URBAN SENTINEL: Dominion

Lake City - Commercial District

          The piercing sound of a cracking door frame broke the early morning silence quite suddenly, but as the wooden strips fell onto the ground along with the door they used to hold, there didn't seem anyone around to be alerted to the event. Nestled in a predominantly commercial area, the building that had been broken into was off the beaten path, and there had been no recent security patrols.
          A stocky man dressed in black clothing who's face was covered by a ski mask made his way to the office area, using a small flashlight to help guide him out of the receving area and where he needed to go. Familiar with the building's layout, he arrived in a small room with no windows that contained a large safe up against the wall. He carefully ran his fingers around the door, and opened the unlocked safe with ease. No one but certain staff members were supposed to know about this flaw, but he had overheard them during his 'job interview' the day before.
          Quickly taking all the cash and financial envelopes from the safe, he stuffed them under his shirt and into a small concealed pouch before leaving the room and heading back out the way he came, ready to disappear into the night without delay. The man panted a bit, starting to feel a bit warm wearing the heavy clothing he was covered in, but dashed through the warehouse and back out through the door he had smashed in. 
         "Unh..." he mumbled, hurrying across the rear parking lot and towards an emmpty lot directly behind, which he needed to cross before getting to safety. The man took a split second to look over his back to make sure his getaway was clean, but was met with a jarring strike to his solar plexus just before turning his attention forward again. He flipped backwards and landed on his spine with a thud, and tried to collect himself enough to figure out what just happened. Unfortunately, a black gloved fist caught him with an uppercut to the chin as he tried to sit forward, stunning him again.
          "The one night I wanted to take a quiet walk through a commercial area, and you had to ruin it." said an unknown voice.
          "Oh well. At least I can bring you in."
          Afraid to move, the stocky man looked up to see another man in a black costume with gold accents, and a matching mask that concealed the upper half of his face. only his short, blond hair could be seen.
          "Now, who might you be?" asked the costumed man.
          Fearful yet defiant, the stocky man responded with an obscenity. "I'm not telling you shit! Ya hear me?!"
          Without warning, something connected with the side of his skull and knocked him unconcious. The costumed man then knelt down and removed the ski mask from the criminal, revealing a pitted face of a twenty-something with dirty brown hair, but it was the strange symbol on his left cheek - an image of a spider - that was very concerning.
          'Another one. Hmmm.....'

Lake City - Police Headquarters

          Sergeant Marcin Wolski merely shook his head at what he had seen throughout the course of the day, not even having the words for a change. There had been a spike in Lake City's crime rate as of late, culminating with a mini crime spree across the city in less than twenty four hours. The criminal that Blitzkrieg had just brought in to be locked up was part of it, with the unknown man having the same tattoo on his face as the last two criminals caught since the crime wave initially started a couple weeks back.
          "Stupid bastards." mumbled Wolski under his breath.
          Wolski ran a hand through his short, wavy brown hair before taking another sip from his coffee cup, stopping to lean up against a squad car parked in the rear lot of police headquarters. Standing on the other side of the car was the familiar form of Blitzkrieg, a vigilante crime fighter that he had befriended a long time back, and someone he worked with to help make Lake City a better place.
          "Any thoughts on this crime wave?" asked the vigilante. "I haven't seen it this bad in a while myself."
          Before offering his opinion, Wolski took another sip of his coffee and savoured the hot, brown liquid for several moments.
          "It came out of nowhere two weeks ago. Things were quiet for a while out there, and then we were thrust into a crime wave. Small businesses, convenience stores, and now commercial properties have been hit. People are getting scared out there. Hell, even the homeless population have all but disappeared from the city's streets. I'm not sure what to make out of all this, but it's a mess."
          Blitzkrieg nodded his acknowledgement. 
          "Agreed. I'll do what I can out there, but all of this has kept me busy."
          Wolski pointed at him for a brief moment.
          "You still have that kid working with you?" he asked.
          Blitzkrieg grinned. "Yes and no. I sent him to Gotham for a little while to receive some expert training with a friend of mine. I'm on my own for the time being."
          The sergeant took another sip of his coffee, then leaned back on the squad car a little more, knowing this was as easy as it was going to get for a while. His captain was looking for answers, the press wanted answers, and even the public were getting restless and would probably want some answers sooner rather than later.
          'If the vigilante can't make any headway, we're all in trouble...'
          "Well then, I better let you get back at it."
          Blitzkrieg laughed. "It's two o'clock in the morning. I'm going home to bed, and I'll hopefully be able to come at this fresh in the morning. I'll be in touch."
          Wolski took a sip of his coffee and nodded, before turning in Blitzkrieg's direction to get a final word in. Having never learned his lesson, the sergeant saw that no one was there anymore, and he was alone again out in the parking lot. Shrugging and muttering a curse, he mentally reviewed the events of the last few weeks and felt at ease with his thoughts, even if he was starting to feel the strain, as well as fatigue.
          'Something or someone needs to crack this case, and soon!'

Lake City - The Ross Residence

          Waking up to find the other half of the bed unoccupied, Jared Ross quickly picked up on the smell of bacon and eggs wafting throughout the house, a most welcome smell. A glance at his alarm clock told him that it was almost eleven o'clock on Saturday morning, a time that was later than he was used to getting out of bed. Getting to his feet with a yawn, Jared wandered out into the hall and made his way downstairs.
          Upon reaching the kitchen, he was greeted by the beautiful sight of Serena working away at making breakfast, her long, blonde hair flowing freely down her back and moving side to side as she flipped the eggs in the pan. Jared carefully moved in behind her and planted a kiss on her head, smiling as he did so. She turned to face him, her sparkling green eyes catching his gaze before she returned the favour by planting a kiss on his lips.
          "Good morning, handsome." she said with a giggle. 
          Jared smiled and hugged her.
          "Morning!" he replied. "Do I detect breakfast?"
          Serena grinned and turned back to the frying pans on the ceramic stove top, picking up one after the other and sliding the eggs and bacon onto two light grey plates that were sitting on the countertop. 
          "Yup. Go sit down, and I'll bring it over. There are glasses of orange juice already on the table waiting."
           Jared turned and made his way to the dining room table and took a seat, just as a plate of steaming breakfast landed in front of him. Seizing his fork with gusto, he dug into the chow and enjoyed it very much. Once Serena had joined him, he shot her a loving look and smiled at her.
          She returned the smile, and pondered his attractive features for a moment, letting him chew his latest bite before asking him a question.
          "What are you up to today, love?"
          Jared took a sip of his orange juice. "Heading to the bunker to do some research on this current crime wave." he responded, referring to the undeground headquarters that lay underneath the High Octane Speed Shop, in midtown Lake City.
          "The police are just as confused as I am. Also, catching another criminal with that spider tattoo just adds to the mystery. It has to mean something, but I need to find out what that something is."
          Serena stroked her chin. 
          "Back home for supper?"
          Jared smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "If supper is as good as breakfast, you bet!"
          Serena giggled. She was used to him spending lots of time in the bunker, and would go help him out as much as possible, but she also knew when to let him work alone. He'd been under a lot of stress trying to put a stop to the current crime wave, but it was confounding him more than normal.
          "Call me if you need a hand. I'll be here."
          Jared got up and kissed her on the forehead. "Will do." he replied, before heading back upstairs to get dressed and be on his way.

Lake City - Unknown location

          "Dammit, now even Spunk got himself in jail." said an unhappy voice, a tone of irritation in it.
          "That's like, four of us now. If the boss hears of this, he'll come back to the city and kick our asses in for sure!"
          Without warning, a table went flying and smashed into a nearby wall, exploding into wood fragments and chunks that landed on the floor in a heap. A larger form stood in silence, breathign heavily.
          "The boss will have us taken apart for this kind of shit!" he yelled.
          "Okay, okay. Calm down." said a third voice, appealing for cooler heads to prevail at the moment.
          "It's not gonna look good when the others arrive if we're all fighting like this, am I right? Not fucking cool whatsoever."
          There was an awkward silence, before the big man sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, while the younger man didn't say another word. All three of them were wearing dark clothing and ski masks - they had been instructed to always conceal and never reveal - and pondered the error of their ways.
          Having found inspiration in the teachings of their boss, a cadre had been put together in Lake City, and had drawn nearly two hundred teenagers and young adults into it, the premise of cooperation and reliance on each other being the things that could help them all achieve a better life. To help this better life, they all had been instructed to steal from as many businesses as possible, and send the proceeds to the boss so he could set aside lodging, food, and entertainment for the cadre.
          "Fuck sakes, Bart, but the boss hasn't sent much our way yet, right?"
          The teenager known as 'Bart' who had told everyone to simmer down, got to his feet and paced slowly.
          "Yeah, sure Moose." he replied, annoyed. "But look at this - the boss bought this building, and we gots food and TV and other shit in here, so shut up for now."
          Moose's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent and hung his head, unable to contend with the simple logic used by his cadre chief.
          "Bart, we shoulda had a lot more in this dump, is all." mentioned the teenager known as Chimm, who had calmed down a bit more.
          Bart stopped, and nodded.
          "Yeah, we should. But that's not up to us. The boss says to do what we gotta do, and we go do it. Got that?"
          Chimm and Moose both nodded their acknowledgement.
          "Good." replied Bart. "We hit the streets again tonight, and make large."

Lake City - High Octane Speed Shop

          Feeling himself start to squint at the computer screen ever so slightly, Jared sat back in his chair and took a break, rubbing his eyes. He'd been at it for over four hours now, and had only made a little progress in his search for answers when it came to the current crime wave that had been afflicting Lake City as of late.
          Three weeks earlier, there had been several different events in the city that all featured guest speakers that were controversial in one way or another. A famous far-left conspiracy theorist spoke to university students downtown on the Monday, an author of wisdom books who founded a group dedicated to weird meditation held an event at the convention hall on the Wednesday via internet, and a religious group that was anti-abortion inciting some strong feelings on the Saturday to a packed house.
          "Either one of those three might be a prime vessel to cause problems in the city, but how do I know which one?" he mumbled to himself with a sigh.
          Before he could think up an answer, the mini-elevator on one side of the large bunker opened to reveal a familiar face - Jared's best friend, Greg Redmond. The man know as 'Gears' to his friends and family owned the speed shop, and had permitted the conversion to a large unused basement level to Jared/Blitzkrieg's new hideout, as the last one had been destroyed by an evil syndicate in a previous struggle.
         "I brought you down some more coffee." he said. "You'll probably need it, but remember that I'm out of here just over an hour."
         The speed shop closed at five, and Greg was intent on leaving to meet his girlfriend, Kate, who he promised a stroll along the waterfront at sunset on this evening.
          Jared nodded. "I understand. And... thanks for the coffee."
          Greg smiled, his short black hair and blue eyes filling in his easy-going demeanour.
          "No problem! If you do need me to stay and help, I can."
          Jared would have none of it. "I appreciate the offer, but go be with Kate. If anything, I could give Serena a call and have her join me. As it stands now, I'm going to head out in the next little while anyways."
          Greg gave a quick thumbs up. "Will do! Catch you later."
          He turned and made his way back to the small elevator and stepped in, the lift taking him to a secret storage room up on the main floor. Jared turned his attention back to the computer screen and decided he had enough to show Wolski, believing that one of those men were connected, and that the police had more details on each and every one of them that could be helpful to the case.
          Normally, he'd make an appearance at police headquarters late in the evening or a little while past midnight, but today he resolved to visit Wolski around eight o'clock, after supper was all cleaned up from and Jared was ready to suit up as Blitzkrieg.
          'Hopefully, what I have for him is enough.'

Lake City - Lola's Fish & Chips

          The crowbar hit the floor with a clanging sound after a brief fall, causing a little friction between the assembled 'guests' in the back room of the restaurant.
          "Idiot!" yelled Chimm. "What the hell are ya doing? Try'na get the cops here to bust us before we score?"
          Moose balled a fist and looked angry enough to use it, when Bart slid into the room and laid down the law.
          "Guys, shut up! Calm the hell down, and get this done!"
          Fearful of screwing up the job, Moose got rid of his fist and picked the crowbar back up, jimmying the cash register open just enough to pop the lock. Lucky for them, the crew that had locked up had been lazy and left both trays in the deep till, full of cash that could be swiped. It didn't take long for the three of them to empty the loot into one big duffel bag and make for the exit.
          "Good score! The boss will be happy!" said Moose triumphantly as they all headed out into the back parking lot.
          "Yeah! We must've grabbed thousands!" exclaimed Chimm.
          "You two, keep it down, and make a break for the train tracks! We'll use them to get to the foot bridge, an' get the hell outta here."
          Talking ceased as the three young men focused on making their break and also making sure that no one was following them either. The last thing they needed was to come across any police, or to slip up and jeopardize the amount of cash they managed to steal from the restaurant. All three of them knew that the boss wouldn't tolerate any more screw ups at this point in time.
          The safe house they were heading to was an abandoned six plex on the other side of the freight line tracks, in a run-down area of Lake City that was awaiting a massive redevelopment project. The area was ripe with petty thefts, assaults, and served as a hideout for many a criminal that didn't want to be identified too quickly.
          "Almost there." mumbled Bart, taking the lead and holding open a portion of chain-link fence that had a gash in it, and was used as any entry point onto the property. No one seemed to be around, and it suited them just fine. Heading inside through the back entrance, they all went up two flights of stairs to the top floor and into the first apartment to the right, which was in decent shape all things considered.
          Inside the run-down flat, there was a small table in the main room that contained a laptop and internet stick, as well as a couple of couches and a lightly stocked kitchen area with canned food, a microwave, and jugs of water.
          Moose put down the bag of money as Bart opened the laptop and used a program to contact the boss. Within seconds, an image of an older man with greying hair and a goatee came to life.
          "A good day, yes?" he asked calmly and slowly.
          "Yes boss." replied Bart. "Looks like thousands in this score."
          The older man nodded carefully. "Excellent. Stay at the safe house, and await my agent who will pick up the currency. You will know him when you see him. Please have yourselves a nice day."

Lake City - Police Headquarters

          "This was staring us right in the eye, and we didn't catch it." said Wolski, frustrated at his department for not making the link themselves. Even though the crime wave was less than three weeks old, it could have at least been curtailed, and/or have resources focused in the right place near the beginning.
          "Who do you think is connected to all this?" asked Blitzkrieg, curious to know who the prime suspect was out of the three that he had found.
          Wolski took a sip of his coffee and swallowed it before responding.
          "Tough call. The far leftie Martin DeWulf does create problems with his tin foil hat nonsense from time to time, but he's been investigated before. A man known as Bram Kavanaugh has managed quite a following through his books and 'workshops' held in other cities, but as far as we know, he's never been to Lake City once."
          Blitzkrieg raised an eyebrow, working out a thought process.
          "That leaves the anti-abortinist movement?"
          Wolski nodded. "Yes, but they are highly unlikely." he replied. "Doctor Karl Oberlund preaches to the Moon and back, but a crime wave? We've hauled him in for protests that turned nasty, and throwing fake blood at clinics, but little else."
          Blitzkrieg shook his head, thinking they might be at an impasse.
          "However," started Wolski, before taking another sip of coffee. "...I do have a thought on all this."
          "Go on."
          "Well then, DeWulf has the capacity to speak to large, young crowds at universities, which creates it's own set of problems. That being said, Kavanaugh uses the internet for a lot of his gatherings, and that would reach a lot more people, and fast."
          Blitzkrieg agreed with the sergeant, knowing the power of technology and how all-encompassing it could be at times. Having hundreds or more at the convention centre for the previous 'workshop' could pale in comparison to the thousands or more that were able to be reached via the internet and streaming services. Still, the prospect of a conspiracy theorist using his words as a distraction while others carried out his bidding in the background definitely had merit and needed to be investigated.
          "What's the plan?"
          Wolski motioned towards all the squad cars parked in the police lot before replying to the vigilante.
          "We're all going to go out there and do what we can legally. If you could do your thing in the dead of night and see what you can find, that would help us a lot. Investigate both suspects, and see what you can find out. Got it?"
          The sergeant turned to get an acknowledgement, but again was the only one standing next to the squad car, the vigilante having disappeared into the night. Wolski shook his head and took another sip of his coffee.
          'Why can't I ever get a normal answer out of him before he leaves?'
          A quick exit notwithstanding, Wolski hoped that Blitzkrieg would uncover something critical to the case, the sooner the better.

Lake City - Abandoned Building

          A thorough search of the convention hall had turned up a clue, even through the gathering in which Kavanaugh spoke to a group via the internet had concluded almost three weeks earlier. Blitzkrieg had looked around for anything left behind, and was hoping that the clean up crew had missed something. It came in the form of a USB stick that had fallen to the floor and was wedged in a damaged section of carpeting next to a wall, out of view for most people.
          Fortunately for him, it was just visible enough. Having made a quick trip back to his bunker for analysis, Blitzkrieg found code names, and a litany of addresses listed on a backup file, one of which was the building he was currently skulking around in. A six plex that had once been middle-class apartments, it was now derelict and in disrepair. As he searched the building with an infra-red flashlight, Blitzkrieg came across the last apartment on the third floor, and noted something peculiar upon entry.
          It had been lived in quite recently, with signs of people having slept on the floor and couches, as well as using the kitchen for light cooking and meal prep. On one of the small tables in the living area was a laptop, left open. Blitzkrieg pressed the power button carefully, and the laptop came to life. After several seconds, it reverted to the home screen, and didn't seem to have a password for entry. There were only two icons visible, one of them the recycle bin, and the other labelled 'Boss'.
          'Curious.'
          With nothing to lose at this point, he used the touch pad to double click on the 'Boss' icon, and waited to see what would happen. A little box popped up with text that read, "Loading buffered video...", with a status bar underneath.
          As soon as the load was complete, a window came into existence that contained a video, with a central figure front and centre. The man was talking, but there was no sound available and it looked like the small laptop speakers had seen better days.
          'Bram Kavanaugh...'
          Remembering he had kept the USB stick on him, Blitzkrieg plugged it into a port on the left side of the laptop and downloaded a copy of the video file, unable to find anything else of value. The stick was done and back in a concealed pocket on his suit when he got up to leave, but noises from outside caught his attention, leading him to quickly conceal himself inside within the shadows.
          It didn't take long for the voices to make their way upstairs, three men wearing black clothing and ski masks. There seemed to be a lot of chatter amongst them as well as they headed for the apartment with the laptop.
          "Damn score was low today." said one of them, frustrated.
          "Coz of that fucking alarm thing, Moose."
          "Shut up, both of you. Get inside and chill." said the third voice.
          They were barely inside the apartment for a minute when one of them noticed that the laptop had been left on, the bright screen the only light in the darkened area.
          "Shit! Someone's been here!!" cried out one of the men.
          A split second later and without any warning to speak of, the world went black for them in a hurry.

          "I'm having my men search the whole building as efficiently as possible, and we've already removed the laptop from the main apartment." said Sergeant Wolski, standing at the rear of the building with Blitzkrieg and another officer, as the rest of his squad was inside the derelict complex removing evidence. The three men that Blitzkrieg had knocked out cold had already been arrested and taken to police headquarters for further questioning, and to hopefully wake up a little more, as they were still dazed and confused.
          Blitzkrieg nodded. "Good."
          Wolski watched as more evidence was rushed past him and into a police van parked alongside the building.
          "I'll also let you know if our experts find anything of use on that laptop. Who knows? Maybe there's a hidden nugget inside that thing."
          Blitzkrieg agreed with the sergeant, but was also glad he kept the USB stick as well, just in case it was ever needed again in the case. If the police could recover more data off the laptop, then all the better. 
          "What's the next step?" he asked of his friend.
          Wolski stroked his chin.
          "We'll be questioning all three of those hoodlums back at headquarters, and I'll let you know what comes of it." he replied. "Any ideas which direction you're headed in thios little endeavour?"
          Blitzkrieg pondered his options, bit first wanted to take the USB stick back to his bunker and watch the laptop video again. Something bothered him about it, but he wasn't really sure what it was as of yet.
          "More research," he said to the sergeant. "I have a thought process I need to see through to the end. We'll be in touch."
          Wolski only nodded and turned to speak to the patrolman standing next to him, already knowing that Blitzkrieg would vanish into thin air anyways. There was a lot to accomplish to help break this case wide open, and it needed to happen as soon as possible to bring a resolution with dispatch. Not only was his captain breathing down his neck on this one, but the mayor of Lake City as well.
          'I'm not sure how many residents of the city have called the mayor's office, but it must have been more than what he's used to.' thought Wolski. 'It's no wonder he's so pissed about this one.'
          In the back of his mind, Wolski knew this would all get sorted out, and the city's latest major issue would come to an end at some point, whether it be from the ongoing police investigation, or something the vigilante did.
          'Can't happen soon enough, that's for sure.'
          Taking a quick sip of coffee from a styrofoam cup, he stood there for a moment and pondered everything up to this point. Wolski also wondered what the vigilante meant about a 'thought process' back, but shrugged it off for the moment to get back to work and sort out the mess his police force had just inherited.

Lake City - High Octane Speed Shop

          Jared sat down at his work area and plugged the USB drive into his main computer, hoping to come up with something important in the process. His search of some of the other addresses listed in the text file the previous night had turned up nothing else of use, leading him to end the night a little earlier than normal so he could get a good night's sleep and take care of some house work before heading to his bunker again.
          Once the file was active via the media player, Jared muted the sound, ignoring Kavanaugh's words and bald head, deciding to focus on the visual aspect, thinking that he had seen something familiar in the background when he viewed it the night before. 
          "Hmm." he muttered as the video continued to play.
          After a few minutes had passed, Kavanaugh had leaned back in his chair during a pause in speaking that revealed more of the background. Jared paused the video and stared it for a moment or two. The wall behind Kavanaugh's position had text along with an arrow symbol that was backwards, almost like it was facing outwards. There was a small light strip behind it near the top of the text, possibly meant to illuminate it like a sign.
          'What does that spell?'
          Jared concentrated on the letters, and spelled them out in his mind, one at a time starting from the right to left. It wasn't long before he figured it out.
          "It says, 'Midnight Lounge'!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
          The night spot in question was located in downtown Lake City, a stone's throw from Chinatown. It was a popular spot for the late night crowds on weekends. The small adjacent building with the lighted sign was purchased by the newer owners of the lounge, but they had used it for storage only in the years since they took over.
          'I haven't been to the Midnight Lounge in years. Not exactly the way I wanted to return, either.'
          It also meant that Kavanaugh was indeed in Lake City, and only making it look like he was broadcasting from far away, and for an unknown purpose. 
          'I'll have to pay the place a visit tonight.'
          The issue now was if he'd want to have any back-up, should the lounge be under the control of Kavanaugh. It was conceivable that he might have been the one to purchase the late night spot, or was in close with who did. Jared thought about having Greg there with him as a lookout inside the lounge, but he'd stick out like a sore thumb.
          'Not his thing.'
          With his younger protege off in Gotham City, that left only Serena to choose from, but she was definitely right for the job.
          'With her beauty and poise, she could distract anyone. Hell, she put a spell on me years ago, and it made me permanently distracted!'
          Jared enjoyed a chuckle before getting up and heading for his motorcycle, intent on going home to enjoy a little free time with his wife before supper, and also to inform her of the evening's plan that now involved her as well.

Lake City - The Midnight Lounge

          It had been a long while since she had ventured out to a late night spot, much less one of the busier ones in the city's downtown. Wearing a white dress that ended slightly above her knees and showed off her slender legs, above the waist featured a navy blue v-neck camisole that showed off just enough of her ample cleavage. Her long, blonde hair was flowing freely down her shoulders, her green eyes sparkling.
          Serena scanned the main area of the lounge as she walked in, selecting a seat at the bar which was on the corner, giving her a decent view towards the rear and across the plentiful seating areas. A tall, handsome with dark hair and wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt appeared behind the bar, and was smiling at her.
          "What'll you have?" he asked softly.
          She smiled back at him, and placed her order without hesitation.
          "Long island iced tea, please."
          The bartender nodded. "Sure thing." he replied, before heading down the bar to start making the cocktail. While he was down there, another patron started asking him for another drink, giving her time to check the earpiece hidden under her hair in the right ear, her way to communicate with Jared.
          "Love," she whispered. "You here?" 

          Blitzkrieg carefully slid into the old building via the fire escape door, making sure to use stealth to his advantage. The building wasn't used on a regular basis, but he didn't want to take a chance. 
          "Yes, I'm in." he replied in a low tone, able to hear Serena just fine.
          "Making my way downward. Keep an eye on the patrons in there, and let me know if anything out of the ordinary occurs."
          Once she acknowledged him, Blitzkrieg continued on, searching the top most floor for signs of occupancy before descending to the next floor. The lighting was either low or non-existent, and he didn't want to risk turning on any lights. It might take a little bit of time for his eyes to adapt, but it wouldn't attract any attention.
          Upon reaching the next floor, he heard a faint sound coming from a nearby room. As he skulked closer, Blitzkrieg could hear someone whistling at a very soft tone, and peeked into the room to get a visual. A lone figure dressed in black and wearing a ski mask was sitting down at a small table and reading a magazine. On the table in front of him was a lead pipe, as well as something else he couldn't fully make out in the low light.
          Blitzkrieg stealthily ran into the room and used the element of surprise, knocking the man out with a quick blow to his temple, his body slumping forward onto the table. The mystery item turned out to be a pack of cigarettes.
          "One criminal is down for the count." he whispered. "Continuing on."

          Serena took another sip of her drink, and glanced around the room, noticing that no one had really moved, save a woman who had gone to use the restroom and came back. The bartender was still here, as were several staff members who curiously werern't going anywhere at all, and staying in their places.
          She knew it wouldn't be long now until Jared reached the main floor of the adjacent building, and he might encounter more of the gang members before making it to the basement level that contained the storage area. 
          'I hope he hasn't any issues in there.'
          Focusing back on her surroundings, she noticed the bartender coming her way again, a grin on his face. 
          "Want another, miss?" he asked of her.
          Serena held up the half-full glass.
          "Not yet, thank you." she replied with a smile. "Still enjoying this one."
          The bartender looked as if he might be annoyed, but then turned it into a hurried smile, and just nodded before leaving to serve another customer that had sat down at the bar. She wondered if he was on to her, or maybe finding her attractive enough to keep coming over to get his fill.
          'Times like these make me wish Jared was right here, right now.'
          Serena could handle herself, but it was so much better when Jared was with her, and it made her feel as safe as possible.

          'Only that one criminal so far, and now I'm in the basement.' thought Blitzkrieg to himself, descending the last set of stairs to the storage area of the building. The staircase ended in the rear of the structure, and also pointed him towards the rear exit. Opening the door just a crack, he could see steps leading up to ground level.
          'Another way out, should I need it.'
          Moving slowly and quietly, he made his way to the front of the basement, finding a small room with block walls closed off by a door. There didn't appear to be a lock on the door, so he carefully opened it. A light was on inside, and as soon as he stepped into the room, he could see the lit sign like in the video. A desk and chair had been set up, with a laptop and webcam on the desk. The laptop was off, and there was nothing else of consequence for him to examine.
          "Damn. Dead end."
          There were two options available to him now. One was to sneak into the Midnight Lounge and snoop around there to look for more clues, the other was to go back up to the floor where he knocked out the criminal, and wake him up for some answers.
          'Can't go into the club, so I guess it's option number two...'
          Blitzkrieg tapped the hidden microphone on his suit's collar.
          "Going to go interrogate a criminal. Contact you when done." he whispered, letting Serena know what he was up to.

          In the fifteen minutes or less since she heard from Jared last, Serena still didn't notice anything out of the ordinary right away. The bartender was still alternating between serving other patrons and making eyes at her, and the other staff members were still exactly in place, aside from one server who was taking drinks to several customers at tables.
          'I hope Jared is getting some answers.'
          A few minutes later as she finished her drink, she caught out of the corner of her eye another employee with a dark complexion appear next to the employee standing past the tables and whispered something in his ear. Both men hurried off into the rear of the building and out of sight. Pretending to not see this at all, she decided to relay to Jared what had occurred, but a little more discreet. 
          "Excuse me, but where is the ladies' room?" she asked of the bartender, whose back was turned mixing a cocktail. 
          He turned quickly with a smile and pointed to a small opening on the right wall by the tables and couches.
          "That way."
          "Thank you, my dear." she said with a grin, appealing to his ego.
          Once she was safely in the women's washroom and inside a stall, Serena whispered to Jared what she had seen, hoping it was of some use to him.

          "Thank you. Time for you to head out now." said Blitzrkrieg, waiting for the disheveled man to wake up again. With a groan, he came to for a third time, his head hurting from a quick blow delivered to him when he tried to yell for help. 
          "You try yelling again, I'll strike you with my quarterstaff, and you'll be out for days and be on a strict diet of hospital food." said the vigilante, a little frustration in his voice.
          "You give me some information, I disappear and leave you to enjoy the chair I've tied you to until some of your buddies show up."
          The man sighed heavily and appeared angry. Blitzkrieg hadn't removed the ski mask, because he didn't care as much about the man's identity as he did information.
          "Okay, asshole. I'll tell you what I know, which isn't shit for the most part."
          "Talk. Now." replied the vigilante.
          "The boss owns this building and the lounge next door." explained the criminal. "He likes to make videos from that fucking room in the basement, We all work for him, and we do shit for him. He's not always here. There are other places."
          "But why, and where are these other places?" asked Blitzkrieg.
          "How the fuck do I know?" came the reply. "The boss is a little crazy, if you know what I mean. Treats himself like a cult leader, and gives us places to live and food to eat that we wouldn't otherwise have. He didn't give up on us like everyone else did, so there you have it. Now fuck off."
          Without a sound, the man was knocked unconcious yet again, thanks to a quick right cross from Blitzkrieg.
          'I suddenly have a lot to think about, and more investigating to do....'

Lake City - Police Headquarters

          "He could be anywhere in the city for all we know." said Sergeant Wolski, getting a little agitated at the fact that now the whole city potentially had to be searched for the man responsible for the massive crime wave.
          Blitzkrieg nodded. "This is true, but if he's here we need to find him. Also, from my conversation with the criminal, I can say with almost certainty that the majority of his 'cult' members are homeless young people looking for something better."
          Wolski thought for a second, a finger on his chin.
          "Makes sense. Homeless numbers started to drop off about a month ago. Official numbers, that is."
          'The young man I interrogated said they were provided with food and places to stay. Places like all those addresses on the USB stick!' he thought to himself.
          'Dammit, I should have gone to more of them that night...'
          "Sergeant, I think we can pool our resources here."
          Wolski finished a sip of coffee and looked towards the vigilante.
          "Oh?" he queried.
          "I'll send you a text file to your email in the next hour that contains addresses all over the city that the cult people are using. I managed to investigate several of them the other night, one of them being the six plex where we apprehended those three goons."
          The sergeant raised an eyebrow, with a look on his face that said both annoyed and surprised at the same time.
          "Why was this withheld for an extra day?" he asked.
          Blitzkrieg frowned. "I was trying to do the dirty work myself, so that you and your police force could focus on the actual crimes."
          Wolski's face returned to normal. He knew that what the vigilante did was technically correct, but a few officers could have been spared to search the properties.
          "Very well then. Send me what you have, and we'll split it up. The sooner we catch this bastard, the better."
          Blitzkrieg agreed. "I concur. There are a couple properties over in Sugar Town (an old part of Lake City) that might be worth checking out. I'll let you know what I find."
          Wolski gave one thumb up, as the other hand was still busy holding his coffee cup that he wasn't interested in putting down. He'd have to wait until morning to be able to convince the higher-ups to spare him some manpower to conduct searches of other properties on the list, but it was doable.
          "Do you really think we'll catch him like this?" asked the sergeant.
          The vigilante shrugged. "It's a shot in the dark, but it's better than nothing. Also, I have an idea as well that might get us some results in short order."
          Sergeant Wolski gave the vigilante his full attention,
          "I'm listening..."

Lake City - Downtown

          Riding on a high since they had been released from police custody, the three comrades hurriedly made their way to a streetcar line and hopped on at Prince Street going eastbound, intent on heading to a safe house that the boss had set aside.
          "We won!" said a happy Moose, of the opinion that however they managed to get released from police custoday was a victory no matter what.
          "Shutup, Moose." started Bart, motioning for the larger man to sit down and keep quiet for the duration of their ride out to Sugar Town. He himself was of the opinion that it had been too easy, but could not discount the sudden good luck of the situation.
          "At least we're out of that fucken place." said Chimm, voicing his own opinion of the time spent at police headquarters.
          "Boss isn't gonna be happy with us." 
          Bart shot the younger teen a nasty look.
          "What's your problem, Chimm? The boss will be fine. We didn't give the cops anything to go on, so there's no problem. Stupid ass."
          A silence befell the three, as no one felt like talking suddenly. The ten minute ride to Sugar Town ended with them getting off at a stop in the oldest portion of the area, complete with century homes, some of which were derelict. The three young men made their way down a residential street, and through a small park. Emerging out on another street made of period cobblestones and no sidewalks, they headed for a church that Sugar Town had orginally been built around, but was now empty and unused for the most part.
          Carefully hurrying up the steps, they quietly opened the large doors and snuck inside, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. Not many people knew that the church could be accessed, with most who lived in the area believing that it was under long-term renovation for the purpose of being used in it's proper capacity once again. What they didn't know (and neither did city officials) was that this was the main gathering area for Kavanaugh's followers, having utilized the massive basement and storage areas as their base of operations.
          "Hurry downstairs." mentioned Bart. "We'll have to tell our story to the others, and hopefully the boss."
          He understood the need for the group to try and change tactics, as the police and that rogue vigilante were now onto them more than ever before. When Bart had joined, there were only two dozen or so others, and that had grown to at least a couple hundred that had spread out over the city as well.
          "Whatcha thinking, Bart?" asked Chimm, curiously.
          "I'm thinkin' the boss will have to give us a bigger fucking reward, or we'll all end up in the slammer sooner rather than later."
          Chimm could feel Bart's worry and anxiety. 
          'Do we gotta demand more, or do we need more people?'
          There was no easy answer to that question, nor were there any quick solutions to help ease the situation.

          The sight of rows and rows of his followers looking back at him and waiting for him to speak and give them further direction not only made him happy beyond measure, but also told him that the movement was growing and gaining strength. Standing on the dais at one end of the large room, he counted at least a hundred, and the webcams that had been set up would broadcast him to safe houses across the city and spread the message to those who could not attend at the church.
          His own estimates suggested that there were close to four hundred now that followed his ideology, most of them young men and women who were previously homeless, runaways, or directionless nomads. 
          'Like spiders in the night, they find their way into places no one else could touch during the day, and help to bring the spoils to me and spread fear and frustration throughout the city.'
          Smiling slightly, it was time to speak to the masses.
          "My friends," he started, his arms open. "...it is so very nice to see you all here, in this place, and in my presence. To those watching over the internet, I say thank you. We are gathered here today so that we may all take the next step forward in our journey. You started with nothing, and I gave you a purpose and much, much more. I saw what lay beneath the layers of grime and frustration, and polished all of you into the diamonds that you knew were there the whole time."
          "My friends, you have done well for yourselves, and have also done very well for our mission, and for me. The city that turned it's collective back on you has now paid dearly through money and finance a fraction of what it owes you. The time has come to take even more from the city that shunned all of you. As our ranks grow, we can and must make a statement, one that tells of how we will never be taken for granted again!"
          "Stealing the city's wealth is not enough! We can and will do whatever it takes to turn Lake City into a monument, a monument of how those who had nothing took everything from those who never gave them a chance! We will take their pride, we will take their respect, we will take their dignity, and if we have to, we will go so far as to take their lives should the situation demand it!"
          "They thought nothing of leaving you to die, so shouldn't you exact the same fate to them? Are their lives more important that yours? I think not! Rise up my friends! Rise up, and make your presence felt!"
          He ended his speech with his hands raised in the air like a successful priest after a sermon, and watched as cheers and clapping could be heard. Sure, there were several in the crowd that looked confused at what they'd just heard, but that could be dealt with in due time at no harm to his cause.
          'All in good time.' he thought to himself, the crowd before him still buzzing about. 'All in good time....'

          Blitzkrieg recoiled slightly, in shock at what he had just heard. Clearly, he would have to put an end to this quickly, before this whole situation got any further out of hand, as lives were potentially at stake now. Having arrived in Sugar Town to start a further investigation, several youths in dark clothing running down a dark street piqued his curiosity enough to follow them, and he was glad he did. 
          They led him right to the old church, and he had managed to gain access to the interior and hide himself while still being able to hear the speech from below. The only way out to the upper floor was via a staircase, which meant that Kavanaugh had to come back upstairs to leave the church. 
          'Patience.'
          A good fifteen minutes passed before the door to the upper floor opened, with many people dressed in black clothing and ski masks pouring out onto the church's main floor, slowly filtering down the raised area and around the pews with the intention of heading outside via the main doors. Not long afterwards, Bram Kavanaugh emerged and wandered over to the alter, stopping to watch his disciples leave the church.
          "Go my friends, and make this city yours!" he exclaimed, as an evil smile formed on his face almost from ear to ear.
          'Makes his bald head and dark eyes even more ugly to look at.' thought Blitzkrieg to himself, disgusted at the sight of the man. Knowing he'd never get a better chance, it was time to act.
          'Show time!'
          Breaking down the door to his hiding spot, the vigilante emerged from the wooden storage closet and drew his quarterstaff, his eyes locked on Kavanaugh.
          Kavanaugh looked surprised, but didn't move. All the others that were still inside the church stopped where they were and turned their attention to the sight of the vigilante in the black and gold costume threatening their leader.
          "And you are?" asked Kavanaugh, adjusting his dark burgundy dress shirt as he awaited an answer.
          "Blitzkrieg." came the reply. "You can either come willingly, or I'll drag you to police headquarters."
          Kavanaugh laughed, motioning to all his followers to close in and prepare to dispose of the vigilante.
          Blitzkrieg did an about face not once but twice, knowing that the odds were definitely not in his favour this time around. Strength and aggression were not going to bail him out of this situation whatsoever. He had to appeal to the masses somehow to find a solution, and to apprehend Kavanaugh.
          "Stop where you are." said the vigilante calmly.
          "I heard what he told you earlier. Stealing money and personal property is one thing, but intentionally injuring someone, or killing them? Whatever he promises you isn't worth taking a life, or forfeiting yours in the process. If all of you continue down this road, there is no going back, no redemption. Choose your next move wisely."
          Kavanaugh laughed manically.
          "They won't listen to you!" he snapped. "They listen to me! I took them in, gave them a purpose other than sleeping on the streets and begging...."
          As he kept going on and on about his good deeds, Blitzkrieg re-holstered his quarterstaff on his back, and crossed his arms as he listened to the nonsense.
          "...and this I did for all of you! For the cause even! I say now, dispatch this 'man' and then let us all continue on our path together!"
          There was no movement at all. One after the other, the young people dressed in black started to remove their ski masks and throw them on the floor. Some stood their ground, while other simply walked out the front door. One of the individuals dressed in black took off his mask, revealing his messy red hair and light blue eyes. He walked up to the altar and tossed the mask on the floor in front of Kavanaugh.
          "I joined up because I thought you cared about all of us street rats." he said calmly, unwavering. 
          "You only care about your own bullshit." He turned in disgust to leave, but didn't see Kavanaugh reaching for a concealed knife that was attached to his hip. Seeing the blade appear, Blitzkrieg jumped over the altar and tackled Kavanaugh, managing to strike the knife away from the cult leader before knocking him out with an uppercut that would send anyone into next week. The others that had stayed rushed up to check on the red-haired kid, as well as help Blitzkrieg to his feet.
          "Chimm, that was a close one, eh?" asked a much larger blond-haired teen who looked visibly worried.
          "Yeah Moose, it was."
          Blitzkrieg straightened himself out, and pondered all the young men in the room, glad that things turned out the way they did.
          "I'll have the police here soon to take care of him." he mentioned, motioning to the unconcious form of Kavanaugh. "It's up to the rest of you where you all go from here, and what you do with your lives."
          There were a lot of nods, with the large group saying nothing, and leaving the church. Maybe they needed to do some soul-search, maybe they needed a purpose. 
          'Either way, they did a lot of good tonight, and it's a start.'

                                                    *          *          *          *

          "The city might get some well-needed peace and quiet for a change." said Sergeant Wolski, straightening his tie for absolutely no reason as he leaned on a squad car in the rear parking lot of Police Headquarters.
          "The mayor evenn announced an initiave to help get the kids off the street and into some programs that will improve their lives. Kavanaugh is going to jail, and we stand here tonight, able to hear something close to silence here in the downtown."
          Blitzkrieg laughed.
          "Silence? The background noises of traffic, people, and overall evenign activity is your idea of silence?" he asked rhetorically. "Whatever floats your boat, Sergeant."
          Wolski grinned.
          "Just glad we found a resolution. Our techs are still going over that laptop of Kavanaugh's, and we also found more equipment at some of the addresses you provided to us and confiscated it all." he explained.
          "That man had an intricate network going on across the city, as well as all those followers for a time. Pretty impressive, if you ask me."
          Blitzkrieg nodded. "It is, but he was using his influence and smarts to virtually brainwash kids that were already down and out."
          Wolski looked at his watch. It was eleven o'clock in the evening now, and he had things to do.
          "I'm heading in." he said aloud, as he turned to leave. "I've got paperwork to do, and I'll maybe even get to go home. You should go home, but you've probably already...."
          Turning in the direction of the vigilante, he again saw nothing, and was apparently talking to himself for the umpteenth time, much to his annoyance.

       
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