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Post by Toz76 on Aug 7, 2017 23:25:56 GMT -5
Literary Mosaic 13:
Nemesis The two men met in an alleyway near the port of London. "So, you're the pig who ratted the Stabby Jones Gang to the fuzz. I always knew you were a loose cannon, Finley." "Now, n-now, Chang, the rules said we could back out at any time." "But you ain't supposed to rat us out. We had a sweet deal going! Do you know how expensive it is to smuggle Ephedra?" "Look, I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you..." "Your life will do as a start." Chang drew a knife. Just then, a voice boomed from the shadows. A shadowy figure wearing a black hooded suit with yellow accents and gloves emerged. "Your Ephedra contract interests my boss, and he wishes to make an offer to your boss. Our facilities are state-of-the-art, and we could refine it better and cheaper than you ever could. But this infighting must stop. We abhor killing in all its forms. This infighting must stop." "I'll kill you first!" Chang yelled, charging, but was stopped in his tracks by a sedative injected into his neck by a second, identically dressed figure. The figure grabbed Chang's knife, turned to Finley, who was being restrained by the other figure. "Now, you and your Oriental friend will see just how we punish those who oppose us without killing them." He said, pulling out a second syringe. "What we do won't hurt your efficiency at the labor camp." The morning brought a crime scene that would be strange if Gent hadn't seen some variation of it several times over the past 8 months. Two severed arms, one white and one Chinese, lay on the quayside. There was no sign of the rest of the bodies, no fingerprints, and only one clue, the calling card of the orginazation that had done this: a gold coin engraved on one side with the Latin phrase In Pace Animam (peace through life), on the other an elaborate design with one word engraved dead center: BLADE. Walton marched into Gent's office with the report. "This is unacceptable. People are disappearing, leaving only dismembered limbs behind. And now we have evidence that it's the work of Lionel "Blade" Kenneth. I want every PI in the force on the case." "I'm the chief of police, not you, Walton. I think three men are enough to take down Blade. Let's say, oh, Stein, Byrne, and, I dunno, Greene." "I know what you're doing. You want Gunnarson to take down Blade. This is illegal, and-" "You are out of line, Walton. Gunnarson knows more about Blade than anyone on the force except Blade's brother Kenneth, who left years ago to farm up in Furness. If you question my methods again, you'll be on Cottaging duty for a month." Walton winced and left the room, fuming. Gent had sidestepped procedure for the last time. Walton would catch Blade himself, and prove that Swede was incompetent. |
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 7, 2017 23:43:09 GMT -5
Around the same time, Blade was having his own issues. He had tried convincing someone in particular to join the gang; but she would have none of it. "Are you sure you have to go?" Blade asked.
"I'm an assassin for hire; I gotta make money. And with all due respect Blade- your type of work doesn't give me much opportunity to get back to doing what I know best. I already arranged to meet my employer. It's about time I go back to work". Elvira said as she turned around and went into the night.
An hour later, in a dark alley, she met her employer.
"Right on time; glad to see at least that about you is still intact" he said.
"Atrophy may have taken its toll, but I'm back. How's the business?" Elvira asked.
"Most of those you were in "competition" with disappeared during the war, and everyone else is quiet nowadays. But the contracts aren't as common either. Barnes and Sampson died during the war when their places were bombed" he said.
"And Reginald Walters?" Elvira asked.
"Caught tuberculosis and died in 1944"
"Damn, and he always had good contracts. So that leaves... Raleigh, Hughes and Quincy as the only major contractors left around here" Elvira said.
"Eh, just Raleigh and Hughes; Quincy retired 4 months ago"
"I suppose that's not too bad; Hughes' operation isn't too far from here, I think I will start with him" she said.
"It's good to have you back Elvira... ever since the war I've gone from seven to two assassins... three with you back. Wonder if "Shakes" and "Lion" have heard the news yet"
"Well, they will soon enough; good night boss" Elvira finished as she turned around and went to go see Hughes, one of only two assassin contractors left in London.
When she arrived at Hughes office, he certainly was taken by surprise, "So the rumors are true... Elvira has returned" he said aloud.
"That is getting so annoying now" she replied. "So, any contracts available?" She asked.
"Ah, straight to business, just the way I like it" Hughes said, before opening a filing cabinet. "Slim pickings I'm afraid; only have four available contracts" he said, pulling them out. Looking them over, Elvira saw a name she recognized: Ryan Cambria, one of Blade's associates. And the reward: 7,000 pounds.
"I know this one... it will be easy to approach him. I'll take it" she said.
"Ah, good choice. I will let the client know to have the money ready" Hughes said as he went to make a call, and Elvira left.
Soon enough, Elvira found herself outside the Blade Syndicate hideout; she began plotting how to get to her target. On the inside, everything was business as usual until everyone inside heard a pair of loud thuds. "Friend? Palepu?" Blade called out. He lead the others to the entrance; the two men were knocked out cold.
"What the? Who did this?!" Blade shouted.
"Nice to see you again" a voice said. They turned around to see Elvira.
"Elvira?" What are you doing here?" Wilcox asked.
"Business... seems someone wants Ryan Cambria dead" she explained.
"What? ME?!" He exclaimed.
"Yes, so just make this simple so I can go collect my money" She said, raising her gun.
"Think really carefully about your next move, Elvira" Blade said as he and the others raised their guns. Elvira, thinking fast, shot a fire sprinkler that was above them, distracting the Syndicate long enough for her to go and hide in the shadows of the hideout.
"She's somewhere around here; spread out and find her!" Blade ordered. The men broke up and spread around the place, keeping their eyes open for her.
"You'll never get me; I'm an assassin, you are just hitmen. You don't have my training and experience; how can you possibly top me?" She taunted.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 7, 2017 23:59:42 GMT -5
"Simple. I'm cancelling the bounty I put on Cambria's head."
Elvira was confused. "Why would you hire me to kill your own man?"
"It was the only way I could think of to get to you. You see, I'd like to offer you a job. You've spent your entire professional life as an assassin, a pawn to a shadowy director. Under me, you'd be chief of security at my all-new compound. You'd be in command for once, and you'd actually be treated as a human being by your co-workers and employers. If you like, we can even track down your boss and... get him off the streets."
Elvira didn't even have to think twice.
The next day, another arm was found, and was identified as a belonging to a man named Jerry Myers, long wanted for his role as the head of an assassin syndicate.
And in an underground facility on the Isle Of Man, Elvira Revinev donned her black Blade Syndicate uniform, grabbed her gun, and prepared for her first day on the job. A job with less murder, but somehow, more happiness.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 8, 2017 14:24:07 GMT -5
At Scotland Yard, Gent was in a meeting with Detectives Stein, Byrne and Greene.
"Gentlemen, as you know the Blade Syndicate has been a noticeable thorn in the side of London for quite some time. Though they are few in number, they present a substantial threat to our safety. What do we know, gentlemen?" Gent asked.
"Well, till a while ago there were 15 members. However, Gunnarson directly confronted them a while back, and confirmed that Vincent Poma, Watson Brady, Julian Dexter and Red Bawdeker are all dead. But what of the others?" Greene asked.
"Gunnarson has looked into them in the past; Blade is on top, of course, but he has two lieutenants: Richard "Rickie" Fowler and David Wilcox. Then there are his grunts: on file we have Jeremiah Ruocco, Ryan Cambria, Derek Palepu, and Brent Knowles. The six of them we have records on thanks to their incarceration; fingerprints, faces and the like. But there are 4 grunts we have little on: Andy Kross, Benjamin "Benny" Friend, Ethan Muller and Aaron McKibbin. They have not been caught so there's nothing on them. Same goes with Blade" Stein explained.
"Well, actually... I was doing some digging and found this" Byrne explained. "Turns out Lionel Kenneth, before he was Blade, was arrested for a robbery gone wrong when he was 17. A sympathetic judge let him off easy, but they still took his prints" he explained.
"Hey may not leave them all over the place, but that is a lucky find Byrne; well done" Gent assured.
"So what is our first move then?" Stein asked.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 8, 2017 22:23:30 GMT -5
"We need to establish a motive. Why would Blade leave dismembered arms of criminals everywhere?" Greene said.
"We don't even know if it is blade. No fingerprints have been found near the crime scenes, and the coin we found could be a fake." Byrne pointed out.
The entire table turned to Stein. Stein was an expert on strange and unusual cases. If anyone had an insight, it would be him.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 8, 2017 22:40:18 GMT -5
"This isn't a simple question on whether the motive is love, money or revenge. Motive may boil down to one of these three, but in this case... they are trying to send a message. These limbs... they are a message. The question becomes, who is the message for? Once we know the receiver, we can determine the message itself" Stein concluded.
"But they could strike again at any moment; I mean, we need something to work with... has there been any connection among the victims?" Gent asked.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 8, 2017 22:43:12 GMT -5
"They've all been criminals. The most recent contracted out assassins, including Elvira Revinev. Before that, drug smugglers. Otherwise, I see no connection. They haven't even all been in England, they found the arm of an arms dealer in Wales.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 8, 2017 22:50:50 GMT -5
"Well, it is a start, at least. All of the victims have been criminals, so we know that they are specifically either targeting criminals, or specifically not targeting innocents. It sounds weird, I know, but there is an important distinction in terms of motive" Stein explained.
"Well remember a few months ago? That Lory Bury or whatever his name was. Based on what was found at that complex, this "Ripper Underground" is supposed to be a unification of all crime in London... something about all crime being controlled by one organization. Could... could Blade be trying to send a message to Lord Bury?" Greene proposed.
"It is entirely possible; at least 7 or 8 of the victims did have a connection to the Ripper Underground" Byrne pointed out.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 8, 2017 23:14:52 GMT -5
"So what's our next course of action?" Greene asked.
Gent decided for them. "What we need to do is..."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 8, 2017 23:25:30 GMT -5
"Anticipate where they will strike next. There is only 11 of them now, they can't stretch their forces out that thin without risking exposing themselves. Study the past cases for now; if there is a pattern in how they are striking or what kind of victims they are going after, we just might be able to stop them before they strike again" Gent concluded. Thus, everyone went to work, studying the past cases for any sort of Modus operandi
......
At his apartment, Gunnarson was not having a good day. After getting the letter from the homicide detectives which basically said "you can't help us anymore" he had received further letters from burglary, robbery, arson, even traffic. And no doubt more letters were on the way.
"I can't believe just how many detectives I've angered with that last case... is there any detective ISN'T turning his back on me?" He said to himself.
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Post by Eyes on Aug 9, 2017 11:22:12 GMT -5
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Gunnarson went to open it.
"Hardstuckle!" he cried. "Why good heavens man! Nice to see you again! How've you been?"
Gunnarson had met the young officer on his last case, when they had to investigate a death in a cavern.* Hardstuckle, unlike most police officers, liked Gunnarson, even if he had been slightly underwhelmed by his methods on the previous case, Gunnarson remained one of his biggest inspirations.
*See Literary Mosaic 11: Death Underground.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 9, 2017 13:05:22 GMT -5
"Are the rumors true Gunnarson? About, well, you know..." Hardstuckle asked
"I'm afraid so; seems I have few friends in Scotland Yard now" Gunnarson explained.
"Even homicide?" Hardstuckle asked.
"Everyone but Stein, Byrne and Greene turned their backs on me" Gunnarson explained.
"I see... and what about Hartley? How is he?" Hardstuckle asked.
"He's in Scotland now; with that God-awful lunatic after him, I advised him to lay low and explicitly informed him not to return to London until I am certain that he has been stopped" Gunnarson explained.
"So he's not coming around for now?" Hardstuckle asked.
"Pretty much" Gunnarson informed.
"Are you working on a case now?" Hardstuckle asked.
"Unfortunately, no. Been hard to find work since detectives and officers started keeping me out of crime scenes. Say, aren't you out of jurisdiction?" Gunnarson asked.
"It's my day off- wanted to check in on you since those rumors started" Hardstuckle explained.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 10, 2017 23:30:01 GMT -5
"Speaking of which- what have you been investigating as of late?" Hardstuckle asked.
"Been looking into the assassination "business" in London. Been keeping my ear to the ground so I can tip off the police when the time is right. It has been extremely tricky. See, there are three groups of people in the assassination business. There are the assassins themselves who kill the targets; but taking them down is not enough. Attention must also be given to the bosses who employ the assassins. They basically manage them; helping cover their tracks and ensuring the access to the resources they need. Finally there are the contractors; middlemen between the assassins and those who put out hits. In order to weaken the connection, if someone wants a person dead they go to contractors and place a bounty. Then, assassins come to the contractors, select which contract they will take and get paid upon successful completion of the contract. The business has taken a heavy blow since the war; almost everyone either died or retired. Now, there's only two bosses, two contractors and five assassins in London. I know who they are it's just impossible to get them tracked down."
"Who?" Hardstuckle asked..
"The contractors are two men, Raleigh and Hughes. They put out the contracts that the assassins pick up. Since Elvira assassins have become clever and stick to nicknames. The five are "Lion," "Shakes," "Rawhide," "Ironside" and "Juno" as they go by" Gunnarson explained.
"And the bosses?"
"With Myers gone. Shakes and Lion work for "Bennet" now, along with Ironsides. Rawhide and Juno work for "Carnegie," rounding out The assassination business in London" Gunnarson finished.
"But if you took out the bosses, assassins or contractors, wouldn't the whole business fall apart from one of its pillars being effectively gone?" Hardstuckle asked.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 10, 2017 23:45:24 GMT -5
"Exactly. Which is why the disappearance of Myers is so interesting. If Bennet and Carnegie go down-"
The conversation was interrupted by the doorbell.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 11, 2017 7:48:00 GMT -5
"Are you expecting anyone?" Hardstuckle asked
"Not really..." Gunnarson replied. He went to the door and answered it. "Detective Stein? Why are you here..." Gunnarson asked, confused. Across the street, Byrne and Green were in a parked car, waiting for Stein to come back.
"Gunnarson, we need to ask some questions about the Blade Syndicate; you may be able to provide important information that is pertinent to our investigation" Stein explained.
......
Blade was showing Elvira around the compound, when he asked "in a hypothetical case, if we wanted to take over the assassination business in London, what would we have to do?"
"That's tricky, to be honest. You can take out the assassins, but the employers can hire and train more. You can take out the employers, but that doesn't guarantee that it will prevent an assassin from rising up and becoming a new boss. Perhaps your most viable option is to go after the contractors. Assassins and employers never deal directly with clients- preventive measure in case the police ever find out. Take out the contractors though- no contracts, no business. You've effectively stopped the assassins. Does that make sense?" Elvira finished.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 11, 2017 22:46:16 GMT -5
"Not really. The contractors are kind of redundant. I think the best method would be-"
But he was interrupted by Cambria. "Blade, you need to see this."
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 12, 2017 19:14:39 GMT -5
It was a note, found not to far from the compound. It was addressed to Blade.
"We're coming for you... the Ripper will destroy you, Blade and all" Blade said as he read the note. It was covered in a crimson liquid.
"What could it mean, sir?" Cambira asked.
"It means that Lord Bury doesn't like that we aren't playing by his rules... and he's going to be coming after us. But what's with the paint?" Blade said as he felt the note.
Mckibbin came up and felt the note, "I went to medical school in my past life Blade... that's not paint" he said grimly.
......
At a complex, Lord Bury was addressing a large group of his "subjects" of the Ripper Underground. "Lionel Kenneth, better known as Blade, thinks he can subvert my authority by keeping the Blade Syndicate independent from the Ripper Underground. He is about to learn that I am not a man to be messed with! As of tonight, he, and the ten men who work with him, have signed their death warrants! The Ripper Underground will control the crime of London, and whether or not Blade will be a part of the Empire is his choice... and he made the wrong decision. So, here is my offer- for every one of Blade's associates that is brought to me, I will reward that man 10,000 pounds!" He declared, to the cheers of his subordinates. "And to the man who brings me Blade himself... 50,000 pounds!" Bury declared to even louder cheers. "But to make things interesting... if you bring me back one of Blade's associates alive... 20,000 Pounds!" He declared, as the men were suddenly in awe of that generous offer. "And finally... if Blade is brought back to me alive, that man will be rewarded... 80,000 pounds!" Bury declared to loud cheers. "And now, my loyal subjects, go! Fetch me the Blade Syndicate, dead or alive!" Bury boomed as the Ripper Underground "army" suddenly mobilized and the search for Blade began.
One of Bury's top Lieutenants suddenly came up to him, "Sir, we're taking an enormous risk here. Blade and his men are more skilled than typical mobsters and grunts" he pointed out.
"I am aware... but there are 11 of them... and an army of 2,000 or so will soon be descending on them, so I like our odds. Plus, I've taken out an insurance policy..." Bury said with a grin.
......
"That many zeros?" Ironside said as he looked at the contract, impressed.
"Indeed gentlemen; the eleven contracts put up today are quite valuable; but given the lack of competition these days I feel that you should have minimal problems with claiming these bounties" Hughes said with a grin.
"more than 100,000 Pounds just to take out a lousy Syndicate? I'm in; how about you, Lion?" Shakes asked.
"As if I have to even think about it. Man, Raleigh and Carnegie's crew are going to be so jealous when they don't get a piece of the action" Lion declared.
"I think not, gentlemen. I think I will be quite satisfied with my cut" they heard a voice. From the neighboring room, the three assassins were surprised to see Raleigh enter.
"Bloody hell... last I checked the two of you were in competition!" Shakes pointed out.
"Yes; but given the sheer amount of money involved with these contracts, we decided to go in together on this; it will make it easier to hide the profits in the long run before we resume business as usual" Raleigh explained.
"Damn; wait until the boss hears about this" Lion observed.
"Oh, I already have. Glad to see everyone is here, since I have an important announcement to make" a voice said. Everyone was surprised to see Bennett enter the room, alongside three people who Ironside, Shakes and Lion did not expect to see.
"Boss, why is Carnegie and crew here? Last I checked these were our contracts" Ironside pointed out.
"Use your damn heads, boys. If the contracts are worth this much, then come payday that amount of money shifting around is going to attract attention! The more we dilute it, the better. Besides, the Blade Syndicate is no pushover; we're going to need all the help we can get" Bennett pointed out.
"Bennett and I discussed this earlier today; we mutually agree that if our business is to survive the long run, we're going to need all hands on deck for a job like this" Carnegie explained.
"Besides; we're all in the same profession here; a little teamwork never hurt anyone" Juno said.
"And I would imagine that should he decide to stick his claws into our business, succeeding in this task will give Lord Bury something to think about. If you want an assassination in London, it must be done right" Rawhide added.
The nine assembled people subsequently began discussing their long term plans should these contracts succeed and how to "wash" the money once it came into their possession.
(NOTE: I sincerely apologize if this scene feels forced; it was the only thing I could think of to get all nine of them a chance in the spotlight in the same post)
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 12, 2017 20:03:14 GMT -5
Suddenly, there was an explosion. The nine survived, but were knocked out.
"Yes, if you want to assassinate someone, you need to do it right." Elvira said, stepping out of the shadows. Two men set to work chopping off the dominant arms of each member of the guild. "And that includes not putting all your eggs in one basket. Here I thought we'd only be taking out Bennet."
The nine were tied up, placed in the back of an unmarked truck, and driven off into the night.
(And sorry if this feels forced, but don't worry, I know what I'm doing here, and it's their fault for all assembling in one place to easily be taken out.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 12, 2017 20:23:27 GMT -5
(Fair enough; just please don't "pull a dirty four;" we don't want "that" happening again, that's my only concern)
Next day, the police were utterly shocked by the nature of the crime scene; nine arms, a destroyed building, but the connection was all too clear.
"This was the office of Hughes; the assassin contractor... you don't think?" One officer began.
Sure enough; examination of the fingerprints yielded a shocking discovery... all five assassins, two bosses and two contractors had been accounted for. When the report reached Commissioner Gent, he was shocked to say the least.
"Blimey... somebody's destroyed the assassination business in London overnight!" He exclaimed.
The press had gone wild; not since the Dirty Four had a blow like this to the criminal element been achieved. Reactions varied all over London. But for one Swede, he was met with annoyance.
......
"Please, I insist you let me see the crime scene!" Gunnarson declared, standing outside the destroyed building.
"Absolutely not; we're sick of your ineptitude Gunnarson; get lost" Detective Ferris of the homicide department said, before going back to his investigation.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 13, 2017 23:27:26 GMT -5
Shakes and Lion woke up in great pain. Both were missing and arm and tend very disoriented. They were chained in a line with the other assassins.
"Alright, listen up, you worms!" Wilcox snarled. "You're under Blade's control now. We're going to take control of the London Criminal Underworld, and you're going to help us."
"Where are we?" Juno asked.
"You're in an abandoned mine on the Isle Of Man. The last place the police will look for us. And here, you're going to be put to work."
Shakes and Lion examined the area with a mix of fear and terror. The room they were in was crudely made of exposed concrete, but it was still wired with electricity and quite warm. A doorless doorway led to a balcony that encircled a large central pit, where many one-armed workers slaved away at various tasks. Lion noticed Raleigh and Hughes at a table refining Ephedra.
"I thought Blade's gang was less than a dozen men. How could a dozen build all this?"
"We hired about 2000 locals to build it, and kept them on as security." Wilcox explained. "Now. Your contractors got off easy. Their task is to refine in the pit. Your bosses are working in the boiler room. But you five- you have the blood of innocents on your hands. So you get the worst task. You will go to the mines."
"So, you're enslaving criminals? Why?" Shakes asked, trying to buy time.
"Our gang wants to control the criminal underworld with as little death as possible. This seemed like a reasonable solution. They do all the dirty work, but they survive, and we give them very reasonable treatment considering what they've done."
The five assassins scanned the room for an escape, but found none. Wilcox pointed a gun at the five chained prisoners, and they shuffled towards the pit, to begin mining, in the very same mine the Gadfrey Emeralds were found, with no hope of rescue.
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