The Fury
Issue #8
by Tom Zjaba
Chapter Nine
Marked Man
Three men walk into the Candi Stripe. It is morning and the
strip club, while still open, is dead. Even though the club is open 24 hours,
they can only serves booze during the afternoon and evening. A bouncer stops the
men at the door and asks for the $15.00 cover charge per person. The bouncer,
while well built and weighing near 250, most of it muscle, is no match for the
three men who have arrived. The first guy stands at 6 '8 and weighs over 300
pounds and is also all muscle, pushes the bouncer out of the way. "We have
business with Candi." he says as he moves past the surprised bouncer. While he
seems like a normal, if abnormally large man to the bouncer, he is quite known
in the underworld. He is part of the tandem that are known as the Charging
Rhinos. He is the Davin Street and is called the Black Rhino. As the name
suggests, he is African American. His main partner and the second one to push
past the bouncer is George Wait, the White Rhino. And as his name suggests, he
is Caucasian. He is also over 300 pounds and stands a bit smaller at 6 '6. Both
of them are ex-football players who craved an exciting career when their
football days were through. The mob provided them with the lifestyle they came
to expect in professional football. They made good money, were allowed to hit
people and had all the indulgences that come with a well to do life. Good food,
good booze and good women. Both men were defensive linemen during their playing
days. They made a living rushing in to sack quarterbacks. But like most football
players, they found their careers short. Davin played seven years before
numerous knee surgeries stripped him of his lightning fast speed. His reputation
was based on his first step, which he used to blow by slower offensive linemen
as he often went untouched into the backfield. George lasted five years before a
broken arm forced him to miss half a season. That was all it took for a hot shot
rookie to steal his job and soon he found that no teams wanted his services.
While he knew the reason why, there was nothing he could do. The word had spread
that he was on steroids and his roid rages were legendary. More than once, he
trashed a locker room after a loss. After he attacked one of his own teammates
in practice, the team was looking for a way to get rid of him. The injury was
just the move they were looking for. While he vowed to come back the next year,
he was cut in the off-season and word of a failed drug test was enough for the
rest of the teams to pass on him.
The last man is called Rubik after the famous Rubik's Cube.
He is a small man in comparison to his companions, but he is strong in other
areas. He is only five feet six and on the heavy side. He has thick glasses that
sit on his large nose and has greased back red hair . Where the other guys are
good at being physical, he is good at mentally beating people down. He views
people as puzzles and works on ways to solve them. If someone is hiding a
secret, he is the best at getting them to confess, most of the time without them
knowing. He has a genius IQ and a PhD in psychology. His real name is Morton
Locke, but he carried the nickname Rubik since the 80's, when he was able to
solve the puzzle in under a minute. While he had a successful psychiatry
practice, he found it boring to listen to people's problems all day long. Then
one day, Big Larry, a former mob boss, came to see him. Larry was having a
change of heart about the mob business and came looking for a way to cope with
the guilt of all the people he killed over the years. That is when Rubik used
his manipulative abilities to get him to spill the beans on everything he did.
His stories about hits, contracts and more intrigued and excited Rubik and soon
he convinced Big Larry to let him work for him. At first Larry didn't think he
was useful, but when he saw him get more information out of men than any torture
ever did, he hired him on full time. After a few years, he was teamed up with
the charging rhinos and between their muscle and his brains, they have been able
to crack anyone.
As the men move into the bar, the bouncer tries to move in to
stop them. As much as he doesn't want to have to deal with these guys, he knows
it is his job. Before he gets his head handed to him, Candi comes out of the
backroom and waves him off. "They are guests." she says as she comes to greet
them. Like the women that work here, Candi is a looker. Tall and leggy with a
head full of platinum blonde hair. Her red lips stand out on her pretty but very
painted face. She is wearing a short robe that looks to be made of satin and
barely covers her. Her ample cleavage shows through the tiny robe as do her long
and shapely legs. "Come in back and we can watch some tape." The charging rhinos
laugh as they think about watching adult tapes with her but she gives them a
look as she says "Surveillance tapes. Keep your mind on your work." She then
walks in the back with a sway in her hips that makes the two men melt. While
Candi is getting up there in age for a stripper, she still has a figure that
defies her age. While she is in her early forties, she has the body of a twenty
year old. Never having children and being a health nut has helped her keep
father time at bay. That and some cosmetic surgery have helped her keep her
looks.
Candi takes them to her office, a room that few get to see.
This is where she keeps track of the club and makes sure the girls as well as
the clients are behaving. With frequent visits from the police, she knows that
she has to run a clean club or she will be closed down. This means she has to
make sure the ladies are not soliciting themselves. She also had to keep the
flow of drugs out of the bar and insure that rowdy customers keep their hands to
themselves. As they walk into her private office, they see a wall full of
televisions. With the cameras around the club, she can view every single inch of
the place as well as the outside the club. "Have a seat, gentlemen." she says as
she offers them some plush leather chairs. They all sit down and enjoy the
comfort of the chairs. As Candi goes over to a cabinet and bends over to take
out two tapes, the charging rhinos look to try and catch a quick look. She
glances back and sees they are looking for a show. She rolls her eyes as she
grabs the tapes and ends the show. The men were disappointed to find out she was
wearing clothing underneath her robe. They were hoping for thong underwear or
less and were disappointed to find she was wearing some small shorts. Candi
knows that this time of day, there are few customers and she dresses for
comfort. She then heads over to a VCR and puts in the first tape. "This is the
one inside the club." she says as she starts the tape. As she plays the tape,
they see the Fury, in disguise, calling a girl over and paying her for a private
show. He then points towards their man. The men all look at each other as none
of them know who this guy is.
As the men wonder who is the mystery man, Candi sets up the
second tape. "This one is in the parking lot. I think you will find it more
interesting. As it starts playing, it shows a man go over to the black camaro
and then the window rolls down. The envelopes then float out as if an invisible
man is doing it. The men are all amazed at what they see. As soon as the tape
stops, Rubik pulls out a cell phone and calls Deacon. "Yeah we are here. Just
watched the tape and it is who you thought it was. Yeah, it is the Fury, no
doubt. I will get the tapes." When he hangs up, he looks at Candi who hands him
the tapes. "I made copies as I was expecting that you would want them. Rubik
grabs them and smiles at her. He then stands up and the charging rhinos follow
suit. But as he thanks her and starts walking out, they stop and start some
small talk with her. "Ever had two football players at once?" the white rhino
says as he makes the moves on her. "Save your breath, I have no interest." she
says as she turns her back on him. "Can't handle a real man?" he says as he is
upset by her brush off. When he was a pro player, he was used to women throwing
themselves at him. He is not used to being turned down. She turns and looks him
straight in the eye. "I will give you one last chance to leave." she says as she
is getting pissed by his antics. "And what if I don't? Are you going to send
your bouncer after me?" he laughs. The black rhino steps back as he wants
nothing to do with this. As much as he would like a private show with Candi, he
knows she is well connected. Candi laughs at the white rhino's taunt and hits a
button on her phone. She turns it into speakerphone and with one hit of a
button, she rings a number. Within a ring, the phone is answered. The white
rhino is laughing as he figures she is calling her boyfriend. Let her call, he
knows he can break his neck without any worry. When the voice on the other end
is Justin Rage, his blood turns cold. "Candi, what can I do for you?" he says.
She looks at the white rhino and says "One of your men is harassing me." The
voice then changes from pleasant to angry. "Who is the son of bitch, I will have
him killed." The white rhino turns pale white and rushes out the door. The other
two men laugh at him. Candi also laughs and then says "No need, your voice was
enough to scare him off." There is a moment of silence and then Justin Rage says
"Just give me his name and I will make sure he never bothers you again." Candi
laughs and says "Thanks honey, but I think he learned his lesson. Thanks again,
Justin."
Out in the car, the guys see the white rhino hiding in the
back seat. As they enter, the black rhino looks in the back seat and sees the
white rhino huddled on the floor. "It was nice knowing you." he says as he
watches the white rhino almost break down and cry. "I gotta hide, but where.
Man, why did I harass her? Why?" he says as he envisions how he is going to die.
The other two men break out laughing. "What's so funny? I am a marked man and
all you can do is laugh." When he finally stops laughing, the black rhino says
"She didn't tell him your name, don't worry." Rubik then jumps in "You got lucky
this time. Next time, watch who you are hitting on." Feeling a little better,
the white rhino rises from the floor and sits up. "How was I supposed to know
that she was connected? She a stripper for Christ sakes. Rubik starts the car
and laughs as he puts it into drive. "Don't you know anything? She is Justin
Rage's sorta girlfriend." A confused look comes over the white rhino's face.
"What's a sorta girlfriend?" As they pull out of the parking lot, Rubik explains
"Both of them are married to their work. So they have a relationship, but it is
purely physical as neither one wants a real relationship." He thinks about it
for a few seconds and then asks "So he gets to screw her and not have to deal
with all the emotional crap. If that is all she wants, I can please her more
than Justin Rage can." The black rhino jumps in this time. "Once again, you
prove how dumb you are. A woman like that is using Justin Rage for protection
and other benefits. You cannot give her what he can, no matter how big your
Johnson is." Before the white rhino can open his mouth and say something else
stupid, Rubik jumps in. "Trust me, he is using her as well. And not just for
sex, but she provides him with information as many politicians, police officers
and other mobsters frequent the place."
Back at his house, Jack is smiling at all the money from his
late night haul. He is so amazed at how much money he has been able to steal
from Justin Rage. He thinks about how pissed he must be and laughs. As he counts
the money, he turns on the television and sees a poker tournament is on. As he
watches it, he thinks to himself "Maybe I should look into entering one of
these. As he watches it, the idea of getting away for a bit and playing some
poker sounds mighty appealing to him. "I think I will take some of this money
and head to a casino." he says as he gets up and heads to the other room. He
grabs a duffel bag he has and sticks the money in it. He then throws in a few
sets of clothes and heads out the door. "I should be able to get a flight to
Vegas." he says as he heads to the bus station. He knows that he won't get any
cabs here, but he can grab a bus to the subway and take that to the airport. He
smiles as he thinks about how easy it will be to win money with his mind powers.
He thinks about how he could read the dealer's mind in blackjack or control the
ball in roulette. It has been ages since he has been to Vegas. In his old life,
he would go at least once a year with his buddies. It was always a good time.
They would drink and gamble all night and one time they even visited a cathouse.
He was married at the time and felt guilty about it, but he was drunk and the
peer pressure got to him. He always wondered if his wife knew. He did buy her a
nice necklace and flowers when he returned home. And he was extra nice after
that trip.
Deacon walks into Justin Rage's office and hands him the
tapes from the Candi Stripe. "So you are certain that it is the Fury?" he asks
as he takes the tapes. "He is wearing a disguise, but outside of Psyclone, I
don't know anyone else with those powers." Justin leans back on his chair and
thinks for a second. "I gave my scientists a chance and they failed me. So let's
try letting someone else handle this." Deacon gets worried as he is afraid that
Justin is going to ask him to take care of it. "Who do you have in mind?" he
asks as he is hoping it is not him. "When you want someone killed, who do you
hire?" he asks Deacon. This throws Deacon for a loop as he is not used to games
out of Justin Rage. He is usually so to the point that it is scary. "An
assassin?" he asks as he cannot think of an actual person. Justin smiles and
says "That's correct. So we will put a huge bounty on his head and let them do
the work for us." Deacon smiles back as he is relieved it is not him. But he
wonders who will be crazy enough to take a job like this. It isn't a simple hit.
"How much of a bounty?" he asks. Justin stands up and looks him in the eye and
says "Three million dollars!" Deacon's jaw drops to the ground. For that amount,
they will have every assassin in the country looking for him. "But we don't know
what he looks like, so how will we know if it really is him?" he asks. Justin
smiles and says "I will talk to my scientist on how we can figure that out. But
I need you to get word out that we are putting a three million dollar bounty on
the Fury's head." Deacon nods and says "I will make sure the word gets out." He
then leaves as he thinks about how many people are going to be coming to the
city.
As Jack enters the airport, he notices how much things have
changed. The last time he flew was in a pre 9/11 era, when things were more
laxed. As he looks around at the lines of people waiting to buy tickets, he is
amazed. Then he sees the long line of people waiting to have their bags checked
and he thinks about how he doesn't want to answer questions about having a
duffel bag full of money. As he thinks about the long bus ride, he decides on
going to Atlantic City instead. It is much closer and he can still do his
gambling. Plus, he never went to Atlantic City. He has heard it has changed and
there are more casinos and hotels there now.
In one of the downtown dive bars, a man walks in. He is tall
with long black hair and a buckskin jacket. He has a long mustache that hangs
below his chin. He lights up a cigarette and heads over to the bar. He sits down
and reaches into this pocket. The bartender comes over and asks "What can I get
you?" He pulls out a twenty dollar bill and slides it to the bartender. "Tell me
what you know about the Fury." The bartender takes the twenty and pockets it.
"You must be here for the bounty they put on his head." The bartender points
over to a table of men and says "You may want to talk to them, they are also
here looking for the Fury." The guy stares at the bartender and says "That info
isn't worth twenty bucks." The bartender turns around and grabs a bottle of
whiskey. He pours a shot and the grabs another cup and pours a beer. "Now we are
even." he says as he hands them to the man. As much as he wants to just keep the
money, he knows that anyone who hunts people for a living is not someone you
want to piss off. The guy downs the shot of whiskey and then downs the beer.
When he finishes, he looks at the bartender with glaring eyes and says "Keep the
change." He then spits on the floor and walks away.
Two men are sitting at a table. They have a bottle of whiskey
and a few pitchers of beer. They are all drinking and having a good time. As
they see the man in the buckskin jacket heading over, one of them yells out "Hey
Bronco Billy!" Buffalo Bill gives the man a dirty look as he grabs a chair and
sits down. "The name is Buffalo Bill. Get it right Myron." The man laughs as he
says "I'm so sorry, Buffalo Bill." The other guy laugh. Bill then looks at him
and says "I am a direct ancestor of Buffalo Bill and expect some respect." The
guy breaks out laughing "You traced your family tree on some lame website. For
the right amount, they will tell you whatever you want." One of the other guy
jumps in "I am a descendant of Noah." Another guy looks at him and says "How do
you figure?" The guy smiles and says "Well, everyone else died in the flood, so
I must be a descendant of Noah." Everyone except for Bill breaks out laughing.
Buffalo Bill is a reputed hit man who hails in the west. He
always wears a buckskin coat, even when it is hot out. He also has a large
leather hat that matches the coat. He is known for his fast draw as he practices
daily. While he lives in modern times, he thinks he is a gunslinger in the old
west. He always has at least two pistols on his body.
The other men at the table are also all hit men. The man who
called him Bronco Bill is known as Slash. He is the youngest of the hit men
present. While Buffalo Bill is in his late thirties, Slash is only twenty four.
He joined the army at a young age of seventeen. He finished his time in the army
and at age twenty one, he became a mercenary. He didn't re-up with the army as
they had too many rules about who he could and couldn't kill. So he went to
whichever country gave him the most money and didn't hold him back. But lately
he has learned that being a hetman pays better and there is less of a chance of
being screwed by some foreign government. He stands at five foot ten and still
has the military buzz cut. He is a fairly attractive man, except for a large
scar on his right cheek. He was injured on one of his mercenary missions when
the men he was with, turned on him. They did not like taking orders from an
American and decided to kill him. They underestimated his resilience and he
ended up killing the half dozen men he was working with. While he came out
alive, he was wounded in the fight. Two bullet wounds and a slashed face were
enough to make him retire from the mercenary business. While he got away with
his life, he still carries the scar, which is very noticeable. It also gave him
the unwanted nickname of Slash. But it is better than any nickname he can come
up with, so he let it stick.
The last man is nicknamed Boom Boom. As his nickname says, he
uses explosives for most his hits. He prefers to set an explosive and watch the
person get blown up from a safe distance. He is not fond of the nickname as it
makes him think of it as a nickname for a high school cheerleader. He has tried
in vain to be called Demo, but no one will use the nickname. While he has a
dozen hits to his credit, he has made more money selling explosives to
customers. He has a real gift for creating explosives and putting them in
unlikely items.
Buffalo Bill then asks "So what have you guys heard about
this Fury?" Boom Boom chugs his glass of beer and then answers "Word is he has
mind powers." Slash then jumps in and says as he moves his hands around like he
is crazy "He can move things with his mind." Bill thinks about this for a
moment. He has never taken a contract on a super powered being before. "That
explains the three million dollar bounty. Any idea how powerful he is?" Boom
Boom pours himself another shot of whiskey and quickly downs it. "Word is he
beat down a large robot. It was on the news." Bill then asks "So you guys think
you can beat this guy?" Slash also pours a shot of whiskey and downs it. He then
pours another and hands it to Bill. "Not sure, but we feel with two of us, we
have a better chance. This makes Bill think. He is not sure if he can beat a guy
who can move things with his mind. Maybe he can just shoot him, but what if he
is too powerful, what then. As much as he hates to team up with anyone, it may
be in his best interest to try and forge an alliance with these two. While three
million sounds real good, splitting it three ways and coming out alive sounds
better. "Why don't we make it a trio? That's still a million each." he says as
he downs the shot of whiskey. Slash looks over at Boom Boom who looks back and
nods. He then turns to Bill and says "There is strength in numbers. Welcome
aboard." He then puts out his hand and they shake hands. The men then all pour a
shot and toast the formation of their new team. "To the end of the Fury and the
beginning of retirement." Bill says as he makes a toast. They all clang glasses
and down their whiskey.
The Fury
© Tom Zjaba 2006-2008