The Shit-Town Saga

New Agartha part 4

Gatorback stood in the middle of the top floor which had almost every wall knocked down to create a much larger space. Normally, the Pure Blooded Agarthans would attack a superhero on-sight but Gatorback’s origins gave him some status in Agartha as something of a Late Bloomer. It was enough to be heard, although not enough to be respected. Knowing this, Gatorback hoped an agreement could be reached. After all, he had already made several attempts at developing alliances to help the city. Eventually, someone would see things his way.

Tusk sat on an old couch with the Agarthan called Hot Mess standing by his side. Other Agarthans were scattered around the room and the one known as Gumball stood the closest to Gatorback. Gumball was roughly four feet tall and was a round, purple humanoid, resembling her namesake. “Tusk’ll talk to you when and if he wants,” Gumball exclaimed shortly after Gatorback made his presence known, “For now, you talk to me.”

“Okay, well, you’re not allowed to be here,” Gatorback began, “You’ve already beaten up some cops and things are only gonna escalate. You have the tunnels for a reason so why don’t you just-”

“We ain’t going nowhere!,” Gumball snapped, “This is New Agartha!”

“Just this one building or all the other ones your friends are squatting in, too?”

“If we’re there, it’s New Agartha.”

“You know these buildings don’t belong to you, full or empty.”

“The people who own these places can buy property somewhere else. They’re rich enough.”

“Look, a long time ago, the third Cavalier busted his ass to get you a place to live. Why do ya need new digs?”

“Because we’re done living like rats,” she pointed to the stairwell, “Now, I think we’ve all heard enough.”

“Just hear me out. I fought alongside you guys during the Resurgence, remember that? That’s gotta account for something!”

“The Resurgence is over,” Tusk finally spoke up as he rose to his feet, displaying his massive size.

“Fine. I gave you people fair warning. When the police get here-”

Gumball’s arm stretched to three times their original length and when Gatorback jumped over them, she pulled herself forward like a wrecking ball. Gatorback bounced off her round body, slamming her into the floorboards in the process, then he sailed over the heads of some advancing mutants but was hit by a fireball from Hot Mess. His suit was fireproof and he was enhanced enough to take the concussive force but he was still thrown to the ground long enough for a concerted attack. Some Agarthans tried to crowd around him but he performed a somersault kick that brushed several of them back while also giving him distance. Gumball bounced off a wall and flipped through the air as her arms elongated once more; Gatorback’s ankles were snagged and he was slammed into the floor again. He quickly pulled her wrists and swung her around, knocking over some of the advancing mutants. He then turned toward the exit but found himself face-to-face with Tusk. He tried to leap out of the way but the behemoth was too large and the punch to his chest sent him across the room and through the farthest wall.

Tusk did not account for the frailty of the damaged structure but he considered it a happy accident. Unfortunately for Gatorback, they were several stories up and after he disappeared through the hole, he dropped to the street below. Some of the mutants peered out to see where he had landed.

“Is he dead?,” Gumball asked.

“No idea,” Tusk told her as he poked his head outside, “But this is the second time people tried to kick us outta here. Grandma Punch and Hellbender got kicked outta their crib by the Knight. The Devil’s Parade, too. Maybe we’re spread too thin.”

Hot Mess asked a question that, with his raspy and muffled voice, only a few could understand.

“Let everyone know they gotta get ready to move,” Tusk answered, “We knew they were gonna go big so we go bigger. We gather here for a meeting and prepare for war.”

At a soup kitchen across town, the Cavalier helped load a dishwasher with pots while Emily Koboshi put leftovers in containers. “Once Gatorback left, I think things went alright,” Emily told him.

“I was getting daggers stared at me all day,” Cavalier complained, “People didn’t want me here and the only reason why they didn’t say anything was because they’re scared.”

“They’ll come around,” she put the last container in the fridge, “And remember, the Metro Knights are on your side. I’m not sure we’re equipped to fight an army of metahumans but we’re here for moral support.”

He gingerly placed a hand on her arm, “That’s actually really helpful right about now.”

Later that evening, District Attorney Kassia and Commissioner Reins met in the underground parking garage of a hospital.

“Gatorback has several broken bones but he’ll live,” Kassia explained, “He’s lucky he has powers or we’d be meeting at a morgue right now.”

“What do you want me to say, Chelsea?,” Reins threw his hands up in defeat.

“You wanted to keep this case local and I appreciate that but we have an entire metahuman community slowly but surely taking over the city while we’re still recovering from the Resurgence,” she placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “This is bigger than us and I’ll have to contact Interpol. We need the IMD.”

“The Badges have the muscle to take on Agartha, for sure,” Reins explained, “But they don’t know how nuanced and sensitive this situation is. They don’t know the city like we do. I really think things are gonna get too heated and that’s gonna lead to further conflict in the future,” then he added, “You know how these problems can come back to bite everyone in the ass if we just fight fire with fire.”

Kassia gave him a pained smile, “I’m willing to take that chance.”

At the Broken Sword, Hellbender and Grandma Punch spoke to Blockhead while sitting in a booth. “So Tusk is trying to get everyone together for something big,” Hellbender explained, “He didn’t ask us to come here but I consider you one of us, y’know? You’re a Late Bloomer but you always been an ally.”

“I’ve never been an ally,” Blockhead told him plainly, “When guys come here for drinks and it’s slow, I’ll shoot the shit, but just like I told Raphael, I’m not from Agartha. I don’t fight for nobody.”

“You fought in the Resurgence,” Grandma Punch spoke up.

“Everyone fought in the Resurgence.”

“We’re gonna need some real power,” Hellbender continued, “You’re probably the strongest dude in the city except for maybe Tusk.”

“Yeah, he’s a real badass,” Blockhead said derisively, “I never met the guy but from what I heard, I doubt he’d want my help. He’d probably call me a sellout for living up here and having a job. Guys like that are always puritanical assholes and I don’t care to meet ‘im.”

“Watch how you talk about him!,” Grandma Punch snarled.

“In this bar, I talk how I wanna talk,” Blockhead met her glare.

Not wanting further hostility, Hellbender immediately began pushing Grandma Punch out of the booth and toward the door, “So it was good seeing ya, Block. Have a good night.”

Blockhead watched them go and took the opportunity to grab one of their leftover beers and chug it. “Dumbasses,” he muttered to himself. It was true that he had a lot in common with the people of Agartha as, like them, he was the product of an illegal Neutronium experiment. He felt a kinship with them but he wanted to move on from his past. Unfortunately, situations like this brought bad memories.

Blockhead was born Kenny Moskowitz from Rhode Island. He moved to New York in an attempt to start a business but when that fell through, he found himself struggling in a homeless shelter for a few months. It was meant to be temporary but it still put a target on his back. In the 80s and 90s Neutronium found its way to the wrong hands after the Invasion of 1981. One such group began kidnapping homeless people in New York to use as guinea pigs. Kenny was one of them. Someone chloroformed him outside the homeless shelter one night and he woke up in a chamber in an underground lab.

“You’ve been a leech on society long enough,” the head scientist told him, “We’re giving you the chance to be something better. Something that can be a benefit and not a burden.” Kenny didn’t hear the entire rant as he was too busy sobbing and asking to be released, not that the men and women surrounding him were willing to negotiate. They were unhinged people who wielded the power of a star and they felt justified in carrying out their Darwinian experiments. He noticed the pencil-thin tube glowing brightly and was informed enough to know what it was. This tube had a series of cables running to the chamber he was locked in and at the control station, a man sat patiently while listening to the head scientist give his manifesto. Once the speech was over, a switch was flipped and Kenny’s next memories were a blur of pain and light.

After the transformation was complete, he wasn’t sure if he had been in the lab for hours or days but when he finally gathered the strength to stand up, he tried breaking down the door to his small cell. The metal door crumpled far easier than he expected and once he realized his power, he continued to punch through anything in his way until he found freedom. During the rampage, he inadvertently caused a collapse, crushing the scientists inside the small lab and most of their equipment. His body now several times larger and covered in a granite-like substance, he disappeared into the night.

During his time as a homeless person, he befriended a man named Vince and sought him out as the only person who could possibly help him. Once he caught up to Vince in an alley, the man reached out to touch the cubic features of the face peering through the shadows. “My God, what did they do to you, Kenny?”, Vince asked. He shook his head, “I dunno but I need to find a way to fix it.” The dark alley was suddenly lit up by the lights from a squad car and before the two men could process the situation, two officers leapt out with guns drawn. As there had been a report of a “rampaging monster”, the officers wasted no time getting to the area and acted out of pure fear. There were no warnings. The officers simply began unloading their weapons. Vince ducked behind a garbage bin while Kenny stood in awe as he watched bullets bounce off his chest.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. A strange burst of violet energy washed over the officers and they put their weapons down. “Oh man, we’re so sorry,” one of them apologized. His partner added, “We didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” Kenny stared curiously at the apologetic officers until another figure entered the alley.

“Hello, my name is Raphael,” the African American man with shades introduced himself, “And I’ve been looking for people like you. I’m here to help.”

Blockhead was initially intrigued by Agartha but he inevitably chose to leave. He wanted to have some semblance of a normal life and living in old subway tunnels wasn’t it. He wanted a job and a proper apartment. Of course, the only person who would hire him was Sleezy who ran a bar mostly frequented by criminals and super villains. It wasn’t what he would have chosen for himself but he had little choice and at least he found respect from the strange bar patrons (on most nights). He didn’t want to be involved in whatever issues Agartha had found themselves in and hoped that no one else would try to rope him into it.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Reins used his burner phone to send Michael a text concerning Gatorback. He explained that, with Gatorback failing his mission, the IMD had been contacted. This frustrated him as, like Reins, he anticipated retaliation from Tusk and immediately made his way to Agartha.

Anticipating his arrival, Raphael brought him into his library along with the Felidae Guard: Mane and Snow. “I’m glad you’re here,” Raphael told him, “The three of us have been busy and we believe Tusk’s people are on the move.”

A kerosine lamp hovered over a map of New York which was old but served its purpose. Cavalier and the Agarthans leaned in as their shadows danced along the shelves of books behind them. Raphael pointed to the circles he drew on the map, “Mane and Snow picked up some familiar scents during their hunt. They think some of Tusk’s followers are in these areas. There are buildings here that are scheduled for demolition or closed for repairs so it makes sense that they would find residence there,” he pointed to a larger circle further down the map, “And, of course, this is where Tusk resides with the largest group of Pure Bloods.” Raphael looked up at Cavalier and in the darkness, a small amount of violet light could be seen beneath his shades, “I’ve detected a greater sense of hostility in the city today and with what you told me, now I know why. Tusk and his followers had another run-in with the authorities and they’re willing to go to war.”

“You said they were probably on the move,” Cavalier began, “Do you know where they’re going?”

“I sense a lot of anger focused here,” he pointed to an area situated in the middle of the indicated neighborhoods, “I believe they’re scheduling an attack very soon.”

“Their territories surround that area, so it’d be easy to close in from all directions,” Cavalier gave a nod, “It’s a shopping district. A prime area, not just for looting, but for sending a message.”

“I’d wager the attack could happen within 24 hours.”

“And if the DA called the Badges, they should be here even sooner, which’ll complicate things.”

“What about your team? The Commission?”

“I called Ryan Bennings and he’s gonna get back to me. I’m still not sure how that’s gonna play out. Two superteams bumping heads can’t end well.”

Raphael rolled up his map, “Then we need to act quickly.”

Continued…