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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 18, 2019 23:23:39 GMT -5
Walton knew in the back of his mind something was off about all this; but he had no time to worry about international destinations, and thus focused on where he did have authority. “If Blade really is in Liverpool, find where he is and corner him in his location; I’ve got several eyes and ears there so if he even blows his nose, we’ll find him. But something is off about that Muller sighting”
“What?” One of the officers asked
“Muller isn’t just some street thug; a petty assault like that is beneath him. And letting Blaze out on her own... how clueless must they be to let someone as deranged as her on her own.”
Indeed, Walton has run a full psychological profile on her while she was imprisoned. The evidence was clear: even if she possessed something that resembled intelligence, at the same time she was extremely instinct driven; if left to her own devices she would sooner pick the easy option over the well-thought out option, an “act first, think later” mentality. Most importantly, Blaze was the kind of person who completely failed to think about the consequences of her actions; such as allowing herself to develop hepatitis as a result of her cannibalism.
Even if Byrne was keeping her in check, Walton knew that Blaze’s act first, think later mentality and disregard for consequences would screw them over in the long run; it was only a matter of time.
But Walton was not one to give into pressure. “All right, we are breaking into teams. I’ll command the operation from here for now. As for the rest of you, based on experience, you’ll be grouped as such. And this team will go to...” ......
“Come on, just one drink!” Blaze said, trying to get a glass of whiskey
“No! Face it, your liver is shot; one drink is enough to sign your death warrant” Byrne pointed out
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Post by Tug on Aug 18, 2019 23:48:07 GMT -5
"Spoil Sport..."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing... Geez..."
.....
On Gadfrey Farms, Wolff walked around with his hound leading himself and Finnegan, the dog finding traces of Blade but they were certainly no longer fresh...
"We've searched the whole place, and besides the signs of struggle, the trail from here is cold. But one thing for certain is he WAS here at some point..." said Wolff
"Alright... But I have a feeling we're not the only ones hot on Blade's trail... Anyway, Sicario should be on his way back from Givan so I better tell him to change his destination to 'Alexandria' then..." replied Finn as he headed back to the van...
.....
*A FEW HOURS LATER*
At the abandoned Ripper Warehouse, Finnegan and Wolff had similar luck...
"Damn! He's not here either!" said an angry Finn as he banged the side of a metal wall...
"Hey I found something!" yelled Wolff as his dog barked at the ground and Finn ran over...
"Two sets of footprints?" asked Finn
"Yeah, one belongs to Blade since his smell is lingering round the imprints, but I don't know whose the other belongs to, though they have a meaty scent lingering on them..." answered Wolff
"It's not just meat, I think I smell... Potatoes? Wait a minute, I know those footprints!" said Finn and realization s he ran to one of the van's radios
"Come in Brute, do you read me, over?"
"This is Brute, I read you Dullahan, over?"
"What's your situation, over?"
"I got caught in traffic in London, so I'll be a bit while longer to Alexandria, over."
"Good, I need you to make a stop and pick up a Number 1 at the 'Kitchen' for Baskerville, he's getting hungry, over."
"Alright, I'll have the 'lunch' ready then capo, over."
"Good to hear, over."
"So what did you send our Italian Friend to pick up?" questioned Wolff as he started packing the hound back inside the van
"If Blade's trail is getting cold, the next best thing is we follow someone already hot on his heels, especially someone not openly hiding their trail. If I'm right, the strong scent of meat and potatoes can only mean THAT person is being led around by our target. Once Sicario brings us that meal, we should be able to close the distance following Blade's unintentional middleman on his unaccounted Kitchen stench..." smirked Finn
.....
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Aug 19, 2019 3:06:06 GMT -5
“Alright, so what’s the next operative for us?” asked Blaze. “While the Doppelgängers are running around Europe I’m missing out on all of the fun!”
“Patience,” said Byrne. “I’m just waiting on the big guy right now. You’ll get your fun soon enough.”
***********
Gent was sitting at his desk when the doorbell rang. “Damn!” he said. “Every time I get busy with my book someone decides to interrupt. I can’t even get a rest from all the stress on me. Jesus!”
He walked downstairs and opened the door — and that was the last thing he could remember when he woke up in a darkened warehouse all alone sometime later...
************
Gunnarson, meanwhile...
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 19, 2019 11:29:59 GMT -5
Was on his way to the last location where remembered encountering Blade; the mine where the syndicate was based at the height of their power
“I’ll get there soon enough” Gunnarson thought to himself as he began the drive north.
......
“Well this isn’t making any sense? How can we have 4 reports of Blaze being arrested, 2 reports of Byrne being arrested, 3 reports of Blade being arrested and 3 reports of Muller being arrested? And all at different locations nonetheless” Walton said in confusion.
“Deeper plot going on than expected, sir?” Finley asked
“I wouldn’t rule it out. For now I want to figure out what the heck is going on here anyway... have all the supposed suspects gathered in one place so I can see them myself; this mystery just got more intriguing” he thought as he began writing some notes.
.......
As for Byrne, he was beginning to realize that in retrospect... he had forgotten to consider one crucial detail regarding having Blaze on the outside.
In their current hideout, Blaze was laying in bed, fatigued and with stomach pain. The yellow of her skin had become more pronounced the past couple days and he had reason to believe that she had a fever, based on the shivering from earlier.
“Maybe those doctors were right... maybe that medicine was helping” Blaze said as she seemed to go into a daze.
“Ugh; this is a problem. Not even my connections have access to the kind of medicine she needs” Byrne said in realization. “Guess its official... she’s on a limited clock” he noted.
“Did you say something?” She asked, looking somewhat confused from the daze
“Blade isn’t going to like this...” he muttered
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 19, 2019 12:53:22 GMT -5
Gunnarson reached the mines at last. He didn't have to search too long before finding the coin in the hallway where Marlena had shot Blade. The coin was engraved with the number 83.
"Alright, the numbers must be arranged into a phone number. 142-20183? No, it can't be that easy."
As Gunnarson emerged into the sun, he spotted a truck that hadn't been there before. A couple men were sniffing around with a dog.
"Who are these people?" He wondered.
It was the members of the Ripper Underground, of course. One of them turned and spotted Gunnarson training a pistol at them.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
*******
Gent looked around his surroundings, feeling queasy. Where was he?
He stood and observed his surroundings. He could smell ocean, so he must have been near the harbor. But why? Who would kidnap a powerful police chief just to let them go?
It wasn't until he had left the warehouse and caught a cab home that he found a note in his pocket.
"Mister Gent
I know you have reason to doubt my motives, but Blaze is far more dangerous than one might think. I wish to help you apprehend her. If you wish to help, come to 221 Sadling Road at 2 AM. Come alone.
~JJE"
******************
When Walton examined the captured Blade impersonators, the facial prosthetics were easy to spot.
"Damn it! They've played us like a fiddle. The real Blade and company are likely unrecognizable."
**************
Byrne turned to two of his associates. "Bradley, Carrigan, I need the two of you to stay with Blaze. I fear she is not healthy enough to make the rest of the journey."
Byrne got into the truck and sped away. Bradley and Carrigan, meanwhile, knew their real mission- take Blaze somewhere crowded and set her loose. If she was going to die, she was going to go out with a bang...
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 19, 2019 14:12:31 GMT -5
To say Walton was frustrated was an understatement... just who the hell were these people? Nothing made sense; true, Blade was more skilled than a standard criminal, and Byrne had police training, but it was impossible for anyone other than assassins to have skills on his level. There was a reason after all that Walton focused on specific kinds of criminals in more recent years.
“Where did you get this make up and prosthetics anyway?” Walton asked the fakes. A couple produced some jars, and on them they had a label.
“Messerman Make-up and Prosthetics. Wait a minute, I know this brand” Walton thought; he had seen a number of these jars back with the JJE case, or rather, the CBH case.
“So, you want to remain hidden so desperately, eh? Well, let’s see how you like this move then” Walton said.
......
In the facility for Messerman Make-up, Walton and a small team entered. “Charles Messerman, we have a few questions for you” he called out. There wasn’t a reply. The reason became evident in a matter of minutes.
“Sir... you won’t believe this” an officer said. Walton came over and took in the sight; Make-up extraordinaire Charles Messerman was lying on the ground, brutally murdered.
“What the... why?” An officer asked, confused
“As much as I hate hunches... I’ve got a feeling this wasn’t Blade’s move” Walton deduced
......
Lord Bury was standing in his office, when Burgess entered.
“Is it done?” Bury asked
“Slow and painful, just like you asked” Burgess replied. “But... why?”
“I’ll be the first to admit the Spider’s Web we have been on somewhat good terms at times... but the death of some of my men at their hands needs to be addressed. I happen to know that they prefer a rather... special kind of mask to use, and Messerman was unmatched when it came to makeup and prosthetics.”
“But why make me steal these?” Burgees asked as he picked up some papers; the formulas and patents with designs for Messerman’s work.
“So I can have the satisfaction of doing this” Bury said as he took the papers, lit them up with a match, and threw them in the fire.
......
Needless to say, the police seizing the facility and any male-up within was, at least, a temporary setback for the Spider’s web. After all, there was a reason the one-eyed man had called off the hit from a couple years back.
......
When Gent finally got home, he had to stop and think, “do I really want to work with such a cold-blooded hypocrite... but my daughter.... no, he was talking about Blaze, not Blade. Ugh, why must I choose between my family and my reputation!” He declared in frustration.
......
Blaze has been unleashed to do something she had always dreamed of... blow up a gas station. She found an ideal one: it was closed since the owner was on vacation.
Going around the back, she began pouring gasoline trails, then she began puncturing fuel lines and tanks for maximum destruction. But in her rush to cause a fire, she didn’t consider one thing... gas fumes.
Though she did smell them, she didn’t really care. The last thing she remembered was as she was striking the match to light a pile of papers she had set up, a blast sent her flying back. A sharp pain in her right arm was all she felt before losing consciousness.
......
“Has Ms Pyros stabilized?”
“Yes, we suspect she will come to any minute. Talk about a close call though; if her hepatitis medicine wasn’t administered when she came in she may be dead now”
Blaze finally came to in a white room, surrounded by people on white coats.
“Huh? What happened?” Blaze said in confusion.
“Ah, you’re awake and Pyros. You’re very lucky you know; if the petrol station hadn’t been relatively close to the fire station you may have died” the doctor said
“Bloody hell... why can’t I move my right arm?” She asked
“Well... it appears that when the big gas tank blew up, a piece of metal went flying at just the right angle and.. well, it was basically an instant amputation
A cruel irony, many realized, and the arm-stealing serial killer was now the victim of arm theft herself.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Aug 19, 2019 14:31:02 GMT -5
But what Byrne hadn’t reckoned with was Blade himself.
“Look, we had to let her go... I don’t care about your plans, dammit, the girl was dying on us!... Break her out again and this time bring the medicine? I...”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Phyfe had become a true bounty hunter. The doctor looked like shit. His clothes stank and his appearance was a mess. Dreams of glory (or possibility just insanity... go figure, he worked in a mental hospital) had pushed him to go out without anything but a gun. No phones, no lights, no motorcars, not a single luxury. And so upon stepping into a bar, he got kicked out, but decided to shoot up the place instead. Thankfully he was brought under control, but not before one of his bullets connected with the skull of one of the bar’s inhabitants.
When Gunnarson flipped through the morning paper while trying to give his brain a bit of a rest, he didn’t register the obituary of a Nicko McKhin, and everyone else had forgotten about him too because he was easily the most worthless character in the Literary Mosaic canon.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 19, 2019 15:41:40 GMT -5
~1940~
Blade and his crew set up camp in a field normally inhabited by sheep. The farmer had been paid well for letting them stay, no questions asked, especially after Blade had none-too-subtly implied that they were British soldiers training for an invasion of Germany.
Of course, they weren't that at all. They were simply laying low, waiting for Byrne to arrive with supplies so they could break into a train station in the nearby town of Talyllyn.
"Who is this Byrne anyway?" Scinto, the new guy, asked.
"Blade's boss." Fowler replied.
"Please. I answer to no one. He's my supplier." Blade replied.
"Is that so?" A voice boomed. Three men emerged from the darkness. Two wore dark fatigues and a spider ring on their thumbs, but the third was tall, slender, and wore an eyepatch over one eye.
"The one-eyed man!" Muller gasped. Bawdekar began praying. Ruocco and Friend looked decidedly pale.
"Byrne couldn't make it tonight, so I decided to deliver this in person. As well as a message." With surprising strength, the one-eyed man grabbed Blade by the neck. "Through Byrne, I created you. I gave you everything you have. And I could destroy you as well. Don't get cocky, Lionel Kenneth."
The one-eyed man threw Blade down and disappeared into the darkness as quickly as he came.
~Present Day~
Gunnarson was still staring down Wolff and Finn.
"Hang on a second, weren't you with the Irish Mob?" Gunnarson asked when he recognized Finn. "We're on the same team here. I'm on the trail of Blade same as you."
*********
Blade was impatiently waiting for Gunnarson's call so the next phase of the plan could go into motion. He was getting restless, and Muller knew it.
"Blade, sir, you're acting... odd. What use is Blaze to us?"
"None really, but I don't trust Byrne, and keeping that psychopath busy gives him something to do far away from here."
Muller sighed.
"Anyway, I need you to go into town and keep your eye out for Gunnarson." Blade ordered.
********
Byrne grimaced as he listened to Blade's commands.
"Chrissakes... someone needs to be reminded who's really in charge." And so Byrne kept driving.
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Post by Tug on Aug 19, 2019 23:53:53 GMT -5
.....
Finn replied, "Yeah I was with them, but when your pal Walton took them down, I was stuck here and with Scotland Yard looking for me, I put my name in with someone who could protect me... Anyway. why do you think I'm here you damned Swede? I figured Blade was up to something and he was leading you on, so that's why I'm here. Currently he's driving the whole country mad with his Doppelganger Act. So. here's what's going to happen, you lead the boys and I to Blade and I won't blast your brains out with this shotgun, alright?"
Gunnarson, seeing no other choice, reluctantly agreed...
"Alright, then can you three gentlemen take me to the nearest phone booth then?"
.....
In a pub known as the Glasgow Smiler, a rowdy large man was causing a drunken disturbance after winning a drinking contest, yelling and egging on others about nobody being able to out drink him. Soon, a man in a suit walked in and approached the bartender...
"Hello, Detective Michael Walton, I'm looking for someone, a man by the name of... Douglas Barclay?"
"Aye, he's here..." replied the Scottish Bartender as he indicated the obnoxious fellow as the man who Walton was looking for...
"Thank you... Oh boy..." said Walton as he walked over to the man
"And that's when I told the wee bastard Nicko to come back when with a stronger liver, and more money of course!"
"Excuse me, are you Douglas Barclay?" questioned Walton
"Aye? Who be askin'?" wondered the annoyed Scotsman
"Scotland Yard. I need your help with a certain case." replied Walton
"I told those bastards I don't work with no damn bobbies! Do want to see what happened to the last one who tussled with me?" growled Barclay
"Just outside with me for a moment please..." nonchalantly answered Walton
"Fine... But don't cry when I'm done with you..." laughed Barclay as the duo exited towards a side exit, with Barclay shoving Walton out, and Walton not even giving a response. Barclay put up a bravado act of cracking his knuckles as he slammed the door behind him...
"You done?" asked Walton
"Aye. Alright Walton, what's your wee self be needin' this time?" replied the Scotsman, seemingly more sober than he let on in the bar
"I'm looking for Blade and his associates. They're causing quite the stir by sending a bunch of doppelgangers around the country sending HQ into a frenzy to figure out which is real or not..." answered Walton
"I heard about that wee ploy. Since this was such short notice I couldn't do much of the detailed work as usual. But I was able to figure out Bryne and Blade are purposely apart to carry out whatever that lad Blade's plannin'..." responded Barclay
"That's good to know... Anything solid you can give me?" asked Walton
"Aye, I can't tack down that sly one Blade's location, but I heard some reliable sources give me likely places Bryne will try to shake the coppers off at..." answered Barclay as he removed a slip of paper, flashing his badge for a split second, and handed it to Walton...
"Thanks, though I'm surprised you asked us to meet here, I saw a bunch of criminals you've been tracking for us in there..." wondered Blade
"They are, my war buddy runs the place so I know my cover would never be blown here, so this is one of my drop off locations since I can't go to HQ without my cover being blown... Though speaking of cover, here comes the worst part... Well, for you, I mean..." responded Barclay
"What do you mean?"
Inside the pub the patrons, curious how Douglas was faring, heard a loud impact and a cry of pain as they saw the suited figure disappear down the street in agony...
"I taught that wee one a thing or two about us Scots, anyway, Drinks on me, or him I mean!" laughed Barclay as the patrons cheered, and the undercover Scotsman mentally apologized to the good Detective...
.....
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Aug 20, 2019 3:09:53 GMT -5
Gent looked up and down at the rickety shitshack that was 221 Sadling Road. Against his better judgement, he’d decided to meet London’s most famous vigilante-criminal combo. He walked up and gave the knocker a hard rap. The door opened and a face appeared. “Commissioner Gent?” asked The Man, his face darkened by the shadows.
“Criminal Justice Reform?” shot the policeman back. “You wanted to talk about Blaze?”
“Come in, then,” said JJE. “Look, Blaze has been recaptured and will return to Broadmoor soon. I need your help to—“
“Look,” said Gent. “Right now Blaze isn’t my priority. Blade has my daughter. I want to get her out of harms way first and foremost.”
“If you would let me finish, I’ll explain how we can do just that.”
They didn’t manage to get anything more discussed, because what Gent didn’t know was that an undercover cop had been placed on his trails and had just rounded up a couple of his partners to raid the building. They kicked down the door and yelled for them to get their hands up. Gent didn’t know what to do or say, but The Man did. He kicked one of the officers square in the nuts, and dodging the other two who were slow to get their weapons out, he ran off and disappeared into the night. One of the cops tried chasing him down, but to know avail. Both The Man and Gent thought that they’d been set up by the other man, when really it was nothing of the sort.
At any rate, Gent had a lot to explain next morning at Scotland Yard.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 20, 2019 17:51:54 GMT -5
Gunnarson found a phone at a nearby diner. It picked up immediately.
"About time." Muttered a voice Gunnarson recognized as belonging to Muller. "2552 Gladyfyn Road, Lapy-ny-Glyfflyn, Wales. Come alone. Or else."
"We have an address. He's somewhere in Wales." Gunnarson told his captors.
"Alright, I can take it from here, Wolff." Finn said. "You can go ahead and report back to Bury. I'll keep the swede under control."
Wolff nodded and walked off with his dog. Finn was left with Gunnarson. He climbed into the passenger seat and watched the detective's face as they drove off, wondering how to tell Gunnarson about his true alliegance.
**************
Muller returned to the camp where Blade was. "Gunnarson called. He's on his way."
"Excellent. When he reaches the address, bring him in, knock him out, and drive him here. If anyone else is with him, kill the spare."
"You'll never get away with this, Leo!" Edward Kenneth growled.
"Oh, you got the gag out, did you? I've had enough of you, dear brother. I should have done this year ago."
Blade pointed a gun at his brother and shot him in the head. Kenneth screamed. So did Marlena, who was still tied up with him.
"Oh, relax, Miss Gent, that'll be you soon enough..." Blade cackled.
***********
Henry Taylor met with Gent, furious.
"This doesn't look good, Gent. Whatever happened, you freely accepted a meeting with a known terrorist. What the hell were you thinking?"
Gent sighed and tried to explain to the crown prosecutor. "He said he could help me find my daughter... Blade kidnapped her, and Walton isn't making much progress finding the man."
Taylor sighed. "Davis, the man we know as JJE is a dangerous radical. He may only target those with skeletons in their closets, but his method of acting is illegal and dangerous, and his few public statements make him sound like a filthy commie. I know you love your daughter, but this kind of behavior is just foolish. If you weren't already about to retire, I'd feel no remorse court-martialling you right now. As it stands, I think you should take your leave early. You've got far too much of a personal connection to this case, and it's clouding your judgement.
Gent sighed. He and Taylor were very different people, but he supposed the prosecutor had a point. His actions probably just put Marlena in more danger.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 20, 2019 21:19:30 GMT -5
"Seems I have no alternative then. The last few days I have shall be spent getting my affairs in order. Still have some loose ends to tie up after all" Gent explained.
"Probably for the best" Taylor agreed.
"By the way Mr. Taylor... court martial is a military thing, you know that, right?" Gent pointed out.
"Good to know you're paying attention" Taylor winked as he put his briefcase together. "At any rate, I have other cases that are more pertinent; for your own sake Gent, I hope that you don't do anything that forces me to prosecute you on behalf of the city" Taylor explained.
"I'll... I'll try not to" Gent conceded. His time really was coming to an end.
"And as for JJE... or rather, CBH, as I should be keeping up with everyone else... his time will come eventually, but I strongly urge you not to stoop to his level. To think he would assault officers in the quest for his idea of justice" Taylor muttered as he left.
......
At any rate, JJE/CBH had his own problems. He had come to his make up supplier's place to get a new batch, only to find it locked up and secured as a crime scene.
"This... could be a problem" he admitted to himself.
......
Walton was finally coming to; he had decided to take a nap after Barlcay had “knocked him out.” When he saw the Scotsman he promptly said "Was that really necessary?And where are we, anyway?" He asked.
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Post by Tug on Aug 22, 2019 18:47:03 GMT -5
Walton decide it was just best to head home for the night, and maybe get an ice pack for sore jaw...
.....
Finn focused on driving Gunnarson to the address while the Sicario, who had been in the back of the van this whole time, kept a gun trained on Gunnarson to make sure he didn't try anything funny.
"Normally I would send the Sniper here to make sure we weren't walking into an ambush, but this time, we'll have one up on Blade. Whoever's waiting there, that Mutt of Wolff's will sniff him out, and since I left him the radio and car Vin brought back, we'll be informed before we even get there. Gunnarson will go make contact, and Sicario will take out his 'extra company' from afar. then we'll use that hound to sniff out the boss himself. Understand Swede?" ordered Finn
"Ja."
"Good to hear then..."
.....
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 22, 2019 22:41:08 GMT -5
Wolff and his dog reached the address Gunnarson had been sent to. They began sniffing around the place.
"This isn't working." Wolff noted after a while. "The dog isn't picking up Blade's scent. Blade probably has associates in here and is actually somewhere else.
Suddenly, a shot rang out. Wolff turned to see three armed men blocking his path.
"This is private property. Get out of here now."
"I'll have you know I'm a very important man-" Wolff began, but he was interrupted as another shot rang out. But this one wasn't a warning shot. It hit his dog directly in the eye, and the bullet reached the dog's brain before it could so much as whimper.
"You- you killed my dog!"
"And unless you leave right now, you'll be next."
Wolff wasn't stupid. He had a self-preservation instinct. Plus, he had some information. The house they were approaching was at the end of a road surrounded by moorland. There was loads of visibility, and there were obviously loads of Spider's Web operatives in the house. He notified Gunnarson, Sicario, and Finn of this when next they met.
"Hmmm... this is gonna be risky, but the four of us should be able to take them all out." Finn decided.
"You trust Gunnarson to help us?"
"He'll do anything to help those hostages. You'll see." Finn said.
"Oh, one more thing." Wolff said. "I got a look through the window of the house. That truck full of supplies Blade got away with? Almost all of it is there. Basically every part of Blade's gang is in that house except Blade himself."
"Well, that's just perfect." Finn said. "I think Lord Bury will be very pleased when we recapture all of the Blade Syndicate's assets..."
So as dawn broke, Wolff, Sicario, Finn, and Gunnarson loaded their pistols and drove down the road towards the house. Muller and half a dozen Spider's Web agents were waiting. The plan was that they'd tie up and blindfold Gunnarson, then Muller would drive him to Blade's location, to keep it as secret as possible. But they weren't expecting three armed men to show up with him too...
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 24, 2019 12:31:51 GMT -5
As for Walton, following up on Barclay's lead he headed to the town in question. He was on Byrne's trail, and this time a stroke of luck had helped him.
Byrne letting Blaze on the rampage the past few days was coming back to haunt him. The old Church burned by Blaze a while back also happened to double as a storage facility for The Brotherhood of the Dark, and "Shadow" was not pleased with this act of hostility against him. He had sent 30 of his men to corner Byrne and teach him a lesson for interfering with "The Plan."
Although Byrne hadn't realized it at the time either, the abandoned Hotel he hid in, and then lured Walton into a trap- its basement was a meeting location for the Army of the Fallen, and they didn't appreciate the fact that The One-Eyed Man had allowed one of his own to compromise a major meeting location. Napoleon had sent a "platoon" of 50 to teach Byrne "a lesson."
Either way, Byrne had found himself cornered, with Walton not too far away, and London was about to be reminded... there was more than one Crime Lord at play here, and things were set in motion for how the stage of London's criminal underground would look for years to come
Byrne had one thing going for him though; maintaining his composure, he realized there was a possible way out: “hmm... I think I need to make some diplomatic offers...” he reasoned
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 27, 2019 13:47:38 GMT -5
"I've been sent with orders from the One-Eyed Man himself. In fact, I have a letter from him for just this occasion.
The men looked over the letter. It was definitely the One-Eyed Man's distinctive handwriting.
"Very well, but you owe us." One of Shadow's representatives said. "We work with the One-Eyed Man too. Every reasonable crime lord in England does. And if we need to destroy one of your buildings to get what we want, I doubt he'll object."
"Seems only fair." Byrne said.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Sept 2, 2019 17:12:31 GMT -5
The offer went through to Shadow, who felt satisfied that the trade-off was fair. The order went through to call off the hunt for Byrne... they didn't get back any of the assets lost in the fire, but it did not matter to Shadow. The Brotherhood of the Dark would implement "The Plan" eventually... it would take more than one setback to stop them.
Napoleon, however, was a bit harder to strike a deal with. While he hadn't lost any assets, Napoleon did not appreciate the breach of the Non-aggression pact he had with the One-Eyed Man; the loss of this meeting area would make communications within the Army of the Fallen harder in that area... and if there was one thing Napoleon did not like, it was inefficiency in his army. If there was two things he didn't like, it was inefficiency, and dealing with people who don't honor their agreements.
The Platoon had effectively locked down the area, with Byrne talking to the "Lieutenant" of the Platoon to work out an agreement while the rest of the members ensured no outside interference. Easier said than done though...
......
Three members of the Army were guarding one of the entrances to the building, well armed with sten sub-machine guns. From their right, someone approached them... he was wearing a suit and fedora, and also armed with a Sten. But the "troops" knew this wasn't one of their own.
"If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you get lost" one of them said as the three began raising their guns.
"Correction... tell me where Byrne is, or you'll be the ones who get hurt" a voice with great intensity said, before the figure looked right at them. Walton was not in the mood for playing games, and the three, while not familiar with him, suddenly recognized an important detail. The lead of the three suddenly felt nervous.
"Gentlemen... lower your guns..." he said with a crack of nervousness in his voice as he began to lower his gun.
"What?! When did you go soft?!" one of his buddies said, fuming.
"Look in front of you! It's the detective with the mismatched eyes! The one who brought down the Irish Mob AND Blade's syndicate!" He said. The other two looked up and saw a man with a brown right eye and a hazel left eye, and they began shuttering too. The rumors were true after all.
"Lower your weapons and tell me where Byrne is" Walton warned... he had no intention of killing them, but was prepared to fight defensively if needed.
"F-fourth floor!" The lead sputtered as Walton gestured for the three to go against the wall.
"I've called in back-up, they'll be here in a matter of minutes. I strongly suggest keeping your heads down if you want the judge to go easy on you" Walton explained as he walked in.
"No need to go crazy; I'll keep my head down and ensure Byrne has no idea I'm here" Walton thought to himself. Slowly and quietly, he sneaked his way up to the fourth floor.
.........
Gent was looking over his nearly empty office. He was getting ready for the big move... Scotland Yard had been good to him, but Ede was right and it was time to pass on the torch. As it happened, Gent was talking with his upcoming replacement.
"It is wonderful to know that Scotland Yard will be in good hands; I hope that my position will be in good hands, Turner" Gent said to the gentleman sitting across from him.
"Davis, I assure you will have nothing to worry about... personally I have found the work you've done here to be quite exemplary. Naturally I will be changing things up a bit, but I'm sure you will agree that we do need to make some changes to account for the change in generations of criminals" Turner explained.
"I understand. I did want to ask you though; how important is it for you to get into this position? I know it was initially said that I would retire on Wednesday, but at the same time..."
"It's all right. I'm willing to wait until Blade is taken down. If I'm not mistaken you do have a man closing in on him right now?" Turner asked.
......
At the farmhouse, Finn knew a head-on attack on the place would not work; from what he could gather from observation there were seven men in there, so not only did they have numbers, but were also playing defensively. So Finn knew he had to think tactically in order to make progress. They took position under the cover of night.
So, Sicario, taking his sniper rifle, hid among the trees and took up position there. The house may have been at the end of a road and was open on all sides, but there was a nice, thick spot of vegetation about 50 yards Southeast of the house. Under the cover of darkness, Sicario took up position there, and waited. The remaining three split up... Finn and Wolff came from the south of the house. They were in their vehicle and Finn explained how it was going to work.
"... and when I give the signal, jump out, got it?" Finn explained.
"Ok, fine" Wolff said as he got himself ready.
As For Gunnarson, he sneaked around to the North side of the house, taking advantage of some natural depressions in the moorlands to obscure his movements from those on lookout. In the distance, he saw Blade's truck parked, and knew where he needed to end up.
Amid that breaking dawn, Muller and the others were surprised to see what was coming towards them... down the road and speeding fast, the vehicle showed no signs of stopping
"Ok, and... now!" Finn said, switching the car into a higher gear before he and Wolff leaped out of the vehicle. The Spider's Web Agents began firing on the car even before they leaped out, but it became clear that it wasn't enough to stop it... the agents in it's immediate path ran clear as the car crashed into the side of the house, going through that first wall before stopping soon after.
One of the agents ran forward to try and take down the two who had leaped out of the vehicle, but as soon as he took aim, a red cloud exploded from his head as his body went limp and he fell. Sicario had claimed his first kill, and inadvertently bought Finn and Wolff just enough time to at least get into a defensive position. In addition to the truck in the back, there was a smaller, regular car out front; the two promptly took cover behind that as Muller tried to reign in his remaining five men.
"What happens now Finn?" Wolff asked.
"Start shooting and hope luck is on our side" Finn said as he started firing a couple blasts from his shotgun, successfully getting one of the men in the window. He didn't have as much ammunition for it compared to his pistol, and was going to make each shot count. Wolff may have been a dog trainer primarily, but at least he was good with his pistol too.
As for the Swede, he had successfully made his way behind the truck. He reasoned that if waited just the right amount of time, everyone in the house would get distracted long enough for him to go in and get in the house through the back door. He just needed the opportunity.
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Post by Tug on Sept 2, 2019 20:46:12 GMT -5
Just then, the back doors to the truck opened up and a bag was flung over Gunnarson's head. Two Spider's Web operatives were restrainnig the Swede as the detective tried to fight back, with Muller watching the whole time.
"Knock him out, it will be easier to transport him that way..." ordered Muller as one of the operatives hit Gunnarson over the head, sending the Swede into unconsciousness...
"We got what we came here for and those thugs will be busy with the distraction, move out!"
Finn noticed the lights for the truck light up and put two and two together...
"He's not getting away from me this time! Wolff! Take the van with Vin and go inform the Boss! I'm going after Blade solo!" yelled Finn as he dashed out from car and shot two operatives on his dash towards the moving vehicle. Seeing no other options, the Irishman swung his shotgun behind his shoulder and rolled under the moving truck, grabbing the undercarriage at the last possible moment as it drove off to who knows where.
Wolff, furious he was left behind in a shootout, ran to the van and shot one of Finn's victims who got back up. He managed to start up the van, but not before getting shot in the shoulder by one of the operatives. Sicario soon took out two more operatives, including the one who injured Wolff, as the damaged van pulled away from the rubble. The van roared back the way it came, as Wolff, not wanting to stop, forced Sicario to jump onto the roof of the van from the tree in order to catch the getaway vehicle in time. The team split with two going back to "update" their Boss, while the other two went to settle old debts...
.....
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Post by Toz76 on Sept 6, 2019 22:12:49 GMT -5
Muller drove along the bumpy road. Finn instantly knew he had made a mistake. He had no idea how long he could hold on, or what might happen to him if he let go.
***********
Walton crept up to the fourth floor and crept towards the door. But what he heard stopped him in his tracks.
"What do you mean Byrne isn't coming?"
"Byrne is with the One-Eyed Man at the moment. I'm here to speak on his behalf."
"What an insult! The One-Eyed Man will be hearing about this! We're gonna make sure Byrne can't show his face anywhere in the country!"
Walton was confused. The intel they had told them that Byrne was meeting with the Platoon here. What happened? Where was Byrne? Had he been tricked?
As he reeled, a member of the Platoon crept up behind him with a gun...
**************
After 20 minutes of driving, Muller's van stopped suddenly. Finn sighed in relief, relaxed his grip, and shimmied over to the side to see what was going on.
The two Spider's Web operatives were shoving a struggling but still bound Gunnarson into the back of a red car. Muller had gotten into the passenger seat and was talking to the driver, who Finn guessed correctly was the man called Byrne.
Once Muller, Byrne, and Gunnarson were in the red car, it sped off, leaving Finn with the two Spider's Web operatives, who walked back towards the truck. Finn made a note of which way the car had gone, trying to figure out his next move.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Sept 7, 2019 21:45:13 GMT -5
He knew that there was only one way out in order for him to stay alive and not lose the trail: he would have to overpower the two operatives in a timely matter, and probably take control of the truck in order to catch up with The Swede He would need to think quickly though.
......
As the "solider" sneaked up behind Walton, the detective turned around and pointed his Sten right at him, "think twice before making a move" he said in an intense whisper.
The grunt shuttered the moment he saw the mismatched eyes and put his weapon down. "thought so" Walton finished as he turned his attention to the two men.
"Now look Lieutenant, I'm sure an agreement can be reached..." The Spider's Web operative began.
"Like hell! Just because the One Eyed Man is the longest serving crime Lord in town doesn't mean he's the most powerful. Don't forget, us, the Brotherhood and the Underground have membership in the thousands, do you really think your loosely organized, decentralized network of lone wolves stands a chance? Even if your kind are good at keeping your head down, you should know that Napoleon will not hesitate to rip apart this city to weed you out" The Lieutenant warned.
"That doesn't mean he will go through with it. Do not forget that even Lord Bury maintains a level of respect for him" the operative informed.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't just make an example out of you!" The lieutenant warned as he grabbed the operative by the shirt cuff.
"How's THIS for a reason" a voice said as the two looked at the man pointing a Sten submachine gun at them.
"Ah, the Detective with the Mismatched Eyes... the rumors are true after all" The Lieutenant said as he looked at Walton.
"I see my reputation precedes me. Though you two don't seem to want to surrender as easily as the others" Walton noted.
"Takes more than that to get through to me" The Lieutenant said
"Byrne did mention something about you... wouldn't give too many details, but did say you fell for his trap perfectly" the operative pointed out.
"Bullsh*t! How does a double-crossing detective outwit someone with advanced military training?" Walton pragmatically pointed out.
"Same way we can have an edge on you" the two said as they suddenly drew guns. But no one fired. Walton didn't so much as flinch.
"After the horrors I saw on the continent... do you honestly this this even phases me?" He pointed out. The operative and the Lieutenant flinched a little bit at the fact that despite outnumbering Walton, they weren't so much as phasing him.
"Besides... I'd say you're the ones whose luck just ran out" Walton said as suddenly the door burst open and half a dozen officers entered, forcing the two to surrender.
......
"... we ended up arresting 46 members of the Army and one Spider's Web operative. Still no closer to Byrne or Blade though" Walton informed upon his return to Scotland Yard.
Gent was confused, "None of this makes so much as lick of sense. Blade is, at best, a street thug with some basic training; not an assassin, but certainly no grunt either. And Byrne has standard police training, yes, but you... you are arguably the most capable man on my force, and your record speaks for itself. There's no practical way for Byrne to play you like this" Gent concluded.
"Uh... sir... I think I have an answer" a voice said as he entered the office.
"Hardstuckle? Found something?" Gent asked.
"I was going through Byrne's desk on a hunch, and found this" he said, indicating some notebooks. Gent looked through them and was surprised... pages upon pages of notes, breaking down many officers and detectives, whether it was analysis of them or listing facts about them.
"And... and this whole notebook seems dedicated to you" Hardstuckle observed as he passed it onto Walton. The detective looked it over, who was in disbelief, "this doesn't make sense... we never were that close and our interactions were never more than professional. How could he... he..." and in that moment, everything came together. "That son of a b*tch! He's been observing me this whole time! He knew what I was capable of and was trying to find a weakness to exploit" Walton deduced.
"Come to think of it Byrne was putting out fewer cases in homicide compared to other departments he was in... and even then he always did seem to be a bit low on output compared to other detectives" Gent recalled.
Now the pieces were falling into place, "Byrne was never in the job for making the city a better place. Byrne was in this job to find information to exploit for "someone" to use... but that someone... I know it's farfetched, but if I was a gambling man I'd say Byrne's on the payroll of one of the crime lords" Walton deduced.
"But the trail has gone dry... he could have gone anywhere by now" Gent said.
"I still have one last thing to rely on" Walton explained. He went to the phone to call up various members of the informant network.
No surprise though, most of his eyes and ears hadn't seen anything important. Though a couple did mention that Spiders Web operatives had approached them about paying them to "mislead Walton" in a specific direction. "So why didn't you take the deal?" Walton asked.
"Like hell I'd betray you; you've got my file and you're literally the one guy keeping me out of prison. I've got more to lose from betraying you than helping you, we all do. That said- still don't have anything meaningful to work with.
It was one of the "12 apostles" however, that gave the breakthrough Walton needed.
"Wait, explain to me how you know this again?" Walton asked, incredulous.
"Well, I was going for a holiday, when on my drive I saw this truck and red car meet. Didn't see much, but two of the people I saw were that Swedish detective and that Muller fellow... you know, Blade's man? Recon if he's around Blade can't be too far away" he explained. "then I found the nearest petrol station with a phone and called you" he finished
"I see. And where was this?" Walton asked.
"There don't appear to be too many street signs around here, but here's what I can tell you about area directions" he began.
Little did Walton know, the climax of the Gent era of Scotland Yard was slowly coming to fruition
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