----------------------------------------
Jordan sat next to his sister's bed, just softly running his fingers through her long hair. Jana had always wanted long hair, but had been too much of a wild child to be able to manage it…
Never one to sit still, and always one to somehow manage to finagle getting gum, glue, glitter - and that one time - Marinara - into her hair, it made long hair something of an impossibility for her.
Jana certainly wasn't going to clean up her hair when she had her big brother to throw puppy dog eyes at to do the task.
Only good thing out of all of this… She'll get her wish when she wakes up, he thought sadly. Long hair was hardly enough to make up for failing to keep her safe, for failing to save her, but it was a minimal start.
And he'd ensure it was always pristine, so she could finally achieve some of her dream of being a Disney princess.
Hopefully invulnerability would help her feel like it as well one day. And more importantly it would keep her safe.
He looked down at her peaceful face, heart aching, wondering how on earth Panacea could look into a face like this and decide it wasn't worth it.
He'd move mountains and drown continents for her… He just needed the time… Time enough to make sure she made it through.
"I'm sorry, Jana." He muttered, leading down and kissing her forehead gently, your brother is not a very good person… I'm sorry…
The urge to go after Panacea right away was incredibly hard to wrangle down, something in him just crying out for an immediate solution. To save Jana, right now, this minute, no more delays.
If this world was even the slightest bit more manageable, he'd do it. Kill Panacea, save his sister, and then get caught and birdcaged, safe in the knowledge his sister would at least have a life now. He'd gladly toss his life away if it meant she lived a happy safe existence.
She'd miss him, but she'd live.
But Earth Bet was a hellish world, he couldn't leave Jana alone, without protection, he couldn't heal her too soon, too many god damn couldn'ts all around….
Perhaps it had been fortituos that he'd failed at giving her regeneration, his heart deciding something his head said was too dangerous in that moment.
Healing her while he had no defenses, no set up to keep her safe… What had he been thinking?
He knew exactly what he'd been thinking, he'd been looking at her face, and thinking he'd get to see her smile again.
If only he knew someone that was the fabled fanon blindspot, someone to blind thinkers and Contessa and all of them, then he could just kill Panacea and run off in the night, none the wiser. Without the threat of the entirety of the PRT coming down on his head before he was ready.
The only ones he knew about, were very very dangerous capes he couldn't risk going after anyway, mooting the point. Killing someone like Eidolon wasn't exactly an easy task, not to mention how much he didn't want the Simurgh to decide she needed to protect the High Priest by preemptively taking care of Jordan.
So no. No thoughts on killing Eidolon.
Softly he began to sing, his voice was hardly good enough for it, but his sister had always loved it anyway.
Something about her big badass brother singing Disney princesses songs had tickled her absolutely pink, and she could never get enough of it.
He could perhaps kill Uber and gain an elite skill in singing for her, but he had a feeling that half the point of his ridiculous renditions of the songs was just how bad he was at it.
Jordan knew that if she was upset, or sad, all he had to do was sing horribly, and she'd have the biggest smile on her face within minutes. It never failed.
Hero, she'd always called him… Her own personal hero…
Hah, look at me now… Hero…
He stroked her hair as he continued to sing, trying his hardest to not sound melancholy as he sang the ridiculously disneyfied songs.
I'm no hero… But I'll save you, I promise.
Please forgive me…
…
Jordan exited the room, wiping his expression off his face as he came face to face with Han. He couldn't be seen as weak in front of the minions.
"She likes the scent of jasmine, I have a few candles specifically for that in the top left drawer, to make her feel at home. She likes classical music when it's closer to nighttime, but pop music and Disney when it's earlier in the day, don't let her hair get tangled, she loves her hair, I…" Jordan let out a shuddering breath, his face hardening as a counterbalance to his rambling and obvious show of weakness, "Call me immediately if there's something you're unsure of, Mai will be in to ensure she's washed and her other needs are met, just… Keep her entertained, keep her safe."
He closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on, as it always did after he cried. He'd wiped away the evidence of course - this wasn't a Disney story, tears or a kiss wouldn't wake the princess, it just showed how much he'd failed, that all he could do was hold her and cry. "She… She likes to be read to, anything will do, I have a few books… If you want… It's fine if you're slow."
Han didn't say anything, nodding slowly, a sympathetic look on his usually inscrutable wrinkly face.
He'd gotten something similar already the other three times Jordan had spoken to him about this, and the old man had been much more sympathetic to him after finding out exactly why Jordan was in a life of crime.
Jordan hesitated, trying to remember anything else, anything to make Jana more comfortable, but the only things that came to mind were things that were special, things that were between the two of them, "Just… I'll always be reachable by phone." He finished lamely, hurrying out of the apartment. Feeling guilty for leaving Jana with what was basically a stranger.
But it was another cross for him to bear, abandoning her, so that he could grow strong enough to protect her, to bring her back.
He needed Mai was what it came down to, needed her to work for him, to plan and coordinate - and she couldn't spend all day watching over his sister for that to work - it would be enough that she would be over to help with her hygiene needs every so often.
Han was likely as loyal as a person he could get outside Mai, and held no real use for him for gang related activities, so for him to be a caretaker of Jana going forward, it just made sense.
It still made him itch, gave him this feeling of wrongness in him, that he was not doing enough for his sister, that he was failing her everyday.
Because he was.
He had excuses for why, and they were even valid, he thought.
But it didn't make it any less of a failure.
He took a deep breath, centering himself, not wanting to enter Mai's apartment in obvious distress.
Him beating himself up didn't do anything, didn't help. He needed to be better…
For too long he'd depended completely on Mai, because without her assistance, he'd be stuck sitting at his sister's bedside watching her die, unable to go out and get what she needed as that would mean leaving her on her own for hours and maybe days on end, depending on how things went.
He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened had he gotten himself killed without anyone to look after Jana, even if only to dump her off with the authorities to be looked after.
It had made their relationship one that swayed heavily towards Mai, because Jordan needed her more than he needed air.
Now… He needed to get out of that mentality, he needed to be the boss, he needed to be the one with power. Because no gang would respect a boss who was led around the nose by their unpowered minion.
He still owed Mai everything, but he couldn't continue on the same track as before, appeasing her and fearing a sudden reversal of her willingness to assist him. Now, she was the one to live and die at his sufferance, not that he'd kill her, but the power balance in the relationship had changed irrevocably, and he needed to act like it.
He pushed the door open, after having forcibly calmed himself down, entering to a whirlwind of action, as Sun Hee ran around setting up flow charts and putting pins in a wall sized map of the city, all directed by sharp orders from Mai, who was studying a whiteboard intently.
Where did she even get a wall sized map of the town? Jordan wondered. Her unusual competence would be something they would have to discuss eventually.
It was too weird.
Both of the women greeted him, calling out, "Boss." One cheerfully, and one with a dry almost sarcastic voice, no hints as to which was which…
Jordan had given Mai a list of every hero and villain in Brockton Bay that he could remember, and their powers, and that's what was listed on the whiteboard as he approached.
In order of who Mai thought would be most useful to kill, all labeled and sorted and even color coordinated.
He never knew murder could look so… Nerdy. Not that he'd voice that thought.
Jordan did a double take as he noted some of the names, "I'm not killing Vista, Mai!" He objected, slightly horrified at the idea, Shadow Stalker had been bad enough, as horrible a person as she was, she'd still been what? 15? Something he still felt guilty for.
Even if she was an absolutely horrible person that certainly deserved something bad to happen, but he wasn't sure death was it.
Vista was even younger. No, it wasn't happening, just nope! He stepped up, grabbing a marker, crossing Vista's name off the list, noting how highly placed it was, quickly crossing over another name, then another. "No, we're not killing Aegis or Clockblocker either, what the hell, Mai? Are you trying to get me a kill order? We're not killing the Wards!"
No matter how useful their powers are… He thought, eyeing the board, easily admitting that if they were talking about adults, or at least those around his own age… He'd go after them. Aegis was around there, and once he went Protectorate, maybe. But Vista and Clockblocker, no.
Immediately his mind went to Aegis' death against Leviathan, and how he could maybe get the killshot before that happened, not wasting his power - since he would die anyway.
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Fuck that, I'm not going to keep Jana in the same city as a known Endbringer attack, we'll be gone before then! And no killing Wards… Again.
Mai sighed, grabbing an eraser and removing the three names, "Fine, but realize once you're out, you're going to get a kill order no matter what, so whether Wards are dying or not - it won't make much of a difference."
Sun Hee interjected, having finished her latest task of stapling several papers filled with addresses onto a clear patch of wall, "But we'll look really bad as a gang if we're killing kids, right? I mean not even the Empire 88 does that."
From the uncomfortable tone of her voice, Sun Hee really didn't like the idea of being known as child killers.
Good, showed she wasn't all crazy in there.
"Not publically anyway." Mai said wryly, but she acquiesced to the point, tilting her head slightly, "You are right from a PR standpoint, if that's something we care about?" She looked at Jordan for that, her face showing no inclination towards either choice.
Jordan didn't hesitate, nodding firmly, crossing his arms to enforce with his posture that he was not messing around with this. "I might be in the process of making a criminal gang, but killing kids is not something we should be doing, same as trafficking, sex slavery and the other more reprehensible actions of the gangs in Brockton Bay."
Sun Hee looked relieved, as she got back to work, a gesture from Mai towards yet another stack of papers getting her moving. No doubt she'd been worried about exactly what she'd sworn loyalty to for saving her grandfather.
"It will make recruitment easier." Mai acknowledged," She nodded towards the various papers of addresses and names on the wall," That's safehouses and stash houses I remember, although some are likely outdated, the names are of people who might be amenable to a change."
She snorted, rolling her eyes slightly, poking him in the arm, "And realize you will have to actually do some illegal things to make money, you can't just discard it all." She reminded him.
Jordan scoffed, knowing she was right, but not about those things. He didn't need to do those to make money, there were better ways.
Jordan eyed the many many lists of addresses and names that were pinned or stapled up on the wall. No regular gang member would know this much, no prostitute would get this kind of information, it just wasn't possible.
There was just too much.
He waved Mai over to the corner, so they could speak privately without Sun Hee overhearing. Mai followed him with a resigned look on her face. No doubt she'd immediately understood what he was after, she'd likely known the second she began preparing all this - that it would bring questions.
"So do I need to ask, or are you going to make it easy and explain this?" Jordan asked seriously, keeping his posture loose, not wanting to make it seem like he was threatening her, just demanding an explanation.
With his size and muscles, it was all too easy to come off as intimidating just standing still.
Mai smiled wryly, but with a hint of melancholy, "It's a shitty story, you sure you want to know more?"
Jordan's features tightened, "I don't really want to know more, except for who to kill." He said slowly, fists clenching slightly at the thought of what he already knew just being the tip of the iceberg. "But I need to know I can trust you, and all this information… You don't get all this unless you're high up in a gang, Mai."
"Almost right." She said with a small approving nod, "My father used to control the Black Dragons, a Japanese gang in Brockton Bay before Lung arrived, it was the largest Asian gang, and makes up the larger part of the ABB now."
Jordan winced, an Asian gang with a dragon theme… Yeah Lung would have definitely not allowed that to continue on. "I'm assuming Lung took over everything?" He asked, resignedly, knowing this was only going to get worse.
But he needed to know, as much as he didn't want to. He couldn't let Mai continue on with so many secrets if he wanted to trust her with a lofty position.
Mai nodded, a solemn look on her face as she crossed her arms over, rubbing at her forearms self-consciously, "Yeah… I knew so much because even as a little girl, my father would have me around the office, would teach me how to run a gang, how to get respect, and tribute. He had wanted me to take over…" She chuckled harshly, face twisting in anger, "So that's what those names and addresses are, things I used to know, added in with whatever scraps I found while in the ABB's care."
Jordan put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently, "I'm sorry, Mai, but thank you for telling me, I know it must have been hard for you, with Lung killing your dad and taking over everything you had, making you suffer as he did after, he will pay one day, I'll make sure of it." He promised.
Mai snorted, her eyes glossy and almost dead looking, so unlike her normally scathing intelligent look, "Lung didn't kill my father… He demanded tribute, he demanded for my father to prove his loyalty to the Dragon."
Jordan sucked in a breath, seeing where this was going, his hand spasming on Mai's shoulder.
Mai continued on, a bitter curl to her lips, "My father brought me to the brothel himself, and to prove his loyalty, he participated in the initiation to break me properly for my new masters. He's one of Lung's topmost lieutenants now…" She laughed shortly, "I heard my mother killed herself the same day… Smart woman."
What do you even say to that?
How can you even…
He should have killed himself before allowing his daughter….
Jordan felt angrier then he had for a long time. Almost on par with his anger towards Panacea.
"That's so horrible and sad! I'm so sorry you went through that Mai-neechan!" Sun Hee cried, tears falling down her face as she threw her arms around Mai.
Both of us jumped, cursing at the same time. We'd completely forgotten about Sun Hee's existence after going to the corner, which meant she'd used her power to listen in.
Exactly as she'd been warned not to ever do to the both of them…
"What did we say about using your power on us!?" Jordan barked out, sternly, glaring down at Sun Hee, who was holding onto Mai as hard as she could, as the aloof teenager tried to extracitate herself from the embrace, pushing one hand against the Korean girl's face.
"I wasn't going to, but Mai-neechan looked super sad, and I just had to see what it was about so I could help!" Sun Hee defended herself, letting go of Mai and jumping back - rubbing her face from where Mai had vigorously pushed at her.
"You're not Japanese, quit it with that bullshit!" Mai ordered, taking a step back, looking like she was going to break out in hives from the close contact and sudden intimacy.
Sun Hee got a stubborn look on her face that Jordan just knew didn't bode well. "No! You're my Neechan now. You need one, and I'm going to make sure you're never hurt again!"
Jordan and Mai both shared the uncomfortable realization that they had no idea what to do, sharing a glance, both asking the other to please deal with the situation.
Meanwhile the Korean woman that was technically older than both of them, beamed at them, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "And I'll definitely help Jordan get your dad and Lung, they deserve everything that's coming for them!" Sun Hee promised somehow pairing a vicious tone with a bright grin.
At least… She broke the mood? Jordan thought, not sure he had any idea of what to even say to Mai after that revelation.
Her father was going to die, he decided.
The second he had a name.
He was dead.
Worst case, he could just kill every lieutenant in the ABB.
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The same time, PRT HQ, Brockton Bay,
"You said they would be safe!' Ethan spat out, bursting into the Director's office, the door slamming into the wall from the force he'd opened it with.
Director Emily Piggot didn't even flinch, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at his entrance, before pursing her lips, speaking into the receiver of the phone she was holding to her ear, "We'll continue this later, Calvert. You'll take no action without actionable intel, that is final! There is absolutely no proof that the Empire has lost any capes, you will do nothing!" Her voice dripped with distaste, before she forcefully slammed the landline down, cold assessing eyes on him, before they drifted to the entrance behind him, and the PRT troopers with raised rifles that stood at the ready.
"At ease." She ordered clippedly, the troopers lowering their rifles, but notably not leaving the area. "Close the door, Assault, there's no need for any more gossip than you've already engineered with such a ham handed entrance." Director Piggot said shortly, "The heroes of the Protectorate can always reach me on short notice through official channels…" She drawled, sneering slightly as she emphasized the word heroes.
Ethan knew Piggot wasn't exactly fond of any of the parahumans on the team to begin with - but him, she disliked above all, due to his… Previous career. But he'd respected her at least, as a professional, someone who could do the job even if she disliked the people under her. But now…
She hadn't kept her end of the bargain.
Ethan closed the door, probably more forcefully than was wise for the rumor mill… Before turning back to Piggot, incensed, but knowing better then to shout or rage, that would get him nowhere with the Director. "You ordered me to make use of my previous contacts…" He started lowly, teeth gritting together.
Director Piggot, nodded, her entire mien one of complete disregard of his feelings on the matter, "It was one of the conditions of your 'transfer' from Madcap to Assault." She said coldly, eyes narrowing, "One you avoided as much as you could until recently, my orders are not 'suggestions', your network needed to be disbanded, it's only due to simple logic and expediency that I was allowing their transfer as PRT assets instead of jailing them."
For all their talk of the law, Ethan thought, they were so cavalier in the PRT about bending it at their whim. Sometimes he didn't feel very different from his villainous days, working here. Today was one of them. These people had trusted him. And he'd betrayed that trust, while foolishly believing the PRT would hold up their end of the bargain.
Director Piggot continued, "They are, one and all, criminals, there was always the risk they'd suffer a bad end, irregardless of any machinations on our part."
Ethan grimaced, hands clenched into fists as he took in the absolute uncaring attitude of his boss. He'd sacrificed a lot over the years, but selling out his network had cost him the most. People that had assisted him, that had supplied him for all those times that he broke people out before they could be birdcaged - sold out to his boss to save his burgeoning hero career and his relationship.
Some days he wondered if they were even the good guys.
He'd taken solace in the fact that Director Piggot was at least a pragmatic woman, seeing more use in using his contacts for the PRT's benefit, then throwing the book at them and locking them away. He could give them that at least, a nominal freedom, instead of a cell.
He hadn't spoken to any of them after their arrangements were made, the freedom offered by the PRT, a heavy chain around their camaraderie, one that likely severed his relationship with everyone he'd once held dear.
He stepped forward, growling as he placed his hands down on Piggot's desk, looming over her, "Sun Hee and Han weren't fucking taken into PRT custody though, were they? And what about the poor people that owned Shoaling's?" He snarled, "You promised me that my contacts would be protected if I sold them out!"
What stung him the most, was that he'd likely have ended up doing the same thing even without those protections, he truly was a selfish bastard in the end. "They didn't deserve to be dragged out of their store to be lynched!"
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Director Piggot snapped back at him, her voice colder than the arctic, "Assault, get your hands off my desk and stand up properly, unless you'd prefer a suspension, with a course on intimidation tactics in the workplace tacked on, paid for with a deduction of your wage."
Ethan backed off, still seething, a feeling of desperation budding within him, but not enough to risk his career here, not enough to lose everything he gave up so much for. "No, Director Piggot." He said, struggling to keep his voice level. "I understand, I didn't mean to appear threatening, I simply wanted answers."
Director Piggot scoffed, shaking her head, "I expected better of you, Assault." She said matter of factly, eyes boring into him, "You know as well as I do that things don't always work out in the field, or at least you should…" She let that hang in the air for a moment as Ethan took the reprimanding tone without flinching, "Out of all your contacts, this situation is the only one that has gone so poorly, we had intended to shake down who supplied your contacts only, since you assured me your contacts would not talk."
Ethan did flinch this time, because he had been the one to argue that Han would never sell out his suppliers. All he knew was that they were not from any of the gangs in Brockton Bay. Hence why Piggot was mildly interested in the matter. Hence why Assault had convinced his contacts they were under his protection, even as a hero, so he could visit openly. So that he could keep the connection while the supplier would likely begin to change their habits, spooked by the hero's presence - giving them a shot at catching them as any changes in habits and methods of delivery - would make them easier to catch.
Or at least would make it more likely Han might slip and tell Ethan something about his supplier, even if only in anger.
Even though Han mostly sold normal weapons, he did have other things to offer to his more discerning customers… Ethan knew tinkertech was on the table. Hence the interest from the PRT.
And they'd all horrendously underestimated the reaction of the gangs to their little ploy, thinking Han was unaffiliated with the ABB, that it would be enough.
Ethan hadn't argued hard enough.
Director Piggot for the first time softened slightly, even if her eyes remained cold, her expression seemingly more worn, more tired. "Assault… No one could have expected the ABB to go to such lengths, they have stayed out of the way of purposely antagonizing us since Lung showed his strength… We could not have predicted this escalation against two 'harmless unaffiliated civilians', if anything your continued presence should have held them back."
For all that Brockton Bay had a horrible reputation, the gangs did not in fact tend to smash down entire businesses and kill people so openly, Ethan knew. Unless Lung was on a rampage, then all bets were off.
It just didn't make any money for the gangs and it didn't help build their reputation to do such things in their own territory, such attacks were usually being utilized in gang wars against other gangs assets, not their own civilians.
As much as it galled anyone in the PRT and Protectorate to classify any of the civilians living in those areas as 'belonging' to the gangs, it was a reality.
Ethan didn't like it, he didn't like it at all, it sounded like worthless excuses for an operation that had been all too risky, one he had protested vigorously against. "We haven't found a trace of them, the ABB might have…" He didn't want to voice it, the thought too horrible.
He also didn't want to admit to the tiny nagging voice inside who argued that Piggot was right, that no one out of everyone involved had even considered such a reaction happening, not with how quiet the ABB had been in that area lately.
Director Piggot did not have any such compunctions, more than anyone, she was used to speaking about horrific events. "Yes, the girl is likely lost to us, the grandfather likely dead, it is a regrettable loss, but these things happen in the field, we could not have predicted it." She said, already looking away from him, onto her computer screen, "Was that all, Assault?" She asked, unconcerned.
Ethan shook his head, standing firm, "We should rescue them, it's our fault they are in this situation. It is what heroes do." He stressed, trying to keep his voice steady and calm, not allowing any pleading note to come to the surface.
It was his fault dammit! They couldn't just wash their hands off them!
Director Piggot glanced at him, typing something on the keyboard, her expression dark, lips turned down, "Assault…" She shook her head, "You know as well as I do that we have no information on their whereabouts, no leads to them, no clue if they're even alive, meanwhile we have both the Empire and the ABB out in the streets in full, this matter is closed, it is unfortunate that this happened, but our hands are tied." The note of finality struck hard, as Piggot seemed to completely dismiss his presence, working away at her computer.
Ethan wanted to argue, but there was just no avenue forward that he could see. Not with the streets suddenly flaring up again, ABB on the warpath because some independent killed off the group that had sacked Shoaling's, (good riddance, but also suspicious timing) with the Empire on the warpath, likely because the ABB was making noise… Two civilians (or criminals as classified by the PRT) were just too small of a worry for the Director, he could even understand it somewhat. Even as it rankled.
"Thank you for your time, Director Piggot." He said stiffly, before turning to leave.
Just as he opened the door, coming face to face with the PRT troopers outside, Director Piggot called out to him, the command easily heard into the hallway, "Assault, you're on ward sitting duty for the next week, console or training only, no patrols." She ordered, her voice like a steel trap, closing off the half born ideas that were percolating in his head.
He clenched his teeth, hard. "Yes, Director." He said stiffly, before walking away.
Director Piggot had stopped him from going out and searching for them himself, fine. He'd just have to get creative then.
He'd just have to find this Grue, and ask him some pointed question of what he'd seen of his contacts outside Shoaling's…
As a hero, it was his job to apprehend villains, Piggot couldn't complain if he brought the guy in…
He couldn't toss his career away for this, not… Not when the love of his life was part of the equation.
But he could do his best to find them, to get them into the PRT where they would be safe, if under watch.
Or at the very least…
If they'd been killed, he could get that bastard Grue, and send him personally into the Birdcage.
He didn't have enough strikes yet, but Ethan would find a way.
There had been that big black guy in there when he'd visited… He didn't match the file they had on Brian Laborn… But…
He was as good as any avenue to start with, now he just needed to ask for a few favors…
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Some time later,
Jordan had spent most of the day going through everything Mai had, deciding on what places to check, who was worth surreptitiously contacting. Mai's knowledge was slightly out of date, except for whatever ABB knowledge she'd scrounged up, but unless a stash house or safe house was busted up by the BBPD, it's unlikely it would have changed much from the gangs before Lung, to the ABB - most locations likely still in use.
Mai had refused to give her father's name, unfortunately. But he still had a hankering to go out and put the squeeze on some of Lung's people.
Not something he'd thought he'd say this soon, but Mai had made a good point. The Empire was weakened, but no one likely knew, so if Lung could be pointed at the Empire, the resulting gang war would leave them as the ultimate winners, they didn't need territory right now, other than maybe a good safe house or warehouse - they needed people.
And lots of people in bad situations could disappear in the middle of a gang war, and no one would look, assuming they'd died.
Or that was the general idea.
So now that it was getting darker out, he and Sun Hee were on a mission, one that required stealth as they couldn't be fingered as the assailants - which fortunately Sun Hee was literally the ideal partner for. Mai and he had come up with a workaround for the fact that she'd disappear from his memories, a fact that made any plan they made to hit somewhere difficult - it would end up ill executed the second Sun Hee disappeared into the shadows as he made moves without realizing she was there.
Essentially, one part was simply notes that told him what partner he had and what she'd be doing, with him needing to get into the habit of always checking before he hit somewhere. The second part was that most of the plan they'd make was to plan a standard operating procedure for the two of them together - mostly Mai's idea.
That way, even if Jordan wasn't aware of Sun Hee or what she was doing, he'd know from the plan, that while he'd tackle the largest congregation of targets, the ones on the outside or by themselves would be picked off by his partner, and to expect the possibility one of the targets would turn on their people, and not to freak out and blast everything fearing an enemy Master.
This way, even if he'd lose the memory of who or what his partner was, he still had the plan, and the written down information to remember exactly what he needed to be doing.
It wouldn't work for spontaneous fights, or for unexpected circumstances, but it would at least make for a baseline allowing them to work together. And at least even in an ambush or unexpected fight, he'd have the notes to remind him that the unknown Master/Stranger was on his side.
Sun Hee would likely do best working on her own, once she was trained up enough he and Mai could trust her to do so.
"Sun Hee, do you feel up to it? We can do it another night if it's too much, too soon…" He asked quietly, the both of them sitting on a rooftop opposite of one of the marked down stash houses that had belonged to the Black Dragons, before they became part of the ABB.
They were both masked up, even if neither of them wore a costume, both in regular street wear, Sun Hee taking deep steadying breaths as she watched the obviously occupied building ahead of them.
Before this mission, Jordan had unloaded several skills on both her and Han, in Han's case, medical skills and caregiver skills to make him better suited to take care of his sister.
And in Sun Hee's case, firearms training that was stolen from a PRT agent in a coma, as well as from a retired cop. Adding on several skills to do with fighting or sneaking around, even having managed an honest to god cat burglar from one of the long term care homes.
It would hopefully ease her into fighting without some of the hang ups a normal civilian would have.
It took her a while to answer him, and Jordan didn't push her, she was too valuable an asset to risk alienating, which was likely why Mai wasn't kicking up more of a fuss over the whole Neechan thing.
"I can do it." She said quietly, finally. Her eyes determined above her simple cloth mask, "No one can see me anyway, I can do it."
Jordan nodded, patting her on the back, "Good job, little Sun, I knew I could count on you." He said, appropriating the nickname he'd heard both Assault and Han use for her. Feeling the muscles in her back loosening somewhat at the support.
"Go on my mark." He said quietly, looking down at his forearm, where'd he'd taped the note that would explain what was going on when he forgot her.
"Go." He said, spying a gang member walking up to the stash house.
He blinked, shaking his head, wondering what he was waiting for, he had a stash house to hit.
He noticed the note attached to his arm, reading it, feeling slightly confused and suspicious.
But it is my handwriting, and Mai's, who would be able to fake both of ours and why…?
So I have a stranger assisting me huh?
Jordan sat down to wait, as the note said, no harm in just waiting, worst case, he'd just have to abandon this stash house and find another.
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With Sun Hee.
She could have taken control over the gang member who's shadow she'd jumped to, but she didn't know any secret passwords or anything else to gain access to the house, or know the names of anyone inside, it would be useless until it was time to fight.
She controlled their bodies, not their thoughts or anything, so she couldn't parse any rituals the gang members had between them or code words, making it pointless to try and walk in while controlling him, he'd just make a scene when she left and he acted all confused.
So she simply jumped into his shadow long enough to be brought closer to the house, avoiding the temptation that lingered just under the surface, to take over the man, one like those who'd attempted to kill her gramps, to make him kill his own friends, see how he'd like it!
But she refrained, they were all getting theirs soon enough, Mai-neechan and the boss would ensure it.
While she was in a shadow, her sight was kind of weird, like monochrome and stuff, with shadows she could use standing out in a fuzzy weird way. It made it harder to concentrate on what wasn't shadows, but she could do it, if she focused.
Focusing was like her mortal enemy, so it was really mean that her power seemed to require a lot of it!
She didn't know why she couldn't use some shadows, but could use others, but the porch light gave enough shadows that she could jump onto the porch, and from there, seeing into the house and the many shadows there, she was inside.
She could have just hung onto the man's shadow until he was inside, but he was just standing there, talking with the guy at the door, and she didn't want to wait until they both went inside, the boss was counting on her!
Just in the living area, she spotted four people, drinking and playing cards. As she looked around from the shadow of the couch, she didn't see any drugs, but she saw a lot of guns laying around, and several heavy looking cases.
Weapons stash? She wondered.
They'd thought it was a drug house, but maybe it was a weapons stash instead?
That was kind of better wasn't it? It would really piss Lung off, right?
She shuddered slightly, she would have never imagined anyone wanting to piss Lung off before now. At least they were making him mad at someone else.
She moved along through the shadows, checking other rooms, sometimes needing to finagle herself around to odd positions to get line of sight into another room.
The entire bottom floor had more cases stacked against the wall in several rooms, including the kitchen, and no sign of anything like drugs, except a pipe that a lone gang member was using in the kitchen.
She bit her lip in indecision, the only stairwell that led up to the second floor was crazy lit up, leaving her no way to line of sight shadow hop to the second floor. It also made her suspicious of what they were guarding up there that they so religiously kept the way up, lit up.
The stairwell was also guarded, the guy with the pipe sitting in the kitchen watching it, one hand one a shotgun, even as he smoked.
Well, only one way forward, she thought cheerfully, not one to back down just because things got a little more difficult.
The boss had faced down a lot of armed men just to save her and Gramps, the least she could do was move around some dirtbag.
She dived into the shadow of the pipe smoking gang member, focusing on stretching the shadow, his shadow, up and over him. The process took a few moments to her senses, but flowed over the gang member in a second.
She blinked, glad to have normal vision back again, gently putting the pipe down, scrunching her nose at the smell. It felt really weird to have a dick though, she kind of wished more women were gang members, feeling bodies like this was just freaky.
Like how did they deal with it just dangling around all day?
Oh yuck!
Apparently thinking about it was waking it up, Ew, Ew, Ew. She didn't need to know what that felt like!
Time to go. Don't think. Ew.
Trying to not make too much noise, she left the kitchen, heading straight up the stairwell, wincing as some of the steps creaked, stopping momentarily and looking back to see if anyone had heard.
Luckily the TV was on, and the guys playing cards were loud enough over that as well, that no one heard or came to investigate.
She made it up to the second floor, letting out a breath, it was kind of nerve-racking sneaking around, even knowing it wasn't even her body, which was still, she felt, hanging around in the man's shadow as she piloted him.
She was faced with four doors and a dirty hallway, no real good way to explore through shadows, so she continued on with her meat puppet.
Ugh, definitely shouldn't call it that, I feel disgusted now. I need to ask Mai-neechan for a better name for it.
The first door she opened was just a simple bathroom, pretty dirty, but simple, nothing exciting to see, so she gently closed the door, happy the hinges were at least well oiled in this place.
The second door, when she opened it, brought out a terrified squeak from its occupant.
Sun Hee froze in the doorway, eyes wide. The room was plain, it had no furniture other than a bed, no adornments on the wall.
No clothes on the girl chained to the bed….
"Please no…. please!" The girl whimpered, her red eyes puffy, her body covered in bruises, with that, Sun Hee quickly backed out of the room, closing the door, leaning back against it trying to not freak out.
The fear in that girl's eyes, looking at her. Not me, it's not me!
She felt bile rising up, and pushed it down, she had a mission to finish. And I'm definitely saving that girl! She thought, for the first time, really paying attention to the shotgun she was carrying along.
These bastards…
Sun Hee wasn't a very violent person, not really, that's one of the reasons why she'd always ended up back home, alone, working with Gramps, away from other people who were just generally shitty.
Being Asian in Brockton Bay, you always had pushy people asking for things, so it was better to be alone.
So no, she wasn't very violent.
When she found one empty room, with signs of recent occupancy and lots of blood, and another room with another girl, this one blank and unseeing, just laying limply with no sign of even noticing her opening the door - she decided that violence had its place.
She knew what the plan was, she probably should follow it.
But as she cocked the shotgun, walking down the stairs, she just couldn't even think of running out of the house to go get the boss to come do the work for her. She'd seen those girls, she'd found out this was both a weapons stash house, and a place to stash and use kidnapped girls, before moving them on.
Or at least she assumed that is what it was.
She needed to cleanse this house of filth. She couldn't leave it to her boss, not all of it. If this is what they'd find every time they'd go after the ABB, Sun Hee intended to help, in a very permanent way.
Her boss had already explained the unwritten rules and how bullshit they were. So she wasn't going to let any of these bastards get away with this.
Maybe people tried to not kill too much in these gang wars. But she thought that some people didn't deserve her going easy. These people couldn't even be called people!
"Hey, it's not time for a guard change yet, Kentaro, get your high ass back into the kitchen, you know how the boss gets if people sneak up and break the merchandise with overuse. Only once a day for each of ya!" One of the men sitting at the card table called out when she entered the room.
Two of the others jeered along, laughing. Acting like this was normal. Like this wasn't sick and disgusting and a crime against fucking humanity!
Sun Hee had never pictured herself as a killer, but as she walked up to the table, and fired straight at the assholes, she found that she didn't even feel a twinge of guilt.
Two of the men died immediately, getting shot close range and taking the buckshot in the head.
Knowing the response she'd get, she dived out of the man, back into the shadow behind the couch, just in time for the survivors to unload on the confused Kentaro, filling him with lead, killing him instantly.
"What the fuck was that, crazy motherfucker!" The man from the card table that survived yelled out, the other two men rushing into the room.
They all began shouting, the two of them who hadn't been in the room, stepping over to Kentaro's fallen form, firing into the corpse, screaming obscenities at him.
Mai had gotten Sun Hee a small pistol, and she tried using it then, firing from her hidden position, except… It didn't work.
Annoying, if I could fire from the shadows I'd be like the coolest assassin ever! She thought, at least confirming that she couldn't personally harm someone while hiding.
With a simple thought, she slipped into the shadow of one of the men who stood over Kentaro's corpse, mastering him, raising his gun, lining it up to the other man's forehead, the panicked look in his eyes, not stopping her from pulling the trigger.
OW! She cried out right after, getting tossed out of the shadow, tumbling across the ground, suddenly visible to the one man still alive, her hands roaming across her body, still feeling the phantom pain of being shot.
Thankfully no actual damage appeared to have crossed over, just pain. A lot of pain, her insides HURT!
She'd been tossed out of her hold, the man she killed managing to raise his own gun enough to fire back, killing the person she was controlling, firing straight into his chest.
"Cape!" The last man shouted hysterically, firing at her, Sun Hee shrieking as she dove into another shadow, just barely avoiding death.
Suddenly a shadow materialized through the door, her boss coming out of the smoky shadow state, firing a gun at the sole remaining member, killing him instantly, his head ventilated.
Sun Hee hung her head inside the shadow she'd taken refuge in. She'd messed up.
I'm going to be in trouble again… She whined internally, trying to not think over what she'd just done, but it wouldn't go away.
She plopped out of the shadow she'd hidden within, finding herself on the floor in front of the couch, shaking wildly, not even understanding why.
Why? I didn't have a problem doing it! So why now?
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With Jordan.
Jordan looked around at the carnage, his gun out and sweeping the area, eyes sharp and looking out for any possible missed target. Once he was fairly sure they were in the clear, he crouched down next to the shaking and white Sun Hee, laying an arm across her shoulders, "Hey, what happened, are you okay? Are you injured?"
She sniffled, looking away from him, still shaking slightly, "I'm such a baby, look at me, I couldn't even handle a couple gang members."
Jordan squeezed her into his side, knowing she hadn't followed the plan, now that she was out in the open again, but seeing the results, "Hey, you kicked ass, you won, yeah we'll have to talk about following the plan, but I wasn't here, maybe you did the right thing, Sun Hee." He counseled.
She rubbed at her face, the shaking beginning to subside a little, even as she refused to look around them, at the dead bodies, "I almost died." She mumbled.
Jordan sighed, holstering his gun, using his now free hand to rustle her hair. "Hey, but you didn't, you'll learn, and I'm always here." He nudged her, a small smile on his face, "If you use me, and don't go all Terminator on me, eh?"
Sun Hee's lips quirked up slightly, but she was still refusing to look around them, her eyes focused on him.
"Hey, I know this might not be the nicest thing. But Sun Hee…" He coached gently, "Look around you, you chose this for a reason I have to assume - so don't shy away from it, you did this, and you did it well." Not what I had expected, not so soon, which makes me wonder what she found that made her go lethal, something I'd thought would take a while to work up to…
Sun Hee slowly lifted her head, looking around her, blanching slightly, but keeping her head high as she peered around them, at the many bodies, the bullet casings, the blood, the damaged furniture. "They deserved it." She said, a hint of desperation to her tone.
Jordan hugged her, murmuring to her, "I have no doubt about it. You did good, men like these… They're not a loss, Sun Hee." I'd intended to piss off Lung anyway, killing his people to set him off, kickstart this gang war, giving us the opportunity to find a new place to hide/live, and people to work under us.
Sun Hee had managed all on her own almost, he'd have to get an after action report to figure it all out, but this had been a good test of her abilities. She'd walked into a stash house and killed everyone inside.
It was more than what he'd expected of her, she'd only been meant to scout, to tell him the layout and amount of people inside and their armaments - and then to master one of them to cause a scene while he broke in to lay waste.
She'd gone above and beyond. And proved that she had what it would take too. Jordan felt slightly guilty for coaching her that murder was okay, but he needed her to be his Oni Lee, more than he needed her to be happy.
It was all for Jana.
"There's… Girls, upstairs." Sun Hee said quietly, gnawing at her lower lip, looking drained.
Jordan patted her on the head, "Then more than ever, Sun Hee… Good job, you did the right thing." He said, feeling a spike of anger himself.
He knew that it was one of the perks of being in the ABB, something that brought Asian criminals to Brockton from all over, looking to join. Easy access to girls whenever they wanted, how they wanted, with no consequences for accidents, other then finding a replacement, but to even have some of that in a fucking stash house… How low could they go?
"You did perfectly." He murmured in Sun Hee's ear, as he continued hugging her, getting a shy smile in return.
… I'm going to hell.
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They'd been forced to leave the girls for the BBPD, sticking around out of sight to ensure they arrived before the ABB did. Thankfully this wasn't far enough into ABB territory that the cops refused to show.
The fact there were plenty of areas in the city where cops would never go, told you a lot about how shitty the city was.
They didn't have any of the facilities or logistics yet to absorb anyone they saved for their own gang, so unfortunately the BBPD was the best they could do for the girls.
Panacea could heal them all fully, help with the trauma and everything… If she wasn't such a bitch, he thought, not for the first time.
As soon as they'd returned home, and shuffled Sun Hee off to her grandfather for comfort, he and Mai sat down to put together a plan.
They'd likely see a real beginning of war soon, Lung couldn't ignore so many deaths, it would make him look weak.
And Kaiser wouldn't be able to ignore Lung rampaging without looking weak either, his whole schtick was to pose the Empire as Brockton Bay's only protection from the Dragon, so he couldn't not react.
Even if he'd likely prefer to stay out of it, now that he didn't have Othala.
He'd made sure to not use Grue's power, so that Lung would have someone else to point at for the dead men. And the Empire would likely be the main suspect. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out a master was involved, not with how the majority of the deaths were inflicted amongst the gangbangers themselves.
Lung wouldn't suspect the PRT because it wasn't their M.O to do things this lethally. And masters weren't exactly something they advertised that they had.
They outright hide the fact Glory Girl and Gallant are both masters, albeit to different degrees - so no, they wouldn't be suspects.
Lung probably didn't even think of the Merchants as anything worth thinking about, which really at this moment left someone independent - or the Empire. Although the Empire did not have a master like that right now on the roster, they did have access to the Gesellschaft and could easily borrow a cape temporarily.
So either Lung would start hitting the Empire, or Regent was already in Brockton Bay and known, in which case… Bye bye Regent.
Jordan hoped it would be the first one. Not that it would be a big loss if it was the second one.
"So what do you have for me, it could be hours, it could be days, but something will kick off soon, Lung will not sit idle." Jordan said, filled with nervous energy.
He hadn't gotten to let it loose, with Sun Hee taking the majority of the fight from him, although the realizations she'd had with her power were very good to know - so in the end, it had been worth it that she went off script.
Not that it had saved her from a tongue lashing from Mai.
Who was now tapping the wall sized map of Brockton Bay, hitting several markers around the Trainyards area. "It will have to be here." She said, sounding certain. "We'll want to be out of the line of fire, and out of sight for a while."
Jordan stood beside her, watching the map with skepticism, "One, wouldn't there be a lack of power and water making it infeasible, two, wouldn't it be extremely obvious if there was sudden activity in the area?"
Mai nodded calmly, "That is correct, for most of the area." She tapped a fingernail on one of the markers at the very north end of the train yards. "This used to be one of our warehouses, I doubt Lung ever bothered to use it, too far away and in the middle of no man's land, even as a safe house or weapons storage, it would take too much effort over too much of a distance to move things back and forth into Brockton Bay proper, especially as I doubt he'd get told about what it was..."
Jordan didn't lose any of his skepticism, raising an unimpressed eyebrow, "How does any of that make it a good place for us?" He wanted to know, because she certainly wasn't selling it well.
Mai smiled mysteriously, "You'll see." She promised, before starting to count on her fingers, "Access to water and electricity, with already doctored meters to hide it's usage as belonging to that of a factory in the docks, something we might have to refix - it's out of the way and private, no one will run into us there, allowing us the privacy to build up, away from the other gangs. The PRT and the BBPD as well as the heroes - don't patrol anywhere near, so no risk of being accidentally discovered."
Jordan raised a hand, stopping her, "Fine, you don't need to keep listing things, I get it." He eyed the map, it would be way out of the way, barely still considered within Brockton Bay. But that would suit their current purposes well, he supposed.
It would just make it a pain to go too and from for supplies, "We'll need a truck." He said succinctly. At the very least, two or three would be even better.
Like hell he was schlepping across town several times a week for necessities.
Mai smirked, "That's right, but that's the other good point in this, because if we're buying that shit in bulk, we can just send a truck to Boston and bring it back."
Jordan nodded, rubbing his chin in thought, he'd have to have someone he could trust do that, or he'd risk losing the truck and the supplies, but it would be doable - and with the benefit of not twigging anyone in Brockton Bay onto the fact someone in town was buying in bulk and trying to figure out where it's going to.
Why make it easier for thinkers when he didn't need to. Yeah, fuck you Tattletale…
"I'm assuming you brought this location up because it is useful for more than a few of us?" He asked.
Mai shrugged, hesitating slightly, the scars on her face standing out in the harsh light of the halogen bulb right above them. "Unless something's happened, the warehouse itself should house several dozen of us and everything we need to set up, with buildings nearby theoretically able to be used, although I don't know what condition they're in."
Jordan sighed, "It's almost too good to be true, it's likely already scavenged and filled with homeless people, you know?" It's a long walk into nowhere for them, but it's not like they have anywhere better to be…
Once he had Panacea's power, the homeless in Brockton Bay would literally fall into the palm of his hands, but right now, they were just potential spies or thieves.
Mai cocked her head, a strange smile on her face, "I doubt it, but if they did, it wouldn't have been kind to them, with electricity still hooked up, the electric fence should still be up, not to mention that the only way into the building is through locked steel doors with alarm panels needing a password to get through, the loading bays are backed by secondary steel slats as well while the facility is in lockdown."
"...Mai, what the fuck is this place?" Jordan asked warily.
Because this was starting to sound like a little bit more than a warehouse, and he couldn't fathom why Lung wouldn't know about it, or use it, if it was well defended and private.
Mai smiled bitterly, eyes reminiscing, looking a bit lost, "It was supposed to be my villain's lair." She admitted.
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2 hours later.
Driving with Mai was a fucking pain, she was without a doubt the worst backseat driver in the history of time.
Even in stealing a car, she'd had her opinions the entire time, criticizing how quickly he broke in, how he made a mess smashing in the window - Jordan had threatened to find a beetle to drive in if she didn't shut the fuck up.
He got that she was nervous and sucked at showing it in a non bitchy way, but god's woman, shut up!
That had stopped her, until he was actually driving. It seemed Mai was convinced he was going to get them both killed.
Which was ridiculous.
Speed limits were suggestions anyway, not hard rules. If it says 60, it really means you can go somewhere around 100, they just put the lower number for all the pussies that couldn't handle it.
At least that's the story he was sticking to with Mai.
The Trainyards really were the most desolate place in Brockton Bay, a dim and gray wasteland of broken buildings and warehouses, roads that were beginning to get to the point he was beginning to wonder if he'd accidentally portalled into a fallout game.
… Was it bad to say he'd prefer a post-apocalyptic society then Earth Bet?
He could definitely see why no one went this far into the Trainyards though, the only usable parts were around the train station which was still getting bus service - but out here, there wasn't any life.
Even the weeds seemed to regret coming here. Greenery not having taken over the dilapidated surroundings yet.
It would be a pain in the ass to run anything from here. But for hiding and slowly building up strength?
It was fucking perfect.
Although he had found a problem.
"Road ends here, we'll have to walk the last bit. Going to have to fix that if we're going to be trucking in supplies." He grunted, pulling his nice stolen Ford to a stop, the road ahead of him broken apart into jagged pieces, mounds of dirt and craters interspersing the area, indicative of a cape fight at some point in the past.
"It might be a fixer upper, but we can't stay in our apartments smack dab in ABB territory, someone will notice Sun Hee and Han and report it, or someone will notice that you have a fair resemblance to Grue. And ABB grunts aren't very bright - them apologizing after killing you, for getting the wrong big black guy, is hardly going to help." Mai explained, looking around slightly wistfully.
Not that the ABB would apologize, but he got her point.
"You're sure your father wouldn't have used the place again?" He asked, once more, just to be sure.
Mai shook her head, "He wouldn't have dared, he built this place to be my villainous lair, he was always talking about getting me powers…" She let out a heady breath, opening the passenger side door, glancing back at Jordan, "This was my childhood dream, and his ambitions, rolled up in one - after what he did, he wouldn't have touched it."
Jordan silently got out and followed Mai, the more he found out about her backstory, the more it fucking sucked. Although now there was some more information on why she seemed so dead set against powers…
What kind of father raises a girl to be a supervillain? He thought, disgusted.
After a few minutes of walking, they came upon the boundaries, electrical fencing covering the plot of land, a drab looking warehouse up ahead.
"Not much to look at." He pointed out awkwardly, not sure how to move past the previous discussion, not when they were entering her literal sweet sixteen gift from her dad, one never realized because he tore everything away from her years before.
Mai chuckled, her face weary, yet some amusement was shining in her eyes, "It wouldn't be a proper lair if it was obvious, would it?" She walked up to the gate, "It was never finished, but it was set up enough that we'd be able to live there, safe from the gangs, for now."
Jordan looked around, humming in agreement, he could spot no sign of the usual scavenging operations, nor any sign that the homeless population had made it out this far. "It looks like no one's been out here, so you may be right."
Mai gave him a crooked grin, "I'm always right." She told him, raising her chin up challengingly.
Jordan didn't take the bait, just chuckling as he continued forward with her, watching her back as she pressed in a code by the gate, allowing them entrance without having to cut through the fencing, which would ruin their own deterrent for snoopers.
They walked up to the warehouse in silence, Jordan examining the surroundings, noting down several more dilapidated buildings not too far into the distance, buildings not built as sturdy as this one, nor was it likely they still held access to water or electricity.
Mai walked up to the large double doors, the panel almost miniscule in comparison to the large steel doors. He winced as the password was put in.
Daddy's girl, yikes! This is just a continuous punch to the gut, I'm surprised she was able to even suggest this place…
"Do the honors…" Mai said quietly, face slightly pale, as she gestured to the doors.
Jordan laid a reassuring hand on her arm, squeezing once, before stepping forward and pushing the doors open, an automatic effect taking over once he'd given the initial push.
The doors slowly open, and Jordan steps inside, one hand on Mai's arm as the normally unflappable girl seemed more vulnerable than normal.
Can't blame her…
The inside was… Perfect.
It really had been structured to be somewhat of a lair, it wasn't finished, which is how he could see much of this side of it just from the entrance, but just from where he was standing, he could see a barracks area of sorts, even whole apartments, some walls and furniture missing - but the majority of the work was done.
There were even vehicles in the motor pool area, probably needing a lot of TLC, but they were there.
This was…
It was just perfect.
He turned to Mai to share in his jubilation, only to see her eyes tightly closed, as she shook slightly.
Completely ruining his mood as he realized what exactly this represented.
He grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her into a hug.
For once she didn't even try to make a snarky comment or push away.
He is a dead man, he thought, not even trying to push down his murderous impulses this time.
I said it before…
But I'm going to kill him.
Slowly.
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