17 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
Chapter 85 Park Row Ties.
(General P.O.V)
"Hold still."
Dr.Leslie barked at the man lying on the bed, his shoulder bleeding.
Despite her no nonsense demeanor, her actions were gentle and caring as she dressed the wound. The small clinic was filled with groaning bodies lying on similar beds.
Dr.Leslie finished taking care of their injuries before leaving the room to get some water from the dispenser. She gulped it all down.
She frowned, seeing the blood on the plastic cup in her hand. It had come from the gloves after she had forgotten to remove them.
She had been working tirelessly and her exhaustion was finally catching up to her, causing her to make mistakes.
"Doctor."
A deep grouchy voice, ruined by regular smoking called out.
The doctor looked back and sighed,
"You promised me that you were going to stay out of trouble Danny. You and your boys."
She said accusingly, removing her gloves and throwing them inside the bin next to the dispenser.
Danny Fulio winced, the action looking weird on his weathered face.
"The city has been in an uproar since word of the Penguin's death spread. Everyone is jumping in to claim his territory."
He explained.
"Are you?"
The doctor asked, with a raise of an eyebrow.
Danny blinked.
"No. We just found ourselves caught in the crossfire of a fight between the remnants of the Maroni crime family and the Black mask."
Doctor Leslie frowned noticing how he seemed to favor his left side.
'Must be bruised ribs, maybe even cracked.'
She reasoned, reaching towards a shelf and grabbing a bottle full of red pills.
"I thought Catwoman put a bullet straight through Black Mask's forehead."
She told him, sounding as if the cat themed superhero had done them all a favor.
"Apparently he's back." Danny frowned, swallowing a groan as his ribs hurt with every motion he made.
"Take two of those each morning for three days, they will reduce the swelling."
The doctor said, pushing the pills towards him.
"Thank you."
Danny smiled briefly. A rare thing.
"How can we ever repay you for what you've done for us?"
"Just stay out of trouble Danny. I would hate if instead of my clinic, you and your boys were taken straight to the morgue."
She curtly said and left the room.
Danny shook his head with a sad smile on his face.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that but...he had a feeling that this chaos was just getting started.
Ever since Batman caused these...supervillains to come out of the woodwork, things had gone from shitty to super shitty.
Still, he couldn't blame the Dark Knight's intentions, what he hated was the ineffectiveness of his actions.
Ineffectiveness that caused desperate people like him to try and survive. Especially in a place like Gotham.
Danny had served when he was younger. He'd left Park Row for greener pastures.
Anything was better than Gotham. It was only pure chance that he found a calling in the army.
Then after coming back, he'd found out that his brother had been crippled in a fight between Batman and the Joker. The man was luckier than most.
Still...
Danny had lost so much.
It was apparent that there was no jobs for people like him,( a 40 year old veteran who had been discharged dishonorably for punching a superior who was forcing himself on a barrack bunny).
Without a lot of prospects, he decided to join with Two-Face to make enough to support himself and his brother.
6 years of being a henchman had taught him so much.
For starters, don't mess with the Batman.
After a particularly nasty injury, Danny had retired and started his own gang. No, not a gang, it was more like a community squad.
The Park Row Ties was a group meant to provide stability to Crime Alley or as he and everyone else in the Park Row Ties(PRT) wanted it to be known as, Park Row.
Things had gotten a little better, and Batman wasn't as hard on them as he was on the big crime families.
That wasn't to say he didn't beat his people silly if they stepped too out of line. Danny however liked that. It helped keep some ambitious figures in check. He didn't want fame or notoriety, just peace.
He walked out into the frigid air, looking at the snow flakes drifting down to the ground. This particular winter was harsh.
He removed a cigarette from his side pocket before patting himself.
"Damn it. Forgot the lighter again."
There was a finger snap and the cig lit up.
Danny took a long drag, before calmly revealing the gun he had pointed at the shadow at the mouth of the alley, on the corner of the clinic.
The shadow shimmered and a familiar red masked, silver haired man stepped out into the light.
"You're lucky. Usually when a shadow behaves funny, we assume it's the Bats and start shooting."
Danny addressed him.
(Davian's P.O.V)
"I can survive worse." I answered the old Goon, slightly miffed at being compared to Batman.
"Mmmh, so you say."
Danny lowered the gun and I took that as my cue to step forward.
Crime Alley. A hell for anyone who hid behind the established rules and laws of society.
A paradise to people who didn't give a shit about those rules. Crime Alley had created Batman. The young Bruce had lost his parents here.
Now you might wonder what I was doing there.
It had to do with a certain conversation Chase and I had.
"This plan of yours is getting too convoluted."
That was the first thing he told me after we'd left Artemis.
"How so?"
I asked, passing by Luigi's, headed towards my temporary home.
"First it was the Penguin, then it was the Archer girl, and now her sister. I'm questioning whether This Bronze Tiger is worth all this effort."
He had replied, a little bit impatient.
His attitude had made me chuckle.
"I need you to trust me. I'll explain everything later when I have the full picture."
I was being intentionally cryptic.
There was a few things I needed to confirm before I could tell him what I was planning.
I landed on the Junkyard and walked towards a different rusted car, this particular spot was on the left, the farthest point from the entrance to the Junkyard.
I used the gemstone to recreate the pocket dimension and accessed it, cleaning up before the next meeting I had.
A couple hours later, after resting I was flying or rather flash stepping towards Crime Alley, the same spot Artemis had brought us to get help from Danny Fulio, an Old Henchman who she said was very connected.
This part of the city was not in any way peaceful. Already, I had heard the sound of gunshots more than four times. There seemed to be a fight dying down.
There were cops a couple blocks away from Doctor Leslie Thompkin's clinic, around a restaurant that had been burned to the ground.
I touched down close to the clinic, hunkering down next to an alley besides the clinic to wait for my target.
How did I know where he was? A funny thing about Reikaku, I could remember any soul signature that came within the boundary of my sensing zone.
While waiting, Chase finally had enough and asked me what the plan was.
"It's simple." I had started out,
"I knew there would be chaos once Penguin's death was confirmed. It was expected really."
I had shrugged.
"The gangs will fight for the piece of the pie and the Supervillains will join in on the fun. Gotham is going to be chaotic for the next few months."
"What does this have to do with you? Did you forget the training part? Getting embroiled in this...struggle for territory will damage your growth. I hope I don't need to tell you the kind of enemies we have created?"
Chase had advised.
I rested my head on the wall behind the dumpster I was seating ontop of.
"You don't. I am fully aware that the path infront will not be easy."
I tightened my hand into a fist.
"I need power. Personal power that will be enough to stand up to anyone."
I reaffirmed.
"But I also need to think long term. The reason I brought us here is two fold, first of all, I'll need a set of eyes once I begun Killing the villains. I can do it alone but it will be harder if some of the villains go into hiding."
"So what? You want to form your own gang?"
Chase had enquired in a skeptical tone.
"Not exactly."
I had shook my head.
"I don't want a gang but I need eyes and ears on the ground. Call it an investment. If all goes well, Batman will be too late to respond when I finally make a move."
I had smiled.
"Don't think of it as stretching myself out too much. Think of it as getting a field advantage over him."
I had finished explaining.
My Zanpakuto spirit had relented, content with waiting and seeing.
I felt a soul move through my range as my target walked out of the clinic, grumbling as he patted his body for a lighter.
I snapped a finger, priming my Reiryoku and causing it to rub against each other, producing a charge that lit up the cigarette.
He took a long drag and lowered the gun, watching me warily from the corner of his eyes.
"What do you want?"
The Old Goon asked.
I smiled, walking forward to fully reveal myself. I could see the faint recognition in his eyes.
"You remember me?"
I asked.
Good, it saved me time having to explain who I was.
Danny narrowed his eyes before taking another drag of his cig, pushing out the smoke into the air.
"Yeah, you came here with the Archer girl but that's not why I am surprised by your visit. You saved Gotham."
He responded.
"I didn't..."
I begun before Chase interrupted me.
"Wait, maybe you could use this to your advantage, my Wielder. He would be more likely to listen to you, if he thinks they owe you their lives."
"Thank you."
Danny spoke up again, throwing down the butt of the cig before crushing it under his foot.
"I felt myself die. Then I was back."
His tone was strange. Almost wistful.
I had a chance to correct him. Tell him that it had been Raven who had saved them. But I didn't...
"Now then, what do you want with me?"
Upon asking that, he snapped his own fingers and men with clubs, a few hand guns and metal bars seemed to appear around us.
I looked around and smiled. This was exactly what I had hoped for. The men around looked ready to die for him. I could sense their fear yet none of the shied away from my gaze.
I turned to Danny who had been watching me cautiously.
"How would you like to earn 5 million and get control of your city back?"
I asked.
A glint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"I'm listening."
(Some time later)
I stood on top of a dilapidated building, facing our target. An old non-descript warehouse with a few guards moving in large stacks of cash.
One of many Falcone's stash house.
It was a testament to his power. He was in jail and still managed to hold on to a sizable chunk of the Gotham underworld.
We had been planning to hit this place with Raven and use the money to finally leave Gotham.
"So this is the second reason why you approached him? Clever. You need someone to ferry out all that cash. Someone trustworthy."
Chase quickly put it all together.
Danny and his men were waiting for my signal, two black Vans parked around the street.
"Exactly. Killing two birds with one stone. For starters, I'll have the Park Row Ties' allegiance and secondly, the money to pay Artemis' sisters for the info on Bronze Tiger's whereabouts. A win-win."
A/N: Davian doesn't know Cheshire is Artemis' sister.
Is this the beginning of the Goonion squad?
17 advance chapters in my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Saintbarbido.
::-------------------------------------------::
Chapter 85 Park Row Ties.
(General P.O.V)
"Hold still."
Dr.Leslie barked at the man lying on the bed, his shoulder bleeding.
Despite her no nonsense demeanor, her actions were gentle and caring as she dressed the wound. The small clinic was filled with groaning bodies lying on similar beds.
Dr.Leslie finished taking care of their injuries before leaving the room to get some water from the dispenser. She gulped it all down.
She frowned, seeing the blood on the plastic cup in her hand. It had come from the gloves after she had forgotten to remove them.
She had been working tirelessly and her exhaustion was finally catching up to her, causing her to make mistakes.
"Doctor."
A deep grouchy voice, ruined by regular smoking called out.
The doctor looked back and sighed,
"You promised me that you were going to stay out of trouble Danny. You and your boys."
She said accusingly, removing her gloves and throwing them inside the bin next to the dispenser.
Danny Fulio winced, the action looking weird on his weathered face.
"The city has been in an uproar since word of the Penguin's death spread. Everyone is jumping in to claim his territory."
He explained.
"Are you?"
The doctor asked, with a raise of an eyebrow.
Danny blinked.
"No. We just found ourselves caught in the crossfire of a fight between the remnants of the Maroni crime family and the Black mask."
Doctor Leslie frowned noticing how he seemed to favor his left side.
'Must be bruised ribs, maybe even cracked.'
She reasoned, reaching towards a shelf and grabbing a bottle full of red pills.
"I thought Catwoman put a bullet straight through Black Mask's forehead."
She told him, sounding as if the cat themed superhero had done them all a favor.
"Apparently he's back." Danny frowned, swallowing a groan as his ribs hurt with every motion he made.
"Take two of those each morning for three days, they will reduce the swelling."
The doctor said, pushing the pills towards him.
"Thank you."
Danny smiled briefly. A rare thing.
"How can we ever repay you for what you've done for us?"
"Just stay out of trouble Danny. I would hate if instead of my clinic, you and your boys were taken straight to the morgue."
She curtly said and left the room.
Danny shook his head with a sad smile on his face.
He hoped it wouldn't come to that but...he had a feeling that this chaos was just getting started.
Ever since Batman caused these...supervillains to come out of the woodwork, things had gone from shitty to super shitty.
Still, he couldn't blame the Dark Knight's intentions, what he hated was the ineffectiveness of his actions.
Ineffectiveness that caused desperate people like him to try and survive. Especially in a place like Gotham.
Danny had served when he was younger. He'd left Park Row for greener pastures.
Anything was better than Gotham. It was only pure chance that he found a calling in the army.
Then after coming back, he'd found out that his brother had been crippled in a fight between Batman and the Joker. The man was luckier than most.
Still...
Danny had lost so much.
It was apparent that there was no jobs for people like him,( a 40 year old veteran who had been discharged dishonorably for punching a superior who was forcing himself on a barrack bunny).
Without a lot of prospects, he decided to join with Two-Face to make enough to support himself and his brother.
6 years of being a henchman had taught him so much.
For starters, don't mess with the Batman.
After a particularly nasty injury, Danny had retired and started his own gang. No, not a gang, it was more like a community squad.
The Park Row Ties was a group meant to provide stability to Crime Alley or as he and everyone else in the Park Row Ties(PRT) wanted it to be known as, Park Row.
Things had gotten a little better, and Batman wasn't as hard on them as he was on the big crime families.
That wasn't to say he didn't beat his people silly if they stepped too out of line. Danny however liked that. It helped keep some ambitious figures in check. He didn't want fame or notoriety, just peace.
He walked out into the frigid air, looking at the snow flakes drifting down to the ground. This particular winter was harsh.
He removed a cigarette from his side pocket before patting himself.
"Damn it. Forgot the lighter again."
There was a finger snap and the cig lit up.
Danny took a long drag, before calmly revealing the gun he had pointed at the shadow at the mouth of the alley, on the corner of the clinic.
The shadow shimmered and a familiar red masked, silver haired man stepped out into the light.
"You're lucky. Usually when a shadow behaves funny, we assume it's the Bats and start shooting."
Danny addressed him.
(Davian's P.O.V)
"I can survive worse." I answered the old Goon, slightly miffed at being compared to Batman.
"Mmmh, so you say."
Danny lowered the gun and I took that as my cue to step forward.
Crime Alley. A hell for anyone who hid behind the established rules and laws of society.
A paradise to people who didn't give a shit about those rules. Crime Alley had created Batman. The young Bruce had lost his parents here.
Now you might wonder what I was doing there.
It had to do with a certain conversation Chase and I had.
"This plan of yours is getting too convoluted."
That was the first thing he told me after we'd left Artemis.
"How so?"
I asked, passing by Luigi's, headed towards my temporary home.
"First it was the Penguin, then it was the Archer girl, and now her sister. I'm questioning whether This Bronze Tiger is worth all this effort."
He had replied, a little bit impatient.
His attitude had made me chuckle.
"I need you to trust me. I'll explain everything later when I have the full picture."
I was being intentionally cryptic.
There was a few things I needed to confirm before I could tell him what I was planning.
I landed on the Junkyard and walked towards a different rusted car, this particular spot was on the left, the farthest point from the entrance to the Junkyard.
I used the gemstone to recreate the pocket dimension and accessed it, cleaning up before the next meeting I had.
A couple hours later, after resting I was flying or rather flash stepping towards Crime Alley, the same spot Artemis had brought us to get help from Danny Fulio, an Old Henchman who she said was very connected.
This part of the city was not in any way peaceful. Already, I had heard the sound of gunshots more than four times. There seemed to be a fight dying down.
There were cops a couple blocks away from Doctor Leslie Thompkin's clinic, around a restaurant that had been burned to the ground.
I touched down close to the clinic, hunkering down next to an alley besides the clinic to wait for my target.
How did I know where he was? A funny thing about Reikaku, I could remember any soul signature that came within the boundary of my sensing zone.
While waiting, Chase finally had enough and asked me what the plan was.
"It's simple." I had started out,
"I knew there would be chaos once Penguin's death was confirmed. It was expected really."
I had shrugged.
"The gangs will fight for the piece of the pie and the Supervillains will join in on the fun. Gotham is going to be chaotic for the next few months."
"What does this have to do with you? Did you forget the training part? Getting embroiled in this...struggle for territory will damage your growth. I hope I don't need to tell you the kind of enemies we have created?"
Chase had advised.
I rested my head on the wall behind the dumpster I was seating ontop of.
"You don't. I am fully aware that the path infront will not be easy."
I tightened my hand into a fist.
"I need power. Personal power that will be enough to stand up to anyone."
I reaffirmed.
"But I also need to think long term. The reason I brought us here is two fold, first of all, I'll need a set of eyes once I begun Killing the villains. I can do it alone but it will be harder if some of the villains go into hiding."
"So what? You want to form your own gang?"
Chase had enquired in a skeptical tone.
"Not exactly."
I had shook my head.
"I don't want a gang but I need eyes and ears on the ground. Call it an investment. If all goes well, Batman will be too late to respond when I finally make a move."
I had smiled.
"Don't think of it as stretching myself out too much. Think of it as getting a field advantage over him."
I had finished explaining.
My Zanpakuto spirit had relented, content with waiting and seeing.
I felt a soul move through my range as my target walked out of the clinic, grumbling as he patted his body for a lighter.
I snapped a finger, priming my Reiryoku and causing it to rub against each other, producing a charge that lit up the cigarette.
He took a long drag and lowered the gun, watching me warily from the corner of his eyes.
"What do you want?"
The Old Goon asked.
I smiled, walking forward to fully reveal myself. I could see the faint recognition in his eyes.
"You remember me?"
I asked.
Good, it saved me time having to explain who I was.
Danny narrowed his eyes before taking another drag of his cig, pushing out the smoke into the air.
"Yeah, you came here with the Archer girl but that's not why I am surprised by your visit. You saved Gotham."
He responded.
"I didn't..."
I begun before Chase interrupted me.
"Wait, maybe you could use this to your advantage, my Wielder. He would be more likely to listen to you, if he thinks they owe you their lives."
"Thank you."
Danny spoke up again, throwing down the butt of the cig before crushing it under his foot.
"I felt myself die. Then I was back."
His tone was strange. Almost wistful.
I had a chance to correct him. Tell him that it had been Raven who had saved them. But I didn't...
"Now then, what do you want with me?"
Upon asking that, he snapped his own fingers and men with clubs, a few hand guns and metal bars seemed to appear around us.
I looked around and smiled. This was exactly what I had hoped for. The men around looked ready to die for him. I could sense their fear yet none of the shied away from my gaze.
I turned to Danny who had been watching me cautiously.
"How would you like to earn 5 million and get control of your city back?"
I asked.
A glint of interest appeared in his eyes.
"I'm listening."
(Some time later)
I stood on top of a dilapidated building, facing our target. An old non-descript warehouse with a few guards moving in large stacks of cash.
One of many Falcone's stash house.
It was a testament to his power. He was in jail and still managed to hold on to a sizable chunk of the Gotham underworld.
We had been planning to hit this place with Raven and use the money to finally leave Gotham.
"So this is the second reason why you approached him? Clever. You need someone to ferry out all that cash. Someone trustworthy."
Chase quickly put it all together.
Danny and his men were waiting for my signal, two black Vans parked around the street.
"Exactly. Killing two birds with one stone. For starters, I'll have the Park Row Ties' allegiance and secondly, the money to pay Artemis' sisters for the info on Bronze Tiger's whereabouts. A win-win."
A/N: Davian doesn't know Cheshire is Artemis' sister.
Is this the beginning of the Goonion squad?
