"So the private dick is dead?" Skull asked, using the tough-talking gangster voice he preferred. It was nothing like the prim words used by his parents, nor was it anything resembling the way he had talked for most of his life.
Malone, a thin man with bad teeth, grinned in response. "We hit him right in the face just you like wanted. The Bone Dust worked like a charm. He ran off screaming into a nearby restaurant."
"Good. I want it mentioned on the streets that he was killed for poking his nose into our business. We need to use the Bone Dust again soon — let everybody know it’s a weapon we’ve got and we aren’t afraid to use it."
"Sure, boss, sure." Malone looked at the other men in the room and shifted his feet. They were all waiting expectantly for him to bring something up. He’d been tasked with the duty by drawing the short straw and he was none too happy about it. "Listen, there’s something I have to bring up…."
Mr. Skull turned his full attention on Malone and a few flickers of flame appeared around his skull, a sure sign that Malone was treading on thin ice. "Go on."
"Some of the boys think we’d actually be getting a little bit further without the whole flaming skull bit. I mean, it’s an incredible mask and it scares the living spit out of anybody who sees it but it works a little too good, y’know? A lot of guys don’t wanna work for you because they’re terrified."
Mr. Skull stood up and Malone took a step back. He instantly regretted having spoken up at all. "I’m sorry, boys. I’m too scary, is that it?"
"Well… that’s what some folks say; people who aren’t as tough as the rest of us. We don’t think that."
"So you don’t find me frightening, Malone?" Mr. Skull adjusted his tie and moved closer, towering over his employee.
"Uh," Malone stammered. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer. If he said no, it might be construed that he was taunting his boss. If he said yes, then that might be seen as an insult as well. "I think you’re gonna be running this town soon. And I’m glad to be on what’s gonna be the winning side."
Mr. Skull patted Malone on the shoulder. "Good answer. But not quite quick enough on your feet." The flames around his head grew much brighter, dancing about like living things. He gripped Malone by the throat, lifting him off his feet with one hand. To the others, who were now watching with horror, he said, "Tell everyone. Make it clear so that they understand. Mr. Skull doesn’t wear a mask. This. Is. My. Face!"
Malone whimpered as Mr. Face slammed him onto his back on the desktop.
Mr. Skull used his free hand to pull out a small silver vial. His thumb easily pushed off the top of the vial and a reddish powder began to spill out, falling onto Malone’s face. Malone began thrashing wildly, recognizing the mixture dubbed Bone Dust.
The powder transformed into a corrosive liquid as soon as it touched Malone’s skin. The chemical reaction left an almond odor in the air and Malone’s screams were so awful that even the hardened criminals in the room looked away, with some of them retching.
When Malone ceased his fighting, his face was a ruined mess and his labored breathing slowly came to an end. Mr. Skull released his hold on him and turned to face the others. "Anybody else got anything smart to say?" he demanded. When no one said anything, he shoved Malone’s corpse to the floor and took his seat behind the desk. "Get that mess out of here."
Two of the men jumped to the task and Mr. Skull turned his chair so he could look out the window. "Boys," he said to those who remained. "I think it’s time to speed up my plans a little."
One of the men cleared his throat. "Whatcha wanna do, boss?"
Mr. Skull watched the rain that spattered against the window. In a very low voice, he said, "I want to kill some people, boys. A lot of them."
The former hotel that served as headquarters for Assistance Unlimited was a three-story affair. The first floor was for visitors and also contained several small apartments used by Gray’s aides. Lazarus Gray lived alone on the third. The second floor had been gutted, leaving a massive meeting area for the group. It was here that Morgan Watts, Samantha Grace and Eun Jiwon had gathered.
Morgan stared at what they’d dubbed ‘The Monster Board’ and let out a whistle. It was an accounting of all the known crimes attributed to the city’s most notorious criminal over the past six months, with pins stuck on a map of Sovereign. The crimes were numerous and spread out haphazardly all over the map. It seemed that The Monster had his evil fingers in virtually every criminal enterprise imaginable. "It’s unbelievable. How can one man be involved in so many things?"
Samantha, a gorgeous blonde who was dressed today in khaki pants and a button-up white shirt, sat atop a nearby desk. Her knees were crossed in front of her and Morgan found himself admiring her calf-length boots and long legs. "Well, it’s not like he’d personally be handling all these crimes. He has a network of goons to do the dirty work for him."
"Still. You’d always think there was more than one of him." Morgan played with his moustache as he stared at the board. The oldest member of Assistance Unlimited, Morgan was very fastidious about his appearance. His hair was always slicked down and he was never seen without a coat and tie.
Eun stepped forward and tapped one of the photographs attached to the side of the display board. "Why don’t we ask for permission to question some of his men who’ve been busted?"
"Because too many of them are on the turnstile system. They get processed and are back on the street within 24 hours." Morgan shook his head. "The Monster’s got way too many judges and lawyers on his payroll. He’s virtually untouchable. Our best hope is to actually catch him in the act and take him down ourselves."
Samantha was about to suggest that one or more of them should go undercover when Gray’s voice sounded over the building’s intercom system. "All hands to the medical lab, please. We have a new case."
The three of them jumped to action. Morgan pushed the display board into a small closet while Eun summoned the building’s elevator car. He held it open for his associates and pressed the button for the basement sub-level. It was there that Lazarus Gray did autopsies, as well as experiments that would be too dangerous for the upper levels.
"I didn’t even realize the Chief was back," Eun said.
"He’s like a cat," Samantha said with a smile. "Comes and goes as he pleases."
Morgan cleared his throat as the elevator came to a rest. "I figured he’d still be on his date."
"Date?" Samantha asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Didn’t you know?" Morgan asked, knowing quite well that Samantha had been unaware of Gray’s evening plans. Morgan had a growing attraction to Samantha but she’d put a halt to any romantic notions. Though she’d claimed it was simply because she didn’t believe in workplace relationships, he suspected that she was actually harboring a crush on Lazarus Gray. "Lazarus and that Miya girl went out for dinner tonight. Given how crazy she seemed to be about him, I didn’t expect him back so soon."
"Well, just because one person likes another, it doesn’t mean that feeling is reciprocated," Samantha answered frostily.
"Don’t I know it," Morgan muttered under his breath. He noticed that Eun was trying unsuccessfully to hide a smirk and he playfully swatted the younger man on the arm.