The Shit-Town Saga:

Chimera part 3

The Cavalier could see his own reflection in the dark visors of the four men. The Horsemen had positioned themselves in front of the Dragon to cut off any escape attempts. They all wore black motorcycle gear from head to toe, completely concealing their identities while adding protection. Sidearms were holstered on their belts and their body language showed they were prepared to use them. As they were on the rooftop of a police station, the Cavalier came to the most likely scenario:

“Lemme guess,” he began, “Your buddies downstairs knew I was here and gave you guys a call? The Horseman pipeline is still very much in operation, I see.”

Jersey brushed him off, “You’re back to being real chummy with the Commissioner now that the DA’s been killed,” his voiced lowered to a growl, “What a coincidence.”

“I’d say it’s a tragedy, all things considered. And if you recall, Kassia was opposed to the Horseman just as much as she was to me, so don’t pretend she was ever on your side.”

“Enough talk,” Stamford shouted, “Surrender now or we end this permenatly.”

“Did you ever wonder why I’m even here? I’m investigating a drug cartel that’s infiltrated the city. If you guys are so self-righteous, you should be out there, fighting them.”

“We’ll deal with them soon enough,” Philly explained, “Our business is with you first.”

The Four Horsemen drew their weapons just as the Cavalier activated the long shield from his Round Table. The shield almost covered the length of his body and deflected the oncoming bullets while he stormed forward. With his free hand, he activated the crossbow and shot an electric arrow at Syracuse which dropped him in an unconscious heap. Next, he slammed the shield into Jersey’s visor and spun into a kick across Philly’s helmet. Stamford managed to come up behind him and place him in a choke hold but he simply activated his quarter staff which shot into his stomach, forcing him to let go.

Stamford was down with the wind knocked out of him, leaving only Jersey and Philly. Cavalier gripped the staff at either end and slammed it into one helmet, then the next before spinning it around to sweep the legs out from under Philly. As Jersey advanced, so he pressed the staff against the roof and vaulted forward with a kick to the biker’s chest. Once he was down, Cavalier spun the staff over his head, then struck Philly as he sat up. Stamford made one last attempt at an attack, but Cavalier snapped his heel back, striking him in the gut. Then, he grabbed his helmet and leapt into the air. As the two men dropped to the roof, Stamford’s helmet cracked the mortar and left him stunned.

“You’re out of your league,” Cavalier hurried past the four dazed men, “Keep it up and someone’s gonna get hurt.” By the time they recovered, the Dragon was already flying off into the distance. It was their second loss but they promised each other there wouldn’t be a third.

****

The YMCA that once housed Metro Knights training sessions had been destroyed during the Resurgence so they ended up using their funds to rent some space for a dojo. This was fortunate as Emily Koboshi needed to let off some steam. She kicked and punched the heavy bag viciously, releasing more and more aggression as she continued. She was too late to save her former student from a drug overdose and despite Cavalier’s kind words, she blamed herself. She wished Paul Kwon was still around or at the very least, left someone else in charge of the group.

The Cavalier came through the door and took a look around the otherwise empty dojo, “I like the new digs.”

Emily stopped and wiped the sweat from her brow, “It’s functional… Find anything?”

“Jayden and his boys were at the docks like you said. Jayden makes deliveries for Nadie these days and I managed to get some locations from him.”

“Shit,” she took a drink from her water bottle, “Why didn’t we get to these kids sooner when they left?”

“Because we were dealing with the Laughing Boys and Nadie’s goons. Then we had to deal with the Resurgence and everything that’s happened since. There wasn’t much else we could do. Paul would understand if he were here.”

“Maybe.”

He placed both hands on her shoulders, “Listen, you’re doing great work here. You’ve convinced troubled teens to stay off the streets when no one else gave a shit. It’s important. I talked to Jayden and his buddies and reminded them of what they gave up. With any luck, they won’t be there when I show up tonight.”

“Why? What’s happening tonight?”

“I know where the Star Beast is coming from and where it’s going. I’m gonna stop them from making a delivery tonight and hopefully find where the drugs are being manufactured,” he smiled underneath his mask, “And if you didn’t give me the tip about Jayden, I wouldn’t have learned any of this.”

She smiled back, “Thanks,” she leaned in and kissed his helmet’s cheek, “It was a good pep talk.”

“You gave me one not too long ago. Just returning the favor.”

She held him close and looked into his red lenses and he stroked her hair out of her eyes. They stood silent for a moment that seemed a bit too long.

Cavalier stepped back, “I should get ready.”

“Yeah,” Emily’s voice conveyed an unspoken agreement.

“You gonna be okay?”

“Already feeling better.”

“Good.”

****

Mariah Jones was busy doing yoga exercises when the phone rang. When she picked up, she was happy to hear the voice of Arthur Hawkwood.

“Hey Mariah,” he began nervously, “Looks like things are still mostly closed. No practice today, huh?”

“Nope,” she sat down on her couch, “So what’s up?”

“Well…,” Arthur ran his hand through his hair and then began rattling off incoherently, “Look, I’ll just say it, I wanna take you out for coffee sometime… y’know when there’s no state of emergency and we can go somewhere. I guess I’m supposed to be more romantic or suave about this but I’m not a young guy anymore so I’m just gonna be frank because it’s not like I’ve had a lot of experience dating in the past 30 years or so and I don’t wanna beat around the bush…”

“Arthur?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d like to have coffee with you,” she told him happily.

Arthur sat back with a smile, “Oh, wow… I mean, that’s great. Things are supposed to open up on Friday. See ya then?”

“I’ll see you then.”

He hung up and smiled to himself, “Still got it, Artie.”

****

That night, the Cavalier arrived at a construction site and took note of the company’s sign: Dynamic Renovations. He also noticed a line of white vans just outside the fence, vehicles that wouldn’t be out of place coming and going from a construction site. He suspected they were being used to deliver Star Beast. Considering the large number of companies buying buildings and properties after the Resurgence, he surmised that Nadie acquired some real estate as a front. He made a mental note to investigate the construction company and the buildings they were working on.

He landed the Dragon outside the site and after using a laser to cut through the fence, he crept into the partially-made building. He then moved through a collection of drywall and I-beams to get to the vans parked on the other side of the structure. He ducked into an area surrounded by plywood that contained a glassless window, leading to a view of the vans. As he watched the area, he heard a familiar voice.

Mano led a group of young men to the vehicles, “The product has been loaded as usual and I presume you remember your drop-offs. The sellers will take care of the rest, we just ask you to be careful. The police are on alert so don’t give them a reason to search your…,” he turned and looked at the group curiously, “…Are we missing someone?”

One of the men took a glance and nodded, “Yeah, Jayden ain’t turn up.”

Mano scanned the site briefly before leading the men away, “Come with me.”

The men disappeared from sight and the Cavalier remained hidden from view until he was sure the coast was clear. Before he could resume his investigation, a van suddenly exploded from the inside which startled him. The rest followed suit, creating a line of fire that lit up the sky. The explosion was deafening and the Cavalier ducked down to avoid getting hit by debris.

As the flames flickered into the night sky, he made his way to an opening and rushed outside. There was little left of the vans and he couldn’t see any signs of the product. What he did notice, however, were the 10 men rounding the corner, armed with crow bars, hammers, and other tools. He wasted no time activating twin crossbows and took several of them down with electric bolts. As they closed the distance, he was forced to use melee weapons. Twin holographic morning stars appeared in his hands as he spun into the small crowd. He struck the back of one man’s knee which took the legs out from under him and forced him on his back. Then he let the momentum carry him into a spinning motion where his second morning star removed the sledge hammer from another man’s grip. He flew into a flying knee, taking the man out of the fight and when he landed, he shot another electric arrow at the first assailant who was still on the ground. The remaining enemies tried to swarm him.

He brought his reinforced gauntlets up in an x-shape to block a swinging monkey wrench, then removed it from the man’s grip before head-butting him. The blow from the helmet took him out of the fight as the Cavalier dipped under the raised arms of a nearby forklift. As an enemy advanced, Cavalier quickly reached out, snatched him by the jacket, and pulled him into the forklift arms to render him unconscious as well. There was only one fighter left who went around the forklift in the opposite direction and tried to attack with a claw hammer. Cavalier leapt forward and hooked an arm around the man’s neck before twisting around and throwing him into the side a trailer; he waited for the man to sit up before delivering a final heel-kick.

It was then that he noticed the keycard that had fallen out of the man’s jacket. Upon closer inspection, it read Stratton Air National Guard Base. It took a moment but he soon understood a possible connection between that particular base and Star Beast. On a hunch, he checked the pockets of the other unconscious henchmen. After a few minutes of rummaging, the Cavalier found more keycards belonging to Stratton Base. He may not have gotten a drug sample for Reins but he found something useful.

In a car parked far away, Mano spoke to Nadie on the phone. “The Cavalier found the site,” he informed him.

“What was the cost?,” Nadie asked calmly.

“I had to burn the vans but there’s nothing that can’t be replaced.”

“As long as nothing of significance was lost.”

“I made sure of it, sir.”

Elsewhere, Jersey waited in a vacant lot for his teammates. He expected the three motorcycles to show up but was surprised to see one member wearing standard civilian clothes with no weapons. What’s more, Philly took off his helmet when he parked, exposing his face.

“What are you doing?,” Jersey asked.

“What does it look like?,” Philly turned to his team for a reaction, “We spent so much time stockpiling weapons and finding out all the spots the Cavalier turns up and for what? So we can get our asses kicked twice in so many days?”

“He has new weapons we didn’t account for but-”

“Nah, fuck that noise. We’re outgunned. And while we’re wasting time with that asshole, City Hall gets blown to hell and there’s some crazy drug on the street killing people but what are we doing about that? I’m done, man. I’m done!”

“We can’t give up now,” Jersey implored him, “We’ll deal with the Costa Tristens and everyone else causing trouble in the city. It’s just that Cavalier is our top priority. The longer he’s on the loose, the more damage he does. Trust me, when he’s out of the way, the dealers and the terrorists will be sitting ducks.”

“Why is he the top priority? Because he got the Horseman arrested? Because he keeps kicking our asses? I just need to know this is more about justice than revenge.”

“It’s both as far as I’m concerned!,” Stamford grunted.

“We need you, brother,” Syracuse told him sympathetically.

“Give it another week,” Jersey offered, “We’ve put too much effort in to give up so quickly.”

Philly sighed, “… One more week.”

Epilogue…

Ever since the Horseman was arrested by the FBI, he had been recuperating in a guarded hospital room with his identity kept hidden from the public. His fight with the Cavalier left him with an injured ankle and the FBI fitted him with a mechanical cast to speed up the healing process while allowing mobility. It made him suspicious. The medical attention wasn’t surprising but it was strange that they spent money on high tech equipment for him. Everything had been very strange since the day he was arrested. As he kay in bed, he felt a sudden grogginess. He curiously looked at the empty food tray next to him and began to wonder if it had been drugged. Then he passed out.

When he awoke, he was on a cot, surrounded by FBI agents with rifles. The empty plane hangar on the small, rarely-used FBI airfield was a serviceable meeting place if one needed secrecy. Due to its seclusion in the middle of a grassy field, he knew it was also a serviceable place to hide a body. He surmised that the balding, older man in the gray suit was the agent in charge.

The older man politely stepped forward, “Good morning. Sorry about the sedatives, but we weren’t sure you’d come quietly. By the way, I hope you appreciate that mechanical cast we gave you,” he produced his hand, “Thomas Barlowe, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI.” The Horseman stood to his feet and surveyed his surroundings but refused to shake his hand. “Guess I’ll do most of the talking,” Barlowe shrugged, “As of right now, there’s paperwork that says you’ve been transferred to a federal holding cell awaiting trial. All that can change depending on how this conversation plays out.” Again, there was no response so he continued, “You raised a lotta hell a while back, didn’t ya? Some of us even wondered if you were gonna put a bullet in the Cavalier. The Bureau had been watching you for some time but you knew as much. What you likely didn’t know is that there were some people in the Bureau who… understood what you were doing and what was needed. That’s not to say we condone vigilante justice but any agent who’s been at the job longer than a year has seen more than a few scumbags escaping punishment due to jurisdiction issues or someone not doing their job in court. God knows it’s not a perfect system and because of that, imperfect measures sometimes need to be taken.”

“Get to the point,” Horseman growled.

“He speaks,” Barlowe happily clapped his hands, “My point is, there are people in the FBI who want to remove certain targets who’ve been… elusive. We think you’re the guy to get the job done. See, once we learned who and what you were, I decided to put a plan in motion to bring you in, secretly of course, to work for us. If you agree, we officially report that you escaped custody and get plausible deniability for anything that you do from here on out. Unofficially, we point you in the direction of the big fish. While the cops had you going after some guys cooking meth in a basement, we can send you after international cartels selling alien DNA on the streets of New York.”

The Horseman gave him a curious look.

“Yes, that’s going down in New York as we speak… No surprise, right? You remember how things are in ‘Shit-Town’,… although it got a bit worse since you’ve been gone. As per usual, we are limited in who we can go after and how we can go after them. There’s one guy from Costa Triste that keeps sneaking into the country to cause problems and the one time cops arrested him, he got extradited back home. We think he’s returned under a fake passport,” Barlowe became nonchalant and placed his hands in his pockets, “If someone were to… permanently ensure he can’t reenter the country and avoid all the legal loopholes that could put him back on the street… Well, who’s really gonna care? Now, you can always refuse this offer and we can send you to that holding cell I mentioned earlier. I’m not so sure you’ll enjoy prison all that much, though.”

“I can handle myself.”

“I guess you’re right, but what about the country? I assume you’re counting on your cop buddies in New York to deal with your unfinished business? Yeah, we all know about the Four Little Horsemen and, I’m sorry to say, but they haven’t been as successful as you hoped,” he began to adjust his tie and suit-jacket, “Sometimes you just gotta do things yourself, right? I know you’re itching to get back out there, so cut the bullshit and let’s help each other out.”

The Horseman considered his options.

Continued…