backup! And make sure they're aware of that fire!" Natsu shouted toward the two uniform officers before he pushed into the building.
A lone civilian inhabited the lobby, the man pointing toward the nearby emergency stairwell. Giving a curt nod of thanks, Natsu eased the dark red door open.
Pushing inward, the stairwell was a concrete nightmare of graffiti, broken liquor bottles, and a disgusting mattress stuck underneath the first flight of steps.
"Fucking cops!" Bullets screamed downward from above, cratering the concrete floor in miniature explosions of noise.
"You're under arrest!" Natsu roared while firing upward toward the criminal already passing the fourth floor. Ducking back, Dragneel hugged the wall, advancing up the steps as the winding, blocky stairs of concrete protected him from hostile fire.
A few more random gunshots echoed like hammers in the stairwell, the piece of garbage still trying to get away as he cursed and ran toward the roof.
Making sure to keep his weapon at the ready, the detective quickly advanced in pursuit as the roof door hung open.
A rusting piece of metal on hinges that had been gouged with knives, kicked and bludgeoned with damage, it was a miracle it still swung.
Kicking it open as Natsu dove outward into a roll, Dirkwood fired randomly from the far edge of the roof. Bullets slew through the air, slamming into the nearby A/C unit as Natsu took a knee with his firearm leveled at the ponytailed man in a burgundy suit of brass buttons and frills.
"DROP IT! SHITHEAD!"
Dirkwood shifted his stance near the roof barrier, already trying to bring his own pistol to bear as Natsu fired twice.
The bullets punched into the criminal's chest, blooming crimson as he spun and fell over the edge with a scream.
"Dammit!" Running full sprint, Natsu found Dirkwood barely clinging to the raised barrier of the roof, his strength quickly ebbing as blood pooled on his lips.
"Where's Lisanna Strauss, you filth!?" Attempting to grab the dying man's hand, Dirkwood only smiled as his breathing hacked.
"You'll…cough…never find her. She's a whore now. And in this…this city…cough…she could be anywhere…officer" Giving one last evil smile, Dirkwood purposely let go.
Falling to his death in the street as blaring blue and red lights set up a hasty perimeter line, Natsu could only curse at the bastards last words.
The fireball was a thunderclap of noise, sound and energy that shattered every window in a three block radius. Roaring heat and oily smoke billowed into the sky as gnarled, twisted pieces of metal rained down from the now destroyed station.
Nearly another dozen vehicles were flipped by the blast wave, the damage a radius of ruin while billowing, oily smoke rose into the thick humid air.
Looking once more at the corpse of Dirkwood that had pancaked upon the sidewalk below, Dragneel then looked at the roaring ruin of the nearby station the belched unwavering heat toward the now arriving firemen.
"Shit…the captain's not gonna like this"
Back at the Police Station. Later that night.
"I OUTTA HAVE YOUR FUCKING BADGE, DRAGNEEL!" Captain Conbolt roared from behind his desk as one of the nearby windows of his office cracked. Picking up a stack of reports, one could almost see the fumes crawling from the captain's ears. "I EXPECT MY OFFICERS TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES! NOT WAGING ONE MAN WARS ACROSS THE CITY! DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW MUCH PAPERWORK NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW!?" Waving the stack, Macao Conbolt seemed to turn crimson with rage.
"TWENTY EIGHT VEHICLES DESTROYED OR DAMAGED! A GAS STATION! EIGHTEEN DEAD BODIES! A FUCKING ICE CREAM TRUCK!" Looking down, his face curled in greater rage and disbelief. "A BOAT! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU DESTROY A BOAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CiITY!?"
"Well, it came off it trail-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!"
The glass on his office door shattered, so great was the Captain's rage as many officers beyond tried to ignore the yells and cursing coming from the office.
"To be fair Captain, those guys fled the scene and started unloading gunfire across the city. I even tried to take in Dirkwood, but that bastard was dead to rights. Tried to plug me half a dozen times"
"No shit! I read your report about the whole thing!"
Taking a deep, purifying breath, the captain tried to ease his stress. "MULAN! Get in here!"
"Huh?" Natsu questioned as he watched a woman take the time to open the shattered door of glass. Flowing green hair fell down her back, stopping near her shapely rear. Stunningly beautiful with excellent curves, she could've been a model.
Instead she had a holstered sidearm resting on her right hip. Wearing a plain pair of blue pants, a green t-shirt with M.C.P.D. stamped over the right breast, she really didn't seem to care about looking pretty.
"Dragneel. Meet your new partner"
"The hell, Captain!? You know damn well I work alone!"
Macao rose, pointing a finger at the detective. "Not anymore you don't! Think I enjoy cleaning up all your 'lone wolf' crap every other week!? You're getting a partner, and that's straight from chief Makarov!"
"Captain! You think I have time to babysit some rookie!?" Natsu shot back before hearing a throat clearing to his right.
"For your information, Detective. I've been an officer for five years. Just earned my detective badge a month ago and transferred in from Crocus City. I am not some rookie from the academy"
"Captain…you can't be serious about this. I'm working the Kirkwood trafficking ring and the Strangler"
"Then you won't mind the help. That, or you can just turn your badge in right now"
Natsu scowled, biting his tongue as Detective Mulan smiled at him like he had just eaten shit.
"Fine!" Waving his arms up in defeat, Natsu left the office through the broken opening of the door.
Captain Conbolt snorted, feeling a sense of satisfaction as Bisca left, her shoes crunching glass.
Getting a soda from the vending machine, Natsu popped the tab and drank deeply as he waited for his new partner to catch up.
"Just so you know, I have no intention of getting into shootouts, car-chases, or throwing wounded men off of a roof" Crossing her arms beneath her bust in defiance, Bisca cocked her stance as Natsu drank more of the cola.
"Yeah, well this is Magnolia. Not Crocus City. Those cops are so bored they help little old ladies cross the street" Scoffing in derision at the very peaceful capital city across the country, Natsu waved his new partner to follow.
"Come on. We're going to evidence. They brought in a lot of shit from Dirkwood studios and we need to shift through it, see if we can find his business partners before it's too late" Heading toward the basement, Bisca followed close.
Passing the armory, Natsu stopped and pointed. "When we head out, make sure to carry a few extra mags. Probably will need them considering how this shit town is choking on scum" Continuing onward with a non-caring wave, Dragneel passed a few other officers. "You do know how to shoot bad guys, right?"
"I'm qualified if that's what you're asking. But back in Crocus, I never had to draw my firearm" Bisca relayed as the two arrived at the evidence room.
"That's…fucking great" Sighing, Natsu shook his head. "Either she'll survive or get killed. Magnolia will chew her up and spit out what's left if she's not careful"
Opening the door, the room was overcrowded with stacks of boxes beyond the security cage and the officer manning the desk. Bagged evidence of drugs, guns, knives and clubs were assorted, but even then, nearly every square inch was taken by some sort of item.
"Hey Natsu. Heard you blew away like a dozen assholes today" Officer Aguira teased, the tall, buxom woman with silver hair enjoying the sight of the towering, muscular detective standing before her.
"Nah, just eighteen of them. All dead to rights and needing a shot of lead poisoning"
"Hehe. I bet. Nasty scum out there. I assume you're here for the Dirkwood evidence?"
"Yeah. By the way, meet Detective Mulan, my new partner" Leaning down to sign in, Sorano gave a pitied look to Bisca.
"Partner? Good luck. You'll be waist deep in bodies and gunfights by weeks end" Hitting the button to unlock the security door, the alarm buzzed as the two detectives entered the labyrinth of files and evidence.
"Shootouts by week's end? I seriously doubt that" Bisca told herself as the two began to shift through the mountains of evidence seized from the trafficker.
Hours passed, a mental slog of financial reports, Dirkwood's business contacts, and everything in between. Unfortunately for the two detectives, most of it was legitimate dealings. After all, the former owner did have a license to shoot movies despite being a sadistic trafficker of lives.
"I think I need a break. We've been at this for hours" Bisca complained while stifling a yawn. Stretching as she stood up from the desk, her shirt tightly hugged her large bosom as her joints popped. "I'm getting some coffee. Want some?"
"No thanks" Reading another financial report dealing with costumes, Natsu barely noticed as Detective Mulan left the evidence room.
The next item was something.
Re-reading, the document talked about a delivery of meat to the Starlight Club.
"One hundred fifteen pounds on the twelve of this month. Two deliveries three weeks ago, one hundred twenty pounds…" Scowling, Natsu knew damn well that shithole didn't have a butcher shop or deliver groceries.
Natsu would bet every penny he had that was a trafficking hub.
"Time to go deal some justice" Leaving the scattered evidence, he rushed out of the room in a beeline toward his bullet ridden car taking refuge in the parking garage.
"Dragneel? Where you off to in such a rush?" Bisca asked as the man ran by in haste, his salmon hair bouncing with each step.
"Got a lead! Meet me at the Starlight Club!" Running around the far corner of the basement hallway toward the garage, he disappeared as Bisca dropped her fresh cup of coffee.
"Shit! He's gonna do something stupid!" Running after him, the green haired female sprinted past several other officers before rounding the doorframe of the garage entrance.
The aluminum door banged open as Bisca charged into it, pushing against the locking bar in one fluid motion. The scent of concrete mixed with odors of oil and rubber, a smell permeated into every surface as the overhead lights blinked and burned.
Squealing tires came from the left, a row of police cruisers saturated by acrid smoke as the bullet ridden vehicle of Detective Dragneel peeled out of the nearest parking spot toward the exit ramp.
"DAMMIT NATSU! WAIT FOR YOUR PARTNER!" Bellowing the words, Bisca knew it was hopeless as the maverick detective floored it up the ramp with another squeal of burning rubber.
Honks and curses wafted from the nearby street, no doubt a near miss as Mulan cursed. "Dammit!" Turning in a sprint, she knew the cavalry would be needed.
Canal Street. Near the Harbor.
Churning waters of the large river cut through the city like a knife, a twisting line of blue surrounded by high end apartments and condo's to the north. The waterfront district a few miles away was nice…a place to live and raise a family. Those structures of glass and steel gave the appearance of a destitute man under the fresh deluge of rain and thunder. Lightning cracked, streaking across the ominous sky as traffic slewed through the streets of grime and filth.
Water poured through the missing windshield as Dragneel sped down the road, his roof siren a warbling cry of red.
Traffic pulled to the side as he sped, leaving a wake of water as he took a hard right in a sliding fishtail. Maintaining control, the hard-boiled detective floored it as he sped past run down apartments, alleys crowed with homeless, and boarded up businesses that had failed long ago in the crime ridden corridor of Canal Street.
"Peering through the darkened sky of evening as rain fell, the officer grinned as his destination came into view at the end of the distant T-intersection. Neon lights blazed, a soft pink of a woman's outline as a rainbow of exhausted colors blinked.
Starlight Club
"Time to make a house call" Voice a gravel of exhaustion at the piling scum of the city, Natsu pressed the accelerator toward the rapidly approaching sex den.
His beat up sedan of flaking beige and rust crashed through the front door of the dilapidated building, creating a spreading wall of dust, plaster and broken wood along with an earsplitting crash of noise. Crumbling glass and shards littered the hood of his car, the vehicle now a full four feet into the brothel.
Angry yells and shouts came from the back, but Dragneel was already rolling out of the open drivers' door as the first bullets started to fly.
"It's the cops!" a bartender yelled, the older man bracing a sawed off shotgun toward the wreck.
Natsu gunned him down in the name of justice before rolling over the dust covered bar. Grabbing the shotgun from the dying man at his feet, Natsu crept along the bars length as bullets flew into the glass liquor bottles.
Shards and booze rained down, adding to the noise and shouts from nearby traffickers.
"You'll never take me alive!" Unloading his whole pistol at the heavy, ancient bar, the punk's gun clicked empty as Natsu stood up, sawed off at the ready.
"Good. Less paperwork for me" Scowling as he squeezed the trigger, a blast of shot ripped through the air, blowing the man backward to crash into a poker table. Chips and cards flew, the body rolling to the floor near a closed doorway of fading red. It was kicked open, another piece of scum rushing out with his pistol raised.
"You have the right to eat lead!" Natsu barked as he fired again, letting another cone of deadly shot balls rip through the balding, tattooed criminal. Struck center mass, the perp landed in a nearby booth, nearly upright as Natsu walked by, dropping the now emptied sawed off.
"Yeah. You should take a break" Taking the man's gun, Natsu held one in each hand as he entered the stairwell.
It stank of mold, bodily fluids and age. Obscene graffiti covered every inch, a vile tapestry year's old. Pressing against the inner wall, Natsu advanced up the steps, pausing as a slow creak came from upward and beyond the separating wall of the stairwell.
A man appeared, his hair done up in a purple mohawk as piercings covered his face and neck. Holding a pistol, he tried to bring up his own weapon in time, only to get gunned down by the twin gun fire of Dragneel.
Bullets ripped through the man's sternum and neck, spraying arcs of blood against the wall as the filth staggered and fell.
"Shit…fucking co…" he died in a pool of blood, the spreading crimson leaving boot prints as the officer moved past toward the second floor.
The separating door was a heavy behemoth of metal, dented with constant abuse. Luckily opened easily, leaving the hallway a desolate canyon of moaning women and the scent of sex.
Moving along the left wall with his guns raised, Natsu peered into the first room that was missing a door.
There was nothing. Just a ratty old bed, couch, ceiling lamp and questionable stains he didn't want to think about. Quickly moving across the hall, Natsu pushed the door open, the sounds of female cries already loud along with the smacking of flesh.
A blonde woman was on her back, legs spread wide as a man old enough to be her father thrust into her with a hardened vigor. Her hair was in a ponytail while her large breasts swayed with each thrust and creak of the old mattress.
A pile of clothes was scattered on the couch and nearby floor, along with a handgun resting on the nightstand covered with overflowing cigarette trays and burn marks.
Fully enjoying himself, the slightly chubby man hadn't even noticed as Natsu walked into the room.
"Yeah. You're such a whore, always ready to fuck! Tell me how much of a slut you are, Lucy!" The man bellowed as he continued to fuck the woman with a steady rhythm of his hips and her swaying breasts.
Lucy moaned, a broken grin of servitude creeping across her face as she remembered her fate. "I'm such a slut! I love it! Please fuck me harder!" she begged while dying a little more on the inside from the false words.
"Damn righ—Ahh Shit!" Pulling out as the man finally saw Natsu standing in the doorway, he immediately scrambled toward his nearby firearm.
"Don't even think about it! You're under arrest for solicitation and trafficking!"
"FUCK YOU!" Grabbing his firearm, the man didn't have time as three bullets tore through the air…then through his upper left torso. One of the 9mm slugs ripped through his heart and left lung during the passage, sealing his fate in a twisted tumble as blood stains spattered the peeling wall.
Collapsing on the floor as he gasped for air, Detective Dragneel simply walked up and fired into the man's head, ending his suffering.
"Better than letting you lawyer up, shithead" Voice rough like sandpaper, Natsu lowered his main firearm toward the floor.
Looking at the blonde woman named Lucy, Natsu felt a wave of sorrow for the young beauty now covered in flecks of criminal blood and sweat. Her eyes brimmed with horror, tears already collecting at the corners as her throat constricted with emotion.
"Shit…who knows how long she's been here dealing with these monsters"
"Head downstairs. Police should be here soon"
Leaving through the door as a whispered 'thank you' left her lips, Natsu continued down the hallway, intent on carrying out justice.
The next three rooms didn't have customers, just a woman inside waiting for the next round of abuse from her captors.
He urged them to leave, figuring they were better waiting downstairs for some head shrink to get them over the nightmares they endured. Stepping over a discarded condom and several rags, Natsu stepped up to the last doorway on the left.
The door was closed tight, a rotten piece of wood that would be better burned than repaired, but he could hear voices inside. Sliding closer while pressed up against the decrepit wall, Detective Dragneel managed to take a peek through a gaping hole in the nearby wall about waist height. The shattered pieces of plaster and wood had been gnawed on by rats…or maybe some asshole with a crowbar.
Either way, it was a great way to assess a possible ambush inside the room. After all, Natsu hadn't been subtle upon arrival.
There were four men in the room, one of them holding a camcorder as he smiled sickly. Pointed at a red-headed woman on her knees, he was recording her sucking off one of the men while using her two free hands to jerk the others slimy cocks.
"Just ignore the noise, Erza. Just some drugdealers capping each other in the street. Keep sucking like your life depends on it! HAHAHA! Because we own you, slut!"
The woman was nude, her body covered in a light sheen of sweat. Hair was rumpled, draping down to a large pair of breasts that glistened in the seedy light. Switching to the man on her left, Erza gagged on the next member, swallowing it nearly whole down her throat. A string of drool escaped, slinking between her bosom as she worked diligently to please the men around her in desperation.
"Yeah Erza, we got a good deal on you, so you better earn it!" Smirking, the man continued to record as the named woman continued to suck and switch between the three men with a desperate bobbing of her head.
She had to be sickened as one of the men groaned, stepping closer before depositing a load of semen across her face as she continued to suck the other man. Some of the rancid material landed across her forehead and right eye, sealing it shut.
"Heh…stupid bitch thought she could be a model. This ought to teach her to be a whore" the thug stated with a sickening laugh as Erza didn't dare move or protest. Instead, she kept sucking the man before her as the other slapped his member across her other cheek in a degrading manner.
"Open your mouth, whore. I'm gonna paint that stupid face of yours" Chuckling, the center man grew excited as Erza complied by opening her mouth for the next deposit.
Natsu had seen enough.
Kicking down the door with a flare of rage at the injustice he just witnessed, the frame splintered as the rotted wood broke away in a burst of splinters.
"Your all dead to rights" Growling out the woods with a menacing rumble of his graveled voice, Natsu raised both pistols and unloaded a fusillade of rounds into the gathering of the four men who barely had time to scream. Gunfire flashed and echoed, overwhelming the stench of sex and depravity with cordite and falling brass.
In a way, Erza was lucky as she threw herself flat upon the weathered floor, avoiding the flying lead that ravaged her tormentors.
A stray round shattered glass of the dirty window covered with ratty duct tape, letting in the storm of thunder and lightning to mix with the cracking gunfire.
Blood sprayed from the pop-shot man, a round tearing through his neck artery before three more slammed into his chest. The cameraman tried to reach his sub-machine gun resting near the couch in a mad scramble, but Natsu shot him in the back five times. Collapsing in a pool of blood, the ringleader tried to crawl as his three compatriots died in a hail of lead and pain
Stepping onto the wounded traffickers back, Natsu increased the pain and pressure. "How many more of you assholes in the building?"
"Fuck you…asshole…"
"Wrong answer" Putting one last bullet into the camera man's skull, brain matter and bone fragments flew as Natsu's left hand pistol clicked empty. Scoffing, he tossed it aside before marching over and retrieving the Mp5 and two additional mags left on the dirty floor.
Dragneel barely managed a half turn before he was wrapped in a hug, the nude woman a tussled mess of sweat, semen, criminal blood and emotional horror at what she had endured.
"Thank you…thank you…" Erza cried with unashamed joy, knowing that with the police here, her three weeks of a living nightmare were over. Tears streaked down her face, an outpouring of anguish as she cried.
Natsu had to disengage, lightly pushing her away. "Back-ups on the way. Try to find some clothes and join the other women downstairs"
Yanking back the charging handle of the S.M.G. Natsu made his way to the door.
"Are you going to arrest the rest of them?"
Standing near the shattered frame of the door, Natsu glanced back at the sex trafficking victim, his face a deepening scowl of resolve and hard boiled justice. "No. They're dead to rights"
Heading toward the next flight of stairs nearby, he pressed the metallic heel of the S.M.G. to his shoulder. Stopping on the mid-flight platform, he hugged the inner wall before peeking around the inner corner.
Bullets snapped, smashing into the rotting wall past him as more thugs shot from the third floor landing.
"WOOOO! This is our house, bitch! No pigs!" Firing again, the pair of criminals unleashed a roar of rounds, the deafening noise echoing in the stairwell.
Plaster splintered and flared as bullets flew past, most embedding harmlessly in the nearby wall. Crouched down on one knee, Dragneel waited as more rounds punched through the thin, rotting plaster above him, raining dust into his salmon hair.
The gunfire slackened, prompting the detective to lean out of cover. Spraying a ten round burst upward toward the too men from the lowest part of the genetic pool, the bullets stitched across their chests, staining their grungy shirts a spreading crimson as they died in a collapsing gurgle.
Rushing up the ten remaining steps, Natsu hugged the brick wall on the left. The upper portion of wall was gone, leaving a gaping hole right next to the rotting doorframe of the old club. Shattered planks of wood and old wiring hung in the gap, a testament to the years of neglect this building had suffered.
More snapping gunfire came from several men taking cover in the row of rooms along the hallway, the scum laughing and taunting over the thunderous roar of spent rounds.
"You gonna die, copper!"
"Think you can just bust in here without getting shot!? We'll be feeding you to the fishes!" A man hollered on the left as he sprayed a full magazine from his own s.m.g. Laughing as his compatriots fired a constant hail of lead, the bullets snapped and flew like deadly hail over Natsu's head.
Momentarily popping up, detective Dragneel fired off the rest of his magazine, killing one of the gunmen with extreme justice. Body slumping along the right hand wall, the leg twitched as Natsu ducked back down to reload.
A woman screamed at the far end of the hall, prompting the detective to risk a glance.
It was Lisanna Strauss, the poor women dressed in a see through top and thong that left nothing to the imagination. Pressed against her temple was a firearm, the cold steel gripped by a man in an open, white coat, black pants and dangling cross against his bare chest.
"Kill that piece of shit! Don't let him follow me!" The man screamed before dragging the kidnapped woman through the roof access door at the far end of the hallway of criminals, scum, and desolate stenches of forced slavery.
"Shit…" Scowling, Natsu knew he couldn't afford to wait around as the main scumbag made his escape.
A half bottle of highly alcoholic booze sat in the corner among some old, oily rags, giving the officer an idea.
"Dragneel!"
The shout came from behind, a feminine voice filled with anger and disbelief. Rushing up the stairs low and fast, Bisca Mulan had her sidearm pointed toward the floor as she kneeled across the gap, using the wall and doorframe as cover.
"Took you long enough to get here. Gotta match?" Natsu inquired while holding up the Molotov Cocktail.
"I would've been here sooner if some stubborn asshole hadn't driven off without backup! And what the fuck were you thinking driving your car through a god damn bar!?" Leaning out, Bisca was cool and collected, firing down the hallway at one of the perps.
A scream erupted, the criminal taking a bullet to the knee as he fell forward into the open.
Natsu promptly finished him off, making the body jump with multiple impacts of deadly lead.
"Couldn't wait for backup. These assholes needed a fresh does of lethal justice!" Shouting over the gunfire, both officers kept hunkered down as fresh rounds tore through the air.
"Still could have brought me with!" Bisca screamed back before lightly tossing her lighter toward her new partner.
Catching it mid air, Natsu flicked it alight, the tiny flame eating greedily at the oily rag jammed into the bottle.
"Time for a scum-bag barbeque!" Throwing it toward the second room on the left with the machine gun piece of human garbage, the bottle broke in a splash of spreading fuel and fire. Racing up the man's legs, he screamed as his flesh began to burn. Frantically trying to douse the flames in panic, he accidently pulled the trigger of his weapon.
A twisting arc of gunfire ripped through the air, killing two of the other traffickers nearby as their bodies jumped with impacts.
Still screaming, the man fell, spreading the fire as his flesh burned with a fresh stink of charred meat.
"You get the women out?" Natsu inquired as he shot the burning man, a round taking off half the head as he moved along the left wall past the spreading blaze.
"Paramedics took them. Officers have cordoned off the street" Bisca replied as another gunman tried to surprise the woman, only to be shot dead with a triple tap to the chest and head.
"Good. I'm going after the boss of this shithole" Breaking into a run, Natsu mowed down three more men, a stitching line of bullet wounds spurting across their chests. Falling all at once, they crumpled like paper as the fire continued to eat at the ramshackle crime den.
"Not alone, you're not" Bisca said firmly, her gaze and tone not accepting any argument.
Dropping the now empty Sub machine gun with a clatter, Dragneel pulled his trusty side piece with a slow nod.
"Fine. But he has Lisanna Strauss, the missing woman I've been looking for. You have a clear shot, take it. After all…he's dead to rights" Pushing the roof access door open, Bisca followed the man, her mind trying not to scream at the situation.
"Aguria was wrong…it took less than a week!" Gripping her firearm tightly, The rushing adrenaline of her first gunfight threatened to make her shake, but lives were on the line.
She couldn't think about anything except getting that hostage safe and sound.
They emerged onto the roof, the rain somewhat still a downpour as lightning flashed across the sky. Pulsing waves of blue and red lit up the street below, the multitude of squad cars and officers securing the area as the paramedics began checking on the victims.
Gunfire snapped between them, the report muffled by thunder as both detectives rolled to the left and right in a haste to avoid damage.
"FREEZE, SCUMBAG!" Detective Dragneel bellowed as he came to a kneel, the rain soaking him to the bone in seconds. Water dripped from his bangs as he gripped his firearm, pointing upward at the next building.
Standing ten stories tall, the apartment was a rotting structure of boarded up windows, stained brickwork, and dirty glass. A rusting fire escape was attached to the side, barely a few feet from the roof of the Starlight club.
An easy way to escape for a criminal as the gunman held Lisanna by the throat with a gripped hand, his sickly smile pulsing with sinister intent.
"LET THE WOMAN GO!" Mulan barked, the other officer commanded from behind the cover of an old heating vent that jutted out of the roof.
"NOT FUCKING LIKELY! HAHA! SHE'S MY NEW PLAYTHING!" Firing twice more, the white coated suspect dragged the woman away from the roofs edge, disappearing from sight.
"Shit!" Natsu cursed as he ran across the roof, quickly jumping the minor gap between buildings. Boots landing hard against the rusting steps of the fire escape as rain fell hard, he began to climb with haste.
"Offffh!" Bisca made the jump easily, her athleticism more than capable. Pointing her firearm upward, she couldn't see the suspect past the flights of rust streaked stairs and metalworks. Plus, the rain had began falling harder, plastering her green locks and clothes to her body in a desirable look that left little to the imagination.
Clanging up the steps, both detectives knew time was off the essence as thunder rumbled with flashes of lightning stabbing across the ominous sky.
"Don't rush into the open! He's probably waiting to ambush us!" Bisca shouted as she fell behind her partner, both passing the eighth floor landing and boarded up window covered with graffiti.
"No shit" Natsu barked back as the duo quickly came to the last level before the roof. Slowing his advance, Dragneel ducked down, his shirt sticking to him like a second skin.
Even though the situation was dangerous, Bisca had to admit he probably had amazing abs based on what she could see through the soaked fabric. But this wasn't the time to let her attention wander.
Slowly peeking above the brick lain roof barrier, Natsu growled as the suspect stood to their right, gripping Lisanna with a hate filled smile. With a gun pressed against her head, he gave off a whole sense of menace.
"Drop the weapon and let the woman go, now!" Bisca commanded with an authoritative shout as both officers took up combative stances. Aiming at the suspect, her eyes tracked as the perp shifted behind his hostage while moving toward the roof edge.
"Now now, officer. You don't want me to kill this pretty little thing? After all, I haven't gotten to play with it yet"
"Drop it, shithead. Unless you want to take a dirt nap" Standing with his right arm extended, Dragneel's aim didn't waver.
"I don't think so. You see officer, after I broke my last toy, I needed a new one…someone fresh and innocent. Not like that tired whore Kagura…she was too eager…to willing to fall into depravity. But this one…Oh…she's special…" Grinning ear to ear, the man licked Lisanna's cheek, the woman a shuddering mess.
"Shit…you're the Back Alley Strangler" Dragneel stated in realization.
"Hehe! Gray Fullbuster at your service! I can say I like the name the media has given me! But now…now you both need to drop your guns or I throw this little slut off this roof!" the serial killer laughed, the noise a crackle of hate and evil intent.
Bisca looked at her partner, knowing that abandoning their weapons was against all the training engrained into her head.
"This psychopath would just kill us if we did that"
Fullbuster shifted, trying to move the young woman into position to be thrown.
"N…NO! I don't want to die!"
"Stop struggling you litt—" For a split second, Fullbuster was in the open, trying to bring the hostage under control.
It was all the time Natsu needed. Firing once as the rain pelted the city, a single bullet tore through the air with a snap. Striking the dangling cross of Gray, the hot lead burrowed through his chest in an explosion of blood and muscle.
"My…toy…" Firing in a desperate final act before tumbling over the roof to his deserved death, the criminal's round found its mark.
Tearing into Natsu Dragneel's left shoulder and upper pectoral, he let out a cry of pain as he fell to the roof surface. His gun clattered, the detective feeling waves of pain as he breathed hard.
"Fuck…fucker got me…" Trying to sit back up, he found himself feeling waves of agony as Bisca rushed over.
"Dragneel! Dragneel! Dammit!" Pulling her radio from her belt, Bisca screamed into it "Officer down! Officer down!" Dropping the radio, Bisca quickly moved, placing her hands upon the seeping wound as she applied pressure. Blood flowed through, flowing over her fingers and pooling around the man like a horror show.
Feeling his head being lifted, the sight of a crying angel propped his head up, her voice filling him with warmth.
"Don't you dare die…"
The last thing Natsu felt was rain falling upon him as the heavens continued to cry.
Magnolia General Hospital. June 24th
The first thing Natsu felt when he woke up was a dull, throbbing pain coming from his left shoulder and upper chest.
The second was a horrible thirst.
The third thing was a weight pressing down on his chest. Finally having his vision focus, all the bed ridden man could see was flowing locks of brunette hair, slender arms, and the tentative feeling of large breasts smashing against his side and abdominals.
"C..Cana?"
The bartender stirred, her eyes fluttering open…then snapped wide awake as she jolted upward. Obviously wearing a tight tube top of blue fabric, her large bosom bounced in surprise.
"THANK GOD YOUR AWAKE!" Slapping the wounded officer with an open palm, she went from surprised to anger in a flash. "You stupid idiot! Thinking you're a one man army! I was worried sick!" Leaning forward, she mashed her lips to his, giving Natsu another sudden surprise. Pulling back, she was still angry, but relieved as her chest heaved.
"Don't you ever make me worry like that again! I happen to…to…love you, you dumb moron and…and"
*Slap*
Cana hit him again, leaving a stinging palm print upon his left cheek. "You're taking me out to dinner!" Stomping toward the door, Cana huffed out as laughter came from the corner of the hospital room.
"That was embarrassing to watch. Is that the only way you can get a date? Getting shot?" Bisca teased.
"You were there the whole time? Never noticed since I was being abused"
"Oh yeah, I feel your pain. How dare a beauty like her kiss you and demands a date" Standing up, Detective Mulan sauntered over, then opened up a folded newspaper. "By the way, you made the paper"
'Hard Boiled Detective Breaks Up Trafficking Ring. Kills Back Alley Strangler During Rooftop Shootout'
"Just doing my job. They were all dead to rights. Cleaning up the city shouldn't be that big a deal" Natsu tried to explain with a wave of his good arm.
"Sure. But while you were taking a beauty nap, us actual police officers were raiding the rest of Dirkwood's dens. We saved nearly eighty women and teen girls from those monsters. Should be a big bite in some crime after all the testimonies and trials"
"Shame we couldn't have prevented it in the first place" Rasping the words with a frown, he would never forget some of the vile abuse he witnessed that night.
A comforting hand rested on his right shoulder, rustling the nightgown he wore.
"Hey. Were only human. We do the best we can. Those women will need therapy, probably lots of help, but you broke the case" Lowering her arm, Bisca left the paper upon his chest as the nurse came in, ready to shove her out the door.
"Rest up, partner. I'll stop by tomorrow" Giving one last wave and smile, Bisca left, leaving the detective alone with the dour looking nurse.
A full checkup, meal and three bottles of water brought Natsu back to life, which left the man…very bored. Fumbling the remote, he tried to watch television, the old set upon the corner shelf spewing nothing but garbage.
"Excuse me, may we come in?"
Natsu perked up, the angelic form of Mirajane Strauss standing in the doorway with her rescued sister.
"Yeah. It's a free country"
The duo walked in, both flanking the man as their soft smiles seemed to brighten the room.
Lisanna held up a basket, her eyes instantly falling upon the bandaged bullet wound.
"I…I made you some cookies. I know it's never enough…but…Thank you very much! You saved my life!" Bowing while extending the plate, the poor girl seemed to shake.
"Just doing my job, miss. I fight crime and protect the innocent. And trust me, those were some bad dudes. Ridding them makes the world a better place for you and your sister. But…thanks" Taking a cookie, they were simple chocolate chip.
And tasted wonderful.
"Were heading back to Hargeon tomorrow. But Lisanna insisted on coming and thanking you personally. You…you saved my family" Smiling, Mirajane lowered herself to give the detective a kiss on the cheek.
It was like being touched by heaven.
"I'll never forget you, Mr. Natsu" giving a small peck on his other cheek, Lisanna smiled before wiping away a few tears. Bowing once more, the two left, leaving the plate of cookies.
"I guess getting shot wasn't too bad after all"
Two Months later…
Mel's Diner wasn't ritzy or grand, but it was a cop hangout with good burgers, coffee and food. Running for nearly fifty years, the place hadn't changed one bit with the exception of the grandson now running the place.
Seated at a booth, Natsu dug into a plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes as his partner ate some syrup loaded waffles for breakfast.
"First day back on the job and you look at you, like you've never eaten in your life" Taking a gulp of orange juice, Bisca only heard a grunt in reply.
"Would've been back sooner, but the Captain wouldn't let me. Said he couldn't have a 'barely functioning maniac' running around with one arm. Like I'm the maniac" Natsu snorted, before pointing his fork at Bisca. "I'm a cop dammit. I'll achieve peace for this city even if I have to gun down every gang banger, drug dealer, and trafficker that pollutes the street"
"I know. I know. Just really weird internal affairs never pressed charges for excessive force or any of that"
Dragneel cocked his head, looking oddly at his partner. "Why would they? All the scum out there are dead to rights anyway. Gunning them down is proper police work"
About to retort at how wrong that statement was, Bisca was interrupted by the crack of gunfire…then the roar of an armored truck speeding past the diner quickly followed by two police cruisers. One slewed from bullet damage, the front left tire exploding with damage before careening into oncoming traffic. Hitting a small hatchback, the cruiser flipped on its side, skidding to a stop right before the diner window.
"Shit…looks like crime can't even wait for us to eat breakfast" Shoveling the last piece of bacon in his mouth and gulping down the burning coffee, Natsu slapped down a twenty before racing out the door.
"I drive, you shoot" Sliding behind the wheel of his new car, the body glistened with red paint and black stripes. Built thirty years ago, the engine roared to life with Fiorian muscle.
"Fine. But you do the paperwork" Climbing in, Bisca barely closed the door as her partner sped out of the parking lot with a burn of rubber and tires, causing a fresh accident behind him with a rapid crank of the wheel into traffic. Slamming the accelerator as Bisca leaned out the window, Natsu grinned.
"Looks like…they're dead to rights!" Swerving through traffic, the hard boiled detective and his partner would bring justice to Magnolia City.
Okay, I know some portions of this are a little darker, but most of it is inspired by action movies where the officer just guns down bad guys with no repercussions. I did think of having Natsu do a self monologue thing, but thought it would be too much.
Now I'm contemplating a Ghostbusters thing for Shifting, but don't know yet.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The happy