Chapter III
The Thief’s Return.
Despite Metropolis boasting itself as the best city in the known world, whilst that may have been the case years ago, it is far from the truth now. As most of the streets look like hell, with many broken windows, doors, lights and cars. With some streets sometimes having raw sewage on them. As two of Bernard's hit squad come around the corner. Leonard whose long black hair and short beard are blown about in the wind. Followed by Bob a giant of a man, with no hair but covered head to foot in tattoos get out of the squad car into the pouring rain. Making it hard to tell what is mud and what is sewage.
“I can’t believe the chief has us looking for this scum at this time of night. I mean look at it.” Leonard said gesturing around at the street with its buildings stacked one of top of the other. “These peasants can’t even be bothered to clean up after themselves.” Leonard laughs to himself before spotting a figure in the distance. “Wait, who’s that over there?” he said pointing his finger to a man leaning up against one of the three story slums. The two cops look at each other, nod, and walk over to the man who looks up at them. Dmitri Jones former twenty-nine-year-old captain of the imperial army, he is slim due to a lack of food with brown hair that hadn’t been cut in years. Wearing a long black cloak over his light armour that is his only protection from the both the elements and attacks, stares at the two men from hooded green eyes, thinking quickly of how to get out of this latest situation. As the walk up to him, Dmitri decides that trying to talk to these men will be the best bet, better than attacking or running and giving them an excuse to kill him.
“What can I do for you two on this very cold night?” Dmitri asks, with one hand silently clutching the hilt of a knife. As they come closer, Bob flashes a light in Dmitri’s face causing him to squint.
“Dmitri Jones. You’re under arrest.” Leonard said, making for his gun, failing to notice that they are within striking range.
“On what charge?” Dmitri asks, his hand now fully gripping the knife. Carefully measuring the distance between himself and the two men in his head.
“Whatever charge the Mayor chooses.” Leonard responses drawing his gun. But Dmitri is too quick for him, taking his knife and slicing at Leonard’s throat. Before holding the knife at Bob, before he can do so much as react. Bob simply grabs the knife by the blade and then draws his own gun.
“Fuck.” Dmitri said wrenching free of the knife’s hilt and dodging a bullet from Bob’s gun. And running into the darkness. With Bob lumbering behind him, trying and failing to maintain the pursuit. After a few minutes the race is over. With Dmitri having given Bob the slip. The brute looks around, before walking away at the smell of an open sewage drain, dropping Dmitri’s knife from his blood-stained hand.
After a few moments Dmitri emerges from the sewage drain, smelling of the raw sewage, but mercifully alive. He walks up to his knife before picking it up and walking back to the street he had been standing in where an expensive looking car is parked in his spot, with an old man holding an umbrella is waiting out in the rain.
“You are Mr Jones, are you not.” Vernon said looking at Dmitri with the look of a man who has just seen roadkill.
“I am.” Dmitri responded. Looking at the old man with some trepidation.
“I have been sent to pick you up on the orders of Mr Wolfrick.” Vernon said with a gritty tone to his voice. Looking at Dmitri who simply nodded and got into the back of the car. “A shower would be in order I think.” Vernon said to himself before he got in the car himself and drove off.
An hour later the car pulled into Wolfrick Manor and Dmitri looked out of the window. ‘How can so few has so much when the city is starving.’ He thought to himself as the car drove into the garage. Vernon gets out of the car and opens the door as Dmitri steps out looking around at the collection of vehicles that litter the room.
“This way. Thief.” Vernon said emphasising the last word as Dmitri walked up the stairs towards the manor looking around at the wealth on display. Once they reach the main hall, Vernon opens a set of double doors to the dining room and both he and Dmitri enter. Where Alan sits having dinner with his four sons; Jack, Dave, Nick and Martin. Before he looks up an sees the new arrivals.
“Ah, Vernon you’re back.” Alan said smiling for the first time all evening.
“Yes sir, I have returned with this common low life, you seemed to want so badly.” Vernon said with all the politeness he could muster, which was extremely limited as personally he saw no reason for Dmitri to be here.
“Yes, Vernon would you mind taking my children with you. We have some private business to discuss.” Alan said.
“Certainly sir.” Vernon replied before turning to the boys whose expressions ranged from confusion in the case of four-year-old Martin, to fear on the six-year-old Nick who looked at the newcomer with anxiety on his thin face, to mild interest on the Jack’s face as well as the ten-year-old Dave’s. “Right, you heard your farther, up now.” Vernon finishes, with the boys out of the room Vernon closes the door.
“Welcome back Jones, I trust your journey was not too uncomfortable.” Alan said approaching the Dmitri, who still had the smell of sewage on him.
“Well the journey was fine; it was what came before that was terrible. I don’t like surprises and your butler coming up to me suddenly in the street was surprising.” Dmitri said looking around the room.
“I trust that the heist went alright. Dear me.” Alan said with mock tone of regret in his voice. “I paid millions for the security on my armouries.” He finished smiling slightly. That was the truth, but what was done had had to have been, he didn’t want his hand showing on the item, as he didn’t trust his company about as far as he could throw them.
“Yeah. It looked expensive.” Dmitri said also smiling. Placing his hand into a leather bag and retrieved a large chunk of black metal, before handing it to Alan.
“If you don’t mind my asking, why hire me. Why not just take it yourself? It is your property after all.” Dmitri said placing his hand on his gun belt. Alan looked up from examining the piece looking serious, but before answering he looked at the door. Dmitri now puts his hand on the gun itself also looking at the door, he had sensed someone watching them, and past events had told him to always keep one hand on your weapon whenever you sensed someone unknown. But as he does so Alan gestures for him to remove his hand from his weapon.
“David, come on out.” Alan said staring at the door, he had suspected who it had been from the moment he had ordered his son’s upstairs. And after a few moments Dave comes out, his green eyes looking curiously up at Dmitri. “I thought I told you to go upstairs.” Alan said looking sternly at Dave, although he highly doubted that his second son was working alone and that more than likely he had been sent down by one of his brothers.
“Technically you told us to leave the room, I did.” Dave said, looking to gage the reaction of his Dad, but to the boy’s surprise it was Dmitri who reacted, laughing to himself at the comment.
“He’s right on that count Alan. How old are you lad?” Dmitri asked still chortling to himself before returning to gaze at Dave.
“Ten.” Dave answered seemingly slightly more at ease after the warm reaction to his previous comment from the man, but he was still curious about the stranger, so he continues on. “Who are you?” He asked looking at Dmitri. At this, Alan gives his son a sharp look, and makes to order him back upstairs, but it was Dmitri’s turn to raise his hand as he answered the question.
“Dmitri Jones, Captain of Lighting Company.” Dmitri said looking down at Dave smiling, before stopping. “Or should I say former captain.” He had been a captain for many years, but had refused to make a suicidal attack on an enemy strong point, which got him thrown out of the army and made an undesirable to boot.
“Why former?” Dave asked looking up starting to get interested in the newcomer, unlike his older brother, who seemed more hostile towards the stranger, or at least that was how Jack had seemed to Dave when he had agreed to go down and spy on their father’s conversation.
“A story for another time, kid.” Dmitri said before looking at Alan. “Now I think you should go. Before your dad really loses it.” Dmitri finishes smiling at Dave, who for his part looks at his father, and recognising defeat nods and retreats back towards the staircase that led to his room. And after making sure that the kid was well out of earshot as to make sure that he didn’t hear anything that would likely get him arrested or killed, Dmitri returns to the business at hand.“Now you were going to tell me why you hired me.” Dmitri said looking at Alan who comes around suddenly.
“What. Oh yes. Well my company is not what it used to be anymore; it has become a production line for weapons. Some of which do not end up in the right hands.” Alan said looking grave again, he had witnessed that first hand, and was the main reason he was now using underhand methods to retrieve his own property, he sighed deeply at this thought before continuing on. “Having myself go there might have aroused suspicions that I do not want aroused.” Dmitri nodded at this before Vernon returned, walking back into the room with the car keys in hand. Before Alan raised his hand. “Those won’t be needed Vernon.” He said looking at the keys. “Would you mind preparing the guest bedroom. The look on Vernon’s face was as if he had been asked to bulldoze the manor.
“You cannot be serious sir.” Vernon said.
“Well as you can see, we have a guest, it’s our responsibility to look after him.” Alan said looking sternly at Vernon before turning to Dmitri. “Besides I may still have use for you, erm former Captain.” Alan finished.
“Very well sir. Jones your room is upstairs.” Vernon said bowing to Alan and pointing Dmitri up the stairs and followed him up. Alan walked to his chair and sat back down on it examining the chunk of metal that glowed hot in his hands, before putting it down onto the table as it started to glow red. Vernon walks back into the room.
“May I ask sir. What is that?” Vernon asked pointing at the chunk of now red metal.
“It’s Pleinium.” Alan said looking down at the object. Then back up at Vernon. “Used as a power source for our vehicles, ten times as reliable as petrol as a fuel source.”
“Very good sir. It should certainly stop another accident.” Vernon said, remembering the last time they had tried to activate the manors defence systems, it had damn near burnt through the electrical systems of the manor when their previous power source had overloaded and almost blown a hole the size of a boulder in the manor’s power room.
“Would you mind putting it in the reactor.” Alan asked, Vernon nodded curtly before Alan called him back. “I know you don’t like him Vernon. But we will need Dmitri, sooner rather than later.” Alan said looking once again grim.
“This is your house Master Wolfrick.” Vernon said. “It is up to you who lives under her roof.” Vernon once again nodded and left the room. Whilst Alan knew that Vernon would eventually come around to the new house guest, it would definitely take longer than he had initially hoped.
