[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

493

@aaron

It was late, and the Church was mostly empty, the faint yellow light of street lamps entering through the windows and catching dust as it spiralled through the stale air. She had been kneeling at the back of the church for nearly half an hour, her hands clasped and her head bowed. She wasn't sure why she still came here after all this time. Father Mathias had known her since she was young, and he had always had that insufferable habit of being right. He was also one of the only people she actually trusted.

Her mother had brought her to church every Sunday, and through everything she had remained steadfastly religious. Her father had not been as devout as her mother, but he had at least a passing interest in religion. She'd known Father Mathias since she had moved to America; he had always been kind to her, helping her to move beyond her broken English. As such he was one of the few who could speak to her with much in the way of familiarity. And who could tell her off.

As though he could hear her thoughts the priest appeared from the back of the church. He was dressed more casually, in a black shirt and slacks, a brief flash of white at the base of his throat denoting his clerical collar. He spotted her, smiled, and turned to walk down the aisle towards her.

She rose, raising her head, and he paused as he saw the substantial black eye she had received during her fight with Aaron, the Hero Tank. It had been hidden in shadow while she had knelt, but the flickering light of the candles now threw it into stark relief. He frowned disapprovingly, gesturing towards the confessional booth with a questioning look.

She nodded once, and a few seconds later she was knelt outside the booth while he sat inside. It was ritualistic, but to both of them it was important ritual, especially to Sonnet. In this situation Mathias was bound by the seal of the confessional, and Sonnet knew that the Priest would not break that lightly.

"Forgive me Father for I have sinned…"

---

It hadn't been all that hard to track down the Hero, after all, she knew his name, and his face. She wondered how much that might worry him. She was a member of the Yakuza, a dangerous metahuman, and a confirmed killer after all. On the other hand, he had taken everything she had to throw at him last time, so maybe he wasn't too worried if people could find him out of costume. He must be pretty hard to kill.

She'd followed him from the rooftops, keeping well out of sight and using her ability to ensure that no one could have tracked her movements. Eventually, she found her moment.

There was a sound like an exhalation behind Tank in the alley he had just walked into, then…

"Thanks."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Removing his hand from his pocket, he reached inside his jacket and grabbed a strip of gum. He popped it into his mouth as he left his house, locking the door as he backed out to his flat. He was staying down in the city this week, intent to get some hero work in before heading back out to the house under his fathers name. He stuck his hands in his pockets and started out on patrol. He kept his eyes forward, but used his peripheral to monitor the world around him. As he stalked the streets, he'd bend occassionally to pick up trash and throw it away, or give a little money to one of his brothers on the street corner.

He'd nearly been there himself.

As his "patrol" continued, he noticed something rather alarming. A shadow- one that kept appearing and disappearing with the changing of the moonlight. Either a ghost was following him, or his little musical compilation had decided he was better off dead, rather than know her face. He turned into an alley, and as he heard the poof, his hand darted inside his jacket, gripping the gun that was holstered there and tilting it a little. In half a second he could put a 44 magnum through the back of his jacket and through her forehead....until he heard her speak. He slowly turned back, the woman now able to see his finger tilting the hammer forward so that it was no longer "cocked". He took his hand away and gave a slight cocking of his brow.

"You're welcome."

He glanced up before bringing his eyes back down.

"I feel kinda bad now- I thought you were here to try and finish the job."

He gave a little smile. He'd thought the worst, since she had not seemed in any way receptive to him or his words previously. It probably spoke volumes about him that he let her know who he was- it made it easy to find him. But he clearly had nothing to fear- here she had another opportunity to take him from behind (giggity) and instead passed it up to give him her thanks. He'd stick his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Walk with me while I finish my patrol and I'll make it up to you."

He'd gesture for her to follow with his head....if she was interested.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

326

@aaron

She smiled at the sight of the gun. She'd realised when he'd noticed her, after all, she wasn't amateurish enough to silhouette herself when following someone. This guy had been sharp when she'd fought him, she hadn't underestimated him this time.

She'd been a little surprised that he had been prepared to shoot instantly she hadn't had him down as the jumpy kind, but then he was still alive. She was glad that she hadn't succeeded in killing him the other day, he seemed decent enough, and she certainly didn't want to draw too much of the Program's attention. It was bad enough when a cop was killed, what might happen if one of the Government's new super cops was killed she didn't want to know. Her ability might be potent, but it was nothing next to some of those she had seen on TV.

She shrugged, "I wouldn't blame you for thinking that, I was pretty pissed the last time we met. I'd have tried a different approach this time though."

She lifted the hem of her jacket a little, revealing the hand grenade clipped to her belt. "You might be bullet proof but I doubt you can take one of these point blank and walk away smiling. "

The thing had been expensive. Explosives like this were hard to acquire, although fortunately rarely in demand, though apparently the NYPD were not fond of people carrying them around in the streets. Lifting her jacket had also revealed the gun holstered there, a slim Beretta 93R. It might not have quite the same kick as a 44, but if you put that many bullets downrange then eventually your target would go down. Sonnet found it useful to have something she could fire quickly when jumping from location to location.

She rolled her eyes dramatically then followed him anyway. "Do you know how long it's been since I walked somewhere?"

She smiled, "Probably a whole twenty minutes."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He gave an appreciative nod at the grenade.

"Respect. Gotta love when someone comes prepared. And true- I've been hit with mortar shells." He lifted his shirt, showing a scar about the size of a basketball. It looked like a grizzly burn over his right ribcage. "My organs were nearly spilling out. It if wasn't for the new healing salves, I'd be dead as a doornail." He winked, lowering his shirt. "I figure I know how to put you down, now it's only fair."

He had indeed shown a little piece of his paranoia- if one could call it that. But in his line of work, villainous forces would find him eventually. Only a fool thought what they did would end in rainbows and butterflies. More people were born every twelve seconds, and some of those people would grow up evil. That was the reality of the world in which they lived. Rather than become hopeless at the prospect, though, he still fought. Because for every evil man or woman, there had to be someone good. To save the lives they could. That was his optimism. Still, he expected to die for those he could save. He was at peace with it.

He let out a little chuckle.

"Do you know how long it's been since I was threatened with a grenade?" He cocked a brow. "About twenty minutes." Okay, so it was further back than that, but he found humor in it anyway. His smile tapered, however, as he heard the breaking of glass. Frowning, his eyes turned to the left as he came out of the alley, a man's back was to them, while three others were rushing into an electronics store. He stepped back into the alley, his hand crossing in front of Sonnet to make sure she did too. He'd lean against the wall and pull a bandana out of his jacket....along with a second one. Both had "USMC" on it, one red and one black. He wrapped the red one around his nose and mouth, tying it at the back. He'd offer her the black.

"Care to tag in for a little fun?"

If she did take it, he'd hold it a moment.

"No killing."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

297

@aaron

Oddly enough they both turned and frowned at the same time. This was Yakuza territory, and in Yakuza territory they paid protection money. That left two options, either this store had not paid its dues, or the people currently robbing it were stupid enough to rob a Yakuza protected store.

Sonnet was betting on the latter.

She took the bandanna from him, smiling at the makeshift mask. Most of the Heroes wore professionally designed costumes, made from a variety of space age fabrics that offered them extra protection on top of that from their powers. This guy didn't bother with the branding, didn't bother with the image, he just got the job done. She could admire that.

"Fine, no killing, but I'm not promising that they won't wish I did."

She wrapped the black fabric about her face, glad that she had come dressed practically tonight. Not that it would have mattered much, but she would have been furious if she'd gotten blood on a dress. When she was working she dressed in hard wearing, if stylish clothes, for more social events she liked to dress up, or down, often showing off a great deal of the complex tattoos that adorned her figure.

A fraction of a second later she vanished, appearing in front of the man who had his back to Tank and jabbing her extended fingers into his throat. His hands flew to his neck and he staggered back making choking noises. They vanished into a high pitched mewl of pain as she sank her boot into his crotch, then stopped entirely as her knee met his head on its way down.

She looked up at the Hero, the dim light of the alley betraying the savage joy in her eyes.

"Try and keep up."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He stepped out from around the corner, smirking himself. He had absolutely no qualms about hurting others to get the message across. His hands could be tied when it came to life and death, but trying to talk people from an edge they'd already jumped off of would only end with people getting hurt. That glint in her eye would find a reflection in his own. Taking two steps over to the van on his right, he punched a hole through the side, the sound of shredding metal ripping through the nights air. His hand grabbed fabric as he'd tear the man through the side of the van, hurling him into the wall with bone crunching force.

"Right back at yo-"

His snarky retort was cut off by a 9mm Sig Saur pressing against his cheek, the bullet smashing into his flesh as smoke would rife around his skull. His hand came up and gripped the hand that had shoved the gun through the hole he'd made, the man gripping the weapon screaming as Aaron's vice-like fist crushed the brittle bones in his hand. Aaron stepped forward and to the left, slamming his other arm into the elbow, dislocating the arm. He'd pull the fellow out as well, throwing his own elbow forward to smash into his jaw, causnig him to backflip in the air and faceplant, still as stone.

"Nighty night."

He'd step up into the vehicle. Seemed everything was there, and in order. He heard the drivers side door open and stepped out, looking at a man who had taken off full sprint. Raising the Sig Saur he'd kept in his hand from sleeping beauty, he fired a single shot that penetrated the left leg, upper, cracking the femur on impact and exiting above the knee. The man fell, crying out and clutching at his leg while Aaron withdrew his phone and shot in an address to the PD Hero Hotline.

He'd turn back to see how Sonnet was faring.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

337

@aaron

Sonnet hadn't seen Aaron deal with the thieves outside, she was too busy inside the store itself. The size of the group was in itself a surprise, and suggested they were better organised than she would have expected. You were either very stupid or very confident to attempt to rob a store under Yakuza protection. The size and apparent organisation of the group suggested confidence rather than stupidity, which was concerning.

The first man she saw was carrying a large cardboard box emblazoned with a logo and a picture of a widescreen TV. He dropped it and she winced, followed promptly by his wince, or rather scream of pain as she flipped him over her back and onto the floor, followed by a stamp of her foot while she was still holding onto his wrist.

Another man emerged from a door she assumed led to the stockroom, fumbling at his waistband, presumably for a gun. Sonnet disappeared, reappearing in front of him and twisting the gun out of his hands so fast that she broke his fingers. She slammed the butt of the gun into his face and there was a delicious crunch as his nose collapsed under the sudden blow, blood spurting from it as he fell backwards and through the door.

The last one had been crouched by the registers this whole time, and he got a shot off, a shot that passed through thin air as Sonnet was already gone. She slapped the gun from his hands and then deflected his wild blow with an almost careless wave of her arm. He tried again and this time she pulled his arm through, catching his leg with her own so that he tumbled headfirst into the desk that had housed the register. She helped him out on the way down by slamming his head against the heavy wood.

She sauntered out of the store to see the small pile of unconscious men left by Tank.

"Oh, am I supposed to tidy them up as well?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He blinked as he turned back from the driver side of the truck. "Yeah...Unless you would rather be digging through burger wrappers and faded porno mags up here....?" He was rooting around for some information as to where these men were from. If she cleaned up quickly and came over, he would glance over at her and frown thoughtfully, though she would probably only see the scrunching of his eyes.

"I was called out a few weeks back for some men with similar organization and structure robbing another store. They weren't after petty items like this though- they were after a little girl. They robbed some stuff to make it look less structured, I think....but I thiiink these guys may have been trying to do the same thing." He backed out of the truck. "Damn. Nothing." He looked at the shop.

"Maybe we should search the-"

In a violent burst, the store front exploded, instantly killing the men inside and on the curb. Aaron's body would be blown backward into the open door, busting it clean off it's hinges as the wind was sucked from his chest. He hit the ground hard, with a groan, before returning to his feet and staring a little wide eyed at the flames and smoke as they ran skyward, the sound of sirens in the distance from his text informing him the best decision would be to-

"We should leave."

Or they might end up being confused for one of these men, and that just wouldn't do. He'd turn and take off at a jog, heading up the street in the opposite direction of the sirens. After two or three blocks, he'd take an alley and remove his bandana, furrowing his brow.

"What the fuck is going on..."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

294

@aaron

"I'll leave those magazines to you, although let me know if you find any half-eaten burgers. Teleporting really takes it out of me."

Her lip curled in disgust at the thought of a group of men attempting to kidnap a young girl. She didn't know why exactly they might try such a thing, but she could imagine. The Yakuza was heavily involved in human trafficking, and Sonnet had her dealings with those aspects of the business, but it was rare that they dealt in children. Usually she turned her conscience away from that side of the business.

Sonnet barely registered the explosion, her instincts kicking in the moment she heard and felt it. She reappeared a moment later in her apartment, in a spot she kept intentionally clear and out of the way so that it would always be safe for her to appear there. It was fortunate that she'd spent so long training those instincts into herself, she'd been stood next to the door of the building. Who knows what might have happened if she had still been there. She focused a moment, visualising the alley she had been in for a moment, then reconsidering.

A moment later she appeared twenty feet further down the alleyway that she had been. Fire and smoke was billowing into it from the destroyed store, but Aaron was nowhere to be seen. She walked back down the alleyway towards it, leaning away from the heat of the flames. She didn't know if the Hero could have taken that blast and walked away, but he wasn't anywhere near the pile of unconscious men by the van. She walked out into the street, wary that she would have to leave soon as she heard sirens in the distance.

"Tank?!"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

After stumbling to his feet, he looked around. Sonnet was gone- did she run? God, he hoped so. If she didn't she'd probably find her face missing. Not seeing her body anywhere, he took off down the street, coming into a slow jog as his diaphragm slowly began to ease up. Hearing someone shout for him, he stopped under a low overhang in front of a bakery, his form now in total shadow. Sticking his index and middle finger in his mouth, he left out a shrill whistle, giving a little wave if/once she saw him. If she appeared next to him, he'd be gripping his stomach.

"You got somewhere you can take us? Safe?"

He hated relying on her like that, but without the adrenaline that was rushing through him, his body began to swarm him with pain and he needed to sit down. He might have thick skin, but he could still feel the agony of injury without the overt signs. If she did teleport him somewhere, he'd sit on the floor, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow and removing the bandana.

"That's the second assault like that I've seen this month."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

348

@aaron

Hearing the whistle Sonnet turned, her gaze searching the street. She spotted a shadowy form beneath the overhang of a bakery, it was waving at her, and while she was pretty sure that was Aaron, she didn't know yet if he had actually survived the explosion. It could have been the person responsible for it in the first place. A moment later she was gone, reappearing about ten feet away, and close enough to confirm that it was indeed Aaron.

She walked closer, pausing a few feet away when she saw that he was clearly hurt from the explosion. If she wanted to kill him, now was her opportunity. She doubted that he would be capable of defending himself with any degree of effectiveness.

Sonnet did not kill him; instead she shook her head in disgust at herself, then put a hand on his shoulder. A second later they would be standing in a small concrete room. There was a sink in one corner with exposed pipes, and the only light hung from the ceiling on a frayed and fragile looking wire.

She stepped away, wary that Aaron could have attempted to use this opportunity to implicate her in something. This room was one of a number she had access to; heavily locked and bolted outside, and existing only as a safe space for her to teleport to should she need an escape route. Hence there was little in the way of creature comforts. A single chair sat in a corner.

"I doubt anyone will find you here."

She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

"With the bomb?"

She mused silently. It was unusual, a bombing in New York. There seemed to be little reason to do it, after all the bomb had gone off before the men could have had the chance to get away. And why bomb an empty store anyway? She would have thought terrorism, but it wasn't as if anyone was claiming credit for the attacks. Strange that Aaron would have seen both of them though.

"Someone trying to kill you big man?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He shook his head.

"If they are, they're doing a poor job of it. Being that the explosions happened prematurely and with intent to keep men from being questioned, I assume it was a remote detonation. Someone was....probably watching the events as they came about and didn't want to risk interrogation."

He pushed himself to his feet slowly, spitting a little blood into the sink before turning it on. He would proceed to wipe his mouth with the bandana before taking some water and sucking it into his mouth. He must've bit the inside of his mouth. He stuffed the rag in his pocket and took some of the water and splashed it on his face as he swished the fluid about a bit before spitting it into the sink. He stood straight, turning off the water and looked around. Concrete. No personals. He turned to look back at Sonnet.

"Let me guess...a few feet thick, steel bolts layered outside? Why Sonnet, if I didn't know any better I'd think you brought me to a cell."

Now he was feeling wary. In a moment of weakness, he was taken back to his time in war. He saw her as a compatriot, a soldier standing with him, rather than the person she was or presented. She hadn't killed him, which spoke volumes about her character in terms of wanting him dead now. But she still brought him to a cell. There was any number of other places should could have taken him, right? He kept his hands outside his pockets, looking over the lining of the room.

"Where do we even find places like this these days?"

He thought, perhaps, he'd been getting to her. Even just a little. Was he about to be proven wrong?

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

351

@aaron

"So why rob an electronics store? If you're so determined to avoid detection and can get hold of enough explosives to wreck a store then why bother robbing the store? Surely it would be cheaper to just buy the stuff they wanted? What could they really be getting out of this?"

She watched as Aaron cleaned himself up, the tap spluttering for a moment, before spitting out a stream of brown water. After a moment the murky liquid cleared, which was fortunate as the man proceeded to fill his mouth with it. In truth Sonnet had no idea if the water in that thing was even drinkable. He was apparently interested in the room, which was strange, as there wasn't much of interest in it.

She frowned at his indirect accusation, "This isn't an attempt to imprison you if that's what you're asking."

She was insulted that he would insinuate such a thing. She might be a criminal, but there was such a thing as a code of honour. The Yakuza was bound by their own code, but Sonnet's was perhaps even stricter than that of the famously honourable Japanese syndicate. She stiffened noticeably, her fists clenching ever so slightly.

"Out of deference to your last victory, I'll gloss over that, but be careful in suggesting such things. When I try to kill you, you will know about it."

A deliberate choice of words, when. After all, the Hero had embarrassed her the last time they had come into contact. Sonnet's reputation was important to her, not least because she was one of the few female members of the Yamaguchi-Gumi, which meant a lot when you were a member of one of the largest and most powerful criminal organisations in the world. She was lucky she hadn't lost a finger after the last time she had gone up against the potent metahuman, but she would be more prepared next time.

It was strange, to have such an ironclad sense of honour, and yet be a member of the criminal underworld. Though strangely, it was rarely her honour that gave her problems.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron eyed her as she clearly took offense- and rightfully so. He'd lick his lips, looking to the ground before turning his eyes back up to her from under his brow. He gave a little nod.

"Fair enough. I apologize for the inference, it's an old habit."

Truthfully, she couldn't blame him. He'd seen bodies left in her wake, and she'd tried awfully hard to kill him last time. Of the two of them, he was the only one who'd had the foolproof opportunity to take her life and had passed up the opportunity. Perhaps that was why she said what she did, instead of assaulting him for defacing the respect she clearly had instilled in herself for people like them. He chose to let the sudden sizzle of the cold air between them drop, as though it had never been there. She had made her point and he'd acknowledged it. Time to move on.

"It could be that the store was home to someone they wanted. Last time, they were trying to kidnap a girl. Or, perhaps, they were simply sending a message. That the current state of things would change, and they would be the catalyst. To be honest, it reminds me of Taliban tactics in Kundahar."

Someone defending their home terf by killing in mass. Civilians, their own men. It was a common reality for the people there. He didn't think for a second that those stateside would take up the same tactics.

"The program has been coming down hard on the underworld, and perhaps they are tired of it. I don't see the mob, or the Yakusa taking part in something like this. So it must be street gangs." Which was surprising- he didn't think he'd had his hands on any gangbangers lately. Perhaps some of the other heroes had. If that was the case, why kidnap the girl? Why kill their own men. He scowled and shook his head. He was going in circles, and needed more time to think. He turned, running a hand through his hair, glazing over the floor and walls a little more.

"I'll need time to figure it out. In the meantime....What happens between you and me?"

He kept looking around, letting her respond as he'd move over to test the door gently.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

332

@aaron

She briefly narrowed her eyes at his apology, judging whether it was worth acceptance. She nodded once, sharply, "accepted."

His constant suspicion and previous defeat of her was explained a moment later, ex-military. Of course, he'd been too comfortable with the way he had dealt with the other Yakuza present in the warehouse to have come from any other life. Now that it was obvious, she felt foolish for not spotting it earlier.

She shrugged, "The Program hasn't caused us much in the way of problems. The warehouse maybe, but there would have been a similar ending if neither of us had been there. No, metahumans have just made it easier for us to turn a profit."

It was true, the fleshier side of the Yamaguchi-Gumi's business in New York City was booming with the sudden influx of women, and some men, with strange and fantastical abilities or appearance. Apparently there was a girl with a cats tail and ears, and another that was a walking orgy all by herself. Such talents were unique, of course, and so they demanded extremely high price tags. Most of the Hero Program seemed to focus exclusively on metacrime anyway. Leaving most of the organised crime to be dealt with the same underfunded overtaxed departments that had always been responsible.

She hadn't moved as he paced the small room, like a lion in a cage, he seemed restless in the small space. She frowned as he pushed lightly against the door. It was wood, with steel panels overlaid it to discourage any would be snoopers, but the wood within was long since rotted away, betrayed by how easily it moved in its frame. It wouldn't open all the way however, restrained by a heavy, rusted padlock and chain on the outside. Sonnet had placed them there when she'd first acquired the place, and had never removed them. It wasn't as if she needed to open the door.

Her tone was strained again as she spoke. "Problem?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄