fandomtownies | The Even Meaner Streets of Fandom, Sunday Evening

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The Even Meaner Streets of Fandom, Sunday Evening

After their long, er, interlude, Katherine had been starving and with the mood Nikolai had been in, it hadn't taken much to convince him to try Cafe Fina across town. Sure it was pricey and after her mugging that afternoon there was no way that Katherine could cover it, but Nick didn't seem to be all that upset. It was just the kind of place you took a lady like Katherine. No booze, no drugs, no dames, not even a crooked card. Yeah, it was a hike from the hotel, but it was pretty much the only place that played it straight in the whole town.

The extra distance and extra price were worth it to show a lady a good time. To show a lady you could be civilized. Maybe even to show a lady there were better things in her future than going home to Connecticut once her sister was found.

For the first time since he kicked the dope habit, Nick found himself thinking about something other than justice, revenge, and Lady Dokkaebi. Thoughts about a fresh start. Hell, maybe even a future.

[For Lady D and her girls, please! Post written by

spin_kick_snap who set out to write Kathy and then apparently had her brain invaded by Gorgon. Crazy dame.]

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For her own part, Kathy also seemed to be in a lovely mood, happily chattering along to Nick about anything that caught her fancy. Her childhood in Connecticut, visits to her cousins in California every summer, her desire to go visit New York properly sometime and take in the sights.

All in all, it was a very pretty picture, unspoiled by the night's rain. Two young lovers, out for a walk in the evening, seemingly unaware of the hushed noises behind them or the shadows they'd gained as they walked ever closer to Dite's Decadent Delights.

And it had all been well and good, for the first few blocks. Nick wasn't about to complain, not even about the rain that seemed to soak into everything whether there was an umbrella in the picture or not.

In this case, it was 'or not.' As if Nikolai could afford to keep himself in umbrellas while living in a windy coastal city.

"You know, Kathy," he said, after a growing feeling of unease had settled firmly in his guts, "much as I'm enjoying the walk and all, there's something about this that doesn't feel right."

"Hee, you called me Kathy," Katherine said with a bright smile, before the rest of his words sank in. They were just passing the candy shop now, the one so fancy it should probably be spelled shoppe just to let everyone know the kind of treats and prices they'd find inside. "What? What's wrong?"

Rather than looking around the street at them, she craned her head up to catch Nick's eye. "Are you not feeling well?"

Silver slipped from the shadows, her eyes glinting with amusement. It was always such a pleasure to watch a professional.

One knife, polished to a shine that rivaled the wet streets, was in her hand, held confidently as she barred the way. The others were waiting.

"Well, hello."

Kenzi's giggle as she joined Jalian wasn't so much menacing as it was unnerving. Especially when she was flicking that ivory-encased lighter.

"Hello!" she echoed, beaming at Nikolai and Kathy. "Welcome to our patch."

A shadow darted overhead and there was Navaan, her fangs catching the streetlight enough to glimmer.

"Always nice for old friends to stop by. Been awhile since we saw you in the back room, hasn't it, Gorgon?"

Jessica reached into her hair and pulled out her hair clip, which was actually a handle with several razor spikes on it. She eyed it inquisitively, as if she was wondering where exactly it might go next. "If you'd just visit more often, we wouldn't have to throw surprise parties like this."

Nikolai's eyes were wide as he looked around at the ladies who seemed to be crawling out from the woodwork, not daring to make a reach for his .45, not while Katherine was still here, not while there was a chance she'd get caught up in whatever chaos would happen if he did.

"Funny thing about that," he said, his heart pounding in his chest so hard that he could hear the blood in his ears, "I'm getting older, you know. Not quite as interested in partying as I once was."

He shifted about, putting himself directly between Katherine and as many of the girls as possible.

"Run," he hissed, though it was likely loud enough to be heard throughout the otherwise empty street. "Run, Kathy, get out of here!"

"But Nikolai..." The sweet voice was indeed Katherine's, but never had he heard it infused with so much malice. Well, not from her, anyway. "...Why should I go? My friends all just got here. Isn't that right, girls?"

"Sure is," Silver answered. "The fun hasn't even started yet." She moved her knife so the shine from it glinted in Nick's eyes. "Nobody's leaving yet."

Kenzi was practically bouncing with delight. "Can I burn him, boss? Before he's dead? It's been ages and ages!" She snickered at the look on Nikolai's face. "He didn't have a clue! A clueless gumshoe!"

"He didn't suspect a thing!" Navaan cackled shrilly before pulling out a knife of her own. "She got him coming and going! Didja learn any good secrets, boss?"

Did Jessica just position herself slightly behind the others so that she wouldn't have to personally partake in any torture? That was probably a trick of the light.

"Hey, hey, let's be fair," Jessica said. "Our girl here is great at what she does. That doesn't make him a schmuck. It helps that he is a schmuck, but that doesn't make him a schmuck. But I'm sure he has some redeeming qualities."

"Gullibility is one," Lady Dokkaebi said silkily. "As is that damn noble streak you just can't get rid of, can you, Nikolai. Always a soft spot for a dame with a sob story." She laughed. "How close were you to checking Cracker Jack boxes for engagement rings, huh?"

She laughed again, then looked around the ring of girls. "Where's Raven?" she demanded, voice sharp. "I'd hate for her to miss this."

"Gonna be one hell of a show, is it?" Nick was reaching for his .45 now, trying to ignore the way it felt like somebody was sinking icy fingers into his chest and twisting. "Can't imagine why anyone would want to sit out on it. Maybe Lady D doesn't command the fierce loyalty they always say she does?"

That's right. Heap some more false bravado on. Be the Gorgon, now, until the bitter end. She didn't get to see him hurt. He wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

Before that hand got to his gun, it sprouted silver from both sides. Silver pulled another to replace that one and disarmed him less literally before he could try again.

"Maybe you should stick to what you know. Unlike loyalty."

"Raven will come back. She always finds home," Kenzi said confidently, unworried. She angled closer, the lighter flaring up in between hers and Nikolai's faces. "Be a shame to lose that pretty pretty face. Hate the jacket, though." She darted in, snake-fast, and lit the sleeve of Nikolai's jacket, face incandescent with joy.

"Last night she said she was going to visit the Count," Navaan said, inching away from the fire. "No fair," she complained. "How am I supposed to bite him now? Flame is not my best color!"

"Kenzi, you really need to wait until everyone's had their turn before setting people on fire," Jessica sighed. "Boss, can we let him die that out before it dies him out too early?"

Nikolai was already on top of that, thanks. As much as the searing pain of a knife through one hand made it difficult to want to do much of anything, being set on fire had a funny way of making a man react, too. Yes, by beating the flame out with his left hand. The blade through his right wasn't going to be terribly helpful if he had decided to peel himself out of his coat, instead.

"You want my expert opinion, this is just a really bad time in general," he ground out, reaching to cradle his bleeding hand by the wrist as blood dripped along the knife's edge. "I'd be up for rescheduling, actually..."

"See, Jessica? Nothing to worry about," Lady D said, smiling faintly. "Our Gorgon here is resourceful. How else do you think he lasted this long?"

She jerked her chin at Navaan, who nodded and darted away, back inside DDD's. "Actually, Gorgon, what if I did as you asked? What it I gave you a reprieve? Nothing too bad has happened to you yet--we can still make a deal. I'll even make Kenzi apologize for lighting you on fire."

She said nothing about Jalian and her knives though. For what were fairly obvious reasons.

Those knives were still at the ready, too. Both of the visible ones, once she moved forward and yanked the first one free. She'd taken his gun; she wasn't going to give him a knife. Other than that, she stood watching him and waiting, following her boss' lead.

That announcement got Lady D a wibbly-face from Kenzi, who sloooowly pulled her lighter back, flicking it off, glaring at Nikolai.

Really, Gorgon. You are such a tease.

Navaan came sauntering back up, carefully holding an opium pipe in her hands. The base still glowed cherry red from where it had been sitting in the flames and the sickly-sweet scent of opium wafted from the top.

It was all she could do not to take a hit off of it before passing it over to Lady D, but obedience was with her.

Besides, she'd get more if she behaved.

"Oh, what have we here?" Jessica asked playfully, taunting Nick.

It was an actual question, though. This was the proof she needed to put Lady D away. She just needed a little more for the courts!

"Oh, I think Nick knows what this is," Lady Dokkaebi said, smirking, watching the way Nick's eyes tracked the pipe. "I think he knows very well, don't you. You remember this, right? The sweetness? The dreams? I know for a fact you miss the way it would dull the pain in your leg, hmm?"

Her smile grew and curled, but her eyes stayed cold and flat.

"Give this whole thing up, Gorgon. Come back to where you know you belong. Come here, take up this...peace pipe...and we can forget this whole messy episode. You're smart. We can use a man like you. And besides..."

She leaned in to whisper, just out of arms reach even if he lunged, "Maybe you'll even get to see Kathy again? Who knows? Just say yes."

Somehow, the appeal of seeing Kathy again was dulled a bit by the fact that his arm was burned, his hand was bleeding profusely, and, oh, there were a bunch of cruel-faced dames around him, pretty much guaranteeing that he was going to be a dead man before morning.

Especially since when she offered him the pipe, offered him that temptation that he'd struggled so damn hard to beat down, to get off the streets after he'd suffered through the withdrawls, the only thing he could bring himself to do was the single most stupid thing he could have done in this situation.

"Go take a Mickey Finn, baby."

He spat right in Dokkaebi's face.

Silver stepped back up, grabbed his bleeding hand, and forced him to his knees. If he tried to get up again...well, that was what the knife at his throat was for.

"You'll show respect," she ordered.

"Respect!" Kenzi parroted, jittering closer, then whispering to Jalian, "Cut 'em!"

If she wasn't supposed to hurt him, someone had to.

Even Navaan was snarling now, and showing her teeth. She kicked him hard in the side, trusting in Jalian's grip to hold him steady.

"Don't you fucking touch her!"

"What do you think, boss?" Jessica asked, pulling her daggers back, ready to strike. "You giving the order to off this piece of trash?"

Dokkaebi wiped the spittle off her face.

"In a minute," she said--before throwing the contents of the pipe directly into Nikolai's eyes.

Well, so much for the Gorgon going out with dignity. Because what was happening now involved an awful lot of screaming. Screaming and trying to clutch at the searing pain that was burning at his eyes.

One final hit of dope. There could have been more pleasant ways to take it.

God, he couldn't see. He couldn't see.

Silver grabbed his other hand, too, holding him there until and unless she got the nod from the boss.

If she looked particularly satisfied, well - nobody got away with disrespecting the Lady.

Snarling, Navaan leapt for him, her knife aiming for him throat. She wasn't even thinking about the waste of good opium. "Has it been a minute yet?"

"Just about," Jessica said, reaching behind her back. It was do or die time, on more than on level.

"Kill him," Lady Dokkaebi gave the order with no more feeling than she would the pick-up of a shipment of opium. "And make it painful. And lingering."

"That's all I needed to hear," Jessica said, pulling her gun and badge from their hiding place. Where did she hide anything with a dress that tight? Hint - she was actually skinny. Those curves were government issue.

"Lady Dokkaebi and her girls, you are under arrest for drug smuggling, drug selling, extortion, use of opium as a blinding implement, and now conspiracy to commit murder under my authority as an Agent of the United States Government. Hands in the air, ladies!"

For once, Lady Dokkaebi's face betrayed something other than satisfaction. Her brow furrowed and her jaw dropped. "You?" she sputtered. "You're a G-man?! A G-Man infiltrated my gang?"

There was clearly only one way to handle this.

"Kill her!" she screamed shrilly. "She knows too much!"

Given the choice between a blind, one-handed man writhing in pain and a standing, armed traitor...

Silver shoved Nikolai aside and went for Jessica in a blur of motion.

Kenzi stopped to aim a kick at Nikolai's side, then turned to gang up on Jessica, lighter already flickering.

"You rotten dirty fink of a Fibbie! !@#()%*)^_!" And various other curses in Russian.

Jessica had US Government Agent training and was pretty quick on her feet. Kenzi was an easier shot, so she took aim and fired at the shoulder connected to the arm holding up the hand grasping the lighter, then she turned to sock Silver in the face with an open palm strike while she held her badge. If it connected, it would make quite an impression on Silver...'s forehead.

That's what she called her Palm of Justice, Trademarked with the US Patent Office!

Navaan wanted nothing more than to leap in the fray and sink her fangs into the red, white, and the blue of Jessica. However, she'd been hired to keep Lady D safe and that was always going to be her first priority.

"Lady!" she said, scooping her up into her arms. "Save some for me, girls! I'm going to bite out her throat!"

And then she was running for Dite's Decadent Delight.

Which more or less left Nick writhing on the ground gasping like a fish on the shoreline, one hand clawing at the burning opium in his eyes, the other still bleeding freely, grasping at what was almost certainly a cracked rib.

He'd be thrilled to know that the feds were in on this whole Dokkaebi thing and that the trap that had been sprung on him had been enough to incriminate Lady D with solid evidence and all, except for that whole 'blind in the gutter' thing. Still a step up from dead, sure. But currently, he was having difficulty appreciating this.

"OW!"

Kenzi did not appreciate that at all, Jess. What did she ever to do you? Waitaminit, why did Navaan get to leave?

"SUCK-UP!"

Goddamnit, that ... hurt... "I AM NOT GONNA PASS OUT!"

But she was going to fall down and crawl over to try and trip Jessica.

Jessica's fleet feet of freedom helped her hurdle her fallen foe as she hurried over to swoop Nikolai up in her arms.

"Don't worry, kid, Uncle Sam will give you a shiny new medal for your sacrifice here today!" Jessica said. "Now let's go get those mobster madames!"

And the chase... was on.

TO BE CONTINUED

Will Jessica and her Palm of Justice be able to catch up with the eeeevil Lady Dokkaebi? Did Katherine really feel nothing at all for the stalwart Gorgon? What really happened to Bruce Wayne? Will Kenzi get any of the dough?

Find out next time on....FANDOM NOIR!

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The Even Meaner Streets of Fandom, Sunday Evening

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