Chapter Thirteen
As cops tried to make sense of the chaos in the Target, Riot got on his motorcycle and sped off, clearly hurt from his fight with the assassin.
While he was doing that, Thomas called 911 to help James, and the ambulance came shortly after.
Thomas: Sorry, bud, I failed us this time.
James: No...no...who could possibly have expected this? You did great, man.
Thomas: No. I haven't.
He felt great disappointment in himself. He thought he was setting a trap and he'd been trapped himself. It was a horrible situation, and many cops had surely lost their lives in the attack.
Thomas walked over to Ricardo, who was looking just as troubled as he was.
Ricardo: Sorry, I, this is my fault. I wanted us to focus on the vigilante so badly that I forgot all about the other problem.
Thomas: No, it's on me. I didn't see this coming. I got sloppy.
He put an arm on Ricardo's shoulder.
Thomas: But thanks to you, we now know we have not only a vigilante but an "assassin" as well.
Ricardo: ...Thank you, Captain.
Thomas nodded and went inside. Many cops lay injured or dead, and Officer Maria was trying to help Officer Troy, who was dying.
Troy: Captain...I...I'm sorry. I've failed you.
Thomas knelt down next to him.
Thomas: No, no, Troy. I...I'm sorry for failing you.
Troy: No, you, you'll catch 'em...both of them. I...know you will.
His eyes grew still, and Thomas looked down with a sad look. Maria had tears in her eyes.
Maria: W.. what do we do now?
Thomas: We find that bastard and his little "date." They have lots to answer for. They will.
Riot lay in an alley a few blocks from the scene. He was very tired and beaten up. He checked the time and saw it was 12:45 a.m., and remembered:
Riot: That party! My parents!
But the weight of the previous actions, and his failure to stop the criminals or the assassin, bore heavy on him.
Riot: I...lost...she got away...
But while he was busy sulking in the alley, he heard a noise.
"Hey, leave her alone!"
He perked up, confused.
Riot: What...?
"Help! Someone help!"
The voice was male. It sounded like...a kid?
It was coming from the alley nearby. Riot got on his motorcycle and went to check it out, albeit with great difficulty.
He saw a teenage kid with messy black hair, glasses, fair skin, and brown eyes protecting a teenage girl, a brown-haired girl with hazel eyes, lighter skin, and a scared look on her face, from some masked criminal. The criminal wore a hood like the ones from Target.
Boy: Leave her alone! She didn't do anything to you!
Man: Step aside, kid. Your little girlfriend got an expiration date, and it's now.
Girl: I'm sorry, I didn't do anything! Please!
Man: Don't make this harder than it has to be.
Girl: Please, I'll do anything—-
Riot rushed to the scene, but was moving slowly due to his injuries, and the girl was shot in the head by the man. The boy collapsed to the ground in devastation.
Boy: N—no!
He rose up in shock, disbelief, grief, and, most of all: anger.
Boy: I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!
The boy lunged at the man, but it was clear he had never been in an actual fight before in his life. The man punched the kid in the face and prepared to shoot him too. Riot moved quickly.
He shot the man in the arm and the back three times, acting on instinct. The man collapsed to the floor, dead.
Boy: Wha—?
Riot: Damn it! I didn't mean to...
He seemed clearly upset about killing someone, even if he did save the kid's life. Now two people had died, even though he wanted zero casualties.
The boy looked up with a mix of emotions: relief, confusion, fear, and a hint of gratitude.
Boy: W—who are you?
Riot: Uh, my name...is Riot. I'm sorry about your girlfriend.
The boy stood up. He held his girlfriend's body in his arms. Riot turned to leave, even more disappointed in himself. The boy, now in tears, called out to him.
Boy: Wait—t...thank you.
Riot nodded and kept walking.
Boy: Wait, my name's Andy!
Riot: Oh, nice name.
Andy: You, you saved me!
He clutched her body tighter.
Andy: Let me help you! She's...she needs, I... I have to avenge her...
Riot knew that feeling all too well.
Riot: I...you have it. The man...he's dead.
Andy: He was just a goon! The guy who ordered it...he has to pay!
The kid sounded determined. Riot was on his bike now, but he felt a bit conflicted. The kid just lost his girlfriend, after all.
Riot: My...the way I live...you...you don't understand it.
Andy: I. Want. To. Help.
He stood, his girlfriend in his arms. Riot looked the kid up and down.
Riot: Sorry, but I can't...
The kid set his girlfriend down and punched Riot in the face. It hurt his hand, but he didn't care.
Andy: I need justice.
As he gently picked back up his girlfriend, Riot was impressed by his audacity. He took a moment to think.
Riot: Fine, I—guess it couldn't hurt. Tomorrow afternoon, visit this address.
He gave the kid his address, and Andy nodded.
Riot: And...sorry...about what happened. Please...let her parents know.
It seemed like he was speaking from experience. Andy seemed to pick that up. With that, Riot drove off, back to his house, back to the party.
He went into his trademark alleyway, changing into his normal clothes in his backpack, leaving his motorcycle in the back, and putting his Riot suit in the bag.
He saw Mr. Joe outside.
Mr. Joe: Demetrius, it's mad late, kid! What were you doing outside for so long?
Demetrius: Oh, uh—
The teen seemed like he was having a rough day and was slightly limping, and Mr. Joe showed concern.
Mr. Joe: What the hell happened to you?
Demetrius: I...got jumped.
Fighting that assassin did feel like fighting multiple people.
Mr. Joe: By who? Who did it?
Demetrius: Uh, just some local bullies.
Mr. Joe: Where are they at? I'll teach them a—
Demetrius: It's okay.
He walked inside, and Mr. Derrick was on the phone again, arguing with a resident about the party noise.
Mr. Derrick: Yes! It's being handled right now as we speak! Yes, I know it's been going on for a while! It's going to be solved now!
He saw Demetrius.
Mr. Derrick: Oh, Demetrius...
Demetrius checked the time; it was 1:02 a.m....
Demetrius: Oh no...
Mr. Derrick: Yeah, getting teens out is harder than it looks; you should probably head up.
He did, taking the elevator. When he arrived at his door, he unlocked it and found kids preparing to leave; when he saw why, his heart stopped.
Tiara: Young man, you are in big trouble!
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
Chapter Fourteen
Demetrius had been caught. He opened the door and saw a mother ready to pounce, along with kids scrambling to get out of the house. Some of them congratulated him on the party, however.
Bryant: Thanks for letting us party at your house, man!
Robert: Yeah, real dope, even if you did leave halfway through!
Dominic: Yeah, this place was lit!
But one look from Tiara got them all in that elevator. Demetrius had a stiff look on his face. Once all the kids were gone, Tiara eyed him sharply.
Tiara: Demetrius! What were you thinking? Having a party? With all those random kids? Since when were you a party teen?
He couldn't tell his mother the reason why he let them use the house was so he could spy on that suspicious Diamond girl because that would all but give away that there was more to him than meets the eye. Speaking of Diamond, he didn't see her or any of her friends leave, and neither Aurora, for that matter.
Demetrius: Sorry, I uh—-I just wanted to do something nice.
Tiara: Son! That was not nice! That was reckless, and now we have lots of complaints! And you left them unsupervised?
She looked into the hallway.
Tiara: Darius! Get your ass out here! Now!
Darius burst out of the couple's bedroom, munching on some popcorn.
Darius: Yes, honey?
Tiara: Can't you see, our son is changing on us!
Darius: Wait, what?
Demetrius: Sorry Mom, it won't happen again...
Tiara: No, it won't, because you're grounded!
Demetrius was surprised by this. He had never seen his mother this mad before.
Demetrius: Mom...
Tiara: No "mom"! You're grounded for a week, young man. No leaving the house! No TV, and no partying!
And with that, she left into her and Darius's bedroom.
Darius: You'll have to excuse your mom, son. After the last time a party was in this house, she's been more on edge...
Demetrius: I know...
Darius: Plus, all the neighbors were pretty mad.
Demetrius: Yep, I'm sure...
Darius: But hey, look on the bright side! Did you find you a girl?
Unfortunately for him, no. All he found was that an assassin wanted him dead, the cops wanted him in jail, he was going to be a bigger target for killing someone, even if he did save a kid's life, and now he had to put up with said kid because he's bent on revenge. There was no bright side. And hell, he didn't even get to investigate Diamond, but she and her friends were all black, and one of them could be a killer...and that Aurora girl, he couldn't
even start on how weird it was for the mayor's daughter to just be in public like this.
Demetrius: Sorry, no.
Darius: One day, son, one day.
He went into the bedroom. Demetrius was a bit surprised by how well he took his son having a party and leaving the said party in between. Sometimes, fathers knew best. Maybe he'd been in that situation before, a party man.
Well, his TV was parental locked, so she was serious about the no TV. No video games or horror movies for a week. At least he still had his phone. And computer. And life.
He got in bed, hurt both mentally and physically, and exhausted. Today had been a long day, a rough day. So much death...
He drifted off to sleep, and when he woke up, his mother was in the kitchen, drinking coffee.
Demetrius: Oh, you aren't working today..?
Tiara: No. I'm going to stay home and make sure you don't leave this house.
Demetrius: Oh...okay.
This was going to be a long week. She left him a plate of eggs on the table. That's how you knew she was mad. No bacon or waffles to go with it.
Later on, Demetrius was playing a basketball game on his phone when he got a call from Mr. Derrick.
Mr. Derrick: Hey, I got a kid named "Andy Stevenson" down here, he says he's here for some guy who told him to show up in the afternoon. I tried a bunch of the other condos, but they didn't know what the hell I was talking about. You know anything about this?
Demetrius: Oh, yeah, you can send him up.
That was a bad idea. His mother was heated and on his case, plus this kid would immediately find out his identity, which he really needed to keep secret, but the kid seemed brave, and Demetrius could use some eyes during his "imprisonment," so he decided it couldn't hurt to try.
Soon after, he heard a knock on his door. Before he could even leave his room, Tiara got it for him.
Tiara: And who are you?
Andy: Oh, uh, I'm—-
Demetrius: Mother, he's here for me...
Tiara: Aren't you grounded, pal?
Demetrius: Mother...I'm teaching the kid art.
Andy: Hu—-
Demetrius shot him a look.
Tiara: Oh, really?
Andy: Oh, yeah! Love me some art!
Tiara: Fine, you've got two hours.
She walked back to her spot in the kitchen and kept drinking her coffee.
Demetrius: Follow me.
The confused kid hesitated but followed him to his bedroom, where Demetrius quietly locked his door.
Andy: So, are you tied to that guy that saved me last night—-
Demetrius opened his bag, and Andy saw the suit.
Andy: You're the guy? The "Riot" guy?
Demetrius: Yeah?
Andy: But you're young! You, how old are you?
Demetrius: Uh, freshly 18...
Andy: I'm 15! You're like, only three years older! I thought you were like a seasoned vet!
Demetrius: Nope. But I'm Demetrius, by the way.
Andy: Well, nice to meet you, Demetrius? Riot? Which do you prefer to go by?
Demetrius: Uh...
Andy: Anyway, let's go out there and find the man who ordered my girlfriend dead.
Demetrius: I...uh...can't leave my house. Remember? She said I'm grounded.
Andy: Why don't you just sneak out? Haven't you done that before?
Demetrius: Yeah but, either the receptionist or the doorman will see me and tell her, then it's my ass.
Andy groaned.
Andy: Well, how long are you grounded for?
Demetrius: A week.
Andy: A week?
Demetrius: Yep, she caught me ditching house while having a party in here, even if it wasn't my idea, but still. I'm just grateful it wasn't more.
Andy: Why did you have a party then, if it wasn't your idea?
Demetrius: Because it was some weird girl named Diamond, like hanging around the football captain out of the blue, that I've never seen before, so I decided I would allow the party to investigate her.
Andy: So you, you're like a detective?
Demetrius: Aspiring detective...
Andy: Well, did you find anything out?
Demetrius: Well, she did seem to be around Aurora quite a bit.
Andy: And who is that?
Demetrius: She's the mayor's daughter? You didn't know?
Andy: Well, no, because I didn't have eyes for any girls but MINE!
Tiara heard the noise.
Tiara: Is everything okay in there, or do I need to come in?
Demetrius: Everything is fine, Mother!
Tiara: Mkay.
Andy: Sorry...about that. Anyway, keep going.
Demetrius: Well, she also seemed pretty brave. She kissed the football captain with no hesitation, and she had the audacity to knock on my door.
Andy: Okay. Is that all?
Demetrius: Yeah, I mean, other than the fact that she's a bit weird when she's drunk...
Andy: So, what's your take on her?
Demetrius: I think she might be a gang-leading assassin, that's what I think.
Andy had a puzzled look.
Andy: Well, what makes you say that with no proof? An assassin? Like, what the hell? Assassins don't just appear out of thin air...
Demetrius: So they didn't put it on the news?
Demetrius quickly checked his phone. Sure enough, no mention of a shootout, an assassin attack, or his appearance as Riot at the scene and their plan to catch him. They must have been attempting to keep this all under wraps.
Demetrius: Sigh. Of course. Well, listen. Last night, before I came across you, the cops tried to catch me.
Andy: They discovered your existence?
Demetrius: I guess two captured criminals were enough to get them suspicious enough, but now it's confirmed.
Andy: Yeah, that probably would be bad. Even though I'm glad you killed that one bastard, the cops will likely see it as murder...
Demetrius: Yep. And their trap backfired on them because some masked guys turned the lights off and opened fire on the cops, killing and wounding lots of them.
Andy: Attack on law enforcement? That's serious...some kind of planned assault?
Demetrius: I don't know. For a while now, it seems cops have been being targeted. I don't know why, and I don't know by who.
Andy: Mmm...so this wasn't just random.
Demetrius: No, cops received a note after some mugger I caught got shot in one of their cars.
Andy: I saw that on the news, not the note part, but the mugger.
Demetrius: Yeah. Anyway, that assassin was there, and by the way, I'll just let you know now, females are way more dangerous than you think.
Andy: You lost the fight to her?
Demetrius: First off, she knew what the hell she was doing, and second, I like to call it a draw since I did manage to get her to back off. Plus, another dangerous female is my mom; when she gets mad, she gets mad.
Andy sighed.
Andy: Noted.
Demetrius: But, like I said. I got suspicions on Diamond.
Andy: Why her specifically?
Demetrius: Because she's black. Now I know this sounds a bit weird, but the outfit the assassin was wearing showed a bit of her thighs, and that gave her skin color away. So, not only is she black, but she's confident enough that she thinks it doesn't matter that her race is revealed.
Andy: Okay, okay, so what should I do?
Demetrius: I, let me think. Since I'm grounded, there isn't anything I can do.
Andy: Oh, I got a plan!
Demetrius: Which is?
Andy: I do online school! How about, on Monday, I camp outside of her school and try and follow her to see if I can confirm your suspicions? She goes to your school, right?
Demetrius: Yeah, she does, Stuy High. That...isn't a bad plan unless she really is the assassin and kills you for following her.
Andy: C'mon, if she is, then she wouldn't give away her identity that easily would she?
Demetrius: I don't know, it's a risky plan, but you can try...
Andy: Don't worry, it should work; either she is your assassin, or she isn't.
Andy had another thought.
Andy: (Thinking) And maybe that assassin might be the one who had my girlfriend killed.
END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
Chapter Fifteen
Cassie Jenkins was at a bar called The Dead Rabbit with her friends, Grace Miller and Sophia Harrison, on Saturday night.
Cassie: So, what do you girls want?
Grace: The Irish Coffee, please.
Sophia: Some whiskey.
Cassie: Guess I'll check out the punches.
While they were doing that, her father texted her.
Ricardo: (Text) Honey...I...have to tell you something.
Cassie: (Text) Yeah?
Grace: Oou, who you texting?
Cassie: My dad...I'm really supposed to be home right now since he wanted to give me a curfew!
Sophia: Girl, you are grown! Don't let him boss you around!
Cassie: I know, I know.
Another message popped up.
Ricardo: (Text) The...you were right. The vigilante is definitely real.
Cassie: (Text) I told you!
Cassie had an I-told-you-so look on her face.
Grace: What's with the look?
Cassie: Well, I've kinda been keeping a secret from you guys...
Sophia: What secret?
Cassie told them about the mugger, the vigilante who stopped it, and the name he gave himself. She also told them about how the cops tried to investigate his existence, and the questions they asked her.
Sophia: ...Woah.
Grace: Woah, indeed. Normally, I wouldn't believe you with this, but your dad is a cop...
Sophia: Why haven't we heard about this?
Cassie: Don't know. The mugger news didn't mention him at all.
Grace: Duh. If they did, we would know.
Sophia: The whole world would.
Cassie: Maybe they don't want the world to know or something?
Grace: Well, how about we tell the world?
Sophia: What do you mean?
Grace: Like a blog, forum, something! If he's real, we should be able to find him, right? I assume he is a guy, though...right?
Cassie: Seemed like it, but a blog?
Sophia: Yeah, how would we go find him?
Cassie: He did come when I was in danger, but I'm not a fan of endangering myself in on purpose for this scheme.
Grace: Oh, come on! We tell people, and then we could set up like a fake robbery or something! Then we can see if he comes!
Cassie: Well...
They had no clue the cops had already tried that.
Meanwhile...
Dominic was playing 2K at his house, still a bit hungover from the party yesterday. He was on the game with Cody, matching up against each other, with Dominic using the Lakers and Cody using the Warriors. They used their headsets to talk trash to each other.
Dominic: Swish!
Cody: Luck.
Dominic: Is that hating, I hear?
Cody: You're not him; this must be set to the lowest difficulty.
They played some more, with Dominic winning 105-100. Cody got off to go to sleep, and Dominic decided to get some food.
He wanted to Uber it at first, but the delivery fee and added taxes made it too high for him to pay, so he tried plan B.
Dominic: Mom!
His mother, Eliana, was watching TV in her room.
Dominic: Can we go get some food?
Eliana: Here. I'll give you some money, and you can go and take your dad's car to get some pizza or something.
His dad was in the shower. Good thing he wasn't listening.
Dominic: Okay.
Since he lived in the Financial District, he decided to go drive to and order from Joe's Pizza. As he ordered a pepperoni pizza, he walked outside and saw some ladies filming themselves in public.
Grace: So, guys, we are here to question this lucky guy about our mysterious friend!
They seemed a bit drunk. They walked up to some random man eating some pizza and stuck the phone right in his face.
Guy: Lady, get that damn phone out of my face!
And the flashlight was on.
Grace: So, have you heard of Riot?
Guy: Listen, girl, it's gonna be a riot if you don't—
Grace: No? No gunslinging vigilante stopping by to save you?
Guy: What are you talking about?
The other two didn't seem to share the first one's...well...
Cassie: I don't think he knows...maybe we should go...
Sophia: Yeah, this was a bad idea...
Grace: Oh, stop being wussies!
Guy: Yeah, forget this.
And he left. Grace had a disappointed look on her face, while the other two seemed like they wanted to disappear. The commotion got the attention of bystanders.
Man: The heck do y'all got going on?
Lady: I heard her say something about a vigilante?
Grace jumped at the attention.
Grace: Yes! Yes! A vigilante is protecting our dear New York City! His name is Riot!
Dominic was completely confused. As he walked back into the store and got his finished pizza, Grace noticed him during her rant.
Grace: Aww, aren't you adorable? Do you know anything about a vigilante named Riot?
Dominic: Look, no, I just want to get my pizza and...
He heard a voice call out to him.
Voice: Dominic?
When he looked to his left, he saw someone walking towards him.
Aurora: What are you doing here?
Dominic: Ms. Mayor? Why are you walking here at night? Your home is way up in that Mansion on the Upper East Side!
Aurora: I like pizza—
The crowd noticed the mayor's daughter. Unsurprisingly, they advanced on her like some fans.
Man: Hey Ms. Mayor!
Lady: Hey, I'm so glad to meet you!
Man: You kid, you know the mayor's child?
Dominic: Oh, uh...
The crowd became more overwhelming, and Grace was now joining, phone in hand.
Grace: Hey guys, I'm here with the actual daughter of the MAYOR himself! Aurora Tyler!
People gathered all around the girl.
Aurora: Well, nice to meet you all...I hope you're having a good day!
Guy: Of course, it's better now that we get to meet you!
Girl: You're so cool, and you're so pretty!
This was getting ridiculous, but lots of bodyguards immediately appeared behind Aurora and blocked off fans.
Dominic: Damn, guess she stuck out last night or something.
Aurora: Thank you, thank you, I'm just here to get some pizza if you all would let me, please?
Guy: Of course! Anything!
Time to go.
Dominic got in his car, after giving Aurora a wave. He rolled his window down as he drove past her.
Dominic: See you Monday!
Aurora: Yeah, see you!
As Dominic pulled off, bodyguards had to basically fight so the girl could get into Joe's Pizza.
Bodyguard: Back UP!
When she went it, she got pepperoni and mushrooms, and the store made sure to make it extra fast for her. The crowd was watching outside, but Grace managed to fight to the front, to the annoyance of her friends.
Grace: Hey, miss!
As Aurora got her food and left, she was met with a camera in her face that a bodyguard smacked 20 feet away.
Grace: Wow, what the hell!? I just wanted to ask her about the vigilante!
Bodyguard: Back up, girl!
Aurora: What vigilante?
Grace: You know, Riot, the one—-
Aurora was quickly escorted back down the street to her limo and was driven home. On the way, she asked her driver, Mr. Vincent, a question that had been plaguing her the whole ride.
Aurora: Do you think vigilantes are real? One girl out there told me—
Mr. Vincent: Just some loser trying to get attention. Don't worry about what she says.
Aurora: Are you sure?
Mr. Vincent: Yes. There aren't any vigilantes in real life.
Aurora: Okay...
She went back to her home: The Gracie Mansion. Her dad was outside waiting for her.
Mayor Tyler: Aurora! You left without my permission?
Aurora: Sorry...
END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN.