The New York City skyline was bright against the darkening sky, the lights of apartments and office buildings shining like their own nebula against the darkness of space. The sounds of city hustle and bustle, people going to and from work while homeless busk on the streets. More and more businesses have going out of business signs if they haven’t already become another empty storefront. Meanwhile smaller restaurants or stores have been completely replaced, taken over by chain stores or the latest designer brands. As a line of people grew ever longer at a soup kitchen and protestors began to wind down on Wall Street, four powerful men met hundreds of feet above the city in one of the high rises, an executive suite lit with soft fluorescents. All four were similar, older, male, the typical big money out of touch executives.
“So we’re on track for the entertainment merger, right?” The first asked. He was wearing a dark grey suit, red tie, silver hair slicked back over an obvious bald spot. “I know we got some of the jackasses in the SEC trying to stop it but they’ll come around.”
“Yeah, it’s the news branch we’re having issues with, but think we can slide that through another way if it comes down to it.” Another, this one with a buzz cut and blue tie. Red tie nodded his approval looking over to the one across from him, a black suit and green tie, older than the rest by at least a decade and staring sternly ahead. “What do you think, pops?”
“I think it’s a damn stupid thing they’re doing to the news in this country. Keeping it all separate keeps the networks divided. We can deviate the message slightly between them, pull the ones not quite there where we need them to be.” The oldest one looked over to the last man, younger with a very obvious habit for sniffing things he shouldn’t. He wiped his nose, red and raw from overuse, and shrank back into the seat, trying to disappear as the older man continued his glare. “I assume you’re going to be in charge of marketing this one?”
The sniveling one nodded, letting out a quiet, stammered affirmation and wiping his nose again. The old man nodded, pouring himself another glass of scotch from a crystal bottle on the table. He raised the glass briefly before attempting to speak, being cut off before he could by the lights going out. Red nose gave a little shout of surprise as they looked to the window, trying to see if the entire city was experiencing a blackout. A flash of light blinded them all before a small thud could be heard coming from the old man’s side of the table.
“The fuck is going on?!” Red tie this time, standing up and bumping his knee on the table before the light flashed again.
THUMP! This time on the table. Raw nose was crying even harder now, begging for whatever was happening to leave him alone. Buzzcut barely got up and said a word before the light flashed once more, another thump hitting the floor before the overhead lights finally came back on, revealing the entire scene to Raw Nose as he stared ahead, mouth open in terror and disbelief.
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His father and grandfather were slumped over on the table, or at least their torsos were. His father’s head, slicked back hair and all was sitting in the middle of the table, eyes wide and mouth agape as blood still poured from his neck. He looked over to see his grandfather’s head in much the same state on the floor, the other executive’s head out of sight to him under the table. It took him a moment to get over the fear and shock before he realized there was now another figure in the room with him, leaning against the only door out of the office.
Raw Nose whimpered at the sight of the figure, a dark jacket extending past their waist and dressed in all black, a dark mask covering their face depicting a cawing Raven, spray painted in deep blues against black. He carried no weapon that could be seen, and left Raw Nose wondering just how he could have caused this much violence so quickly bare handed.
“You’re going to stop those plans.” A deep male voice came from under the mask, freezing Raw Nose in place, commanding his attention with outright fear. “Do you understand me?”
“I c-c-c-can’t.” Raw Nose stammered out barely above a whisper. “I don’t have that kind of authority.”
“Don’t think you’ll have any issue with these three out of the way.” Raven replied, standing up straight from his place against the door now and stepping toward Raw Nose. “Who could object to it now?”
“I can’t do anything without board approval, man! I was just advertising! I’m the family fuck up! Please don’t kill me please please please…” He was devolving into a crying child now, snot and tears mixing across his reddened nose. He flinched as he tried to wipe it away, blood beginning to show as his skin was rubbed further raw. “Besides I’m not going to be next in line! They’re going to put one of their little suits in, they’ve been trying to get rid of me for years anyway!”
Raven sighed, moving over to the window now and gazing over the bustling New York skyline. He turned back as Raw Nose began running for the door, making a desperate break for it. Raven raised his right hand, causing pixelizations to move across the floor under Raw Nose’s feet, making a dark abyss that one of his legs immediately fell through with a sickening snap. He let out a loud scream of agony, trying to pull his leg desperately from the newly appeared Abyss.
“Son of a bitch what is this?!” He was screaming as Raven approached him now, crouching down to be on Raw Nose’s new level. Raven cocked his head to the side as they met eyes behind his mask, questioning the crying man below him.
“So you’re that asshole’s kid?” Raven asked, still looking into the man’s eyes as tears gathered in them. The man just nodded as Raven stood now, outstretching his right hand as if to help the man up before making another comment. “Probably never questioned a damn thing they did as long as the lines kept coming didn’t you? Never saw all the people being trampled under your father’s feet?”
The man nodded, reaching up for Raven’s hand as he casually raised his palm up, the abyss below Raw Nose expanding with digital pixelation and swallowing him whole into the floor, screaming as Raven left him with parting words.
“You’ll be a footnote in the news tomorrow.” He stepped into the darkness as Raw Nose was completely engulfed, walking into it as if he was descending stairs. As his head disappeared under the inky abyss the darkness closed up behind him, leaving small pixels shimmering on the floor before disappearing completely, leaving no trace of his presence except the massacre around the table.
The city moved on below, uncaring and unflinching at the loss of these four rich men. Their loss would impact nothing, only being a small part in the lead up to something that would change a country teeming with unrest.