csyphrett

Secet Service 1938- 11 Rafferty looked at the storage lot and frowned. A fence kept out the casual intruder, while a guard checked everyone going in and out. He turned and walked away. He needed to make an entry close to night to check if the car was there. If the car was there, he could sit on it until the driver came to pick it up. Then they could have a talk about shooting someone on the street. If the car wasn’t there, he could wait and talk to the man when he arrived. Everything hinged on the car being there. Once he knew that, he knew which path to take. He certainly wasn’t going to ask Hawley to watch the thing on a hunch. The police had other leads to chase down on their own. Anything he told them that pointed back to him would destroy whatever case they could build. It had been sheer luck that he had taken Bones while wearing Fletcher’s masked persona. As long as he could keep the vigilante side of things out of most of the limelight, he could use it to figure things out and fix problems. As soon as anyone knew about it, he was done. No one would be able to take his help because a vigilante was not welcome in Her Majesty’s service. Fletcher would have to cut him loose to avoid embarrassment. But he might as well use the mask while he could to solve Corklin’s murder and put the screws to Brown as long as he could before something happened to him. Rafferty went to his car. The easiest thing to do would be to drive up and see if he could store his car in the lot. That would give him temporary access, but he would still have to break in to check on Litner’s vehicle. He decided the best thing to do was to drive around and see if there was a back to the lot he could pierce. Then he could move in and check on his target. Once he had decided on a plan upon confirmation of the car’s presence, he could execute the plan and capture the driver. Once he had the guy, it would be up to Hawley to figure out how to take the case before the Crown. It would be rough since the only witness was someone who was dead. That part wasn’t Rafferty’s problem since he wasn’t a detective any more. He started the engine of his car and drove around the block, watching the buildings crouching over the street. The man he wanted could be in any of those places he could see from the street. He wondered if the killer knew he was closing in on him. Did that matter in the long run? The man wanted to kill him. Rafferty showing up on his doorstep would be an excuse for a gun battle. Rafferty pulled to the curb at a point where he judged the car lot should be. He pulled on the great coat, mask, and cap for a partial disguise. He buttoned the coat to hide his suit. He got out of the car. No one seemed interested in him. He smiled under the mask. That was a good thing. He knocked on the door of the row house he wanted to enter. He wanted to go through and out the back to get to the car lot. He didn’t want to deal with a resident if he didn’t have to do that. He listened at the door. He didn’t hear anyone moving around. He pulled out a set of keys and tried each one in the lock until he got one that opened the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He moved to the back of the place, looking out the back window. The fence from the storage lot stood across a narrow path that fed the back of the row from either end. It wasn’t big enough for a car, but a man could run to either end quickly if he could get over from the other side. Rafferty cursed that he hadn’t thought to bring something to cut through a fence with him. Rafferty stepped outside into the small yard behind the building. It was cut off from the yards on either side by low brick walls. He closed the back door behind him before he walked over to the fence. At least there wasn’t any barbed wire on the top of the fence. That would have added more risk for him as he climbed over the fence. He pulled himself to the top of the fence and swung over the cross post. He climbed down as silently as he could. He turned and looked around the lot. Where was the car he wanted? Rafferty started walking the lot. He didn’t have a lot of time before someone called to have his car towed away from the front of the house row. He had to find the Litner car as quickly as possible. Then he could decide what he wanted to do with the information. He found the car parked out of the way in a fence corner. Nothing else was close. He noted the storage people would have to walk out of their way to notice the car amidst some of the rest in the lot. He checked to make sure he had the right car. He looked around for a place to watch the car from inside the fence. Once the driver showed up, they could talk about the rights of the individual for personal justice while they waited for Hawley to take the guy away. He checked to see if he had a view from the street before retreating from the car. He had to do something about his own car before it was noticed. He climbed back over the fence and went to end of the brick block. He headed to his car. He got behind the wheel and drove down until he found an empty spot to park. He got out and and went to the alley. He walked down to a spot closer to the car and climbed the fence again. He found a place to wait and used a car for cover to watch Litner’s car. Hopefully, no one would need their cars from the back row before the other masked man got his car. Rafferty leaned against his adopted car and kept watch for anyone passing on the street, or entering the lot on foot. He checked his watch as he waited. If this didn’t pan out, he would call Fletcher and have one of his men watch the lot. If they could catch the killer, that would move things away from him and his new job. Rafferty saw a figure in a coat approaching the corner. He ducked down as he watched the figure walk down to the corner and head toward the gate. The figure entered the lot with a wave at the guard. Rafferty pulled his Webley. If he approached the car, bullets were going to fly. The figure went to another car and pulled out of the slot. The car drove slowly out of the lot. Rafferty relaxed and put the pistol away. At least he hadn’t shot the fellow by accident. That would have spoiled the whole trap. He shook his head. He had to be a little more patient. He couldn’t shoot a stranger without evidence of a crime. He hoped the killer would show up before he lost patience and started looking around for something to do. Rafferty wondered if he could hide in the car. Maybe he could get a nap while he waited. In any case, he could call Fletcher when he got bored. Then he could hand the car off to a watchman. Rafferty opened the trunk and fell inside. He closed the trunk lid. He pushed the back seat so he could get out of the trunk and into the body of the car. He settled in the dark and waited. He should have thought some more about this plan before he decided on it. Did he really even have a plan? He decided that waiting for a murderer in his car was a plan. It was a mad plan, but a plan. It was simple, and didn’t require much effort. He also decided that he should have asked someone else to do it since he didn’t like waiting around. Impatience had always been a weak point for him. He had tried to train it so it didn’t interfere with his cases. You couldn’t beat a confession out of all your arrests. That was statistically unlikely to net you the right man. He heard someone walking outside the car. He pulled the Webley and waited. If the driver opened the trunk, he had to make sure the lid couldn’t come down and block him from making his arrest. And he didn’t want to have to shoot through the lid if he didn’t have a target. The door opened and shut. The engine turned over. The car started rolling. Rafferty pushed on the back seat. He pulled himself out of the trunk space. He pulled the Webley and waited. He sat up. The driver slammed the brakes. He slammed into the front seat and dropped the pistol. The driver pushed open the door, and jumped out. The car started rolling on its own. Bullets struck the door as Rafferty fell in the floorboard. His hand wrapped around the Webley as glass fell on top of him. Rafferty winced as the car hit another car in the lot. That stopped the car at least. He pushed up enough to look out the windows. His target was fleeing toward the fence. He had six shots in the Webley. He didn’t want to waste them, or hit anyone in the houses behind the lot. The killer ran to a car next to the fence and used that as a stepladder. He turned and fired at the car. Rafferty ducked down as the bullets blasted at the back window. The masked man fired back to keep his target from jumping over the fence and getting away. He broke the Webley open and dumped the bullets into his hand. He put the empty casings in his coat pocket. He loaded the pistol before he pushed the door open so he could get out of the car. He didn’t see the killer at first. Then he saw the man running down the alley. Rafferty took aim over the hood of a car. He fired through the fence at his target. He saw the killer go down in the alley floor. “That was a lucky shot, idiot,” Rafferty told himself. He did the same thing that the killer had done and used a car to get to the top of the fence and drop down to the other side. He ducked behind the low wall. The killer blasted the brick with the rounds left in his pistol. Rafferty waited. He still had five out of the six reloads. He ducked out to take a look. The killer was gone. “I can’t believe this,” muttered Rafferty. “Now I have to hunt this spalleen down.” He slid over the low wall. He didn’t see a target. He walked across the small yard. The next yard had plants on their divider wall. He pushed the pots out of the way and hopped over to the next yard. He wondered what the killer planned to do now. A bullet hole put a crimp in your plans. Rafferty hopped the next wall. He spotted a blood trail heading into the house attached to the yard. He walked to the back door. He pushed it open with his empty hand. Nothing came at him. He peeked into the kitchen. He spotted the blood trail heading to the front of the house. He walked along the blood trail. He wondered if his victim would bleed out before he got help. He opened the front door of the house. He noted there was no blood on the steps heading down to the sidewalk. He turned and brought up the Webley. He saw a knife coming down and shot. The killer staggered back. He shot again, taking time to go for the other leg so his victim couldn’t run away. Rafferty kicked the man in the head. He put the Webley away. He needed to do something about this mess. He needed to call Hawley and Fletcher. Once he had told them the news, he could clear out and let the machine do the rest. He didn’t know if he could explain any of this to either of them. Rafferty looked around. He found a phone on a table in the parlor. He went over and called the Operator. Once Fletcher knew what was going on, he could move his whole organization to do whatever he needed. “Operator,” said the Operator. “State your name.” “Rafferty,” whispered Rafferty. “I think I have Corklin’s killer. Can you alert the authorities?” “Yes,” said Operator. “Anything else?” “You might want to hurry,” said Rafferty. “I had to shoot him.” “We will move fast,” said the Operator. “I’ll call you later,” said Rafferty. He hung up the phone. He walked back to where his victim moaned on the floor. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” Rafferty pulled the mask off the killer. He frowned at the sweaty face glaring back at him. He used the mask to cover the wound in the leg and tied it off with the woman’s belt. “The police are coming for you,” said Rafferty. “They’ll talk to you about killing Corklin. Now that you’re out of the way, I can go back to doing what I need to do.” “I’ll kill you, Rafferty,” said the woman. “You let Brown get away with killing my father.” “I didn’t let him get away with anything,” said Rafferty. “If you hadn’t killed Corklin, I would have been able to squeeze him until he admitted what he had done. Now, I can’t. Good going.” “You wouldn’t have done anything,” said the woman. “I stopped you,” said Rafferty. “I’ll take that as doing something. Goodbye.” Rafferty walked out of the house. He looked around to see if anyone was checking on what happened. He walked down the street, pulling off his mask. He put the mask away in his coat as he headed for his car. He needed to think about what the next step should be. //177324

Sakat helps the Seven Pillars by spreading his wealth around. Everything he does as a member of the group is considered Charity. He uses this to help his fellow muslims by buying things they need to bring them closer to Allah. CES

Either Amorka, or Bolo has the next team to set up. CES

Read Fallen by Baldacci. Amos Decker deals with a drug ring and treasure hunters CES

I feel bad for the crew, but I always liked Tim Allen better than Roseanne anyway. CES

It'll be all right. It has to rain sometime. CES

2 Clonus tried out his new easy chair. He smiled as he eased the foot rest out. He looked around. Even with Tribe interfering, he had been able to furnish his place with ease. He could remain there for the next little while until he felt like getting some new decor. “What are you doing?,” asked his visitor. “Enjoying the fruits of my labor,” said Clonus. “I thought I had an alarm installed.” “The job I paid you to do?,” said the other masked man. He wore a helmet covering his face. A gold A shone against the red background. “It’ll get done as soon as the Army stops moving the pieces around,” said Clonus. “I have an eye on things.” “And you’ve attracted the attention of Tribe,” said the A man. “He won’t stop now that he has confronted you once.” “I can handle Tribe,” said Clonus. “He’s no match for me.” “You’re not the first person to say that,” said the visitor. “I’ve said that. And we have all been wrong. Quit attracting his attention, and do what I tell you to do.” “I don’t have to do this job, Assault,” said Clonus. “You can do it yourself.” “Do you really want to go that route with me, Clonus?,” said Assault. Red light burned in his eyes. “Hold on, mate,” said Clonus. He raised his hands and waved them in front of his body. “There’s no need for violence.” “There’s always need for violence,” said Assault. The red fire dimmed. “I need you to act as my cover. No one must know what I am after, or what I am doing.” “I assure you that no one will,” said Clonus. “No matter what Tribe does, he won’t be able to stop me. None of them can. Just take it easy, and call me in a couple of days. If the things have landed, I will pick them up straight away, and we can have a meeting so I can hand them off.” “That’s a better attitude to take,” said Assault. “I would hate to dispense with your services and let the world know I’m still alive.” “Everything will go like clockwork,” said Clonus. He looked at the various clones doing anything but looking like they were working on a scheme. “No one will know you wanted the pieces until you want them to know.” “Your ability to create an army is impressive and useful,” said Assault. “But it makes you egotistical and careless. If you err doing this, I will be angered enough to take action.” “Don’t worry, mate,” said Clonus, gesturing with both hands in a placating way. “Things will go all right.” “They had better,” said Assault. He turned to walk away. “I will await your call.” Clonus considered attacking the other masked man as he walked away. He stopped thinking about it as soon as he got to the part where if he didn’t deal with Assault on the first move, the other man would fry him and any clones he created like shrimp on a barbie. Clonus eased back on his couch. Now that his employer was leaving, he could relax. It might be days before he had to move to get the other villain what he wanted. He didn’t need the stress. He just wanted some smash and grabs. Now he had to take care of things for a conqueror that should have given up when the Arc had lit him up. Egomaniacs always thought they could do what the wanted until they couldn’t. Clonus rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. How did he get out of this without Assault coming after him? He didn’t think handing over anything to the maniac would be good for his peace of mind. It was too bad he couldn’t just turn Assault over to Tribe and let them duke it out. That would help him out of his corner immensely. He turned the idea over in his mind. He liked the risk of it, but the reward was great too. He needed to get out from under Assault’s thumb. Turning him in seemed to be the only way. How did he do it without getting killed? He split off five or six clones and set them to devising a plan that he could live with after everything went down. He was going to have to live with a rat label if he was exposed. He didn’t want the extra trouble that would cause. He couldn’t have both sides chasing him even though he was more than a match for most of them. While his clones worked on his counterassault, others were going over where his target might land, how to get in the various places, what kind of security he might expect. The only thing he worried about was gas attacks. He had found a gas mask to wear in case one of the defenders got smart before he could overwhelm them. If he could keep one clone in range, he could escape and get away without too much of a problem. Dealing with Assault was going to be the key problem with any plan. It was one thing to say to yourself, you can walk away, you’re invincible. It was another to run for your life as beams of hellish fury sliced through anything in their way as they tried to cut you down as you fled. Clonus had been on both sides of the problem dealing with the Arc, and Assault. He wanted to keep his skin intact. He watched television as the clones worked and played. He expected the study group to give him something he could use. Then he could break it down into steps and carry it out. The perfect plan would be to draw Tribe and Assault into a showdown and walk away with the prize. Then he could figure out some alternative person to sell the stolen material too. He still knew some fences that might be able to help him. He made a note not to mention Assault when he tried to sell the thing. He didn’t need refusals based on the fact no one wanted to die. His clones presented a plan to him halfway through Dr. Blake solving a mystery. He went over the moving parts with them. They assured him it was the best way for him that they could see. “This means moving back into the shadows,” said Clonus. “I’ll have to live off the grid more than this if it works.” The clones shrugged. The brain wanted an answer. They researched the answer. Their job was done. The fact that the answer had a lot of moving parts that could get the brain killed in a spectacular accident was not their problem. “I need to sleep on this before we start trying to make it work,” said Clonus. He absorbed the clones and sat back down. The fact that he would be turning the tables on Assault by faking his death while outing the other villain appealed to him. He wondered what Assault would think when he wound up facing Tribe and anyone else who might show up after the theft. If he took some do-gooders with him, that would just leave the field even more open for a man with a brain and useful abilities. He might be able to take over a city and call it Cloneville. He decided that was taking things too far. The Leaguer would come down on him like a hammer on an egg shell. It was better to steal what you could and avoid the authorities where possible. And dealing with a suit of armor capable of blocking a tidal wave with a force shield was just asking for more trouble than he wanted to cause. And there were a lot of lesser do-gooders out there who just wanted a chance at taking him on like a scene from when Australia was the home of bush rangers like Ned Kelly. It was better to ply his trade under the notice of anyone who wanted to bring him in for trial. And being dead would throw Tribe off the scent. The only problem with the plan that he could see was what happened if Assault figured it out before he could execute his getaway. Bad feelings would be demonstrated with the use of hellfire applied to his person. He considered how he could move Tribe into the execution zone while he fled the scene in some kind of disguise. He smiled. As long as he kept one of his minions at the edge of his range, he could escape. Merging would bring them together across the distance. Dispersing any acting clones while it looked like he had been trapped and killed would convince the authorities that he was dead. Then he could steal again without anyone making the connection between what he could do with his powers. You didn’t have to smash and grab when you could just burgle a place. And burgling a place meant you generally didn’t have to fight the masked monkeys trying to stop you. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep. The clones would wake him up if he needed to say something more complex than ‘Get off my lawn!’

I don't have a title. I think the Big Blue Ape Affair would be okay CES

Abu el Khayr Hazim is at once one of the more powerful members of the Seven Pillars and the most limited. His ability is to pray for a helping hand from above. This can result in miracles if Hazim has sufficient need. If he doesn't, then he has to figure out how to handle things on his own. CES

Okay I took the Batman, and I'll take Green Lantern too. Gifted with the world's ultimate weapon, Hayseed McCoy likes to take it easy and spruce up his trailer and little lot in the hills of California. But when enraged, this goodnatured good old boy is a force of destruction second to none, powered by anger, and capable of anything he can imagine. CES

The monster known as the Dark Fangs descends from the night and attacks his victims before they know he was there. He leaves behind broken bodies and the fear that he might come back to ask them his one question: WHERE ARE MY PARENTS? CES

Poor Uni. Reduced to a pauldron CES

secret service 1938- 10 Inspector Hawley looked up from the paperwork on his desk. Catching Billy Bones with the gun that had killed a mass of his fellow countrymen, and foreigners touring the city, had been a stroke of luck. The case had been sent over to the Crown as part of business. Bones refused to finger who had hired him. There was no doubt that Mick Brown had ordered some of the hits he had carried out. The victims had been rival mobsters getting in Brown’s way. His phone rang. He wondered who was going to rain on his parade now. “Hawley,” he said into the receiver. “Hello, Inspector,” said the voice of his latest pain in the neck. “What do you want?,” said the inspector. “I have a lead,” said James Rafferty. “I need your help with it.” “Go ahead,” said Hawley. He pulled a notebook close and picked up his pen. “The man that I am chasing is driving Litner’s auto,” said Rafferty. “I was able to look inside the glove box for a moment.” “Are you sure?,” asked Hawley. He made a note to call down to the records bureau and get the license number. “Yes,” said Rafferty. “Also whomever it is, he doesn’t work for Brown. He tried to kill Brown as well as me.” “So we have a third party on this,” said Hawley. He shook his head. “And the connection is the failed murder case against Brown.” “I would say so,” said Rafferty. “Where was the car kept? I don’t remember a car at the home.” “I don’t either,” said Hawley. He looked at the files on his desk and pulled out the relevant one. “There was no mention of Litner owning a car from the file.” “So no one we talked to knew he owned one,” said Rafferty. He paused for a second. “And he had no family, or close friends?” “That’s what the interviews said,” said Hawley. “Obviously he had one true friend that wants to get back at the people who killed him. Good on you for that.” “I know,” said Rafferty. He paused as if considering something for the first time. “Wasn’t Litner in the Army?” “Yes,” said Hawley. “But you know his record will be guarded from outside agencies.” “I know somebody I can call,” said Rafferty. “Maybe he can get a look at the record and give me somewhere to go.” “If you’re wrong?,” said Hawley. “Then we’ve lost nothing since we have nothing,” said Rafferty. “That seems about right,” said Hawley. He scanned the file. He noted that there were bills for a storage company not far from the victim’s place of residence. “Try the Sure Lock Storage Company.” Hawley gave the address that went with the bill. “There were two receipts found for the place,” said Hawley. “It might be big enough for a car.” “Thanks,” said Rafferty. “I’ll check it out.” “All right,” said Hawley. “Let me know if you find anything. I have to talk to Billy Bones and then try to find more evidence to close his case on the docket.” “Talk to the girlfriend,” said Rafferty. “Maybe she will help you.” “Doubt it,” said Hawley. He looked at the file one more time before he closed it. “Be careful at this storage place. If the car is still being stored there, then the shooter is still visiting.” “Don’t worry,” said Rafferty. “I can take care of myself.” The line went dead. Hawley hung up the phone. He had nothing better to do. He could talk to Bones’s girlfriend and see if there was something to it. First, he had to talk to Bones. Maybe the man would give him something he could use. It couldn’t be a coincidence that his gun had been used to kill targets speaking out against the Jerries. Bones wasn’t political, so someone had paid him to operate on the side while he was still working for Brown. Did Brown know that? Would he care? More importantly, would he get rid of Bones just to erase a loose end when it had nothing to do with him? Hawley felt that Bones was as good as dead as soon as he entered a prison. He found a lack of concern a problem, but it was something he would have to deal with like he dealt with all of his problems. He would have a pint and play some darts until he felt better, or took everyone else’s money. That should put him right as rain so he could chase the next rabbit that came his way. Hawley walked down to the desk. He asked for the sergeant on duty to have the prisoner escorted to the interrogation room. He needed a talk with the man before he asked the lady in his life some questions. If he could prove the connection to the German Intelligence machine, he could export his problem to the Counterintelligence office at MI-5. They could share Bones with their fellow services. And maybe they would be able to crack Brown with their extralegality. He hoped their reasoning would follow his own, but there was no way to tell. Brown was a local problem. It was doubtful he would be a national security threat except under the most narrow of circumstances. Hawley walked down to the block that included the cells for people of interest and the interrogation room. He hoped he could wring some kind of clue from the prisoner so he could figure out what was going on. Rafferty’s ouster might have been a blessing in disguise. He could do things that the police couldn’t. If he kept pushing for answers on the outside, that might make it easier for Hawley to push from inside. He had been chasing Mick Brown for a long time. The man was as slippery as an eel. This latest trial where Corklin had stepped in and offered testimony to impugn Rafferty was just another in a line of dirty tricks. The problem was they couldn’t break the frame fast enough to clear Rafferty. And the higher ups didn’t want the frame broken at all. He wondered about that, but with Corklin dead, he had no way to fix things. Rafferty was considered just as guilty as if the charges had been proven beyond a doubt. He arrived at the interrogation room. He pushed open the door. Bones and his guards were already present. The two constables stood in the corners of the room. Bones sat the table. They had fitted him with manacles so he couldn’t attack any of them. Hawley thought that was a wise precaution. He sat down opposite the gunman. He leaned back in his chair. What could he say to get anything out of this man? Could he say anything? “What do you want?,” Bones demanded. “Nothing,” said Hawley. “I don’t believe that for a minute,” said Bones. “Why bring down the hall then?” “Maybe to see if you can still walk,” said Hawley. “Who shot you, Billy? Let’s start with that.” “It was some masked man,” said Bones. He tried to wave his hands but the manacles prevented wide movements. “He was wearing a uniform from the Great War and a union jack over his face. I thought I had him, but he shoots me in the leg, and takes off. The next thing I know this toff is handing me over to the peelers.” “You think this toff and the masked man could be the same man?,” asked Hawley. “No,” said Bones. “He was taller and he had a different car. I saw it when he left. The first car I shot at was gone.” “Your gun was tied to some killings, Billy,” said Hawley. “We’re in the middle of asking our counterparts across the channel how they want to handle this. We’re going to reserve the right to try you. That should take care of extradition.” “It was the masked man’s gun,” said Bones. “Really?,” said Hawley. “Yes,” said Bones. “He must have dropped it when he fled.” Hawley scratched his eyebrow. He frowned at the gunman. “So the masked man shoots you with the pistol we found you with, and drops it on you,” said Hawley. “Then he flees before the patrolmen can arrive.” “That’s right,” said Bones. “That’s stupid,” said Hawley. He leaned forward. “The bullet in your leg came from an old .38, the gun dropped was a .45, and your fingerprints are all over it and on the bullets. I think the masked man is a figment of your imagination. I think you tried to shoot some victim who decided that he would rather fight back, perhaps someone attached to Mick Brown, and you got shot. I think that’s a better explanation than some masked man, don’t you?” “That’s not what happened,” said Bones. “I told you the truth.” “Except about where the gun came from,” said Hawley. “Does Mick know you’re doing work on the side?” “No,” said Bones. “Why would I tell him that? He would want a cut.” “What do you think he’ll do now that you’re going away?,” said Hawley. “He’ll get another bully boy until I get out,” said Bones. “You don’t have a case except for that gun, and any explanation can be given for that with the right barrister.” “I’m going back to my office,” said Hawley. “I’m going to decide whether to cut you loose and pick up Mick Brown on your testimony, or see what the Crown prosecutor wants to do. They might second you over to Intelligence to see if our brothers can squeeze something out of you.” “You can’t do that,” said Bones. “I have rights.” “You killed twenty six people according to your gun,” said Hawley. “It will be my pleasure to turn you into a target and let whomever wants you have you. That would be a certain amount of justice in my opinion.” “What do you want from me?,” asked Bones. “Everything,” said Hawley. “I want to know who paid you, who got killed and why, how many more are in it with you, and everything else. If you got paper, I want that too.” “You can’t be serious,” said Bones. “I want it all, Billy,” said Hawley. “I want enough that if you die, I don’t have to dig up another pigeon.” “This could get me killed,” said Bones. “Don’t give me anything, and I will hang a noose around your neck and see who I can flush out with you as the bait,” said Hawley. Bones looked up with a hand over his face. “Don’t cry,” said Hawley. “It will go over a lot smoother.” “I hate you,” said Bones. “That’s no way to talk to your new best friend,” said Hawley. “I hate you even more,” said Bones. “Get Mr. Bones some paper, Constable Packard,” said Hawley. “As soon as we get something we can check and prove, we can talk about reducing the charges.” Constable Packard left the room. He returned with a pad and pen. “I would rather plead guilty and take my sentencing,” said Bones. “If it makes you feel better, you probably won’t get a trial,” said Hawley. He gestured for the other man to start writing. “Everything depends on what you tell us.” “No trial?,” said Bones. He started writing. “What does that get me?” “A bunch of nameless men talking to you about what you’ve done,” said Hawley. “Then a bullet in the back of the head when they don’t need you anymore.” “I would rather take my chances in prison,” said Bones. He frowned as he put down his confession. Hawley knew the prisoner had to get his assignments from somewhere. If Bones betrayed his handler, that would be another link in the chain. And once they picked that man up, they could see if he would tell them who he worked for until they reached the end of the line. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave him something to do while he waited on Rafferty to give him something else to chase. He didn’t like a masked man showing up while Rafferty was trying to gather enough evidence to stop a murderer. The timing was suspect in his mind. He would deal with Rafferty about it when this was over and done.

I'm sorry you're having problems, bud. CES

Post the rules when you're ready. CES

The Fridge emits ice as a weapon, but is also able to store any item inside himself without harm. Humans stored like this suffer frostbite CES

The Appliances are a third rate team of rogues that work together. Their schtick is household machinery gone bad. Who are these four budget bandits? CES

Jamie The Shoe Moden is a walking arsenal which she keeps in her pockets. She always has the right gadget or gun for the job. CES

We can do a whole team. We have Bolo and DT CES

Double Duece is a duplicating villain, but he doesn't duplicate himself. He duplicates equipment, and weapons. CES

The struggle is both within and without. Every man has to struggle with his devoutness, carrying out his duties, doing good. This is the greater most important struggle. The lesser struggle is dealing with others and things trying to affect the inner struggle in a terrible way. Conflict has become known for grappling with exterior problems and turning them aside from his fellow heroes. His skill with the martial arts and ability to turn an opponent's strengths against him has worked well for the Pillars in protecting their region of operation. CES

What has happened: The Red Ghost seeking to harness the powers of cosmic rays left in the body of the Blue Bolt and make more loyal super apes decides to kidnap the primates from the Idaville zoo and experiment on them. Cobalt Blue, with the warning of his cosmic awareness, and the aid of Lancelot Strong, creates the Blue Man Group to stop him. Blue and Blue Fox lobby for a more inclusive name as they aid in the search for the Red Ghost. naturally the threat is the energy from the Blue Bolt will unleash uncontrolled powers in people for miles around and not just in the primate test subjects. CES

I would like to pick the Red Ghost as my villain. CES

I would like to to option the Blue Fox, Captain Canuck's sidekick CES

I have to catch up tonight when I get home. CES