The Shit-Town Saga:

Chimera part 2

It was nearly dawn when the Cavalier flew the Dragon over the blast site. The fire had gone out and emergency personnel were searching for survivors while police had the area taped off and were currently investigating. From Reins’ text, he learned that City Hall had been bombed and the City Council, Mayor and DA had all gone missing or were found dead. The recent drug dealing case led him to believe the Costa Tristens might have been operating in the city again and he wondered if there was a connection to the bombing.

A police helicopter was on the scene and Cavalier did his best to keep his distance to avoid any trouble. District Attorney Kassia might have been killed but her orders were still in effect and he was still very much a wanted man. Despite his best efforts, the pilot spotted him after some time and the helicopter swiftly flew toward his hovercraft. “Damn,” Cavalier spun the Dragon around and flew away from the scene as the helicopter pursued. The craft allowed him to fly in low and pass between buildings but the helicopter kept up while clearing the buildings from above. He turned the Dragon around and began flying north, then darted across the street toward a tall skyscraper. He came within a few yards before he pulled up, shooting vertically up the length of the building before looping through the air in an attempt to lose the police.

The Dragon could fly faster than the copter and maneuver better but the pilot was skilled and knew the terrain. It descended alongside the hovercraft as the side-hatch opened. The police officer in the back raised a high-powered rifle and took a shot. While the Dragon was bulletproof, the high-velocity round still put a dent in it. The Cavalier dropped down and swooped underneath the helicopter before making a strategic about-face. The helicopter had trouble banking as easily but still managed to take a wide turn. Once the pilot maneuvered the aircraft around, he was briefly blinded by the rising sun. It took a moment for him to adjust but that was all the time needed for the Dragon to disappear from sight.

Elsewhere, Emily Koboshi walked down a dirty hallway to the apartment at the end. News about City Hall was everywhere but she was committed to the mission Cavalier set out for her and the other Metro Knights. There was a new drug on the streets and she needed information. She had spoken to her fellow Knight David Tyrell the previous day. “I asked around a little and learned a few things,” he told her over the phone, “The Costa Tristens are back and they’re selling heroin this time. The smaller dealers are having trouble competing because the Costa Tristen stuff is unique.”

“Lemme guess… it’s green?”

“Yeah, and there’s a really weird reason why that is.”

“Why?”

David took a deep breath, “According to the street, it’s laced with U’ntari blood.”

“Wait, they’re using alien DNA?… No, that can’t be true. How would they even…?”

“New York was left with a lot of dead aliens by the time the Resurgence ended so it’s not that crazy that someone out there got a lot of blood samples. Don’t know what else to tell you other than this product is more potent than anything else.”

“Is… Is alien DNA… Can they get high off it?”

“I guess. What would I know about it?”

“How’d they get the bodies? The National Guard collected everything.”

“Yeah, like I said, I wouldn’t know anything about it. I’m just tell’n ya what I was told. They’re calling it Star Beast.”

Emily knew things had gotten strange enough that it was a possible scenario and she knew the investigation was a priority. Months earlier, Mano and his gang convinced younger members of the Metro Knights to abandon the group and while most came back, some remained disillusioned. One of those former members was named Morgan O’Donnell who was a young adult living on her own in a run down tenement building. When Paul Kwon was alive, he was sure the former members would return eventually and for the most part he was right. The Resurgence happened not-long after that and Paul died during the initial attack on New York. Emily struggled to lead the group ever since. She always wanted to reach out to those who left and since she needed answers regarding the Costa Tristens, this was a good opportunity to talk to a few of them. She stopped at Morgan’s apartment and when she knocked on the door, she noticed it was already open a crack.

Emily noted there were no indications of a break-in, concluding it was left open due to negligence. As she entered, she called out, “Morgan?” There was a horrible stench in the air and as she rounded a corner and entered the living room, she found the body. A syringe, spoon and lighter were on the floor next to her along with a plastic bag with some green residue. Emily rushed to her but it was obvious she had been gone for some time. “I’m so sorry, Morgan,” she said as she gently cradled the body, “I’m too late.”

Across the city, Arthur Hawkwood stood in front of his local gym which now had a sign saying that the city was in a state of emergency and that businesses shut down for the day. He had prepared to go to his pickleball club that morning and hadn’t checked the news. Curiously, he checked his phone and saw information concerning the City Hall bombing, “Holy shit”.

Mariah had gotten out of her car once she noticed Arthur standing at the door, “Crazy, huh?”

He turned in her direction and thumbed at the sign, “When did this happen?”

“Last night,” she answered, “I didn’t know about it til this morning. I decided to wait here in case you showed up.”

“Any idea who it could’ve been?”

“Considering all the city’s been through, it could’ve been just about anyone.”

“I’m sure the Cavalier or someone will take care of it,” he said confidently.

“I guess.”

Arthur looked at the closed gym and back at his duffel bag, “Let me know if the question is awkward or not but… Wanna go find some place to sit and drink protein shakes?”

“Sure,” she smiled shyly, “Can’t let the protein shakes go to waste.”

Later that day, the Cavalier met with Emily inside her apartment. “The paramedics took Morgan away without even bothering to resuscitate her,” she explained, “She’d been gone for over 24 hours, they think,” she wiped a tear, “If Paul were still here, he would’ve reached out by now and -”

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Cavalier told her, “We’ve both inherited a mantle in different ways but we can’t compare ourselves to who came before. We’ll drive ourselves crazy.”

“Maybe… So what are you gonna do now? The Costa Tristens are selling this Star Beast shit and might be responsible for City Hall.”

“The police have the paraphernalia from Morgan and hopefully there’s enough residue to find out what it is and what it’s doing to people. In the meantime, I can take over for you. Track down some of the former Knights and see if they know anything.”

“Thanks,” she said quietly, “There are some guys who used to hang out at the docks. They might still be there.”

****

At the docks, teenage boys sat on their bikes and skateboards, listening to music and chatting when a McLaren rolled up. “Yooooo,” a boy in a blue hat shouted excitedly as the driver got out. The teenager behind the wheel was Jayden Nash who had previously earned a blackbelt before leaving the Metro Knights. “How’d you get the McLaren?,” the boy in the blue hat asked.

“Bruh, you gotta work for the CTs,” he answered, referring to Costa Tristens, “I’m hella skrilla!”

“Did you try Star Beast?,” another boy asked.

“Nah, they want the drivers clean but I heard it hits different. Interested?”

“I’m interested,” the Cavalier appeared from behind a stack of crates.

The teens backed up nervously as he approached. “I only want information,” he told them calmly, “Where can I find the Costa Tristens?” Jayden shook his head, “I ain’t no snitch!,” and rushed forward with a flying kick but when his heel was caught, he fell on his backside. All the boys had received some martial arts training as members of the Metro Knights but they were inexperienced and sloppy. The boy in the blue hat threw a punch but Cavalier caught his fist and twisted him into an arm bar. When another teen attacked, Cavalier stepped back and tripped him at the ankle. Another came forward and Cavalier pushed the boy in the blue hat into him, knocking them both down. Jayden began to rise to his feet but Cavalier gripped his collar, pulled him over to his car, then sat him on the hood like a frustrated parent. He turned to the rest of the gang and activated the Round Table, summoning a glowing battle-axe in his hand which stopped them from advancing any further. “Oh shit,” Jayden muttered as he backed up against the windshield.

“Now that I have your attention,” Cavalier stated calmly, “I want to know where to find your bosses.” He dragged the edge of the axe along the car’s hood, leaving a thin scratch.

“Yo, I ain’t made all the payments,” Jayden shouted but as the Knight wasn’t responding, he relented, “Okay, okay, okay! I don’t sell, I just pick up the product in a van and drop it off someplace else. It’s all I do.”

“Thanks,” the battle axe disappeared from Cavalier’s hand, “Give me the addresses of where you pick up and where you drop off and I promise I’ll leave.”

Jayden relented and after the Cavalier was given the two addresses, he spoke to the entire gang, “You guys know how to fight. I understand you used to belong to the Metro Knights but you left because you thought the Costa Tristens had better ideas… Maybe you should rethink a few things.” Michael briefly thought about his grandfather, Hank Hawkwood. He inspired the creation of the original Metro Knights under similar situations. He hoped to inspire the new generation as well but that seemed impossible with the current state of affairs.

Elsewhere, Mano sat in a chair in front of an empty office desk and was currently the only one on the entire floor. The walls were bare with new plaster and the tile floors were shiny after having just been completed. Besides Mano, the only other face to be seen was on the screen in front of him.

“I trust you had no trouble at the airport,” Nadie began, “I’ve heard New York is in a state of emergency.”

“The plane landed a few hours before the incident at City Hall, just as you planned,” Mano told him, “I think all flights in and out of the city are grounded until further notice, so it was good timing.”

“I’m glad to hear that. How’s the distribution of our product going?”

“It’s going well, sir. Our buildings are going up as you can see,” he motioned to the bare wall behind him, “And product is moving as fast as we can make it. The current climate produces a lot of buyers.”

“The American Empire cannot take care of its own, so the citizens turn to substances abuse. It’s unfortunate.”

“But the money goes back to our people.”

“As always. Tell me, has the Cavalier caught on to the operation yet?”

“I haven’t heard anything from him but I’m sure he’s on the scent.”

“Good. Make sure you’re ready for him.”

Mano smiled, “Everything is in place.”

The next morning, Michael Hawkwood woke up and checked his email for more potential work which didn’t come and the bills on his desk drew attention to the fact. The stipend he received from the Commission helped matters but it wouldn’t be enough. On the news, he saw that there was going to be a candle-lit vigil for the City Hall bombing and as a sign of solidarity, an organized protest was moved to a later date.

He sighed to himself and had begun to make his way to the shower when he received a message from Commissioner Reins to meet him at his office. It was a surprising request considering he was a wanted man and communication had been limited. Still, he knew Reins wouldn’t be asking him to speak out in the open without good reason and took the Dragon to the police precinct roof. There, he descended the stairs to the top floor where Reins’ office was, receiving glares and confused looks from officers along the way.

“Sorry you got chased away from City Hall,” Reins told him, “They were still under orders from the DA but unfortunately, Kassia’s no longer with us. I’m now in the position to have all charges and investigations suspended, so we can at least have some semblance of normalcy.”

“I wish it could have happened under better circumstances,” Cavalier said.

“Me too.”

“What about the acting DA?”

“Same as the acting mayor… they’re busy making sure the cogs keep turning until elections can be held. They’re more worried about another riot.”

“Well, now that we’re able to speak out in the open, let’s get down to business… I think Nadie and his crew might be behind everything.”

“That’s what they’re saying on the street,” Reins rubbed his neck in frustration, “We need to find out what’s in this new product.”

“You’ve heard the rumors about alien DNA, right?”

“I have and we can’t rule anything out.”

“And Emily Koboshi told you about Morgan O’Donell’s overdose?”

“She did.”

“What did you learn from her autopsy?”

“She had heroin in her system but we couldn’t find out much more than that. Unfortunately, she’s not the only OD case we have but nothing concrete’s been found. We need a larger sample of this new stuff so the lab boys can analyze it.”

“I ran into a kid who was doing some work for the Costa Tristens. I know where they pick up and drop off. I’ll get as many samples as you need.”

“Perfect,” Reins allowed a small smile, “In the meantime, we can go back to the old communication channels?,” he indicated Cavalier’s new armor, “I noticed you got yourself some new gear.”

“Yeah, I’ll set up a new frequency. We’ll keep it between ourselves so we don’t have to worry about another Horseman situation.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Speaking of which, the Horseman has some fanboys riding around. They claim they’re from out of town and that they’re old allies of his. Wouldn’t be surprised if they have connections to your precinct as well.”

“I’ll let Internal Affairs know. We’ve been trying to weed out the remaining officers who supported that guy.”

“You might get your chance. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Likewise.”

The Cavalier left and once again noticed angry looks from officers in the hall. He made his way up to the roof and there, he saw the Four Horsemen standing in a row in front of the Dragon, side-arms holstered on their belts.

“Did you really think this was over?,” Jersey sneered.

Continued…