The Shade's Story

The Shade stood atop the roof of a building in the middle of the city watching for any crime anybody who was stupid enough to try and enter his territory that did not belong. Off in the distance he heard a woman scream and quickly jumped off the building his back outfit blinding into the shadows he ran to where the woman was and came upon what looked like a mugging.

"Hey what do you think you are doing here?" The Shade asked the man with a led pipe raised at the woman.

The man looked at The Shade "Get out of here freak it's none of your business!" The mugger yelled at The Shadow.

The Shade snickered before cocking his head to each side and ran toward the mad quickly uppercutting him before the man had a chance to hit him with the pipe he had in his hand. The mugger laughed, before swinging at The Shade. The Shade grabbed the pipe before he could be hit by it but was kneed in the stomach. The Shade laughed, "You'll pay for that one." The Shade then punched the man square in the jaw knocking him cold. "Sorry you had to see that mam." The Shade nodded at the lady before dragging the mugger with him as he walked.

When the mugger came too he was tied up to a radio tower "How did I get up here?!" The mugger yelled. "Quiet! If you don't want anymore pain you will answer every question I have." The Shade spoke. The mugger spat in The Shade's masked face, "I will never answer anything for you!" The Shade sighed "I guess I will have to do this the hard way." He than punched the mugger "Who was the man who was killed today?" the mugger groaned "I don't know, I heard that he worked for the HSI that is all I know!" The Shade nodded "Good we are getting somewhere rather easily. Who killed him?" "I don't know!" The mugger said. "Wrong answer." The Shade said as he punched the mugger again.

After half an hour of getting nothing else from the mugger The Shade lost his patients pulled out his pistol and shot the man. "So much for that one." The Shade stated as he left the roof the mugger still hanging there.

The Shade stalked the streets taking out the occasional criminal that crossed his path. He passed an all to familiar restaurant, "Acerbi Italian Restaurant, this place should be closed, only scum spend time here." The Shade then took back to the roof tops running across them making sure not to be seen by anybody.

The Wolf exited the Acerbi Italian Restaurant, watching carefully as he moved onto the sidewalk. The Wolf could hear every step, each redrawing the environment in his mind, showing him where everything was. Showing him how to move.

The Wolf then took a sniff of the air. The stench from earlier was about the air, but The Wolf could not tell how fresh it was over the scent of the food and booze that covered a street well known as Restaurant Row. Curiosity spiked, The Wolf climbed the ladder in the alleyway of Acerbi, before leaping across to the roof next to it, his ears and nose carefully scanning his surroundings.

"You do know what is different about you." The Wolf spoke to himself.

A man was quickly hoisted up to the roof. The Shade growled "You will tell me everything you know about the man who was killed today." This man who was obviously of higher status shook his head, "I don't know anything!" The Shade punched the man hard "Wrong answer! Now tell me what do you know?" The Shade asked again putting emphasis into each word. "When the man looked down he noticed that he was higher off the ground than even the building would allow "Okay, okay. He worked for HSI, the police suspect that he was killed the a man know as The Wolf, he was just going to pick up some groceries when he was hit by an arrow. I swear that's all I know please let me go." The Shade cocked his head before growling out "Where can I get more information on this man? On HSI itself?" The man struggled "I don't know." The man looked down again "Try the bootleg bar on 6th street that was a regular hang out for the man." The Shade sighed "Thank you for the information, sorry that I have to do this." The Shade said as he let the man fall to his death before landing on the roof of the building below.

The Shade then entered the building on 6th street "I need in and don't lie to me that you don't know what I mean." The man nodded shakingly at the Shade "Y-yes sir." The man then opened up a doorway behind a bookshelf. As The Shade walked into down the hall the smell of liquor became stronger and stronger.

The Wolf listened as he heard the yelling of someone. Far off. Up. This amused The Wolf as he hid within a small rooftop closet, among shovels and brooms. Taking his time to focus, The Wolf could hear bits of the conversation.

"...Arrow. I swear..."
"...HSI itself?"
"...Bootleg bar... 6th street..."

The Wolf tried to process what he had for a moment. 6th street was on the other side of town. The Wolf was familiar with some former employers over there. One of them had tried to stab The Wolf, giving himself away with a single step. Still, 6th street was a good distance away.

The Wolf changed as quickly as he could, taking on his dark red hair and forcing his eyes to be their ocean blue. Placing the majority of his equipment in the bag, The Wolf kept his knife and his luger, as well as the little list and a pencil.

It took the Wolf a 15 minute taxi ride to get over to 6th street. Then again, giving the driver an extra two hundred dollars tends to speed up the ride. When The Wolf exited the cab, he took a sniff of the booze filled air. Next was to hit brewer.

The Shade listened closely as he heard a cab drove off. The Shade ignored it and continued down the hall soon entering a bar where everybody there turned their head. The bartender looked up at The Shade. "I'm looking for a man named John, I need information about someone who was killed today." The Shade stated as four men stood up pulling knives out of their pockets. "Sorry we don't help your kind." The bartender said. The Shade sighed "What a night, two men already dead, and now I get to beat up a whole bar. The men quickly ran at The Shade who quickly slammed the palm into each man's chest knocking the wind out of them, "Are you going to tell me where I can find John or do I need to crack some skulls?" The Shade asked as he walked towards the bar. The bartender, a big burlly man, hopped over the bar grabbing a bottle and slamming it down on The Shades head. "You shouldn't have done that." The Shade sighed as he kicked the man in the stomach before puching him flat in the nose feeling a crack as he broke the bartender's nose and the skull around it.

A man stood up after that, "Stop, I'll tell you whatever you want." The Shade looked at the man "Is your name John?" he growled. John only nodded. "The man who died today why was he killed?" The Shade asked. "Because he worked for HSI. He was one of the higher ups." John said standing his ground as The Shade walked closer and closer to him. The Shade sighed "He could have been useful to me." John shook his head "I'm sorry, he was one of my friends." The Shade cocked his head and sighed as he pulled his pistol out, "I'm sorry my friend but I'm afraid that this has to be done."

The Wolf walked into the bootleg building, a man looking at him with a curious gaze. "The boss didn't order for you..." The man said just before The Wolf sent his knife in between the man's eyes, pulling it out as the man fell lifelessly to the floor. The Wolf walked over to the bookshelf, grabbing it with his left hand and holding his luger with the right.

"They moved you, huh?" The Wolf said to himself as he threw down the bookshelf with ease. The Wolf then put two rounds into each of the two men who appeared when the bookshelf went down. The Wolf then rushed down to the basement bar, coming out and shooting two of the men with knifes as they started to get back up.

The Wolf used his foot to snap the third man's neck as he reloaded his luger, only to be lunged at by the forth man. Catching the attacker's arms, The Wolf took the man and slammed him into the wall. The Wolf then adjusting his elbows to grip the man's head, slamming the man's head against the wall until he went limp.

Then The Wolf rolled over to his luger, picking it up and putting three rounds into the man coming down the stairs. The Wolf stood back up from his kneeling position, and took a whiff. "Stinky man. I see you know why you smell different." The Wolf stated as he dropped out the magazine in his luger before putting another magazine in, and picking up both of the dropped ones.

The Shade shot John before looking at the man that had just came into the bar and cocked his head. "What are you talking about, I've never met you before." The Shade then pointed his pistol at the man "And why do you say I smell?" The Shade looked around the room at all the scared civilians and nodded "I'm sorry for all of you that had to see that."

The Wolf stared at The Shade, forcing his eyes to their pale yellow color. "Clothes may lie to the eyes, but the nose is not so easily confused, stinky man." The Wolf put his luger in his pocket, and turned to the scared people, several of which smelled of excrement.

"Bolt, before I get angry!" The Wolf shouted, the mass of people rushing for the stairs as The Wolf took two steps forward, avoiding the horde. Once they left, The Wolf faced The Shade and stated "I want to hear some HSI hit the ground."

The Wolf then moved to the wall, taking position on the left side of the wall with his ear against it. "They are getting closer, stinky man."

The Shade shook his head, "I still don't know what you are talking about, I have never met you before. I assume that you are the Wolf that everybody has been talking about." The Shade fired a warning shot at the Wolf before standing in front of the hallway holstering his pistol. "Let them come I'm ready." Soon after that a well dressed man came down the hall and before he had any chance to react three of his ribs were broken by the force of The Shade's open hand hitting his chest, the man went flying backwards into two of his friends. The Shade stalked down the hallway taking out one man after another, a few gunshots where fired down the hallway towards him but he dodged each one. The last man he came across he grabbed "You're coming with me!" He growled knocking the man unconscious and pulling him out of the building by his leg.

The Wolf smiled as The Shade moved forward through the door. "You had steak for dinner and it smelled good!" The Wolf shouted before bolting up the stairs, moving The Shade and his captive out of the way. Flipping out from the stairway, The Wolf fired several rounds into the two men who were entering the building, and taking cover at the window, a flipped table acting as extra cover.

The Wolf popped up from his rest, capping two of the agents as they exited a second car, only to be shot at by one with a rifle. Ducking behind the wall, The Wolf quickly moved below the windows, feeling for a better shooting position. The moment The Wolf found his position, he popped up and threw the last of his magazine into the man with the rifle.

The Wolf holstered his luger in his pocket before running to the bodies of the men he took out as he exited the stairs, taking their pistols and a few extra magazines.

The Shade shook his head, "I had macaroni and cheese for dinner I don't know what you are talking about." The Shade continued to pull the man out by his leg, once he got the man out he crossed the street and took to the roof. The Shade found a roof with a place good enough to hang the man up by tying him upside down by the man's leg. The Shade sat down and waited for the man to wake up.

Once the man came to The Shade placed his pistol on the man's forehead. "Trust me you don't want me to use this. You will tell me everything I want to know or I will waist my last built on you."

"What do you want?" The man asked afraid. "How can I get into HSI head quarters?" The Shade growled. "I-I don't know, you have to have an appointment to get in or a badge to get upstairs and I really don't know how to get one." The Shade sighed, "That was too easy." The Shade stood up and untied the man, "Go now, before I change my mind." The man quickly stood up and started to walk away before stopping as two hands where placed on his head "You shouldn't have turned your back on me." The Shade whispered in the man's ear before snapping his neck.

The Wolf peeked his head up after the street quieted down. Seeing the lack of cars, The Wolf immediately moved to the back of the building. Opening the rear entrance, and bolting out through the alleyways. After a few streets, The Wolf took a moment to better hide his pistols before hailing down a taxi.

When the taxi stopped for him, The Wolf got in, saying "Acerbi Italian Restaurant, please."

A short while later, and The Wolf stood at the entrance to Acerbi. With a few scribes to his list, The Wolf crossed out who he had taken out. With a few steps and a run up a latter, The Wolf was on the roof. Jumping over to the other roof, The Wolf landed with remarkable grace.

Without a moments thought, The Wolf changed back into his normal attire, storing the new pistols in his hidden bag. "Now to see the boss man." The Wolf spoke to himself.

After another minute, or so, The Wolf walked into the office of Boss Acerbi. "Three more down. I think I'll finish the list by tomorrow."

The Shade stood in front of a store a pile of thugs who thought they could take on one man scattered around him. The Shade looked into the shop before walking in "Are you okay sir?" He asked the man behind the counter. All the man did was nod scared out of his mind at what he just saw. The Shade walked to the back of the store to where the drinks where and got him self a bottle of water. He sat it down on the counter and placed a five dolor bill next to it "Keep the change." He said as he lifted his mask up just enough to take a drink from the bottle. The Shade then stepped outside and served his surroundings. He heard the sirens going away from him, most likely to the bar he just took out. He also saw three people walking towards him, he placed the bottle down and prepared for a fight. As they got closer he saw that they where harmless civilians. The Shade sighed "I'm getting too jumpy." He mumbled to himself before getting hit in the jaw by a man that he had failed to notice. He chucked "Bad move." He growled as he roundhouse kicked the guy running up to him and grabbing him by his shirt and punching his face. After a few punches when The Shade felt his face looked bloody enough he kneed the man in the stomach before delivering one final blow to the chest breaking the man's ribs before walking back over to his bottle and taking another drink.

The Shade finally knelt down and looked for any ammo he could find for his pistol. He then stalked to rooftops for criminals not finding anything of importance he finally disappeared into the night as the sun started to come up. The Shade knew that tomorrow night was going to be a hard one for him the police where going to be after him and even more dangerous was that HSI was going to be after him. Worse of all was that Wolf man, The Shade knew that he would have to take that man out if he kept following him. That man is dangerous both to The Shade and to way to many innocents.

The Shade landed in front of a man, "You shouldn't have shot that girl today." he growled stepping closer and closer to the man before punching the man across the face feeling the man's jaw break. "Now why did you do that?" The man backed away from The Shade, "I was just hungry and needed money for food." The Shade growled "Then maybe you should get a job not mug people." The Shade said as he pulled his pistol out. "P-please man don't do it. I don't want to die." The man pleaded. The Shade cocked his head "But you would be willing to kill someone else. You aren't even worth killing with my gun." The Shade then kicked the guy across the face breaking his neck.

The man woke up last thing that he remembered was walking down the street after he just completed his last job when suddenly someone from behind him put a cloth over his mouth and an all to familiar stench of chloroform. He the realized that he was tied up and could not move and started to struggle to get free. "Ah good you're awake. I would stop moving if I where you." The Shade sat right next to him. The man laughed "Who are you to tell me what to do?" At that The Shade stood up picking the man up and slamming him against a wall getting his masked face in the face of the man who was way to well dressed in The Shade's opinion. "If you don't want to be hurt I wouldn't say things like that again." The Shade said in a threatening growl "I could always throw you off the roof." He added as he nodded over to the edge of the roof they where on.

Finally after half an hour of beating on the guy, who stubbornly kept refusing to answer, along with a bullet shot next to the man's head and one into his leg. "Next time I won't miss." The man whimpered before finally cracking "Okay, I'll talk no amount of money is worth this torture." The Shade sighed "Finally, now who do you work for?" The man looked down thinking about his options, "Boss Acebi I swear, but you can't get to him easily he is heavily guarded and never leaves the VIP section of the restaurant." The Shade snickered "All I needed to know was his name. Now get out of here and never show your face again." He said as he untied the man then running off on his next mission.

10:00 PM

The Shade stood in front of Boss Acebi's restaurant. The Shade sighed before walking in. An attendant looked at him, "I'm sorry but are you a lost?" she asked The Shade. "No, I am looking for Boss Acebi and I won't leave without seeing him." At that the lady stepped aside and The Shade walked in, that was too easy, there was a trap ahead for him. As soon as he walked in two men dressed in black suits and fedoras stood up pointing tommy guns at The Shade. He knew it, it was a trap The Shade quickly dashed over to the two men before a single shot could be fired punching one of them in the face pulling the gun out of his hands and turning it on the man letting one shot fire into his head before turning on the other and shooting him. The Shade bent down and picked up the second tommy gun and removing the barrel magazine, "This could be useful for later." He said to himself as he stored it going deeper into the restaurant shooting anybody that came across his path. Finally The Shade made it down the stairs to the VIP section finding a group of Boss Acebi's men waiting for him, The Shade made quick work of them mowing them down thanks to the tommy gun, leaving one man alive.

The Shade picked the man up slamming him against the wall, "Boss Acebi, he's not here where is he?!" The Shade growled as the man whimpered. Finally after having to deliver a few punches to the man, he finally squealed. "He went to meet with another boss in Central Park, that's all I know." The Shade dropped the man before kicking the man in the chest crushing it, one of his ribs piercing his heart. The Shade left the restaurant knowing where he had to go next.

The Shade
Central Avenue
11:30 PM

Boss Acebi's car drove down the street, as it turned the corner it stopped as a masked man clad in all back stood in the middle of the street. The Shade cocked his head as he pulled his pistol out pointing it to where the driver of the car was letting one shot lose, killing the driver. Next two men stepped out of the car, both getting shot as soon as The Shade had a clear shot of them.

Next The Shade stormed over to the car, reaching in and pulling Acebi out of his car. "You're coming with me you coward!" The next thing Acebi knew he was flying through the air crashing into the window of the corner store. Acebi got up pulling out his own pistol and shooting at where The Shade was five seconds ago. The Shade then jumped through the only window left unbroken punching Acebi in the face sending him flying into a shelf causing the items to fall to the floor.

The Shade ran to punch Acebi but was quickly slammed by Acebi sent flying but was able to right himself before going back outside. The Shade went for a second attempt this time landing a kick to Acebi's head sending him flying into another shelf causing more items to fall to the ground. As The Shade ran at Acebi as he stood up and before The Shade could grab him Acebi grabbed The Shade and attempted to throw him across the room The Shade grabbing on to Acebi's shirt bringing the mobster with him. Both men slammed against the wall Acebi pinning The Shade before getting kicked off of him. The Shade then stormed over to Acebi grabbing the mop next to him and hitting Acebi across the back as he tried to get back up. Next thing The Shade knew he was flying out of the window but just as quickly pounced back into the store grappling Acebi and causing him to fall flat on his back. Acebi swung at The Shade but before the blow could hit The Shade rolled out of the way quickly hopping back up on his feet and kicking Acebi across the shop causing him to hit the front counter and the cash register falling off the counter.

The Shade stood above Acebi and started to wail on him feeling bones brake under his hands and fists. Finally once he was pleased The Shade then grabbed the guy and slung him over his shoulder, stepping out of the shop looking up at the sign that read Kane's Groceries and sighed "I feel sorry for the pour guy that has to clean this up."

New York rooftops
12:30

Boss Acebi finally woke up after the punishment he went through from The Shade. He groaned trying to move, "Don't move I broke a good amount of your bones." The Shade growled. "What do you want?" Acebi asked. "Simple, who do you work for? Why did you hire that man known as The Wolf?"

Acebi just groaned "I don't work for anybody now. Yes my boss once worked of HSI but when he died I became my own boss, as for The Wolf he was just a simple man to bump off those that needed it, but trust me he should be taken care of now." Acebi laughed after that. "What?!" The Shade growled. Acebi chuckled "You don't know from nothing, you have no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes, HMI has hold more than you know." After that The Shade laughed and nodded, "Thanks for letting me know." as for that he stood up, Acebi looked up at The Shade, "Don't take any wooden nickles on the goose chase of yours kid." The Shade nodded "Will do and sorry." Acebi smiled "Don't mention it, it's my time kid." A single shot went off that could be heard for miles ringing an end to Acebi's time as a mob boss.

The Shade
New York Rooftops
2:30 AM

The Shade stalked the rooftops, the last two hours he had spent taking out the last few mobsters that where still loyal to Acebi. Finally he found his next target, a crooked bull that was known to work with HSI personally. The officer was soon unconscious and tied up on the roof.

Once the bull came too The Shade was quick to react, "Tell me where is HSI?" The officer just laughed, "Like I would tell a lunatic like you anything, you're off your rocker." The Shade took no time in grabbing the bull's hand and breaking a finger, "Each smart remark like that will result in another finger broken. Each lie is a rib, would you like to try again?" The officer just spat in The Shade's face which lead to another broken finger. The Shade then got in the man's face "I know you work for HSI, and you should know I have no problem bumping off people just like you, last night was just a slow night. Now tell me Where is the entrance to HSI." The officer laughed "Everybody in their right mind knows that it's on 7th avenue." Another finger broken, "Baloney! I've already been there that is just a front where is the real building?" The officer laughed, "You just didn't look hard enough, and you never will find it not from me." The Shade got up and passed the roof. The officer laughed "You slay me, you think you're a real bimbo don't you? Well HSI has ways to fix that, they have torpedoes all across the city just for people like you." The Shade looked at the officer and chuckled "I've been here for what ten years? Killing people just like you and I have yet to be offed by HSI. You also have to remember that last night was a slow night for me. HSI does not scare me, you take me for a sap." The officer smiled "Check please." Another broken finger. "You are down to six fingers do you really want to test your luck?" Finally the officer's demeanor changed, "You mean business alright fine, I don't know much about HSI what I do know is that they hide all the information you are after under the main building. I don't know how to get there, they don't even pay me directly they always do it through other channels, why do you think most mob bosses make it so well? HSI pays them off along with most government officials." With that The Shade looked at him, "Thank you, but you have worn out your usefulness." With that The Shade pulled his pistol out and shot the officer right between the eyes.

It was getting late the first rays of the sun where starting to show. The Shade stalked off into the night not to be seen again until the next morning.