[12 March 2004]
{Arnold Flass has spent his entire career in the New York Police Department as a hatchetman for Commissioner Leob.}
On a Friday afternoon in Brooklyn, a green mustang with a police siren speeds past a zebra crossing scaring the pedestrians about to cross. It takes a sharp left turn down an intersection.
{Shaking down small-time crooks, collecting payoffs from the ringleaders so they can keep their 'Business Licenses' for our fair city.}
The car stops in front of a run-down building with police tape across the front door and the windows boarded.
{...And, along with the cops and other detectives, Flass rules like a sadistic Prince...Bringing otherwise honest lawmen to the Leob point of view.}
The driver's side of the car door opens and a stocky 6'1" blonde-haired man emerges. He is wearing aviators, a white polo shirt, brown slacks, and dress shoes.
{That's him...Large as life and twice as ugly.}
Flass walks to the front door and rips off the police tape. A scruffy-looking blonde-haired homeless teen sleeping by the side of the door wakes up from the noise and immediately sees Flass and grabs onto his pant leg and asks "...Mister spare three dollars for a sandwich,".
{Red Mahaffey tells me his Boss, Roman Sionis, wants Flass to use his network in the Department to help Sionis put the whole NYPD in his pocket.}
"Piss off, you little shit," Flass says and kicks the teen in the face. He walks into the building leaving the teen behind whimpering in pain.
{Flass uses this Bodega for private business, things he doesn't want Leob to know about.}
The teen gets up from the ground and follows Flass into the building. He looks around at the ruined state of the interior for a moment and then continues following behind, he hides behind a shelf listening to a conversation. "...Don't know about this, Flass, seems like I'm taking all the risk..." A gruff voice says. "Yeah, but you'll be a made man in New York, Dumpler," Flass says.
{Looks like Flass is recruiting more monsters for my city.}
"Trust me, you do this and you earn the undying goodwill of a grateful police population...And a free pass to start your own operation here in Brooklyn," Flass offers Dumpler. The teen peaks and his eyes widen in shock when he sees Dumpler a 6'6" large, burly man with an egg-shaped bald head dressed in a red undershirt and blue overalls. "Not sure...Still on the fence about this..." Dumpler says not convinced.
The teen hears the door open and immediately disappears into the shadows of the poorly lit room. A man enters the building and says "Hurry it up Flass!". The teen sneaks past the man and exits the building.
{Dumpler... It's too early to show my hand to Flass. He's well known for his resistance to intimidation, confronting him here and now will lead me nowhere.}
"Glitch, find everything you can about an extremely large man that goes by the name 'Dumpler'." Robin says walking into an alleyway and placing a mini cloaking device that makes the area where he puts on his suit invisible. *On it... Damn, he's big, wait I didn't mean like that. I mean his big as in his a large--*, "Glitch!" Robin growls. *Sorry...His name is Humphrey Dumpler. His police record is quite lengthy... His file indicates he works strictly as hired muscle. And his all brawn and no brain.*. "Thanks," Robin says and grapples up the building.
{Flass undoubtedly sees Dumpler as the ideal patsy, and I doubt Dumpler knows about the entire scope of Flass' plan... Flass is my only way in.}
--Line Break--
{I've spent all day watching Flass collect payoffs from small-time hoods. Now I know why. It's Poker night...And Flass does keep some interesting company.}
Robin sits on a gargoyle watching the window of the apartment complex across from him where he can see Flass and three other men sitting around a table playing poker.
{I recognize them all. D.A.'s office, internal affairs, organized crime division...All corrupt.}
Robin looks away from the window and looks down below him and sees a person with surveillance equipment also spying on Flass. "Guess I'm not the only one watching Flass tonight," Robin mumbles to himself. He sees the person take out a radio and starts speaking into it. Robin scans all radio frequencies within a radius of the two buildings and catches a signal.
*Everyone keep in mind that two of these men are NYPD detectives and most likely armed. Stay out of a firefight at all costs. I need them all in one piece.*. Robin groans silently in irritation upon hearing the familiar voice of Captain Lucas Gordon. The man has been after him ever since he started being Robin and has been giving Detective Goodman a hard time for associating with Robin. *On my mark...Move! Move! Move!*
Robin watches as a black van comes to a halt in front of the apartment complex and a squad of fully geared and armed police officers jump out the back and enter the building.
{If Flass is forced out of the picture it could flush a larger player out into the open...Let's see how this plays out.}
Robin watches as the police storm into the room and Flass and his friends raise their hands. A few cops move around the room searching for something and then later Captain Gordon walks into the room and starts speaking to Flass. Flass pulls out a revolver aiming it at Gordon and all the other cops aim their weapons at Flass and they are in a standoff. "I think that's about enough," Robin says jumping off the gargoyle grappling, and swinging to the window.
Robin smashes through the window kicking Flass in the back of the head and knocking him out. Robin doesn't waste time and quickly takes down the squad of cops with ease, except for Gordon. "Don't" Gordon warns holding a gun to Robin's head. "Your welcome," Robin says unfazed by the gun pointed at his head. "I'll thank you at the arraignment, Vigilante," Gordon sneers. "Perhaps," Robin drawls.
Robin takes him by surprise by slapping the gun out of his hand, palm strikes him in the throat and then hits him in the back of the head knocking him out. Robin watches him fall unconscious and then glances around the room at the other unconscious cops and then sighs, "Guess I need to have another chat with Mahaffey,"
--Line Break--
{We were supposed to meet here but I see no sign of Mahaffey. I don't smell fresh smoke. Looks like I was stood up.}
Robin stands in a dark alley looking around for signs of Mahaffey. "urrggh" Robin hears a familiar voice moaning in pain from behind a dumpster. "Mahaffey?" Robin calls out walking towards the dumpster and seeing Mahaffey lying on the ground bleeding from four bullet holes to the chest.
{Too much blood loss. Not much I can do for him. And even less he can do for me.}
Robin sighs and crouches next to the dying man and takes out a syringe, "Mahaffey. Who did this to you?". Mahaffey moans in pain and answers back weakly, "Dumpler... Flass sent him... But we both know... Who's pulling the strings." He chuckles weakly. Robin sighs and injects him with the syringe, "This will help with the pain. It's all I can do,"
Mahaffey sighs a bit relief from the pain subsiding, "Alexandra Dent... Dumplers going to take her,". Robin nods his taking in the information.
{Of course, kidnapping Dent's sister will keep the D.A. off the campaign trail. He's a staunch Loeb supporter. His absence could be enough to sway the votes to his opponents.}
Mahaffey groans in pain and says "I'm no angel... But never hurt a woman... Don't think much... Gahh... of a man that does... Vigilante?" Mahaffey grabs onto his hand and takes a final breath and dies. Robin closes his eyes and says softly, "You're right, Mahaffey, you were no angel. But you may have just saved Alexandra Dent's life," Robin gets up from his crouch position ready to leave.
"Vigilante!" A voice shouts gaining Robin's attention. He turns and sees a police helicopter above shining a light on him, he sees two police cars pull in at opposites sides of the alley traping him inside. He sees a number of cops on rooftops surrounding the alley with their scopes on him. "You're surrounded. Lie face down on the ground and put your hands on your head,"
{Nice move, Sionis. You have Dumpler kill Mahaffey knowing I would most likely find the body, and then, you drop a quick call to the police. They'll be more than happy to pin this on me.}