What the hell have I gotten myself into. I wrote for 8
hours today, starting with nothing and I now have 9000 words. Near the
end I was makiny so many typos it was disgusting. Anyway the story is
wierd and I dunno if anyone else is gonna find it interesting, but
theres no way I'm starting over so oh well.
When reading this story you gotta throw out the normal rules of our
society out the window. Alot of what goes on in this story could happen
in our world, but alot of stuff doesn't make sense put into our world.
There are no weapons of any kind besides Mollets and fists. Mollets are
created by cutting the back of someones mullet off once it reaches 12
inches in length. Bound tightly with a leather bottom and dipped in a
numbing poison, these awesome weapons are used by cops and cops alone.
Knives, guns, bats, staves, clubs, none of these things are used as
weapons. Why? Because thats the way I set it up. Does it make much
sense? Not really but if you ask yourself "Why don't they just use a
bat or something" it will ruin the story. The main characters in this
story are Fred the once honorable cop, Dave the revolutionist leader of
free thinkers, Eddie Zongo, big boss of a crime sindicate and his two
thugs Joe and Mike.
Below is basically all I've written of the story so far. It's 9000
words so if you don't read it, I won't be offended. But if you wanna
just skim parts of it and comment on my writing style and or story
that'd be great. I know I have a ton of grammer thats terrible in this
and some sentences just plain out suck. But editing is for December,
this month is about getting the shit out of my head.
Oh yeah, the last 2 chapters might kinda suck hard compared to the
first 6 or 7 because I'm seriously in a really wierd state right now
from writing all day. I kinda just read what I write and have no way of
seeing how much it sucks. I dunno, I'll check it out 2morrow when my
brain isn't fried.
If you only wanna read one chapter to get a sense of my writing, I
think chapter 6 is the best. At least it's my favorite, one of the
others might actually be better, but I like this one the most.
Also the F Bomb is used quite regularly, so just some warning. Enjoy :)
The Mullet Chronicles
1
Huddled over the sink a pathetic looking man stared
in the mirror. It hurts every fucking time thought Frank. No matter how
many times I drop the B-Sod, the cleanup makes me want to die. Another
long night, another binge, another morning of excruciating pain. The
shit seems harmless enough. Says right on the box "Turn every nerve in
your body on overdrive!" and boy does it work. 1 hour laying naked in
front of a fan and I feel content enough to never move. Too bad they
leave out the vomiting and the fact that your teeth are nerves you best
leave alone. No one on the straight edge vomits anymore, science made
vomiting a thing of the past. You see someone vomit and they're sure as
hell on something that ain't legal. You can get turned in for just
having the smell on your breath. Sometimes I wonder if jail is better
than this pain.
Holding the toothbrush an inch away, the bristles
seemed to be melting with every breath. The stench of bile and
forgotten meals rushed out, fogging the glass. "Don't be such a pussy"
said Frank aloud. He was talking to himself now, like he usually did
during the morning cleanup. It wasn't always this bad. Frank was a
straight cop back when it meant something. Before the corruption
entrenched itself in the force like a virus, sucking the honesty and
integrity out of every good man. Every last one turned, Frank was one
of the last but they still beat him. Now 10 years later he stood in
front of a mirror, trying to brush his teeth like a criminal, like the
scum he used to take care of. In 2 hours he'd have to take a
breathalyzer, and if he didn't move his ass it'd be the last one as a
cop. B-Sod might as well turn the teeth inside out with how sensitive
it makes them. Toothbrush bristles become nails as they scrape against
the enamel, straight through to the nerves. Toothpaste and Toothbrushes
are outlawed of course, buying them cost Frank a few nights pay but
it's the only option a user has. There is no other way to clean your
mouth besides the pill, but that alerts authorities as soon as bile is
detected. The teeth are brushed for 10 to 15 very painful minutes, then
the user rinses until neither Bile or Toothpaste is left. Frank has it
all to memory, but it doesn't make it any easier.
The clock ticked away uneasily overhead, time was
running out. Come on old man thought Frank. You can do this. 10 minutes
and you'll be good as new. With every ounce of strength Frank touched
the bristles to enamel, enamel to nerves and nerves to pain.
2
The scream howled along the night eventually fading
to nothingness. In a dark alley stood two men, looking particularly
interested in guarding a place that looked particularly boring.
"What in the bloody hell was that" muttered a tall boney man.
The short and also skinny man replied "Beats me.
Probably some lune from the crazy bin. Bastards scream all the time."
Meet Joe and Mike. Two incredibly dull men with
incredibly frantic lives. Being a thug in Globtown is easy, being a
thug for him is not.
They heard him coming a block away. "Man that
fuckers loud, don't he know we don't want no suspicion brought here?"
whispered Joe.
"Of course he knows, nervous is all." was Mikes firm yet delayed response.
"Well it's your ass if this doesn't go down. He's your god damned recommendation"
"You think I don't know that? Now shut the fuck up, he's almost here"
Stomping down the sidewalk like a bull, Mark the courier came towards the alley, two boxes at his sides.
Joe said a little too loudly "There are supposed to be 3 cases!"
"Would you shut your mouth, this is my business"
Mark yelled out "You'll get your 3rd bloody case when I get my money you grimy wanker!"
A now completely on edge Joe half yelled half whispered back "Keep your voice down!"
"Look around you, there ain't nobody around. I
haven't seen a soul for 2 blocks. Get your pantie's out of a bunch and
grow a pair" said Mark as he approached the 2 men.
Mike stepped out to meet him. "About damned time. I
risk a lot by contracting with you, put my job on the line"
"More like your life, but don't worry. I'm one to be
trusted" Mark smiled a smarmy look, completely pleased with himself.
Joe deftly opened both cases to count the contents.
24 bottles of mousse, just like was promised. He nodded to Mike.
"Ok, here's money for the 2 crates, now wheres our third"
"Look behind you, in that dumpster" Mark pointed to a rusted out metal dumpster directly behind Joe.
Reaching in, Joe came out with the 3rd crate.
A bewildered Mike responded "How...We've been here all night...Why"
"I knew you louses wouldn't look that close to your
noses. I may be a courier but I look out for my own interests. Now the
money" Mike took Marks hand and placed the remaining bills into his
palm.
"As always, a pleasure doing business with you boys.
Adios" As loudly as he had come, Mark silently made an exit into the
night.
"I don't like you using him, that ones always trying to undermine you"
"Oh bullocks. He just likes to have a little fun.
Three jobs and not a single fuck up so far. Let's go, he's probably
waiting" With no need to ask who "he" was, Joe lead the way as they
walked down the street, away from the rising sun.
3
Every revolution has a spark. People tend to have a
certain tolerance for the amount of shit that can be thrown on them,
but when the threshold is breached they react, hard. Every since Global
Corp began running the city 15 years ago, citizens rights have slowly
been taken away. Less politically active movies started coming out, the
airwaves seemed to grow smaller and even the newspapers seemed to be
kept in check. Then the laws started being passed. First it was a
curfew for 2AM, then 1AM, now if you're in the streets past 10PM at
night without clearance, jail welcomes you with open arms. All the
print and TV run in this city is now filtered through Global Corp. If
you don't have money or connections, you're nothing here. Just another
sheep going about their daily lives. Well most of us were sheep until a
month ago, when the final string snapped.
Bio-Chips. Silicone chips who's intended purpose
according to Global Corp is to monitor your health, but we all know
that's bullshit. This is their final step in having complete control
over our lives. With this chip implanted, they will know your every
move, every action, whether or not your lying, whats in your system,
what you ate for dinner, when the last time you took a shit was. They
started with volunteers and in 5 days they're putting the city on lock
down, going to every house implanting a chip in every citizen. In 1
week the entire city will be wired and ready for monitoring. At least
that's Global Corps plan, whether or not it happens is completely up to
us.
The pen ached in his hands and he desperately needed
sleep. Dave hadn't slept for 20 hours but sleep wasn't important
anymore. Even if they failed, the story still needed to be told,
humanities last great stand before they all became brainless sheep.
"Dave, Joe just came back, the last of the fliers have been sent out."
"Alright Mack, good work fellas. We're ahead of
schedule. With luck we'll have another 10,000 by tomorrow. After that,
we begin the real operation. Get some sleep, we'll resume operations at
sundown."
The "Command Center" as Dave jokingly called it
wasn't much. A forgotten apartment in a forgotten part of town. The
poorest of the poor lived here and Global Corp kept a pretty loose eye
on it. You could go days without seeing a single police officer and it
hadn't been raided in months. The operation was over 1 million strong
at this point, almost 25% of the cities population. Global Corp really
stepped over the line with this last initiative. Rich and poor citizens
alike felt compelled to resist this invasion of their bodies. You can
take away someones material freedoms, but to monitor the last free
place they had? Their body? It's something that would not be done.
Those who were in the fight knew it was either success or death. Either
Global Corp was finally destroyed or it's grip became tighter on the
city.
Holding the flier in his hands, Dave stared at it
for a long time. Simple yet effective, the silhouette of a man, fist in
the air with the words "Fight the war, Fuck the norm" printed in bold
letters beneath it. Complacency is the downfall of all societies, when
the shit finally hits the fan you can't let yourself be a bystander,
you have to fight for what you think is right. At least that's what
Dave said at the final meeting before the operation was to begin. It
was over CB airwaves of course, but the fact that over 1 million people
were listening to his words gave Dave goosebumps just thinking about it.
Ok, maybe sleep is important thought Dave. With a
final look at the flier, Dave passed out on the cot, not bothering to
change his clothes.
4
The room was dank, the lights low and smoke filled
the air. A large man sat behind a desk, inspecting the 3 crates Joe and
Mike brought in. 36 bottles of mousse had high street value and The
Boss had to make sure it's quality was worth the price. After reading
over a few bottles, the fat man closed the crates and motioned for them
to be taken away.
"Good work boys. 36 bottles is a helluva lot to haul
in. Whoever supplies you with this shit is worth contacting again. The
pressure is high and the nozzles strong, this will fly a good 10 feet
and accurately."
"Thank you sir. Our courier will definitely be used again."
"Our? You didn't even trust him!"
The Boss butted in "Boys, boys, enough bickering. I
don't care which one of you contacted this courier, just see that he is
used again. Now I have another job for you. Some of the police force
have been resistant to my monetary advancements. If all was perfect I'd
be able to walk into the precinct on the Chip day and easily take
control, but quite a few cops seem to have some sort of honor left.
Here is a list of the 35 officers not yet on my payroll. I need you to
visit them one by one, offering a final chance to come aboard. If they
resist, inject them with some B-Sod and drop em off at the station.
They won't offer much resistance in jail."
Joe shifted uneasily "No disrespect, but 35 people to visit in 4 days is an awful lot"
"I'm well aware that it's a lot, but you guys don't
work for me because you're average. You're my best muscle men and if
successful, a pay raise will be in order."
Both men's faces lit up at the words. "Me and Joe won't let you down sir."
"Good, now get started."
With that the 2 men quickly left the room leaving
The Boss with his select bodyguards and trusted advisor, Lee.
The tiny man emerged from darkness. "It is not wise
to give those too dolts such an important task. If they fail-"
"They won't fail. Half of those cops are almost retired, they can handle the resistance."
"Fair enough, but how exactly are you planning to
handle the million plus who will be storming Global Corp? I understand
they are the perfect diversion, but once you regain control of the
Police Force, you're still pitting 20,000 cops against a million angry
citizens."
"With my own men we'll be over 50,000 strong. Fear
is stronger than numbers my friend. Some sheep will join the resistance
once they topple Global Corp no doubt, but most of them will join me. I
have money and power, the Resistance has ideals. If a battle does
commence our force will outnumber the Resistance at least 2 to 1."
"They still have most of the Martial Arts community."
"And I'll have 20,000 mullets. Please, hand to hand
combat skill is easily overshadowed when you have the numbers. I don't
care if they have the Tae Kwan Do world champion on their side"
"They do actually. Along with most of his underlings
and other branches of the forbidden arts. They have practiced in secret
unable to use their skills in public for the last 15 years. I'm just
asking for you not to underestimate them."
Clearly agitated The Boss took a shot of whiskey. "I
pay you to advise me, not tell me what to do. Everyone out."
After throwing the shot glass against the wall, his
men slowly exited the room, the bodyguards set up post outside his
room.
"This is my business, he has no right to question my
actions." muttered The Boss into his bottle. Downing it quickly, he
fell asleep in the chair.
5
At least he still cleaned up nice. In his suit,
Frank looked honorable, respectable. Though over the age of 50, his
body was kept in pristine condition and he regularly beat the younger
men at the police gym. When you come home every day, knowing you
accomplished nothing of merit day in and day out, one of the only
outlets is the gym. If the corruption had done one thing right, it had
made Frank a health freak.
His new mullet was almost fully grown and it would
soon become his 16th weapon. Cops are the only people allowed to grow
hair longer than 2 inches. From the day they start training until the
day they go bald or die, their hair is grown as a mullet. Then at full
length (12 inches) the back is cut off and turned into the forces main
weapon; a Mollet. The hair is bound tightly at one end with a leather
bottom. The Mollet essentially becomes a de-tacthed ponytail. The
Mollet is covered in a numbing poison that within seconds can cause the
area of impact become numb and unable to move. Training with the Mollet
is intense and it never ends. A skilled cop can take out 3 men in 5
seconds with the weapon, never letting the hair touch his own skin.
Frank was the best Mollet user on the force and prided himself in it.
The only time a Mollet wielding cop can be stopped is when a criminal
somehow gets his hands on hair mousse. Extremely illegal and outlawed
for years, the substance is the only thing capable of thwarting the
Mollets power by turning the hair completely stiff in seconds and
making the weapon useless. With little weight, the "frozen" hair does
little damage, the mousse also acts as a covering agent making it
impossible for the poison to reach the assailant.
Strapping the Mollet to his waist, Frank exited his
apartment and made for the garage. His mouth still ached from the
"morning treatment" as users lovingly called it but all traces of bile
and toothpaste had been eradicated.
Staring down the line of gorgeous cars, Frank
spotted his right away. The beaten down piece of shit with no hubcaps
and a broken trunk. It flew open whenever he hit a bump but there was
never anything in it, so it didn't matter much. The car started with a
gentle backfire louder than a gunshot and smoke poured out the back.
90% of the population drove electric or Solar cars but the poor few
still traveled on hybrids. Franks clunker was over 20 years old but it
still ran and that suited him just fine.
Riding to work was the highlight of Franks day. The
sun was always at a perfect angle to light up the entire city as he
entered the concrete maze. Global Corp kept the city in good shape,
I'll give them that thought Frank. Of course only the wealthy lived in
the heart of it and it was more their doing than Global Corps that kept
the city in such good shape. It was also partly his doing that the City
at least looked nice. Every homeless person was quietly booted to the
poor suburbs and criminals were forced to clean the streets. No need to
help the homeless, just boot em away every time they wander into town.
That was Global Corps stand and there wasn't much you could do to argue
with it.
His stomach did flips as he entered the stations
parking lot. "Damn nerves" he said to himself as he pulled into a spot.
Every week on the morning after using Frank got that feeling that this
time he'd be caught. He never was but it didn't help calm the nerves.
Walking along the sidewalk, Frank passed two guards
and made it to the front door. After sliding his ID card and finger
printing, he was let in. Now the retina and breathalyzer. His heart
quickened as he blew out in the tube, then slowly went back to normal
as the final door opened.
The station was especially busy this morning. Cops
who normally worked the nights were huddled over cups of coffee typing
away on screens, some media was around trying to get interviews with
different officers and the Captain seemed to have 20 people in his
office. Frank passed the usual faces and slowly made his way to the
desk. It couldn't really be called his since it was used at night by
John Braun, but there were no photos or any personal effects on it
anyway so it was just "the desk".
At first he thought it was the sun hitting his desk
but his heart sank as he got closer. A yellow slip. THE yellow slip.
Sweat formed on his brow as Frank sat down staring at the note. The
yellow slip was almost never good. It meant the Chief wanted to see
you, most of the time over disciplinary action. Thinking to himself
this can't be happening. I'm so close to retirement, I've done
everything they've asked. I can't be going out like this. Most of the
officers around him had already seen it on his desk and gave apologetic
faces to him. Fuck you all, you're all crooks, I'm the straightest cop
this force has and I'm going down 6 months before retirement though
Frank angrily as he flipped the note over in his hands.
In my office at 9. Five simple words sealed his
fate. The clock said 8:55, Frank could still leave and call in sick.
Maybe if he avoided the Chief enough he'd forget. Oh who are you
kidding, 20 officers saw you come in and the Chief ain't gonna forget.
Frank agreed with himself and let his head rest on the desk until 9.
Letting instinct take over, Frank trudged towards
the Chief office. It had cleared out and just the head honcho remained
typing at his desk. Frank knocked firmly and straightened himself. If
he was going out, he was doing so with pride.
"Come in Frank" came the muffled call.
Frank let himself in and sat across from the Chief.
No cop on the force was completely clean, but the Chief was definitely
among those that only went dirty when it was the last option. For this
he had enormous respect from Frank and the few other "Not directly in
Global Corps Pocket" cops on the force.
For a few seconds nothing but silence filled the
room. The 2 men stared at each other, neither looking like they were
ready to talk. The Chief got up and closed the blinds without uttering
a word. Franks stomach was getting worse by the second, he was really
gonna get it.
"I know what your thinking Frank, you see the yellow
slip and automatically think it's over. I know that's what everyone who
saw that note is thinking. And that's exactly what I want everyone to
think, but it's not why your called in here at all."
Now completely confused Frank managed out "Excuse me sir?"
"90% of this force is under the thumb of Global Corp
and organized crime scum. I've seen it get worse every year and stand
powerless against it. Sure I've made some back door deals with these
low life's, but only when it was the last option available. You're one
of the 10% left that I can trust. You've been around since the old days
Frank, back when the shield meant something, back when we were getting
rid of crime and keeping a check on big businesses. You sat around
watching the force go to shit, and like me you were powerless to stop
it. I'm giving you a chance to change all that. I'm giving you a chance
to bring the Force back to decency and greatness."
His mind swimming with questions he asked the most important one "How?"
"I'm sure you've seen these around the city" The
chief handed Frank a flier, gray in color with a silhouette of a
defiant man, fist in the air the words "Fight the war, Fuck the norm"
below.
"Of course. Ever since Global Corp said they were
doing the chip implementation these have been everywhere. Some kind of
movement"
"Not just some kind of movement, it's THE movement.
The revolution that will change this city. Global Corp is going down at
the hands of the people."
"But sir, Global Corp has over 100,000 trained
security personnel at their disposal and they essentially own this
force. That's over 120,000 well trained men fighting a small insurgence"
The chief smiled "120,000 versus 1,000,000"
"1 million?! That's a quarter of the cities population!"
"Keep your voice down!" loudly whispered the chief.
"This chip implementation angered more than just the poor this time my
friend. People from all walks of life in this city finally woke up to
reality when they realized their every move would be monitored by
Global Corp. This is bigger than you could ever imagine Frank, this is
going to happen and Global Corp is gonna have no idea what hit them"
"Even with numbers, we're still outskilled. Global
Corp is going to be fighting with people who dedicated their lives to
physical combat."
"Do you think all those who dedicated their lives to
the forbidden arts 15 years ago just stopped when it was outlawed? We
have over 50,000 of the most elite martial artists in the world. This
city used to be the competitve fighting capital of the world in it's
prime. We have masters of every art imagineable and their students. We
are ready Frank, that is not the problem nor the real reason you are in
my office today. While I'm a supporter of the revolution there is no
possible way I could be any part of it. Global Corp and organized crime
watches my every move. If they were to suspect I had turned, death
would most certainly follow. In 5 days at 2AM over a million people
will leave for the suburbs. In a designated area they will be meeting
and mobilizing. At sunrise they will make their march to Global Corp,
and topple it. At least this is the plan in place. Unfortunately
everyones favorite crime boss has gotten wind of it."
"Eddie Vorgo?"
"We have a winner. Yes, Eddie and his orginazation
have been trying to take control of the Police Force for some time.
They beleive if they can take us over, they will have leverage with
Global Corp to extort them. Well this march on Global Corp solves all
of his problems. Not only will Global Corp be wiped out but Eddie will
very easily walk into the Police station and take it over. He has paid
off a lot of the security personnel here and most of the cops. They
will lay down their weapons for money and let him gain control. From
here Eddie will pay off the rest of the cities population to come to
his cause. Pretty much the whole city is scared of Eddie and they won't
know whats going on at Global Corp until it's too late. When the
revolutionaists march on the station they will be meeted by most of the
cops, Eddies personal force and another million or so paid citizens.
The revolution will be wiped out and Eddie will have complete control
of the city."
"So the movement needs to change its plans?"
"Yes, Eddie must be marched on first, than Global
Corp in order to be succesfull. This is why you are here. Global Corp
nor Eddie keeps terribly tight tabs on you compared to the rest of the
force. You're old and complacent, nearing retirement. Not much a threat
to them. Once I fire you, they will pay no attention at all. You must
reach the movements headquarters and tell their leader what has to be
done. I'm going to give you all the proper identification you need,
they know I support them and also know that I could never contact them
directly. Eddie is going to try and turn the last cops left to turn
within the next 4 days, they will come to me last. I'm either going to
be killed or thrown in jail, but either way I will not be able to
directly influence this revolutions outcome. about 10% of the cops
Eddie thinks are under his thumb, are actually not so hopefully if the
movement doesn't take care of Eddie first, they can hold him off long
enough for the million to reach the city. If word of Global Corps
demise reaches the city before Eddie tries to buy out the remaining
citizens, then we have won. You can't go to your house or back here.
I'll be replaced by Myers most likely and hes the dirtiest cop in this
shithole."
The chief hands Frank a piece of paper with the
movements location on it. After some silence Frank breaks it "Chief, we
always knew you stayed as straight as possible, theres nothing you
could have done to stop any of whats happened in the last 15 years"
"I know Frank, I don't judge myself on what has
happend the last 15 years, if this revolution is successful than my
life will have had a purpose. God's speed"
With a final handshake Frank left the office. "Well
fuck you too chief! 30 years on the force and this is how you repay
me?! Rot in hell you piece of shit!"
Slamming the door, Frank gathered his coat, said some goodbyes and walked out of the station forever.
6
It had become overcast but that didn't stop Joe from
wearing sunglasses. Parked in a car on 21st street, Mike and Joe sat in
silence.
Mike shifted in his seat, releasing a very audible and very deliberate sigh.
"What, what the hell is your problem?"
"There is no sun out, why are you wearing god damn sunglasses. You look like an ass."
"What does it matter to you? I can wear sunglasses
whenever I want. Besides I have sensitive eyes."
"You don't wear sunglasses when talking to Eddie,
because you know you look like a cocky chochebag with them on."
"Eddies office is dark, there is no need for them in there"
"Look outside! There isn't a spot of sunlight coming through the clouds."
More silence filled the car as both brothers sighed back and forth.
"Listen Mike, we need to stay alert. He's going to
be home any second and we have to corner him without anyone noticing."
"Yeah whatever, let's just hope he's not wearing black or you might not see him."
Slowly but surely a small man walked down the street towards them. Mike took out his binoculars and focused.
"Lemme see the picture." After going back and forth between binoculars and picture he sat back.
"It's him. He has to go down that alley to get to his apartment, that will be the perfect time."
Joe took out some gum and began chewing slowly.
"What a shitty place to live. Going down an alley to get in your
apartment, I almost feel bad for doing this.
"If he cooperates he'll have enough money to leave
this shit hole, Eddie is actually helping this poor bastard."
For what seemed like 10 minutes the man continued to
stroll down the street until finally reaching the aforementioned alley.
Joe and Mike exited the car just as the man turned the corner.
Joe lead as he always did with Mike chattering in his ear. "You have the mousse ready? He might be packing."
"Yes I have it, but we won't need it. Look at the guy, he looks like my grandpa."
The alley was narrow and not that long so the small
man quickly noticed the 2 shadows moving towards him. He fumbled with
the keys as he quickly tried to open the door.
"Just a second mate" yelled Joe. "Can we have a minute of your time?"
The man turned and faced the approaching men. They
easily stood a foot over him and were built much more solidly than
himself.
Mike started with a smile "Are you Dennis Platt?"
The man nodded as sweat began sliding down his temples.
"No need to get nervous chap. We're here to help."
The pair slowly moved toward Dennis until he was cornered with nowhere
to go.
"Listen boys, I don't have any money. Look where I live, what could I have that's worth stealing?"
"Who said anything about stealing?" Joe's smile widened and his teeth seemed to sparkle in the dark alley.
"What my brother here is trying to get at is that we
want to give you money. You know who Big Eddie is, correct? Of course
you do. Anyway, he wants to reward you with being on the force so long
and serving this great city with dignity. Your pension is gonna be
shit, we both know that and so does Eddie. So what he's offering is to
give you some extra coin to squirrel away so that you can live
comfortably and move out of this place. All you have to do is not show
up to work 5 days from today and you'll get a nice check in the mail."
Joe quickly chimed in "Of course if you'd like to
make even more money, you could always show up to work 5 days from now
and help with a little operation Eddie is planning."
"And get caught 2 months before retirement? No
thanks, if Eddie is pulling something all the players besides him will
go down."
They had him dead center. "After Eddies operation,
you won't have to worry about disciplinary action. There ain't gonna be
a Police force or World Corp to punish you."
Dennis stood in quiet contemplation as the brothers smiled and waited.
"Sorry boys but I'm not gonna turn on the force this
close to my retirement. I've stayed pretty clean too many years to go
down the path of extortion this late in my career."
Knowing deep down that a simple no wouldn't suffice,
Dennis motioned for his door anyway, hoping against hopes. The boys
smiles quickly faded as they blocked his way.
"Alright old man, this is not the path you wanna go
down. We're giving you 2 options here. If you stay home you won't get
any blood on your hands and you'll get paid for it. If you want more
money you can join the operation. I think Eddie is being very fair in
this." Joes voice turned to anger towards the end as usually happens
with short tempered people.
"No boys, this is the path you don't want to go down."
The next few seconds happened so fast that it took
Joe many minutes of contemplation afterwards to sort it all out. With
the speed of someone not near their retirement, Dennis heaved his bag
of groceries in Mikes face. At the same time his right hand caught the
end of his Mollet just in time to slash at Joe's face. He hit him hard
on the left cheek. Joe yelped out in pain and tumbled to the ground.
The next second he had a running start and was leaping over Mikes head.
Sadly he underestimated the bigger of the two brothers. The groceries
had rattled Mike but he is not one to panic. He quickly grabbed Dennis
by the ankle while he was overhead and slammed him to the ground. Hair
mousse in hand he caught the Mollet right as it was coming for his own
face. By the time it reached his skin it had become a harmless mass of
stiff hair.
"Nicely played old man" where the last words Dennis
heard that day as Mike punched his head until he lost consciousness.
Joe was still on the ground screaming in pain when Mike helped him up.
"Would you stop crying, let me see how bad it is."
The clouds parted just long enough to flood the alley with light for a
few seconds. When the light passed Mike was laughing hysterically.
"Whath ith it! Whath are you laffing abowt! I canth move the weft side of my fathe!"
"You got hit in the left cheek by his Mollet. It'll
be numb for the next couple hours." Still laughing Mike touched above
Joes eye and showed him the blood.
"Why am I bweeding?"
"He shattered your sunglasses on the hit and a piece
of them gave a nasty cut above the eye." At this point Mikes laughter
became uncontrollable as he rolled on the ground. "You just had to wear
the sunglasses didn't you?" The laughter continued as they loaded
Dennis into the trunk.
"Weal fucking funny. Just dwive." The laughing
finally died down as Mike put his sunglasses on to combat the parting
clouds.
7
Five hours, a new record. Thoroughly enjoying a
dream, Dave awoke from a knock on his door. While changing into some
clean clothes he permitted them entry.
"Sorry to disturb your sleep sir, but this news just
could not wait." The stocky man hurriedly entered and sat next to Dave.
"And this news is?"
Like a child waiting to tell his mom about a good
grade in school, the man blurted out "Shao Ling has been located and
agrees to join out struggle!"
"The Shao Ling?"
"Absolutely sir. He never died, he simply was in
hiding for the past 5 years. What's more is he has continued teaching,
taking 20 men under his wing and training them. They are no match for
Shao Ling himself but they are said to be the best fighters in the
world."
"Well Mitch, this is amazing news indeed. Is he
coming early or will he be arriving on the designated drop off date?"
"He is going to try to get here as early as possible."
"This will certainly raise morale when we march.
Excellent work, see that we have spotters looking for his entrance at
all times, the minute he comes I want him in the safest place
available."
Mitch ran out and Dave fell back on his bed.
"The Shao
Ling. Amazing" Considered the greatest martial artist of his time and
probably of all time Shao Ling was unmatched. He never lost a match and
held world titles in almost every art that competed. When he got sick
of the standard arts he began training himself and eventually mastered
a style that was never named for he was the only man to ever use it. He
went into hiding when Martial Arts were banned but came out 5 years ago
to speak out against Global Corps monopoly on the city. It was then
reported that he was captured and killed for resisting arrest, but that
was obviously made up by the city to quell any support he had. Still
after years of silence many figured he really did pass and gave up hope
on seeing him return. Oh how far the word of revolution spreads!
thought Dave as he lay in the cot.
Shao Ling would be 65 by now but his dedication to
the arts was so fierce he most likely had not lost a step. The training
of disciples was good news indeed. Dave had been searching for a core
group of 20 to 30 men that would get to Global Corps CEO amid the chaos
and finish him once and for all. Once the CEO fell it would be a domino
effect and most in Global Corp would surrender. This group led by Shao
Ling would most definitely be capable of this feat.
Still the success would rely on the million ordinary
citizens who decided to put their lives on the line for a cause. It
would be men and women, teachers, doctors, nurses, secretary's and
garbage men fighting the majority of it. One on one he knew the bulk of
the force would not be able to take on the highly trained Global Corps
security, but he hoped strength in numbers and pure adrenaline would
pull them through. The Global Corps men were fighting for a paycheck,
his army was fighting for their lives.
"Chris, get in here!" Dave sat back up waiting for his advisers arrival.
Groggily, Chris entered the room. "What happened to waiting for sunset?"
"If I get awoken from sleep, everyone does. Raise the troops, I want a meeting."
For the next few minutes profanities filled the air
as angry men arose to get dressed and talk strategy. By the time Dave
entered the "conference room" (The Dining room which had a table and 6
chairs) all his men were sitting, though not fully awake. He took his
seat at the head of the table and began.
"As some of you may have heard, Shao Ling is alive
and will be joining our movement." With these words some of the men
whispered to each other in excitement. "That being said we now need to
work hard as ever. If we get too cocky, we will lose. About 25,000
people in our force will be experts in the forbidden arts, most
everyone else will be fighting on animal living. Craig, I want the
strategy gone over again."
"Sure, no problem. As you can see from these
diagrams, the World Corps headquarters is set up very well. Everything
but the main entrance is surrounded by water. The main idea here is to
overwhelm the main entrance with roughly 500,000 of our force. When
they attack, Global Corps is going to send pretty much their entire
force to man the front gates. They have roughly 100,000 trained
personnel. 10,000 at the most will stay back in the headquarters
building to defend the CEO and other head executives. All we need is
the main force to hold for a half hour. During the front assault our
forbidden arts teams led by Shao Ling I presume will attack the back
and sides on boat. The stone walls surrounding it are 20 feet tall but
our men say they can easily breach them. Our 25,000 should deftly take
care of the forces inside the building with Shao Lings group going
straight to the Board of Directors section. Once the building is
secure, these units will move to the front entrance to hit the Global
Corp security forces from behind. The second we attack Global Corp is
most likely going to shut down all power in the city. No
telecommunications will work. When Global Corps' CEO goes down, our
runners will go straight to the cities heart and air the news. Soon
thereafter the 500,000 who did not fight at Global Corps will arrive
confirming the news. This should gain enough support from the general
community to storm the Police Station." Craig sat back, pleased with
himself and the seemingly foolproof plan.
"What's the estimated casualty rate."
"If the Global Corp security forces don't pull
anything unexpected we're looking at 100,000 most likely dead from the
frontal assault. These security forces are trained to kill Dave, they
are going to take down a lot with them. Of course this is Global Corp,
for all we know they could have 100,000 Mollets just waiting to be
used, though it's doubtful. Worst case scenario could see 300,000 dead
if they use weapons that we are not aware of. Either way we have
500,000 waiting in reserve if the shit hits the fan."
Clearly discouraged Dave sat back with his arms crossed.
"It can't be helped. You want a revolution than people are going to die, there is no way around this."
"What good is a revolution if no one is left to bask
in it's aftermath? How can I rally up a million people by telling them
a third of them could die?"
"They all know the risks. You made it very clear
during your speeches. These people are ready to die for their beliefs.
I'm ready to die for this. Better die free than spend the rest of my
life with Global Corp watching my every move."
A rousing of agreement went around the table and
Dave seemed to calm down. "Very well, how is the mousse production
going?"
A large man with beady eyes, thick eyebrows and
chapped lips responded. "Very well sir. In 4 days we will have over
20,000 produced. The police station will only be defended by about
100,000 cops since all of the off duty ones will be called in when we
hit Global Corp. We will choose who gets the cans very carefully, but
they will lead the charge. They should be able to render 30-40% of the
Mollets useless which will greatly help our chances."
"It must be stressed that killing is not the first
option for the police station. There are still a good number of good
cops out there so I just want them subdued more than killed. Once they
are overwhelmed they should surrender especially with Global Corps
destroyed. Anyone who goes around mindlessly killing cops will be
punished when this is all over."
A silent agreement went up among the men. "That
concludes this meeting. Our next gathering will be upon Shao Lings
arrival or tomorrow morning, whichever comes first."
His advisers all rose and went off to their daily
duties. Dave wandered back to his room and opened up some scotch. After
a few shots to steady the nerves, Dave took out his journal and began
writing again.
Oh how far the word of revolution spreads...
8
Frank couldn't even remember the last time he was in
this part of town. The rookies usually did bum transportation and he
hadn't been part of the raiding team for years now. It was only a 20
minute drive from the city but it seemed like a completely different
universe. Users down every alley, drug paraphernalia plastered the
walls and the homeless slept on doorsteps. No wonder this place was
raided so much, you could find an offender on every block. As he got
closer to the designated meeting point, his stomach reverted to its
morning state. He wasn't taking any breathalyzers here, but if they
thought he was a phony, his fate would probably be worse. There was no
law enforcement and if they wanted to, they could easily kill him and
no one would notice. He did have the identification from the chief but
they could easily think the chief had turned.
Too much thinking, just drive thought Frank as he
passed a man sleeping in his own vomit. 10 minutes later he arrived.
Two men sat together on a corner playing cards. Frank parked his car a
block away and began the walk over. Envelope in hand he prayed it would
be all he needed to see the man who he had to warn. The two men took
notice of his approach and stood up, waiting his arrival.
"G'morning fellas. I'm here to speak with someone."
Frank extended his hand out, waiting for something that wasn't coming.
"Who do you wish to speak with."
Just remember what the chiefs note said "John Doe."
"I take it you have the proper documents needed to make such a request?"
I hope so. "Right here" he handed over the envelope and watched as the two men thumbed through it.
"Alright, turn around."
"What?"
"Turn around."
You turn around and there is no telling what they'll
do. You better be right Chief. Turning around, Frank was quickly
entrenched in darkness as a bag covered his face.
"Now, we're gonna go for a little ride. You check
out so don't worry, but if you try to pull anything, you will be
killed. So keep that in mind."
From there Frank was walked for what seemed like an
eternity into a car. The ride was 20 minutes long but Frank knew it was
mostly just circling the city to throw his sense off. When the car
finally stopped, Frank hoped the bag would come off, but it didn't.
Another long sequence of walking, some doors, some stairs and finally
he was seated. When the bag was finally taken off he sat in an empty
room with nothing but a table and chair. No windows, just one door.
"Great." Frank sat back in disgust, waiting.
After about 30 minutes of counting spots on the ceiling, the door finally opened.
A slim, good looking man entered, carrying the Chiefs envelope.
"Well Mister Roberts, I must say you come well
connected. To have the Chief of police sanction such a meeting, well
I'm beside myself. We always knew the Chief was one of us but it was
impossible for him to do anything about it. I see he finally did do
something about it, and sent us an almost retired, drug addicted cop
with nothing to lose. Oh don't be surprised we know of your little
B-Sod habit, how do you think we garnered so much money so quickly for
our operation? Users like yourself actually helped fund this mighty
revolution. Putting that all aside however, you are a man that wants to
help and you come from a man in great power who wishes he could help.
For that I am thankful and glad to have you on board. The chief knows
we already have great numbers so I take it you're not a simple recruit.
Tell me, what message to you bring to us."
Frank shifted in his chair and cleared his throat.
For the next 20 minutes he outlined to Dave exactly what the Chief had
told him.
After mostly listening, Dave responded "The strength
of this operation is the element of surprise. By attacking the Global
Corp building when we plan to, they have no way to react with any sort
of preparation. If we do what the chief is asking, it would completely
kill this element. You can't just wipe out Eddie Zorgo quietly and
without getting any notice. By the time we defeated Eddie, Global Corps
would have plenty of time to sure up its defenses and our casualties
would sky rocket. They would also be able to scare the public into
joining them, outnumbering us 2 to 1. Though I must say this news of
Eddies plans are disturbing indeed. How could we not see this coming?
They will easily take over the police forces by the time we reach the
city, and if they can garner public support we are doomed and most
likely worse off with him running the show than Global Corp." Clearly
perplexed, Dave took a seat to mull over his thoughts.
"What about a two prong attack?"
"It would be very hard to coordinate. Once we hit
Global Corp they will cut all power and telecommunications in the
entire city. We'd have no idea how either side is doing and where to
send reinforcements."
Franks eyes lit up. "How many of Eddies cronies do what they do out of fear for him?"
"I'm guessing a large amount. Most of his thugs
joined to make extra money, but once you work for Eddie, there ain't no
working for anyone else."
"So if you get rid of Eddie, a good number of his men would probably just surrender or run?"
"No, don't think like that. A splinter operation is
too risky. One fuck up and the entire revolution is blown."
"Unless you have someone capable of leading such a risky operation."
"Who, you?"
"Of course not, I couldn't lead a herd of sheep.
What you need is someone fearless, someone who has a close knit
relationship with a team of men."
Seconds later the door burst open as a breathless Mitch came tumbling in. "Sir, Shao Ling has just arrived!"
"The Shao Ling?!" asked Frank in astonishment.
9
Huddled in a closet Joe and Mike were jammed uncomfortably close to each other.
"How the hell does a cop live in this nice of an apartment?"
Mike could feel his brothers breath wave over his
ears. "Would you shut the fuck up for 2 minutes, he could walk in at
any time."
"It's been 30 minutes, he's not coming home any time
soon. Eddie said he was fired at 9 this morning, he probably got some
cash and went out drinking. They axed him 6 months before retirement, I
know I'd go on a binge in that situation."
"Ok fine, we'll look around see if he left anything we could use to find him behind."
"Finally." Joe kicked open the closet door, breaking its hinges as it crashed down on a glass table.
"Very nice, he'll have no idea anyone was here!"
Clearly uninterested in what Mike had to say, Joe began snooping around.
"Try not to break anything else."
Both men circled the apartment finding nothing but dirty clothes and tons of books.
"What a boring choche, just spends all night
reading? I don't even know why Eddie cares about turning
him".
"This guy obviously has some kind of past with
Eddie. He's not even a cop any more but we're still supposed to get him
thrown in jail. I don't know what is and it's not my place to ask, but
this is not a guy to underestimate.
"Oh please, a 52 year old cop who spends his time
reading, he should be quite the challeng." Joe rolled his eyes and
continued rummaging through drawers.
"Just like grandpa back in the alley? Do we forget
so easily? Don't underestimate any cop, even the crooked ones have
pride, you mess with the pride and they fuck you up. Now keep your ego
in check and finish searching."
Feeling completely owned by Mike, Joe found his way to the bathroom.
"Holy shit!"
Mike ran into the bathroom "What is it"
"Maybe this guy wasn't so boring after all." Joe
wore a giant smile as he showed tons of B-Sod boxes to his brother.
"This guy musta used every fucking week, and he's a cop! Damn did he
have some balls, using one of these every morning after a use." Mike
inspected the toothbrush after taking it from Joe.
"Man this must have cost a fortune, look at the
design, the durability. This is a users dream...Ok we've seen enough
lets get out of here." As he motioned to leave Joe stopped him.
"Nice toothbrush I see your taking with you. Put it back or we shoot for it."
Now fully disgrunteled, Mike turned around. "Rock,
Paper, Scissors, Shoot!" Staring at his puny scissors, Mikes heart
shrunk at the sight of Joe's rock. "God dammit! Two out of three."
"Hell no, I won it fair and square. Hand it over."
Mike placed the toothbrush in Joe's hand, obviously saddened by the
loss.
"Ok, now we're leaving. And I'm using that on nights
you aren't. You don't know how many times I've had to skip out a night
of using because of those damn breathilyzers. Take the toothpaste too."
"You can use it as long as you pay me." Joe skipped out of the apartment with Mike sulking behind.
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