[center][img]http://s8.postimg.org/yxi027ag5/The_Cowl_Word_Art.jpg[/img][/center] One day earlier…. “So we all know the plan?” “What plan? The man up top just wants us to stir shit up, what plan is that?” These were the words spoken by two men in the Talons, a motorcycle gang based in little china in the city of Lost Haven, adept practitioners of what were called "firebombing runs", attacking stores with an array of Molotov cocktails and retreat in into the night. Once they were nothing but small-time, a local threat and nothing more. That had changed, however, when they came into contact with the Shroud Syndicate.The powerful cartel had offered them a deal too sweet to refuse, in exchange for a kickback of their exploits and a treaty with two rival gangs in the city, the Dread Men and the Brothers in Blood. Now these three gangs, among many others, bend knee to The Cowl. And today, that loyalty will be called upon. The Talons now found themselves arming up for a "day of free reign", word from The Cowl himself that all street gangs would have a day to forgo restraint and simply cause a bit of havoc. No treaties, no advice, just cause panic in their respective territories. The only rule being to try and avoid killing too many people, as the Cowl was always oddly protective of the common man. "C'mon, Brett, you know the big guy always has somethin' goin' on, why would he just make a scene out of the blue like this?” Brett grabbed his helm, wings carved into the sides, visor in the shape of an eagle. “I dunno, bro, we ain’t under the Shroud because we ask a lot of questions.” The motorcyclist picked up a heavy led pipe, taking a few practice swings with it, the hum of the heavy metal singing through the air meeting the satisfaction of the thematic gang member. “You and I both know what those guys do to people who ask too many questions. You remember the Great Dane Gang, don’t you, Garrett?” Garrett ended up jolting to a halt to Brett’s words, shuddering as he laced up one of his boots. Very briefly he remembered coming to a meeting with the Great Dane gang three years ago, only to find the gang’s bodies strewn along their hideout. The crack house decorated in blood and bodies still haunting his mind. “Y..yeah...You’re right.” “Of course I am, so when the fucking Cowl, [b]THE[/b] Cowl, asks us to go out on the town and stir some shit up? I’m not going to be the asshole asking ‘derrr why should we do that’?” He jabbed a finger into Garret, causing the man to be slightly pushed off balance as he was hunting through the garage’s armaments for his favorite pistol. “He says ‘jump’ we say ‘how high?’, he says ‘fight’ we ask for a target, we say…” “God dammit, shut the fuck up, man, I get it!” Garrett snapped, nearly turning the pistol on his comrade as he whirled around to snarl at his cohort. “I just...we got capes to deal with now! Guys in spandex who can throw cars and shrug off bullets, how the fuck are we supposed to deal with that?” “Well, asswipe, that’s a road we cross when we get to it.” Brett snapped back, mounting his motorcycle as he spoke. A hand draped down along the chrome handles, sliding along the etchings of massive birds of prey marked along the pipes, a cruel smile draping his face as his fingers found themselves crossing over some dried blood along the tire rim, vicious memories crossing the criminal’s mind as he leaned back in the seat. “From what I know, if we find ourselves in the presence of a cape, we try and stay out of their fuckin’ way as best as you can. From what it sounded like, we ain’t going to war today, just starting the fire.” Garrett sighed, climbing onto his motorcycle as well, pulling an iron mask over his face. With a quick turn of the key, his bike growled into action, the engine revving with Garrett’s test pulls. “Well what are we waitin' for, then?” Garrett shouted over the engine. “Let’s go fuckin' nuts!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Present day, 10:00pm [color=7bcdc8]“Initial reports are coming in, mister Cowl.”[/color] Came the voice of Specter, sitting in the corner of the Cowl’s office, deep within an undisclosed warehouse in the abandoned ends of Lost Haven. Both of these shadowy players knew that at that moment, the rest of the city was broiled in The Cowl’s handiwork, a testing of the proverbial metahuman waters. The Cowl himself was looking out from the tiny window of the office, his eyes fixated on a spot he could see across the landscape of buildings and lights. He could smoke rising from within a collection of high-rise buildings, hinting on that chaos occurring deep within the city, while Specter sat nearby, keeping tabs on the city’s events on a laptop. While they were not within earshot, both could associate the sounds neccessary to simulate the situation in their minds. Fire rising from wreckage, the screams of terrorized folk, the shattering of glass and the wails of sirens, all the symptoms of a riot echoed within their minds. The compurter screen illuminated the detailed mask of the Specter, similarly attired to the Cowl himself, but noticeably different. He was wearing a robe-like suit as opposed to his boss’ stealthy attire, bits of cloth were flowing flowing and wraith-like to adhere closer to his codename. Within this compound were a swarm of heavily armed guards, posted at every door and two positioned within the Cowl's office. These men were The Cowl’s personal hand-picked security force, some dressed to fit The Cowl's theme, attired in hoods and catsuits, kevlar and ceramic plates lightly covering and protecting them, while others had their body armor covered by well-tailored suits, their weaponry comparatively lighter than their costumed comrades. It was clear that there was varied devotion to the crime lord. To those in suits; this was a hefty paycheck with fairly decent benefits. To the hooded guards, however; this gang was their entire livelihood, a stronger bond than any family they had ever known. They had even taken to calling themselves "The Veilguard" and heavily training in military squad tactics and weapons training, becoming almost cult-like in their devotion. [color=8882be]“Well don’t keep me in suspense, my shadow.”[/color] The Cowl’s voice echoed across the room in return, never turning away from the smoking city in the distance as he spoke. [color=8882be]“What have we smoked out of the shadows now that we’ve set their feet to the fire?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]"As per your request, the gangs we reached out to have begun razing their respective territory.”[/color] Specter began, the faint sound of the laptop’s keys barely reverberating into the room as the second-in-command busily pulled up current news stories and articles.[color=7bcdc8] “Small riots have broken out in the city, fires have been set, and there is substantial property damage already, the areas you’ve been looking to purchase will most likely be cleaned out by tomorrow.”[/color] [color=8882be]“Yes, yes, that plan was always going to go smoothly, especially with how much public destruction is going on these days.”[/color] The Cowl scoffed, waving off the report with a wave of his hand. [color=8882be]“Are we getting the attention of any metahumans, so far? Have any come to see what they can do?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“A few reports here and there.” [/color] Specter replied. [color=7bcdc8]“The night is still young, so not much of a metahuman presence has appeared. However, that does not mean we are off the hook. As you are already aware, a one ‘Jim Wilson’ vanished a few nights ago, his desk removed of all important information regarding our affairs. As the evidence was all taken away and not returned to us by the police, we are certain that was a metahuman looking to find us. We have not found this vigilante or discovered their name, so hopefully this will attract the unnamed meta’s attention.”[/color] [color=8882be]“Yes, yes, that’s all well and good, but I want confirmed names, who do we have who has actively appeared?"[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“We already have one name who has actively called you out.”[/color] On those words, Cowl stopped his methodical pacing, whirling on his heel to face his lieutenant. [color=8882be]“Excellent! Tell me more.”[/color] With a few deft keystrokes, Specter quickly rose from his seat and placed his laptop on the desk, allowing the Cowl to get a better visual on the masked man while he spoke. [color=7bcdc8] “We recovered a low-rank member by the name of Charlie, one of our ambulances picked him up before the police did. He and his friend, Daniel, were found in an alleyway, beaten up pretty bad. Charlie himself was given several broken bones and internal bleeding.” [/color]Specter hit a key on the keyboard, showing a picture of the young man in the ambulance, his face and body severely bruised and bloodied by what could only be described as a severe beating. [color=8882be]“My, my, this fellow clearly pulls no punches.” [/color] The Cowl mused, looking over the damages on the small screen. [color=8882be]“Who is the culprit who has challenged me so directly?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“According to the woozy ramblings of the Charlie, his name is Lyger.”[/color] Specter said, changing the screen with another few keystrokes to show a few news articles with the titular costumed vigilante. “An active metahuman with growing popularity, this ‘Lyger’ has participated in a few major events in the past few months, including defending Lost Haven from the notorious ‘D-Day’.” [color=8882be]“Interesting…”[/color] The Cowl whispered, leaning onto the desk to get a better look at the man’s costume. [color=8882be]“Do you think he’s the one who killed our Mr. Wilson?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“Doesn’t sound like his way of doing things, he’s in the public eye, and he left Charlie and Daniel alive.” [/color]Specter replied, [color=7bcdc8]“From initial speculation, I don’t think this is the man who killed Jim.”[/color] [color=8882be]“Hmph, fair enough.” [/color]The Cowl scratched his chin, leaning back to a fully standing position as he took a few cautious steps away from the computer. [color=8882be]“Still...he called me out...are you sure about this?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“Charlie said that Lyger told him who he worked for, and that he was coming for that man.”[/color] Specter replied. [color=7bcdc8]“Whether that means he knows it is you directly, or simply another person working for you...he’s sniffing out your trail sooner or later.”[/color] [color=8882be]"Well, no matter,”[/color]The Cowl stated, turning to the exit of the office and beginning a quick stride towards the doorway. [color=8882be]“We’re now aware of his intentions, it will give us the advantage when dealing with him in the future...for now. Who else do we have on the table?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“Well, Icon just got involved, dealing with the Brothers of Blood looting in Sherman Square.”[/color] [color=8882be]“Oh, well who hasn’t that fellow gotten involved in?” [/color] The Cowl responded, adding a huff at the end of his sentence, causing the mask to ripple slightly. [color=8882be]“Still...good to know he’s not just chasing the big threats. We may have to deal with him as well.”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“There is also another matter that occurred before tonight.”[/color] Specter pointed out, moving a few files on the screen to reveal security footage of a small warehouse the Shroud had a minor blackmail and extortion operation working out of. It was there to keep the strings attached to the Cowl’s fingers, allowing him to keep influence over some smaller businesses in Little Sicily. In the footage the two men could see the entire warehouse be attacked and cleared by a lone man with a bow and arrow, firing nets and stun bolts from his quiver. [color=7bcdc8]“The man calls himself Odysseus, a sort of homage to the Greek hero in the legend of The Odyssey.”[/color] He pointed at the bowman, dressed to fit the role of his name. [color=7bcdc8]“He disrupted a few of our operations like this, but luckily, he intercepted some of our dummy information, there is a good chance he will be heading to New York to try and deal with a problem that doesn’t exist.”[/color] The Cowl gave a small laugh underneath his hood, the mask hiding his true glee at the information. [color=8882be]“Good, let our boys in New York know that they will have a meta to deal with.”[/color] Specter’s eyes widened at his boss’ words, twisting his torso to face The Cowl. [color=7bdcd8]“When did you get influence in New York?” [/color] The Cowl laughed heartily, clapping Specter on the shoulder. [color=8882be]“Oh, my dear, dear shadow…”[/color] The man began, moving past the lieutenant towards the empty doorway. [color=8882be]“There is much I keep secret, even from you. You may be my second-in-command...but only here, in Lost Haven. At any rate, we have other business to carry on with, you will keep track of any new metahumans that reveal themselves, and we will get a sense on exactly who and what we are dealing with by the end of the night.” [/color] As the Cowl got to the doorway, he was greeted silently by two of his hooded guards. The crime lord spent no time giving them a pleasant greeting, instead simply delivering an order. [color=8882be]“Get the cars ready, and plan a route to the docks.”[/color] At the mention of the docks, it was Specter who rose his head at the order, turning away from his computer and quickly moving to The Cowl’s side. [color=7bcdc8]“Uh...sir?” [/color] He asked, reaching out to the Cowl. [color=7bcdc8]“I know better than to question your decisions, but is now a good time to go out?”[/color] The Cowl came to a halt, turning slightly to get an eye on his lieutenant, the eye containing what could only be described as an intense glint of excitement. [color=8882be]“Specter, how many Police do you think are at the riots?”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“Um...well according to the reports, more than two thirds of the Lost Haven Police force has been dispatched to deal with the riots in the City.”[/color] [color=8882be]“You and I are also both aware that a hefty percentage of the Lost Haven Police are on our payroll. Correct?”[/color] [color=7bdcd8]“Yes, that would be--” [/color] Specter stopped mid sentence, his eyes sprinting to the floor as the pieces began to come together. [color=7bcdc8]“This wasn’t just to get the names of our enemies...was it?”[/color] [color=8882be]“No, that was merely part of the plan.”[/color] The Cowl said, his voice lightning up, hinting that underneath his mask there was nothing but a smug, sneering grin plastered on his unknown face. [color=8882be]“This was not just some buglight hoping to zap to particularly nasty locusts, this was a distraction. Every cop and every metahuman we know of is busy in the city, saving the common man and thwarting countless looting attempts, all of the police force is entirely concerned with our riots...and left the rest of the town unguarded.” He turned slowly, his stride resuming, knowing his Specter would follow. “We have an appointment in the nearby harbor, I suspect the cars should be ready now.”[/color] [color=7bcdc8]“The harbor?”[/color] Specter asked, chasing his crime lord with a frantic pace, reaching out to him. [color=7bcdc8]“What’s going to be waiting for us at the harbor?”[/color] Not even bothering to look back, The Cowl uttered in a defiant baritone, declaring the true intention for his dastardly scheme of the night. [color=8882be]“A cargo ship, we’re going to accomplish the biggest smuggling deal this town has ever seen...and then…” [/color] He turned slightly, making momentarily eye contact with Specter. [color=8882be]“We will make this town remember why they fear the Shroud Syndicate!”[/color]