Nisa Jai "Mouse" Verion's Story

Another day, another dollar. Having pulled an extended shift the night prior, Nisa struggled to get herself out of bed. Her alarm clock blinked unhelpfully, rhythmically spearing her sensitive eyes every half second. She sat up and whistled a short tune, the code for the lights to switch themselves on. She'd replaced all the bulbs in her loft with blacklights, as they were the easiest on her. For the past week, Nisa had been reorganizing the Golem's financial books and it was taking its toll on her. Not only did she need to track down every source of income the Golems made, but she also had to take into account every outbound expense as well. Normally, Nisa did this every quarter, but she'd fallen behind and now she was paying for it big time. Thankfully she was confident that today would be the final day. She had interviewed almost every member of the Golems, noted their responses and documented them in her database. Today she just had to draft up a spending and saving plan, reaffirm their laundering routes, and distribute the orders. She'd already issued a blanket statement that if any member of the Golems ceases or initiates a source of income, he or she has to report it to Mouse first. Not even Caleb was safe from her pestering, though she was at least very respectful of his boundaries and time management.

Nisa got out of bed to start her morning routine, which consisted of some Yoga, making a fresh pot of coffee, and checking for any missed mail that may have come through in the scant hours of sleep she managed to achieve. However, finding her inbox empty and her coffee full, Mouse decided it best to get a jumpstart on the day while it was still early. Parting the heavy blackout curtains in her bedroom, the woman squinted against the dim daylight that filtered through the drizzle. Nisa wasn't a big fan of rain, as the humidity frizzled her hair, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Resignedly, she grabbed her umbrella, checked over her suit one last time, and began her commute to the old abandoned factory that served as the Golem's HQ. In these early hours traffic was light, allowing her to cut loose and get in a little inclement weather practice. Several times in the past she'd almost wiped out during a race due to standing water and oil on the roads.

At the entrance to the factory, Nisa pulled into one of the bigger rooms used as VIP parking to keep her car from getting unnecessary rain time. She snapped her fingers at two loafing goons, ordering them to dry her ride off and dropping vague, yet terrifying hints about what bodily harm she'd inflict on them if they so much as scratched the protective coating on her prized vehicle. Nisa debated on whether or not to berate the other loafers for wasting time with dominoes and cards, but decided that getting the books done was more important. It wasn't like they'd listen to her anyways. As far as most of the goons were concerned, she was simply Caleb's personal assistant, and even though she exuded an aura of 'Don't fuck with me', she still didn't have any real authority in their eyes. Not yet anyways. Talented as he was, Caleb was still just one man, and he was going to have to accept the fact that more manpower was needed to keep this monstrosity of a crime syndicate running on all cylinders.

At the top of the stairwell, Mouse leaned against the wall, slightly winded from the climb. Cardio was always something she hated, yet simultaneously understood was vitally important to her continued success in this business. After all, if she couldn't run from those damned vigilantes or the police, then one fateful day, the Golems might be crippled until she can bail herself out of jail. That was a risk that was just too high for her to continue to go unmitigated. She'd managed to rig up a treadmill in her loft, and used it every day, but her frail body just didn't take to exercise like normal humans. Damn her parents.

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Will spun around in Nisa's chair impatiently. The chair was really comfortable, that's for sure, he could even take a nap on it if he so desired, but he had been waiting for a while now. He should have timed his "surprise appearance" a little better, and just asked around for what time Nisa normally came to work rather than get here early to wait for her. 'At least I'm getting a bonus off this visit' thought Will as he spun around once more. The chair was entertaining at least. He let the chair spin continuously as he checked his pocket for the package, a package that contained a fairly potent drug. Not for that purpose, mind you, but to give it to Nisa, not for that purpose either. He hoped so at least. As he was closing his eyes, almost falling asleep, he heard footsteps coming from outside the office. Almost falling to the ground, Will clumsily stopped the chair and sat straight up, facing the wall away from the door. When he heard it open, he turned around dramatically and said in a loud voice "There is no place the Almighty Phase cannot reach".
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"Ah! Jesus Christ, Phase! You trying to give me a heart attack!?" Nisa recoiled in surprise as she looked up to see the thief in her chair. She clutched her chest, flooding her system with downers to stop her racing heart. After a few seconds, she managed to calm down, turning to the intruder with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you call me if you wanted to meet? You're just fucking lucky I left my nine in my car."

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Will gave her a grin and continued to spin on the chair. "Well, you see, our meetings at cafe's and restaurants were nice and all, but they were getting somewhat boring, so I decided to pay you a visit at your office. Besides, I have a special package for you."

He stopped spinning and looked at her. "Lucky? Lucky you, since you're more likely to shoot your foot than hit me!" And with that said he once again spun in the chair. This is a nice chair.
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Pushing her glasses back up her nose, Nisa gritted her teeth in annoyance, but chose not to comment on his insult, instead interested in the mention of a special package. Approaching the chair, Nisa held out her hand impatiently, while stopping the constant rotation with the other.

"Show me what you have and don't spin my chair. You'll break it." She briefly scanned the office to make sure nothing was disturbed, aside from her chair of course. "I'll decide if this is worth your breach of conduct."

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As soon as she stopped the chair, Will made a face. "Party-pooper." He then took out a small package from his pocket and held it out in front of her face. Said package contained a very pink substance inside of it.

"Does this little pink thing seem worth my breach? Because if not I can just give it to someone else." He shook the package a little to bring her attention to it.
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"Phase...You broke into my office and almost killed me to offer me a bag of cotton candy? Please tell me this," she indicated the bag, "Is a joke and you have something real to offer me." Skepticism aside, Nisa swiped at the bag in his hands to get a taste. Popping the baggie open, Nisa cautiously sniffed the bag, and what she smelled immediately roused her interest. This definitely wasn't cotton candy.

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"Fist of all, I didn't break per se, I just…went through the wall." He let her take the bag from his hands. "But you see, this is really good cotton candy." He said as she took a sniff of the stuff.
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"Alright. Color me interested. Where did you find this, and how did you know I'd want it?" she questioned suspiciously, pulling a small fluff of the substance out and handing the bag back to Phase. With a small, fortifying breath, Mouse prepared herself to analyze the substance without taking on any of the effects, a very delicate balancing act that took years for her to perfect. On initial contact with her tongue, the stuff immediately dissolved and was sucked into her bloodstream. Her pupils dilated slightly as she almost instantly understood what the drug was supposed to do.

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"Haha! I knew you'd like it! So I was walking around the not so good part of town, and I see every drug dealer, or at least the ones I know are drug dealers, selling these little packages of pink stuff. Obviously it wasn't cotton candy, or if it was it must have been some kickass cotton candy. Anyways, I got close to some guy selling it and eavesdropped into the conversation. So this cotton candy looking thing ended up being some sort of steroids that amplifies your powers." Explained Will with a grin slowly growing in his face. "So I then follow the guy, because I know something like this would interest you, you with all those weird drugs you take and whatnot, and I end up with the jackpot! Crates and crates of the stuff, which I took the pleasure of "peeking" inside some and taking a few samples of the stuff."

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"Holy shit. This...is amazing!" Nisa's face lit up like a child on christmas day as she began to pace the office, rambling almost incomprehensibly about formulas and ratios. "Phase, have you taken any of this? Oh my god!" She devolved back to rambling for a few minutes before surfacing again in the present. "Just this once, you name a price and I'll meet it. I need to get this into the lab now!" She leaned across her desk towards the man, an almost feral hungry look in her eyes. This drug, if she could modify it and mass produce it, could be the Golem's ticket to stomping the annoying Tiger insects out of Fort Blackburn.

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While she was busy quoting advanced math and other sorcery he couldn't comprehend, Will took this chance to spin more on the chair. The perfect crime.

"Nope, after seeing a few of the side effects, I decided against it. People go weird when they take the stuff." Said Will doing a circular motion with his finger on the side of his head. "At least, that's what I've seen so far, so I'd rather not risk it."

Will stopped spinning and his face almost broke with a huge grin. "Any price?"
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Instantly her hungery look vanished, replaced by a more cautious and slightly hurt expression. "Phase...I'm doing this out of the goodwill of my heart. I already know how to replicate the drug perfectly now. If you backstab me on this, I'll be a lot less friendly in the future. Name a price with that in mind," warned Nisa. This was exactly why she didn't trust other people normally, because on the first sign of vulnerability or generosity, they seized the moment to completely fuck you over.

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Giving the chair one more spin Will thought about a price. Although he didn't believe Mouse would give money "out of goodwill of her heart" he wouldn't reject her offer. "Well, I'm assuming you would want more than just a small bag, and following that assumption I would say a hundred grand for an amount of one crate, more or less."

"Oh, and also this chair. I like this chair very much."
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Mouse pretended to be upset, making a show of it, but in reality was relieved that he only wanted that much. When this drug took off, and she was sure it would, the going rate would skyrocket. However, she couldn't just let that deal go as it was.

"Sorry Phase. Its either a flat 100 for the crate, or 80 plus the chair. I'm rather attached to it, you see." She put her hands on her hips, staring the man down.

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"Mouse, please, I am fully aware that once you make your own batch you'll be a millionaire, and that the big boss will be pretty happy with you if you showed him your new acquisition." He put his hands over his heart and said. "You see, I'm doing this out of goodwill of my heart." He was fully aware that the price was nothing compared to the worth of this drug if it was distributed at a large scale.

"Plus, if you play ball, I will get more of the stuff if you needed more of it." Will said as he rhythmically tapped his fingers on his soon to be his new chair. "So, a hundred grand and the chair. Oh, and when you show it to the boss, don't forget to mention my name will you."
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Damn. Of course he was going to play hardball. Still, she needed this stuff for her chemists to study and replicate. His comment about her being a millionaire, however, almost pulled an involuntary chuckle from her. She'd been in the millionaire bracket for quite some time now, though she never touched any of it.

"Fine, Phase. You're a cheating bastard, but this time, I'll let it slide. This time. Take the chair and bring me the crate. I'll have the cash when you get back." She waved her hand at him dismissively, pulling out her cell phone to get ahold of her lead lab guy.

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Will grinned and winked at her. "Pleasure doing business with you." And with that he stood up, took the chair, and dragged it out of the office through the wall. He then spent ten minutes trying to fit the damn thing into his car.

Thirty minutes later, the chair was neatly placed in his house, and the crate neatly placed in his hands and ready to deliver. For the second time today he headed to Nisa's office and phased through the back wall saying "Surprise delivery!" as he shook the crate in his hands.
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Dispite her distinct lack of physical prowess, Mouse managed to clear 3 feet vertically, as did several of her technicians that she'd been meeting with. She whirled about, furious and ever so slightly ashamed at being spooked a second time.

"You fucker! Put the crate down, take the bag with your money and get out!" Nisa practically shrilled at Phase, indicating a large duffel bag with one shaking finger. Her frazzled nerves were just about done with today, and it had hardly been two hours since she'd woken up. Her techs gathered around the crate as they put it on her desk and opened it. She had briefed them about the substance, but of course since they all shared a love of chemistry, all of them wanted to see the substance firsthand. According to what she gleaned from the substance, it would take several weeks for her to synthesize a more stable, less shoddy version of this drug. Still, she could have this version put onto the market in the meantime to boost Golem revenue.

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Well that was unexpected. Will quickly grabbed the bag and left before she lost it completely. Once home he would spend his time sitting in his new favorite chair counting his money.
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Having just finished another long sleepless night at the lab, Nisa finally collapsed into a nearby chair, giggling to herself in a way that made her co-workers slightly uncomfortable. For five straight days, she'd kept herself up with her power, fueling her body on straight water, minerals and calories and relying on her internal supplies of whatever else she needed. This work consumed her, the way it always did when she was concocting something new and exciting, but this time was different. This time, it wasn't just for her own personal amusement. This time, it was for the Golems, and that added a dangerous edge to her normally obsessive demeanor. The substance she'd finally managed to produce was worth all of it and then some, though. It was perfect.

The tests Nisa had run on the original drug showed that it was very low quality and prone to failure, but it had enormous potential if she could stabilize and improve the formula, as well as make it easier to use. Of all the methods she tried, having it as an inhalant was both the most cost effective, as well as least damaging to the user, though injections were of course more effective speed wise. Her final version of the drug, which her lab tech's nicknamed Lemonade due to the tart flavor and color, was thinner than water, a pale yellow, and vaporized on contact with open air, which made it both easier to transport and dispose of if caught. Now that it was finished and being prepped for lab work, Nisa started devising alternate methods of intake. Lollipops came to mind, which struck her with another giggling fit.

"Ms. Verion? The first sample is done and awaiting your inspection." A jolt of energy reinvigorated the collapsed woman as she threw herself to her feet, snatching the bottle from his hand and gleefully inspecting it. "Good job, kiddo. Mr. Daniels will be pleased with this progress." Making towards the door, Mouse remembered suddenly that she'd need an inhaler to demonstrate it to the boss, and wheeled around to find one. The tech jumped at her erratic movement, his nerves shot from working almost thirty straight hours. Not that he'd complain, though. The last time one of her personal assistants complained about the long hours, she hit him with some kind of specialized nerve agent that gave the man seizures for an hour. Nisa ran a tight crew, and any form of dissent or dissatisfaction that she didn't feel was warranted was immediately and severely punished.

She strode purposefully down the hallway under the building, towards Caleb's lair. It was nearing five thirty, meaning he'd most likely be getting ready to begin his workout. The perfect opportunity for her to showcase her miracle. She paused at the enormous door, half-heartedly trying to straighten her lab gear. She didn't even bother with her hair, which had broken loose from its usual neat ponytail to rampage around her head. She was too nervous for any of that. The only thing that mattered was getting Caleb to okay her plan. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the various clanking noises from within to settle, then rapped sharply on the door.

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There was a brief pause, after which the locking mechanisms on the door retracted, allowing Caleb to pull the door open and regard the undersized chemist. Your average person would sprint in the opposite direction of a seven and a half foot man-tank, but Mouse wasn’t exactly normal and had no fear of the Golem’s titanic leader. In fact, Caleb was a textbook example of a benevolent boss to his favorite employee.

“Miss Verion, you look completely worn out,” he said, observing her disheveled appearance. Mouse had a habit of running herself ragged, yet her unkempt hair and baggy eyes conveyed a more fatigued look than usual. “What brings you down here?”
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"I have something I'm sure you'll be very interested in. Please, though, it's best if I show you instead of describe it." Handing the inhaler over to Caleb, Nisa gestured to it, an eager glint in her eyes. While Caleb's normal weight limit was very impressive, under the influence of her drug it should be obscenely high.

"You'll get a steady hour and a half from a single hit, with a 30% boost to your power. You can't OD on it, you don't hallucinate, and you can very clearly feel the up and down. It's perfect in every way. My magnum opus." Her chest swelled with pride as she exalted her work, almost strutting like a peacock.

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Normally taking a hit from any drug without extensive research would be foolish for an elite crime boss, but Mouse was Caleb's right hand woman and he held her in such high regard all she'd have to do is ask nicely and he'd try her products for her. He eyed the inhaler for a moment before grasping it in his massive hand, removing the mouthpiece and taking a puff. At first there was no affect, but what followed was a steady internal rise, almost as if Caleb's muscles were getting gradually pumped by an invisible force. Letting out a held-in breath, Caleb nodded with approval, slowly flexing his muscles as he felt the drug take its effects.

"Very impressive Nisa." He applauded, eyeing the Lemonade inhaler with a slight smile of approval. Handing it back to his witch doctor, Caleb motioned for her to follow him back into his office before he took a seat next to a set of weights. Unhinging two very large dumbbells, he began to test just how much the drug was boosting his capabilities.

"What do you need?" he inquired, which was essentially his way of handing her a blank check.
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Music to her ears! Nisa knew her hard work would pay off. She steepled her fingers, looking at Caleb very seriously.

"I want a war." A cruel grin slowly began to overtake her countenance. "I want a vicious blitzkrieg. An extermination. I want the Tigers out of our territory forever." Nisa paced feverishly, plotting various scenarios and contingencies. Troop movements, logistics, cover plans, bribes, intel, so many variables to account for and organize. Almost nothing could compare to the rush she got from power. Having spent so long at the mercy of the whims of others, having the chance to take her revenge on the world got her salivating like a dog staring at a steak. However, it wouldn't do to become a monger. Not yet. She needed to measure out her influence in little packets. Lean on someone here, cripple someone there. Too much, too fast and you're defeated before you even start.

"Mr. Daniels, with your permission, I want to crush the Tiger insects with the full force of our mighty Golem boots. This," she proclaimed, raising the clear glass that contained her wonder drug to her eye, "is only the beginning. If you put your faith in me, I'll hand you Fort Blackburn on a silver platter." She envisioned a world without rival gangs to interfere in Golem activities. A world where even the Mavericks were afraid to go down an alley at night for fear of the big bad Golems. Where even the police and government had no choice but to turn a blind eye to their activities. A perfect world.

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"You wouldn't be if I didn't trust you, Nisa." Caleb confirmed, controlling his weights with more ease than usual. Not only did Lemonade make him feel more invulnerable than usual, he was upraised by a significant augment in his super strength. If he so desired, the Behemoth felt he could destroy any opponent. Caleb paused for a moment, taking in the full implications of Mouse's request. This drug she was manufacturing was impressive, sure, but he couldn't help but feel Mouse was getting a little ahead of herself. He had more experience than her, and tended to be more conservative in his judgments. Still, giving Mouse a little test run to see if she could work her way towards such a tremendous achievement couldn't hurt, could it?

"If you would like to set up an operation, just send me a report of the details. You know the drill by now," he affirmed. T'was better to try than not to try, and once Mouse got a bit of sleep she'd begin to think more rationally; a rational Mouse was dangerous.
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Nodding to Caleb, Mouse left the first batch of Lemonade she'd ever produced on a bookshelf near the door for Caleb's continued inspection. As soon as she left his office a wave of exhaustion swept over her, threatening to bring her down right then and there. There was no way she was going to make it back to her apartment in this state, so she opted instead to stagger back to her lab and collapse onto one of the sofas they kept for just this purpose. She'd probably be out for a full day at minimum, but most likely more. The techs had been through this wringer enough times to know not to mess with her, however, and simply continued production of Lemonade.

George looked over his shoulder again, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. He elbowed his lab partner and jerked his head over to the couch where their boss had been sleeping for two solid days. There, like some sort of miracle, sat a big smile plastered all over Mouse's face. They both stopped and stared, unsure if the apocalypse had come early or if they'd been breathing fumes from the lab equipment for too long. Harvey took out his phone and raised it to snap a picture, but fortunately for him, George caught him in time and jerked his hand away.

"Are you fucking crazy?! If she finds a picture of herself on your phone, not only are you dead, but so are the rest of us! Just... look for a while. I don't know if anyone's ever seen this before. It's spooky." The two men leaned against the lab table, arms crossed and intently examining Mouse's expression. The third assistant walked into the room, took one look at her coworkers and knew something was up.

"What are you two shit eaters up to? If Mou-" her sentence died in her throat as she followed their pointing fingers. "Oh. My. Fucking. God. That is so adorable! Oh man, I need to take a picture of this!" And before the men could tackle her, her phone had already snapped a photo. It was at that time that Mouse finally returned to the land of the living, sitting up on the couch with a yawn. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, squinting against the sudden glare of the fluorescent lights overhead at her underlings wrestling for control of a phone on her floor.

"I was dreaming...I owned a Spanish villa made entirely out of money." She half-smiled again. "It was nice... I was the only one who lived there." Suddenly the current situation exerted itself on her. "What the hell are you three doing? Stop fucking in my goddamn drug lab and get back to work!" Standing up, she gathered her lab coat around her and shooed her henchmen out of her way. Caleb had probably emailed her instructions and she needed to make sure she wasn't missing anything.

"Ughh...a hundred emails in..two days? Are they really so helpless without me?" Mouse sat hunched over in her chair, deleting most of the junk that she didn't care about. Her filters flagged a few emails, most noteably was one from Fernando Lopez, one of Caleb's associates. Mouse personally found the man distasteful, and took a twisted pleasure in frightening him whenever possible. She opened the email and scanned the contents.

"hey mousy mouse, its me, serpent. da boss man wants me 2 speak w/ u bout our little operaton wen u wake up. mail me back wen u can, k mousy?

love, fernando"

Fighting the urge to simultaneously vomit and kill herself, Mouse drummed out a terse reply to Serpent, instructing him to come to her lab for orders. Why, oh why would Caleb ask her to deal with this imbecile. She gritted her teeth and dosed up on a small amount of her proprietary psychadellic, which she called Spacedust, to calm down.

Barely ten minutes passed by before Serpent swung the lab door open, practically slamming it, wearing a particularly annoying and garish grin on his face.

"Hey, what's up Squeaks?" Another iritating nickname he foolishly came up with. "How long've you been out for?"

A thousand different methods to murder this man blazed through Mouse's mind, but she eventually let out the breath she'd been holding without doing anything drastic.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That." She ground her teeth for a moment before continuing. "Give me whatever orders you've recieved and I will decide on a course of action."

"Alright Mousy, simmer down," He said, putting his hands out as if he had been greatly offended. "Caleb told me to see you about distributing our latest concoction. He says you've got routes planned, people to sell to, all that jazz."

Flopping nonchalantly down on Mouse's coach, he crossed one leg over another, trying to come off as more intelligent than he really was.

"Let's knock those fucking stripes right outta the park, shall we?"

Dropping her head into her hands, Nisa thought for a moment. "Very well, Mr. Lopez. I do indeed have plenty of routes and contacts, some of which I might even need you to contact or oversee. However, let's make something perfectly transparent. Again. You will address me as Ms. Verion, or I will leave you writhing on the floor for hours, experiencing pain the likes of which is uncomparable. Isn't that right, boys?" She glared sidelong at her assistants, who had frozen up at the mention of one of her infamous punishments. They'd both been on the recieving end of Mouse's wrath at one point, and were more than eager to avoid such measures if at all possible.

Either through underestimated bravery or sheer stupidity, Mouse's sinister threats did not phase Serpent all that much. However, to avoid an unnecessary confrontation, he simply rolled his eyes and forced a smile.

"Yes ma'am, missus boss ma'am."

Mouse fished around in her desk, looking for her maps of Golem territory on which she'd drawn out the Golem drug dealing locations and distribution lines. They changed weekly depending on sales and resistance put up by the Tigers and Police. This week's routes were detailed on map 'B'. She waved the document at Fernando. "Memorize this and then burn it. I don't want this information falling into the wrong hands. Should my routes get hit more often than ususal, I'll know it was you who leaked the information. Neither of us want that to happen, I assure you."

"Of course. Death before dishonor," Serpert remarked, making a fist to emphasize his undying loyalty to the Golems. "Don't worry Mo- Miss Verion, we'll be making mad bands in no time."

"Hmm... See to it that we do. You're dismissed." Mouse turned away from Fernando to continue sorting out her mailbox.

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The sun was sending off a radiant glow, giving Fort Blackburn an almost otherwordly appearance that masked the reality of what the city really was. Families were heading out to enjoy the tranquility the day offered them; trips to the mall, a bike ride down a trail, or a pleasant stroll through the park. Dylan was trying to enjoy the morning euphoria by taking a walk through the park's rolling greenspaces, however, his mood wasn't having any of it. Last night, he had made a brash decision to apprehend a sniper affiliated with the Golems that had taken potshots at the Mavericks' night patrol team. While there had been no reprimand from Jay for his foolhardy action, Dylan knew he would get the inevitable scolding from his team leader on the next patrol. He stopped and rested his arms on top of the railing of a wooden bridge that passed over a small creek. Off in the distance, Dylan could see a young girl being pushed by her father on the playground swingset, which was encompassed by a sandbox. He closed his eyes to try and enjoy the silence, though like all good things, it came to an end.

"Bitch of a night shift, huh?" A voice pierced Dylan's ears as he turned his head to glance at the source of the voice.

"Yeah, something like that." Dylan replied back as he gauged the man before him. The man appeared to be friendly enough, or was trying to be. His light brown khaki shorts and navy blue polo shirt was giving off the appeal of a genuine person, but Dylan's instincts were giving the opposite impression. The clean-shaven face and sleek haircut the man had only added to the facade.

"I've been there man, it sure is brutal." The man smiled as he sauntered up and took up a spot next to Dylan. "The whole thing gets tiresome, and sometimes you just need a release to get away from it all."

"Right, apart from binging on liquour and abusing painkillers, there isn't much else." Dylan scoffed, which only made the man burst into laughter.

"Well you could do that." The man stated once he stopped laughing, and leaned over to pull something out of his pocket. Dylan's eyes traveled down and narrowed as the man pulled out a small sandwich bag, noticing immediately what was in it.

"Isn't that Cotton Candy? You can't be going around with that stuff." He looked up at the man with an astonished look on his face.

"Who says I can't? To everyone else, it'll look like I'm enjoying a nice piece of heavenly sweetness. Here, try some and you'll see for yourself." The man opened the bag and plucked out a few pieces and placed them into Dylan's hand, he then pulled out a card and added it to the Pink pills. "This is just a small sample, if you liked what you enjoyed then I can get you more. However, it will cost you to acquire more of this pleasure. On that card is a time and place of where you can get more, if you're interested." The man looked around for a bit, then went off his way. Dylan just stood there stunned as he observed the man walking out of sight, the drug samples still in the palm of his hand. In all his life, Dylan had never encountered such a moment as he did just now. However, if today was anything to go on, then even the most random of occurences are possible. He pulled up his cell phone and dialed in a contact before bringing it up to his face.

"Alex, I know we usually don't interact unless we're on patrol. Something just happened and I still can't comprehend it fully, could you and Jay meet me in Edwin Park?"

Though he was mildly surprised to be talking to Dylan before sundown, Alex, after pausing the video game he was occupying himself with, checked his watch. It was a little early, but fetching Jay was not likely to be a problem.

"Um, sure," Alex replied, getting up to look for his keys. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Depends." Dylan looked down at his hand, the pills resting on the palm. "I just had someone offer me samples of Pink."

"Wait, just outta the blue?" Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this drug really that common?

"Yup, just outta the blue." He walked down from the bridge and leaned against a tree. "The guy even told me where to get more tonight, if I wanted to buy Pink."

"Huh." Alex scratched the beginnings of a goatee on his chin. "Really? Hmm... any reason he came to you, or was it just random?"

"I want to believe it was just random. Anyways, I think this could provide a good lead for us." Dylan pocketed the sandwich bag. "We could find out who's making and distributing the stuff."

"Well, we're still waitin' on Alice's research. You said you got the address, right?"

"Affirmative, right here along with the time when it's going to happen." He confirmed.

"Great." There was a brief pause as Alex thought. "You mind pretendin' to be a customer? So we can ambush 'em."

"Go undercover?" Dylan scratched the side of his head. "I think that could work, I got some old clothes that could help in fitting in, also it won't draw attention to myself."

"Fantastic, it'll lead us right to the bastards." Alex, now heading for Jay's, turned to lock his door before resuming the conversation. "Wanna wait 'til nighttime before we find you?"

"Works for me, I'll head back to my place to get clothes ready for tonight." Dylan turned and started to make his way back home. "I'll text you the location of where to meet."

Alex nodded to himself, jogging down the staircase. "A'ight, sounds good man. We'll see you then."

---

There was always an uneasy, palpable air of perilousness when the sun set on the south-east end, keeping any citizen with basic survival instincts off the streets and away from unlit alleyways. Ever since Pink was trotted out, the uneasiness was only exemplified, with the Tigers and Golems prancing around, looking for anyone foolish enough to participate in their latest scheme. On top of a throne of broken boxes, Serpent sat with a pleased grin, watching his men siphon out the latest batch into bags that would be sold to passers-by. An uncouth snicker escaped his mouth as one of his peons graffitied an anti-Tiger message on the side of a brick wall.

"Alright, enough of that Jones," Serpent said, clearing his throat. "We don't wanna scare off any customers."

Speaking of the devil, a line of potential customers began to form, waiting to get their next fix of the drug. All of them had received the notice of where and when the next Pink sale was going to take place. Dylan entered the alleyway where the deal was going to happen, looking ahead to see a string of people leading up to a man sitting on top of a makeshift throne. Dressed in a track jacket and old torn denim pants, Dylan made an effort to compose himself in a manner that conveyed he lived in, or at least was familiar with the south-east. He brought a hand up to his right ear, flicked it with a finger before bringing his hand back down to his side.

"I'm in position." Dylan moved forward, getting in line behind a twitchy red haired fellow. "Looks like the guy sitting on top of the boxes is in charge of all this."

Crouched on a rooftop nearby, her real eye observing the scene like divine judgement, Shade nodded and focused her attention on the man on the boxes. His presence made her crinkle her nose in disgust.

"Copy that, I see him."

"Someone should really slap the smug grin off his face." He remarked with disdain as a satisfied customer marched past him, grinning excitedly at his purchase. Minutes rolled by as the line dwindled down, until Dylan himself was standing in front of the guy sitting on the boxes.

"So, I hear what you're selling is the best around. What makes it so much better than what others are selling?"

When Dylan spoke up Serpent's gaze lazily shifted over to him, staring vacantly for a moment before a self-assured grin saturated his face.

"Because we're the most organized syndicate around." He explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Those other guys are just selling whatever they get their dirty little paws on. We refine our product."

"Well, I'll take your word for it." Dylan smirked, then crossed his arms. "However, I'm guessing that it doesn't come cheap. What are your prices?"

"How much do ya need brother?"

"Just enough to get me through a week."

Serpent nodded and turned to one of his assistants.

"Franklin, two bags."

He swiveled back around, wearing his trademark sly grin.

"That'll be a hundred dollars my good man."

"A hundred dollars, this better be worth it." Dylan sighed as he pulled out his wallet and shifted through it. He brought out five twenty dollar bills and handed the money over. Leaving Serpent with a contented smile on his face, Dylan nodded his thanks when the assistant gave him the bags of Pink. He spun around and trekked out of the alleyway.

"Go for it." Dylan whispered into the radio once he made it a safe distance away.

Serpent shifted the twenties between his fingers, chuckling softly to himself as he did. Once he confirmed that he had taken a hundred dollars from a hard working man, he glanced up and into the night sky. Then he brought his vision back down.

"What in the..."

Once he realized who was approaching, Serpent let out a pitiful yelp and awkwardly fumbled off the boxes, landing on his hands and knees.

"Holy shit, it's Shade, everyone scram!"

Shade scoffed. Criminals were a superstitious lot, bolstering a false confidence that easily crumbled when someone stronger opposed them. Only a few did not immediately flee, and after glancing a few times at the boxes of Pink, they too turned tail. Those left merely gawked.

"Leave."

No drug fix was worth picking a fight with a Mav. The line quickly dispersed, leaving Shade alone with the evidence. She turned to the fallen tower of boxes that Serpent was residing on a few moments prior, hoping to collect evidence against him.

"The coast is clear Dylan, come help me with these boxes."

"Rght." He replied back, a few seconds later he reemerged back in the alleyway. "Well there goes a hundred bucks I'll probably never get back. Are we looking for anything specific Shade?"

"I'll buy you a puppy," she snarked, kneeling next to the collasped pile of narcotics. "Fingerprints would be our best bet. We need Crow to capture that man though."

"I'm sure Scarecrow can track him down." Dylan acknowledged as he got to work on checking the boxes. A few minutes into the search, he started to get the feeling that they weren't alone. Scarecrow was off chasing the man they needed, but the sense they were being watched wouldn't go away.

"Shade, are you getting the feeling someone is watching us?"

She was not, but Shade looked up regardless. Against the moonlight she could faintly make out the vague shape of a human being, but it quickly dissipated into the dark.

"Hmm... let's hurry up here."

---

"Oh fuck, Nisa's gonna kill me," Serpent thought with increasing panic, leaning against a dilapidated wall to catch his breath. As much as he wanted Mouse to just look the other way when he would come in reporting a lost quantity of Pink, he knew it wouldn't happen and he'd probably pay dearly. Still, it was probably better than having a few necessary bones broken and a twenty year sentence in prison.

"Man, I really need to exercise more."

Scarecrow chuckled lightly at Serpent's complaint, and when his spine-chilling laughter penetrated Serpent's ear the man practically screeched. Flipping around in sudden, gripping terror, Serpent barely had a moment to see the Scarecrow before his stomach was gripped in a shadowy tendril. He instinctively began to struggle, but it was of no use; all he could do was look up into the Scarecrow's pale yellow eyes and gawk.

"You'll have plenty of time to exercise... in prison."

A small group of Golem henchmen clustered nervously outside Mouse's lab, listening to their lieutenant rant and rave within. The man who'd delivered the bad news stepped out of the door, white as a sheet and shaking. "Give her five minutes, then she wants to see the rest of you guys," he managed to whisper hoarsely before staggering off to collapse against a wall nearby. One of the men, a relatively high ranked meta named Cecil, sighed at the spectacle. He was used to Mouse's melodramatic tendencies by now, though his crew still flinched like beaten dogs whenever the drug baroness so much as raised her voice at them. He supposed she did have the weight to throw around and cause that sort of reaction, but it wasn't the way he would have run things were he in charge. Not that that would ever happen, though; promotions were extremely competetive in the Golems, and he just wasn't motivated enough to rise up to that level of authority.

Having passed the alloted time, the group filed into Mouse's office to hear her instructions. There, slouched in her big, comfy chair, Mouse examined the group through glazed eyes. Cecil perked up a bit. Whenever Mouse doped up, she was much more reasonable. She struggled to sit upright, though she soon gave up, instead addressing the group from where she was.

"Word is out, boys. That fucking cat-shit worthless piece of garbage Serpent is in lock-up, probably blabbing anything and everything he can think of to get out of a long jail sentence. That means your crews aren't safe on our current week's routes, or rather, wouldn't be if we hadn't been warned ahead of time. So here's the deal. Cecil, you are going to be taking Serpent's place for now. I want you and your crew to take the distribution center for the rest of the week. You have full access to the armory, except for explosives. Take whatever you need, but be sure to arm yourselves to the teeth. Those of you which are gifted, you also may have a dose of Lemonade each. Make careful use of it." She paused for a second, gathering her thoughts. "If the Mavericks are going to hit a spot, it's that one. Thomas, Rourke, and Vinny, you are going to report to Cecil, but you'll be taking the high foot traffic spots. The rest of you can decide amongst yourselves which remaining locations you wish to supervise. You are all allotted ten men each, of your choice. Cecil, you get twenty. While you're out, I want your eyes on a swivel, especially on the rooftops. You see a shadow move strange, you shoot it. If the Mavs show their fucking faces, you don't talk to them. You don't bargain with them. You don't run from them. You to light them up. Am I understood?"

Her trusted subordinates responded with affirmatives and were dismissed. Through her drug clouded eyes, Mouse managed to make out the form of Cecil, who had remained behind.

"Yes, Cecil? What is it?" she asked, her voice thick with exhaustion and haze. Tearing her entire office up had really taken a lot out of her.

"Just a couple questions, Ms. Verion. First, if the Mavs show up and we, for some reason, can't take them out, what's the next step? Second, I'd like your permission to take a couple grenades to booby trap one of the crates, just in case." He crossed his arms and rested his weight on one leg, waiting for her delayed response. After a full minute, Mouse finally answered.

"If you can't kill them, you have my permission to retreat, but I better not hear that you just turned tail and ran as soon as those bastards show their faces. As for the grenades, that's fine. Just make sure everyone knows to avoid whichever crate you trap. If that's all, please leave my office. I'm very tired at the moment." Cecil bowed slightly as he turned to leave, feeling rather pleased with himself. The rest of the day, Mouse's chosen spent their time gathering supplies and men before their shift that night. They expected it to be a long, stressful week.