The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity for the neighborhood. Shaggy and his pack made it back to the deli relatively quickly. Afterwards, they stuck to themselves and protected their small block. But with Mr. White dead and the cops filtering into the scene, things were calming down.
The white-armored HLO troops weren’t showing up anymore and with some of the bodies not being teleported out, the police had plenty of evidence. Shaggy and Levy watched the news as Lackeys dragged the corpses of Mr. White’s elite team down to the cave. Reports of the so-called white-armored ‘terrorists’ and police clashing were rampant. Levy’s demon had been contained, but because of the terms of his deal with Levy, he would be set free soon. At least, that’s what she claimed.
Meanwhile, the local population had been recorded getting into it with the HLO troops as well. Maven and her team were seen protecting several store fronts. So were a few of the Legion’s Lackeys. Thankfully, they were smart enough to claim to be hired bodyguards. But Shaggy worried if someone checked too deeply. For now, though, the neighborhood was still in a tense state. But the sounds of sirens and the occasional super flying overhead were calming things down.
Shaggy picked up a sausage from the plate Franklin gave them and tossed it into his mouth. He ignored the lanky butcher watching him from behind the deli counter and turned to Levy. She was nursing a headache and wiping a handful of magic across her wounds. Her shield had given out during the fighting and she was singed in several places. She was also glaring at him, but for more obvious reasons.
“I hate that damn healing of yours.”
“So I’ve been told.” Shaggy grinned as he chewed. “So, what are we going to tell people about our guards?”
“No, do we need to say anything? They have no known attachments to our group, and it doesn’t seem like any of them are being stupid.”
“Yeah. But maybe one of them will be, or maybe the cops will follow our people here. Either way, we need an excuse for them to be that heavily armed.”
Levy rolled her eyes. “This is your way of trying to legitimize your tiered protection business. The one you pitched to Mama Agnes and Nuc’s friends, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I mean, if we create a security company. We can offer our protection to the neighborhood way easier.”
“You’d have to pass a lot of government checks and they’d go through your background with a fine-tooth comb. It would never work as a legitimate business. But it does as a criminal organization offering protection to its turf.”
Shaggy waved at the holo-screen where a Lackey, named Clyde, set-up. “Our people were caught with some heavy-duty weapons and armor. The cops are going to ask questions.”
“And all our people and the neighborhood are going to tell them is that they were hired to protect the businesses. Which they did masterfully.” Levy said, finishing her own healing.
With a sigh, she sat back in her chair and stared down at the plate of meat. Shaggy watched her while he chewed on some ham. Eventually he turned back to the Holo-screen and asked the Lackey standing behind the TV.
“What do you think, Clyde? Is she right?”
The bald mutant that had brought the screen up winced. His hands were still holding the Holo-Screen straight as he used his abilities to power it. The neighborhood was still without a lot of power and the Cave’s generators were being used elsewhere. Clyde’s ability to power electronics was the whole reason Shaggy requested him. Just standing in the deli, the bald man could power the entire building.
“I agree with Mistress Levy, Boss. Our boys know to keep their mouth shuts and if they don’t, well, they won’t be our boys for long.”
“Thank you, Clyde.” Levy said with a smile that made the mutant blush.
Shaggy growled in his throat, making Clyde shake the screen. Levy chuckled as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“We have other things to worry about, dear. The fall-out from tonight is going to bring a lot of eyes into the neighborhood. We need to make sure all our ducks are in order legally while we strengthen our underground ties. We’ve knocked all the other gangsters out of the area, which means we need to firm up our hold.”
Shaggy scratched his chin. “What do you purpose?”
“We need more businesses in the area. Run by our people and housing our illegal interests. We are going to need to get on the paperwork quickly and find the right people to run them. It’s a good thing the neighborhood is so empty as it is. It means we’ll be able to move our people in fairly quickly.”
“We are going to need shell companies and trusted Lackeys to make the purchases. We don’t want the city or the HLO knowing that we’ve bought up most of the neighborhood.”
Levy nodded. “We are going to need an all-hands meeting in the morning and I want to check in with Under-Town. Slink’s reports say they are doing fine and the Lackeys are still going back and forth through the portal. But I still want to poke my head in and maybe talk to Petra. She’d be great at getting this place organized.”
“Why not just find someone else from our pile of Lackeys? Petra was sorta picked out of a hat. We might get lucky again.”
Levy snorted. “Pfft! I’m not leaving our above-ground businesses to luck, love. She is a top-tier organizer, and I want her input.”
Shaggy put up his hand and threw more meat into his maw. Chewing quietly, he tried to think of any forthcoming problems on the horizon. But as it stood, they now had all the time in the world to work their neighborhood. Once the small-time gangs got wind of things, they’d try to push things. But Shaggy and the others would set them straight. They wanna work on Legion turf, then they follow Legion rules and kick up the credits.
Shaggy was grinning to himself when Clyde coughed nervously. Glancing over, the bald mutant was staring down at the screen. He was looking worriedly between the screen and Shaggy. When he caught Shaggy’s eye, he held the screen up a little higher.
“Boss…”
Clyde waved a hand at the screen’s sound rose slightly.
“Reports indicate that Mr. White, formerly of the HLO, was let go from his position several months ago. Formerly, Mr. Ignatius White was in charge the security details for several high-profile HLO board members. But he was found to be too volatile and let go. No word yet on how the former HLO employee got his hands on so much weaponry. Nor do we know how he convinced so many of his former compatriots to join him…”
The newscaster’s voice slowly faded out as images of Mr. White scowling and prowling about their neighborhood appeared. Shaggy seethed as he realized the HLO was cutting their tail loose.
“I’ve just gotten word that the HLO is making a statement. We will be shifting to a live drone feed, so we apologize to our viewers for the poor quality and view.”
The image shifted away from Mr. White’s picture collage and instead showed a large building with a large crowd in front of it. Emblazoned on the building’s side, in white paint, were the letters H-L-O. The crowd roiled and shouted with questions as a short, green-skinned woman walked over to a podium. Their news drone swooped in closer, revealing that the alien woman had short green tentacles coming off the sides of her face. She scowled at the approaching drone and it backed off slightly.
After preparing herself, the spokeswoman centered an intense stare on the crowd and spoke.
“We at the Hero liaison Office condemn the actions of Ignatius White and those that followed him. A full inquiry is being conducted internally on how such a gross oversight happened. Several members of the company board will be stepping down and a government audit is underway. Documents, both digital and physical, have been discovered indicating that Mr. White was on several anti-psychotic medications. We have also discovered websites linking to Anti-Human hate groups on his personal and work tablets. As well as blackmail material on several high-ranking officers in the HLO’s security section. Investigations are underway there as well. Although, we are working to protect people’s privacy. With all of this said, the HLO staff and board all give our sincerest apologies to anyone affected by Mr. White’s personal crusade. We are sorry. This was our oversight, and you people paid the price for it.”
Shaggy grimaced. The alien woman was good. She even managed to squeeze out a few tears here and there throughout her speech. As she finished, several people in the crowd in front of the HLO headquarters started shouting questions at her. She feigned being too distraught to speak for a few more seconds before pretending to collect herself. Then came a question-and-answer segment that Shaggy was sure was scripted. It was all softball questions and vague replies. No one questioned how Mr. White got access to so much weaponry or even how many HLO troops were lost. It was all stock prices and government contracts. Although Shaggy found one question interesting.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Ms. Euryale, what about the HLO’s plans for a Hero Academy? Are those being put on hold as well?”
A genuine scowl appeared on the spokeswoman’s face before she gathered herself. “Yes. All plans are going under review by the government. We don’t know how far Mr. White’s corruption reached.”
“So there might still be people in the HLO that agree with Mr. White’s views?”
“We don’t know.” Ms. Euryale said through clenched teeth.
A flash of green appeared in the alien woman’s eyes, but it quickly vanished. The reporter who had asked the question didn’t ask any more, and Shaggy briefly wondered who it had been. Clearly not someone on the HLO’s good boy list. Levy patted his hand, which Shaggy realized was clenched tightly on top of the table. He looked up into his wife’s purple eyes and saw her smiling warmly.
“They are playing the corporate game, Shaggy. We knew they would. Let’s just take the win we got and continue planning for the future.”
Shaggy sighed and relaxed his hand. It tingled as blood flowed back into it. Shaking it out, Shaggy waved to Clyde to turn off the Holo-Screen and take it back downstairs. He threw the Lackey some credits for his work and thanked him profusely. Clyde snatched the money out of the air and grinned. But as he gathered up the Holo-Screen’s emitter, Clyde looked pensively at Levy and Shaggy.
“What is it?” Shaggy asked.
Clyde gulped softly and looked like he was working up to something. Eventually, he talked himself into it and barreled ahead.
“My uncle ran an electronics store when I was a kid. I helped sometimes… it was fun.”
Shaggy and Levy shared a look. They both couldn’t keep the laughter out of their voices as they told Clyde they would keep him in mind. The mutant nodded happily and then hurried down toward the cave. Shaggy shook his head at the Lackey’s antics before speaking.
“See. We got plenty of people here, with plenty of skills. You can find yourself a decent organizer.”
“I’m still talking to Petra, love. But I’ll keep my head up for new talent. What kind of illegal business can we run out of an electronics store?”
“Stolen goods?” Shaggy offered. “We just need someone good with them to wipe them and then we could resell them.”
“Or it could be one of our legal businesses. Something to wash our money in.” Levy countered.
Shaggy nodded slowly and then another loud siren pierced the night. This one sounded close and was getting closer. He scanned the deli for any weapons or signs of attack. But his pack and the Lackey’s had been thorough. Levy waved her staff and a purple wave expanded in the deli, hitting every surface before dissipating.
As the cop car pulled up right outside their deli, Levy explained in a whisper. “Magical cleanse. Just in case.”
Shaggy nodded as two large cops in blue uniforms got out of their vehicle and stood on the sidewalk in front of the deli. One was a Perinadon, while the other was a fucking dinosaur. A bipedal triceratops with scaly but human like-hands and feet. Shaggy stared in awe as the two merely waited on their front doorstep. He was about to go question them when a third person hit the pavement outside. It was an alien with two gray antennae on his head. One was bent at an odd angle that made Shaggy think it was broken. But the alien paid it no mind as he rounded on the two officers and waved them closer.
The three cops shared a few words and then turned back toward the deli. The powered cop was not wearing the traditional police blues. He was wearing a tan trench coat over a fairly cheap-looking suit. The suit was scuffed and well-worn, making Shaggy think it was pretty old. Just like the alien in it.
As the powered alien and his two police friends entered, they scanned the deli from top to bottom. The greenish-gray alien just made one pass with his eyes while the rhino and dino cops kept swiveling their heads. Searching for anything out of place. The alien offered Shaggy and Levy a smile as he walked closer, keeping his arms to his sides, palms open. Clearly showing that he wasn’t armed. Shaggy wanted to scoff. Anyone that could leap through the air like the alien had wouldn’t need a weapon.
“Greetings!” said the alien in a deep, booming voice. He smiled and waved a hand at the two cops. “My name is Detective Henshaw. These are Officers Frosty and Zark. I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.”
Shaggy smirked as he matched the alien’s jocular tone. “Not at all. Although I will admit it’s been a busy night. All these thugs around attacking the neighborhood.”
Henshaw nodded sadly. “Yes, unfortunately, this neighborhood’s precinct was late to respond. A matter that warrants looking into. But it seems this neighborhood is home to some rather powerful individuals…”
The detective looked at both Levy and Shaggy with knowing eyes, but said nothing more. For their part, they kept quiet. Better to let the cop talk and tell them what he knew rather than offer up new information. Seeing them both clam up, Detective Henshaw’s smile widened.
“Unfortunately, it’s not today’s business that has brought me here.”
He reached into his bulky trench coat, which made Levy and Shaggy tense slightly. Officer’s Frosty and Zark did as well, but Henshaw merely chuckled as he brought out a slip of folded paper.
“If I am not mistaken, you are one, Mr. Shaggy Robertson, correct?”
“Yes…” Shaggy said evenly.
“Ahh good. Then you are summoned to appear the Austin County Courthouse immediately.”
“Immediately!?” Levy asked, surprised.
“Yes, Ma’am. Apparently your husband is a supposed flight risk, and they were worried he might try something.”
Shaggy raised a finger to argue, but he thought better of it and instead shrugged. “Not wrong.”
“Shaggy.” Levy admonished.
“Oh leave it, dear. We knew this would happen when that electrical accident fried my tracking bugs.”
Henshaw’s smile stayed plastered on his face. “Oh, is that what happened?”
“Indeed. It was quite tragic. But I didn’t know how to reach the angel who installed them. Plus, let’s be honest, the HLO’s case against me was pretty flimsy.”
“Yes, but some new evidence has come to light which ties you to some previous crimes. You are being ordered to come explain yourself.”
Shaggy nearly balked at the wording. He felt his body tense up at being ordered to do anything. But Detective Henshaw’s grin made it clear that he’d been played. The detective wanted to see how he’d react to the wording. Shaggy calmed himself and then turned to Levy.
“I’ll be back soon. Why don’t you get started on those plans we made for the deli?”
Levy nodded slowly, putting a smile on. “Sure, dear. Don’t go to prison without me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Levy.”
Shaggy gave Levy a kiss and then turned to the detective and his cops. Frosty the rhino started forward with a pair of handcuffs. But Henshaw cut in.
“Those won’t be necessary, officer. Our man is coming willingly.”
The Perinadon looked angry, but did nothing more than snort as Shaggy smiled. The four of them exited the deli and Shaggy moved to get in the police car. But found he was the only one. Turning, he saw Henshaw handing a few credits to both Frosty and Zark. Both officers looked at Shaggy and the Henshaw before turning and walking away into the night. Confused, Shaggy started to ask a question. But Henshaw waved a hand at the passenger side door.
“I don’t think the back seat is warranted. Right, Mr. Robertson?”
Shaggy stared at the retreating cops and then back at Detective Henshaw. Levy was standing in the Deli’s window with a worried look on her face. He blew her a kiss and walked around the car. Trying to keep an air of disinterest on his face.
“No, Detective Henshaw. It isn’t.”
Shaggy got in the passenger side seat of the cop car as Henshaw got in the driver's seat. The two stayed quiet as the old alien got himself comfortable and started the car. Hard rock screamed over the police radio, and Henshaw ignored it as he sped them away. The dark of the neighborhood shrouded their car as Shaggy once again wondered what the hell he’d gotten into.