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Adventure! RPG: Heroes of Our Time - episode 4: Killer in the Rain (part 2)


Alex Craft

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(Maryland Casualty Auditorium)

Alerted by Rhiannon's movement, the Monk glances at her, then starts to check on John. He's preempted, however, by King, who takes the Monk's moment of distraction as a chance to press an attack, jabbing, then kicking out again in a broad, sweeping motion at the level of the Monk's waist - drawing the Monk's attention back to himself and keeping the Monk on the defensive.

The Monk leaps back out of King's reach, firing twice into the other man. Given the dim light and the speed of the combatants, it is difficult to tell how badly King was hurt. Whatever the case, he seems to feel it, faltering in his advance and (after a split second of hesitation) diving a little gracelessly to the side.

The Monk's concentration on King gives John a chance to come from behind the assassin, quickly padding up to the Monk's back. The Monk hears him at the last minute, whirling away from John's singing cane and bringing up his gun to retaliate.

Reacting without truly pausing to think, John lungs forward and lashes out. It's at the very edge of his reach, but the tip of his gun catches the Monk's pistol and flicks it aside to clatter dully across the pavement a couple meters away.

The Monk lashes out in turn, lashing out with a flattened hand. He strikes not at John's body (well outside his range, considering John's far greater reach), but at John's arm, still extended - whiplike cane in hand. He lands a sharp, numbing blow on John's forearm, but John keeps ahold of his cane and falls back into a more defensible stance from which he can the advantage.

Rhiannon is not far, painfully catching her breath as she watches for a chance to be of use. She is attempting to staunch blood loss from the wound in her side, but it is deep, and she is still losing a lot of blood. A little ways away, King is picking himself up - a little more blood than Rhiannon could've expected saturating his shirt and vest.

Having previously moved to assist John and King in flanking the Monk, she finds herself more-or-less behind the Monk (now the the Monk has diverted his attention to John). She might find it possible to attack from his blind side, should she want to go for it. She has no gun (having left it lying across the rooftop), but the Monk's pistol is fairly close, and his knife is a little further.

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Blaine finishes wrapping the chain around the unconscious and groaning mob boss, looping it under his arm pits, and then gets a good grip with his left hand and stand with a groan of his own. The chains clank and strain as he begins to walk out the way he came, dragging 8-ball behind him.

"Let's go Joe, I ain't lettin' this som'bitch outta my sight til he's behind bars or in his grave."

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Crazy 8 groans and partially regains consciousness as he is manhandled, but the pain from that quickly puts him back under. Blaine's first couple of steps seem to aggravate his blood loss - the wound in his legs begins to leak blood at a greater rate, leaving a warm, red smear across the frost-coated floor.

After those first steps, Blaine has to concede the point to Jozsef. The beating he's taken since arriving at the meat packers isn't letting him slide - he can barely walk on his own, much less drag Crazy 8 (who is heavier than he looks) along behind. Jozsef takes a hold of the chains and lends a shoulder to Blaine.

Slowly, they drag their way through the cold meat and frigid air, finding their way back to the main operating floor.

* * *

Outside, Luca back off of Jameson a little, saying:

"That's funny, my man. [speaking over the top of the car] Hey Irish, we've got a funny man here."

Looking back down, he continues, "Nah, we'll let the detective have his day. If he gets bumped off, it ain't exactly going to keep us up at night, y'know? Point a fact, I think Mr. Cimino would actually sleep a little easier if he did. Your boy has a nice rep, I'll admit."

"Hold on, now ..."

Catching sight of Blaine and Jozsef stepping out of the ruined office, Luca steps back toward his own car - which puts our heroes' car on a rough line of sight between him and Blaine. Cassidy quickly follows suit, and the two of them wait for Blaine and Jozsef to make their slow and painful way to the entrance.

Blaine and Jozsef see the gangsters, of course, but there isn't much they can do about it, and it seems unlikely that they came to pick a fight. As they get to within spitting distance of the two cars, Luca steps forward, stepping in front of the two cars with Cassidy still covering the entire scene.

Luca's gun is relaxed, at his side. He himself steps casually up to Blaine and Jozsef, flicking his gun up for a moment and requesting, "Hold it there for a minute, would ya?"

He drops his weapon's aim again, but Cassidy's gun remains fixed on the other men. Circling around in a wary, mock-casual arc, Luca approaches Crazy 8's unconscious body. He checks Crazy 8 over, then steps back, gesturing and saying:

"Man's still alive ... maybe you misunderstood the conditions of Mr. Cimino's assistance?"

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Blaine's pale face and slumped figure is still unimpressed by Luca and Cassidy. He sways on his feet, and spits/drools a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"Maybe you misunderstand the nature of our relationship...that piece of shit Angel is your boss...not mine. I ain't no wiseguy, or muscle for the mob. That ain't what I do." he drops the end of chain he'd been token-holding onto. "I got him, not for you or that scum that still ain't got the balls to take responsibility for the monster that he helped make. Here...tough guy. Take the leash. Jozef, give him up." Blaine holds the chain up to Luca. "Just remember, some day you're gonna be danglin' at the end of my chain...and so's your boss. So whatever you do to him today I'll keep that in mind when I got you in the same spot."

Despite the blood loss, the bullet wounds, the battering and bruising, Blaine's eyes are as full of steel as ever.

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(Maryland Casualty Auditorium)

John keeps the Monk's attention - his background as a performer serving him reasonably well here. He tries to hold the Monk at a distance, using his cane to fend off the assassin. He does well, spinning his cane through a series of quick slashes and darting thrusts.

The Monk makes a move, trying to slip inside John's guard again, but John shifts his stance and parries - his weapon striking the Monk aside (though, unfortunately, failing to inflict serious damage). Following up, he advances after the Monk's retreat - pressing the Monk back and keeping his attention, while yet looking for an opening he can exploit.

Rhiannon uses John's flashy (though effective) moves as they were intended, running for the gun and snatching it up from the pavement. Shaky as she is, she finds it easier to drop to a crouch and take aim, steadying her hand while putting the Monk in her sights.

John keeps the assassin busy right up until the shot, leaping forward to press an attack just as Rhiannon fires. It seems that the Monk spots Rhiannon at the last moment, but he is forced to deal with John - lunging to escape the magician's lashing cane.

Rhiannon adjusts her aim slightly and fires, catching the Monk still off balance. The gloom again makes it difficult to make out the details, but the Monk staggers, then crumples - hitting the ground, and remaining motionless.

Our heroes hold their positions for a moment, uncertain as to whether this is the real thing or not, until King steps forward, slowly. He nudges the Monk with a foot, then (receiving no response) flips the man over on his back. It looks as if the Monk has a few bullets in him - all leaking greater or smaller amounts of bodily fluids - and the rest of the evening's athletics can't have done him much good.

King says, after a moment: "He isn't dead, but I think he will be, soon. I suppose ... since he was hired for this job second-hand, he probably doesn't know why. So nuts to 'em. Are you alright, Mr. Frederickson? Rhiannon?"

In truth, none of the three are in any condition for more exertion. John and Rhiannon are both wounded, and it looks as if King took at least four bullets this evening. He doesn't seem to be badly injured, though - all the rounds appearing to have achieved only glancing strikes.

Before long, police sirens are joining the final notes wafting up from the opera below - the warble of a ambulance accompanying them. King takes note and, rising from an examination of Rhiannon's wounds, states:

"We had better get you downstairs, my dear. You need medical attention, and more urgently than either of us."

* * *

The opera is just ending as the trio makes it to the ground floor - their tattered, bloodstained appearances producing a wave of chatter among the patrons issuing out of the opera hall. They are met, as well, by police rushing in from off the street, followed closely by a pair of medics with a stretcher.

King ignores the bystanders and speaks with the police - his word sending several officers rushing past our heroes toward the rooftop as King insists that Rhiannon be bundled away into the ambulance. She protests, but to little avail ... and she is feeling rather torn up.

The ambulance's siren is fading as John and King are bandaged by the remaining medic in the lobby - opera goers huddled around a small police line. The crowd is broken up a bit by distraction and horror as the Monk is carried down from above, dead before he reached the ground floor.

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(Stadler Beef, Inc.)

Luca gets a light in his eye, but he refrains from saying anything antagonistic - instead shouting out in a laconic drawl: "Hey, Cass! Come and take out the trash, will ya?"

Relaxing his guard, Cassidy steps out of the rain, walking toward the group of men in a half-ready stance. Stepping around behind Luca, he crouches over Crazy 8 and easily hefts the crime lord's unconscious body - gripping the chains where they wrap around his body and slinging him over his shoulder.

Cassidy awkwardly attempts to keep his gun readied while toting Crazy 8, but Luca gestures toward the door with his pistol and says, "Get going. I got your back covered."

As Cassidy walks off toward the entrance (Crazy 8's body failing to slow him discernibly to any discernible extent), passing cautiously around the team's car and sticking Crazy 8 in the back of his and Luca's car. Luca watches him go, and - the transfer complete - tips his hat and gives Blaine a beautiful smile, saying:

"Jus' look me up someday, shamus. I'm looking forward to it."

Turning his back, he strolls away, giving Jameson a glance and a wink on the way by. Swinging himself into his car's driver's seat, he guns the engine and the vehicle pulls away in a squeal of rubber on wet asphalt. It doesn't go far - shooting out onto the street and braking alongside the car parked across from the meat packing plant.

Something is going on between the two cars as Blaine and Jozsef fit themselves into their car, but the bulk of Luca and Cassidy's sedan blocks any view of those events. With everyone finally on board, Locky pulls out into the parking lot and hauls around on the wheel - intending to set out for the nearest hospital.

As he pulls around to face the street, a gunshot rings out, and (moments later) the two cars speed off down the street. Getting closer, the group recognizes Crazy 8's body, devoid of chains and laying face down to the side of the street - rain already washing away the blood seeping from his body. From the manner and positioning of his body, he could almost have been shot while attempting to flee the meat packing plant.

The police won't care one way or another, and there are too many wounded in the team to stop and do anything. Driving on, they leave Crazy 8 as he probably deserves - laying dead and alone, face down in a ditch.

* * *

Locky's has lived in this city all his life - it isn't a problem for him to find a hospital. Getting admittance is a little more difficult, but Locky (the only particularly intact member of the team) is beginning to find that the name of Anthony King can open doors all over Baltimore.

The other three team members are quickly hustled off to be put under doctors' attentions, leaving Locky to wait. Jozsef keeps him some company - sitting nearby, wincing as he applies an ice pack to his contusions. Shortly, it occurs to Locky to contact the K.I.S. main office (informing the company of the events at the meat packing plant and learning of the Monk's failed attack on King at the opera house).

The company assures him that they will take care of the police, telling him that he should stay somewhere accessible - King will probably want to debrief him the next day. None of the others are critically injured, though they will likely be a long time recovering - so, eventually, he borrows fare from Jozsef and calls for a cab home.

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The next day, King has arranged for the injured team members to be transferred the the same hospital - a top end institution sponsored primarily by K.I.S. As the doctors and nurses examine and fuss over them, he talks to them one by one, getting their respective angles on the previous day's events.

He spends a long time speaking privately with Rhiannon, and she is gone before the day is out, transferred elsewhere to be cared for under different circumstances. The next day, a pretty young Chinese woman identifying herself as Rhiannon's maid arrives - retrieving the handful of things Rhiannon left behind but answering few questions.

When King is done debriefing the team members, he thanks them - assuring them that they'll have a good, long break after this. Months, unless something comes up, and he certainly won't be sending them out until after they are fully recovered.

Despite the relative success of the previous day's events, he seems somewhat settled, and, really, the team can guess why. With both the Monk and Crazy 8 dead, there is nobody who can tell him who ordered his death. King is a man used to being in control of his circumstances, and last night's assassination attempt was something that he could only react to. It seems unlikely that he will rest until he has rooted out this faceless enemy, whomever that might turn out to be.

END
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