16th Bullet: TIES/&/LIES

Kenkaicho stood up whilst his men surrounded him. He looked down upon his client and what he assumed was his bodyguard. His men grabbed a crate and pushed it between them.

"You bringing protection now, Kincaid?" asked Kenkaicho. "I don't remember that being on our agreement. Besides, didn't we offer you our services when you first got here."

Navier scoffed. "I prefer funding myself when I can, Yuzen."

Kenkaicho chuckled and shook his head. "We got a Mr. Independent within our midst. Anyway, we got the parts. Premium metals and gears that can taking a beating without damaging the motors. We went through hell and back to get these puppies so don't go losing them." He cracked open the crate with a crowbar and tossed a gear to Navier . "If these get into the wrong hands, which I doubt, we could all be down in the dumps."

Navier eyed the gear carefully and eventually noticed an insignia on it.

Q.

"I've been meaning to ask," Navier began, "who's this 'Q' fella?"

"Our plug. If you're thinking about talking to him, you have a better chance flying with mind control than that." Kenkaicho rubbed the back of his neck.

Vadars stared, lost in their conversation. I couldn't understand a damn word, everything sound like a textbook. 

And he hated textbooks.

"Can we go now?" Vadars asked. "I'm tired and cold and bored as hell. Navier, you got your stuff, right? Let's go. C'mon, vamanos, abeamus."

Navier glared at Vadars but Vadars didn't seem to care. "Then you're carrying this," Navier replied.

"Damn you..." Vadars said before picking it up and walking along. Kenkaicho watched as the two men walked away with their dealings. That was surprisingly simply, Vadars thought. Did all gang dealings go this cleanly? I mean, what kinda terms were Navier and that Yuzen guy on? They seemed to hate each other.

A lot.

Kenkaicho raised his gun and aimed at Navier, firing a bullet that was then stopped by Vadars with a block of his hand. Vadars' hand bled but he bit through the pain. Navier looked back and glared.

"You think we're that dumb, Kenkaicho?" Navier spat. 

"I was beginning to think so," Kenkaicho replied, grinning like a child. "This is the final draw we have with you. The boss wants you gone or with us. You're done being independent from now on in anyway. Let us sponsor you so you don't have to hang around with some scuffed bodyguard."

Vadars dropped the box and cracked his knuckles, blood messing up his fists. "Thanks for shooting at me. I really wanted an excuse to punch your teeth in."

Kenkaicho ran a small tongue over his upper lip slowly. "You wanna fight us? You do realize I'm holding a pistol, right?"

"And I'm gonna break your fingers so what use does a gun have after?"

Navier took out his own pistol and fired at Kenkaicho who ducked for cover and Vadars running at the men, armed with batons and steel pipes. Vadars leapt up and shot a kick at one of the men's head, force of an earthquake rattling his head unconscious. The moment Vadars landed, he blocked a strike and retaliated with crushing fists to the side and a backhand to another attacker.

Bullets rung out and Navier hid behind cover, chased by the happy Kenkaicho. Deep in the cargo shipments, Navier rested behind a steel shipping container, his breath steady. What a terrific chance for Yuzen to get back at him. Ever since Navier had settled in San Francisco, he had been taking parts deal from the Black Angels. Recently, Kenkaicho had become his new middleman and just by the mere presence of each other, they quickly grew into enemies.

"Come out, Navier!" shouted Kenkaicho. "What, don't have the last say anymore? Oh, I get it, you're just scared. You're scared of me, you small little boy, just like your pops! We told him time and time again to just work under us but no!" Kenkaicho kicked a near by container that sounded out through the whole labyrinth of it. "Your dad wanted integrity. Not much integrity when you're working with criminals for parts, are ya?"

Navier popped out from behind a cargo, gun aimed at Kenkaicho head. Kenkaicho mimicked the action, his smile widening.

"Hit a nerve?" Kenkaicho asked.

"Keep my dad's name at your mouth, you hear me?" 

"First you hate the Black Angels but you work with us and now you hate Killrights yet you're working with one."

Navier wavered. "How do you know he's..."

Kenkaicho grinned. "Holy hell, Q was right." 

Navier stiffened before knocking the hammer back but he was too late. A bullet pierced his own shoulder and he flung to the ground. Kenkaicho blew the smoking barrel and crouched over, slapping Navier on the head. 

"So pathetic like the women I treat..." Yuzen laughed. "I like seeing that type of face. You know, the moronic, dumb-looking ones where people don't know what to do or how to get out of things. They fall so freaking easily in my hands."

Navier rolled over and spat on Kenkaicho. "Go to hell, you stupid eggplant..."

Kenkaicho's grin dropped like a rock and he shoved the gun into Navier's mouth. "I'll kill you, you hear me? I'll blow your brains out on this concrete right now and—"

He was sent flying over and tumbled into a container with monstrous force. Navier gazed up to Vadars standing tall and strong with barely any scratch on him.

"You miss me?" he asked. Navier rolled his eyes.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," the mechanic groaned in reply.

Kenkaicho growled and stood up, stumbling. He tried to aim his gun and fired but every shot hit air. He eventually threw his gun away and charged straight at Vadars.

"You wanna be a man?" Kenkaicho yelled. "C'mon! Let's throw hands!"

Vadars tilted his head back, dodging a wild swing and then countering with a large left swing of his own on the jaw, a right hook to the ear and then a rough front kick to the torso which laid Kenkaicho out on the ground, face bruised and whimpers running out his mouth. The Killright helped Naiver onto his feet, a sigh exiting his mouth.

"You don't look to well," Vadars commented. "You need to see a doctor."

"I'll be fine," Navier said. "Just, let's go home, alright? And take the parts before they get stolen, okay?"

"We need to go to a doctor, Navier," Vadars commanded. "You just got shot and I'm not exactly good with healing or anything."

Navier sunk into his arms and Vadars groaned. He dragged the crate and the mechanic home with the speed of a hare. He hated stubborn people. He then thought on it. Well, he was stubborn himself but that was completely different. As Vadars arrived, he entered the garage with sweat pouring all over him.

Taking off Navier's overall's tops, he analysed the overflowing amounts of blood that Vadars tried to soak up with cloths and such but it wouldn't stop. Navier tried to raise his head but he could only whisper.

"1124," he hushed. "That's my locker pin. Bring the necklace inside.. hurry..."

Vadars ran to the break room, unlocked the locker and grabbed the necklace. The locker itself was littered with wrappings, leaves and what seemed to be a photo of somebody. He snatched the necklace and saw it had multiple beads and feathers on it, a wooden circle carved neatly and gracefully. He observed it more and noticed a small pouch on it as well. He had no time to play detective, he had to bring this to Navier quick.

He dashed and gave it to Navier who opened the pouch and grabbed some crushed leaf paste, rubbing it on the wound and muttered some sort of chant. After a couple of seconds, he skin glowed and the blood began to stop, flesh slightly morphing and growing, a scar already forming.

Vadars awed in disbelief. How the hell did he just do that? He was aware of spells and symbols that Killrights used and that was rare but this? He had never seen anything of the sort in his whole life.

"Damn..." Navier muttered. "I was hoping you didn't see this..."

"What," Vadars began, "are you?"

Navier looked away before taking in a deep breath. "A shaman."

                                                                                      ♱♱♱

10:54.

Two men dressed in black suits with purple accents sat outside a café. They both drank the same coffee, wore the same sunglasses, had the same haircut and sat the same way. Only one of them wore a watch, a gold watch that glinted in the bright, morning sun.

10:56.

Almost time.

"Kane," said one of the men. "What're your thoughts on the Mavericks?"

Kane raised a brow. "Why such a question, Caine?"

"It's just," Caine began, "I can't seem to wrap my head around Hanze-fi. Why do the Mavericks all of a sudden reach out to us and supply us with weaponry?"

"Well, it's all quite obvious." Kane sipped his coffee. "They want us to take control of San Francisco and eventually run everything. We're quite capable; more capable than the Chain Dogs and much more capable than the Black Angels. They obviously see potential in us."

A woman passed, walking her dog.

"But if the rumours are true, Kane, we could be dealing with a force beyond our control. With Boss Sarmiento sick and Sister Audrey by his side, we are much more vulnerable. The Mavericks want to take us over."

The shy waiter refilled the water.

"Do not," Kane pronounced, "speak about them."

"I apologize," Caine said. "Regardless, if what is really true, the Chain Dogs will be out in the streets in a exactly six minutes searching for a Killright."

"And then we fire," Kane replied.

10:58.

"We'll die."

"We all die. It's apart of this lifestyle. Did we not also say we will lay our lives for Boss Sarmiento and Imperium?"

Caine kept quiet, not wanting to speak. Kane checked his watch once more. 

A group of kids played tag in the streets.

It was lively.

11:02.

Kane nodded and they both reached for their tommy guns underneath the table, saw a large black buggy rolled down the street and fired away as the Chain Dogs countered. The streets was riddled with bullets, blood, screams and bodies. The woman walking her dog flopped onto the sidewalk, her pet running away fearfully. The kids dropped and the waiter was blasted back, falling onto the table and clear water mixing with his red water. 

The Chain Dogs fell and the vehicle crashed.

Kane and Caine fell to the ground.

11:04.