Mercury dashed from car to car, guard to guard slapping each as hard as he could! The force of his still developing muscles was amplified by the impetus his speed gave him. While “practicing” in getting Marathon angry, he learned how hard he might hit someone without hurting his own hand!
Marathon thought about how sad his friends were. These were the first people who had treated him kindly; who treated him as an equal; who valued him. He felt anger at these people who hurt one of them, these bad people in front of him. He felt it rising within him. It was an anger that he thought he could control, but he wasn’t sure. This was all so new, so different. He was a part of something. Finally! He belonged somewhere! He exulted privately and strode into the melee swinging and bashing heads barely thinking at all!
The noise outside started more quietly than Abe had hoped. He’d hoped for a big distraction. What he got at first, was a little bit of noise, that under the circumstances might be overlooked by Palucci. The Plan depended upon him knowing there was something going on outside his house.
Palucci dialed his guards.
No one answered. They were busy.
Marbles taking a cue from her prep then ad libbed: ”What’s that noise outside?”
Palucci jumped up from his chair and dashed to the window.
“Not again! What the hell is going on?” He saw a blur dashing from man to man and each man reeling from being struck. Each was unable to defend himself!
He saw a round little guy punching, gouging and biting three of his most experienced lieutenants!
He whirled with a gun in hand, but Marbles was gone.
A shot rang out outside as Marksman shot a gun from one of the hood’s hands.
Palucci dashed for the door, running right by Abe, with Marbles wrapped in his coat, never seeing them. Never noticing the satchel of money, either.
Outside, guns drawn, the thugs tried to shoot Marathon or Mercury. Marksman watched the fight carefully, ready to shoot the weapon out of the hand of someone getting close to shooting his friends, or worse if necessary. Merc gut punched one after another while Marathon beat the living hell out of two at a time! One lay insensate at his feet!
Palucci, now outside saw the fighting and brought up his semi automatic pistol. He drew a bead on Marathon, who is easy to see. Abe passing by, kicked hard at the back of his knee and Palucci tumbled down the stairs. He saw his gun rattle on the pavement.
Then, it disappeared.
Abe blinked into sight for just a second, per Plan A, and hand signaled Marksman. He disappeared again immediately and stayed well away from all the hoods- and Marksman’s bullets.
Merc disengaged and made for the gates.
Marksman laid down a withering barrage of firepower pinning everyone down. Everyone except for the two thugs currently trying unsuccessfully to contain this little round dynamo who was beating them both badly!
Merc ran back after his friend, knowing that this cover will only last for seconds!
“Marathon! Marathon! Let ‘em go! We got to get out! Now!”
Marathon ignored him and pummeled the last guy standing.
“Wes-ley! We got to go NOW!”
Marc slapped him with each syllable.
“We! Go! Now!”
Wesley looked around as if awakening from a dream.
He dropped the thug as if he no longer mattered, but he was still breathing hard, his eyes still full of dark anger.
“We go now! C’mon, buddy! C’mon!”
At the word “buddy” Marathon responded.
Yeah… Abe thought as he hustled out of the gate behind the rest.
Meanwhile, Merc ran ahead to get their car and bring it around.
They all tumbled in.
“You old enough to drive, boy?” Abe asked smiling.
“Sure, so long as we don’t get
stopped…”
“Great. Then drive about two
blocks and pull over. We made quite a noise. I expect that we might see some
police soon.”
Abe wondered at his ability to plan for the group. I should have thought of the car…Merc thought of it. I didn’t plan it. What else might I miss next time? I’ve gotta do better!
Marathon was already asleep leaning against Marbles’ shoulder, snoring deeply.
As Abe swapped seats with Mercury, he thought: Amazing! He just kicks ass and drops off to sleep! I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a week, but he’s already dead to the world.
He made a note of the time on his watch. It might be important- down the road – to have an idea of how much energy expended resulted in how much sleep was needed.
He hardly dropped off at all during training. I guess the added stress of the situation being real was what drained his batteries… Good to know…
The footage that Abe took of Palucci confessing was enough to get him arrested. He was careful to keep the person he was addressing out of the picture. He wanted to keep it all simple for the Police; for the D.A. Maybe he wouldn’t get “Murder One” but they’d look at him hard right about now. They’d have more reasons to delve into his private affairs, and his financial dealings.
Likely something would land him in jail for a while at least… Abe thought watching TV footage that he’d already seen a dozen times.
It was the same with each Haint. It was vindication. Proof that they could make a difference.
Abe was very careful with the gun. He put it directly into his pocket when he’d picked it up outside Palucci’s house. Palucci dropping it was a bonus. It was a risk stopping to pick it up, but Abe judged well worth the gamble. And when he later extracted it he had a plastic bag wrapped around his hand. He pulled it inside out and zipped it closed.
Filmed confession, plus gun… That’ll buy us some time; give us a little payback. Then, there’s the money.’ He looked possessively at the satchel full of wads of cash.
‘We’re set for a while, now… Maybe give us some time to figure out how to get out from under General Mossett’s thumb…
Back at the “clubhouse”, they celebrated with smoothies and hot dogs. The meal was an inexpensive one because the windfall, they still had to watch the pennies…
Abe raised his frosty glass of Blueberry-banana.
“To us! To Haint! We’re going to be self sufficient from now on!”
“To us!” They chorused. They felt good. They’d all watched avidly the last two days’ news coverage from safety as Palucci’s organization thrashed like a snake with its head removed! Criminals without a leader began to freelance. Without an overall plan, many of them were picked up; caught in the act, or after a brief chase.
Palucci was hauled off to jail on TV after Abe delivered his prizes to the D.A.
“This was what we’ve been training to do!”, shouted Marksman, feeling very good indeed.
“Yeah!
They all of the same mind, and continued eating and reliving their first triumph.
The phone rang.
Abe picked it up after seeing on the caller I.D., that it was “someone” in the “U.S. Gov”.
“Yes?”
“Abe? General Mossett. I gather that that was you, these last few days?”
“Yes, General. It went off like clockwork. We jelled as a team. I think even you would have to agree.”
The general sat back, uncomfortable at having his own words thrown back at him.
“Yes. I suppose… Look, Abe. I’ve got another kid for your…team. A very talented girl…”
“General!”
“Look, Abe. Just give her a chance…”
Abe looked at the phone for a
moment.
He heard the General’s voice distant, still talking as he hung up the phone.
-END-
