Phantom City

[HoarFrost Jr]

Tabitha blinked twice as the giant crushed her, not with his hands but his words. She had been told that she talked too much before; quite often, actually. Usually it was by her mother, who was raised under the school of thought that children are to be seen and not heard. She was about to defend herself by telling the man that she certainly had not been told such “bold face lies”, alongside a plethora of other things that would dribble out of her mouth as she strung along the sentence, but she was silenced by the opening of the door. The older man told them to go upstairs with a commanding voice, and she felt more than obliged to follow his instructions. She followed the big guy upstairs and joined the rest of the people who thought they were heroes.

It was certainly a strange mix of people that crowded the table set for six. There was the giant and the old man, plus the guy Tabitha had witness fight the three Snakes from the shadows. The other two had situated each other at opposite ends of the table; the furthest one had a fashion style that reflected Tabitha’s own, the ski mask preventing her from seeing any of his facial features. She suddenly felt self-conscious about her own mask, realizing they were the only two covering their faces, and pulled hers off as she made for a chair, revealing an excessive amount of eye shadow that sadly wasn’t a part of her costume. A tall bearded man, who called himself Archangel, frowned with his eyes at the lot as he spoke. Tabitha couldn’t help but feel out of place among the group: she was the tiniest, youngest, and the only girl. However, there was one thing that they all had in common: not one of them looked the tiniest bit heroic.

“My verdict is out on the rest of you, as I've never seen you in action. I will say though, that there are some who have not made a good first impression." Tabitha missed Archangel shooting a glance at Crux; she was too busy trying to cool her cup of tea down with her breath as she took a seat next to the man in the ski mask. She frowned, realizing that she’d have to try hard to be accepted by her peers. An uncomfortable air filled the room after the giant replied to the man with one curt thanks. A few more seconds passed, and Tabitha faked a cough to draw attention to her.

“Um, shouldn’t the rest of us introduce ourselves, then, or are we just going to call each other dude? Because I don’t think I could handle that—aha, er, my name’s Ta—oh, I mean Jammer, sorry,” she smiled at her little mistake. It was like she was giving a presentation before a classroom full of her peers, because her eyes were fixed entirely on the table. “Let’s see, I had an incident with the Crimson Stars a while back and figured that there had to be something done about them. Um, I’m…twenty years old,” she lied, adding three years to her actual age. She paused for a second, trying to think of other things to say, and soon found herself rambling: “Uh, I enjoy jogging, climbing, playing the clarinet, and, er, painting?”

She finally looked up and caught the glares of those around her; she had certainly proven the big guy’s earlier statement true. “Ha ha, oh, so,” she turned to the person next to her to save her from her excellent first impression, “uh, what’s your name?”

[King Whiskey]

As soon as the girl entered, Crux had a good feeling about her. She was young - he could tell that much by her stature. She wore a ski mask to hide her facial features, just like he did. "This one," he thought quietly, "this one might be perfect." Before devoting himself to further study of the little pixie, Crux scanned the enormous figure in front of him. That towering figure glared down on the proceedungs, but not with a sense of condescension. This serious man could prove a valuable ally.

---

Upstairs, as they worked through another pot of tea, Archangel pointedly criticized Crux for "not making a good impression." Crux smiled, ruminating on how Archangel, in all his stubborn bravado, might be the savior they all needed. A promising subject, and one especially predisposed to an antagonistic relationship.

After another moment, the girl pulled her mask off, revealing a teenage face caked in a little too much makeup. The product of growing up in this city. She piped up and introduced herself. Every word she said confirmed her innocence - not virginity, necessarily, but a kind of decency too uncommon in this world. After she finished her awkward introduction, she turned to Crux.

"Uh, what's your name?"

Crux took a moment, then faced her with a smile.

"Jammer, huh?" I noticed some of your work on that billboard earlier. It wasn't bad." He takes a look around the table at the strange faces that have arrived, then rises from his seat. His mind works to form a metaphor: the city will be Crux's canvas, and these misbegotten "heroes" will be his paints.

"You can call me Crux. I see this city as a place infected by selfishness and greed, and I think, thanks to our host here, we finally have the tools necessary to treat it. Regardless of what Archangel says, this isn't a problem we can shoot or strangle. No. We need to defeat the very concept of crime. We need to BECOME heroes. At least, that's my thought."

He sits back down, then leans in to the girl seated next to him. He allows his face to linger, then whispers "Don't worry. I think you're going to be great."

[sambidex]

Josh, as he watched Crux lean in and whisper something to Jammer, gathered the courage to introduce himself.
"Hi...umm...I'm Josh. Well, you can... I guess... call me The Invoker. You may have noticed a few incapacitated Tunnel Snakes on the way here," Josh said. Trying not to sound boastful, or anything, he continued "Yeah, that was me."

He quietly slumped back in his chair, his mind racing over every word he just spoke, and what kind of impression those words would leave. He came up with 20 other things he could have said that would have sounded better, and he judged himself on why he paused so much and why he added so many extra useless words.
He prayed that somebody else would speak to take the attention off him.

[Deamonbane]

He enjoyed the tea. He really did. But this was getting awkward. Besides the apparent leader of this party that looked like it came straight out of the 'Alice in Wonderland' book, he was oldest man here. He began to wonder why he came. Besides the tea, of course.

"Umm," He started, his deep voice rumbling," The name's Dace. Better known as Hammerhand by the scum in this city. Um, I kinda tripped over them snakes that Mister 'Invoker' claims to have downed, and..." He paused, wondering why the hell he was still talking," I've been running around this cesspool of a city, trying to get guys to, you know, do the right thing, but it ain't working, and I end up putting more people in the morgue than helping, so I just want that to change, is all," He sipped his tea," This is damn good tea."

[HoarFrost Jr]

A stupid smile spread across Tabitha's face as Crux mentioned her work. "Not bad" was probably the only compliment she had ever received for her graffiti, and it was enough of one for her to instantly respect the man. She nodded her head in agreement with his statement: they had to defeat the idea of crime, not just whack a couple of criminals. In her mind, the action of paying evil unto evil solved nothing, and idea that had infected her mind ever since her father told her how two wrongs didn't make a right. If Tabitha murdered the criminals she'd be no better than them, or so she felt. Odds were more than likely that her idealistic ways would prove to be of little help in the future.

"Don't worry. I think you're going to be great," whispered Crux to the girl. A kind of brightness flashed in her eyes as she nodded in acknowledgement, but she had little chance to respond as the man she had witnessed take down the three thugs introduced himself. She stared at him as he spoke, the shine in her eyes dimming as Josh (or the Invoker) mentioned his work that had ended the progress on her own. The big guy introduced himself next as Dace, or Hammerhand, both names fit for a man of his stature. The air of silence settled over the table as Dace complimented the tea. Tabitha had thought it was okay at best, but she would've preferred coffee with a lot of sugar and cream. She kept the thought to herself, however, and looked up at their host:

"So, like um, who are you then? And what's your plan to, uh, save this city?"

[sambidex]

Being older than the city, not much surprised Joseph anymore, but something about this group shocked him, nearly. He looked to the young girl as she spoke up.

"So, like um, who are you then? And what's your plan to, uh, save this city?"

After a excruciatingly long 30 seconds, Joseph spoke. "Yes, yes, I suppose you are probably wondering what I have gathered you all here for." He made eye contact with every other individual in the room, then revealed his plan.

"My plan here is to form a team of you 'heroes'. Hopefully, as a team, we can not only intimidate criminals, but more effectively punish them, as opposed to murdering them. As a team, we will not kill the criminals in this city, but rather have them sentenced to an appropriate amount of time in prison."

Joseph let the words sink in, then spoke once more. "But this team will have another purpose. A 'side-quest,' if you will. This team would additionally be attempting to collapse the four major gangs in Phantom city: The Snakes, The Infinites, The Crimson Stars and the Storm Radicals. The Infinites are the least threatening, and The Stars are the most.
"For those that are unaware, the Crimson Stars are controlled by a nine-person cult. The actions of the gang are to benefit the cult's goals, and I am certain they currently pose the largest threat to this city. I have reason to believe that they are planning for some sort of massively destructive attack on the city. How they will achieve this, we do not know. But surely the city will be safer if the cult does not reach its goals."

[King Whiskey]

Crux let Joseph's words linger in his mind for a moment. Collapse the four gangs? Could it be done? Certainly. With the right approach and enough grit, any act is possible. The old man suggested that the Crimson Stars were the most threatening gang, which corresponded to police intelligence - not that the law cared enough to do something about it. They were always too busy squabbling for scraps to see the big picture.

But how? He'd seen enough of the gangs' activities to know that they were monolithic organizations. It would be a task, to be sure.

Still, if ever there was a group capable of doing this, it would be them. Dace the Giant seemed like the honorable monster sort. Someone who could tear through the world if driven to it. Archangel as well look like he could be easily driven to violence. Good. Violence would become necessary. He was sure of that. The Invoker, as far as Crux could tell, was a cipher. But he had the spirit. There was enough of that. Crux was certain the Invoker would be the heart and soul of the team after...

And Jammer. The girl who just wanted to help out. A sweet, shy girl. She was something special, surely. She would be the one to unite the team - Crux was sure of it.

Crux polished off his cup of tea. "First off, I agree with the boss. Killing criminals would send the wrong kind of signal. We aren't the fifth gang of Phantom City. We're something new. That said, there's nothing wrong with frightening the scum. That's going to be a major part of it. I think the way to do that is to be public. We need to have the Stars whispering about how there's a bunch of scary sons of bitches who aren't afraid to step up to them. At least, that's what I think."

As he gauges the others' reactions, Crux shoots a glance at the old man and tries to silently communicate something. "It's going to take more than this."

[nostrebor68]

"What we NEED," Gabriel exclaimed, rising from his seat, "Is the stones to do what needs to be done. Scaring them might take care of the short term problem, but it won't do any good if we don't take care of the core issue. I agree with him." He said, nodding at Joseph. "What we need is to take these gangs apart piece by piece and scatter the bits to the wind, so that they'll never reform again."

Turning to Joseph he said, "You seem competent. I'd be willing to follow you as long as we're taking down these sons of bitches. My fists and my gun are yours to command sir." Gabe said, dropping to one knee. He'd always had a taste for the dramatic, but this was more than that. This old man had some kind of aura around him that just commanded respect, even Gabriel's.

"I have a few concerns about the group, but all in all i think we'll do nicely. My central worry, though, is why we are allowing a child to partake in this. I've been a child in this sort of thing, and it's not something I'd wish on anyone else. Jammer, are you here of your own volition? Because I don't want you getting hurt just cause you're trying to do something for somebody else. Make sure this is what you want to be doing."

[Deamonbane]

Dace chuckled at the dramatic bowing, and the youth's concern for the you maiden," This city can't be saved with flowers and nonviolent protests. Working it out the legal way ain't gonna cut it either. The only way that we are gonna make a lick o' difference, is if we make our point very public. And that means, for all those still on the right side of the law, that we are gonna be getting our hands dirty, but fast," He sipped the tea, and put his empty cup down," It means we have to be the villains. Honor and promises won't do jack shit, if honor gets in the way of doing the right thing."

He stood up," I came to see this city for what it was. Killing a few gang members...Hell, killing a lot of gang members won't do anything. A new gang is gonna come up before you can relax, and they are gonna be better, stronger, and smarter than the last one. There's only one way to do this: Cut off the head, and the body will die. And each time a new head is raised, cut it off again. Kill the lawyers, politicians, and everyone involved until people that aren't suicidal will know to avoid the fuckers," He refilled his tea cup," I'm just sayin'."

[HoarFrost Jr]

Tabitha found herself nodding yes, yes, yes as the old man spoke of his plan. She agreed with him on all points. The idea of being part of a team of so-called heroes was one that excited her young, naïve mind, and the goal of collapsing the gangs was one she was more than ready to achieve. After all, the girl’s nasty run-in—and fortune rescue from—the Stars was what had inspired her to recklessly become a vigilante. More importantly, however, was the man’s stance on murder, which was one in the same with Tabitha’s. Killing criminals solved nothing; it just fueled their fellow felons with thoughts of revenge that would lead to a vicious cycle. Imprisonment, however, offered the chance of rehabilitation, or so thought the girl who had spent almost seventeen years of her life hanging on to every word of her father the cop.

A grin had begun to stretch across her face, and her eyes were beaming like headlights. As Archangel made his pledge with a dramatic bow she felt a wind of inspiration surge upon herself, and was about to jump up and embarrass herself with a similar hammy act when he brought up his major concern: her. Child? she thought, the grin on her face slipping away as she forced herself to swallow the swelling urge to yell at the man that she was no kid (which would, in turn, be a clear indication that she indeed was one). Her outburst was quelled by the giant, who in turn made matters even worse for Tabitha by stating that they should behave like villains. She took his statement a bit too literal, and by the time he was finished talking she was already on her feet, turning towards the man that could easily crush her between two fingers.

“Be villains? That’s…that’s just stupid,” she blurted out, her arms shooting out to her side as emphasis. “If you kill the politicians and lawyers then who’s going to make sure the criminals get imprisoned? And if the head keeps growing back, then why cut it off in the first place? It’d be like…um, like Sissyfit, you know?” Tabitha’s D- in Greek Mythology was finally paying off; she had almost managed to pronounce Sisyphus. Regardless, she was obviously not to certain about what she was talking about. “Wouldn’t it be just better to just bind the head so it couldn’t give out orders or something?”

The girl was now on a roll, swinging on her heels to face Archangel. “And do you think I was like dragged here or something by some crazy…hero…grabbing guy? Of course I’m here on my own volition; it is what I want to do. I’d do it even if you didn’t allow me. And so what if I get hurt for somebody else? Isn’t that why you’re—all of us are here? To be heroes? You can hardly be a hero if you’re too busy worrying about your own ass,” said Tabitha hypocritically, ignoring the fact that she was more than willing to watch the guy who called himself the Invoker get jumped by three thugs. “If you just want to kill people you should go join the Snakes or something. And I’m not a child!”

The fire inside her was starting to burn down as she turned to Joseph and Crux. “You two are right. Killing criminals isn’t going to do any good; it obviously hasn’t up to this point. We need to reform them, or scare them off, or whatever, I don’t really…I don’t know,” she grew a little quieter, and began to look around nervously at the group. The stares weren’t comforting. “Um, I agree about going public. I can handle that part; I’m good at…at that kind of stuff.” She was, of course, talking about her graffiti, because being the voice of the group would certainly do them little good than turning them in to a laughingstock. “We should have a name or something, shouldn’t we? All good groups have them. Like, maybe the, uh, the Phantoms? Er, no? Right. We can…uh…how about…”

Her self-consciousness had finally regained control, and Tabitha found herself quickly bolting back in to her seat and draining the rest of her tea, the silence in the room booming in her ears. Not looking up from the cup, she quietly spoke: “Mmm, this sure is damn good tea.”