The Shit-Town Saga:

The Blood Circle part 2

Nathan Collins had been exposed as the Horseman with his name and face exposed across multiple news sources, so he knew that visiting his hometown of Milford, Connecticut was unwise, but as he had traced Mano to a campsite near the area, he decided to take a slight detour before returning to New York.  He stashed his gear and motorcycle in a safe place and wore a hoodie with sunglasses to hide his identity before trekking to a small house in the suburbs.  When he knocked on the door, a short, balding man answered.  “Jamie,” was all the Horseman said.  “Nate?,” the older man squinted his eyes before a knowing look crossed his face, then he quickly motioned for him to enter the house, “Jesus! Get in, hurry!”  Once Nathan entered, Jamie scanned the area for any prying eyes, then quickly shut the door.

They sat at a kitchen table across from one another, two cups of coffee between them.  “I just need to know what’s happened since I’ve been gone,” Nathan began.

“Since you been gone?,” Jamie took a sip from his coffee, “I thought you had that figured out.”

“I just need details.  Closure.”

 “Closure, huh?” he shook his head and sipped his coffee, “So when the feds picked you up, they put pressure on every internal affairs department in the Tri-State, trying to find anyone that so much as gave you a stick of gum. Lotsa guys got arrested.  Names were given in exchange for plea deals. Some just got kicked off the force.  Smart ones quietly resigned before they felt the heat and got the hell outta Dodge.”

“You seemed to make it out okay.”

“Coulda been worse.  Once they knew who you were, they knew who I was, obviously.  `Course, I been doing this longer than anyone else and made damn sure none of that stink would ever land on me.  Still,… They knew… They all knew.  Governor was up for reelection and needed to look strong, so he really threw the book at our precinct.  Chief of Police had to railroad me into early retirement over some bullshit reasons.  Like I said, coulda been worse.”

“I thought you people had this handled.”

“And we thought you were our guy.  I was there the night we had the Cavalier surrounded.  Remember that?  Madison Square Garden.  Better than any boxing match as far as I’m concerned.  Then you got pinched and it all went to hell.  I mean… The Four Horsemen?  Were they really our best?  One guy’s going to jail and the other three…”

“I know what happened,” Nathan barked.

“Sorry, kid,” he gave Nathan a sympathetic smile, “But it’s over.  We did some good and took some thugs off the street, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“You’re giving up that easily?”

“What other choice I got?”

Nathan clenched his fists in frustration, “I got a choice, Jamie!  I’m still in it!  The FBI have me now and I’m not thrilled about it, but the alternative was prison.  I decided to keep up the fight.  It’s my opportunity to continue the dream.  The dream that you instilled in me.  Do I have to remind you that you made me?”

“Yeah, we made you,” Jamie nodded sadly, “Cobbled you together like Frankenstein.  You were just a kid who wanted to play cops and robbers.  Meanwhile, we wanted someone who could do what we couldn’t, or maybe didn’t have the balls to do ourselves.  It’s crazy that we wanted a leader so badly we made one for ourselves, and I’m sorry we did.  Lately, I’ve really been regretting everything.  You had your own life going and I took that away from you.”

“You didn’t take anything away, Jamie,” he stood up, “You gave me purpose.”

“Yeah,” Jamie said sadly.  As Nathan moved toward the door, he asked a quick question, “You gonna visit your folks while you’re in town, Nate?”  Nathan left without saying anything else.

****

In New York, Arthur Hawkwood walked down a sidewalk alongside Mariah.  “So who was your worst bad guy?” she asked.

“Probably Blood Shadow,” Arthur answered, “Crazy guy.  Really dangerous.”

“Did it ever get scary?”

“Every time, but I had a drive to help people, y’know?  It’s why I did it far longer than I should have.”

“And there was the legacy.”

“Yeah, two other guys came before me and I wanted to do right by them.  It’s a tradition that’s kinda hard to explain.”

“Yeah. In comparison, I’m so… normal.  I feel boring by contrast.”

“Don’t.  Trust me, normal’s good.  It’s probably what I should’ve been.”

“I don’t think you believe that.”

“Why’s that?”

“You wouldn’t have done what you’ve done and for as long as you’ve done it if you wanted to be normal.  It’s just not who you are, Artie.”

“I’m trying to be normal now.”

“But only because you have to be.  If you somehow found yourself back in a younger body and you still had a healthy heart and everything, would you still do it?”

“That’s an interesting question,” he thought for a moment, “And honestly,… I really would.”

“So we need to find a way to get some excitement in your life.”

“Have any ideas?”

She winked, “I got a few.”

****

In a hospital across town, Emily Koboshi pushed a walker down a hall, grunting under the pain in her hip.  She was in physical therapy for the gun shot wound inflicted upon her a month earlier.  She was told that taking walks was beneficial to her recovery, so she took every opportunity to be mobile.

“It’s frustrating work,” a voice came behind her, “But it’ll pay off.”

When she turned, she saw Raphael, the leader of Agartha.  She hadn’t met him before but she recognized the long dreads and the dark shades covering his eyes.  He was still in a wheelchair due to his injuries, but his happy demeanor showed it didn’t matter to him.

“Raphael, right?” Emily reached out and shook his hand before grasping her walker for balance.

“And you’re Emily Kiboshi,” Raphael told her, “We have a mutual acquaintance.”

“That we do,” Emily looked up and noticed two humanoid wildcats, a lion and a snow leopard, stationed at the end of the hall, “And that must be your security detail?”

“The Felidae Guard haven’t left my side since I was brought here.  They can be a bit aggressive, but they’re safe.”

“So how’s your recovery?”

“I might not walk out of here,” he tapped the arms of the wheelchair, “But that’s the chance we take for standing up for the right things.  And I think it’s worth it.”

Emily smiled, “I appreciate the optimism.”

“Yeah, he’s a charmer.” The Cavalier turned the corner and placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder, “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been better,” she smiled and placed a hand on his gauntlet.

“She has a strong will,” Raphael told him as he shook Cavalier’s hand, “And by the way, thank you for finding jobs for Agartha.”

“I’m just happy people listened to me.”

“Most the people here have changed their minds about you.”

“I think that’s true and I’m not even an empath,” Emily joked, “You changed things.”

“Reins said the same thing.  I’m not entirely sure of it, yet.”

“You should run for mayor like Gatorback,” Emily suggested.

“No way.  I’m not a politician and I’m not exactly ready to walk around without a helmet.”

“Seeing who you really are might not be a bad thing.”

“Having the mayor’s ear might not be a bad thing,” Raphael explained, “If Slade wins, you might be able to do a lot more in this city.  Perhaps you should talk to him.”

“Yeah,” Emily agreed, “Sounds like he buried the hatchet.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said thoughtfully, “In the meantime, I ran into a former student of yours, yesterday.  Jayden Nash.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep.  Hopefully, he’ll come back to the fold.”

“Thanks for reaching out.”

“I’ll admit, part of it was to find out what Mano was up to.  I know he’ll be causing trouble soon enough.”

“Didn’t you warn Nadie you’d go all the way to Costa Triste if he caused trouble again?”

“Yep,” Cavalier nodded, “And I plan to follow through if need be.”

Raphael raised his head curiously, which got their attention.  Before they could ask, he spoke, “The two of you are being targeted.  Whoever they are, they’re headed this way.”

The man and woman wore matching black jackets with khakis and white turtlenecks, their hair dyed bleach blonde.  They were Mikhail and Misha, a married Croatian couple that could almost be mistaken for twins.  The elevator doors opened and the two stepped out simultaneously.  In the hall, they saw one of their targets – the Cavalier. He stood ready to fight; beside him was Mane and Snow, the Felidae Guard.  An unidentified man sat in a wheelchair nearby and their second target was next to him – Emily Koboshi.

“I love you,” Mikhail whispered to Misha.  “I love your chaos,” Misha responded.  Together, they reached underneath their black jackets and, as they did so, Cavalier caught a glimpse of small blades lining the interiors.  They threw the knives in unison, their aim precise.  The tips of the blades flew between the Cavalier’s lower face plate the the plating along the forehead; the lenses of his mask were struck before he could react.  He leaned forward and small bits of reinforced plastic fell to the tiled floor.  His eyes were now exposed and the two assassins wasted no time.  They rushed forward with two more knives in their hands.  He caught their wrists before the blades could be stabbed into his unprotected eyes, so they both kicked in unison, throwing him onto his back.

With their knife-hands free, they both leaned toward each other and shared a disturbingly passionate kiss before preparing their blades again.  This time, the blades were aimed at Emily who was an easy target due to her lack of mobility.  Cavalier raised a single arm and activated his shield from the Round Table.  The blades were thrown into the surface and harmlessly bounced off.  When Cavalier rose to his feet, Mikhail lunged again but the knight swatted his arm back with the shield and delivered a left hook that spun him around.  Mikhail fell against the wall, stunned; Misha rushed in from behind and tried to thrust a knife under the reinforced plating on his chest with enough precision and force that he could feel the tip digging in to the softer part of his armor.  Cavalier grabbed her arm and threw her over his shoulder onto Mikhail.

“Look out!,” Emily called to Cavalier just as a large, bald man came around the corner.  He snatched the knight’s cape and swung him around.  A moment later, he landed in a hospital room where he hit a monitor.  The patient in the bed tried his best to leave the room as the large man kicked Cavalier hard enough to roll him into the farthest wall.  Cavalier tried his best to get up, but the man grabbed him by the helmet and delivered a sharp head-butt that put him on the floor.  The man looked down with a grin on his face as blood began to trickle down his forehead, “That hurt?  I can’t tell.”

Mikhail and Misha stood up in the corridor as the Felidae Guard readied their own bladed weapons.  Mane, the humanoid lion, produced two katar blades from his belt.  Snow, the humanoid snow leopard, pulled a large kukri blade from her back sheath.  The Croatians quickly threw a handful of knives.  The Felidae Guard swung their weapons, deflecting most, but not all, of the blades.  A few ended up in Mane’s chest while Snow took a few along her left side.  Their enhanced musculature and fur prohibited the blades from hitting any vitals but blood began to run down their torsos as they moved in.  Mane swung his katars in an x-shape, slicing across Mikhail’s shoulders.  Meanwhile, Snow performed a somersault, using her kukri to deflect another throwing-knife.  As she closed in on Misha, her clawed foot swiped across her midsection, cutting her.  The Croatians backed away cautiously as they bled.  “Another day, my love?,” Mikhail asked and they both rushed to the stairwell.  The Felidae Guard watched them flee, then looked at Raphael for further orders.  “Stay with her,” Raphael pointed at Emily and then wheeled himself toward the nearby hospital room.

Inside, the large man tried to press his thumbs into Cavalier’s exposed eyes.  The knight reached up with both hands and bent one thumb back, eliciting a snap.  The man calmly stepped back and examined his now-broken thumb.  “I’ll make due,” he said nonchalantly and grabbed the IV pole next to the bed with his uninjured hand.  He swung the pole and Cavalier quickly ducked under it and slammed a fist into his ribs, but there was no reaction.  The assassin brought the pole down and Cavalier side-stepped it before bringing his heel against a kneecap.  The large man put some weight on it and there was an audible POP before he fell.  “Oh, that sucks,” he said as he examined his dislocated knee.

“You don’t feel anything,” Cavalier surmised.

“CIP,” he responded, “Congenital Insensitivity to Pain.”

“Who are you?”

“Yeah, I told you all I’m telling ya,” he laughed a bit, “Not like you can torture me for information.  Do your worst, sweetie pie!”

Cavalier turned to Raphael as he entered the room, “I need this guy to talk.  Think you can give him a massive guilt trip?”

“Certainly,” Raphael answered and lowered his sunglasses; a violet stream of light flew across the room and struck him.

“Oh man!  Shit, I’m sorry, guys,”  the bald man apologized as his demeanor changed.  “You asked my name, right?  I’m Graves.  I don’t really wanna kill ya. It’s just a job.”

“You’re a hitman?” Cavalier asked.

“Yeah.  Just a job.”

“And you’re working with those freaks with the knives?”

“Nah, but we’re in the same competition.”

“Competition?”

“There’s a hit list out on a bunch of people in New York.  Big money.  All kinds of contract killers from all over are interested. See, if one contractor fails to hit a target, the price on that target increases.  I followed the slavs to see if they’d find you.  I waited until they went after you and the other chick so the price on both your heads would go up.”

“So Emily’s a target as well?”

“Yeah, she is.  Like I said, I’m really sorry.  I just gotta get this off my chest.”

“Who else is on the list?”

“The police commissioner.  Charles Reins?  The Horseman, too.  Emily Koboshi has a price on her head, but killing any of the Metro Knights can earn some cash, really. It’s open season.”

“Who set you up to this?” Raphael asked.

“Don’t bother,” Cavalier shook his head, “I have a good idea.”

Continued…