The Shit-Town Saga:

Chimera Part 4

The spike-strip launcher he brought from the Castle did its job. The van stopped once its front tire blew and it sat vulnerably at the docking bay of the partially constructed warehouse. He fired a grappling line to the ground and sailed through the air as bullets shot past him.

Days earlier, the address of this particular site had been given to the Cavalier as a potential drop-off point for Nadie’s drivers. As expected, the warehouse was in the process of being built by the company Dynamic Renovations, which was also the company building the pick-up site.

He needed a sample of their newest product to give to Commissioner Reins in hopes of ascertaining the true nature of Star Beast. Mano was not present at the warehouse, but a large number of armed men were positioned in and around the building. Nadie had ramped up security.

The Cavalier raced to the back of the white van, hoping to get inside. As he approached, he used his Round Table to activate his shield and slammed it into a gunman’s face, then hit another gunman with a back-swing. Next, an axe strike ripped through the van’s back door and Cavalier was able to open it, revealing several pounds of product. He quickly grabbed a package, then he turned and punched another enemy trying to sneak up on him.

He activated the Dragon and the hovercraft swooped in to his location, forcing many of the men to back off as the wind kicked up. The Cavalier rushed to its open hatch, dodging more bullets before dumping himself and the package inside. The Dragon’s Roar erupted a second later and the windows in the area exploded into shards and the remaining men clutched their ears in pain. Then the hovercraft disappeared into the night.

The next day, Cavalier stood in Commissioner Reins’ office with a package of green heroin resting on the desk. “Good find,” Reins nodded in approval, “I’ll have the lab guys take a look at it so we’ll finally find out what we’re dealing with.”

“I have something else,” Cavalier tossed a Stratton National Guard Base keycard on the desk, “I found a bunch of these on the last group I ran into. I think that’s their source for alien DNA.”

“How so?”

“Stratton is a National Guard base that specializes in scientific study. Dragonfly operates out of it.”

“The armored guy?”

“Yeah. And since the National Guard were the guys who picked up the alien corpses in New York, it stands to reason that they stashed them there. It’s not a far drive.”

“And you think Nadie’s thugs infiltrated the base?”

“I think they’ve been buying up property and setting up businesses in the city. It’s not unreasonable to think they might’ve gotten some people inside that base as well.”

“It’s within their means but I wouldn’t go charging into a military base just yet, especially with your rep these days.”

“No promises… In the meantime, you might be interested to know the name of the construction company working on the buildings Nadie’s people are operating out of. Can you find out who owns Dynamic Renovations?”

“I’ll have the boys look into it. Since we’re talking about current events… Have you run into the Four Horsemen again?”

“Not since the rooftop incident. Any leads?”

“I got Mendoza looking into it. Hopefully, those boys are dumb enough to come out from under their rock and we can see who their friends are.”

“Yeah, I’d like it if I could stop having to deal with this shit,” Cavalier said gravely.

Hours later…

Four motorcycles roared down the street with the sound of rolling thunder. The Four Horsemen heard from their police informants that there had been a shoot-out involving the Cavalier and the Costa Tristens. The police didn’t have enough to go on to issue a warrant yet but the Four Horsemen took an interest. “This is the place we need to involve ourselves,” Philly told them, “Stop trying to settle the score with the Knight and go after that cartel.” Jersey agreed and they set out to see what they could find.

At the site, Mano strolled along the empty floor with phone in hand, “The men left the area once the Knight escaped, as instructed. Most of the product was accounted for with the exception of one pound. I had the men take what was left and move it out before the police got here.”

“One pound,” Nadie repeated with a hint of frustration, “It’s likely the Cavalier turned it over to the police to analyze.”

“I think you’re right, sir.”

“It’s not ideal but it will take time to produce any findings in their labs. In the meantime, we need to get rid of the Cavalier. Play his hand. Get him to make a fatal mistake. With all he’s been through recently, it shouldn’t take much to get him into the proper mindset.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“He has allies in the city. Targeting them might upset him enough to charge headlong into our trap.”

“That can be arranged.”

Just then, he heard the distinctive sound of motorcycle engines, driven by men who did not care to be subtle. “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll have to call you back,” Mano put his phone away and produced the 9mm he had holstered at his side as the men drove through the bay door and parked inside the warehouse. The Horsemen practically jumped off their bikes, then surrounded him while drawing their weapons.

“Drop the gun and get on the ground!,” Stamford shouted.

“Who’re you working for?,” Jersey roared.

Mano gave them a humored expression once he recognized the men by their reputation, “This is adorable,” he casually dropped his gun.

“On your knees,” Syracuse demanded in a much calmer tone than his teammates.

Slowly, Mano got down on his knees and placed his hands on the back of his head. Stamford pushed forward and held his gun at point-blank range while barking rapid-fire questions, “Work’n for the cartel? Speak English? Who’s your boss?”

“I’ll tell you everything,” Mano said calmly while looking into the biker’s dark visor. The situation was serendipitous. He considered killing them, but the four men provided the perfect opportunity to get the Cavalier where he needed him, “I was sent here to clean up.”

“The hell does that mean?,” Stamford asked.

“I was given a hundred dollars to come here and make sure there were no links to the Cavalier,” he told them, “He had some business here but I don’t know what. I just know I was supposed to make sure no one would know he was in this building.”

“So the Cavalier paid you!,” Jersey surmised.

“No, it was some girl… She runs the Metro Knights across town. She’s working for him.”

“Metro Knights?,” Philly asked, “Are you sure?”

“She had me meet her at her dojo. I think her name was Emily?”

“We know they’re friends,” Stamford told Jersey, “Worth looking into.”

The following afternoon, Emily Koboshi locked up after a private session at her new dojo. Across the street, the Four Horseman watched the building, waiting for her to exit.

“Do we know we’re in the right place?,” Philly asked.

“We know Cavalier is in tight with the Metro Knights,” Jersey explained, “Makes sense their leader would do his dirty work.”

“Yeah, but do we trust the word of some random grunt… if that was what he even was?,” Philly followed up.

“We’ll just ask Koboshi some questions,” Syracuse explained, “That’s all. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Soon, Emily stepped out and went to her car. Once she did, she was swarmed by the four bikers who purposefully put themselves between her and the car. “What is this?,” she stepped back defensively.

“Emily Koboshi?,” Jersey asked in a polite but assertive way.

“Who are you?,” Emily was in no mood to give answers and took a readied stance, “And why are you standing in my way?”

“There was a drug deal that went wrong last night. Some warehouse under construction,” like Emily, Jersey wasn’t in the mood to answer her questions, “The Cavalier was there and we know you had something to do with it. What’s he trying to hide?”

“The hell are you talking about?,” Emily asked.

“We ran into the guy you hired. He was cleaning up afterwards. Something to do with the Costa Triste cartel. Apparently, you didn’t want the cops to know your buddy Cav was there. Tell us what that’s about and we’ll leave.”

She rolled her eyes, “You don’t have the authority to demand answers from me or stop me from getting to my car,” she clenched her fists, “You can step aside willingly or I can make you.”

Jersey was the first to act and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt at intimidation. She removed it immediateky and flipped him over her shoulder. Stamford rushed in next, delivering a punch to her face which sent her to the middle of the sidewalk. She gave an angry shout before kicking him in the gut and then spinning into a roundhouse to the side of his helmet. “Take it easy,” Jersey snuck up behind her and put her in a full-nelson, then tried to pin her against the hood of the car.

Some bystanders began to rush to her aid. “Leave her alone,” one of them shouted but Syracuse and Philly stepped in front of the gathering crowd. “Stay back for your own safety,” Philly exclaimed but quietly lamented that he was in the current situation.

Emily kicked off the side of her car and fell back along with Jersey. Once they hit the pavement, she rolled off him and stood to her feet, only for Stamford to rush in again, tackling her against the brick wall behind her. She yelled out in pain before producing the taser in her purse. It was then Stamford’s turn to scream as he received an electric shock that forced him back. Emily leapt into a flying kick that knocked him down again before she turned and ran down the street, leaving her car behind. They were only above-average fighters that she was sure she could beat one-in-one but as they were armed, wore protective gear, and had her outnumbered, she was less sure of her chances.

“Bitch,” Stamford snarled and quickly pulled his pistol from its holster. He took aim at Emily’s back as she ran and was ready to pull the trigger when a glove snatched his arm. One bullet was released and while the movement made the projectile go off-course, it found its way to Emily’s hip nonetheless. She screamed and fell to the sidewalk. The wound wasn’t life-threatening but she was down and she was vulnerable. When she looked back in fear, she saw Philly trying to wrestle the gun from Stamford.

“The hell you doing?,” Stamford roared.

“That’s a civilian!,” Philly shouted, “Drop the gun!”

“Both of you stand down, that’s an order,” Jersey’s words fell on deaf ears.

Attempting to placate the two men, Syracuse rushed in to pull them apart, “Hey, be cool!” Clumsy limbs grappled over one another and there was another shot from Stamford’s gun that echoed across the street. Syracuse stood back and gazed down at his navel which was releasing a crimson fountain. The Four Horsemen froze and soon, Syracuse dropped to the pavement. “I…,” Stamford stuttered apologetically but his words were lost in his throat.

Philly was the first to react and pulled his own pistol, “Goddamn psycho!” He was making an attempt at a citizen’s arrest, not that he had time to explain himself. In a panic, Stamford fired his gun with complete purpose and released what was left in his magazine. As Philly’s chest exploded in a bloody geyser, he fired shots at close range. Stamford’s visor imploded into a gory mess and both men fell dead at once. Jersey stupidly stared at the three dead bodies below him and down the street, Emily Koboshi applied pressure to her wound to stop the bleeding. Moments later, she watched helplessly as Jersey got on his motorcycle and sped away.

****

In the Castle, Arthur Hawkwood looked at his old armor standing on a platform next to the armors of Hank and Reginald Hawkwood. “There’s something real satisfying about seeing the old suit up there,” he turned to examine Michael’s new helmet resting on a work bench, “And Bennings did a good job with the new threads.”

“Yeah,” Michael loaded canisters of sedative gas into a crate to be moved into the Dragon, “This all you got?”

“You want more, you’ll have to mix it yourself.”

“This should do,” Michael explained, “The next time I find myself in a building full of bad guys, I can cut their numbers down quickly.”

Arthur began fiddling with the tools on the bench as he changed the subject, “So uh,… I’m seeing someone these days.”

“Seriously?,” Michael rose to his feet, “Is it the lady from pickleball?”

“Mariah, yeah,” Arthur leaned against the bench, “Whatcha think about that?”

“I dunno. I mean, it’s been a long time since Mom passed so you’re more than ready… Have you even seen anyone since that time?”

“Does Arctic-Fox count?”

“No! God!,” Michael didn’t try to hide his disgust.

“Then no.”

“Well, y’know, if you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“What about you? How’s the market?”

“Dry. Although there are… options.“

Just then, Michael got a call on the Dragon’s new com system. “Cav, it’s Emily,” her voice was frantic, “I’m in the hospital. I’ll explain when you get here.”

“I gotta go, Dad,” Michael quickly grabbed his helmet and began locking it in place.

“Good luck, Mike,” his father told him, “And be careful.”

Michael arrived at a hospital room where David Tyrell and a few other Knights sat with Emily who had a black eye and a bandage on her hip.

“Who did this?,” Cavalier demanded to know.

“The Four Horsemen,” Emily tried to sit up in her bed, “They showed up at Nadie’s warehouse after you shut their operation down. Apparently, someone was there and put it in their heads that you were involved somehow. Probably Mano or one of his goons.”

Cavalier sat down on the side of the bed, “And the Horsemen tried to get to me through you.” Cavalier grit his teeth beneath his mask, “That was what Mano and Nadie wanted. They got those idiots wound up and had them hurt someone close to me.”

“Three of them ended up killing each other,” David explained further, “There was a scuffle, they shot each other, and the last guy took off. It’s getting crazier.”

“I’ll deal with them later,” Cavalier turned to leave.

“What are ya gonna do?,” Emily caught his wrist.

“Nadie did this to you because I’m getting too close!,” he said desperately, “I’m sick of the manipulation and I’m sick of them hurting innocent people. I’m used to these assholes coming after me at this point, but this is something I can’t abide.”

“I get that but what’re you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna end it,” he began adjusting his gauntlets in frustration, “They infiltrated a National Guard base and that’s where they’re manufacturing Star Beast. I’m bringing down the entire operation tonight.”

“Just be careful,” she reached out for his hand, “I don’t want to lose you like I lost Paul.”

He placed his hand on hers, “It’s gonna be okay.”

In a bar, two police officers sat at a booth at the back, surveying the room nervously while waiting for someone. Soon, Jersey entered, wearing an inconspicuous hat and sunglasses.

“Just the two of you?,” Jersey asked as he sat down with the officers.

“You’re lucky anyone is still around,” one of the officers told him, “We heard about your guys. Everyone else is spooked now and want nothing to do with the operation. It’s down to the two of us and we’re only here because of the Horseman. We believe in him… not you.”

“Fair enough. Tell me about the protest.”

“It’s going down tonight. We’ll have you in our cruiser. It’ll be right up front so we can be there if anything happens. You think the Cavalier’ll show up again?”

“I’m counting on it,” he said angrily.

Continued…