by Alex Siegel
"Dog fighting." He curled his lip in disgust.
"Let's get a little closer," Ipo said.
The team threaded between wrecked cars as they crept towards the building. Annoyingly bright lights made Hanley feel exposed. Before joining the Society, he hadn't liked darkness much, but lately, he had acquired a taste for it. There was something comforting about a nice, dark shadow.
His palms itched, and he scratched them unconsciously. The patches of irritated skin had a leathery feel.
The team got close enough to get a good look through a window. The building was a warehouse, and tall shelves full of car parts went from floor to ceiling. The party was taking place in an open area between the shelves. Raised seating was arranged in an octagon, and Hanley guessed the dog fighting arena was in the center. There was also a bar with a long line of people waiting to buy beer.
"We need to get in there and look around," Ipo said.
"Dressed like this?" Hanley pointed to his black and gray body armor.
"No." Ipo frowned. "You and Katie will go back to the car, change into civilian clothes, and enter through the front. Pretend to be dog fighting enthusiasts. Mix with the crowd. Try to figure out who's running the show. Liam and I will stay right here and be available as backup. Press the panic button if you need immediate rescue."
The plan sounded risky to Hanley, but he had no better suggestion. He and Katie were the experts in undercover work. Ipo's enormous size tended to arouse suspicion, and Liam's acting skills were limited.
"Let's go," Hanley said.
He and Katie cautiously made their way back to the hole in the fence. He untied the string that held the cut section in place, and they slipped through.
The van held changes of clothes suitable for undercover work. Marina often emphasized the importance of preparation when going on a mission. She liked to say, "The one thing you leave behind is the thing your life will depend on."
Katie climbed into the back of the van and closed the door for privacy. Hanley stood guard while she changed. Except for the distant music, the night was quiet.
She came out of the van wearing a tight purple dress and black boots with high heels. The outfit emphasized her full breasts and curvy hips. She was a fine looking woman, and all the hard training had trimmed her figure nicely.
"How do I look?" She made a slow turn.
"Great," Hanley said. "Where do you hide weapons under that?"
"None of your business."
He took his turn in the van. Getting out of the body armor in the cramped space required a lot of twisting and bending. He changed into a red silk shirt, jeans, dress shoes, and a leather jacket. The shirt was loose enough to provide room for weapons, and the leather jacket covered the gun bulges.
Hanley climbed out of the van. "Well?"
Katie smiled. "Very handsome. I certainly won't mind having you as a boyfriend for a little while."
They started walking around the block to reach the front entrance. He put his arm around her shoulders the way a boyfriend would, and she held onto his waist. A dog barked in the distance.
"You don't have to answer," he said, "but are you lonely? Do you actually want a boyfriend?"
She glanced at him. "Why? Are you making a move on me?"
"No. It's just a friendly question. I'd rather maintain a professional relationship with you. Sex with co-workers never works out well in my experience."
"As a matter of fact, I do get lonely when I'm in my little house by myself, but I don't let it get me down. It's a distraction. I need to focus on my training right now, and having you and Ipo as friends is enough."
"What about Liam and Marina?" Hanley said.
"I think of Liam as a little brother I have to put up with. I'm too terrified of Marina to be friends with her."
"She would protect you if necessary. She takes care of her team."
"I know," Katie said, "but it's hard for me to like somebody who maims and kills so effortlessly. She's barely human."
"I think Aaron is cut from the same cloth."
After walking for a while longer, they arrived at the front gate of the junkyard. The two men in black T-shirts were still there. They had the bulging muscles of bodybuilders, but Hanley wasn't impressed. He knew plenty of ways to take down big guys.
The legionnaires tried to brush past the guards, but one of them grabbed Hanley.
"Hey," the guard said, "what's the password?"
"Huh?" Hanley stared at him.
"Password! And why are you so late? You missed most of the action."
"Sorry. A guy told us about the dog fights, and..."
"Get out of here." The guard pointed at the street.
Hanley had to make a decision. He was fairly confident he could defeat both guards, but a fight could be noisy, and he would have to hide the bodies afterwards. Backing off seemed the wiser course of action.
"OK. Sorry."
He took Katie's hand, and they walked off.
"Damn," Hanley murmured.
"We could sneak in through the back. We should've done that to begin with and saved ourselves a long walk."
"We're running out of time. You heard the guy. The dog fights will be over soon, and I don't think they'll like people sticking around afterwards. We have to get inside now."
They continued walking until they were well out of sight of the guards. Hanley stopped and looked at the tall fence. He didn't have the wire cutters, so he couldn't make a new hole. He wished he had Aaron's gift of spitting acid.
"We have to climb over," Hanley said.
"Huh?" Katie looked at him. "What about the barbed wire? And I'm not exactly dressed for climbing."
"What do you think Marina would say to that?"
"She'd tell me to stop whining."
He nodded. "Exactly."
He took off his leather jacket and hung it over his shoulder. He also pulled out a large knife. He used the point of the knife to break the wooden slats in the fence so he could get toeholds. The old, rotted wood crumbled easily.
He climbed. Ascending the chain-link portion was easy, but he had to stop when he reached the razor sharp barbed wire. He threw his jacket over the wire and carefully went over the top. The fence swayed disconcertingly beneath him, but he succeeded. He quickly went down the other side.
"Your turn," he said.
Katie frowned. She hiked up the skirt of her dress, exposing her black underwear and some small weapons strapped to her thighs. She took a breath and went up. Crossing the barbed wire was an awkward process, but she succeeded without falling off. Before getting down, she pulled off Hanley's jacket and tossed it to him. Finally, she hopped to the ground.
"That wasn't as hard as I thought."
"Or maybe your training is working," he said.
She nodded. "I'm definitely in great shape these days."
They crept towards the warehouse where the dog fighting was taking place. They passed a giant machine which could grind a car into small pieces.
Hanley waved for Katie to hang back until he was sure nobody was watching. Then they hurried into the building through an open side door. The place was so noisy and crowded, the presence of two new guests went unnoticed.
Out of morbid curiosity, Hanley walked over to the dog fighting arena first. It was circular and about ten feet across. Dirt and sawdust had been spread over the concrete floor of the warehouse, and blood had soaked the dirt in many places. The dogs had also left bits of torn flesh behind. A heavy, wire screen covered the top of the arena. Small doors in the sheet metal wall allowed owners to put dogs inside.
"Hey!" a guy in a blue shirt said. "You're blocking my view."
"Sorry," Hanley said as he backed out of the way.
About a hundred people were sitting on raised seats around the arena. Another hundred were wandering around, mostly near the bar. Two bartenders were doing a brisk business, and garbage cans were stuffed full of empty beer cups. Loud music was pounding Hanley's eardrums.
It wasn't hard to
see who was in charge. A man in a long, black coat was sitting on a couch on a raised platform like a king on a throne. An oversized, black cowboy hat was pulled down to his ears, and his eyes could barely see from under the brim. Three guards in black T-shirts were keeping the crowd from encroaching on his space.
A woman at his side could best be described as "eye candy." Her tight, little outfit showed plenty of deeply tanned skin, and she seemed young for the role of concubine. She was staring into space with a vacant, disinterested expression.
"That's the guy we need to talk to," Hanley said. "With that cowboy hat, he could be the one who bought the stolen phone."
Katie nodded. "Not here. Too many people. This conversation could get ugly."
"Let's see if Ipo has any ideas."
They walked to the far corner of the warehouse where a shelf full of car batteries provided some cover. Hanley took out his phone and called Ipo.
"What's going on in there?" Ipo said.
Hanley explained the situation.
"Wait until he leaves the room or the party ends," Ipo said. "You can't confront him in the middle of a crowd of civilians."
"That's what I thought."
"What's the security look like?"
Hanley peeked around the shelf of car batteries. "At least ten guys, and I think all of them are armed."
"You could start a fight to draw off the security," Ipo said.
"That's not a bad idea. I'll keep it in my back pocket. Bye." Hanley put away his phone.
Katie sighed. "It sounds like we'll be seeing some dog fights."
"Think of it as an opportunity to expand your cultural horizons."
"I don't need them expanded that way." She sneered.
* * *
Marina circled the junkyard at an altitude of a thousand feet in her helicopter.
"Should we call the team for a status report?" Aaron said.
"Not yet. Let's just hover for a little while. I don't want my people to think I'm looking over their shoulder."
The helicopter had a special feature that allowed Marina to reduce the rotor speed and make the aircraft much quieter. She had turned off the running lights for added stealth. The people on the ground probably didn't even know she was hovering above them.
"But that's exactly what you're doing," Aaron said.
"I know. I'm just trying to be polite about it."
He smiled a little. "You? Polite? This is a first. You really are maturing as a commander."
"Thanks... I think," she said. "Now keep your eyes open."
"Yes, ma'am."
She looked down through the window beneath her feet.
* * *
Rat-man was grinning. It had been a good night. The dog fights had been fantastic, and he expected to make a lot of money from gambling and beer sales. He would've done it for free though. Watching animals kill gave him orgasmic pleasure.
The final and most anticipated fight of the night was about to start. Past champions were about to engage in a battle to the death. The pace of betting was intense. It was a last chance for losers to make good their losses and for winners to double down.
Rat-man noticed a couple off to the side, far from the action. The woman was wearing a close-fitting purple dress and black "fuck me" boots. She had a nice body, but Rat-man wasn't into humans. The man had a great leather jacket and jeans which showed off his muscular legs. Dark brown, curly hair formed a tight rug on his head.
Neither person was drinking, gambling, or socializing. They were just quietly standing by themselves as if waiting for something to happen. Their stances and postures suggested a military background, and the man in particular had the bearing of an officer. Rat-man knew most of the regulars on sight, and he didn't recognize the faces of the two strangers. Cops, he thought.
He leaned down and tapped the shoulder of one of the security guys.
The man turned. "Sir?"
"See those two assholes on the right? The woman is wearing purple and has brown hair."
"Yes, sir."
"Bring them over here," Rat-man said. "I want to talk to them. Have some friends with you in case they give you trouble."
* * *
Hanley saw four guys in black T-shirts headed in his direction. They had the stern expressions of men on serious business.
"Shit," Hanley muttered. "We've been spotted."
"We weren't doing a good enough job of blending in," Katie said. "Should we run?"
"Just stay cool. We wanted to have this conversation anyway, just not right now."
The four men surrounded Hanley and Katie. He noted gun bulges under their shirts.
"The boss wants to talk to you," one man said.
Hanley nodded. "Good, because I want to talk to him."
The legionnaires were escorted to the man in the black cowboy hat.
"Hi," he said with a fake smile. "You two don't seem to be enjoying yourselves. You're making me feel like a bad host. Is there anything I can do to remedy the situation?"
The hat was sitting on his head oddly. Hanley guessed it was covering something.
"We could start with formal introductions." Hanley offered his hand. "I'm Oscar, and this is my wife, Anne."
"Most people call me Rat." Rat reached down from his high perch to shake Hanley's hand.
"A strange name."
"I'm a strange guy. Ah. The fight is about to start. Let's watch together."
Hanley and Katie faced the arena, and they were uncomfortably close to the action.
The combatants were a brown dog and a black dog. The owners were struggling to hold the animals back by their leashes. They bore the ugly scars of previous fights.
"Now!" Rat yelled.
The dogs lunged at each other, teeth first. The black dog managed to get a grip on the thick skin of its enemy's neck. The brown dog bit the black dog's ear at the same time.
There was hellacious growling as they fought for advantage. Their bodies flopped around on the bloody dirt. The brown dog managed to get a tooth into the black dog's eye socket, and clear fluid mixed with blood.
Hanley was appalled but inspired at the same time. The dogs were true warriors. Pain and injury were no reason to stop fighting, and the battle could only end in death. Legionnaires were supposed to fight with the same unbending determination and relentlessness.
Despite the loss of one eye, the black dog pulled free and attacked the brown dog's back leg. Hanley heard a pop as a bone broke. The brown dog tried to get away, but the black dog had its teeth firmly clamped on the broken limb.
Somehow, the brown dog managed to twist around and clamp its jaws on its enemy's shoulder. For a long moment, they were in a stalemate as neither dog was willing to release its grip.
Suddenly, the black dog attacked the brown dog's belly. Blood trickled out of the gash, and the taste seemed to incite the black dog to new levels of ferocity. Hanley forced himself to appear like he was enjoying the brutal spectacle in case Rat was watching.
The fight ended quickly. The brown dog left its guts on the dirt.
"Black wins!" Rat yelled. "My favorite color. That's the last fight folks. Collect your winnings and leave, please. I'll see you in a month." He looked down at Hanley and Katie. "Except for you two. We still need to talk."
Katie appeared uneasy, and Hanley gave her a reassuring smile.
The crowd cleared out, but the bartenders and other members of the staff stayed behind to clean up the mess. They started breaking down the seating and the dog fighting arena immediately. Everybody was moving quickly and with little conversation despite their obvious exhaustion. Hanley expected no evidence would remain an hour from now. Rat's young girlfriend left with the rest, and he didn't even say goodbye to her.
"Let's talk outside where we can have a little privacy," Rat said.
He led Hanley and Katie out of the building. Ten guards in black T-shirts formed an escort, and they carried their guns openly. They were armed with cheap revolvers. Stacks of crushed cars
surrounded the group.
"Search him," Rat said.
Hanley allowed himself to be searched. Resisting would lead to a gun battle which seemed unnecessarily risky. He knew Ipo and Liam were secretly watching, and if the situation grew too dangerous, they would intervene.
Rat's men found three guns and a knife on Hanley, but they missed a second knife. Katie's dress was so snug, it seemed impossible to hide anything under it, so the men gave her just a perfunctory pat down. Hanley knew that was a bad assumption on their part.
"Who are you?" Rat said.
"I told you," Hanley said. "Oscar and Anne."
"I don't give a shit about your names. What are you doing here?"
More guards were arriving as they came off other duties. The newcomers muttered about getting paid. Apparently, all obligations would be settled before anybody went home.
It was becoming an inconveniently large group of armed men. Hanley knew Ipo was out there, but even a skilled legionnaire would have trouble handling so many adversaries at once. Hanley decided to press on bravely.
"We're not cops if that's what you're wondering. I'll show you my wallet." He slowly took out his wallet and opened it wide. "No badge."
"You smell like a cop," Rat said.
"I assure you, we're not affiliated with any law enforcement agency."
"You didn't come to watch the fights."
Hanley decided this conversation was pointless. Neither side would give up any useful information willingly. It was time to make a bold play.
"Actually," he said, "we came because of two red pickup trucks, one salvaged and one new. The strange thing is they have the same license plates."
Rat's eyes widened slightly. It was exactly the sort of reaction Hanley had hoped to see. Rat knew about the pickup trucks, and the investigation had just taken a big step forward.
Hanley expected to hear denials and claims of ignorance, but instead, Rat straightened up.
"I'll be back," he said calmly. "Keep them here. Watch them closely. Make sure they don't get away."
He took about half his men with him and left the rest to guard Hanley and Katie. Rat walked off briskly.
Hanley looked at the guards in black T-shirts surrounding him. There were only six, but they all had their guns out. This is awkward, Hanley thought.
